Charitable events and the Licensing Act

A recent front page headline in the 'Western Morning News' exclaimed "Red Tape hits Charity Shows". This is not the first time the WMN has had a go at the Licensing Act; this time they concentrated their fire on what are known as Temporary Event Notices (TENs). The cost of a TEN is £21 payable to the relevant local authority. The sort of situations requiring one of these notices is a village hall laying on a party say or wedding reception (because of consumption of alcohol) or a local band putting on a concert (provision of live music). According to the paper a charity bookshop was told it had to apply for a license because of a person playing live acoustic music to accompany a poetry reading. The report also highlights the case of South Devon storyteller Clive Fairweather who will appear at next month's Totnes Festival. Apparently participants have been asked to sort out their own licenses and as Clive sometimes performs in costume he has been told that this falls within the act.

The first thing I want to know is whether this draconian legislation is cost effective for local councils. In other words how does the price of £21 actually compare with the cost incurred by the council in administration. I've never heard that question asked. But what makes me so angry with central government and its advisers is that they bring in a law with no appreciation of the deleterious effect it can have on small charities and local communities - they seem to have no perception whatsoever about the working of small voluntary groups. Can they not see that if you are a small organisation raising money for charity say then £21 makes a big hole in your finances. But then of course the rarefied life these lawmakers lead is probably a million miles away from these local community situations.

Sometime near last Christmas our local and esteemed Callington Town Band were faced with paying for a TEN at each of the six money raising concerts they held at outdoor locations in the town. In this instance the helpful Callington Town and Caradon District Councils came to the rescue. I think that Caradon were able to designate somewhere in the town as town property so that the band playing there would not have to pay an additional fee. There was a lot of publicity about this at the time I recall. What is so obvious to me is that there are many instances of events that don't warrant this bureaucratic nonsense. The regulations are self evidently ridiculous in their all embracing scope and it's time the government sorted this lot out.

A quiet bank holiday for me

Now I've never been one to get too excited about bank holidays. Well ok when working for somebody else it was nice to have time off but I've never had a burning desire to join the masses in long traffic queues or add to the problems to our creaking public transport system. That's just not my scene! Yesterday we drove about ten miles from here to do some quiet walking. And on Saturday again some local walking sufficed.

After such a wet summer the sunshine has put a smile on people's faces. We have had two excellent bank holidays weather wise this year - Easter and this one. Can't remember exactly what the two in May were like but when people talk about bank holidays always being wet I suspect their memories are being quite selective. I'd love to see some statistics on this, I suspect that we would be surprised at just how many have been good.

A visit to Dartmoor Prison Heritage Centre

The other week our local history group made a visit to the Dartmoor Prison Heritage Centre up in the middle of the moor at Princetown. This was before the weather had settled down for the August Bank Holiday and we were all joking about how the rain added to the atmosphere! More information about the museum can be found here and the £2 entry I thought very reasonable.

For those not in the know prior to its present use as a convict prison it had been originally used to house French prisoners of war from the Napoleonic times and then Americans from the pointless war we fought with them in about 1812. The prison fell into disuse for some time before acquiring its present status in 1850. We were privileged to have a conducted tour of the PoW cemeteries by David Frances who, before his recent retirement, was the curator of the museum. Now David really loves history and this was very evident in the passion he showed when talking to us. The two PoW cemeteries are an oasis of calm tucked away behind the prison walls and it was totally fascinating to learn about them.

On the subject of the prison it has just been announced that some work will be done in updating the presently disused 'C' wing to make it suitable to receive prisoners. With the current situation regarding lack of spaces and prisoners interned in police cells this sounds like a cost effective measure.

Diana memorial service

There's been much talk of late in certain circles about Camilla not now attending the memorial service on Friday to Diana. Not a subject that I'm particularly interested in but I do wish to make a comment all the same: why this obsession to hold a memorial service in the first place? Yes I can accept the feeling that Princes William and Harry have for their late mother. Of course I can. But Diana's life ended 10 years ago. We do have to move on now. The other point is that setting this thing up and then inviting Camilla was inevitably going to cause problems - there's been some appallingly bad judgment and advice here.

I wonder too about the Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park. It had I understand a lot of problems initially but I haven't heard anything lately, maybe it's behaving itself now! But in another ten years will it be seen as money well spent? H'm I am a bit doubtful about that.

Golden Rod now a blaze of yellow

Through self seeding my garden has accumulated a large number of Golden Rod flowers, so much so that there seems little room for other species to grow. There is even a large stand of them on my patio where the seeds have spilled into the joints between the slabs! When in flower they are a huge attraction to small bees and hoverflies so I am loathe to thin them out. A near neighbour now has a few of my plants in her garden - maybe I'll see if I can dispose of some more in that sort of way.

Apart from the absolute pleasure of seeing wildlife in the garden I also feel that in a very small way I'm doing something for the benefit of nature. I certainly wouldn't wish to see my garden full of exotic blooms that had no benefit for the indigenous wildlife.

Penhallow Hotel fire - 3 deaths confirmed

When I blogged about the horrendous fire that destroyed the Penhallow Hotel in Newquay at the weekend I had hoped that the then two people missing might still turn up. Sadly that was not to be. Fire and police investigators at the site have found the remains of human bones in two separate locations in the rubble. The police are treating the area as a serious crime scene: this doesn't mean that the fire was the result of any sort of crime necessarily, I think it is an indication of the obvious seriousness of the event and that the most thorough and detailed forensic investigation is taking place.

Understandably when there have been fatalities one forgets those who have been injured. Well there is good news on that front - the four of those hurt who had to be hospitalised are said to be improving.

Stern section of Napoli to be moved away

A story on the local news today states that the stern section of MSC Napoli currently in residence just off Branscombe Beach in Lyme Bay is to be removed in one piece. There is a salvage firm apparently (I think a Dutch company but not sure of that) who reckon that it is possible to carry out this operation and not have to cut up Napoli where she is now. October has been mentioned as the month when this would happen. No doubt it will depend on a favourable weather window.

Nothing as yet on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency website about this decision; no doubt the media will be catching up with the news in the next few hours!

The 'all in one piece' method has to be the best way of getting the stern section away but it seems that nobody imagined it could be done.

Devonport Dockyard wins Ocean contract

Good news for Devonport Dockyard! They have won a contract worth £30 million to upgrade HMS Ocean, the Royal Navy's largest amphibious warship. Work is due to start next month and last a year.

Our few remaining shipyards seem to have a hand to mouth existence so this is a welcome announcement for the company and its employees.

Rachel de Thame and superfoods

On Friday there was yet another worthwhile TV programme to view. This was a Gardeners' World Special in which horticulturist Rachel de Thame explored the subject of so called superfoods. It was well put together being a mixture of interviews with informative experts (nutritionists etc) and Rachel demonstrating how to grow various food plants. It appears that blueberries are the 'superfood' of choice at the moment, probably down to all these colour supplements is my guess. But Rachel was at pains to point out that there are many other berried fruits that could do you as much good. It seems that there are plenty of traditional food plants around that are good enough. She described how the different fruit and veg had the variety of nutrients, anti oxidants and other goodies that the body needs. The freshness from growing your own was also emphasised.

I understand that Ms de Thame is a mother with four children - that hasn't stopped her from being slim, fit and bright eyed. In fact Rachel's appearance was a great advert for the content of the programme!

Trinity House and lighthouse maintenance

Having been depressed enough about the Ann Widdecombe programme on prostitution I enjoyed watching a real gem on Friday. This was the last in the series 'Real Men' although it also starred a very attractive woman. They were all people who help maintain the lighthouses, lightships and buoys around our coasts. Now this was reality TV of the first order! I'm always fascinated by some of the more unusual occupations of people, jobs most would never have cause to think about.

The programme cut between doing some repairs to the storm damaged helipad on the top of a lighthouse (was it Bishop Rock or Longships? I'm not sure now) and the Trinity House maintenance ship 'Patricia' which in the show was seen going out to the Channel Lightvessel, one of several now unmanned lightships, and also picking up a buoy to be inspected and cleaned. Included in the BBC shipping forecast there is always a weather report from 'Channel Light vessel Automatic' so I was pleased to set eyes on her at last! The programme also showed passengers aboard 'Patricia' - she has six cabins so that members of the public can actually witness at first hand the work her crew have to do. This half hour really was British TV at its best!

Ann Widdecombe versus prostitution

I don't watch that much TV these days but last week there were some programmes that seemed as if if they would be particularly interesting. In my paper last Wednesday I saw advertised "Ann Widdecombe versus prostitution". Now what I like about Ann is that she does what MPs should do: she goes out to look at situations from the sharp end, in fact I had praised her back on 20th January about an earlier programme of hers.

This time she was looking at the social problems posed by prostitution. She visited Peterborough (it could of been any one of hundreds of other places) and talked to a family in a perfectly respectable neighbourhood who were being plagued by girls plying their trade in the road outside. She also built up a rapport with one prostitute who, surprise surprise, was 'on the game' to fund her drug habit. Now if memory serves me right Ann Widdecombe is single and a catholic and it was obvious that what she saw was very alien to her sort of world. But bravo to her for her campaign looking at some of this country's social problems - I believe this is the first of a series.

Personally I think the laws on the oldest profession are in a mess and are unsatisfactory for everyone. Maybe organised brothels will prove to be the answer.

Fire at Newquay hotel - 1 dead, 4 missing

In the very early hours of Saturday morning fire broke out at the Penhallow Hotel in Island Crescent close to the sea front in Newquay. The fire developed very rapidly through the four storey Edwardian building, so much so that the building appears to be almost completely gutted. Part of the building has collapsed and specialist contractors have been called in to demolish some of the outside wall deemed structurally unsafe.

Sadly one person died from either falling or jumping from the second floor; additionally there are another four people currently unaccounted for. Such was the ferocity of the fire and the danger of entering the building that at the time of writing the fire service have been unable to verify if there are any bodies inside.

There were over 80 guests plus 3 staff and a coach driver in the hotel at the time according to reports. A suggestion that many of the visitors were a party of senior citizens could hint at a lack of mobility for some in getting out. Members of the public heroically helped in the evacuation.

I'm not sure if it's a personal phobia but I'm not comfortable in big hotels or any indoor building where large numbers congregate. Similarly an outdoor venue where people are jammed together. I like to have some adjacent empty space I can move into should the need arise. I have been in a very small block of flats where a fire occurred, my life certainly wasn't in danger but I have a healthy respect for fire.

If I go on holiday I wouldn't wish to stay in a large establishment even if money was no object. For me it would be self catering or a small B & B.

Fastnet Race: over half of the entries have retired

Not being a yachtsman I don't follow the Fastnet race as a rule but the competitors sail off the south coast of my two counties when outward bound and finish at Plymouth after traversing the treacherous waters to the south of Ireland; the Fastnet rock is I understand the most southerly outpost of that country.

It is of course the weather that has given rise to me making this particular entry. With very bad sea conditions well over half of the entrants have retired before leaving the English Channel. Most of these have turned into Plymouth but some have sought refuge elsewhere - I hear that Salcombe harbour was one such.

The weather has been none too pleasant here with a deep low sweeping across our patch. But living someway inland from the sea I don't necessarily realise just how bad the conditions are. Having said that I frequently listen to the early morning shipping forecast on Radio 4 such can be my preoccupation with the weather.

Possible new cases of Foot and Mouth

I hear that there are another two cases of suspected foot and mouth, one in Surrey and the other in Kent's Romney Marsh. I suspect that after tests have been completed that these will return negative results. Of course this is one of the problems with F & M: animals can be showing some similar symptoms but have some other illness. Now add in the lengthy incubation period and the fact that sheep especially are difficult to diagnose. It is quite a nightmare to deal with.

In relation to movement restrictions what particularly bugs me is the fact that Scotland and Wales (presumably because of devolution) have decided to relax the rules whereas English farmers are much more in a straitjacket. So a farmer say in Northumberland is disadvantaged compared with a neighbour just over the border in Bonnie Scotland. I have blogged before about the Rural Payments Agency and the resulting difficulties for English farmers when the hapless Margaret Beckett instigated the most complex system imaginable. What a mess this whole devolution business has proved to be, and this is largely due to this government's incompetence and lack of foresight.

On a positive note this evening's news showed Hilary Benn at the F & M control centre at Guildford. He's one of the better ministers I feel; certainly he's had a baptism of fire (or should that be water) what with this summer's flooding and now the F & M crisis.

Fingers crossed that the results from the two latest suspect cases will be negative.

More Calstock Viaduct celebrations

Last week, Thursday to be more exact, I had blogged about taking part in a guided walk to celebrate the centenary of the viaduct at Calstock. On that Thursday evening there was what was described as "An audience with John Snell and John Newcombe". First up was John Newcombe who delivered a lecture on the building of the viaduct; I had heard this at least twice before but I am for ever fascinated with this piece of local history. At the time of the construction Calstock was fortunate to have a shop owner called Frederick Paul who happened to be fascinated by photography and who every couple of weeks would be out with his camera to record what was happening. John was able to utilise a selection of these photographs to illustrate his lecture. After an interval it was over to John Snell who, in his usual relaxed manner, entertained us with reminiscences of his 40 plus years working at stations on our branch line.

During the last three days of these celebrations (Friday to Sunday) the Calstock Parish Archive mounted an exhibition about the viaduct and we visited yesterday afternoon. Vic and Lynda had done a superb job with it, I wish I could have spent more time there.

There had been other celebratory events in the village which I didn't see - life is never long enough! But at least I got a flavour of it all.

Bow of MSC Napoli arrives at Belfast

Well she's made it! That's the bow section of the MSC Napoli which has been towed from Lyme Bay around Cornwall's south coast then north through the Irish Sea to Belfast. Presently at a holding point just outside Belfast harbour it is hoped that this part of Napoli can be moved into the Harland and Wolff yard later this week.

Good that the weather window has stayed open long enough for the voyage because we are promised autumnal style gales for the next couple of days. So dire has been the weather forecast that the Fastnet yacht race has been put back by I think about a day - no doubt they are recalling the 1979 event when a storm took a number of lives.

Front part of MSC Napoli - bye bye

I had previously blogged that the bow section of the MSC Napoli would shortly be towed to Belfast to be broken up. This happy event started yesterday afternoon and it's estimated that the tow will take five days to complete. The met office are suggesting that the weather could turn wet and windy round about Tuesday so fingers crossed that they can get to the Harland and Wolff yard by then.

This still leaves the aft section of Napoli with the accommodation block just off the coast at Branscombe so the locals may not be uncorking the champagne just yet!

The foot and mouth crisis

The foot and mouth crisis in Surrey has been ongoing for a week now and it would seem to have been contained in a small area. There has been an additional possible outbreak near Dorking but initial indications are that the animals in this case haven't got F & M. I hope I'm right, in this sort of crisis one's comments can be swiftly overtaken by events.

Thankfully the paralysis that initially surrounded the government in 2001 hasn't happened on this occasion: the authorities have moved far more quickly this time round.

Devon and Cornwall, being counties with significant livestock production, are particularly liable to feel the effects from any outbreak of F & M and there is a particular point I want to flag up. As I understand the situation cows in our area can (rightly) be moved from field to milking parlour but other livestock are restricted in their movements unless going for slaughter. But what about the welfare of sheep for instance. The trouble is that the rules are so rigid not allowing flexibility for local circumstances. I cannot see a problem with sheep being moved across a country lane if they need fresh pasturage. If necessary the farmer could be made to lay straw soaked in disinfectant for the road crossing and the authorities then monitor the situation. I feel strongly that animal welfare should be considered here and then of course there are the very few sheep in this country which are milked for cheese production. What happens to them? Good news though for pig farmers in particular that they can now send their animals to the abattoir.

Let's hope that this F & M worry is soon behind us.

Calstock Viaduct centenary celebrations

Yesterday saw the start of various celebrations marking the centenary of the opening of the Calstock Viaduct. On 8th July 1907 a truckload of spoil made the first crossing of the new viaduct but it wasn't until March 1908 that the connecting lines were completed and open for business. For many years prior to the completion of these works there had been access for goods in and out of the valley via an in inclined railway to The Butts. In 1872 the East Cornwall Mineral Railway was opened from The Butts north to Drakewalls and then around the back of Kit Hill to Kelly Bray. From the bottom of the incline trucks were pulled along to the relevant quay on the riverside by carthorses.

The Calstock Footpath Society had organised a walk on this special day, ably led by David, to include the lower section of the incline not normally accessible to the public and on what turned out to be one of the best days of the summer so far we took advantage of the opportunity presented.

Roger, one of the most assiduous researchers from the Calstock Parish Archive, had previously looked into the history of the incline and his investigation had suggested that the incline railway whose alignment we see today was the third one to be built to get out of this part of the Tamar Valley.

An interesting fact is that the bridges associated with this incline still have to be maintained by 'Network Rail' although one can be sure that they wished that wasn't the case!

This proved to be a fascinating couple of hours that we both thoroughly enjoyed.

National Trust to buy Godolphin House

In 1999 the National Trust bought 580 acres of the Godolphin Estate lying just to the south of Leedstown in West Cornwall. Now the Trust are purchasing the Grade One listed Godolphin House from the Schofield family.

The house goes back to about 1475 and as its name implies was once the home of the famous Godolphin family who built up their wealth via the tin mining industry. Not only is the house of great interest but the inclusion in the purchase of the garden is of equal importance as it is considered to be one of the best historical gardens around.

We are absolutely blessed with fine gardens in Cornwall and it is great news that this one has been added to the National Trust's portfolio. I have to admit that I have never visited the Godolphin Estate, let alone the House while it has been in the Schofield ownership. Maybe a few days holiday in that part of Cornwall would be nice when I can afford it.

Part of Napoli destined for Belfast

Although the stern section of the MSC Napoli is still sitting off the beach at Branscombe awaiting cutting up after a tender for the work has been let, the destiny of the remainder of the ship has now been determined. The bow section will be towed down the English Channel and then up the Irish Sea to Belfast where the long established shipyard of Harland and Wolff will dismantle and recycle it. I believe that yard has enough depth of water to accommodate the Napoli; a historic footnote - this is where the Titanic was built.

It seems that the salvers are looking for a decent weather window for the tow. So another chapter in the Napoli saga is drawing to a close.

Napoli and the balearic shearwater

There's been a bit of a break with this blog, mainly due to my involvement with the Gunnislake Festival that was held over the first four days of August. At least that's my excuse and I'm sticking with that!

So back to the MSC Napoli once again and the threat her spilled oil poses to a rare bird. The species that the RSPB is particularly concerned about is the balearic shearwater; there are apparently fewer than 2000 pairs left in the world. As their name implies their home is on the Balearic Islands in the Med but for various reasons their numbers have been dwindling. Hundreds of these birds migrate to Devon waters in the late summer before returning home in the autumn and of course it is these migrants that so concern the RSPB.

Reports suggest that Seaton beach was one of the worst affected areas due to the oil loss from
Napoli. Unfortunately a relatively small amount of oil can go a fair distance and cause a disproportionately big effect on wildlife. However if Napoli had been allowed to break up in mid channel then who knows how much of an environmental nightmare might have ensued.

Rip currents cause problems

Last Monday turned out to be a particularly hectic day for some of the RNLI lifeguards on the North Cornwall coast. When dangerous rip currents threatened to drag swimmers out to sea at Perranporth and at Chapel Porth beaches the lifeguards had to swing into action: nearly 40 members of the public had to be rescued.

A couple of weeks ago it was the lifeguards at Bantham in South Devon and at Whitsand Bay west of Plymouth who were doing the necessary as once again swimmers found themselves in trouble.

On lifeguard patrolled beaches the advice is to stay between the red and yellow flags when entering the briny. Other areas can look perfectly innocuous such is the nature of rip currents but don't be deceived. Rip currents, more likely to happen at spring tides rather than neaps, are influenced by the nature of the sand surface below the sea. As waves come in over sandbanks for instance the backwash can be moved sideways and if there is a suitably deep channel this water can make a rapid movement away from the shore - hence the rip. Wikipedia explains what happens pretty well.

It's so easy to forget that the sea is a wild environment where conditions can change in the blink of an eye. All credit to the lifeguards who can turn to instant action mode when the need arises.

Visit to Looe Island

We were blessed with dry weather on Sunday when we joined a group of nature enthusiasts to visit Looe Island. Looe Island, more correctly known as St George's Island, lies unsurprisingly off the South Cornwall coast near Looe. It has become well known to the public at large through the books of Evelyn Atkins who, with her sister Babs, purchased the island in 1965. The books Evelyn wrote are 'We bought an Island' and 'Tales from our Cornish Island'. Both sisters have died now but they left the island to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and it was the Trust's warden who showed us around. Of special interest is the fact that the two sisters had previously lived a perfectly 'normal' life in suburban Surrey! It's fascinating how people can so radically change their lives.

Unlike Burgh Island opposite Bigbury-on-Sea on the South Devon coast or St Michael's Mount just across from Marazion Looe Island is a 'full time' island with the sea permanently surrounding it. On very low spring tides I understand that it is just possible to wade out to the island but you would have little time to linger before the flooding tide prevented your return.

It's easy to understand the passion for the island that the Atkins sisters had and it is great to know that its future is assured. Because of the limitations of tides and boat sizes the island should never get overrun by tourists. Speaking of boats we crossed over on 'The Islander' which has been converted so that there is now an hydraulic ramp that can be raised or lowered at the bows so that one merely walks straight on or off! On the island they brought in some Hebriddean sheep to keep the herbage down and the new boat which only started the service this year will be ideal if any further livestock are taken over.

From the shoreline at Hannafore one can see woodland on the northern side of the island but what surprised us was the extent of this woodland. Mainly sycamore, quick growing and a good windbreak, there are plans to remove some of them and bring in other varieties. I like all trees but I know that Sycamore isn't particularly good at providing a habitat for other species. Moreover the leaves on these particular trees looked far from healthy looking very brown and curled up.

It might be thought that being an island there might be some very rare sorts of wildlife but this doesn't seem to be the case. However one of our party had a nice sighting of a silver washed fritillary butterfly and the island is home to one of the largest colonies of greater black backed gulls in Cornwall.

There was a benedictine chapel near the summit but only one or two stones now remain.

This visit was something we had wanted to do for a long time and we were very glad we had availed ourselves of the opportunity.

Further news about Crugmeer

On 15th January I had blogged about a possible new small business park at the hamlet of Crugmeer. Crugmeer lies between Padstow and the North Cornwall Coast and the plan was to convert some disused traditional farm buildings and remove the modern steel and concrete framed structures, replacing them with a new building incorporating principles of sustainable development.

This proposal has certainly got people going with one newspaper reporting that there have been 242 letters of objection and 40 letters in support.

The latest news is that North Cornwall District Council have rejected the application, primarily on the grounds of access. Crugmeer is down a lane a mile or so from the B3276 which runs west from Padstow towards St Merryn. The Crugmeer lane is effectively a cul-de-sac terminating at Hawker's Cove on the west side of the Camel estuary.

Now the developers, Haven Jetty Company, are considering an appeal. I have to say that I'm quite impressed with the proposals but of course wouldn't have to live with the increased traffic using the lane.