Hallsands

This coming year sees the 90th anniversary of the loss of the village of Hallsands to the sea. Its location on the South Devon coast facing due east overlooking Start Bay is incredibly exposed - I have been to that area when the wind has been quite strong and it seems so different to the more cosy inlets and river estuaries that are more prevalent on the south coasts of Devon and Cornwall. By westcountry standards it is a huge bay and is, for me, a little overpowering but it is fascinating nevertheless.

The story of Hallsands destruction is well known with books and websites devoted to it and I notice that Radio Devon are putting on a play drawing on the characters of Hallsands and set in the period from near the start of the 20th century till its demise in 1917. Good websites to read about Hallsands can be found here and here.

Although the disaster at Hallsands can be put down to the folly and arrogance of man I think that given time it might have been lost to the sea anyway when one thinks of the damage that has occurred more recently at Torcross and the necessity to move part of the A379 road landwards.

Just to the north of the deserted village and on the low cliff stands the Hallsands Hotel which sadly having been deserted and boarded up for the last few years is now being demolished. I believe that the intention is to build new houses on the site. I last saw the hotel a year or two ago and it was looking very sad and forlorn. Perhaps never an architectural gem it did I understand have some interesting history. Before closing its doors it had been run by David and Carole Light largely for the benefit of diving enthusiasts. Prior to that it had been a hotel that mainly provided a retreat for the gay community! Nick Gillman, sometime a teacher and social worker, became fascinated with the eccentricities of the old place and is hoping to write a book about it. Good news as it is important that such things are recorded for posterity.

Where are the storms Mr Corbyn?

Piers Corbyn's company WeatherAction Ltd produces long range weather forecasts. He employs a solar weather technique which, his website declares "uses predictable aspects of solar activity - particle and magnetic effects from the Sun to make weather forecasts MANY MONTHS ahead". He lists a number of past weather events to back up his claims of accurate forecasting. His website can be seen here.

Back on the eighth of this month I read that Piers was predicting for the rest of December "We are going to see three major storms bring severe gales and storm force winds to the west of England, particularly the most exposed areas between Plymouth and Penzance". So confident was he that he actually gave the dates for the three events as being between Dec 13 and 15, 18 and 20, and 26 and 28. The final storm would be really bad with gales up to 100 mph in some places, and with heavy rain and thunder and lightning for good measure.

Fortunately for us Devon and Cornwall have not seen any of this extreme weather. Apart from the first of the aforementioned timeslots when western Scotland had some exceptionally heavy rain I don't think the rest of the country suffered storms either. The anticyclone that created the thick fog that was such a problem at Heathrow before Christmas is sliiping away now. This is allowing the Atlantic fronts to make some progress eastwards so it looks as if we will see rain before the week is out but no suggestion of hurricane force winds yet!

It would be interesting would it not if his website published those instances when he got his forecasts hopelessly wrong but as his firm is there to make money I don't think this will happen!

A peaceful Christmas

I have just enjoyed a quiet and peaceful Christmas. Over the years I have experienced all sorts of Christmas Days, till they died I think almost always with my parents and other members of the family. Since then I have also enjoyed being in the company of others and, dare I say it, have had the pleasure of the occasional Christmas on my own.

This time I was invited to share much of the day with a friend nearby and members of her family visiting for the yuletide celebrations. Good conversation, laughter, excellent food and no TV (!). It could not have been a better day for me the only downside being that my friend was not feeling 100%. But apart from that, perfect.

It is very easy isn't it to forget those who have had a less than happy Christmas for a variety of reasons. I am very fortunate I know in never having had a totally awful Christmas but it is an event which is much better if kept simple without the necessity of taking out a loan to pay for it all! It also helped that I didn't have to walk very many yards to my friend's cottage - travelling over the holiday is for me the stuff of nightmares!

On Boxing Day morning we were invited to share a convivial drink with my nextdoor neighbours. Thank you David and Judy for that. Now it's the usual problem, working out what day of the week it is!

Christmas lights

Back at the start of this month, well December 2nd to be exact, we had the switch on of the Christmas lights in the village. In this Cornish village this isn't solely a matter of flicking a switch, we had some three hours of street entertainment to enjoy! The Scottish pipe band from Plymouth visited us again and led a torchlight procession from higher up in the village. At last year's Christmas light switch on a morris dancing group supplied a contrast to the Scot's pipes and drums; this year we again had morris men (and ladies) but from our local Cornish Wreckers group whereas last year I think it was the Dartmoor Border morris. An innovation this year was a steel band from Plymouth: they were in the dance studio, I was told later that it is imperative that their instruments stay in the dry.

Shops had been encouraged to stay open and I'm glad to say that Steve and Mary at the post office came up trumps again with their mulled wine!

I'm pleased to say that we didn't have very much rain that evening although a healthy dollop had been forecast for later on with severe gales as well. Lively music in December is just the tonic. We found it fascinating to watch the steel band - I would like to see more of them, it's absolutely brilliant to see young people making music. The event brought the community together for the evening, just the way things should be.

Christmas lights are becoming more controversial because of increasing concern about using less electricity and the effects of climate change. My natural inclination would be to agree that we should cut back on using non essential electricity but the feel good factor of the illuminations is worth the small negative to the environment. But if only ALL lights were switched on much closer to Christmas. The very long lead up to Christmas totally devalues its meaning I believe.

Some properties in the village are a little OTT with the number and types of illumination but a few others elsewhere are gawdy in the extreme. I notice that Maurice Parnell in Torquay, who is one of those with tens of thousands of bulbs festooning his home, is retiring from his Christmas "hobby" after this year. I certainly wouldn't want to go and see his light show but over the years he has collected thousands for charity because of his "attraction". So it isn't all bad by any means.

I just may not make a blog entry tomorrow. Should there be anybody reading this can I wish you a Happy Christmas.

Roadworks progress

There is good news on the progress of roadworks in Devon and Cornwall! First up is the removal of the Merrymeet roundabout on the Devon section of the A30 between Okehampton and Exeter. There is now an overbridge to allow connection with the side roads; the scheme was completed some months ahead of schedule much to the relief of everyone I should have thought because there have been very substantial delays during the construction.

Good news too in Cornwall - the new dual carriageway linking Indian Queens to the Bodmin Bypass looks as if it will be completed early and certainly in time for the bulk of next summer's traffic. This scheme will avoid the bottleneck of Iron Bridge where the Newquay to Par railway line crosses the existing A30, this bridge being substandard in height and having been damaged many times by high vehicles. The new route also goes around the north side of Goss Moor instead of bisecting it. Great efforts are being made to accommodate the wildlife here such as underpasses for badgers and otters and also special fences to stop these animals from trying to cross the road at road level. Another pleasing feature is the considerable use of waste material from the local china clay tips in the road construction.

Cornwall again. The long awaited construction of the Dobwalls bypass in the south east of the county began recently. That one should complete in 2008.

Now up to North Devon where the Barnstaple western bypass and downstream bridge appears to be progressing very well and should I think be open by next summer. I haven't been to Barnstaple recently but my memories even years ago was of apalling congestion. As at Bideford I think that the new bridge will be quite an aesthetic structure: I look forward to crossing it one day.

Although I am passionate about the environment I am strongly supportive of these particular schemes. The construction phase of course uses a lot of energy and natural resources but when complete has the potential to save road fuel, reduce journey times, reduce accidents, help business and last, but definitely not least, provide a much better environment for those living next to the existing main roads. I am supportive of Friends of the Earth regarding many issues (the excessive clout of the big supermarkets for instance) but they almost seem to object to road schemes out of principle and that I don't agree with.

The days are getting longer

Apart from perhaps Christmas Day the 21st of December is for me the most important day of the winter. Why? Because it marks the winter solstice and now the days are getting LONGER! It may in reality be difficult to discern the increase in daylight for a few weeks but it's that psychological lift one gets knowing that for the next 6 months we will be getting more daylight as each day passes. There is a recently formed group or side of Morris Dancers in south east Cornwall called 'Cat's Eye' and they marked the evening of the solstice with some exuberant playing and dancing. They performed outside 'The Rising Sun' pub yesterday evening and they needed to be lively as it was close to freezing point. I'm glad that they didn't perform for too long or I might have frozen to the spot!

Although this cold frosty spell will put a slight check on nature it is the first significant cold snap of the winter. We had one or two light frosts in early November before the deluges later in that month but on the whole it has been incredibly mild. Trees have stayed in leaf longer than expected and I saw a violet in flower on November the first. Forsythia in the garden opposite my cottage has been showing some flowers for a few weeks now although it is nowhere near fully out yet. I recall there are a couple of good places to see winter heliotrope in east Cornwall, I think I shall have to check them out.

Of course there is a lot of winter to come and one must remember the long comparatively cold spell last year which held back the daffodils by some weeks. But the general trend is for all the seasons to be warmer. We will just have to wait and see!

A resigning matter

Sergeant Steve Roberts came from Wadebridge in Cornwall and died as a result of friendly fire in Iraq in 2003. If there had been enough enhanced combat body armour (cost just £167) to go round he would have survived. The former defence minister Geoff Hoon had delayed the order for this body armour by 8 weeks the lamentable excuse being that companies could not be asked to bid to supply the kit as it would have revealed preparations were already in hand for an invasion. This pathetic explanation makes me very very angry; how Mr Hoon can live with this I don't know. Well I do know I suppose - he's a politician, and what's more a politician from a totally discredited party. And I say that having no particular liking for any of the parties.

This is what assistant deputy coroner Andrew Walker said at the inquest " To send soldiers into a combat zone without the appropriate equipment is, in my view, unforgivable and inexcusable and represents a breach of trust that the soldiers have in those in government".

I don't think his comments can be blunter than that.

Mr Hoon should clearly do the honourable thing and resign but don't hold your breath that he actually will.

Penlee lifeboat disaster remembered

Today, in the far west of Cornwall especially, it has been a day for reflecting and remembering. Twentyfive years ago on the evening of 19 December 1981 the lifeboat Solomon Browne stationed at Penlee Point close to Mousehole was launched to go to the rescue of a coaster the Union Star. This ship on its maiden voyage had engine trouble and initially a rescue helicopter was sent to the scene the reported location being east of the Wolf Rock. The weather was about as bad as could be: storm force winds gusting to hurricane strength and whipping waves up to 60 feet high. In fact it was the height of the waves which precluded the helicopter dropping the winchman. All the time the coaster was being driven ever closer to the rocky south coast of the Penwith peninsula. So there was a "shout" for the lifeboat.

The Penlee lifeboat then as now was primarily manned by Mousehole men. Although the crew's complement was eight in fact 12 volunteers turned up that fateful night. One of the volunteers Neil Brockman was sent home by the coxswain because Neil's father Nigel Brockman, the lifeboat's mechanic was also there and the coxswain (William Trevelyan Richards) didn't want two members of the same family out that night. The recorded conversations between the Union Star, the Solomon Browne and the coastguard centre at Falmouth show that the lifeboat had managed to rescue 4 of the 8 people on board the coaster and could under the worsening conditions have pulled away but tragically tried to get the others off but never made it. A total of 16 lives and 2 boats were lost that night.

The aftermath when the world's media descended on Mousehole was harrowing for relatives and friends, it was very difficult for them to grieve in peace such was the intrusion. Now the present lifeboat is permanently moored at Newlyn and fittingly the coxswain is Neil Brockman. The old lifeboat station at Penlee Point is a memorial to those modest but extraordinary men.

It was some years after that I walked the coast from Porthcurno to Lamorna past Tater Du near where the Union Star was eventually to meet her fate. It was a beautifully quiet still day in September I recall the summers heat just starting to disappear. Almost impossible to believe the tragedy that happened those few years before.

A very good account of the disaster can be read in the Wikipedia encyclopedia and elsewhere on the internet. Michael Sagar-Fenton has written a book "Penlee - The Loss of a Lifeboat".

William Trevelyan Richards was posthumously awarded the RNLI's gold medal. The other seven crew were posthumously awarded the RNLI's bronze medal. They were John Robert Blewett, Nigel Brockman, Charles Thomas Greenhaugh, James Stephen Madron, Kevin Smith, Barrie Robertson Torrie, Gary Lee Wallis.

Second home to the rescue

Normally I wouldn't be writing in support of second homes; when when you are aware of some towns and villages around the coast of Devon and Cornwall having 50% plus second homes you have to say "this is just too much". Yes I can understand the well heeled wanting a second home in Devon or Cornwall but there are good reasons to limit their numbers which I'll blog about another time.

However here is a little story that shows it's not all bad regarding second homes... I should explain that our village is well away from the coast of Cornwall (as much as anywhere in Cornwall can be far from the coast) and that the number of second homes here is minimal. In late November we had some localised flooding in the village caused by an evening of torrential rain. Fortunately our little terrace of cottages escaped unscathed. A few days later I was in the main street and crossed the road to speak to a lady aquaintance who I knew lived in a slightly vulnerable location "out in the sticks". Pleased to say that Jane was ok although some of her neighbours had suffered water ingress. However Jane informed me that another woman, not one of her neighbours but a lady from another part of the village, had had several feet of floodwater in her home and was looking for temporary accommodation whilst things dried out and the electrics etc could be sorted, perhaps 2 or 3 months. She has a couple of children of school age and naturally didn't want their education disrupted so Jane asked me if I knew anywhere locally for this family.

Three houses along from me there is a second home owned by a couple rom the southeast who occasionally visit but also let out the cottage as self catering holiday accommodation. I was able to email the husband to explain the family's predicament and asking if they could help which they could. Then it was just a matter of a phone call or two to get the wheels rolling. As luck would have it the couple from the SE were comoing down that weekend anyway so the two parties were able to meet each other. In this instance a second home came to the rescue! A happy outcome.

There are, for me, some issues which I see in black and white but there are many others where you have to be somewhat pragmatic. Perhaps the thorny issue of second homes in Devon and Cornwall is one of the latter!

Sidmouth dummies in trouble

I'm not suggesting that the people of Sidmouth are dummies - far from it. But someone has kicked up a fuss because of the two dummies there, dressed up as lifeboatmen and who have buckets attached so anyone can make donations. They are known as Sid and Alma. It seems that the complainant's point is that the lifeboat service in Sidmouth does not have a collection permit and is therefore contravening a bylaw.

We are not talking about real people rattling collection tins here in which case no doubt a permit would be required. Effectively these dummies are just the same as charity boxes in pubs and shops the difference being that they are much more eyecatching.

In passing it's worth noting that the Sidmouth Lifeboat service is independent of the RNLI. It has an inflatable boat with a crew of 4. Earlier in the year it had a successful flagday. East Devon District Council are unlikely to pursue the service for a permit I would have thought.

I hope that this person who has seen fit to complain watches BBC2 this Tuesday evening: there is a documentary about the loss of the Penlee lifeboat Solomon Browne and the coaster Union Star and their crews off the coast of Cornwall. In memory of that dark December night they switch off the famous Mousehole Christmas Lights on that particular anniversary evening. (It happened on 19 December 1981).

Cornwall restaurant receives accolade

'Olive', the BBC magazine for food lovers, has just selected 'Fifteen Cornwall' Jamie Oliver's beachside restaurant at Watergate Bay as its Restaurant of the Year. Bearing in mind they only opened in May this is one heck of an achievement.

Fifteen Cornwall is not just about fantastic food though. Quoting from their website "The restaurant will provide disadvantaged young people from around Cornwall the opportunity to build exceptional careers in the restaurant industry. The Cornwall Foundation of Promise, which will receive the profits from Fifteen Cornwall, has been established specifically to support, train and guide the youngsters as they turn their lives around and become worldclass chefs". There is more information about Fifteen Cornwall here. Congratulations to all concerned!

Torrington score Somerfield 1 Tesco 0

Torridge District Council's Planning Committee met yesterday to discuss the thorny issue of deciding what new supermarket, if any, should be built in Torrington. There were two contenders - Tesco and Somerfield. I'm pleased to say that they came down in favour of the Somerfield plan which result seems to have pleased the public. The Tesco proposal would have used the site of the football ground, would have affected more town centre shops and was disproportionately large even though it had been reduced in size from its original concept. Tesco have such a reputation for riding roughshod over people and planners so I was more than happy that David beat Goliath in this particular fight.

While on the subject of Torrington I hear that fund-raisers there recently raised £1200 for the North Devon Hospice through selling homemade cakes in The Square. To add spice to the occasion teams of men and women competed against each other to see who could bake the most cakes and raise the most money! One of the organisers was quoted as saying "With a bit of cheating the men won by about £100!" So well done the men!

This event was part of a project to raise £10,000 in memory of the landlady of a local pub who sadly died of lung cancer. It once again shows that our small local communities are brilliant when asked to dip into their pockets to support a noble cause and to enjoy some fun in the process.

Post Office closures announcement

Yesterday Trade and Indusry Secretary Alastair Darling made the expected announcement about closing post offices. These will number 2500 but we don't know at this stage which ones in Devon and Cornwall will come under the axe. Many of our postmasters and postmistresses will have a less than happy Christmas this year.

But of course it isn't just those on the list that could go. At present individual post offices are getting a government subsidy; if this is reduced or worse still removed then more POs will go. And of course the post office card account is going, to be replaced with what? Because these additional post offices will disappear in their ones or twos no doubt HMG are hoping that the general public wont really notice and, even if they do, the government wont take any responsibility that's for sure. As usual we have been subjected to Labour spin: Tony Blair says the public are to blame for using them less. Hardly surprising is it when the government takes business away!

Bishops speak out over Post Office closures

Well tomorrow the government should be making an announcement about the future of post offices. I am heartened to read that the Bishop of Exeter, the Rt Rev Michael Langrish, and the Bishop of Truro, the Rt Rev Bill Ind, have both spoken out about, as they see it, the wrongful policy of closing post offices particularly in the rural areas of Devon and Cornwall. I cannot describe myself as a practising (i.e. churchgoing) Christian but I have the greatest respect for those two men. Why? Well apart from anything else they understand how villages and small towns work. One of my biggest complaints about urbancentric labour politicians is their lack of perception about life in the countryside and what living in very small communities is all about. Add that to the fact that so many of them have never had real jobs and it can be seen that there are problems in getting these people to understand our concerns.

Yes there is a lower footfall in many of our post offices but much of that is down to cynical policies by this government. And I would agree that renewing a licence online for example has to be cheaper for the government than using your local friendly post office. But as usual the powers that be have no concern about the social cost. And if we are to reduce our carbon footprint isn't it better to have a post office facility in your own village rather than travelling by car orhaving to use a poor bus service?

Interesting point about car tax renewal: on line I am expected to pay my dues at least 5 days before the end of the month so there is time for DVLA to process the application and post the tax disc in time for the start of the month. Going to the post office, as I do, means effectively I can delay payment by these 5 days. Incidentally you can use a credit card on line but you have to pay an extra £2.50 for the privilege. Not a good deal for the motorist! A further point - on the leaflet that came with my tax disc reminder, in describing the new electronic system they used the phrase "What's the easiest way to renew my tax disc?" In other words they were suggesting this way as opposed to using the PO. Oh, and I almost forgot you can renew over the phone using an 0870 number which again costs.

Misusing the 999 system

Devon and Cornwall police have just issued some publicity about the misuse of the treble 9 system for emergency calls. Apparently a staggering 70% of calls received by their emergency room operators are inappropriate, either hoax calls, non-emergency police calls or calls that have absolutely nothing to do with the police. Among the last mentioned were a call from a lady who had a problem with returning some clothing to a store and another person who saw a large owl on a telegraph pole! I kid you not. One problem that has been highlighted is the lack of knowledge regarding the non emergency number: for the record this is the main switchboard number 08452 777444. Yes it's in the phone directory under "Police" but that's not too helpful if you are out somewhere with your mobile.

In a small number of places in the country (not Devon or Cornwall unfortunately) a new non emergency number is being trialled. This is a three digit number, 101, which isn't too onerous to remember. In Hampshire there has already been some success with this with some switching of calls from 999 to 101. As to which number to use a policeman on the radio suggested that if the event was such that a flashing blue light response was in order then use 999, otherwise 101. As an example he cited someone seen in the process of spraying graffiti would demand a 999 call but if you saw said graffiti but there was no sign of the perpetrator then use 101. However we are not likely to see the 101 system in our two counties for many months to come.

On the subject of the police I was pleased to hear that they are having a bit of a crackdown in Plymouth on drivers using mobiles whilst they are on the move. Next year they are doubling the fine from £30 to £60 and adding 3 penalty points to the driver's licence. If it wasn't for the problem of clogging up the courts I would elevate the offence to one of driving without due care and attention. What really angered me some months ago was hearing Jeremy (that idiot) Clarkson on BBC's "Top Gear" suggesting there wasn't anything wrong with using a mobile whist driving! He suggested that it was no different to talking to a passenger in your car. Well of course it is totally different. The person making the phone call from miles away has no idea of the hazards the driver is facing at that moment and it is a fact that you as a driver will be distracted by that "invisible" person even if only to a small degree. I don't mind Clarkson being politically incorrect but for gods sake we are talking about peoples lives here. I think part of the trouble is that Mr Clarkson is seduced by gadgets, he always seems to be looking for some gadget or toy to play with whilst driving. Something of a dilemma for the BBC as that programme is very popular; normally they take a very mature attitude to public safety.

Grant for Newquay Airport announced

Yesterday the South West of England Regional Development Agency announced it was making a grant of £8million in support of Cornwall's Newquay Airport. One of the problems the airport is facing is the removal of the military presence there in the form of RAF St Mawgan. I think I am right in saying that the military provide such things as air traffic control and emergency fire cover which the civil airport will now have to provide. So no doubt this dollop of money is very welcome.

My normal reaction to airport expansion, particularly in this country, is a negative one. I'm strongly against another runway being built at Stansted for instance; that is where many of Ryanair's flights depart from of course and I really don't see a case for any further expansion there. With the worries about climate change we should not be encouraging the ever expanding numbers of cheap holiday flights. Similarly with the technology of tele-conferencing is it really necessary for so many business men to need more facilities at Heathrow?

But here in Cornwall the situation is rather different. Newquay, if it's to remain open, needs more passengers to pass through and there's also scope for freight traffic to be built up. These are just economic facts. It is no good if the airport just stays an albatross around the neck of Cornwall County Council. With increasing numbers of short breaks being taken in Cornwall one can see a lot of potential benefit from a degree of development. That is not to say that there should ever be another runway, which I would totally oppose, but improvement of facilities would help to put it on the map. I understand that the grant from SWRDA is only part of what promises to be a larger funding package. So with the ever developing Eden Project mid Cornwall should get a boost to counter in part the losses in china clay country.

Welcome to Devon and Cornwall Viewpoint

This blog records events and opinions from a Devon and Cornwall viewpoint. Although primarily concerned with Devon and Cornwall it will sometimes comment on national or international matters. But my personal bias is towards Devon and Cornwall.