THE High Sheriff of Cornwall, Geraint Richards recently paid a visit to homeless charity Harbour Housing, at their historic Cosgarne Hall base in St Austell to learn all about their work and to pay tribute to one resident.

The Sheriff was there to not only see for himself the facilities and services offered to residents, but to meet them and staff face to face to see for himself the daily challenges they all face in his role that supports the Crown and the judiciary.

After a short tour of the Cosgarne facilities accompanied by Harbour’s Chair of Trustees Mark Steer and Head of Peoples Services Rachel Battleday, he was shown one of the hidden gems of the complex, their own farm with its collection of animals, cared for by residents.

It was time to pay tribute to one of the charities end of life patients Wojciech Lesniewski, a Polish national who sadly died in December 2024 following a long battle with Leukaemia. During that period Harbour made sure he could communicate with staff and friends via a tablet and translating software provided for him.

Mr Richards put his tree planting expertise to good use with a tree that he himself advised the charity to purchase in the knowledge that it would flourish in their chosen spot. Accompanying him planting the tree, in a short but dignified ceremony, was a permanent resident and close friend of Mr Lesniewski who played a musical accompaniment on a guitar.

After the ceremony it was then time for the Sheriff to get down to the nitty gritty and hear from two residents about their shared experiences of the sharp end of homelessness and the way in which Harbour had helped turn their lives around In a frank discussion aboard one of the charities homeless outreach support vehicles.

Some of their harrowing stories clearly touched a nerve with their distinguished guest too, as he explained: “This was for me, a deeply moving visit to Harbour Housing today where the amazing staff gave me a most informative tour and I had the opportunity to meet and talk to some of those people helped by their work.

“When you hear words like ‘I would not be alive were it not for Harbour Housing’ you release the impact that is being made. It was an honour to plant the tree in memory of Wojciech. Thank you to the incredibly dedicated team for all that you do, and I look forward to my next visit.”

Group Operations Director Malcolm Putko closed by paying his own tribute “We appreciate the High Sheriff, taking the time today to honour Wojciech by providing his time and forestry expertise to choose the right tree and for his contribution with the planting ceremony. It really meant a lot to all involved with Wojciech’s End of Life care provision and to his memory and of course his family who couldn’t travel from Poland to be here in person to attend.”