THE work of a local student artist has earned her a new commission to create 'insect hotels' inspired by Cornish coastal villages.
Artist Sophie Stanley was asked to design the insect habitats at Gyllyngdune Gardens after her previous installation at Trelissick Garden – of a giant bees' nest – attracted attention.
A student in the third year of a contemporary craft degree, she was commissioned to create a variety of small houses, emulating Cornish seaside homes.
"Trelissick opened up a new opportunity for me to work in a garden rather than a gallery," said Ms Stanley.
"Putting art in an unexpected location involves more people in art who maybe would not have seen themselves as art-lovers."
Insect hotels are habitats made of natural materials which provide insects with refuge and nesting facilities, particularly during winter.
"It's interesting to create something which is going to be destroyed," said Ms Stanley.
"It's different from normal art which is made to retain a value. This will degrade with the environment."
The artist worked closely with Jacqui Owen, visitor and education officer at Gyllyngdune Gardens, and head gardener Matt Stannard.
Each house is filled with natural materials and topped with 'succulents' – plants which store water in their fleshy leaves – from the Gyllyngdune greenhouse.
"Sophie's work is fresh and exciting and we were really keen to support her," said Ms Owen.
"She was purposely given a very open brief to ensure that she wasn't creatively restricted, where she was asked to come up with something that was organic and in harmony with the gardens, as well as providing a home for the local insect population.
"The houses look fantastic now that they are in situ and we hope that this will be the beginning of more collaborations to introduce sculptures to enhance the gardens."
YOUNGSTERS in St Austell and Lostwithiel are set to benefit from improved facilities after a childcare provider secured a £70,000 grant.
Naturally Learning, which has nurseries in both towns, as well as one in Charlestown, was awarded the money by Cornwall Council.
It will be used to renovate Poltair Nursery in St Austell and also further develop provisions at the Lostwithiel nursery, near St Winnow School, a spokesman for the nursery said.
"To find out we were successful in our grant application was the best Christmas present for us, the parents, the staff and, of course, the children," said Naturally Learning's co-director Judith Chapman.
"Parents who already have children at Naturally Learning say it's a very special place, where children come first, and we want the environment to reflect that.
"The grant will enable us to develop the facilities at our Poltair nursery, giving the children more space and a safe, accessible kitchen area where they can prepare and bake the fresh fruit and vegetables we grow in the grounds."
Naturally Learning's third nursery in Charlestown, which has strong links with Charlestown Primary School, was renovated in the summer and now offers a multisensory room for children of all ages, as well as a wide range of natural resources, a forest school and a permanent indoor sandpit.
"The grant will enable us to extend provision in all areas," continued Mandy Richardson, co-director of Naturally Learning.
"This includes pre-school education and early years childcare, as well as specialist training for other providers."
Get Set For Growth business finance adviser Gregg Harding helped Naturally Learning secure the grant, working with them to submit a comprehensive application.
He said: "Naturally Learning is one of the region's fastest-growing businesses, making a difference to children and families throughout the county with its excellent childcare.
"We were delighted to be able to support them in their grant application and are extremely proud of their achievement."
Work on the planned developments will begin this month and is not expected to interrupt provision of childcare for its children.
A NEW Cornish charity supporting unpaid carers has hosted its first fundraising evening.
The Old Lifeboat Bistro in Penzance was the venue when more than 40 people attended and enjoyed a buffet dinner, raising £456 for Promas Caring for People CIC.
All money raised goes towards providing a free three-day course which equips carers with the necessary skills and coping strategies needed in their caring role.
There are 67,000 identified carers in Cornwall, caring for a family member or friend, and statistics from Carers UK show that 87 per cent of carers become unwell themselves either physically or emotionally due to their caring role.
A spokesman from Promas said: "Our company aims to help carers develop the skills necessary to help them to stay well, manage their caring role and have hope for the future. We'd like to thank everybody who supported us, particularly the bistro team whose great staff served us fantastic food.
"Special thanks also go to our speakers, Cornwall Council's carer's commissioner, Naomi Wakeley; operations manager for the Cornwall Carers service, Clare Pawley; and carers Lin and Chris Hunneyball."
Thanks were expressed to the following Cornish businesses: Burroughs & Kearey, Paul Kestle, Cornwall Homeseekers and Agapanthus, SHB Health and Beauty, The Beachfield salon, Harbour Crystals, The Harbourside Café and Thornes; and to Jo Barbary for her donation.
The next Promas event, An Afternoon Tea At The Ritz, is at Ben's Cornish Kitchen in Marazion on February 23. Tickets are available at 01736 339226 or e-mail at info@promas.co.uk
WHERE do poorly hedgehogs go when they need urgent care and attention? A hogspital, of course.
It may sound like a joke, but one Cubert family has made the punchline a reality, transforming a garden shed into a treatment room that has housed 70 animals this year.
They even decided to keep the name 'hogspital' after setting up a charitable organisation, Prickles & Paws Hedgehog Rescue, to help injured or abandoned critters.
The pair, backed by Diane's husband Martin, secured a grant from Cornwall Council's community chest to transform the shed and install electricity and custom-built hutches earlier this year.
Now they are urging people to keep their eyes peeled for "wobbly", underweight hedgehogs this winter, as a late autumn means many hoglets will not be big enough to hibernate.
Mrs South, 49, said: "If you see hedgehogs out during the day, especially in winter, then that's usually a cause for concern, particularly if they are wobbly on their legs. We're here to look after them at the hogspital and at the moment we are doing very well.
"It's very rewarding releasing them. To see them snuffling around in their natural environment is amazing. It makes it all worthwhile."
They currently release around three quarters of the hedgehogs that come into their care, although a tough summer saw many youngsters die across the county.
"We lost a good few," said Mrs South. "We had an awful lot of tiny hoglets, some just 20g in weight, and it's almost impossible to get them to survive. It's heartbreaking."
The family now spends more than three hours a day caring for 15 hedgehogs, and is looking for funding to pay for a 'chick brooder' which provides gentle heat for weak babies, and an incubator.
Mrs South said: "We are always grateful for donations, and really rely on them.
"We were funding it ourselves but it got too expensive so we became a charitable organisation. It means we can access grants, like the council's community chest."
The hedgehog rescue service began three years ago when animal-lover Katy, now 19, took in several animals from a local vet's, before beginning a degree in conservation.
She and her mum then became registered carers with the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, and it "snowballed from there", according to Mrs South.
VOLUNTEERS from across Cornwall have taken part in a training programme in Hayle to learn how to help save lives in the event of flooding.
Surf Life Saving Cornwall (SLSC), a charity which provides lifeguard training, launched its inland water safety awareness training to improve public safety during flash floods from rivers and canals across the county.
Throughout the training, which is sponsored by South West Water (SWW), members were given practical advice on assisting in rescue operations, similar to the effort launched in the aftermath of the Boscastle floods in 2004.
The National Water Safety Forum, of which SLSC is a member, has reported that between 400 and 600 people drown in the sea or inland waterways in the UK every year, with a further 7,000 getting into serious difficulty.
Hayle Surf Life Saving Club hosted the two days of training, and several members were among those taking part.
The new qualification in inland water safety awareness, which is accredited by Surf Life Saving GB, is aimed at people who spend time in, on or near the water for work and for pleasure. For more information see www.slsgb.org.uk
Richard Gilpin, head of waste water services for SWW, said: "It's a great idea to turn surf lifesavers into flood rescue volunteers and we're proud to support it.
"We're seeing more extreme weather events which can lead to flash floods and emergencies and, as we have seen at beaches over the years, having volunteers on hand who know what to do can be vital in saving lives."
The charity's chairman Nigel Bowden said: "Members of Surf Life Saving Cornwall already give their time generously to make our beaches safer; the course will extend this remit even further, providing 20 members of SLSC with the essential skills to help someone in danger."
THE residents of St Breward could be doing more of their Christmas shopping online this year.
A new superfast fibre broadband connection has just been installed at the St Breward Institute and War Memorial Hall and internet novices are getting training and advice on how to make the most of the new technology.
Superfast Cornwall helped the hall with the broadband installation process and is now providing weekly beginners' IT courses at the venue through Get IT Together, a joint initiative between BT and national charity Citizens Online.
Jay Chapman, Get IT Together Cornwall project co-ordinator, who is leading the training, said "We're teaching people how to use a computer, often for the first time, and showing them the ways the internet can help them in their daily lives, whether it is connecting with family and friends through Skype, shopping online or searching for jobs. We've also teamed up with Cornwall Rural Community Council's Get F+IT Project to show learners how they can save money on bills by using comparison sites."
Veronica Stansfield, secretary of the memorial hall, said: "We have a lot of demand for this type of training, so it's a fantastic opportunity to be able to provide courses on people's doorsteps, meaning they don't have to travel far and can learn in a venue they are familiar with."
After many years of slow broadband or no broadband at all, residents in St Breward are now able to experience superfast broadband speeds up to 80Mbps – more than five times the national average. In addition to the support being provided by Superfast Cornwall, the hall committee has also been successful in securing funding from The Co-operative Community Fund, Cornwall Council and The South West Foundation to cover the costs of line rental and broadband at the venue for a five-year period.
This comes after £80,000 was secured from a number of organisations to undertake refurbishments at the hall during the past year. Dennis Champion, chairman of St Breward Institute and War Memorial Hall, added: "Having a superfast broadband connection is a real boost to the hall as it can be used to support so many other activities as well as the IT sessions.
"Following the refurbishment carried out this year we now have a fantastic venue available to local organisations to hire, and superfast really is the icing on the cake.''
SCOUTS from all over Cornwall spent the weekend proving themselves as they tried to secure places at the 2015 World Scout Jamboree in Japan.
Siblyback Lake, near Liskeard, was the venue as 100 youngsters were put through their paces, being assessed on their behaviour and performance in team challenges.
There were participants from Truro, Falmouth, Penryn, Camborne, Mylor Bridge, Mabe Burnthouse, Probus, Feock, Hayle, Praze, Trispen, Stithians, Helston, Perranwell Station, Devoran, Mawnan and Ponsanooth.
But only 18 members from the county can go to Japan, joining more than 30,000 Scouts and Guides from 162 countries on the same site to experience different cultures and take part in activities.
Jon Arnold, who will escort the combined Devon and Cornwall unit with fellow leader Ian Bartlett, said: "It went very well – the kids really enjoyed it.
"The successful Scouts will get to meet up with other children from all over the world and learn about what they do."
Mr Arnold said the Scouts will be a part of one of the biggest youth gatherings in the world in 2015.
The 18 from Cornwall will be picked in two weeks' time after being judged by 30 Scout leaders.
Activities included kayaking, sailing, canoeing, high ropes, a day-to-night walk, team challenges and puzzles, and presentations on the differences between Cornish and Japanese culture.
The jamboree is held every four years for Scouts and Guides for three and a half weeks.
In Japan, the children will explore Tokyo and stay with Japanese families as well as attending the jamboree.
