News Archive

One man's mission to honour Bethel war heroes

One man's lifelong quest to seek local recognition for young servicemen killed during the Second World War is nearing its end.
Ken Sweet, 78, a former Restormel Borough Council Housing Officer, also doubles as a steward at Bethel Methodist Chapel. As a schoolboy he used to watch hundreds of bombers passing over the village as they circled around St Austell Bay before assembling for the infamous 1,000 plane raids over Germany.
With 14 local servicemen losing their lives in conflicts across the globe, Bethel, like chapels across the country, honoured their loved ones with a memorial stone. Bethel Chapel was no exception — except that their memorial only listed those who perished in the First World War.
The death of the youngest, Evan Tucker, aged just 19, who perished over the Norwegian Sea as part of a Halifax bomber crew M2342 which ditched in 1945, touched the local church community.
So much so that, out of respect for his parents, who never came to terms with the loss of their son, the chapel's stewards decided not to erect a memorial as long as Evan's parents remained alive.

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Red Cross examine Blazey floods

The British Red Cross have announced plans to use St Blazey as one of six communities in a research project into the needs and resilience of communities affected by flooding.
Residents of St Blazey have been invited to share their experiences of flooding with the Red Cross so that they can carry out a detailed study in to what people require before, during and after a deluge occurs.
Project supervisor Dr Alison McNulty said: “We are asking flood victims in St Blazey for their help in ensuring that our study is focusing on the most important aspects of flood recovery and to help us to ask the right questions.
“The aim of our project is to understand how people are affected by floods and how best to support them during and afterwards.
“Specifically, the study aims to identify the needs of those affected by floods and the range of services that need to be in place before, during, and after flooding occurs to help communities to cope in the aftermath of a deluge.
“The results from this project, including findings from national focus groups, questionnaires and interviews, will help the Red Cross and the voluntary and statutory sectors to more widely anticipate the needs of those affected by flooding and help to plan flood recovery work.”

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Boyz dance at Brannel

Channel 4 dance darlings the BalletBoyz popped into Brannel school last week following their triumphant tour that had opened the night before in the Hall for Cornwall.
They are regarded as one of the most cheekily original and innovative forces in modern dance.
Led by former Royal Ballet lead dancers Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, the company thrills audiences and critics the world over with their distinctive style, blending spectacular dance both energetic and graceful, with stunning music and film.
Two of the principals, Ed and Adam, put the dance students through their paces as they developed routines that mirror their own unique moves — which if Twitter is to be believed had hordes of young girls shrieking in the aisles at the Truro show.

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Flat blaze PC hailed as hero

The heroic actions of a quick thinking Policeman have been praised by residents after a Boxing Day fire in a sheltered housing block in St Austell.
St Austell Beat Manager Gareth Hawken (pictured) was in Sylvan Close, Tregonissey, on a routine inquiry when he noticed thick smoke issuing from an adjoining property. After trying the door of number 32, which PC Hawken knew to be occupied, he forced his way in to be greeted by thick smoke and flames. The officer immediately withdrew and requested assistance from the Fires and Rescue Service.
Believing that vulnerable and elderly people might become trapped, the brave officer re-entered the burning flat on his hands and knees, scouring for trapped occupants. After satisfying himself that it was empty, he focussed on evacuating the complex amid concerns that the blaze would take hold and endanger other lives.
While PC Hawken maintains he was simply doing his duty, residents have called for him to be recognized for his bravery.

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Skate park plan for St Dennis

A TWO YEAR campaign for a state-of-the-art skate park in St Dennis now lies in the hands of Cornwall Council after a planning application for the £80,000 scheme was finally submitted last week.
Proposals for the construction of a concrete skate park with appropriate signage were validated last week and if approved could see a mixture of bowl and plaza features situated on 0.05 hectares at the recreation ground in the village.
St Dennis Parish Council clerk, Ken Holden, has been championing the project and successfully applied for funding from the the Clay Country Local Action Group (CCLAG)in October.
The project scooped more than £32,000 towards the £86,000 scheme.

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Work begins on flood risk homes

The new year brings with it the start of a programme of flood defence protection measures for homes affected by flooding inNovember 2010.
Cornwall Council and the Environment Agency have appointed Capita Symonds to carry out property flood surveys and, more recently, UK Flood Barriers to carry out the work to reduce flood risk to properties in communities which include Mevagissey, St Blazey, Tregrehan and Lostwithiel.
Home owners have been asked for permission to undertake the work, which will see airbrick covers, non-return valves and flood resistant doors installed in around 130 homes.
The individual property protection (IPP) measures are being carried out as a result of a successful bid by Cornwall Council for funding from the Environment Agency.
It is expected that the planned works, which will begin this week, will be completed by the end of March.

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Ruddlemoor traffic plan

TRAFFIC calming measures could be introduced in Ruddlemoor in a bid to slow down speeding motorists and improve road safety after a number of serious accidents.
Cornwall Council is proposing to provide a number of traffic calming measures and associated “No waiting at any time” restrictions on the B3274 through the village.
The scheme has been nominated by Cornwall Councillor for the Bugle ward, Jackie Bull, after residents called for action on speeding motorists, and Cornwall Council said it hoped this will have the effect of reducing the speed of vehicles through Ruddlemoor and improve the safety of all road users.
A consultation drawing plan revealed proposals to install a number of measures including a length of ‘No waiting at any time’ restriction to protect the entrance to the museum, an obstruction in a layby to prevent vehicles avoiding the priority system and five ‘No waiting at any time’ restrictions.

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Few empty shops left in town centre

A NEW survey of St Austell town centre by the Voice shows that only 10 per cent of shops are now vacant, compared with a national average of 14.4 per cent.
In July, the Voice reported that there were 34 empty units in the town centre area. This week, only 24 shops are not trading — and seven of those have tenants in the process of moving in.
Our July survey — in response to a BBC claim that a quarter of shops in St Austell were empty — showed 198 shops open in the town centre area. That figure has now been boosted to 209 as tenants have moved in to fill the former RDA premises on the corner of Fore Street and Trinity Street, the Market House has almost filled and Fore Street itself has only two units actively looking for tenants.
The revival in the town’s fortunes has come despite countrywide economic gloom and recent figures showing a sharp drop in town centre footfall nationwide.

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Aliens blamed for eerie power cuts

ALIENS are being blamed for an unexplained power cut which struck hundreds of homes in St Austell last week.
Eyewitnesses described seeing a blue light flash across the sky like a UFO before TVs, computers and radios lost power.
Spooked residents in Gover described the mysterious power cut, which hit homes twice last week at around 11pm on Sunday and 9pm on Tuesday, November 22, as “eerie”.  
One eyewitness, who lives in Tewington Place, said it seemed as though the blue light had sucked all of the power from electrical equipment.
They said: “It was eerie. There was a blue light at about 11pm on Monday and then everything went black. The TV, computer and game station just switched off. It was as if someone had switched the off button, but the lights stayed on inside.
“The street lights went out and it was just pitch black. When they came back on it was eerie. It was as if everything had been dimmed.
“It was like someone had flown over and sucked all the electric away."

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Santas run amok in St Austell

ORE THAN 200 Santas assembled in Aylmer Square at the weekend to compete in Cornwall Hospice Southwest’s inaugural one mile charity Santa run.
With all shapes, ages and sizes it made for a surreal sight as the merry swarm of Saint Nicks huffed and puffed their way around the undulating town centre circuit. Some even brought their four legged friends, suitably attired of course.
After a brisk warm up from keep fit ace Petra Rowden Harvey, it was time for the off. It may have been a run for fun but the competitive streak revealed itself as several ‘proper' athletes hitched up their tunics and ran hell for leather.
Cantering home in North Pole position at a reindeer’s pace was Andy Hitchings (right), and to be fair to the man he did have a broken arm.
It was all for a good cause as race organiser Mary Murfin explained: “Although we raised the money to build Little Harbour, the only children’s hospice in Cornwall, we now have to raise over £1.3m a year to run it. I am so very grateful to everyone for entering and let’s hope this becomes an annual event that gets even bigger and better.”

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