Category: Local News

It is with sadness that we relay the news that Frank Chapman – a well-regarded local farmer and resident of Silverwell – died unexpectedly on 4th June 2026, following a short illness. Frank was 81.

Among his many contributions to the community, Frank was the person behind keeping Silverwell’s village green looking smart and tidy, voluntarily cutting the hedges and grass for decades.

Frank will be greatly missed in Silverwell and, on behalf of the Residents Association, we send our condolences to the Chapman family as they come to terms with this great loss.

Those of us who enjoy walking the local footpaths around Silverwell owe a debt of gratitude for the efforts to the late Robert ‘Bob’ Fraser, who fought long and hard to keep them open for the enjoyment of all in Silverwell.

Bob – a retired highway engineer from Penryn – was the man behind Silverwell’s ‘Direct Map Modification Order’ (DMMO) to Cornwall Council in 2021. This invovled a huge amount of research to record Silverwell’s valuable lost inter-connecting footpaths, and it appealed to the Council to record the unrecorded paths that many of us enjoy walking today.

Bob loved walking the local network of footpaths, and was regularly seen out and about with his dog, often stopping to talk with those of us who live in Silverwell. Sadly, Bob will not see the offical recording or re-opening of Silverwell’s lost paths, but it was his hope was that future generations will be able to enjoy walking the ancient paths around Silverwell’s beautiful countryside, as he had done in years past.