ABOY from Bengal who grew up weaned on fish has taken on a mission to help fishermen from Cornwall whose livelihoods were decimated by last winter's storms.

Now 36, Sanjay Kumar is a boy no more, but the senior sous chef from Newquay's Headlands Hotel still has a boundless energy for all fish-related matters.

He has immersed himself in Cornwall's fishing heritage and its current industry, becoming a well-known face at fish markets and events like Newlyn Fish Festival.

And while learning about the wealth of fish brought ashore by Cornwall's fishermen, he has taken it upon himself to learn about the difficulties and hardships of their special livelihood.

So when Sanjay saw the damage wrought by the power of the storms on the Cornish coastline, he knew the devastation would be visited most on local fishermen.

Already a staunch supporter of healthy eating groups and foodbanks in Cornwall, he contacted Cornwall Community Foundation, which raises money to distribute to needy groups, to see how he could help.

One of the first outcomes of their collaboration will be a fundraising fish feast where guests will pay to eat at a swish barbecue put on by Sanjay and fellow chefs at the Headland to raise money for fishermen.

On one of his regular visits to the Fishermen's Mission at Newlyn last week, Sanjay talked about the difficulties fishermen face, their tough lifestyle, and how little the general public knows about this key industry.

Sanjay said: "In India people call Bengalis the 'fish and rice people' like here you call people from Liverpool Scousers.

"When people are born their first taste of food is a piece of fish, when people get married they get a piece of fish for luck. That is how I grew up, surrounded by fish.

"When I was first working in the UK as a chef, in places like Kent, a lot of the produce I used was coming from Cornwall, and I wanted to know more about it."

Sanjay marked his move to Cornwall in 2008 with a visit to the Mousehole Christmas Lights, and has been cooking at Newlyn Fish Festival since 2009.

He also became immersed in Cornish fish and fishing.

He says: "As I read more and more about the fish species available in Cornwall I got more and more shocked at how little people in Cornwall know about what's out there.

"So I decided to try to help educate people through my menu, to help bring about a change, to let people know what is out there, and then they can decide for themselves.

"We have this great source of protein but people aren't using it – just the ones they know like cod and haddock.

"But my fish and chips is always hake, because it is more sustainable than cod."

Finding out more about fish brought Sanjay closer to the people who land it and the people who record its heritage, like Nick Howell of Newlyn's Pilchard Works.

Cooking at Newlyn Fish Festival every year, Sanjay always involves local schoolchildren, and teaches them their heritage as well as how to cook.

He says: "It is about giving their story back to them."

His research also involved retracing the historic route Cornish sardines used to take to Italy, when he travelled from Newlyn to Genoa for a programme for BBC Radio 4.

"That all got me closer to the person and the life of those landing that fish," he says. "The social cohesion around fishing."

He also read up on the practicalities and costs.

"People say to me 'fish is too expensive' but I say it is valuable. I have read into the costs … the oil, the nets, it all made me really aware of the need to bring a change in Cornwall by letting people know about fishing, and I wanted to do that through my menu, by using more fish and educating people."

Then, when the winter storms took their toll, every one of Sanjay's suppliers and his friends in the fishing industry was telling him how hard a time the fishermen were having and he wanted to help, adding: "The Family Fish Feast is a chance to connect with the fishermen rather than always feeding people at a premium."

Sanjay knows restaurants in Cornwall buy fish cheap and sell it dear and wants to make a difference. A fisherman can sometimes get only £5 per kilo for larger lobsters, but half a lobster in a high-end restaurant will still cost more than £20.

He says: "I make my bread and butter, my living, because the fishermen go out at night, work long, unsociable hours, working with the endless chugging of the engines and the rough seas, to land that fish. I know the lifestyle is so hard.

"I went out with a fisherman from Newlyn hoping for mackerel and all he caught was whitebait – they never know what they will get.

"Cornwall Community Foundation's Family Fish Feast will celebrate the best of Cornish produce but also create a real awareness of that danger, that lifestyle.

"When someone eats fish in a restaurant the fisherman might not have had a piece of toast to give his child for breakfast that morning.

"I also try to help fishermen understand how to eat better at sea. Some of their food is awful. They will catch bass for someone who will pay a fortune for it in London, but they are out at sea for ten days living off Mars bars and microwaved food."

A BOOKLET detailing the lives of the 40 men named on the Ludgvan War Memorial – and of five others who are not – has been a five-year labour of love for Bill Burnett, a member of Ludgvan church's congregation.

Mr Burnett was encouraged to take on the task by Eric Franklin, a member of the Thrapston War Memorial Research Group in Northants.

"He was down on holiday in Ludgvan and asked if anyone was looking into the stories of the First World War servicemen," said Mr Burnett.

"Originally he started to put together brief biographies up in Northamptonshire, but then felt the work needed to be taken on by someone local."

In carrying out the research, Mr Burnett has unearthed some fascinating and poignant stories.

The first Ludgvan man to be killed was Richard John Jones, who grew up in the house next to Ludgvan church and whose father was a monumental mason.

Richard, who served in the 1st Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, was killed in November 1914, aged 19, at the first Battle of Ypres.

His brother took on the family business – and built the war memorial.

At least two families in Ludgvan parish lost not one but two sons.

Joseph and Mary Glasson, from Long Rock, lost both their sons, John Thomas and Robert, within five days of each other in 1916 in France.

Having worked in mining, they were both recruited by the Royal Engineers for a tunnelling company.

John and Louise Rowe, of Crowlas, lost their sons Frederick William and John Thomas, in Iraq and France respectively, in 1917.

Petty Officer James Curnow is one of three First World War servicemen buried in the graveyard.

He survived everything the enemy could throw at him – only to be run down by a tram in Devonport while on shore leave.

For his funeral, with full military honours, a fellow Petty Officer escorted the coffin down to St Erth station before the burial in Ludgvan.

Among those who are not honoured on the war memorial is Michael Edyvean, who is nevertheless remembered in an illuminated stained glass window in Crowlas Methodist chapel, while Llewelyn Davey Thomas was another who did not die by an enemy bullet.

Having emigrated to Canada before the war, where he worked on the railway in Saskatchewan, he served from the outbreak of the war with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, but contracted typhoid and died in hospital in Boulogne.

FINGERS are being crossed for fine weather in Morvah next week as the annual pasty day, an event so good it actually lasts two days, looms. Morvah Pasty Day is a long running fixture that raises funds for the Morvah Church and Schoolhouse. Last year hundreds of people braved rain and wind to enjoy pasties and entertainment but this year the weather looks set to be kinder. The village's special day is on Tuesday from 10am and includes pasties and cakes for sale, car boot sale and trade stands, children's entertainment and live music from local bands all day and night with a bar and BBQ from 7pm. Car booters are also welcome on the day. Local band Sandy Acre 7 play the second night of Morvah Pasty Day in the marquee, on Wednesday with a bar and barbecue from 8pm. Tickets are available from Morvah Schoolhouse, £5 for adults, U16s are £3. For more information and to book a ticket phone 01736 787808.

ONE of West Penwith's most remote and beautiful corners has its own First World War history that involves a famous writer, the pernicious paranoia of threatened German U-boat raids and a cousin of flying ace the Red Baron.

DH Lawrence's novel The Rainbow outraged public decency when it appeared in 1915, and following an obscenity trial, the following year the writer fled to Zennor on the West Cornwall coast with his German wife Frieda.

They stayed at the Tinners' Arms and later rented Higher Tregarthen while Lawrence worked on a sequel, Women In Love, but the couple's cosmopolitan ways and enlightened views on sex and sexuality – some claim that Lawrence had an affair with a local farmer – did nothing to endear them to the locals.

This alienness, coupled with Frieda's obviously German heritage – her family, the von Richthofens, included Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the famous Western Front fighter pilot known as the Red Baron – led to accusations that the two were spying and signalling to the German submarines that were frequently spotted off the Cornish coast preying on food convoys.

As a result, and after what has been described as a programme of harassment by the local authorities, the couple were forced to leave Zennor with just three days' notice in 1917.

It was only long after the harsh, fearful and introspective war years that Women In Love – written as Lawrence looked out over the sea below Zennor's moors and cliffs – was published, and much later still acknowledged as a literary classic.

HERBERT JAMES JOHNS, born in Pendeen in 1895, was the youngest of six children, having one sister and four older brothers.

His father, Edwin Leggoe Johns, was a tin miner at Levant, and family legend has it that he enlisted in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, went off to fight in the second Boer War and never returned.

Herbert's brother George was washed off rocks and drowned at Pendeen in 1903, reportedly looking for wreckage from a ship that sank close by.

Herbert, or Uncle Bert, as he was known to John Richards of Heamoor, whose grandmother was Herbert's sister, would have been involved in some capacity with the Levant man-engine disaster which killed 31 miners in 1919.

The story handed down was that he had injured his ankle playing football the previous weekend and was not at work on the day of the accident.

Another story that survives relates to the First World War when Herbert, serving in the British Expeditionary Force, took part in the Battle of Mons in which 'angels' were said to have protected and aided the heavily outnumbered British forces.

CARNIVAL fever will soon be hitting Halsetown once again as the village fête is revived.

Members of the community have joined forces with the Halsetown Inn to reinvigorate the summer event on Sunday.

There will be a fancy dress horse parade, fun dog show, morris dancers, craft and produce stalls, a Pimm's tent and bands playing until 9pm.

Face painting, teddy bear making and a bouncy castle will be put on to keep children entertained.

Jo Griffin, of the fête committee, said: "The day is going to be great fun for everyone, but we need more people to help out before and during the event itself."

The committee is also asking for copies of photographs from past Halsetown carnivals.

To help out or run a stall on the day, call the Halsetown Inn on 01736 795583.

An accident involving four cars is causing traffic delays on the A30 near Carland Cross.

The road is partially blocked in both directions and emergency services are on the scene.

It is not known if anyone was injured.

Hundreds of people have been left without electricity in Truro and New County Hall was evacuated after reports a generator had exploded.

Two fire crews were called to Treyew Road at 8.44am.

Everyone inside New County Hall was evacuated from the building but they have since been allowed back inside.

Western Power said the situation was sparked by a faulty cable inside the substation outside New County Hall.

"Someone would have heard a bang but it was all contained within the substation", said a spokesman.

More the 725 customers were affected by the power cut.

The company reconnected 167 customers just after 9.20 am and County Hall had its supply restored 20 minutes later.

Over 150 customers in Kirby Road area of Truro remain without power.

Western Power have said it hopes to have the electricity supply reconnected by 11 am this morning. 

Falmouth has been named as one of the most expensive seaside resorts in the United Kingdom, according to a recent survey from www.cheaprooms.co.uk

The survey specifically established the 20 most expensive destinations in the UK. St Ives has been named as the most expensive.

Falmouth placed sixth, alongside Padstow and Oban in Scotland, with an average price tag of £84.4 per night for the least expensive double room. It must be mentioned that the survey considered only such hotels or guest houses rated three stars or higher and that are well located close to the beach.

The cost of lodging during the month of August, the main summer holiday period, served as the basis of comparison.

The following table shows the UK's Top 10 most expensive seaside resorts.

The prices shown reflect the average daily rate for each destination's cheapest available double room (minimum: 3-star hotel, guest house or B&B) for the time period spanning August 1-31, 2014.

1. St. Ives (Cornwall) £123.3

2. Tenby (Wales) £107.7

3. Cowes (Isle of Wight) £94.4

4. Dartmouth (Devon) £87.7

5. Barmouth (Wales) £86.6

6. Falmouth (Cornwall) £84.4

7. Oban (Scotland) £84.4

8. Padstow (Cornwall) £84.4

9. Swansea (Wales) £83.3

10. Swanage (Dorset) £81.1

A person has been rushed to hospital after their car overturned on the A39 near Buckshead this evening.

Two crews from Truro and a rescue tender from Camborne were called to the scene.

They arrived at 6:10pm and used crash rescue equipment to release the casualty who was then taken to hospital by ambulance.

It is not yet known whether the casualty suffered any serious injuries.

IT WAS a farce worthy of the best of Monty Python when a councillor took up the cause to see one of his favourite films screened after a movie critic said it remained banned after 35 years – and it turned out not to be.

Truro's Plaza Cinema is looking to screen the classic Monty Python's Life of Brian after Councillor Rob Nolan took up the cause and discovered the ban imposed by Truro City council in 1979 on the spoof had been lifted nine years ago.

He said: "I was talking to film critic Mark Kermode at his talk at The Plaza in Truro and I was shocked to hear that the film was banned for so long and has never been shown at the cinema.

"I went to see Truro City Council and they said that the council had lost power to ban films back in 2005 and they'd have no objection to Life of Brian being screened there and that most people had forgotten all about the ban."

Life of Brian is written by and stars the iconic comedy group Monty Python and tells the story of Brian Cohen, a young Jewish man who is born on the same day and next door to Jesus Christ and is subsequently mistaken for the messiah.

Upon its release, the film drew allegations of blasphemy and was banned by 39 local authorities, including Truro City Council, and outlawed by countries including Ireland and Norway.

In the 2005 Licensing Act, the rights of councils to ban films at cinemas was rescinded and Mr Nolan believes that it is about time the controversial film is shown in Truro.

Mr Nolan stated that he hoped the cinema would decide to arrange a spoof premiere for the film.

"It would be great to have a mini-premiere and I'm sure that the cinema would be packed with people wanting to watch what is a classic film," he said.

General manager of The Plaza cinema, Stuart Jenkins, said: "If there is enough interest, we will hold a mini-premiere and we will be using Facebook and Twitter to investigate Crowdfunding suggestions."

Sue Jones-Davies, who played Judith in the film, now serves as Aberystwyth's mayor and recently told the BBC that she could not believe a ban lasted so long.

She said: "I would like to think that any religion would have the generosity to see the film for what it is, which is a comedy.

"Aberystwyth used to be a town that took religion very seriously so I can imagine that at the time, the town's elders weren't very sympathetic to the themes and messages in it."

THREE of Falmouth's green spaces have achieved an international standard for local community involvement, cleanliness and horticultural excellence.

For the third year running, Gyllyngdune Gardens, in the grounds of the Princess Pavilion, has been awarded Green Flag status – the parks and open spaces equivalent of the Blue Flag beach award.

Queen Mary Gardens, next to Gyllyngvase beach, has also received the leading global recognition for excellence, as has Kimberley Park.

They are among only eight places across the county to have been awarded the status.

Jacqui Owen, visitor and education officer at Gyllyngdune Gardens, said she was "delighted" with the "fantastic" recognition.

"We have a fantastic team here and are really proud that all the hard work and dedication has been recognised with this award," she said.

"So many people, including the staff, the Cormac gardening team, community volunteers and schools, have been involved in gaining this achievement."

Simon Penna, from Cormac, which manages Queen Mary Gardens on behalf of Cornwall Council, said: "The management of these unique gardens to such a consistently high horticultural standard is so important to the people of Falmouth and Cornwall who benefit from the tourist industry.

"Tom Carthey's operational team, which works so hard to keep the gardens looking magnificent, invites children from Falmouth's primary schools to help plant the annual bedding displays, which are among the finest in the UK."

All sites were judged on several areas including their conservation and heritage, sustainability, local community involvement, cleanliness, customer service and horticultural excellence.

Falmouth mayor John Body said: "Kimberley Park is a wonderful community asset close to our busy town centre. The (town) council has invested heavily in the site and it is fantastic that it has been recognised nationally.

"It is thanks to our excellent working partnership with Cormac, and the involvement of our community partners the Kimberley Park Residents' Association and Source FM, the park has been recognised. Lots of people have worked extremely hard for this – thank you."

Edwina Hannaford, Cornwall Council portfolio-holder for environment, heritage and planning, said: "Huge congratulations to ... all of our Green Flag winners. I'm delighted that seven popular parks and open spaces in Cornwall have retained their Green Flag status."

This dramatic footage shows the moment a Royal Navy Sea Fury plane crash landed at RNAS Culdrose Air Day.

Smoke is seen to be billowing from behind the plane, which took flight as the penultimate display of the annual event yesterday.

It is understood the plane suffered from mechanical difficulties.

Its pilot, Chris Gotke, requested to land immediately but seemed to suffer further difficulties as he tried to release the undercarriage of the plane.

Spectators have described it as "an amazing piece of emergency flying".