A senior NHS consultant based in Truro has joined forces with a design director to pioneer new products which benefit patients and doctors alike – and their first invention has already been shortlisted for a major NHS innovation award.

Ultramed was formed by Dr Paul Upton, a consultant anaesthetist at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) in Truro, and Alan Sanders, co-founder and owner of digital production studio Sanders Shiers which has offices in both Falmouth and London.

After setting up their new business, they launched their first product called MyPreOp. The new technology allows patients waiting for an operation to log into a secure website and complete their pre-operative assessments online from the comfort of their own home using a computer or even a smartphone.

As well as the benefits to patients of reducing hospital visits and not having to repeatedly answer questions on their medical backgrounds ahead of a planned surgical procedure, the concept could also dramatically reducing the time doctors and nurses have to spend on data collection and freeing medical staff up for clinical work.

MyPreOp is already attracting nationwide attention from hospital trusts keen to work with the technology.

Dr Upton said: "Alan and I met by chance but we have a shared vision to combine his international design expertise with my clinical and senior NHS management experience to create and deliver innovative new technology which benefits both patients and medical staff.

"Data will be held securely on the system so it can be updated as and when, and this could be especially beneficial for patients in areas with a choice of hospitals as they can take all their information with them via the system wherever they choose to be treated.'' 

A woman was glassed in the face and three others badly assaulted in Falmouth this weekend.

Detectives are appealing for witnesses and information about  the separate attacks.

A woman received facial injuries at 1.40am on Saturday at Mango Tango's in Church Street when police say a drunken verbally abusive male was being escorted from the premises by security staff.

Detective Constable Dave Palmer, of Falmouth CID said: "As they were doing so, a female member of staff was hit in the face by the remains of a half pint tumbler glass causing nasty facial injuries.

"A 21 year old female was arrested at the scene and is currently on police bail whilst I continue my enquiries into this incident. I would like anyone who saw this incident to ring 101 and leave their contact details so I can speak with them regarding what they saw.''

At about 2.30am on Friday, two young men and a girl were badly assaulted at the bottom of Jacobs Ladder in Killigrew Street.

Mr Palmer said two white males in their early 20s were believed responsible.

" These males are described as shouting lurid comments at young females before assaulting the first victim. They then assaulted another man and a girl who tried to intervene to prevent these men from causing more serious harm to the first victim.

"Following these assaults, the offenders got into a taxi and were conveyed to the village of Constantine.''

One is described as about 6ft tall with short brown hair, wearing a navy T shirt with a silver pattern on the front and jeans. The other had mousey coloured hair wearing a blue T shirt and jeans.

Anyone who witnessed the glass attack should phone 101, quoting crime reference CR/10485/15.

Information on the assaults in Kiligrew Street should quote crime reference CR/10360/15.

The BBC has released its trailer for the long-awaited Poldark drama series, set and filmed in Cornwall.

The new BBC 1 drama starring Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark has been shot in Cornwall and other parts of the South West.

The eight episodes are based on the acclaimed Winston Graham saga.

The original drama was shown in the 1970s to critical and popular acclaim, with scenes filmed almost entirely in Cornwall.

No date has yet been set for the series launch, but it is due in the next few weeks.

A DOCTOR who has saved the lives of patients by getting to them quicker in his car than an ambulance or paramedics has been taken off the road for 18 months by Truro magistrates.

Mark James Stephen, 45, of Treffry Road, Truro, was caught as a drink-driver after drinking vodka the previous evening while at home.

His solicitor, Robin Smith, said the worst part of his disqualification was the effect it would have on the 16,000-strong practice at Padstow where he was a partner.

"A feature of the practice, which covers a very large rural area, is that the doctors travel around with a large amount of kit, including resuscitation, and over the 14 years he has been there he has saved lives, arriving in his car before an ambulance or paramedics," said Mr Smith.

Dr Stephen, who pleaded guilty to driving in Truro on January 4 with 75 mcg alcohol in his breath, more than twice the legal limit, was caught after crashing his car into a bollard in Bodmin Road.

He was unsteady on his feet and officers considered him to be drunk, the court was told.

He told the police that while driving, his wallet had slipped in the car, and when he looked up after grabbing it he hit the bollard.

He had no previous convictions.

The doctor was fined £1,000 with £185 costs and surcharge.

Average pay in the South West fell by nearly £300 in real terms last year, a new report has found.

This is the culmination of a 7.5% decline in the region's real wages since 2010.

The figures, released today by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), mark the "longest real wage squeeze since records began" 150 years ago.

They have been published by the organisation to coincide with the start of "fair pay fortnight", as part of its campaign to raise awareness about pay inequality.

Analysts have contrasted the average workers pay with those of top earning CEOs. They found that in the same four year period, the bosses of the FTSE 100 rose by an average 26% – about £700,000.

Starting today the TUC is launching fair pay fortnight to campaign for a higher minimum wage, greater extension of the living wage and higher pay settlements in the public and private sector.

The organisation's South West regional secretary, Nigel Costley, said: "Even though inflation has fallen sharply in recent months, it is still going to take years for people's earnings just to recover to their pre-recession levels.

"It is different story though for those at the top. Senior city executives have seen a huge boost in their fortunes since the election as their wages have skyrocketed.

"This is why we are organising fair pay fortnight, to raise awareness about pay inequality and to call for a sustainable recovery in which everybody shares."

More information about fair pay fortnight can be found at fairpayfortnight.org.

E-cigarettes should be banned from Cornwall's school premises to stop children assuming they are safe, according to headteachers.

Head teachers' union NAHT is worried pupils may want to copy parents they see using them in the playground.

It comes as a ban on sales of the nicotine aids to under-18s is announced by the government.

The Electronic Cigarette Industry Trade Association said schools had a right to ban any activity on their grounds but the thinking was "muddled".

E-cigarettes were originally designed to help smokers quit, and some researchers have said they could save many thousands of lives in the UK.

But concerns are growing that young people may start using them or "vaping" without ever having smoked.

Cube Theatre: After The Accident, Burrell Theatre, Truro

Review by Lee Trewhela

YOU wouldn't necessarily expect a play about restorative justice to be the most scintillating, but Cube's latest production is one of the most affecting hours I've spent in a Cornish theatre for quite some time.

While many of the county's theatre companies tend to make serious points through the media of song, dance, puppetry and even cross-dressing, Cube take drama back to its bare essentials – a brilliant script, sublime acting and very human stories.

After The Accident is an award-winning work by Julian Armistead which takes place at a restorative conference where victim and offender meet to try to work together and move forward with their lives. The characters in this case are Jimmy and Petra (Cube artistic director Benjamin Symes and Rebecca Hulbert), a middle-aged, middle class couple who have lost their six-year-old daughter in a car accident caused by working class joyrider Leon (Danny Mellor).

The real story here is not whether they can communicate in the stark reality of facing each other in a room, but the feelings of grief, blame and revenge enveloping people confronted by such a tragedy.

The play is brilliantly directed by Emma Williams, who has worked at the Tobacco Factory and Old Vic in Bristol, and Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Minimal lighting, a film screen and three chairs focus all the attention on the actors, and what performances they give.

Newcomer Danny Mellor is a revelation. Newly graduated, he portrays the simmering anger and cockiness of disadvantaged youth, but with a barely concealed vulnerability. It's a thrilling, visceral performance, reminding one of the young Tim Roth in its intensity. That he makes a character, who could so easily go down the clichéd route of hateful villain, a fully rounded, likeable if broken human being is testament to his towering ability.

Hulbert's is also an explosive performance. The pain of intense grief through anger becomes all too clear in a powerful scene when she finally clashes with her nemesis. The outcome may not be what you're expecting and will take your breath away.

Symes' Jimmy is a more internalised, subtle performance, embarrassed by his wife's edginess, refusing to lose it with Leon, it becomes clear that he is being suppressed by his own guilt, having – illegally – allowed his daughter to sit in the front passenger seat on the fateful night.

From the get-go one is totally immersed in these three people's lives. Come the end you will feel as if you've been put through an emotional wringer, but you will also bask in the knowledge that you've seen something very special and "real".

Don't miss it at the following venues:

Tuesday to Saturday: Bikeshed Theatre, Exeter, 7.30pm, 01392 434169

Sunday: Devoran Village Hall, 7.30pm, 01872 864854

Tuesday, February 24: Mylor Theatre, Truro College, 7.30pm, 01726 879500

Thursday, February 26: Tolmen Centre, Constantine, 7.30pm, 01326 341353

Friday, February 27: Hall for Gwinear, near Hayle, 8pm, 01736 850781

Saturday, February 28: Grampound Village Hall, 7.30pm, manda.simon@btinternet.com

A family-run hotel has celebrated the 30th anniversary since it reopened its doors 30 years ago on Valentine's Day.

The Aviary Court Hotel is run by the Studley family in a converted 350 year-old cottage at Illogan.

They celebrated the anniversary by welcoming back regular customers and friends for Valentine's cream teas and cake.

Owner Paul Studley said: "The long working hours are worth it when we get to meet and form friendships with some very interesting people."

Mr Studley and his wife Bernice have continued to run the hotel after the death of Paul's father Cecil and retirement of Paul's mother Elsie. Although pursuing his own career, their son David comes back to help and see customers who have watched him grow up.

Gilian Wright, who has returned for the hotel's Sunday lunches for the past 15 years said: "Aviary Court Is Cornwall's hidden gem, people don't know it's here, but it's such a beautiful setting and it's like heaven on earth when you get here."

Mrs Studley said: "Many of these people have celebrated special anniversaries, birthdays and even weddings with us. We thank them for their loyal support."

A GASTRO pub-owning couple is looking forward to being able to focus solely on business after the conclusion of their unsettling visa saga.

Karina and Allen Muriel were all set to sell the Pendarves Inn in Carnhell Green after Karina was labelled as an over-stayer following an embassy mishap and told that she had just days to leave the country.

In an eleventh hour reprieve, Mrs Muriel was granted a spouse settlement visa on the condition that she returned to her native Colombia to get the stamp.

The couple shut the pub on Boxing Day and returned to South America, but have now arrived back refreshed and ready to run their business free from any distractions.

Mr Muriel said: "We had a busy Christmas at the pub with plenty of locals in for food and drink and they were sad to see us close.

"However, we had a brilliant time in Colombia and have now returned and the pub is open for business."

The couple, who married in 2013, spent time in Mrs Muriel's hometown of Santa Marta on the Caribbean Coast, as well as Barranquilla and Cartagena where they first met.

"We had a great time seeing Karina's friends and family and also spent a few days in Colombia's coffee region.

"We ate some amazing food and as I didn't cook for three weeks, I am really looking forward to getting back into the kitchen."

Mr Muriel added that the ongoing visa issue had caused a lot of stress and uncertainty for the couple, but they are now feeling rejuvenated and ready for the upcoming season.

"It almost feels unusual not to have the stress of whether or not Karina is going to be allowed to stay in the country and not having phone calls saying that we have to leave.

"When we got back we gave the pub a complete refurbishment and ripped a lot of it out and started again. It's still a work in progress but we believe that the pub resembles our personalities a lot more now."

The Pendarves Inn is once again open for business and Mr and Mrs Muriel have launched a new website and menu featuring food for all over the world.

"We want our food to be an education and demonstration of how good the locally produced ingredients are that we use," added Mr Muriel.

IT'S already been a publishing phenomena and now Fifty Shades of Grey is repeating success on the silver screen with Cornish cinemas reporting sold out screenings.

And while millions of people worldwide have been immersing themselves in the pages of erotic fiction has their interest led them to explore new things in the bedroom too?

For Nikki Hewett, owner of the Mrs Palm adult shop in Truro, there has been a marked increase in the number of customers, first off the back of the literary sensation and now with the movie's release.

She said: "When the books first came out it went mad – there was a big interest and I saw people coming in here who might normally have not come in.

"You can't see what we sell from the outside so for some people there is a curiosity about what is in here, and they find that it's just a normal shop just with more adult items than others."

And the industry has been quick to jump onto the Fifty Shades bandwagon with a range of products launched which have been approved by the book's author E L James.

Nikki said: "For a lot of people who have come in here after reading the book or hearing about the film they are drawn to the Fifty Shades of Grey items.

"We have the full range and people seem very interested in those."

And Mrs Palm has seen an increase in the number of couples who come into the shop with Nikki explaining that she thinks this is also linked with Fifty Shades.

"I am always surprised by the number of guys who have read the book – you always expect it to be the women who have read them but actually a lot of men have too.

"As a result I have seen more couples coming in and they usually buy something for each other.

"With it being Valentine's Day as well we see an increase anyway but now they are booking a meal, going to the cinema to see Fifty Shades of Grey and then making sure they can recreate Fifty Shades when they get home."

And Nikki is planning to see the film as soon as she can. "Yes, I will definitely be going to see it. I would like to meet the author, I would love to talk to her and find out more."

Supermarket giant Tesco is set to axe up to 10,000 jobs across the country in an attempt to spark a revival of its fortunes.

The majority of the jobs will go from the troubled retailer's head office and the closure of 43 stores across the UK.

However, new managing director David Lewis is believed to be attempting to expand the job losses to include an entire layer of management from Tesco shops, which will mainly be managers.

Those that work between store managers and shop assistants will be offered alternative roles.

The company began consultations with staff at the end of January and some have been offered voluntary redundancy.

Mr Lewis claims he was wants to reduce head office costs by 30% and save £250 million a year in costs across the business.

DEVON and Cornwall Police has confirmed that they are investigating a robbery in Lanner today.

A person entered Lanner Store at around 12:30 demanding money.

Police are unable to confirm the sex of the person, but they are believed to have left the store without any money.

The suspect is described as late twenties, of slim build wearing a dark puffa style jacket with fur around the hood.

Nobody was harmed during the incident and officers are in the area making enquiries and speaking to witnesses.

The incident follows another tempted robbery in Porthowan on Friday, as well as incidents in Scorrier and Newquay last week.

Anyone with information should call police on 101 quoting reference 276 of Feb 16.

A HANG GLIDING instructor from Illogan is packing his bags as he prepares to fly across the Atlantic to compete against pilots from around the world.

Graham Phipps, known as Phippsy, has been selected to represent Great Britain at the World Hang Gliding Championships in Mexico.

Mr Phipps, 57, runs Cloud 9 Hang Gliding and Paragliding with his wife Kaz and together they teach people how to fly as well as give tandem flights.

"It's definitely going to be different to flying in the UK," said My Phipps.

"I've competed in the European Championships in Croatia, Austria and France but competing in Mexico against over 100 pilots is going to be a great experience.

"In Mexico they fly extremely high, at about 15,000 feet, which is a lot different to what we are used to."

Mr Phipps first learned to fly 35 years ago on the dunes at Perranporth and has regularly placed in the top five at major British competitions including being crowned British Open Series Champion.

The World Championships are due to get underway on February 28, but Mr Phipps will be flying to Valle de Bravo six days earlier to practice and acclimatize before the competition begins.

The competition consists of a series of tasks where pilots fly around a designated course made up of a number of turn points before hopefully arriving at a designated landing zone (goal field).

Those that complete the course, which is typically between 120 km and 150 km, are awarded points based on how fast they achieved it whilst those that don't make it, score points purely for the distance they managed to cover.

Gliders are capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 miles per hour and Mr Phipps is looking forward to joining up with the team.

"I've been competing with the guys for a number of years and hopefully we can get a good result in Mexico," he added.

For more information about Cloud 9 visit www.flycloud9.co.uk

A specialist marine drilling firm in Falmouth will get rid of up to 20 staff due to a fall in oil prices.

Fugro Seacore, based in the Bickland Industrial Park, has today started a 30 day consultation with its staff about the proposed job losses.

The company, which currently employ 550 people, has said the decision is "unavoidable" due to low oil and gas prices and "continued global uncertainty".

A final decision as to the number of redundancies is expected to be announced on or after March 18.

Managing director of Fugro Seacore, Marcus Rampley, said: "The business has grown substantially over recent years but a weakened demand for the engineering design and manufacture of new offshore drilling machinery requires us to reduce our capacity.

"Our business is directly affected by a combination of the low oil and gas prices as well as the general global financial uncertainty being experienced today.

"Although we do have a strong backlog within our geotechnical and foundation drilling markets, margins are compressed and we intend to restructure to strengthen our position in those areas.

"It's never an easy decision to reduce our workforce, and we will work with our staff to provide support to those affected."

Do you work for Fugro Seacore? What do you think about the potential redundancies? Leave your comments below or call West Briton reporter Esme Ashcroft on 01872 247 412 or email eashcroft@westbriton.co.uk

A WELL-known former Helston police beat manager, David Vaughan, has signed up as the latest recruit to Helston Rotary Club.

Mr Vaughan comes from Porthleven and attended Helston School before joining the Metropolitan Police where he worked for a long period at Stansted Airport.

After qualifying as a paramedic in the ambulance service, he rejoined the police in Essex before moving to the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary.

He is pictured his sponsor Nigel Treloar, left, and Helston Rotary Club president Benny Vleminckx.

Mr Vaughan is now retired and lives in Helston with his wife Anne and two adult daughters.

THE Culdrose Military Wives Choir has appointed Paul Triggs as its new musical director.

Widely regarded on the Cornish choral scene as one of the county's leading talents, Mr Triggs will be continuing upon the solid foundations laid by former MD Georgina Davies.

"This is an exciting new chapter for me," he said.

"I have been impressed with the modern repertoire and performance techniques employed by the Culdrose ladies, and found their sound to be something very special, rarely found in community choirs such as this.

"I must pay credit to the great work of Georgina Davies in nurturing the choir, and I will take on this role with great pride and respect for the vital role that the choir performs in the military community.

"With a busy performance season ahead, we are already knuckling down to some new pieces, and look forward to sharing our music across Cornwall."

Chairwoman of the choir Victoria Breen, said: "With twenty years experience directing choirs, and leading them to national standards, Paul stood out for us.

"His talents are well known in Cornwall, and we are absolutely delighted to have his skills as we work on further developing our sound and technique."

Mr Triggs has been involved in choral singing for more than forty years, having started out in the Marazion Apollo Male Choir under musical director John J Matthews.

He trained as a classical tenor with Robert Bowman, retired principal tenor of the English National Opera, and also attended workshops with Molly Petrie from the Guildhall School of Music in London.

He has since held long tenures directing Treverva Male Choir, City of Truro Male Choir and Penzance Orpheus Ladies Choir, leading them in performances across the county and abroad and also to win national competitions. 

A CALL has been made for the end of closed meetings on planning applications which give developers the chance to lobby councillors who make the decisions.

Councillor Fiona Ferguson said Cornwall Council needed to end the practice of technical briefings being given to the strategic planning committee ahead of meetings when it determines applications.

She said the meetings allowed developers to lobby councillors behind closed doors while members of the public and other councillors were shut out.

Mrs Ferguson, Conservative councillor for Truro Trehaverne, spoke out after a meeting was held for the planning committee ahead of the key decision on which supermarket application for Truro should go ahead.

The strategic planning committee is due to meet next month to discuss four planning applications for separate sites to the west of Truro and Threemilestone which all include a supermarket.

One of the applicants, Inox, said that its plan, if approved, would enable the construction of the proposed Stadium for Cornwall.

Last year the strategic planning committee met to consider the three other supermarket applications but then decided to defer them so they could be determined alongside the Inox proposal.

Some of the rival developers have since lodged appeals against the council on grounds of non-determination – failing to make a decision within the allotted time. Last week a technical briefing was held behind closed doors at County Hall for the developers to make presentations to the planning committee.

Mrs Ferguson said she was disappointed not to be invited to the meeting, which was also attended by councillors who chair the planning committees at Truro City Council and Kenwyn Parish Council, as well as the Cornwall councillors whose wards the applications would affect.

She said she only found out about the meeting a few days before and had a prior appointment. The council has since told Mrs Ferguson it will provide clearer details about forthcoming meetings. But she was not happy that the closed meetings took place at all.

She said: "I don't think it is good and I don't think it looks good for the council. These meetings allow developers to lobby councillors in private about their developments.

"At the committee meetings members of the public are limited for how long they can speak for and how many of them can speak – it doesn't seem right that developers get to argue their case in private before the committee meets in public. In the interests of transparency I believe this practice should stop."

The council's democratic team leader, Jacquie Rapier, said: "The case officer will brief the applicant/agent as to the format of the technical briefing and the required presentation and degree of detail. The applicant/agent will make the presentation.

"The case officer will take notes of the technical briefing which will be placed on the planning file."

A TRURO woman has swapped finance for fingers numbers for nailswith the opening a beauty salon in the city centre.

Qualified accountant and former banker Kim Partridge has cashed in her job at a building society to go into business for herself at Truro's Pannier Market.

Thanks to friends and family, who helped her renovate the market pitch, Kim opened her new 'nail and brow' business on Monday.

At the age of 28, and having spent seven years in finance, Kim admitted she has taken a "leap of faith" to launch her business, called At Your Finger Tips.

"I know that I was not particularly enthralled with what I was doing," said Kim, who went to Penair School and studied at Truro College.

"I'm quite artistic and creative, and I think I went into something that didn't suit me.

"I was doing a few nails in the evenings and weekends while working full-time.

"I thought, 'why not go for it, you only live once.' There are so many opportunities in life."

Kim left her job at Nationwide Building Society in Newquay, which she held for two years. Before that, she worked as an accountant at firms across Cornwall.

"It was during a shopping trip to Truro one Saturday afternoon when I walked past an empty unit in Pannier Market in need of some tender loving care," she added.

"With a bit of imagination and effort I wondered if it was possible to transform it into a cosy but glamorous space for nail treatments.

"Within a week I had decided to leave my full time job and take on what would be a challenge – an exciting new adventure and a big leap of faith.

"With the help of my close friends and family it took six weeks to perform my nail salon make over and I am now open for business.

"I am just following my passion. I really enjoy it."