Spliced – to join or connect (a rope or ropes) by interweaving the strands at the ends.
‘Grandad Plummer’ Frank, his two daughters Helen and Rachel, and granddaughter Beth make up the Cornish Spliced team. After the loss of Frank’s wife, the family were brought together. Young Beth’s innovative idea, to sell dog leads made from their discarded fishing rope, created this family-run business.
Cornish Spliced pride themselves on being resourceful and sustainable – the team’s exceptional mission has been supported by Cornwall’s 2023 30 under 30 list, which Beth from Cornish Spliced is the youngest person ever to be a part of at age 16. I spoke to Helen, AKA ‘auntie spliced’, about what the team are doing and why the Cornish Public and fishing communities should care about where used fishing gear is ending up.
Keep Britain Clean estimates that approximately 640,000 tonnes of fishing nets end up as plastic waste in our oceans each year.
Helen talks about the mounds of fishing rope ending up in landfill too.
She tells me how rope doesn’t rot, and that Frank uses his own expired gear to make their products, that includes things from dog leashes and toys to bunting and bowls.
‘The rope we use is generally still in great condition, as long as it’s load-baring, it’s very much useable.’
But the materials they use aren’t just from Grandad Frank’s shed, they source rope and netting from beaches all around Cornwall – mainly from Newlyn Harbour. They’re also in contact with other fishing families and will use their discarded items if they can. However, the family wants to be conscious of using all their resources before searching for more.
‘We’re very conscious of having rope that’s not being repurposed. We see no point in moving it from the beaches and letting it sit somewhere else. If we find discarded netting, rubbish and gear we try to pass them on to people who can repurpose them.’
Whilst Helen herself has begun knitting hammocks, the family are always thinking of new ideas and creating products to make use of their rope.
Sister Rachel clears as much rubbish and unwanted materials washed up on the beach as she can – Helen laughs with me as she says how ‘she just can’t help herself!’
The family thrive off the weird and wonderful – they hold competitions over on X (previously Twitter). ‘Stranger finds’, a fun side project started by Rachel, encourages followers to find interesting things left on Cornish Beaches.
Helen praises her customers and family-team.
We reflect, ‘It’s nice for a lot of people to know they’re carrying around a little bit of Cornwall with them, wherever they are.’
Our team at GWER can’t wait to see what this eco-pioneer full family will do next.
Have you ever seen fishing gear discarded on the beach?
Or maybe you have your own old fishing gear hanging around...
Why not check out their projects yourself?
Cornish Spliced website: https://cornishspliced.co.uk/
@CornishSpliced on twitter.com: CornishSpliced (@CornishSpliced) / X (twitter.com)
Jennifer Wearn
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