The illusion of summer

Despite being one of England's most picturesque seaside towns, and a popular tourist destination, St Ives is in the grip of a poverty epidemic, writes OLIVER VERGNAULT

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TO THE tens of thousands of tourists who flock there each year, St Ives is the quintessential Cornish holiday destination: white sands, glittering turquoise waters, gorgeous seafront properties and quaint winding streets.

The most famous of those is Downalong, a characterful street visitors will typically meander through and photograph on their way to the town's bistros, pubs, shops and galleries.

But a closer look reveals that almost all the properties carry signs advertising them as self-catering holiday cottages. By September, it's likely most will be empty.

And by winter, the whole area is all but deserted. "It's all second homes and holiday lets," explains Chris Wallis, a retired Pentecostal reverend who officiated in the town until three years ago.

Chris is no stranger to the challenges posed by St Ives's status as an iconic tourist town.

Facade

"St Ives is not a thriving town," he sighs. "That's the illusion of summer."

Behind the booming seasonal facade of its restaurants and boat trips is a contrasting picture for locals: an uncertain jobs market and an almost total lack of affordable housing.

Add to that an influx of retirees seeking the sunshine, the beautiful light and the tranquillity they may not enjoy in big cities, and you have a population that is struggling.

There are not many care homes in St Ives, so elderly people have to cope at home.

Equally, while the nearest hospitals are relatively close by in Penzance or Hayle, for cancer treatment and other serious ailments they need to use the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske in Truro, a near 40-mile drive.

And in 2012, Chris was asked to set up St Ives Foodbank in response to the increasing prevalence of local people struggling with food poverty.