A CALLINGTON woman has raised more than £500 for Save The Children by holding an open 50th birthday party at Callington Methodist Church.

Louise James thanked everyone who helped make the day so successful, including Tesco at Callington and its Community Champion, Alan Woolcombe.

"I'm really pleased," she said. "About 70 people came, which was excellent; there were people from work, church, the town and relations."

Miss James works at Liskeard police station, having been transferred from Launceston, where she worked for 32 years.

She organised similar parties for her 30th and 40th birthdays, having supported the Liskeard branch of Save The Children for many years.

"I didn't want presents or cards, although some people were very nice and gave them to me," she said.

"I'm so fortunate in what I've got and I don't need things."

Guests enjoyed coffee and home-made cakes and scones, and Miss James's mother made her a surprise display of baby photos.

"I got everybody to sign a card I made and they put some lovely messages in," she said.

AN AUTHOR from St Breock who moved back to his native Cornwall from Seattle in America has launched his latest book.

Just over a year ago, Peter Crisp was living in Seattle and pitching his book to the American publisher Mandala Earth Aware.

"Since then," he says, "a few things have changed; the book has been published and I have moved back to my beloved Cornwall.

"2012 has not been a leap year for me; it has been a quantum leap year."

Peter's book is based on one of the oldest books in the world, the I Ching.

Called The Little Book Of Changes, Peter's book is a fresh take on the ancient Chinese classic.

To find out further information or to send the author a question, go online at www.littlebookofchanges.com

A BODMIN community project has announced a timetable of free group activities for children aged from 0 to 10.

The Ark said the sessions had been arranged in response to public demand.

Set up two years ago by local families to help people reach their potential, it runs a wide range of projects for adults, young people and children.

Director Kate Martin said: "The family room at The Ark on Fore Street is already open six days a week and parents have told us that they enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, as they can turn up whenever it suits them and enjoy a drink while they watch their children playing."

The Ark has now launched a Nursery Rhymes Disco on Thursdays from 10am to 11am and a pottery class on Fridays from 12.45pm. Both are aimed at the under-5s and will run every week until the end of term.

After-school activities will also be running daily at 3.45pm for children aged 5 to 10.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays the sessions will begin with a story, followed by a related creative activity such as painting a picture or making a model of a character from the book. On Tuesdays, the soft play area will be turned into a dancefloor for a mini-disco, featuring songs with actions.

On Thursdays, The Ark joins forces with Berryfields and District Community Centre (BDCC) to deliver an activity session at Harmer Close.

"The Berryfields sessions are different every week," said Mrs Martin.

"They're funded by BDCC, so parents can drop off their children with our qualified staff at 3.45pm and come back to collect them at 5.15pm. The children will get a healthy snack and drink, and the whole session is completely free of charge."

Further information about all these activities, including details of how to get involved as a volunteer, can be found online at www.thearkcornwall.co.uk

SHOCK proposals for a new housing development in Callington could increase the town's population by 10 per cent, a councillor has claimed.

Cornwall councillor Andrew Long, said neither residents nor the town council, on which he also sits, had been told of the proposals, and he has now urged the developers to hold a public meeting to discuss the plans for a development of 200 houses.

Mr Long said he had found a pre-planning application lodged with Cornwall Council by Exeter planning consultancy Bell Cornwell. The site is to the west of South Hill Road, almost opposite the fire station, and includes the old South West Water site.

"This has come as quite a shock, as the number of houses proposed equals 50 per cent of the proposed housing requirements under the emerging Core Strategy over the next 20 years for the whole of the Community Network area," he said.

"This will obviously cause concern to the population considering the fact that Callington Community College is full to capacity already with more than 1,400 students and any future developments would require major capital works on increasing the size of the college.

"This housing development could add 600 people to the town's population and I have written to the company suggesting that, as soon as the pre-application phase is completed, they hold an urgent public meeting so they can inform all of us of their proposals, including what benefit in infrastructure the community would expect if an application was successful."

The application is the latest of a number of schemes in the area, including the Churchills development in Church Street which has just gained planning consent.

Several other proposals are at an early stage and planning permission could be sought for these in the near future.

Mr Long said the company had now agreed to discuss its plans with the town council, but he had not yet heard whether the developer was prepared to hold a public meeting. No one from Bell Cornwell was available for comment as the Cornish Guardian went to press.

THE SMELL of freshly cooked mussels welcomed locals and visitors to Fowey Quay throughout the weekend.

Months of hard work by local businesses, organisations and Fowey's Chamber of Commerce culminated on Saturday and Sunday with the first Fowey Mussel Fest.

The event was created to showcase the best of the town's mussels and what the port has to offer.

Fowey chefs got the show off to a sizzling start in a marquee on the Quay, when they worked in pairs to cook their favourite mussel recipes for tasting on Saturday.

Champagne and oysters supplied by Fowey Wines and Fowey Fish were also enjoyed, along with scallops from Sam's Camper Van, crêpes from Brown Sugar, strawberries and cream from the chamber of commerce and beer specially brewed by St Austell Brewery.

There was entertainment all weekend with Tony Cottrell's Ode To A Mussel, sea shanties from the Pirates of St Piran and music from Jemini Jazz and the Ransom Crawlers.

The only glitch in the programme was on Saturday night when the musical entertainment was forced to move from the Fowey Hotel's lawns into the building due to the rain.

Steve Beresford, vice-chairman of the chamber of commerce, told the Cornish Guardian it had been a fantastic event.

"The weather was nice on both days," he said. "We've had great feedback from traders who said there was extra business throughout the weekend. Lots of people came down specifically for it. It was a brilliant weekend."

Mr Beresford expressed his grateful thanks to all the businesses, organisations and people who had helped make the event such a success.

A ROSE GARDEN has reopened at Trenance in Newquay after months of improvements.

Cornwall Council's environmental projects team gave the site an overhaul – including installing a new drainage system and steel gazebo, as well as removing compacted and diseased soil and rotten timber edgings.

After work was completed new blooms supplied by The Cornish Rose Company were planted.

The garden was officially opened by chairman of Cornwall Council, Pat Harvey, on Monday.

She said: "I am delighted to be reopening such a well-loved community garden. A lot of care and hard work, which has taken many years, has gone into improving the rose garden and all the many people involved have done a wonderful job." George Edwards, Cornwall councillor for Newquay Treloggan, said: "I felt they had deteriorated for long enough and now through hard work and commitment we have brought them back to their former glory."

A COUPLE who run a restaurant at Camelford have spoken of their brush with fame after appearing on TV with top chef Marco Pierre White – who praised their cooking.

At the beginning of the year, Neil and Nicky Buckley of The Riverside Restaurant applied to take part in a new show for Channel Five called Marco Pierre White's Kitchen Wars.

After several interviews, they were chosen out of hundreds of restaurants to cook for him on screen.

Representing Cornwall, they travelled to Cardiff shopping centre, where they cooked for him on the back of the Battle Truck.

Neil cooked Bodmin Moor venison haunch steak on a wasabi-infused new potato mash, drizzled with a pear, juniper and port reduction, topped with parsnip crisps.

He had only 30 minutes to prepare, cook and serve the dish – but managed to plate up in a speedy 18 minutes.

Nicky said: "It was all very nerve-racking, but an amazing opportunity to cook for the best.

"We were not chosen to go through to the next round, as Marco thought the dish was too complicated. A more simple choice may have got us through so we will try again next year."

The couple appeared on screen on Thursday evening last week, and their cooking was also praised by Marco Pierre White on Graham Norton's BBC Two radio show on Saturday morning.

Tim Pitt, one of the regular diners at the restaurant and who has amazingly large side-burns, said that if the couple got through to cook for Marco he would shave them off for charity.

He has agreed to do so but needs to raise some money first for two charities, the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust and Children's Hospice South West.

ST AUSTELL shoppers should forget about big-name brands such as Marks and Spencer opening at White River Place any time soon, the centre's new owners have said.

Curzon Capital Partners III joined forces Ellandi, which owns four other shopping centres, to purchase the St Austell shopping hub, it was confirmed this week.

Morgan Garfield, Ellandi partner, told the Cornish Guardian it was bought for between £20 and £25 million and they were attracted to the town because of its mix of character and modern convenience.

But Mr Garfield said some of the high street's most popular names were not interested in St Austell at the present time.

"Unfortunately, the reality is, retailers are very scientific in the type of town they will go to," he said.

"We actually don't have big enough units to persuade a Primark or an H&M to come to St Austell and it's not a big enough town. We do need to be realistic."

Local businessman Mike Coles, who owns Broadley Park Properties Ltd, echoed these sentiments. "The sale of White River Place (WRP) is great news for the town," he said. "[Ellandi] are people that have the knowledge and resources to turn the fortunes of WRP around.

"But, don't expect miracles. We won't get Marks and Spencer or Next in the short term. What Ellandi need to do is fill empty shops to create interest and therefore footfall and allow the centre to recover.

"Once footfall is up to expected levels, other retailers will take notice of the town and want to trade here.

He added that the letting of units to retailers like the 99p Stores (due to open in the autumn) is not a negative thing and premium brands will be attracted once footfall increases.

Mr Garfield said despite this, they are "delighted" as they believe WRP is a "wonderful piece of real estate".

"We are retail experts with an understanding to what the retail environment currently looks like," he added.

"We have got really close relationships with a number of retailers who we think hopefully might like a home in St Austell."

Mr Coles said the sales brochure for the scheme was produced in July 2010 and at least two buyers previously withdrew after agreeing terms to buy.

WRP took more than seven years to build and cost about £75 million to complete.

"The biggest issue with WRP is the fact that the previous owners were in negative equity from day one," he said.

AN AMBITIOUS move is under way to amalgamate four primary schools into a single 'super-academy'.

St Petroc's in Bodmin, St Mabyn and St Tudy near Wadebridge and Lerryn near Lostwithiel plan to unite as the Saint's Way Multi-Academy, and opt out of full local authority control.

All are Church of England schools, and if Education Secretary Michael Gove approves the plan other C of E primaries in the area could join.

The schools stand to gain an extra 10 per cent of funding by linking together – in St Petroc's case, £152,000 per year.

It's the first time in Cornwall that four primary schools have indicated they wish to form a single academy, and if it goes ahead the Saint's Way project will have 766 pupils. An academy principal would take overall charge, with a management team and a head of school at each primary.

Stuart Renshaw, head of St Petroc's, the largest school, said each set of governors would have to agree to the move once consultations with parents and other interested parties had been concluded.

"The schools would retain their own identities, including uniforms, but there would be an academy principal with overall responsibility for teaching," he said.

"An academy would allow us autonomy, to take control and make decisions outside the local education authority and provide a sustainable future for the schools involved.

"We would also receive direct funding from the Government, which will be 10 per cent more than we currently receive from the local education authority.

"Consultations have now begun, and once they're concluded it'll be up to the governing bodies of the schools to decide if this is the right route for us to take."

If the consensus was in favour of forming a multi-school academy trust, an application would go to Mr Gove for final approval.

Mr Renshaw said the four schools were hopeful academy status could be achieved by November of this year, and other schools could also join in the future.

Fiona Corfield, head teacher at Lerryn C of E Primary School, said she was thrilled at the prospect of linking with the other schools.

"We see it as a really exciting opportunity to work with other schools supporting all children in developing and learning," she said.

St Tudy and St Mabyn primary schools formed a federation last year, and head teacher Karen Holmes said she believed the academy was the right way forward.

"We're excited about the prospect of being able to work closer together with other schools for the benefit of all schools, whatever their size," she said. "We also look forward to hearing the views of parents and other local community members about the proposal."

CAMPAIGNERS battling plans for a supermarket in Camelford are urging people to voice their opposition.

An outline planning application has been submitted by Walker Developments and residents are now being urged to submit their comments before a decision is made.

An event has been organised next week to help those who oppose the plans to write letters and submit their comments to Cornwall Council.

Objectors to the plans say a new store in Victoria Road could have a negative impact on the town and lead to shops closing and jobs being lost.

They also claim that it will cause traffic congestion and bring sound and light pollution.

Michael O'Neill, who has organised Thursday's event, said that while the number of letters of support and objection had been fairly even there were also many people who had not formally made their views known.

He said: "We have a petition with more than 350 signatures which shows the level of opposition to this project. The people who signed the petition are not just those living nearby but also from across the town.

"We now need those who signed the petition to write letters and submit their comments to the council website so we can show the strength of feeling against these plans."

Mr O'Neill also suggested that, while the outline plan includes a medical centre, there was no certainty of that.

He said: "We know there are people who have supported it because they think that having a supermarket is the price to pay for a new medical centre – but there is no guarantee that the centre will be built or that it is needed."

Agents acting on behalf of The Co-operative, which has a store in the town, have submitted an objection saying that they believe that the application is "premature" and that the size of the proposed store is "of a scale which does not relate to the role and function of the centre it seeks to serve."

However, there are also several letters in support of the plan, with many saying that Camelford needs a large supermarket as it will mean that residents no longer have to drive to the likes of Bodmin for their food shopping.

The developers say that the proposals would create 200 full-time jobs and help bring new business into the town which they say has been lost to supermarkets elsewhere.

The firm says in its statement: "The proposals will reverse this decline and claw back this lost trade to the wider benefit of the town.

"The proposals will help Camelford to become more self-contained and provide a wider range of facilities for the local community."

The event being organised by campaigners to help those who wish to object to the scheme will be held from 10.30am to 6.30pm on Thursday, at The Mason's Arms in Camelford.

For more information go to camelfordfoodstore.blogspot.co.uk

A POLRUAN woman has denied two offences of arson – in one of which she allegedly intended to endanger the lives of three children she was babysitting at the time.

Fleur Wyndham-Grey, of Fore Street, is accused of damaging two properties by fire, one in Polruan and another in Fowey.

The 57-year-old appeared before Truro Crown Court on Tuesday and Wednesday, where she faced charges that on January 3 last year she damaged by fire the home of her neighbours in Fore Street, Polruan, Christine King and Professor David Jenkins, with intent to destroy or damage the property or being reckless as to whether it would be damaged or destroyed.

She was also charged with damaging by fire on May 13 last year the Old Library in Fore Street, Fowey, owned by Katherine and Tom Varcoe, intending to damage or destroy the property and intending to endanger the lives of three children.

David Evans, for the prosecution, said Wyndham-Grey had been affected by drink on both occasions.

He said the Polruan fire was started in a wicker basket in the living room shortly after the owners had gone to the nearby Lugger pub for a meal. Though a neighbour quickly called the fire service, damage costing £32,000 was caused.

Wyndham-Grey had lived next door for some years and had been entrusted with a key to the property, looking after the house when the owners were on holiday in Italy.

"The prosecution allege that Wyndham-Grey used her key to get into the cottage, knowing her neighbours had gone out for a meal," said Mr Evans.

"The fire had obviously been started deliberately."

Mr Evans said the second fire was started while Wyndham-Grey, who had lived in Fowey for a number of years, was babysitting three children for Mr and Mrs Varcoe, with whom she had become friendly. Mrs Varcoe left her in charge while she went out for a meal with a friend, her husband being away in London at the time.

Wyndham-Grey asked the friend to fetch her some cigarettes, a half-bottle of whisky and some ginger ale, which she did.

The defendant gave the children their dinner and put them to bed.

Flames were spotted by a neighbour at about 11pm and he alerted firefighters, who later discovered a fire had started under a bed in the house and had almost burned through the floorboards to the concrete below.

Wyndham-Grey denies the charges, and a lesser alternative charge in relation to the Fowey fire of arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.

She said she did not know how the Polruan fire had started, and denied having been responsible for the one in Fowey.

The trial continues.

ALMOST three times the number of parents have chosen to send their children to Newquay Tretherras Academy this September than to Treviglas Community College.

Statistics released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that Tretherras is the most oversubscribed secondary school in the county, with 300 applications for just 272 spaces.

At the other end of the spectrum, Treviglas, which has 200 places available in the first senior year, is the third most undersubscribed with 114 parents picking it as their first choice.

Head teachers at the two, which are the town's only secondary schools, explained that numbers fluctuate throughout the year and often change as the start of term approaches.

And a spokeswoman for Cornwall Council's admissions team was quick to point out that undersubscription was no reflection of the quality of the school.

She said: "Undersubscription in schools can occur for a variety of reasons and is not reflective of the performance at the school. On occasions it may simply be that the family do not realise that they have to apply for a school place when a school is within their catchment area already. Often, family movement around or into the county, due to employment for example, can also impact school place choice."

Tretherras is the larger school with around 1,600 students compared to about 1,000 at Treviglas.

Karen Ross, head teacher at Treviglas, told the Cornish Guardian: "Historically, figures at this time of year can indicate a falling roll with the current demographic profile. However, our termly data collection and school census information shows that our numbers then increase both at the start of and throughout the year."

She said the college also had a "thriving" post-16 centre with more than 200 students choosing to continue their education at the school after finishing their GCSE exams.

Sue Martin, head teacher at Tretherras, said the latest figures showed there were 295 applications for Year 7 places at the school, all of which had been accepted.

School governors made arrangements some time ago to invest in "extra staffing and additional groups" to accommodate extra students, she said.

"Newquay Tretherras has been consistently oversubscribed with first choice requests for many years," said Mrs Martin. "We are extremely pleased that the school's popularity continues and we enjoy the confidence of parents and the community in our educational provision.

"We work really hard to welcome all students into the 'Tretherras Family' and we know that many of our students wish to come here as members of their families have been here in the past."

Both heads said there was a long-established culture of support between the town's two secondary schools, as well as with local primary schools.

The most undersubscribed school in Cornwall was Redruth School with 149 applications for 260 places.

BODMIN'S own Lady Godiva will be leading a procession of protesters tomorrow who are demanding a say in the future regeneration of the town.

A scantily clad woman on horseback will be at the forefront of a march through the town centre by members of the Bodmin Pride Of Place (BPoP) action group, who are appealing to Cornwall Council to suspend further progress on the Bodmin Masterplan for residents to put forward their own recommendations.

BPoP chairman Orlando Kimber hoped that the publicity stunt from Priory Park would attract Bodmin residents out on the streets.

"A young woman who at the moment wishes to remain anonymous has agreed to be Lady Godiva on Saturday,'' he said.

"We believe half the people of Bodmin don't even know what's in the masterplan, and if 50 per cent of residents come out onto the streets to watch the protest, they will be able to find out more about how they can have a real say in what is planned for their town.''

Mr Kimber continued: "We are a fast-growing movement of local people which is determined that everyone in and around Bodmin is aware of the plans which threaten to double the size of the town and affect both the Camel Trail and Bodmin Moor, after no effective consultation with local people or any commitment to improve the infrastructure of the town.

"We're here to provide a platform for the voices of the people of Bodmin,'' said Mr Kimber.

"We all understand the need for change and welcome development of the town as long as it's thought through, meets the genuine needs of Bodmin and the values of those who live in Cornwall.

"The town has suffered badly through neglect – economically, socially and environmentally – and we all want to be part of a plan that we can believe in. The current masterplan was created without input from local people and this must change,'' he said.

Mark Kaczmarek, Cornwall Council Cabinet member for planning and housing denied that residents had not been part of the consultation process.

"We have held many meetings and there has been an exhibition about the masterplan, in fact it's something that has been discussed for the past eight years now."

The protest march with Lady Godiva leaves Priory Park at 10.15am for the town centre and will also take in Dennison Road.

With the start of the new Championship season only nine weeks away the 12 clubs in the league are at loggerheads with the RFU over a claim that the governing body has failed to deliver funding of over £2.3 million, writes Dick Straughan.

The clubs claim they are each owed £77,000 for the three seasons of the competition to date and that a further four-year funding offer from the RFU leaves them a further £120,000 down on the original agreement.

It is understood that legal advice sought by the clubs over the issue has indicated that there is a breach of contract. They initially believed that they would each receive £295,000 per season in 2009-10, rising to £400,000 in 2015-16.

The RFU have countered this claim, stating that the original funding agreement was based on estimated figures and standby their offer of £359,400 for each Championship club by the 2015-16 season.

While there has been no comment on the issue from the Cornish Pirates, Geoff Irvine, chairman of the Championship clubs, said: "The RFU has not kept to the promises it made and if we want to see standards improve then we need to have a commitment which is honoured.

"What is of particular concern to the clubs, though, is that the RFU refuses to fulfill its responsibilities to the Championship when it "owns" the competition."
 

A dog has been put down after attacking a woman in Mylor yesterday evening.

The 19-year-old had approached the female tan Staffordshire Bull Terrier after seeing it in the road and was concerned for its welfare.

But police say the dog then bit her and continued to try and attack even after the woman had managed to get back in her car.

She was taken to hospital where she had surgery on her leg.

Officers were called out by the distressed woman just after 10pm and carried out a search for the animal.

It was discovered in the early hours of this morning and taken to a vet where a decision was made to put it down.

The police are keen to trace the dogs owner and would like to hear from anyone who may be able to help. Please call 101 quoting log 860.

London Welsh have won their appeal against being denied promotion to the Aviva Premiership and will join the top flight of English rugby next season. Newcastle Falcons are duly relegated to the RFU Championship.

The Welsh beat the Cornish Pirates 66-41 on aggregate in last month`s two-leg Championship Final but prior to the first meeting at the Mennaye Field had been told that their proposed new base at Oxford`s Kassam Stadium did not satisfy Premiership entry criteria as set out by the Professional Game Board.

Having secured the Championship crown the Welsh board appealed the decision and their case was heard yesterday in London by an Independent Panel consisting of James Dingemans QC (Chairman), Ian Mill QC and Tim Ward QC.

The news that London Welsh had been successful was reported by several media agencies just after 5.30pm today but then immediately shrouded in further mystery as neither the RFU nor the clubs involved would confirm that the appeal had been upheld.

Newcastle Falcons have already suggested that they will contest any adverse ruling from today's hearing.