JULIA TO PRESENT CORNWALL FACEBOOK PETITION TO PARLIAMENT

4.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 9th May 2008

Over 14,000 people join calls for Facebook to recognise Cornwall

A petition calling on Facebook to recognise Cornwall as a county will be presented to Parliament next week by Julia Goldsworthy MP.

Hundreds of people from across Cornwall have signed the online petition, which urges the social networking site to create an official Cornwall network region.

Currently, Facebook users from Cornwall only have the option of joining the Plymouth network.

But Julia Goldsworthy said she would take the petition to Parliament as part of an online campaign to persuade Facebook to set up a Cornwall network.

One Facebook group, called "Campaign to get Cornwall added as a network region", has over 14,000 members.

Julia - Lib Dem MP for Falmouth and Camborne - commented:

"Cornwall possesses one of the oldest natural boundaries in the world, its own language and flag, and over 500,000 residents who do not see themselves as belonging to Plymouth.

"All the people who have signed the petition are calling on Facebook to recognise this and create a Cornish network region."

Julia set up the petition after constituents contacted her via Facebook about the issue.

Since then, hundreds of people from across Cornwall have put their names to it.

Next Wednesday, the petition will be presented to Parliament.

Julia said: "When I set up the petition there were already a number of groups on Facebook protesting about not having a Cornish network to join.

"I was asked by some constituents if there was anything I could do, so decided to set up this petition and bring it before Parliament.

"This matters greatly to people across Cornwall, because online networking sites are now part of their personal identity.

"I believe it is my duty as a local MP to respond to their concerns and do my bit to raise support for the campaign."

The petition will be presented in paper form to Parliament on Wednesday.

To sign the petition online, please visit http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/facebookcornwall.