Cornwall today april 2018

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PORT ISAAC MORE THAN A FILM SET

April 2018

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By the time you read this, it will officially be spring.

Of course, here in Cornwall we like to be ahead of the game, and spring was declared here in February (see page 88). It seems bizarre, then, that this announcement was followed almost immediately by the most notable snowfall in recent history. Schools were closed. Vehicles were abandoned. Supermarket shelves were empty. The effects were felt long after the white stuff had disappeared (which in Truro was the very next day). It all made for some pretty pictures, which you can see on page 4, if you’ll forgive the anachronism.

When the Beast from the East made its entrance, I was in Port Isaac. Like many, I’m very fond of the village made famous by the curmudgeonly Doc Martin, and was delighted to scratch beneath the surface and explore its nooks and crannies (page 16). Meanwhile, in the furthest reaches of the county, Tom Gainey samples coffee rum liqueur in Bude (page 64), while Lilly Moore discovers a strikingly colourful addition to a waterfront flat in Falmouth (page 76).

Until next month – I look forward to seeing you at the Spring Flower Show (page 90). I only hope it doesn’t snow.

57 St Ives

90 Boconnoc

128 Charlestown 41 Portreath 44 Camborne 24 Ponsanooth

Until next month:

Kernow bys vyken! www.cornwalllive.com www.facebook.com/CornwallToday

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wildlife and heritage 34 WILDABOUT: COOTS & MOORHENS

April 2018

contents

Where and how to find them in Cornwall

39 INSPIRED BY CORNWALL Spring hedgerow: wrens

41 FEADON FARM A new column from Landal Gwel an Mor

42 MAKING SPACE FOR NATURE Pedigree cattle grazing on The Lizard

news and events

Cornwall Today: REGIONAL MAGAZINE/ SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR, NEWSPAPER AWARDS 2014. Highly Commended – Regional Magazine/ Supplement of the Year, Newspaper Awards 2017, 2016 & 2013; Shortlisted – Regional Magazine/Supplement of the Year, Newspaper Awards 2015 & 2012; Winner – Magazine of the Year, Press Gazette Regional Press Awards 2009; Shortlisted – Best Designed Magazine of the Year (Consumer, sales below 40,000), Magazine Design and Journalism Awards 2008.

4 NEWS & VIEWS Snow! In Cornwall! Yes, really!

10 THINGS TO DO IN MARCH Music, art, dance, gardens, film, heritage, food, walks – and the return of The Man Engine

136 BACKALONG WITH PETE CROSS Always get five people on your pub quiz team

Editor Kirstie Newton knewton@cornwalltoday.co.uk 01872 247458

Advertising Clare Burt, Head of Field Sales cburt@dc-media.co.uk 07739 162546

Audience Development Manager Carol Churcher carol.churcher@dc-media.co.uk Design Edwin Andrews Managing Editor Scott Harrison Subscriptions 0333 202 8000, help@localworldsubs.co.uk Printed and bound by PCP LTD, TELFORD Published by DC Media, High Water House, City Wharf, Malpas Road, Truro, Cornwall TR1 1QH. For terms and conditions regarding advertising in this and other DC Media publications: www.cornwalllive.com/ conditionsofacceptanceofadvertisements.html

43 SPEAK CORNISH WITH TANYA How do you eat an elephant? One small piece at a time – and so it is with learning Cornish

44 BREAKING A SWEAT The 2018 International Mining Games

46 COUSIN JACK Author Will North from Washington State

48 CURATOR’S CHOICE Heaving Lines at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall

© DC Media 2018 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or made otherwise available on a retrieval system or submitted in any form without the express permission of the publishers. Cornwall Today is sold on the condition that it shall not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise without prior written permission of the publishers. Unsolicited material: do not send your only version of manuscripts and/or photographs/transparencies.

While every care is taken with material submitted (photographs/ transparencies/editorial) for publication, the publishers cannot be held responsible for their loss or damage. Views expressed by the writers herein do not necessarily represent those of Cornwall Today or DC Media. Availability and price of items are correct at time of going to press, but we accept no responsibility for any rejected items or unfulfilled orders.

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features 16 NOT JUST A FILM SET So many reasons to visit Port Isaac, made famous by Doc Martin and Nathan Outlaw

22 MUST-HAVE Dry shampoo cubes, a stylish silk scarf and a delightful Easter bunny bag 24 IN SEARCH OF PURPOSE The changing role of Cornish chapels

28 EGGSTRA SPECIAL Sweet treats and events for Easter

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homes and gardens 76 URBAN CHIC A striking graffiti mural in a Falmouth waterside apartment

86 ASK A DESIGNER When to replace your home furniture

88 SPRING IS SPRUNG Spring returns to Cornwall, and with it the Spring Flower Show at Boconnoc

art and crafts

wellbeing

52 UNDER TUKE’S WATCHFUL EYE

106 THE LUCKY FEW Parents of children with Down’s Syndrome show pride and solidarity by sporting a tattoo

Falmouth artist Sophi Beharrell

56 VIEW FROM THE HARBOUR Stay relevant, says Mark Hatwood

110 MINDFUL MOMENTS

57 CELEBRATING PATRICK HERON

Why wait? Act now!

An exhibition at Tate St Ives and a course at Newlyn School of Art

112 NOURISH KITCHEN Harness your energy

60 ART NEWS

115 THE EXTRA MILE WITH BECKY MILES

Spring in west Penwith, and contemporary Swedish ceramics in St Ives

Get your triathlon shoes on

property and business 96 MOVING STORY

From London to Falmouth: author Cathy Retzenbrink

100 THE OUTSIDER’S VIEW Amy’s guide to working in Cornwall

103 TOY STORY A Crowdfunder campaign for Tinkebu toys from Truro

food

leisure

64 YO-HO-HO AND A BOTTLE OF RUM

120 WALK SCILLY

Beloved of pirates, distilled in Bude – Kalkar coffee-infused white rum

Circumnavigate St Mary’s on foot

66 FLOUR POWER

... to dog-friendly beaches

Authentic italian pizza, from a van near you

69 ON THE BEACH News from the Porthminster Beach café

71 BEER BUDDIES Let Betty Stoggs bite the top off your beer

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124 THE WOOF GUIDE 128 HOIST THE MAINSAIL A new play on board a classic sailing ship

134 TOTALLY INSPIRED What links singer Paloma Faith’s latest album to Cornwall?

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The BIG CHILL

Cornwall faced extreme weather at the end of February, including the most significant snow snowfall in 40 years, caused by the dramatic meeting of Storm Emma with the “Beast from the East”. Vehicles were abandoned as roads became impassable, with three people having to be rescued by the fire

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service after becoming stuck in their car on Bodmin Moor.

Cornish landmarks were transformed into fairytale scenes, and schools across the county were closed, leaving children free to enjoy the white stuff, many having never experienced it in the county before. But Cornish publican Nik Boyle, owner of the Victoria Inn at Perranuthnoe, urged people to get out and support their local independent businesses as many may “never recover from the impact” of the snow. “People

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LEFT: FAMILIES PLAY IN THE SNOW IN FRONT OF ST MICHAEL’S MOUNT, BY GREG MARTIN RIGHT: TRURO CATHEDRAL, BY SALLY ADAMS

keep saying, ‘Oh, you must love having a few days off’. Definitely not! The pub burns £300 per day even when closed,” he said. Even after the snow had gone, exceptional high tides and melting snow brought flooding to some areas, including Porthallow on the east coast of the Lizard peninsula.

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news & views RIGHT: ICICLES AT GWITHIAN BEACH,

BY EDWIN ANDREWS

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news & views PENZANCE PROM,

BY GREG MARTIN

DON HUTCHISON AND TINA RIGGALL HAVE A FREEZING DIP IN PENZANCE HARBOUR, BY GREG MARTIN

THE MUD MAID AT THE LOST GARDENS OF HELIGAN

TRAFFIC CHAOS ON LIZARD, BY GREG MARTIN

SNOW ON THE BEACH, BY EDWIN ANDREWS

GWITHIAN, BY CRAIG MUNDAY

CORNWALL TODAY

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news & views

a WHITE wedding

Photographs by Toby Lowe Photography, tobylowephotography.co.uk

Katie Bray and Sam Bullingham enjoyed a white wedding par excellence when their big day coincided with a blizzard on The Lizard on Wednesday, February 28. The couple planned to marry at St Martin Church, just across the road from Katie’s family farm, followed by a reception at the Polurrian Bay Hotel. “Katie was getting ready at the hotel when the weather hit,” recalls photographer Toby Lowe. “As the snow came in, it quickly turned into whiteout conditions, leaving the roads impassable. There was talk about whether it would be possible to get to the church, or whether the vicar should be bought over to the hotel to conduct the ceremony there. In the end, with the help of a fleet of 4x4s belonging to the local farming community, the wedding party set out for the church. I was in a pickup with the groom.

It took us over an hour to travel a journey that would ordinarily take ten minutes. It was horrendous, absolute chaos – roads blocked, vehicles abandoned – but we made it. The next thing was for the bride to turn up; she also managed to make it through eventually.”

As the newlyweds left the church, they were greeted by another blizzard. “The weather just did not want to let up,” laughs Toby. However, the party were lucky enough to be able to stop at Poldhu for some wedding snaps to remember. “Without doubt, this is the bravest bride and groom I have ever worked with.”

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news & views HALL REBUILD

GET TO THE CHOPPER A new helicopter service to Scilly will launch from Land’s End Airport in May. Operated by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, the link will run year-round up to six days a week, with up to eight return flights a day. Fares will start from £215 return, with a flight time of approximately 15 minutes. Almost 600 people pre-registered online in the first hour to receive more information, according to IOS Travel. But a rival team seeking planning permission for a “weather-resilient” service between Penzance and Tresco said the new link would be a “stranglehold” on the isles, describing it as “a blatant attempt to retain a monopoly”.

The previous helicopter service, operated by British International Helicopters between Penzance and St Mary’s and Tresco, closed in 2011; the old heliport site is now home to a supermarket.

Tickets will go on sale in April. Call the Isles of Scilly Travel Centre on 01736 334240 or visit www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk/ islesofscillyhelicopter

The Hall For Cornwall (HFC) in Truro secured a £2 million investment from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, the last piece of public funding required to deliver a £20 million rebuild of the venue. It will close for two years from June, undergoing a major transformation into one of the best theatres in the whole of the UK. The auditorium’s capacity will increase to 1,354 seats, enabling HFC to attract top West End productions, promote local talent and revitalise Truro’s night-time economy.

SKI RESORT Cornwall’s first ever ski and snowboard resort with St Austell sea view could be built by summer 2019, providing outdoor ski and snowboard activities and an alpine-style visitor centre. In an investment of more than £1 million, developers have revealed early stage plans to transform land next to Biscovey Academy School in Par into what could be one of the biggest leisure-led developments ever seen in the county and would also create up to 40 full-time jobs. The plans include development of a leisure activity centre, improved access and parking for the infant and junior school and a small housing scheme.

To express your views: Send letters to: The Editor, Cornwall Today, High Water House, City Wharf, Malpas Road, Truro, Cornwall TR1 1QH email: knewton@cornwalltoday.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/cornwalltoday Twitter: @Cornwall_Today

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OTHER NEWS ABOVE LEFT: A scrum ensues at the hurling game in St Columb Major in February. Photo: Tom Last.

ABOVE RIGHT: Newlyn author Jeremy Schanche carried a globe everywhere with him throughout February in a bid to raise global awareness. Photo: Greg Martin.

Facebook

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things to do

april Complied by Chloe Hocking

Leviathan Lights, Camera, Ballroom!

APRIL 8 Expect sequins, glitz and glamour when Pasha Kovalev, Strictly Come Dancing regular and champion of the 2014 series, brings his new show The Magic of Hollywood to The Regal, Redruth on April 8. He’ll be joined by long-time dance partner Anya Garnis and pupils from local troupe Jason Thomas Dance. As well as lifting the Strictly trophy with Caroline Flack, Pasha’s celebrity partners have included Chelsee Healey, Kimberley Walsh, Rachel Riley, Naga Munchetty, Carol Kirkwood and Chizzy Akudolu. www.pashakovalev.co.uk

IMS Prussia Cove MARCH 31 & APRIL 14 Founded in 1972 by violinist Sándor Végh, with cellist Steven Isserlis as artistic director since 1996, IMS Prussia Cove has become one of classical music’s most respected institutions, internationally as well as across the UK. The annual spring masterclasses bring musicians of all nationalities together to study, and a series of six concerts between March 31 and April 14 is an opportunity to hear the wonderful young artists and their eminent professors perform a variety of works, including Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Shostakovich and more, in venues across West Cornwall.

Highlights include violinist Gidon Kremer on March 31, visiting for the first time this year, and artistic director Steven Isserlis on April 7, both performing with their colleagues in Marazion.

Other venues include St Buryan, Penryn and Paul.

Full details and tickets from: www.i-m-s.org.uk

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APRIL 24 & APRIL 27, 28 Based on Herman Melville’s seminal novel, Moby Dick, Leviathan is the critically acclaimed work by award-winning Cornish choreographer James Wilton. Leviathan follows Ahab, a ship captain hell-bent on capturing the white whale: Moby Dick, a beast as vast and dangerous as the sea itself, yet serene and beautiful beyond all imagining. Ahab’s crew are drawn into the unhinged charisma of their captain, blindly following him on his perilous adventure towards almost certain destruction.

Featuring a cast of six and Wilton’s trademark blend of athletic dance, martial arts, capoeira and partner-work, Leviathan will leave you gasping for air under the sheer ferocity of movement, all accompanied by a powerful electro-rock soundtrack by Lunatic Soul. April 24: The Acorn, Penzance (01726 879500); April 27: The Tolmen Centre, Constantine (01326 341353); April 28: Crackington Institute (01726 879500).

Inspired

by Virginia APRIL 29 An exhibition inspired by the writings of Virginia Woolf runs at Tate St Ives until April 29, with work by more than 80 artists, British and international, from 1854 to contemporary commissions. Woolf spent her childhood summers in St Ives, and returned as an adult. She was inspired by the town to create her celebrated novel To The Lighthouse – the namesake, Godrevy, is visible from Tate St Ives. Featured artists include Laura Knight, Gwen John, Vanessa Bell, Winifred Nicholson, Sandra Blow, Barbara Hepworth, Claude Cahun and Dora Carrington. www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-st-ives

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Best foot forward APRIL 15 TO 20; APRIL 4 TO 14 As the days get longer and the weather more clement, put your best foot forward. In North Cornwall, Boscastle Walking week runs from April 15 to 20, including a hike from Little Petherick to Padstow. www.visitboscastle.com Alternatively, head west to the Isles of Scilly; from April 4 to 14, Walk Scilly features 37 walks across 11 days and nine islands, including four uninhabited. See page 120 for more details, or visit www.visitislesofscilly.com

Newlyn Film Festival Rejuvenate mind and body APRIL 20 TO 23 Spend three days rejuvenating your mind and body at a yoga and wellbeing weekend in the beautiful surroundings of Retallack Resort and Spa, from April 20 to 23. Visitors can enjoy a bespoke three-day yoga programme with experienced instructor Amy Williams; three nights’ accommodation in a luxury lodge complete with hot tub; healthy meals and snacks throughout the day, and a talk from nutritional experts; full use of ESYA’s Health Club leisure facilities, unlimited access to fitness classes and a personal training session; and a 25-minute ELEMIS treatment. Call 01637 882400 to book your place today. www.retallackresort.co.uk

Porthleven food festival APRIL 20 TO 22 A bumper crop of chefs from the South West and beyond will head to Porthleven Food Festival from April 20 to 22, bringing a host of Michelin stars and AA rosettes. To mark the event’s tenth anniversary, the Chefs’ Theatre will run on both Saturday and Sunday for the first time in the festival’s history. Festival patron Antony Worrall Thompson will open proceedings on Saturday with his traditional cookoff against local chef and two-time star of the BBC’s Great British Menu Jude Kereama. Other names in attendance include Fifteen Cornwall head chef Adam Banks and head sommelier Ellie Owen, presenting a food and wine-pairing demonstration; and nutritionist and author Naomi Devlin of River Cottage Gluten Free, demonstrating dishes from her book Food For A Happy Gut and talking about gut health and happiness in general.

For a full programme, visit www.porthlevenfoodfestival.com

APRIL 6 TO 8 The inaugural Newlyn Film Festival takes place from April 6 to 8, with the aim of raising the profile of filmmaking within the South West and supporting local filmmakers through networks and recognition. The festival includes screenings of shortlisted and prizewinning films, talks by leading filmmakers on documentary, interactive and emergent forms of film, and special screenings of poetry films and refugee-related documentaries. Four awards will be presented during the final evening’s ceremony: best fiction film, best student film, best documentary and a poetry prize. www.newlynfilmfestival.com

Trevithick Day APRIL 28 Camborne celebrates one of its most famous sons on Trevithick Day – Saturday, April 28 – with a community-led street festival full of entertainment throughout the day. Richard Trevithick was born in the parish of Illogan, in the heart of one of Cornwall’s richest mining areas, the son of a mine captain and a miner’s daughter. As a child he would watch steam engines pump water from the deep tin and copper mines; he later he pioneered the use of high-pressure steam, and built Puffing Devil, a full-size steam road locomotive, in 1801. On Christmas Eve that year, it carried six passengers up Fore Street and Camborne Hill, a feat widely recognised as the first demonstration of steampowered transport, inspiring the popular Cornish folk song Camborne Hill. Expect a steam parade, vintage vehicles, male voice choirs and the Bal Maidens’ and Miners’ Dance led by Camborne Town Band.

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The Man Engine returns EASTER

The Man Engine will rise again for Easter. The largest mechanical puppet ever constructed in Britain steamed the length of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site in the summer of 2016, unearthing a deep lode of passion and pride. Now, the colossal miner prepares for a Resurrection Tour across Cornwall and west Devon, before driving further into Somerset, South Wales and the North of England. On Easter Saturday, the 11.2m-high Man Engine will reappear where he was last seen: at Geevor Tin Mine in the far west (pictured). On Easter Sunday, he will visit Heartlands, Pool; on Easter Monday he will call into Cornwall’s ancient Stannary capital, Lostwithiel. He crosses the Tamar to Tavistock on Tuesday, April 3 before heading upcountry to Radstock in South Wales, Shropshire, Yorkshire and Derbyshire. There will be two different events at each location: the Afternooner for families, and the Afterdarker, an edgier, explosive experience including white-hot pyrotechnics. Booking is essential; visit manenginetickets.com

Wadebridge Choral Society

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Mitch Benn – still here APRIL 20 & 21 Satirist Mitch Benn is looking backwards, forwards and sideways, trying to make the world a better place, one silly song at a time. A stalwart of BBC Radio 4’s Now Show for more than a decade, he looks back over his “career” and ponders where he – and indeed all of us – might be going next. April 20: Acorn Theatre, Penzance; April 21: St Austell Arts Centre. Book either date at www.crbo.co.uk

APRIL 28 Wadebridge Choral Society’s Spring Concert will feature three works: Morten Lauridsen’s wonderful Lux Aeterna, Elgar’s Serenade for Strings and Hummel’s ‘Mass in B flat. The choir will be accompanied by the concert orchestra led by Phillip Montgomery-Smith and conducted by Nicholas Danks. Saturday, April 28, 7.30pm at Wadebridge School. www.facebook/wadebridgechoral, www.wadebridgechoralsociety.org.uk

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Open gardens Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s popular Open Gardens scheme begins in April – a chance to explore a dozen stunning gardens, some of which are opening to the public for the first time. All have a common theme of providing a haven for Cornish wildlife. The scheme raises vital funds for the trust’s conservation work; last year the figure was just short of £13,000. Cream teas, pasties and drinks are provided by supporters Rodda’s, Crantock Bakery and Cornish Coffee.

Participating venues on Sundays in April are: Burncoose House, Gwennap, winner of more than 20 RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold medals (April 15); Pedn Billy (pictured), Helford Passage (April 22), and Higher Trenedden near Pelynt (April 29).

Entrance £5 (with under 16s free). Call 01872 273939 or visit www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/opengardens

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I do

Wedding season is upon us, and Burncoose House in Gwennap, near Redruth, will hold an open day on Sunday, April 29. Prospective couples can see the house, gardens and facilities and meet the experienced team to discuss how to create the perfect day at this lovely location. The tea room will be open for light refreshments and caterers, florists and photographers will be on hand. For your free entry ticket, call 01872 501310 or visit www.burncoosehouse.co.uk

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features

NOT JUST A FILM SET M U S T - H AV E S

(page 16)

(page 22)

IN SEARCH OF PURPOSE EGGSTRA SPECIAL

(page 24)

(page 28)

A CENTURY OF SUFFRAGE

(page 30)

CORNWALL TODAY

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film set T

DOC MARTIN MIGHT NOT BE IN TOWN, BUT PORT ISAAC IS STILL WORTH A VISIT Words by Kirstie Newton

he doc can’t see you right now, but that doesn’t mean there’s no reason to visit Port Isaac. While popular drama Doc Martin takes a fallow year from filming, now is the time to soak up all the delights this picturesque village has to offer, from fine food to leisure activities, community spirit to entertainment.

“Of course there’s the fan following, but there’s a whole other level of interest,” says Josephine Ashby, director of John Bray Cornish Holidays. “Some things attracted people to Port

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PORT ISAAC IN THE LATE 1800S, TAKEN FROM A PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM PRODUCED BY THE HICHENS AND BAIN FAMILES

Isaac before Doc Martin, and always have. The historic village is so beautiful – it remains a wonderfully unspoilt chunk of Cornwall. That’s not a revelation. Then there’s the food: Port Isaac is turning into another Padstow. Nathan Outlaw is more than just fish and chips or crab sandwiches on the quay, nice as that is.”

Indeed, Mr Outlaw has two establishments – Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, in a 15th-century fisherman’s cottage overlooking the harbour, and Restaurant Nathan Outlaw at the top of the village with views of the rugged Cornish coastline. This latter has two Michelin stars and snatched the top spot from L’Eclume in the 2018 Good Food Guide. Port Isaac also influences his restaurants in London and Dubai, where he uses fish from Cornish waters “because it’s the best”.

“I fell in love with Port Isaac and wanted a restaurant here years ago,” says the chef. “It’s taken a while, but I now have two! It’s a fact that the whole North Cornwall area has become something of a ‘foodie’ haven and I don’t see why Port Isaac shouldn’t be a part of that, especially seeing as it has its own fishing fleet. Hopefully, some visitors come because they’ve heard of Port Isaac via my reputation (as well as Doc Martin’s!) and that adds something to the success of the accommodation businesses and others in the village. I’d like to think that we offer something to the economy in the area.”

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What does he love about Port Isaac? “Everything! The history, the narrow streets, the wonky houses, the fact I can see the fishing boats out of the window when I’m cooking, the community feel of the place, the buzz in the summer, the isolation in the winter … the list goes on. The only real drawback is the parking in the summer – PI wasn’t made for cars. The hill was a challenge at first, but going up and down between my restaurants keeps me fit!”

The combined forces of Nathan Outlaw and Doc Martin have certainly been good for business in Port Isaac, with film crew taking up the letting accommodation and patronising village stores. At May Contain Nuts pasty shop, Izeld TomBaird reflects: “In between takes, the crew will come in and order 20 flat whites. It takes me 20 minutes to get through them.”

May Contain Nuts is also the starting point of John Brown’s Doc Martin tours. John was raised in Port Isaac; he and his brothers, John and Jeremy, are familiar faces as members past and present of the Fisherman’s Friends. “I was doing fishing boat trips for tourists, and I traded the sea for land,” he says.

“Doc Martin enabled me to do that, and I now employ two other people.

“Generally, if people aren’t from Port Isaac, they have come here for Doc Martin - it’s done good. People keep up

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NATHAN OUTLAW,

BY KATE WHITAKER

© ASHLEY JACKSON

their houses, and some hotels stay open all year round. And Nathan has brought a cachet to the village – his customers will come for a special occasion and spend good money on a meal, then take a walk around the village. It all helps to keep things ticking over.”

John’s diary starts to pick up from March, while group bookings often come in a year in advance – a party of 28 in May, 40 in August. “I’ll have tours every day in high season.”

These visitors, British or foreign, are often from on wider tours of UK film locations including Poldark and Downton Abbey, or landmarks such as Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath and Plymouth for the Pilgrim Fathers. In Port Isaac, they will see the Doc’s house and surgery, Louisa’s school and Mrs Tishell’s pharmacy (actually the Buttermilk fudge shop), as well as learning more about Port Isaac’s long and fascinating history – the walls of May Contain Nuts are hung with a mix of old lifeboat pictures and photos of Doc Martin stars.

This year, the Fisherman’s Friends celebrate 25 years of performing together. Their al fresco Friday evening gigs on the Platt have become so popular, the vast concrete space is full of fans of all ages. These shows can no longer be held during spring tides, which won’t allow for crowds or the electric amplification required to reach such numbers. “Michael Jackson never had to put up with that,” laughs

moustachioed baritone Jon Cleave.

Fishy followers will be thrilled to hear that a new album, Sole Mates, is due for release this month, and Jon explains that it goes back to their a capella roots. “Our last three albums were produced in a studio, while for this one, we recorded the vocals in the church of St James the Great in St Kew. While it does have instruments, it has nothing like the production of the others, which means we should be able to replicate it pretty well in our live performances.”

The group now has a core of eight singers, who have just returned from a national UK tour and an appearance on BBC Radio 2. They will resume their Port Isaac performances at Whitsun. “The Platt is vital to us because it’s where we started off,” says Jon, who by day is a shopkeeper at The Boathouse, the old lifeboat station.

Just up the road, Dee Littlechild runs Secrets gift shop.

She is also the editor of community magazine Trio, and a volunteer with Port Isaac Shared Community Exhibition Space (PISCES) in St Peter’s Church. “We aim to keep the history of the village alive and show it’s more than just a film set,” she says. PISCES has now established a remarkable collection of exhibitions ranging from the history of fishing to the story of wartime refugees – in November, it will commemorate the end of the First World War.

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The group is also in the process of collating a modern version of the Trevan document – held in Cornwall Records Office, it is a kind of census for Port Isaac in 1834, a document of who lived in each house with quirky illustrations.

Schoolchidren have been invited to provide the artwork for the 2018 edition, and the results can be viewed in the exhibition space from the Whitsun bank holiday.

With its small fleet of boats ever visible in the harbour, the role of fishing in the community is a running thread through the ages, and the Fishermen’s Mission (affectionately named “FishMish”) is a charity close to the heart of villagers. A fish pie competition, Fish PI, was held last October and judged by Nathan Outlaw; the winner was reputedly one of the oldest members of the community. It raised £3,000 and will return this year.

With the help of photographer Chris Hewitt, there are also plans to replicate the book Salt Of The Earth, a pictorial essay which has already immortalised those in the fishing industry in Porthleven, with sales pumping £38,000 into the mission’s coffers. “We’ve been wanting to repeat the exercise on the north coast for some time,” says the mission’s Cornwall’s regional fundraising manager, Julian Waring. “Everyone has a story, and it’s nice to be able to pass on that experience and wisdom to the next generation. We’ll be shooting in Port Isaac, Rock, Padstow and Newquay throughout the spring, and hope to launch the book around November.”

Those who enjoy the great outdoors will always find plenty to keep them busy in Port Isaac. “Walking from Port Quin to Port Isaac is like doing a step aerobics class,” says Josephine Ashby. “It’s full on – then you can stagger back in time for lunch in a beautiful pub (or a Michelin-starred restaurant).”

Alternatively, those strong of limb and brave of heart could

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swim that distance. The Big Swim, sponsored by Sharp’s Brewery, takes place on Sunday, August 26. It was launched in 2010 by Sarah Coates, in a bid to inspire locals and visitors alike to take on a personal challenge while making money to support fragile coastal communities. There are four options, two of which cover the one-mile sea swim from Port Gaverne beach to Port Isaac beach: the Not So Serious Swim at leisure, or the Serious Swim for those who want to race. Super-Serious swimmers can start in Port Quin and cover 3.2 miles, and there’s a children’s fun swim in harbour.

Perhaps the best thing is that, by the nature of the architecture, there’s a good choice of holiday lets available for a short break. “There’s a very good supply of properties, large and small, and the standard is improving year on year,” says Jospehine Ashby. “It all makes for a longer season. While you might get 20 weeks in other parts of the county, it’s easily 30 here, with spring and autumn. It’s a great winter break, and great for young couples or people with non-school age children. It’s more accessible, and very versatile.”

information ► For more about PISCES, visit www.portisaacheritage.co.uk ► Sign up for The Big Swim at www.thebigswimcornwall.co.uk ► See a wide range of rental properties at www.johnbraycornishholidays.co.uk

► For more information about tour dates and album sales, visit www.thefishermansfriends.com

► For tours with John Brown, visit www.portisaactours.com

ABOVE: ARTWORK FROM THE ALBUM SOLE MATES

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The Terrace

Creel Cottage

High Perch

Kicker Cottage

4 of the best HOLIDAY COTTAGES TO RENT IN PORT ISAAC

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f this month’s feature on Port Isaac has whetted your appetite for a Cornish break, local letting agents John Bray Cornish Holidays suggest these places to stay.

Best for: SEA VIEWS

A beautiful holiday home offering high-end luxury living, The Terrace is a truly breath-taking property. Nestling above the old harbour, it offers stunning panoramic views over Port Isaac and far out to sea. The huge sunny terrace offers the ideal spot to soak up the amazing views and while away the days watching the fishing boats coming in and out.

Sleeps 6 | 3 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms | Parking | Large garden

Best for: FAMILIES

As the name suggests, High Perch sits in an elevated position at the top of Port Isaac and enjoys incredible views over the harbour and out to sea. Just a short walk down to the village, harbour and coast, this stylish refurbished cottage offers plenty of living space plus a sizeable sunny terrace, large garden to play in and plenty of parking, making it the perfect base from which to explore Doc Martin country.

Sleeps 8 | 4 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms | Parking | Garden

Best for: COUPLES

Creel Cottage is a boutique two-bedroom cottage nestled at the end of Middle Street, conveniently located for everything Port Isaac has to offer. Built in the 1800s, this authentic fisherman’s cottage had a cool renovation in 2016, adding all the mod cons while retaining its original character and charm. Around the corner from Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, it is perfectly positioned for a foodie getaway for two couples sharing.

Sleeps 4 | 2 bedrooms | 1 bathroom | Parking | Short breaks

Best for: DOG-FRIENDLY

Tucked right in the heart of the old village, Kicker Cottage is a pretty, traditional fisherman's cottage. It simply oozes character and charm, with exposed beams, natural flooring and the original inglenook fireplace – the perfect spot for a tired dog. This cosy cottage offers family-friendly accommodation with a pretty terraced garden and a raised patio boasting spectacular sea views.

Sleeps 5-6 | 3 bedrooms | 1 bathroom | Parking | Garden Pet friendly

www.johnbraycornishholidays.co.uk

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Dry shampoo cubes Every day, 16 milllion plastic bottles are sent to landfill, so Cornwall beauty company Eve of St Agnes has released a dry shampoo range that aims to cut down on plastic packaging and reduce the user’s carbon footprint. Beauty Kubes are kind to the hair and body, contain fully biodegradable cleansing agents, are organic and suitable for vegans. Each box contains 27 individual cubes, each the equivalent to one hair wash, together equal to a 250ml plastic bottle of shampoo. Available in oily, normal to dry and for men, with a skincare range coming soon. From £10, www.beautykubes.co.uk

must-have THE ITEMS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT, MADE OR DESIGNED IN CORNWALL

Easter bunny bag This cheeky bunny bag (£17.50)

by Penwith textile artist Poppy Treffry is perfect for storing and distributing Easter eggs. Buy in store in Penzance and Padstow or online at www.poppytreffry.co.uk

Jewels of the sea Emily Nixon’s latest connections are inspired by colour. The combination of fabulous gemstones against sea-worn gold promises an exciting collection of treasures – rings, bangles, necklaces and earrings.

Pictured from top: 9ct rose gold with Tzavorite and diamond (£655); 9ct yellow gold with diamonds (£788); 9ct yellow gold with ruby and diamonds (£640). Photo: Oliver Nixon.

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Petals and Peas Petals & Peas offers an exquisite range of incredibly realistic faux flowers, with handmade designs including garlands, wreaths, bowers and complete vases as well as gorgeous hand-picked bouquets. At her Penryn workshop, Ruth Hitchcock will create something beautiful and individual for every occasion. Each stem is chosen carefully to ensure the most delicate and lifelike petals ,and colours are blended to create a truly wonderful alternative to real flowers – perfect for weddings, hotels, events and celebrations, or just a beautiful addition to your own home. www.petalsandpeas.co.uk

Wildcard Silks Wildcard Silks is a fun-loving collection of luxury scarves, neck ties and accessories

by Porthtowan-based fashion designer Katy Nicholson, whose eclectic and quirky themes range from rhododendrons to tigers and roller skates: “Something playful, a splash of colour, a piece of something crazy, a statement defining who you are as a person.” Katy was talent-spotted by Universal Music and her signature sugar skull design – inspired by a road trip along Route 66 – was presented as a special gift to Brit award winners including Ed Sheeran and the Foo Fighters at the ceremony in February. “The whole idea behind the brand is to create says Katy. Prices range from £35 to £80. www.wildcardsilks.com

Layers of style A new design for Celtic & Co’s popular fine-knit merino wool, the low turtle-neck adds a fresh look to an essential layering piece. Turtle-neck merino top, £80. Call 0333 400 0044 or visit www.celticandco.com

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IN

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purpose THE BEAUTIFUL CHAPEL AT PONSANOOTH IS IN NEED OF FUNDING AND PURPOSE Words by Kirstie Newton and Ginette Davies, photographs by Chloe Hocking

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ucked away off the A393, the Methodist chapel at Ponsanooth is a stunning building both inside and out, and a part of Cornwall’s heritage to be cherished. Built in just six months in 1843, at the height of Methodism in Cornwall and during a time when the square mile between Redruth and Falmouth was considered one of the wealthiest in the world, this was one of around 1,000 Methodist places of worship at the time, with most villages boasting three.

Today tells a different story, however. Like many others, Ponsanooth chapel is seeking an alternative use and funding in a bid to avoid possible closure or sale. The congregation, which would once have raised the roof with praise, now 24

struggles to fill its pews; a small but loyal group of 15 now gathers in a back room, which is easier to heat.

There are currently around 300 chapels across Cornwall.

Some, like at Greensplat in Clay country, closed because the communities left; others were sold off, either for community or private use. Those in charge at Ponsanooth are desperate to find a new purpose for the building and, crucially, an investor who will remain true to its role within the community. “The only time we are able to fill the chapel is at Christmas, or for weddings and funerals two or three times a year – it’s simply not sustainable,” says property steward Chris Trewern. “It doesn’t meet our needs in its current form; it’s

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huge and hard to heat. Congregations work differently today – pews are not best suited for events with young children.

Yet it costs us £100 a week in insurance and maintenance, let alone church activities. Something needs to be done.

“We want to preserve our heritage and maintain the building so it doesn’t become a blot on the landscape, and as a grade two listed building, there are limitations to what can happen to the chapel. The church is all about people, so we’d like it to retain a use in the community, rather than becoming private accommodation.”

This year marks the 175th anniversary of the chapel’s construction. A place of worship was first built on the site

at the behest of preacher William Carvosso, who moved to Ponsanooth in 1788 and found it to be “like a dry and barren wilderness”, its Methodist society “weak and destitute”. He determined “to get a little chapel started before I die”, and it opened in 1807, of rough workmanship and with no seating.

A larger effort opened six years later, with burial ground attached; a third chapel, drawn up by local carpenter and builder John Trevena, was clearly designed to impress. The last man to be buried in the adjacent graveyard, in 2008, was Sam Toy – a Cornishman who led Ford UK during the 1980s.

The chapel interior is well cared for and a sight to behold, with plenty of clues to its heritage and esteem within the CORNWALL TODAY

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community, both local and worldwide. William Carvosso’s memoirs can be seen in a glass case; a descendant visited the chapel a few years ago. The organ was bequeathed following the closure of Pike’s Hill Chapel in Falmouth. The sheer size of the building causes unusual problems: to change a light bulb, someone has to crawl on boards in the roof space and lower the light down. “It’s quite a faff,” laughs Chris.

A few years ago, the village hall was seriously damaged by fire. A concerted campaign by villagers, and a cash injection from the Heritage Lottery and the church, raised £850,000 towards a refurbishment which provided a space for use by various community groups. The centre has been a huge success, with an annual footfall of 15,000. Ironically, this has served to highlight the limitations of the chapel, with its rows of formal seating and scant insulation, while also depleting

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the time and energy reserves required to raise funds.

So the conundrum is: what to do with historic buildings that will honour their beauty and the efforts of those who went before? Chapels in Treverva, Flushing and Carnkie are all in the process of being sold, the congregation at Carnkie having moved into another space. Godolphin Cross chapel, near Helston, was saved after an audacious bid to the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates – His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, head of the global Godolphin horse-racing empire – and is a community centre.

The issue isn’t unique to religious buildings, with secular architecture adopting more modern usage: Camborne’s Market House, paid for by John Francis Basset in 1867, is now a JD Wetherspoons public house, while the Old Grammar School in Redruth (1907) houses the Krowji artists’ collective.

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Reverend Steven Wild, district chairman for the Cornwall Methodist circuit, claims the plight of Cornwall’s chapels does not necessarily suggest a decline in worship. In a Launceston industrial unit, 80 people meet every Sunday, and while three churches have closed in Redruth, a new one is being built.

In Newquay, the Church is looking to buy an old shop, and elsewhere it is collaborating with other bodies, including the Church of England, to save money by sharing bills.

“Methodist is still quite a force in Cornwall,” says Reverend Wild. “Unlike the rest of the UK, we have more people worshipping that we have members – we are so privileged.

The church is adapting to changing times; for example, young people attend the cyber church. Cornwall has the most amazing Christian and Methodist heritage, and we are looking at different ways of sharing what we have. We have

been too slow to take up on new challenges. I am sorry about that but we still have a lot of give.”

Michelle Firminger agrees. She came to Christianity six years ago, after moving to Ponsanooth to run the village shop, and is now training as a local preacher, leading prayers and hoping to take sermons. “It was the love and care and community of the chapel that brought me to faith,” she said. “It is still alive in the village, but it doesn’t need this building.”

“That’s hit the nail on the head,” says Chris. “It’s about belief in God, and about people. There used to be a chapel on every corner, but faith isn’t based in buildings like this anymore.”

Parties interested in Ponsanooth chapel should contact Michelle Firminger at michelle.firminger@hotmail.com

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Chocolarder

eggstra-special KEEP YOUR EASTER SWEET TREATS CORNISH WITH THESE IDEAS

Penryn-based Chocolarder’s 140g Easter egg is filled with a breath-taking combination of black bees’ honey and Madagascan vanilla, unrefined sugars and a pinch of Cornish sea salt. The final unexpected ingredient that balances this sweetness is a serving of locally foraged sea buckthorn, rich in vitamin C and Omega 7 and renowned for its health benefits.

The result is a heavenly blend of bitter orange with hints of pine and mango, creating a fondant with real depth and character. The fondant fills two half-eggs made from Chocolarder’s 55% Chuno milk chocolate, which has a rich, creamy, malty taste and is made from single varietal beans that are traceable back to the farm gate in the Nicaraguan highlands. £13.95, from outlets including Harrods, Fortnum and Mason, Fifteen Cornwall, The Natural Store (St Austell, Helston and Falmouth) and at www.chocolarder.com

Buttermilk If you hanker for the days when Easter eggs had something exciting inside, then check out the Buttermilk range. There are three 235g eggs, each stuffed with a pack of fudge to complement its flavours.

The fabulous Strawberry Bellini Easter Egg – a fruity, fizzy treat that tastes like your favourite cocktail – is white chocolate infused with freeze-dried strawberry pieces and a little popping surprise; the corresponding Strawberry Bellini Fudge is

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the perfect buttery, crumbly accompaniment to a glass of Prosecco and strawberries. Next up, the Caramel Sea Salt milk chocolate egg is accompanied by caramel sea salt fudge, infused with tiny flakes of Cornish sea salt; and the Dark Chocolate and Honeycomb egg comes with melt-in-the-mouth honeycomb dipped in dark chocolate with real honey and a dash of sea salt. All are gluten-free and cost £11.99 each. Shops in Port Isaac and Padstow; www.buttermilk.co.uk

The Raw Chocolate Pie company, based in the hamlet of Trencrom close to St Ives, prides itself on catering for coeliacs, diabetics and vegans and was recently accredited by the Vegan Society. Its range is made with raw ingredients and is gluten-, dairy- and soya-free with no added sugar. Its Easter offering includes two full-size eggs at £10.95: the Classic, brimming with healthy, unsweetened goji berries and cranberries; and the Combo, one half beautifully smooth

For a smaller but equally tasty treat, Buttermilk has taken hot cross buns for its inspiration and created a fantastic new crumbly fudge that really does taste like Easter. The Hot Cross Bun fudge costs £2.99.

raw chocolate, the other creamy raw vanilla fudge. Look out, too, for the Little Egg Triplet, £11.50, which represents great value and makes a wonderful Easter gift.

Visit the store in Fore Street, St Ives, or for UK stockists and online orders, visit www.rawchocpie.co.uk

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Happy holidays SACRED AND SECULAR EVENTS FOR THE EASTER BREAK Compiled by Chloe Hocking • Remember the true meaning of Easter at Truro Cathedral.

Sunday begins at 5.30am with the Easter Vigil - the plainsong music of the Missa de Angelis sung by the lay vicars and choral scholars of Truro Cathedral Choir. This is followed at 10am by the Easter Festival Service, featuring Mozart’s Coronation Mass sung by the entire choir, including both boy and girl choristers. The celebration ends at 4pm with Evensong, including the thrilling anthem Ye Choirs Of New Jerusalem by Stanford. www.trurocathedral.org.uk • From the creators of Winter Wood, Wild Woodland Summer Ball and Dead of Night Dance comes the immersive performance Wild Spring Hare. Join Rogue Theatre deep in the woods of Tehidy North Cliffs for an Easter trail like no other. Tangle with roots, follow the story trail and discover the wild new world of spring. Collect the clues and follow the Hare to the Woodland King. The two-hour show takes place three times a day on a variety of dates between March 30 and April 9. To book, visit www.roguetheatre.co.uk • Hear musicians of international renown at the St Endellion Easter Festival, from April 1 to 8 at the 15th century Collegiate Church of St Endelienta, near Port Isaac. The programme includes two performances of Handel’s Messiah. www.endellionfestivals.org.uk • The Eden Project’s Easter family activities include Easter Egg hunts, an inflatable assault course and a spring maze.

March 24 to April 15. www.edenproject.com

• Check out the new interactive family attraction at Land’s End, starring much-loved characters from Oscar-winning animation studio Aardman. A Grand Experience sees Morph, Wallace and Gromit join Shaun the Sheep’s farmyard friends.

Step into Wallace’s living room, explore his workshop and help build one of his ‘cracking contraptions’ before climbing on board a rocket to the moon. www.landsend-landmark.co.uk • The well-loved tale of The Railway Children is being performed at the Minack from April 3 to 14, with a cast of Cornwall professionals alongside members of the Minack Youth Theatre. www.minack.com • National Trust properties host the Cadburys Easter Egg Hunt over the Easter weekend. Find it at: Antony House, Torpoint; Boscastle Harbour; Trengwainton Garden, near Penzance; Godolphin, near Helston; Tintagel Old Post Office, and Glendurgan, Mawnan Smith. www.nationaltrust.org.uk • St Michael’s Mount holds a Bird Bonanza from March 30 to April 2. Make a willow bird feeder, plant a sunflower and become a top bird spotter! www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk • Have an action-packed time at Flambards from March 24 to April 15. Younger ones can have fun being a scientist at Flambards’ Explosive Easter, with experiments on offer and the BIG Easter Quiz Trail led by mascot Ferdi the Fox. www.flambards.co.uk

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HOW CORNWALL IS CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF SUFFRAGE Words by Emma Fowle

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However you decide to commemorate 100 years of votes for women, there is plenty going on around the county to remember the strong Cornish women who went before us:

► Trelissick Gardens, near Truro, will remember

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n February 6, 1918, the Representation of the People Act was passed in Parliament, extending the right to vote to women over the age of 30 who also owned property. That same year, on November 21, the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act was passed, allowing women to stand for election as Members of Parliament; and on December 14, 8.5 million women – 40% of those in the UK – voted for the first time in a general election. It would be another decade before women gained full suffrage, but this year, Cornwall celebrates the people and places that played a part in the first step towards votes for all.

This month sees the launch of The Cause, a new theatre show produced by arts and heritage charity Dreadnought South West. Opening on April 25 at The Old Library, a new community arts venue in Bodmin, the play is based around an imagined meeting between Millicent Fawcett and Emmeline Pankhurst, two of the most prominent figures in the female suffrage campaign.

It was developed using audience conversations from scratch readings of an earlier play, The Orchard, written to celebrate the centenary of the Great 1913 Women’s Suffrage Pilgrimage from Land’s End to London.

The play is part of the organisation’s Rebellious Sounds project, exploring 100 years of women’s activism in the South West. A mobile listening booth began an 18-month tour of museums and community locations in the region on February 14, and will call in at Cornwall’s Regimental Museum in Bodmin from April 13 to 27, and the Hypatia Trust in Penzance from July 13 to 27. Built to resemble a voting booth, this living archive will record and share local stories and connections to the women’s suffrage campaign. In August, the booth will travel to London to contribute to the national Vote 100 exhibition at the Palace of Westminster.

Natalie McGrath, playwright and co-director of Dreadnought South West, hopes the project will encourage people to share their stories of activism, both modern and old. “Millicent and Emmeline campaigned for more than 50 years, and when we were developing the show, we met an activist in Bodmin who had been campaigning for four decades,” she recalls. “For many women, campaigning is done through their work, in social services or crisis services. Whatever and wherever it is, women are often at the forefront of social change, and we don’t hear about it because they kind of chip away and keep going. So the play explores that as well – what campaigning over all those years might do to you as a human being.”

former owner Ida Copeland, who gifted the estate to the National Trust in 1955. One of the UK’s first female MPs (beating Oswald Mosley in the 1931 Stoke-on-Trent by-election), Ida came to live at Trelissick in 1947. Graphic artist Keith Sparrow tells the dynamic story of Ida’s political campaign, alongside powerful and poignant archive photos that will be on display for the very first time. I Dare runs at Trelissick from April 16 until July 8 as part of the National Trust’s Women And Power In Cornwall season. ► Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange is one of 100 organisations across the UK working together as part of PROCESSIONS. The gallery has held weekly community workshops with artist Elizabeth Loveday to create a centenary banner that will travel to London on June 10.

There, it will represent the county as part of a celebratory mass participation artwork that will see women and girls in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London walking together to mark this historic moment. www.processions.co.uk ► Mary Elizabeth Wiseman was force-fed in Holloway Prison for her part in the suffrage campaign; her commemorative Holloway Brooch remains in the family as a reminder of what she endured. For Mary’s greatgranddaughter, Sally Smith from Redruth, remembering the sacrifice made by the women who campaigned for the right to vote has been a family affair and a lifelong passion. Her father wrote books on the subject and, as part of his research, uncovered the diary of a young suffragette who was also imprisoned in Holloway. Sally has transcribed the diary into a blog, and in 2013, she took part in the Land’s End to London centenary commemorative march, along with her daughter and granddaughter – three generations remembering together. www.suffragettediary.wordpress.com

See the cause at ► The Old Library, Bodmin: April 25, 26 and 28 ► The Acorn, Penzance: May 3 ► Further dates to be confirmed at St Austell Arts Centre and Heartlands

► For more information on the Rebellious Sounds listening

booth and The Cause, see: dreadnoughtsouthwest.org.uk

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wildlife & HERITAGE

W I L D A B O U T C O R N WA L L : C O O T S A N D M O O R H E N S (page 34) I N S P I R E D B Y C O R N WA L L – D I C K T W I N N E Y FA E D O N FA R M

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S P E A K C O R N I S H W I T H T A N YA

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T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L M I N I N G G A M E S COUSIN JACK: WILL NORTH C U R ATO R ’ S C H O I C E

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ABOUT C O R N WA L L COOTS AND MOORHENS Words and photographs

by David Chapman

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t’s April, and spring is very much in the air. Signs of spring come in many different forms, perhaps the most obvious being migratory birds such as swallows, which are now returning to their Cornish homes, and the many colourful flowers which are starting to adorn our hedgerows and woodlands. But there are other signs to look out for.

Many of our resident birds are now established on their breeding territories, and to some of our more territorial

species, keeping other birds away is part and parcel of spring. Once paired, birds impose themselves on a territory which is big enough for them to find sufficient food to raise their young. The male of each pair sees it as his responsibility to reinforce the boundary of the territory; to a songbird, this might be as simple as singing every day, but for some species it can get quite physical.

Coots and moorhens are two such birds. Superficially, these two species are quite similar. They are both found

LEFT: IN THIS SITUATION, NEITHER MOORHEN WOULD BACK DOWN SO A FULL-ON FIGHT ENSUED BELOW: MOORHENS, SUCH AS THIS IMMATURE BIRD, HAVE VERY BIG FEET WITH WHICH THEY CAN WALK ON VEGETATION

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on waterways and they are both basically plump, black birds. Look carefully, however, and you will see more differences than similarities.

The coot has a white bill and forehead – indeed, this is the reason for our saying ‘As bald as a coot’. Its behaviour includes diving; watch carefully and you will see that the coot leaps up to get enough momentum to dive beneath the surface, where it finds pond weed and aquatic insects to eat. Dives don’t last long, and when it resurfaces the coot looks as buoyant as a cork and slightly out of control. Coots’ feet are unusual; their toes are not webbed like a duck’s, but lobed like a grebe’s. This is a compromise, allowing them to walk on land better than a duck while also getting enough traction through water.

Coots prefer stretches of open water whereas moorhens like to be close to the fringes of waterways.

Moorhens feel safer when they can escape into thick

vegetation, often on foot. Their toes do not have lobes but they are very long, allowing them to walk on wet, muddy areas without sinking and even climb quite high in vegetation. Their dark plumage is finished off with two white flashes in the tail and along the flanks, and a striking red and yellow bill complete with red forehead.

The two species obviously invite comparison and even share some local names, so the moorhen is sometimes called the ‘moor coot’ because of its tendency to seek safety on land rather than water, and ‘skitty coot’ because of its nervous nature. Both exhibit odd behavioural traits which might be deemed slightly mad, so maybe it isn’t surprising that we use the saying ‘As queer as a coot’ or ‘As crazy as a coot’. Spring is definitely the time to witness this craziness.

In winter you may see many coots happily sharing a lake, but come spring they need their own space. Pairs

ABOVE: COOTS HAVE PECULIARLY LOBED TOES; IN SPRING COOTS REGULARLY CHASE EACH OTHER BY RUNNING ON THE WATER 36

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start to spread out and draw lines, invisible to us, between their territories. Should an outsider stray too far over one of these lines, problems will ensue.

One of the resident coots, presumably the male, will approach the interloper with its head down. Offering its white shield in this way is seen as a warning. Usually the interloper will respond in kind. The two birds will up the ante by fluffing up their body feathers to make themselves look bigger and more threatening. If the interloper still doesn’t take the hint, the resident bird will drop the forehead closer to the water and eventually explode into action, running on the water’s

surface flapping its wings. Usually the intruder will do likewise but head away from the territory; should it choose to attack, the resulting physical squabble can result in death or injury.

Moorhens have a similar procedure but they also use their white tail flashes to serve as a warning signal. They will sometimes assess the threat by parallel walking, a little like deer do during a rut. They puff themselves up to the biggest they can muster, hold their tails aloft and flick, or even pump, their tails up and down.

The physical sign language means something like this: “If you come too close, I will flick my white tail feathers in your general direction! If you aren’t suitably impressed

LO O K C A R E F U L LY AND YOU WILL SEE MORE DIFFERENCES THAN SIMILARITIES

ABOVE: COOTS ARE VERY BUOYANT SO THEY NEED TO JUMP IN ORDER TO DIVE CORNWALL TODAY

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and worried enough to withdraw from my territory, then I’ll teach you a lesson.”

Most often, the tail-flicking is enough, because both birds know that a physical confrontation could lead to embarrassment or injury, but in spring the testosterone levels are high enough to dominate over common sense, and battles do occur.

Unlike coots, battles between moorhens will happen over land and water. They

use their huge feet for both attack and defence. Their feet can lock together when, just like deer locking antlers during a rut, they are making an assessment of their relative strength before committing to anything which might cause too much damage. The weaker bird, if it has any sense, will withdraw from the fight at the earliest opportunity with only its pride damaged. And that’s how most springtime battles end.

RIGHT: SNAKE’S HEAD FRITILLARY

WHERE TO GO

GARLIC MUSTARD

► See coots and moorhens at any waterways in

the county. Try Swanpool (Falmouth), Helston boating lake, Tehidy Country Park, Seaton Valley, St Andrew’s Pool (Par), Drift Reservoir, Siblyback Lake or Crowdy Reservoir.

WA T C H O U T It’s all happening in April, so here are some flowers to look out for: ► Snake’s Head Fritillaries flower in April in some gardens, for example Trelissick (National Trust).

They can also be seen in other places, such as Tregoniggie Wood, Falmouth. ► Alexanders are a type of umbellifer with a head of pale green flowers, commonly found in roadside verges and along the coast. This flower has a heady scent and attracts many insects, including St Mark’s flies. ► Garlic mustard is also found in hedgerows. It has white flowers and is also known as hedge garlic. Its leaves are an important food source for the caterpillars of the orange-tip butterfly.

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I N S P I R E D B Y C O R N WA L L W I T H D I C K T W I N N E Y

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SPRING HEDGEROW~WRENS they are known, are often in very silly and vulnerable positions.

Perhaps they are built just for practice – or in a cunning attempt to steer the female towards one in particular!

The wren is one of our most common British birds, although because of its diminutive size, brownish-grey colouring and ground-feeding habits, it often goes unnoticed. That is until it bursts into its melodious song, which is incredibly loud for such a small bird.

compet

To see more of Dick’s wildlife artwork, or to purchase prints and paintings that have appeared in Cornwall Today, call 01637 880606 or visit www.theartofdicktwinney.com Visitors are welcome to his St Columb studio by appointment.

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ere we are, well into spring now, with all the usual plant life associated with this time of the season in full bloom. It’s a fact, though, that many plants are flowering earlier and earlier each year, obviously caused by climate change – we saw primroses out in January on one of our regular country walks. However, it is now that we can see so many of our favourites all in flower at the same time, with bluebells, primroses, violets, wood anemones, stitchwort and campions.

A countryside or botanical artist is certainly spoilt for choice. Our hedgerows are a riot of natural colour, as are our parks and gardens with their intensely coloured cultivated plants and shrubs. But in my view, you cannot better a typical Cornish springtime wild flower hedge.

By this time of the year, most birds have paired up and wrens are no exception. The male wren will build several nests in their selected territory, but only lining with feathers the one that is eventually chosen by the female (or perhaps by mutual agreement) to be used as the nursery nest. Having watched this nest-building behaviour in our garden most years, I’ve found it’s usually the best camouflaged and hidden nest that is eventually chosen. Some of the other ‘cock’s nests’, as

To enter the prize draw to win a signed, limitededition print of Spring Hedgerow – Wrens, email us by April 30 (with ‘Dick Twinney: Wrens’ in the subject line) at competitions@cornwalltoday.co.uk

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14/03/2018 18:23:25

FARMERS IN WEST PENWITH ARE TAKING AN UNUSUAL APPROACH TO GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

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f you spy a west Cornwall farmer digging up a pair of underpants, don’t be alarmed. It’s all part of an official project to improve grassland management and water quality on the Penwith peninsula.

Cotton underpants are made from organic matter, so make an attractive feast for soil microbes and earthworms.

Eight farmers have interred their smalls under their grass, in conjunction with Cornwall Wildlife Trust farm advisers working on South West Water’s Upstream Thinking project.

After two months, the “holiness” of the underpants gives an indication of soil health.

This enterprising idea came from the Canadian Soil Association as a #soilmyundies challenge, but is more than just a bit of fun. Biologically active soils grow better grass for beef and dairy herds, because microbes and earthworms help to break down plant and animal matter, releasing essential nutrients. Worms also bring nutrients up to the soil surface, where they are more available for grass growth. Their burrows create pores, improving aeration and drainage which makes for more fertile soil.

Soil structure can be destroyed by livestock outwintering and excessive machinery movement, which close up the beneficial open spaces. Ploughing also reduces the number of useful earthworms by breaking up their burrows.

The experiment highlighted this effect; a recently ploughed and seeded field revealed relatively intact underpants, indicating low activity and poor soil health.

This contrasted with fields receiving a healthy dose of farmyard manure, which had excellent activity and produced heavily degraded pants.

Mike Harvey and his brother Christopher manage Middle Tregerest, a 120-hectare dairy farm in West Cornwall. They milk 150 Holstein Friesians and also

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produce beef. The livestock relies on 80 hectares of grazing and silage pastures, and Mike attributes their business success to a plentiful supply of good-quality grass for grazing and silage. “A fertile and healthy soil is an essential part of our farm management. Looking at these pants, I get the impression that there is plenty of action going on down below in our fields!” he said.

On a south-facing slope and benefiting from the combination of a balmy Cornish climate and welldrained, gritty black peat soil, Middle Tregerest Farm can grow grass all year round. Mike and Christopher’s grass husbandry secrets include careful daily pasture rotation for their herd, as well as plenty of slurry storage to allow timely applications that maintain a high organic matter content in the soil. They also spot-treat problem weeds like docks, rather than boom-spraying, which keeps their grass clover leys in good condition for much longer.

Middle Tregerest is one of about 30 farms with land draining into the Newlyn and Sancreed rivers, which end up in Drift reservoir. The reservoir is a drinking water resource which regularly suffers from algal blooms, fed by excessive nutrients coming down the rivers. Algae and its breakdown products must be removed from water before it is safe to drink, which is a costly process. The Upstream Thinking initiative encourages farmers to reduce soil and nutrients getting into rivers in the first place, and the underpants experiment demonstrates the improvements in soil structure and stability that could safeguard Cornwall’s rivers and reservoirs, as well as supporting a wider ecosystem.

For more information, visit www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/ upstreamthinking

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reated to inspire and educate, Feadon Farm Wildlife Centre at the Landal Gwel an Mor holiday resort opens up the delights of the wildlife on our doorstep - as well as the perils these creatures face in the modern world - to guests, locals, visiting schoolchildren and groups. Children and adults can get up close and personal for a hands-on experience with real animals, to ignite and feed their curiosity for wildlife. Through rangerled guided experiences, the goal is to nurture the instinct to protect and learn about wildlife and the important role nature plays in the planet we share. An exciting programme of scheduled activities includes Wildlife Walks, Meet The Animals and Badger Watch, as well as private experiences, either individually or as a group.

The centre features a host of British species including grass snakes, adders, slow worms, toads, harvest mice, all three species of British vole, red foxes, stoats, barn owls, snowy owl, eagle owl and a rescued buzzard. Activities are created for visitors to interact and relate to the animals in the most memorable and extraordinary ways, whether by hand-feeding and stroking a fox or flying a barn owl.

The non-profit centre is involved in many conservation projects, including the breeding of the rare water vole.

Feadon Farm signed up to a national programme to support this species and last year managed to successfully breed 70 water voles that were released all around the country to continue the growth of the population.

The staff who work here are passionate about wildlife and enthusiastic about passing their knowledge onto visitors. There are three dedicated full-time members of staff and a great team of volunteers, who all help care for the animals.

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Meet the team Gary Zammit | wildlife and conservation manager (pictured) “I’ve been passionate about wildlife from an early age and spent most of my childhood outside catching lizards, slow worms, newts and just about anything else I could find. On leaving school I quickly got a job as a trainee in a wildlife park and then over the years worked in several different zoos, even one in France. I had the idea of a British wildlife centre and 15 years later I had the chance to make my dream a reality and Feadon Farm Wildlife Centre was born with thanks to Bill Haslam and Gwel an Mor.” Kirstie Francis | assistant wildlife and conservation manager “I have a deep love of Cornwall’s wild places but also for its wildlife so working at Feadon Farm has given me the chance to share my enthusiasm for our local wildlife with others. I joined Feadon Farm in April 2017 having previously worked for Cornwall Wildlife Trust for over 12 years managing their junior section Fox Club “ Andrew Alston | Feadon Farm ranger “It’s my job to ensure all the animals, and volunteers, are looked after, healthy and happy. I have worked here for five years as a ranger and, in my spare time, I keep all types of creepy-crawlies” Look out for next month’s article, which will introduce readers to some of our resident animals.

For more information on Feadon Farm, visit www.feadonfarmwildlife.co.uk If you’d like to stay over, there is

up to 20% off luxury lodge breaks at www.gwelanmor.com

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M A K I N G S PA C E F O R N AT U R E Words by Alex Raeder, National Trust environment lead in the South West, photographs courtesy National Trust

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ature provides us with food, fuel and fibre – the essentials of life. It pollinates our crops, purifies our water and gives us green spaces for recreation. It also enriches our lives with its beauty and diversity. A healthy natural environment is also fundamental to productive, sustainable farming.

Cornwall has some of the country’s most nature-friendly farmers. Take the Amiss family, who only arrived at their farm on the Lizard peninsula as National Trust tenants five years ago but have already made a huge difference to Cornish wildlife.

The patchwork of ancient coastal pastures on the Lizard peninsula needs careful stewardship if we all want to enjoy its celebrated natural riches for centuries to come. The family farms the land in harmony with nature to create a healthy, productive and wildlife-rich environment. As well as producing great meat, cereals, vegetables and eggs, they’ve made space for rare birds and plants.

For example, when their cattle graze, they leave shortened grass and rich soil. This is the perfect place for the iconic Cornish choughs to find worms and leatherjacket larvae. By following a programme of steady rotation, introducing more mixed crops and using grazing patterns they are steadily building a stable, productive soil that also supports wildlife.

“Being perched on the very tip of the country brings both its delights and challenges,” says Rona Amiss. “Every day we go to work in the most spectacular wild scenery, and every year we welcome rare and special birds – from Cornish choughs to meadow pipits.”

The many hedges on the farm make perfect wildlife corridors. And along streams they’re also planting blackthorn, hazel and other native plants to protect watercourses and create new habitats for voles and owls. “Farming with nature

is deeply rewarding, and so vital,” adds Rona.

Just down the road at Predannack, the National Trust acquired Teneriffe Farm in 2011. The land had been commercially farmed in an intensive way for many years, which had taken its toll on the wildlife. The turning point came when Will Watson came on board. Will grew up on a farm at Mullion and had been “marching these cliffs for years”, so he knows a bit about the terrain.

“The best way to understand my farming methods is to turn the clock back 250 years,” he explains. “I use traditional cattle breeds, Dexters and Devons, which thrive on the clifftop pastures where there is an immense diversity of forage. I don’t give them minerals or wormers because I don’t have to. The roughage does all that for them.

“The Dexters are the most incredible converters of forage into fat. I couldn’t give them silage or grain even if I wanted to; they’d get too fat. The Devons don’t have quite enough sense for the cliff edges so I farm them slightly inland. I know my cattle. I watch every calf being born. I’m a part of them.”

Why does he do it? “For the birds. The arable fields are alive with skylarks in June – it’s such a joy to see.”

Several carefully managed public footpaths run through the farm allowing walkers to enjoy the happy results of Will’s tenancy, including perhaps a visit to the farm shop. “No farmer’s life is stress-free, but I am committed to ensuring that my cattle’s lives are. We have our own butchery here. I want the people who buy our beef to know the animals had a good life and that we respected them.”

Let’s hope that the 25-year plan for the Environment launched recently by the Prime Minister, and also the Agriculture Bill due to be published later this year, recognise the importance of nature-friendly farmers – who are ultimately vital to the health of our countryside.

ABOVE: MEADOW PIPIT, NICK UPTON; CATTLE IMAGE, ROSS HODDINOTT

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Kornel HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT? Words by Tanya Brittain

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started running recently, which can only be a good thing as I’m rather partial to a certain brand of small, cream-filled chocolate egg. I’ve never been a runner.

I’ve always preferred swimming, diving and yoga. Track and field wasn’t my thing at school - although I was pretty nifty at the high jump, cross-country running filled me with dread. Hauling my lethargic teenage body around the perimeter of a muddy school field in the freezing cold wasn’t my idea of fun.

I’ve always secretly wanted to run, though, I just never believed I could, and that’s half the battle. The running club in my town, Looe Pioneers, has gone from strength to strength in recent years. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Looe is awash with brightly coloured Lycra as runners of all shapes, sizes and abilities pound the quayside in pursuit of increased fitness.

Along with speaking Cornish, learning to run was one of my bucket-list items. I enrolled on a beginner’s Couch to 5k programme in January and (unbelievably) we’re well over halfway through the course and I’m managing to keep up.

But how do you run 5k when the furthest you’ve ever sprinted is from the car to the front door to avoid the rain?

Answer: one small step at a time. Set achievable and realistic goals … and just start. The app on my phone helps me see what I’ve achieved, breaking down training sessions and routes into manageable chunks. It’s amazing how quickly my fitness is improving. I’m starting to believe I can run.

It’s the same with learning to speak a new language - one word at a time. In Cornish, things are starting to make sense and responses are becoming intuitive. The more words I learn, the easier it becomes to make sentences and hold short conversations. I’m starting to believe I can speak Cornish fluently.

Woody Allen is quoted as saying: “Tradition is the illusion of permanence.” We must invest in culture and tradition to

keep it alive. Language is intrinsic to culture. It’s a means of communicating and preserving values, beliefs and customs.

Kernewek is part of Cornwall’s unique identity. When languages disappear, cultures die.

So, how do you eat an elephant? One small piece at a time.

A short walk and a two new Cornish words a day will make all the difference, to your health and Cornish culture. When many people do that at the same time, you start to change the world. You just have to start.

Another of my favourite inspirational quotes is from WH Murray, who said: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

Whatever’s on your bucket list, be bold, and begin. What are you waiting for? A thousand-mile journey begins with a single step.

My a vynn ponya | I can run A vynn’ta ponya genev? | Would you like to run with me?

Eson ni ena hwath? | Are we there yet?

Fatla genes? | How are you?

Ow dewdros a shynd, mes yn point da | My feet hurt, but in good health Pyth yw henna? | What is that?

Olifans yw | It’s an elephant Ev yw ow howeth | He is my friend A bleth os ta devedhys? | Where do you come from?

Devedhys ov a Eynda | I come from India A wre’ta kewsel Kernewek hwath? | Can you speak Cornish yet?

Nebes | A little Pask lowen | Happy Easter There’s still time to make 2018 the year you start learning more about Kernewek.

Follow my journey into Cornish language @TanyaB_Music #kernewek #Cornish

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13/03/2018 15:07:45

THE 2018 INTERNATIONAL MINING GAMES Words by Tom Critchley

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n May 2, 1972, a fire broke out in the Sunshine Mine in Idaho. Smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning claimed the lives of 91 workers in one of the worst hard rock mining disasters in American history. Six years later, the International Mining Games were launched as an act of commemoration for those who fell at Sunshine and in the history of mining.

This year, the event celebrates its 40th anniversary at King

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Edward Mine (KEM), over the Easter weekend, hosted by Camborne School of Mines (CSM), part of the University of Exeter and based at its Penryn campus.

The games are an opportunity not only for mining students around the world to learn the old ways of mining, but also to network with competitors from across the globe, and to meet potential employers in the form of event sponsors including some of the biggest mining and industry-related companies in the world, from Asia and Africa to North America and Scandinavia.

There are seven categories, each testing the skill of the modern young miner in the field of old, traditional techniques, and three divisions: men’s, women’s and co-ed. Each team has six members, with a maximum of five being allowed to compete at any one

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time. Competition is fierce and standards have improved in the last decade; national pride is on the line, so training starts early.

CSM began competing in 2006, when it became the first school outside North America and Australia to be accepted. As the only UK team, it is often dubbed Team Great Britain. Its men’s side has a reputation for being one of the stronger teams in the IMG, and while it has yet to put forward an all-women’s team, its co-ed entrants include previous world champions.

The UK has hosted the games just once before, when 36 teams competed at KEM in 2012. The relationship between KEM and CSM stretches back over 120 years to the end of the 19th century, when it was decided that students should have their own underground mine in which to learn the practical mining and tin-dressing techniques that occupied much of their time. Many of these techniques were invented in Cornwall, and are the main inspiration for the events seen in the games.

While the USA, Canada, Brazil and Australia all have strong representation, CSM is working to bring more European teams

to the 2018 event, particularly through connections with other mining schools.

The event coincides with the resurrection of The Man Engine mechanical puppet, a theatrical feat of modern engineering which will be present at the games.

The 40th annual International Mining Games will run from March 28 to April 1 at King Edward Mine near Camborne. www.csmimg.com/csm-2018-mining-games Tom Critchley is a BSc Applied Geology student at Camborne School of Mines, at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus.

► MUCKING: Fill a two-tonne muck cart and run it down a ►

► ► ► ► ►

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25m stretch of track and back as quickly as possible.

This event is a CSM speciality.

HANDSTEEL: A 7/8in diameter steel of varying lengths used to drill into a block of concrete using a hammer.

Ten minutes per team, two minutes per team member, deepest hole wins.

SURVEY: With a known starting point, report the co-ordinates of a finishing point using an old- fashioned piece of surveying equipment.

SWEDE SAW: As a team, saw through five sections of a 6x6 block of timber using a bow saw. Quickest time wins.

TRACKSTAND: Construct and take down a 5m section of track, including sleepers, rail and fishplates, as quickly as possible. Beware of penalties.

JACK LEG: A pneumatic airleg drill used to drill into a concrete face. Drill as many straight holes as possible in a set time and space.

GOLD PAN: The aim is to find five flattened lead or copper ball bearings in a pan full of muck. Be careful not to lose any – this event carries large penalties!

14/03/2018 18:17:31

AMERICAN AUTHOR WILL NORTH ON WHY CORNWALL FEELS LIKE HOME

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’ve always lived in the USA, and for the last ten years have lived on a small island in Puget Sound in Washington state. It’s only a 30-minute ferry ride from Seattle, but it is another world altogether: mostly rural, very beautiful, full of creative people. Yet Cornwall feels like “home” and has for decades, even though I have no family connection there. I think there’s a much deeper concept of “home.” What does it mean to feel “at home” in a place, especially a place with which you have no historical connection? What are the bits and pieces of experience that tell you that you belong, that you’ve found home?

Many years ago, I wrote an off-the-beaten-track guidebook series called The Best of Britain’s Countryside. Cornwall got under my skin and I have returned over and over. Part of it is simply the fact that it is on the way to nowhere. It’s the end of the road. The history never ceases to amaze me; you can’t walk a mile without stumbling across some Bronze or Iron Age site. I’ve worked on digs with the chief archaeologist for Cornwall Council, spent time with members of the Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network and took lessons in building Cornish hedges.

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Then there is the sheer beauty and the contrasts over such short distances. I am especially fond of the wild Atlantic side in West Penwith (where my book Harm None is set). but also find comfort in the “softer” Channel side – my second mystery, Too Clever By Half, is set in and around Helford. I have walked the entire coast and much of inland Cornwall. My favourite pub is the Tinner’s Arms in Zennor, founded before my own country was even discovered!

When I visit, I stay with my dear friends Robin and Louella Hanbury-Tenison. He’s a famous explorer and she, among other things, is a former High Sheriff of Cornwall).

They run Cabilla Manor, a bed and breakfast in Bodmin, and Cornwall Today is always on their coffee table. I met them in late 2016 when I was researching the Bodmin Moor area for the novel I’m currently working on. By some mysterious chemistry, we almost instantly became like family. I’m no longer their guest; we correspond constantly. I spent nearly two months with them last year and hope to return very soon.

I am not your usual amateur novelist with a love of Cornwall. I’m currently writing my 24th book, which is my seventh novel. Before I turned to fiction, I was a non-

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IMAGES FROM LEFT: BOSCASTLE SUNSET; ORCA PLAYING IN THE SOUND; SEATTLE LIGHTHOUSE

fiction writer. I’ve ghostwritten books for people like Bill Clinton, Al Gore, several mountaineers (including the team that found George Mallory near the summit of Everest 75 years after he disappeared), a group of dinosaur hunters, famous doctors and so on. If nothing else, I like to think this demonstrates nothing more than a short attention span!

All but one of my seven recent novels are set in the UK (mostly Cornwall). These books get five-star ratings on Amazon in the US, and they have been translated into many foreign languages. But it’s diabolically difficult for American authors of novels set in Britain to get recognised in the UK. I am not alone; I have two New York Times best-selling American author friends who write British mysteries, and they have the same problem. Then again, maybe we’re getting somewhere; I’ve been invited to submit my latest mystery, Trevega House, for the Adult Fiction category of the Holyer an Gof literary awards in Cornwall.

One of my romantic novels, Water, Stone, Heart, is set in Boscastle during the week of the massive 2004 flood. I’d been walking the South West Coast Path and spent the night in Boscastle the day before the disaster – a very near miss. I went back and became friends with many residents there. Although a mystery

novel, Trevega House is, in a sense, a sequel that brings back many of the central characters three years later.

Lee Trelissick, 12, has settled into a safer life at Trevega House with her adoptive parents, Nicola and Andrew.

But before long, preternaturally wise Lee announces: “Someone wants to do us harm. Someone evil.” A series of increasingly malicious events soon casts a pall over the house and surrounding village: arson, poison, a nearly fatal cliffside attack – but no suspect.

And finally, a murder. Can Detective Inspector Morgan Davies and her scene of crimes manager Calum West protect the strangely prescient girl, and stop the killer before it’s too late?

Book four in the Davies & West mystery series, Murder On The Commons, is set on Bodmin Moor. The discovery of a body in Rough Tor Mire (by page two!) is so complicated that it’s been a struggle to know where the story must go next. This is a first for me, after 24 books! I hope to publish in the next two months.

When am I coming to Cornwall next? I don’t know. I’m overdue. Soon. It’s time – I am homesick.

Trevega Mill by Will North is published by Northstar Editions.

Murder On The Commons, will be available later this year. www.willnorthnovelist.com

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13/03/2018 10:22:31

C U R ATO R ’ S C H O I C E HEAVING LINES BY FALMOUTH-BASED ARTIST DAN ARNOLD, 2018

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he shape of this hanging sculpture draws inspiration from an old photograph, often captioned as the actual iceberg that struck the Titanic. The installation turns the iceberg upsidedown, bringing it into a juxtaposition with our replica of Lifeboat 13.

Heaving lines, with monkey fist knots tied as weights at the end, were often used to connect one boat with another. In this sense they can be seen as powerful symbols of connection, tying these stories together.

The installation is made of 2,208 monkey fist knots, each representing a person on board the ship. Most of the knots were made by local artists, others by museum staff, volunteers, visitors and local groups, making this an ambitious and inspirational community achievement.

Inside 708 of the knots, representing the number of Titanic survivors, are hand-written messages of hope and empathy for those facing peril at sea today – refugees, fishermen, rig workers, lifeboat crews, sailors. It’s like a cloud of thoughts and messages hovering above the lifeboat below, an ephemeral installation transcending past and present, a symbol of a continuing story.

It’s important that people know that 708 of the knots, representing the survivors, contain messages of hope and solidarity with those in peril at sea today; etc. A cloud of thoughts floating above the lifeboat.

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Heaving Lines combines the stories from the past (the Titanic) with those happening today, hence using the monkey fist knots (weights at the ends of heaving lines and symbols of solidarity in hobo communities).

Ultra-violet light reminiscent of phosphorescence is used to highlight the knots and to give the iceberg an ephemeral and otherworldly presence rising above the boat – a ghost of an iceberg that no longer exists. The same is true of the 2,208 souls on board – only their stories and legacies remain.

Says Dan: “The wealth of knowledge in this part of the world is amazing. I spent many an hour with fishermen, riggers, craftsmen and boatbuilders, learning and talking.

The community brought so much to the work bench – stories of relatives on board the Titanic, ► 12,000m of rope stories of making monkey fist knots ► 9,000m of fishing line while working at sea. The iceberg is ► 4,500 rigging crimps full of stories: it is community.” ► 2,208 balls ► 6,624 individual rope cuts ► 800kg of steel See Heaving Lines as part of the ► Hundreds of messages Titanic Stories exhibition, on ► Thousands of human hours show now until January 2019 at ► Loads of tea, coffee the National Maritime Museum and biscuits Cornwall in Falmouth

information

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R O YA L C O R N W A L L

MUSEUM EXPLORING THE MUSEUM’S SECRETS Words by Sue Bradbury

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useums are fascinating. You go in as a visitor, marvel at the objects on display, learn about the past and come away knowing more about your heritage and why we are where we are today. But how often do you consider how those artefacts ended up in their cases or on the walls?

Some, hundreds or even thousands of years old, will have been dug up by accident or during archaeological digs. Others might have been stored in attics - dusty, unloved and often damaged. Whatever their journey towards discovery, their contribution towards our human story is invaluable.

But who wants to look at muddy, broken fragments of pottery or dirty paintings that you can’t really see? To truly appreciate the mastery of an artist or the ingenuity of a Bronze Age man or woman, most of us want to see pieces looking their best. So how does that happen? The Royal Cornwall Museum’s new Secret Life Of Objects gallery provides an intriguing insight.

Curator Sophie Meyer is the person behind the displays. Having worked as a field archaeologist at the Museum of London before returning to Cornwall, she has first-hand experience of the journey required from initial discovery to eventual exhibition.

“There are four main areas of an object’s life: documentation, storage, conservation and research,” she explains. “We have around 321,000 artefacts in our collection, and each one needs to be carefully logged, restored, preserved and studied in terms of what it adds to our knowledge and learning. Only about 6% of items are on display at any one time, with a huge amount of what museum staff and our wonderful team of volunteers do on a daily basis going on behind the scenes. We wanted to make

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people aware of that so we’ve created this new gallery.”

The exhibition is housed in a small room to the left on the first floor at the top of staircase. There are paintings in poor condition waiting to be restored, important old books and manuscripts, shells that need to be individually catalogued, an 18th-century boy’s brown silk coat in danger of decay and old photos that have now been digitised. Given Sophie’s particular passion for osteology (the scientific study of old bones), there are also cases devoted to the Harlyn Bay burials – very important finds that date back to the early Iron Age. “Alexis Jordan, an American PhD student from the University of WisconsinMilwaukee, is studying the site and has prepared a selection of the bones that were excavated in 1900 – each of which shows some sort of skeletal marker that tells us something about the person and the conditions of their burial,” says Sophie. “It’s a project that demonstrates how much like a jigsaw puzzle history is and why it’s so exciting when you find another piece.”

Curators often wear gloves when handling objects because hands can act as transporters of bacteria, oils and even heat. To show the potential damage that can cause, there’s an interactive panel that reacts to your touch. For children, there’s a skeleton to put together.

“There’s so much more to museum work than meets the eye,” says Sophie. “It really is a hive of activity that demands lots of different skills - including being a detective at times.

The new Secret Life Of Objects gallery is our way of sharing that adventure.”

For more information, visit the museum in River Street, Truro.

Open Tuesday to Sundays inclusive, 10am to 4.45pm; www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk

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to advertise in the next issue of Cornwall Today call 01872 271451

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art

U N D E R T U K E ’ S WA T C H F U L E Y E VIEW FROM THE HARBOUR

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UNDER TUKE’S

WA T C H F U L E Y E SOPHI BEHARRELL TAKES INSPIRATION FROM PAINTING AT HENRY SCOTT TUKE’S FORMER STUDIO AT THE WATERMEN’S GALLERY IN FALMOUTH Words by Brian Tregunna

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I

f the renowned artist Henry Scott Tuke (1858-1929) is keeping a watchful eye on his successors currently at work in his beloved adopted home of Falmouth, then he must surely be impressed with the passion, enthusiasm and sheer talent of Sophi Beharrell who is based at the Watermen’s Gallery in Falmouth. Although Tuke worked on many of his seascapes while afloat, he actually completed several of his paintings in the same studios on Custom House Quay, and he appears to still have a presence there to this day. Without wishing to compare Sophi’s art with Tuke’s highly acclaimed work and international reputation, it is interesting to consider their varying backgrounds and styles, and to ponder the links between the two.

Tuke was formally trained at the Slade School of Fine Art in London (now part of University College, London) and then continued his learning in Italy and Paris before joining the famous Newlyn School of painters in west Cornwall. He favoured rough, visible brush strokes and excelled in depicting soft, almost fragile natural light while working mainly in the open air, painting numerous captivating maritime scenes and naked male models; whereas Sophi is largely self-taught and has confidently developed her natural flowing artistic style using vibrant acrylic paints across two main themes: familiar Cornish coastal landscapes and looser-style close-ups of rocks and water.

Sophi loved painting as a child but regarded it as no more than a hobby when she left school to work in hospitality and various service-based jobs. Whether it was coincidence or pre-ordained, she worked for Falmouth Licensed Watermen in the same building that now houses her studio and art gallery.

There, she worked with the boatmen supplying numerous

ships in the harbour, the Carrick Roads and Falmouth Bay with essential provisions transferred by the now iconic Falmouth Quay Punts; a local service dating back about 250 years. At one time Sophi was the only female shipping chandler in Cornwall, and was one of only two known to be carrying out such work in the whole country.

Sophi’s lack of formal art training did not hold her back, however, as she continued to explore different painting styles and media. In due course, people started taking a close interest in her work, and when they asked to buy some of her pieces she began to realise that her painting could become more than just a hobby. She drew confidence from the numerous compliments and committed more time and energy to being creative.

Sophi gradually developed a love of atmosphere and light that draws comparison with Tuke, and is now clearly adept at invoking a very strong sense of place that captivates those who observe her work. “We are very fortunate to live in Cornwall,” she states emphatically, “to be surrounded by such stunning examples of nature at its best, be that inland or along our glorious coastline. Corny though it may sound, the greatest artist of all is still Mother Nature.”

Sophi likes exploring with early-morning and evening walks along the Cornish coast, taking numerous photographs, drawing sketches, making notes and developing random ideas, such as examining the way that light falls upon dramatic multi-coloured, angular rocks. Unlike Tuke, though, Sophi does not paint in the open air; her paintings are invariably completed in her quayside studio.

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she explained. “Capturing the movement of water is always a challenge and I prefer to experiment in my studio with natural tones of glassy green, jade and cobalt blue, painting fast, using limited brushstrokes and building transparent layers to complete my paintings. I really enjoy working with the new quick-drying acrylic paints that provide a softer range of natural colours, which suits my style.”

When she looked for a studio from which to work, Sophi was delighted to discover that the Watermen’s former harbour-side premises where she had previously worked were available. As if that wasn’t significant enough, Sophi also discovered a spiritual affinity with Henry Scott Tuke and his artistic peers as she began to sense their presence in the 54

building. Sophi is careful to not draw too many conclusions but clearly remembers an unusual experience during the early days of her tenure when she was struggling to develop a painting during one particularly cold and bleak winter’s day.

She was thinking about the merit of adding an ochre colour to a scene that she had been struggling with for some time when she sensed a very strong smell of pipe tobacco, even though there was no one smoking in the room, or nearby.

The pervasive smell of tobacco confirmed in her mind that adding ochre was the right idea and, when her paintbrush which was lying on the worktop flicked and then rolled onto the floor, she knew that she must use the natural earth pigment to strengthen the yellow and brown elements in the painting.

Was Tuke’s spirit guiding her? “Who knows”, said Sophie calmly. “Tuke is known to have smoked a pipe but I’m not sure what was happening. Whatever it was, it certainly inspired me to make changes that undoubtedly improved the quality of my painting.”

Sophi is keen to bring art to everyone and is acutely aware of customers’ diverse budgets, so she is careful to paint a wide range of sizes, from miniatures to some very large pieces and commissioned work. She is also keen to encourage everyone to paint as a form of relaxation, explaining passionately that, “Painting is like a good book that you can’t put down. It can help us to look at the world differently, so that we notice details such as light, colour and movement that we may not have fully appreciated before.”

Sophi also wants to help other artists, especially those who are still developing their own style and seeking opportunities to show their work for the first time. She therefore willingly displays their work in her gallery alongside a varied selection of locally designed arts and crafts, while simultaneously mentoring and advising new artists on how to find the right gallery to suit their work.

“I’m delighted that the use of the premises has gone full circle and it’s become a painting studio once again,” says

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Sophi. “Although I’m sad that an incredible era with all the lively fun characters working for The Falmouth Licensed Watermen has ended, shipping has changed and hence the name of my studio commemorates the amazing people who worked for the company and the courage they showed going out in all weathers to provide the best service they could to the people who needed them.”

Whether or not Henry Scott Tuke really is looking on is a matter of personal opinion, but what is beyond doubt is Sophi Beharrell’s artistic skill, passion for creativity and exuberant personality that makes The Watermen’s Gallery in Falmouth an enthralling and exciting place for everyone who calls in to look around.

Falmouth Art Gallery is now the official home of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society’s Tuke Collection, which is made up of 280 paintings by the artist.

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VIEW FROM THE HARBOUR RELEVANCE Words by Mark David Hatwood, portrait by Hilary Stock, painting by Joe Armstrong

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ne of the hardest things for an artist, or any business for that matter, is staying relevant and interesting. In this heady and competitive digital world, having a personality loud enough to be heard above the clutter is so very important, because it’s not always about the product.

The first thing a person asks when I show them a piece of art is rarely “What’s it of?” but “Who’s it by?” The artist is more important than the artwork, so being ‘interesting’ and relevant is essential.

I was lucky. When I found I could write, back in 2002, after penning my first (now award-winning) film Marcello Marcello and book Marcello’s Date, I was able to use this skill to make my newsletters more interesting. Wherever we are and whatever we do, we must use the skills we have to stand out from the crowd – and hone them. I believe this is what makes us unique and this is what will keep us relevant in our exceptionally competitive world.

With this in mind, I’d like to introduce you to one of the Harbour Gallery’s most celebrated artists, Joe Armstrong. The

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vibrancy of his unforgettable impasto palette knife work is not only textural but also wonderfully uplifting. Joe studied art and design at Epsom before moving to Cornwall to work as a designer. He started painting full-time in the early Noughties and has become one of Cornwall’s most soughtafter artists.

Joe can be seen working for us all over Cornwall, and if you’re lucky, you might find one of his works stashed around the streets of Truro in one of his customary and generous ‘give-backs’. He’ll be in the Fisherman’s Shelter for us from May 5 to 7 this year, and a large selection of his Cornish works can always be found on our website.

And if you’re reading this hot off the press, there’s still time to catch Robin Mason’s Fisherman’s Shelter exhibition from March 31 to April 2.

Mark David Hatwood FRSA is owner of The Harbour Gallery at 8a The Quay, Portscatho, TR2 5HF. Tel 01872 580807, www.theharbourgallery.co.uk britishcontemporary.art

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RIGHT: PATRICK HERON IN HIS STUDIO AT EAGLES NEST C.1968.

PHOTO: (C) TROMPETELER COURTESY ESTATE OF PATRICK HERON BELOW: PATRICK HERON BIG COBALT VIOLET : MAY 1972 (C) ESTATE OF PATRICK HERON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, DACS 2018

Celebrating PATRICK HERON SEE THE HERON RETROSPECTIVE AT TATE ST IVES, AND WIN A PLACE ON A TWO-DAY PATRICK HERON ABSTRACT PAINTING COURSE AT NEWLYN SCHOOL OF ART Words by Alex Wade www.alexwade.com, photographs by Mike Newman www.ocean-image.com

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ornwall was home to a number of great artists in the 20th century, from Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth to Roger Hilton, Sir Terry Frost and Peter Lanyon. Among them, too, was a man who achieved a reputation alongside these artists, not just as a formidable painter but as a discerning and erudite critic: Leeds-born Patrick Heron, who would move to Cornwall with his family when he was five and go on to be indelibly associated with its remarkable art scene.

Heron’s early work was influenced by Matisse, Bonnard, Braque and Cezanne; later, particularly after he had settled at Eagle’s Nest above Zennor in west Penwith, his paintings became more abstract. But whether painting figuratively or non-figuratively, Heron was a master, lauded by The Independent upon his death in 1999 as gifted with “the ability to invent an imagery that was unmistakably his own, and yet which connects immediately with the natural world as we perceive it, and transforms our vision of it”.

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It’s an apt summary, and it makes a trip to Tate St Ives this year a must. On May 19, the gallery will open the doors of its new building for a major retrospective of Heron’s work, showing the evolution of the artist’s work from the 1940s – when he was a conscientious objector – to the end of his life.

The show continues until September 30 and ably reveals just why Heron’s influence continues to loom so large.

He was, in the words of Henry Garfit, director of Newlyn School of Art, “an extraordinary painter with an international reach, whose paintings hum with sumptuous colour and always a deft handling of paint, but more than this he was a great champion of British artists. His paintings and writings brought interest from art dealers and critics from America with acclaimed artist Mark Rothko and critic Clement Greenberg, who was famously the first to write about Jackson Pollock and the American Abstract Expressionists, coming to Cornwall in the summer of 1958 to visit Heron.

Other important artists working in Cornwall at the time

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were introduced to many dealers and critics through Heron’s associations.”

Garfit is among many who are thrilled at the impending Heron retrospective, but unlike the vast majority he is in a position to help people appreciate the master in a direct, upclose-and-personal way. Coinciding with Tate’s retrospective, Garfit’s Newlyn School of Art is running a two-day Patrick Heron course enabling artists from around the country to explore the artist’s painting processes and techniques and try their hand at making paintings with a focus on Heron’s use of colour and space. If that sounds good, it gets better: the course will be taught by acclaimed artist and Newlyn School of Art tutor Gareth Edwards, who works in the famous Porthmeor studios – home to Heron’s studio when he took it over from Ben Nicholson in the 1950s.

Garfit sums up the course’s rationale: “Heron’s paintings, saturated in colour, inspire so many artists to take their first steps. This course aims to distil some of his magic and

help everyone from established artists to novices learn and understand more about his painting processes.”

The Heron retrospective at Tate St Ives runs from May 19 to September 30.

The two-day Patrick Heron painting course runs at Newlyn School of Art on May 17 and 18, and also on August 22 and 23. Newlyn School of Art will also host a talk about the artist on the evening of May 16, with art critic Mel Gooding, who wrote the main monograph on Heron. Find out more about the course and talk at

www.newlynartschool.co.uk

WIN A HOLIDAY IN CORNWALL Including a place on the Patrick Heron course

In association with Tate Gallery, Cass Art and The Old Coastguard Hotel in Mousehole, Newlyn School of Art is running a prize draw which will see one lucky winner offered the chance to win a holiday in Cornwall including a place on the two-day Patrick Heron course to be held at the school in May, as well as a three-night stay at the Old Coastguard – a glorious hotel overlooking the sea on the harbour at Mousehole. The fantastic prize also includes two tickets to the Heron talk and two further tickets to the members’ only private view preview of the Tate Gallery exhibition. Enter the prize draw at www.newlynartschool.co.uk

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ART

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6 PINK FLUORESCENT BUOYS, MOUSEHOLE

news

 North Cornwall textures

Whitewater Gallery launches its 2018 exhibition schedule with an exhibition of ceramics and photography inspired by the rich textures of Cornwall’s dramatic north coast. Ceramicist Paula Downing’s strikingly beautiful slab-built works make reference to the mining and geological heritage of the Cornish landscape, exploring the way rocks move and split, making spectacular gaps and fissures, and contrasting shafts of light with dark, dramatic shadows. The subtly muted, limited-edition photographs in the new collection by Nick Wapshott include a series of texturally focused landscape works, inspired by Polzeath and the surrounding area, as well as a series of abstract, texturally inspired images. March 30 to May 4.

Land and sea 2 WHITEWATER GALLERY

Primavera

The seasons in Cornwall - so varied and welcome – inspired Cornish poet Charles Causley to write: “Spring has set off her green fuses down by the Tamar today…”.

This is the springboard for the exhibition Primavera, from April 8 to May 21 at Yew Tree Gallery near Pendeen.

Freshly gathered flowers spring into spontaneous life in Caroline Bailey’s vibrant still-life paintings in the main gallery, balanced by zinging greens and yellows in Debbie Priosser’s terra sigillata leaf-decorated pots.

Above them hang coloured mobiles by the ever-inventive Peter Fluck, who also exhibits his Calligraphies – sheets of elegant flowing forms without linguistic meaning.

Modelled in clay, with incised decoration and soft oxide colour, birds and young animals by Reece Ingram add the fauna to the flora in the show. In the gardens surrounding the gallery are three dramatic ‘standing stones’ by Helen Nock with stained glass apertures to catch the sun’s rays. www.yewtreegallery.com

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New Craftsman Gallery hosts new work by one of Sweden’s leading contemporary ceramicists. Maria Kristofersson lives and works in Gothenburg; her finely constructed works consider the polarity of concepts like proximity and distance, space and solidity, fragility and strength. Working primarily with boxshaped forms, she builds sculptural pieces by hand, letting the qualities of the earthenware clay in her hands direct the course of work. Pieces in this collection also include a series of coil-built glazed cylinders, and bottles made on the wheel and altered by hand. Her work will sit alongside a new collection by painter Emma Jeffryes, who draws on the abundance of visual inspiration she finds in and around her west Cornwall home.

Themes are as contrasting as the study of crashing waves, and the delicate petals of flowers in West Cornwall’s National Dahlia Collection. March 31 to May 12.

Lamorna Valley

The Lamorna Valley group presents its annual Easter exhibition from March 29 to April 8 at the village hall. It will be a mixed exhibition of paintings by Maureen Kennedy, Judith Kerr, Seth Marshall, Derek Melotte and Nina Sully, sculpture by Baz Mehew, Sarah Adie and Stephanie Cunningham, photographs

by Sue Searle and Jenny Luke, and ceramics by Louise Thompson.

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4 LAMORNA MOON

2 WHITEWATER GALLERY

8 MORVAH SCHOOLHOUSE EASTER EXHIBITION

7 TREMENHEERE SCULPTURE 3 MARIA KRISTOFFERSON

Hummadruz

An international group exhibition exploring the overarching and infinite rhythms of nature, folklore and the occult and how they have become a lived system embodied by both artists and communities. Artefacts loaned by private collections and The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle will be on display alongside key artworks from the 20th century and pieces by artists exploring these themes in a contemporary context. Hummadruz includes works by Ithell Colquhoun, Mary Beth Edelson, Byzantia Harlow, Amy Lawrence, Susan MacWilliam, Niamh O’Malley, Silke Otto-Knapp, Beth Emily Richards, Monica Sjöö, Jill Smith, Lucy Stein, Linda Stupart, Gitte Villesen and Anne-Marie Watson. Until June 2.

5 JILL SMITH, FIRE RITUAL AT UFFINGTON WHITE HORSE

Savour art and food

Diners at Pilchard Press Café in Mousehole can now savour artwork while they enjoy their meals. Wild seascapes and harbour scenes by Sally Bassett currently adorn the walls: “Proprietors Harriet and Kim tell me it makes them happy when they see beautiful paintings, and that my work helps to make their café different,” she says.

Cooper Jessica at Tremenheere Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens present an exhibition of drawing, painting and textiles by Jessica Cooper RWA. Inspired in childhood by her father’s passion for plants, Jessica makes work which explores the vitality of natural forms - their shape, line, colour, and endless potential for seasonal change. In this exhibition, her work responds to the spectacular collection of subtropical plants at the sculpture gardens, which originate from all around the world. Central to this exhibition are a limited edition of wool rugs, handmade to Jessica’s designs using dyes from South American plants, by a specialist weaver garden founder Neil Armstrong befriended on a botanical research trip to rural Mexico. March 29 to April 29. www.tremenheere.co.uk

Life On The Edge

Life On The Edge is the title of the Morvah Schoolhouse Easter exhibition, featuring new paintings by Melanie Stokes and Helena Clinch.

March 30 to April 13 (closed Mondays).

Down in the Crypt

Don’t miss Taking Space at the Crypt Gallery, St Ives, from March 24 to 30. Clare Hughes’ portrayal of tin mines reflects a fascination for our vanishing industrial past, while Helen Mahood’s passion for the sea results in loose, expressive brush-strokes. It is followed by Wild West, a solo exhibition by Newlyn School of Art tutor Jack Davis, documenting the dramatic environment of the west Penwith peninsula through the seasons, from March 31 to April 13.

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YEW TREE GALLERY

nr. Morvah & Pendeen

Spring Morning

Caroline Bailey A welcome glimpse of Spring ~ epitomised in ‘PRIMAVERA’ (April 8th – May 21st) by caroline bailey’s vibrant still-life paintings, Suzy Fasht’s atmospheric watercolours, Debbie Prosser’s leafy ceramics, Peter Fluck’s colourful mobiles, Laura Baxter’s delicate silver & gold jewellery, Annie Hewett’s ‘retro’ design tableware, woven willow by Norah Kennedy, and small bird and animal sculptures by REECE INGRAM. In the gardens Helen Nock’s slate Standing Stones catch the sun’s beams through inlaid glass. New work too by Guy Royle, Gina Cowen, John Maltby, Ardyn Griffin.

LIZARD ART THE STABLE YARD GALLERY Helston

THE ROUND HOUSE & CAPSTAN GALLERY

Sennen Cove, Penzance

Painting by

Lizard Art member Sally Cole SPRING ART FAIR featuring original work from artists across Cornwall 25 March – 15 April 2018 Exhibition opens daily from 11am-4pm.

Members Exhibition Open daily from 19th April 11am – 4pm Co-operative gallery featuring diverse, original work by artists based on the Lizard Peninsula.

Interesting, changing exhibition programme continuing until end of October.

Below the Crowns by Michael Praed This circular gallery is a showcase for Cornish creative excellence. Two floors feature an ever-changing display of paintings, sculpture, photography, ceramics and jewellery. Paintings by Paul Armitage, Romi Behrens, John Piper, Mark Poprawski, Michael Praed, Michael Strang, Neil Pinkett and more. Sculpture and ceramics by Phil Booth, Colin Caffell and Jane Smith.

gallery

Open: 11am to 4pm.

Address: The Stable Yard Gallery, Trelowarren, Mawgan, Helston TR12 6AF. Web: www.lizardart.co.uk

TEL: 01736 786425

TEL: 01326 221778

TEL: 01736 871859

GALLERY TRESCO Tresco

ART WORLD GALLERY Falmouth

APRIL

guide 2018

Open: Tuesday – Saturday Address: Keigwin, near Morvah & Pendeen, TR19 7TS, on B3306 coast road to St Just.

E-mail: gilly@yewtreegallery.com Web: www.yewtreegallery.com

Open: Friday to Monday, 10.30am to 4.30pm, and daily during school holidays.

Address: Sennen Cove, near Penzance, TR19 7DF. Email: roundhouse.gallery@btconnect.com Web: www.round-house.co.uk Twitter: @Capstangallery Facebook: Roundhouse & Capstan Gallery

Tresco Summer by Nicola Hancox Please join us for the opening night of our Easter show on Saturday 31st March with wine and canapés. The exhibition runs until 18th May and features paintings from our Cornish artists – Nicola Hancox, Ian Shearman, Gary Long, Rob Braybrooks, Jon Evison, Philip Naylor and wood carvings by Geoffrey Bickley. See the collection online from March 23rd.

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Sweet Dream

by Carine Bouvard 40x40cms; Mixed media on canvas Art World Gallery, in the centre of Falmouth, was established in 2000. With views across the harbour, it is the perfect place to come and browse the finest collection of French, Italian and, of course, Cornish artists. Gallery staff ensure a friendly and informal environment, and are always happy to help and advise. Art World Gallery can also supply a home or business consultancy service, providing practical and creative advice on choosing and placing artworks to compliment your surroundings.

Open: Mon – Sat 9.30-5pm, Sun 10.30-4pm Address: New Grimsby, Tresco, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, TR24 0QE Email: gallery@tresco.co.uk Web: www.gallerytresco.co.uk Facebook: gallerytresco

Open: Monday to Saturday, 10.30am to 5.30pm (closed Sunday).

Address: 62 Church Street, Falmouth, TR11 3DS. Email: info@artworldltd.com Web: www.artworldltd.com

TEL: 01720 424925

TEL: 01326 219323

To place your Art Listing in next month’s issue please contact a member of our team on 01872 271451 and they will be happy to help

15/03/2018 12:28:14

food

YO-HO-HO: CORNISH RUM FLOUR POWER PIZZAS BAHAMA MAMAS ON THE BEACH FOOD NEWS

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YO-HO-HO AND A BOTTLE OF BELOVED OF PIRATES, DISTILLED IN BUDE Words by Tom Gainey, photographs by Tom Last

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lifeguard-turned-rum-maker from Bude is proof to Cornwall's youngsters that you do not have to cross the Tamar to become successful – you can do what you love in Kernow.

Tom Read, 31, became the head distiller at the Cornish Distilling Company just less than a year ago – a month before starting he “didn’t have a clue”. This is especially remarkable considering his ingenious combination of rum – which he makes completely from scratch – and coffee saw his first spirit, Kalkar, bring home three gold stars in the 2017 Great Taste Awards last August. It has been sold all over Cornwall and as far as Gloucester, and with the reviews it is raking in it is sure to go much further.

“About 18 months ago I was lifeguarding at Bude with no idea of what I wanted to do with my life,” said the former Budehaven Community College pupil. “I had done a PhD in chemistry, and after that my big passion is food and drink. So I got a job in a bakery, and I wanted to learn how to make coffee, so I became a barista and did some roasting as well,

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RUM which was really interesting. I was also working in a cocktail bar, so I got quite into my classic cocktails and just spirits in general. So I was picking up all of these skills but had no direction at all.”

A chance meeting with Richard and Fionagh Harding of Norton Barton Artisan Food Village led to the possibility of becoming a distiller. “It came at the right time, as they already had a site, the intention of starting a distillery and a licence in place – they were just missing someone who could take on the role of distiller. It was something I hadn’t considered before, but it just seemed to fit everything that I had done in the past and felt like everything had been building up to this opportunity.”

Tom ticked all of the boxes and relished the chance to build on his skills while gaining new knowledge of spirit-making.

“I really threw myself into it,” said the University of Exeter graduate. “I read everything that I could and played around with different ideas. I was never going to attempt whisky because I couldn’t do it better than the Scots and I decided

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against gin, but then I thought – coffee and rum. It seemed like a no-brainer. Being quite a perfectionist, it was quite a long process of fine-tuning before I arrived at a stage where I was happy with it.”

He now makes white rum from scratch on site; the dropby-drop process of making the rum may be complex and laborious, but it gives the Cornish Distilling Company the pride of saying they produce the one and only truly Cornish artisan rum. It is then blended with cold coffee brew, water and a little raw sugar cane – the only ingredients – and rested for a month or so before bottling. Tom then adds the striking black and gold labels.

The end product, Kalkar – the name, from the Cornish translation of ‘weever fish’, is a nod to Tom’s lifeguarding days – retails at around £35 and its ABV is around 35%. Enjoy it neat and on the rocks, with tonic water or in a cocktail.

“I’m really proud of it,” adds its creator. “It’s 100% Cornish

too, which means a lot to me. I use single origin Nicaraguan coffee roasted by Origin Coffee Roasters in Helston, which is quite a fruity coffee with a hint of red berry and chocolate notes in there as well, which I think complement the rum well.”

Tom is excited to be working on the branding for two more products: a white rum and a spiced rum, to be launched in the next few months. “Exciting times ahead – we’re looking forward to it.”

Most importantly, the opportunity of becoming the company's only distiller has allowed Tom to stay in his beloved home of Cornwall. “It’s the place I really want to be. I don’t like the idea of moving to a city and getting one of those jobs that involves commuting. I would far rather be around here and be close to the sea.

“I knew when I was lifeguarding, thinking about the future, that I didn’t want to leave. I knew I needed to get a real job, but what’s a real job anyway?”

www.theartisanfoodvillage.com/pages/the-cornish-distilling-co CORNWALL TODAY

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flour

power

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN PIZZA, FROM A VAN NEAR YOU Words by Kirstie Newton, photographs by Sally Adams

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t the end of a long day, is there anything more satisfying than a pizza fresh out of the oven. The answer is yes: a Flour Power pizza, loaded with seasonal local toppings and fresh out of the mobile oven.

Rebecca Novell and Simon Davies met in 2013 at a party in the picturesque surroundings of Kynance Cove. Within a year, they were living in Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region – renowned as a foodie paradise, and the home of the original Bolognese sauce.

“Simon was working as a boat builder and had a two-year 66

contract in a town called Forli,” says Rebecca. “I quit my job and went with him to teach English. It turned out to be the best decision I ever made. No one spoke any English there, so we had to learn Italian, and we really got in touch with the culture – and, of course, the food. When Simon’s contract ended, we wanted to come back to Cornwall and run our own business, and as we were so obsessed with food, that seemed the natural choice.”

In their quest to find the perfect pizza recipe, the pair took professional pizzaiolo training in Florence. Upon their return

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to Cornwall, they launched Flour Power Pizza Parlour to share their love of authentic Italian-style pizza pala. Traditionally, a pizza pala comes as a metre-long oval pizza divided into different flavoured toppings and sold either as individual square slices to take away, or uncut for families to share. The length has been adapted to 14” x 10” to fit the mobile oven in the colourful Flour Power van, decorated by Cornwallbased artist and surfer Laurie McCall.

If you think of pizzas as junk food, you might be pleasantly surprised to learn that these pizza palas are healthier than most, with not a stuffed crust in sight. The base dough is home-made, using a combination of Italian type 00 flour and a West Country organic multigrain seeded flour, and rested for at least 72 hours, making it incredibly light and easier to digest than a classic pizza base. “In Italy, they give you giant portions and I would think, how am I going to eat all that?

But it was light as air, and so tasty,” says Rebecca. “Pizza doesn’t have to be a naughty treat - you can eat guilt-free.”

Toppings are prepared with similar devotion, using the best seasonal Cornish ingredients where possible, resulting in some interesting meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan combinations.

Some will be comfortingly familiar – the classic Margherita, for example, with San Marzano tomato sauce (from the foothills of Mount Vesuvius near Naples, the birthplace of pizza), organic buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil.

But there are plenty of innovative recipes to tickle your tastebuds: Zucca, with roasted paprika squash, smoked cheddar and caramelised onion; Affitatti, with chilli chorizo, seaweed and cider salami and spring onions; or Agnello, with nine-hour slow-roasted lamb, roasted rosemary potatoes, peas and mint oil. Vegans are extremely well catered for, with a number of options featuring vegan cheese, while the

Salsiccia e Patate is a white pizza (without tomato sauce), matching roasted rosemary potatoes with sausage meat, from either meat or vegan sausages. For spring, Rebecca anticipates that the white Verdi – ricotta, marscapone and Parmesan with fresh mint, roasted lemon chilli courgette and sun-dried tomatoes - might gain popularity. Ingredients are sourced locally whenever possible, and gluten-free bases are available to order.

If you’re struggling to choose just one topping, this is where the pizza pala comes into its own. Customers can order a personal pala and indulge themselves with different toppings for each half of the pala – three, if you’re feeling especially indecisive.

Initially, customers might need a little persuading to try something new. “People are used to the same old toppings in this country, and are not terribly adventurous,” muses Rebecca. “In Italy, they really will put anything on a pizza – even chips. Some of our recipes are often inspired by those we tried in Italy, others are our own creations. While some customers like to play it safe, once they go out of their comfort zone, they often say it was the best pizza they’ve ever had.”

Is there anything they won’t do? “We’ve been asked for a Hawaiian,” laughs Rebecca. “We might do ham in the future, but we won’t be pairing it with pineapple.”

The Flour Power Pizza Parlour van can be found in Chacewater (Tuesday), Perranwell Station (Wednesday), Portreath (Thursday), Threemilestone (Friday) and Stithians (Saturday), from 5pm to 8pm (Portreath and Stithians: 4.30pm to 8.30pm). It is also available for weddings, parties and corporate catering. Call 07484 644170 or visit www.flourpowerpizzaparlour.co.uk CORNWALL TODAY

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Irie man BAHAMA MAMAS: A NEW VENUE FROM A FAMILIAR FALMOUTH FACE Words by Kirstie Newton, photographs by Chloe Hocking

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here’s a new joint on the Falmouth block – but the man behind Bahama Mamas is not so new. John Duncan is building on the success of his Caribbean restaurant, Cribbs in Arwenack Street, to launch a funky new café-bar on The Moor, fusing food from all over the world in small sharing dishes. Specialities at Bahama Mamas include Caribbean roti, timeless British classics with a twist, fresh seafood, a wellconsidered vegan menu, happy hour cocktails and local craft beers.

Hailing from the volcanic island of St Vincent, John arrived in Falmouth in 2007, having worked on cruise liners as a chef.

He settled with his then partner, building up his experience in a number of establishments, including the One-Eyed Cat in Truro. Having spent eight years getting Cribbs up and running to perfection, he was ready to expand. But his new venture had to be different: “I didn’t want to compete with myself.”

The bar went through several incarnations before opening with confidence as Bahama Mamas. The launch represents a new chapter which John says focuses on making good food more accessible in an inspiring and contemporary space, so everyone – regardless of lifestyle, age or gender – can feel welcome from the moment they enter.

Spread over two floors, the hip interiors are designed by the Hooperberg Collective. These might look like school hall chairs, but no school hall ever saw food like this. Imagine knock-out authentic flavours, exciting dishes made with heaps of love, using ingredients from local suppliers (even the 68

coffee is provided by Penryn roasters Olfactory). While John’s background is in the Caribbean, the menu reflects the global cuisine styles he picked up while travelling the world, while the unfussy presentation lets the dishes and the produce speak for themselves.

We feasted on the King-Prawnians: luscious king prawns, cooked in white wine, garlic, lemon and just enough chilli to make your lips tingle; and Prince Mackerel served with crusty bread, accompanied by sweet potato wedges. It was a tough choice, given the mouth-watering array of options, from sticky ribs with rum and BBQ sauce, roti wraps with threehour roasted lamb or curried chicken; or the Smoking Gun burger with wood-smoked cheese and bacon. There’s also an extensive veggie and vegan menu, including the Caribbean spinach and fresh veg curry with chickpeas and courgettes.

This is a relaxed space for affordable good times, open daily from 10am till late, meaning you can drop in for breakfast, brunch, a light lunch, afternoon tea or tapas – buy a few to share among friends. As for cocktails, these are just £5 each during irie time (happy hour) from 6pm to 8pm.

“Falmouth is a vibrant and bustling town with a thriving food scene,” says John. “There is already a wonderful array of restaurants here, and I believe that Bahama Mamas will offer an exciting new option for diners to share and try out new dishes.”

Bahama Mamas | 15a Killigrew Street | Falmouth 01326 619796 | @BahamaMamasFal

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on the beach NEWS FROM THE PORTHMINTSER BEACH CAFÉ, ST IVES Words by Michael Smith, executive chef

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t’s hard to believe that 15 years have passed since I arrived in St Ives via the branch line from St Erth. As soon as the train rounded the bend, I knew I had found somewhere special. I had been working in London and missed the outdoor lifestyle and beaches of Victoria, Australia, where I grew up at the end of the Great Ocean Road. I’d heard about this mythical place in the UK, where the surf was genuinely good, the beaches were actually sandy, and the local produce was topclass; Cornwall surpassed my expectations on every front.

I feel so lucky to live and work here, especially as the restaurant is right on the beach. Seafood is the major focus of our menu, combined with produce grown in our garden and foraged from the coastal surroundings. A lot of our dishes have an Asian influence, as the fresh zingy flavours of eastern cuisine work really well with the bounty of fish and shellfish available to us.

I’ll be writing regular seasonal updates for Cornwall Today, providing an insight into life as a busy chef working in one of Cornwall’s most spectacular locations. Because seafood is so integral to my take on Cornish cuisine, I’ve decided to hand over some of this first column to a very important man in my life: my fish supplier! I’ve been working with Matthew Stevens ever since I started at Porthminster, and I speak to him or one of his colleagues every day. They understand our specifications when it comes to quality and filleting, and they know we are always keen to fill our daily specials with less regular catches such as turbot, John Dory and red sea bream.

Over to Matthew: “Every time I visit Porthminster Beach Café, I’m impressed by the creativity and intricate techniques Michael and his team use to showcase the huge variety of seafood they take from us.

“We supply Michael with virtually every kind of fish and shellfish found in Cornish waters, including oysters, lobsters, brill and several varieties of sole. We’re up and down that hill several

times a day in the summer – luckily we are based just a mile or so away! We also supply fresh Cornish fish for the award-winning fish and chips in the takeaway; I think it’s fantastic that such a busy operation still uses the best fish and doesn’t skimp on quality.

“The fact that Michael has been at the helm for so long means we have a great understanding, and hopefully that has helped him deliver the outstanding fish dishes he produces day in, day out. Despite his seniority and managerial responsibilities, he can still be found behind the pass most days – he clearly loves being in the thick of things.

“If chefs or journalists come to visit me from elsewhere in the UK, I often take them to Porthminster. it’s such a special spot – you just can’t beat a beautiful piece of fish and a glass of chilled white wine served on the terrace!”

Next time, I’ll take you on a tour of our coastal kitchen garden.

Michael Smith is the executive chef at Porthminster Beach Café, St Ives. Originally from Australia, he has been cooking in St Ives for 15 years, and has been the subject of a TV series, created a popular cook book, established a coastal kitchen garden, helped develop the St Ives Food & Drink Festival, and was one of the first chefs in Cornwall to introduce foraged produce into his menus.

01736 795352, www.porthminstercafe.co.uk CORNWALL TODAY

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13/03/2018 12:06:25

Words by Lucy Robinson

IN THE PINK?

Historically, and until very recently, Pink Gin was a cocktail enjoyed from the mid-19th century, consisting simply of a good measure of Plymouth gin and a dash or two of Angostura bitters, turning the gin a pinkish hue. It was even attributed to the Royal Navy as a cure for seasickness. This is what Pink Gin has been to all bartenders until the last couple of years.

Now though, with the popularity of gin so huge, the numerous innovative producers are playing with flavours, levels of sweetness and colours, thus enabling new directions and innovations but also leading to ever more confusion - although it is fun finding out which is your new favourite.

Pink is a colour with a range of hues, but what should pink gin taste like? Is the gin pink because of a few splashes of Angostura bitters? Is it also strawberry flavoured? Or raspberry, rhubarb, cherry, redcurrant, pomegranate, rose, marshmallow …? Is it sweet or dry?

What makes a pink gin ‘pink’ varies from producer to producer. The gin can be sold as a sweet liqueur with an ABV as low as 18%, or a distilled gin with average ABV of 40%. It might taste pink without looking pink. It is all down to the ingredients used. Also, not all pink gins need to be served with tonic or even mixed, many come ready to pour. Enjoy neat over ice, in a sparkling cocktail, or perhaps topped up with Sicilian or rose lemonade. Have fun, experiment and play with the all-important garnishes too.

Pink gins now currently available include: ► Pinkster, a distilled dry pink gin that acquires its colour from raspberries macerated after distillation;

► Gin Lane 1751 Victoria Pink Gin, a dry gin with a spice infusion that gives the colour;

► Gordon’s Premium Pink, a sweeter gin flavoured with strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants;

► Eden Mill Love, a pink-hued gin with hibiscus, rose petal and strawberries;

► Williams Chase Pink Grapefruit, a big hit of mouth-watering pink grapefruit;

S

► Edinburgh Rhubarb and Ginger Gin liqueur, pale pink, juicy, sweet

pring has happily sprung and the world is all pastel around us. What is a common pastel colour? Pink, obviously. And the most popular drink of the moment? Gin, obviously.

Pink gin is one of the upcoming trends in the UK and already, as a drinks retailer, I have noticed the interest quickly building. I would, however, like to offer the following advice when visiting a bar or off-licence and asking for ‘pink gin’. Please do not be offended when the bartender or store assistant perhaps replies with the words: “What do you exactly mean when asking for pink gin?”

and tart with a light kick of ginger on the finish;

► Pink Pepper gin from Audemus, pink in name only but incredible when mixed with rose vermouth.

Think pink, drink pink! Next time you enter a bar with a plethora of gins to choose from, having now done a bit of research, be confident and ask for a pink gin with a particular flavour and level of sweetness of your choice.

You should be presented with the perfect serve and correct garnish, and all without a blush from the bartender - the only blush will be in the glass.

Yeghes da!

Follow Lucy Robinson on Twitter @WineFoxCornwall 70

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T

hey say there’s a wench in Falmouth who opens beer bottles by biting the top off. Sum bleddy maid, right?

OK, so we used a little artistic licence there. The lady in question is none other than Betty Stoggs, and her glasschomping persona is the creation of Helston company Beer Buddies in collaboration with Truro brewery Skinners. The curvaceous wall-mounted bottle opener is just one of some 30 immortalised in bronze by Camborne-based sculptor Seamus Moran, a quirky sideline to his nationally known and widely exhibited pieces – think of it as a functional piece of art.

You could equally choose an alien, a court jester or a smiling sun, celebrate your favourite motor (VW campervan or Mini) or imagine you’re punishing the gnashers of Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin. Motorhead fans will be particularly excited by a metal version of the band’s famous Snaggletooth trademark.

Beer Buddies can live inside, in the kitchen or man cave, say, or out – the barbecue area is popular, and garden centres nationwide are among the stockists. They are available in two sizes: full size at £24.95 and half-pinter at £14.95 (UK delivery). A gift set including a half-pinter and two bottles of Betty Stoggs costs £18.

QUIRKY BOTTLE OPENERS MAKE AFFORDABLE ART Words by Kirstie Newton, photographs by Chloe Hocking at The Chintz Symposium in Falmouth

Buy your Betty Stoggs bottle, mount it in an inventive place and position of your choice and send a photo via the Beer Buddies Facebook page by August 31. The best will win its owner a VIP Skinners Brewery tour and an evening at The Chintz Symposium, Falmouth.

www.beerbuddies.uk.com

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

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

food news

Compiled by Kirstie Newton

1. The Oggy Oscars Never mind Hollywood; pasty makers from across the globe defied a week of extreme weather to descend on the Eden Project on March 3 for the seventh annual World Pasty Championships, dubbed the Oggy Oscars.

More than 200 pasties were entered, the highest number in the history of the contest.

Among the big winners was the Pure Pasty Co., based in Vienna, Virginia in the Washington DC suburbs, who were victorious in the Open Savoury Company category with a barbecue chicken pasty made with sweet potato, zucchini, red pepper, corn and pineapple. Cheshire-born boss Mike ‘The Pasty’ Burgess attended the championships for the second year running. “We are ecstatic with the win,” he said. “The winning pasty is a real team effort – an American fusion.”

A group of pasty enthusiasts from Bristol who have entered the competition every year were awarded the prestigious Pasty Ambassador award – the first time the award has been given to a group rather than an individual. They include Vanessa Farr, winner of the Cornish Pasty Amateur title in 2017, and Don McKeever, the most decorated pasty-maker in the history of the championships with three wins and one second place to his name. This year, the group was smaller than usual due to the poor weather, but a handful made it to Cornwall.

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“We’ve worked hard over the years and we really enjoy the event, so it’s really nice for the whole group to get the recognition this year,” said Don. This year’s coveted Cornish Pasty Amateur trophy went to mother-of-three Gillian Francis from St Cleer, near Liskeard, who confessed to only learning to crimp two weeks earlier. “I’ve been testing out my pasties on my three sons for years, but didn’t know how to crimp properly so I had to ask my next-door neighbour to teach me,” she admitted. “This is the first time I’ve entered, and I’m absolutely shocked to win. I thought my boys were playing a joke on me!”

WINNERS: Open Savoury Junior: Jodie Heath, 12, from Bodmin with a Cornish smoked seafood pasty Cornish Pasty Junior: Summer Lovejoy, 9, from Plymouth Open Savoury Company: The Pure Pasty Co. with a barbecue chicken pasty Cornish Pasty Company: Proper Cornish Ltd. Open Savoury Professional: Luisa Ead from Padstow with a Winner Winner Chicken Dinner pasty Cornish Pasty Professional: Danny O’Flynn from Trevone Open Savoury Amateur: Glyn Meredith from Porthleven with a skirt, cheese, peppers, paprika, garlic and coriander pasty.

Cornish Pasty Amateur: Gillian Francis from St Cleer

2. Cornwall Vegan Festival Veganism is big news right now, with the number of vegans in the UK growing by 360% over the last decade, and this year’s Veganuary campaign breaking all records with sign-ups rising by 183%. Cornwall boasts its own vegan festival, complete with food stalls, tempting tasters and interactive workshops for all the family at Mount Pleasant Eco Park, Porthtowan on Saturday, April 7. Test the best dairy-free cheeses on the market, sample veganfriendly beers and grill the panel in Veganers’ Question Time. 11am to 5pm; entry free and dogs permitted. www.cornwallvegans.uk

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3. Chocolarder campaign Artisan chocolate maker Chocolarder is launching a crowdfunding campaign for a factory expansion, including a unique community hub in Porthleven which will be the only location in Cornwall where confectionery lovers can see world-class chocolate being made from scratch. Based in Ponsanooth, near Falmouth, Chocolarder is currently just one man – Mike Longman – in a cold concrete production space in a Cornish valley, but it’s hoped the crowdfunding campaign will raise £30,000 to equip a new factory that will keep pace with growing markets, as well as enabling Mike to refurbish an antique Victorian cacao roaster. The crowdfunding campaign begins on March 14 and donors can enjoy exclusive gifts and experiences such as tours, corporate events, products ranging from just £10 to £5,000, the opportunity to name the new roaster (£1,000) and Chocolarder staff wearing your face on their t-shirts for a year (£2,000). Visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ chocolarders-new-roaster-and-factory

4. Fallow year for festival The organisers of Newlyn Fish Festival have announced the introduction of a fallow year in 2018 to enable them to develop the popular annual fundraiser for the Fishermen’s Mission into an even more dynamic celebration of the sea, Cornish seafood and Cornwall’s proud fishing heritage in 2019. The Newlyn Pier & Harbour Commissioners (NP&HC), led by Harbour Master and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rob Parsons, are currently working hard to transform Newlyn Harbour into a modern, fit-for-purpose port that supports the development and sustainability of the Cornish fishing industry, and will launch its revitalised Fish Market later this year. This investment in new infrastructure will provide the Newlyn Fish Festival – which has been staged annually for 26 years – with more space, improved facilities and enhanced insight into the Cornish fishing industry for the thousands of visitors who pour into the historic harbour to enjoy the one-day event on August Bank Holiday Monday each year.

5. Green shoots of flavour Look out this month for the return of locally grown asparagus to the shelves and stalls of Cornish farm shops and markets. Tregassow Farm, run by Jennie and John Keeler at St Erme, will attend Truro Farmers’ Market on Lemon Quay every Wednesday and Saturday, with their award-winning crop, which always sells out quickly. The UK climate allows it to develop slowly, producing a full, sweet flavour and fine texture. The market offers various local accompaniments for freshly cut asparagus; try it prepared simply with a drizzle of oil from the Cornish Olive Stall, with poached duck eggs from the Cornish Duck Company, or served alongside fresh fish from Kernow Sashimi – with sparkling wine from Bosue Vineyard as a delicious match. www.trurofarmersmarket.co.uk

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MAKING

THE CUT

DISCOVER FORGOTTEN CUTS THIS EASTER Words by Vicki Mayrick of Etherington’s Meats

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aster is on the horizon, which can only mean one thing: it’s time for sweet-tasting spring lamb.

However, instead of opting for the usual leg of lamb, the butchers at Etherington’s Farm Shop, near Scorrier, are encouraging customers to rediscover some of lamb’s forgotten cuts.

Although many of our grandparents will be au fait with breast, rump and scrag end, modern food trends have disregarded these in favour of lamb legs, racks and chops.

All of these carry a heftier price tag and, the butchers at Etherington’s assure me, an inferior taste to their lesser-known counterparts – even the unfortunately named scrag end!

Scrag end sounds cheap, and it is. Cut from the neck of the lamb, it’s highly regarded for its rich flavour when slow cooked, transforming casseroles, pies, soups and stews. Similar in texture to ox-tail, it should be cooked on the bone in plenty of liquid, rewarding the most patient of cooks with melt-in-themouth meat, and rich, silky sauces.

Lamb breast is a much-underrated cut, but deserves the same sort of recognition that pork belly now has.

Although slightly fatty, rolled up around a dry stuffing (breadcrumbs with herbs and garlic work well, absorbing the fat) and cooked slowly, it leaves you with tender meat and a crispy skin. Serve with buttered spring vegetables, fluffy roast potatoes and a hearty glass of red wine for the ultimate Easter roast.

Visit Etherington’s Farm Shop at Wheal Rose, Scorrier, TR16 5DF. Tel 01209 899203, www.etherington-meats.co.uk

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homes & GARDENS

U R B A N C H I C I N FA L M O U T H ASK A DESIGNER

(page 76)

(page 86)

SPRING FLOWER SHOW

(page 90)

NOTES FROM A CORNISH GARDEN

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urban

chic

GRAFFITI ART ISN’T RESTRICTED TO THE CITY, AS PROVED BY THIS STYLISH WATERFRONT APARTMENT IN FALMOUTH Words by Lilly Moore and Kirstie Newton, photographs by Sally Adams

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ou might expect to see graffiti wall art in the urban sprawl of a large city, rather than a waterside apartment in Cornwall. But street artists such as Banksy have elevated such artwork to a highly desirable status, and it is this that Gloria Butterworth hopes to achieve with the striking mural that dominates a wall in the living room of her Falmouth flat. She was smitten by the work of Urban Gypset, which she discovered on a day out in her native Helston. “I passed their shop in Meneage Street, looked inside and loved it immediately,” she explains.

Urban Gypset is the pseudonym of graffiti artist Sketch86 and stylist Amanda Wass, partners in creativity as well as husband and wife. Together they have produced murals around the world, on a bohemian journey of culture,

discussion, inspiration and love. More locally, their work can be seen in domestic and commercial settings as diverse the Old Cider Barn arts and crafts centre in Mullion, Penzance Bowling Alley and the Helston branch of high-street mechanics HiQ (inside and out).

“Graffiti is an art form based on anarchy and its availability to all,” Amanda explains. “Sketch’s skills are in raising awareness of the talent and legal side of the use of a spray can, what it originally was made for and the speed one can paint with it. The fine detailing and portraiture work that can be done on a magnificent scale, as seen in his mural work, is incredible. That makes it ideal for commercial commissions.”

Gloria spent time working out which wall and what colours should be used, then arranged for Sketch86 to visit the apartment and discuss a design. “Then he came with his rap music, spray paint at the ready, me with bated breath in the hope it would look good and I’d like it. Just two days later, there it was – a masterpiece.”

“Most clients have some knowledge of graffiti

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art and a rough idea of what they want,” explains Sketch86. “Gloria didn’t, so we were working with a blank slate, which was really exciting. We took her books to look at, and she told us what her apartment was going to look like.

She knew what she liked and wanted, had a curiosity for the art form and was very open-minded and respectful. As an artist herself, she could not only appreciate it but also see where it was going, and follow us through the design process. She was willing to take risks, and gave us a lot of freedom, which was really nice to work with.”

Graffiti could be seen as long ago as Ancient Egypt and Greece, and the Roman era. “It started out as writing the artist’s name, and turned into a form of one-upmanship, making your name stand out more than the next guy’s,” Sketch86 explains. “What started out as an outline of Gloria’s name turned into something more subtle: her name spreads around the wall, in a way that is readable but not overtly obvious, in harmony with her colour scheme and inspired by Asianinfluenced styles popular in the 1920s: Japanese seascapes, cranes and flowers.”

He is keen to increase the acceptance and awareness of such a culturally rich and skilful art form.

“There are so many levels of urban art that can make a space so special when applied to a new context,” he enthuses. “Urban Gypset merges contemporary mainstream art and interior design techniques with the vivid power of graffiti. Completing large and detailed works with the speed this art was made for has many commercial applications, which most don’t consider.”

The average price of such a piece is anything between £1,000 and £3,000. “It was brave, and a big step to take money-wise,” Gloria admits.

“I asked him to sign it in the hope that one day it could be as famous as Banksy - who knows?” The artist, for his part, points out that even more conventional decorating schemes – fancy wallpaper, polished 78

plaster – can involve significant outlay even before tradesmen get involved. “Graffiti came from public artwork that was available to anyone, and we try to strike a balance in our pricing to keep it affordable,” he adds. “But spray painting is quite an expensive art form, at £4 per can – about £300 per wall, without counting my time or the design work first. It’s more than just a few tins of emulsion.”

Not to mention the fact that you get a piece of artwork you simply won’t see anywhere else.

“Spray painting is like a thumb print,” continues Sketch86. “While brush paint can be mixed on a palette, graffiti is determined by the movement of your body, which shade you pick up, how many layers you apply. There are so many variables that even if you paint the same design over and over again, it will never be the same. You simply can’t duplicate it, which makes it very special, both for the artist and for the customer. It’s not just a picture stuck on a wall. It’s a journey, for artist and client.”

The mural reflects the colour scheme of the apartment, which is restricted to seven bold yet stylish colours: polished gold, Oxford blue, moss green, voile white, deep crimson, cream and black. Flashes of authentic gold-leaf have been picked out and accentuated elsewhere in the flat – for instance, glossy gold chairs in the dining room.

Overlooking the Penryn River, the apartment is the fantasy of those who dream of sipping cocktails while watching dinky boats rock in and out of the harbour. When purchased, it was in a sorry state of repair, with a crammed attic, disintegrating beams and rotted balcony. Some would baulk at such a gargantuan task; not Gloria, who knuckled down with characteristic determination, engaging independent contractors Daniel Thrussel and David Simmons for a five-month refurbishment project. Today, there isn’t a speck of rot in sight; rather, a modern space reflecting the eclectic tastes of its owner.

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Gloria’s Cornish heritage shines through in several pieces. A poster and wooden board engraved with the name Shamrock came from the last rigged Tamar sailing barge which was once owned by her father, Richard Curnow. Built in 1899, the vessel was sold to the National Trust and restored and is now berthed at Cotehele Quay (shamrock-cotehele.blogspot.com).

In the large, airy living room, picture windows look on to a chic modern balcony, and that marvellous view of the river.

Gloria loves vintage fashion, and female icons abound, from a poster of Audrey Hepburn to an oak carving of Marilyn Monroe’s face, cleverly created so light from one side casts her shadow across the wall. In the bedroom, she displays her own artwork in oils and acrylics, while the restroom contains a Hollywood-inspired mirror with stage lights on either side: “It was my dream to own one,” she laughs.

Through the door opposite is a walk-in closet with exotic 80

wallpaper resembling the Moroccan and Spanish styles that caught Gloria’s imagination on holiday.

What next for this fabulous flat and its equally fabulous owner? Gloria hopes to transform the garden, replacing the lifeless palm trees with colourful shrubberies and flowers; and she’s not done inside, with plans to convert the cellar into a cinema with a wellstocked bar to reflect her former career as a pub landlady (including the Mermaid Inn on St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly, and 24 years at the New Inn in Wendron).

Plus: “I think the graffiti wall art could be addictive, like having tattoos,” she muses. “Maybe I’ll save up and have another one!” No complaints there: “For a piece like Gloria’s to be commissioned signifies a move forward for street art,” adds Amanda: “This is something Urban Gypset has been striving for, for years.”

Urban Gypset, 48 Meneage Street, Helston, TR13 8QY 01326 564793 | www.urbangypset.com

| CORNWALL TODAY

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ask

a designer

WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR HOME FURNITURE Words by Elaine Skinner, design director of Camellia Interiors

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hile most of us are aware of when our food or make-up expires, we don’t expect our furniture or home furnishings to come with sell-by dates. If you’ve just completed furnishing a new holiday home, or if you last redecorated ten years ago, it’s important to know when it might be time to replace your furnishings. How often you should expect to buy new furniture? Here are some guidelines.

► Mattresses. The average mattress lifespan is anywhere from five to ten years, whether made from memory foam, spring or a waterbed. ► Pillows. These can last up to three years as long as you keep them in tiptop shape and clean them regularly.

Otherwise you should expect to replace them every six months. ► Dining room tables: These can last for a lifetime as long as the surface has not become significantly scratched, dented or unsightly due to wear and tear. We always recommend using pretty placemats or tablecloths to prolong the life of a table, but if you’ve downsized, extended or moved, you may want to consider replacing a table if it has become too large or small to suit the room comfortably. ► Dining room chairs. These can last for many years, especially if they are not upholstered; you may only need 86

to replace them if the legs have become wobbly (usually through children leaning back on the chair legs!) and tightening the screws no longer works. Upholstered chairs need to be replaced if the upholstery is frayed or has holes or stains. You may need to replace the set if you need more chairs to entertain or if your family has grown – but only if you want your furniture to match. ► Sofas. Consider replacing your sofa before the seats start sagging to the point of not supporting you; if the fabric has become stained, faded or worn; or the frame is breaking down and squeaking. On average, a typical sofa lasts between seven and 15 years.

If you love your furniture but it has seen better days, you can always reupholster rather than replace it. As long as it is structurally sound and the fabric is the only part that is really worn, this might be a good option and end up saving you money in the long run.

Finally, don’t forget to dispose of your furniture responsibly. If it’s still good to use, you might be able to donate it to charity, sell it or even give it to a friend.

Got an interior design dilemma?

Contact Elaine at info@camelliainteriors.co.uk

www.camelliainteriors.co.uk

and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

| CORNWALL TODAY

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ABOVE: MAGNOLIA CAMPBELLII SUBSP. MOLLICOMATA 2014 BELOW: TREWITHEN MAGNOLIA CAMPBELLII ‘CHARLES RAFFILL’

THE

Great Gardens

O F C O R N WA L L

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he Great Gardens of Cornwall announced that spring had arrived in the county on February 26, three weeks earlier than the rest of the UK. Six champion Magnolia campbellii trees – in Caerhays Castle gardens, Trebah Garden, Tregothnan, Trewidden, Trewithen and the Lost Gardens of Heligan – are used to mark the arrival of spring in the county, which is declared official when all six trees each have more than 50 blooms.

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“Once again, due to the warmth of the Gulf Stream, spring has arrived in Cornwall first,” said Charles Williams, chairman of the Great Gardens of Cornwall. “The county is home to some of the most exciting, rare and beautiful plants and trees in the British Isles and, for those who enjoy seeing gardens in full bloom, they are a sight not to be missed.”

“Cornwall enjoys a very early spring, nearly a month ahead of the rest of the UK,” adds Iain Davies, head of gardens and estate at Heligan. “One of the very best times to visit Cornish gardens is when the magnolias are in full bloom during the early part of the spring season”.

Cornwall’s Spring Story – the idea that the moment Cornish magnolias flower, spring has arrived in England – was founded by Toby Ashworth of the Nare Hotel, in partnership with the Great Gardens of Cornwall, in response to the fact that by waiting until May, many garden-lovers were missing the most splendid sight of all. The flowering of the magnolias occurs in February and March most years, although in 2015, the first flowering Magnolia campbellii was recorded on January 21.

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ith Cornwall’s sub-tropical microclimate and rich garden heritage, there is no better vantage point from which to celebrate the first bursts of spring.

The Cornwall Garden Society’s (CGS) Spring Flower Show, staged within the glorious grounds of the Boconnoc Estate near Lostwithiel, has been referred to by the Daily Telegraph as “the Chelsea of the South West” and “one of the best flower shows in the UK”; it has earned its rightful reputation as the first and best of its kind, and its 2018 event on the weekend of April 7 and 8 will be no exception.

Let your eyes feast on the riot of colour afforded by the spectacular displays of camellias, magnolias, daffodils and rhododendrons in the competitive classes, and be inspired by show gardens from the likes of Eden Project apprentices, the Lost Gardens of Heligan and Duchy College Rosewarne.

There will also be more than 120 high-quality nursery and horticultural stands; floral art and photography competitions; lectures and gardeners’ question sessions; and a veritable cornucopia of Cornish food and drink.

For children, the Reptile and Raptor Roadshow will provide animal encounters, while the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Campaign for School Gardening, the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Bat Group and Perennial Harvest will offer fun things to make and do in a dedicated marquee.

“The CGS Spring Flower Show is the South West’s first major horticultural showcase of the year and in 2018, it will be our largest ever,” explains show director Peter Gilmore. “It is a popular day out attracting thousands of visitors, and we take pride in widening its appeal each year, building on previous successes to provide a day out for all the family that is packed with new things to see, do and enjoy. We look forward to welcoming our many regular

visitors as well as a whole host of new ones in search of an early taste of spring.”

This year’s show will feature a new artisan craft marquee to highlight the work of some of Cornwall’s finest creatives, and even more indoor space for the growing number of specialist nurseries and collections in attendance from across the South West and the wider UK. The show is sponsored by Atkins Ferrie Wealth Management for the fifth year running. Managing director John Waldie said: “The CGS Spring Flower Show just gets better every year and our staff enjoy meeting everyone on what is a happy occasion for all attendees – whatever the weather!”

The CGS is a charity that exists to encourage and improve the science, art and practice of horticulture in all its branches, share knowledge about gardening and Cornwall’s rich garden heritage, and conserve the county’s natural environment. The Society is affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society and its Patron is HRH the Prince of Wales.

For advance bookings, call the Cornish Riviera Box Office on 01726 879500, or visit www.crbo.co.uk/springshow General tickets cost £10 in advance or £11 on the gate.

CGS member tickets cost £8 in advance or £9 on the gate. Cash only on the gate; under-16s go free. Ticket price includes parking.

Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome.

For further information about the CGS, please follow @CwllGardenSoc on Twitter or like www.facebook.com/cornwallgardensociety or visit www.cornwallgardensociety.org.uk

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notes

Cornish gardener from a

THE BATTENBERG EFFECT

Words by Dan Grigson, notesfromacornishgarden.co.uk

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he funny thing about the colour red is that I love the idea far more than its execution in the environment.

It looks splendid on soldiers and rugs and scarves, and it’s a prerequisite for the toys without number that lie strewn across my house, dispensed by goblins – I mean children – on a daily basis. But when it comes to red in the garden, it just seems to jolt my eye.

Like a strong man at a beauty pageant, you are irresistibly drawn to its muscular colour, despite all the other beauties on show. I really want to like it, and perhaps it’s just a question of placement or volume. I will keep trying, and perhaps it will come one day.

There is another particularly interesting colour conundrum that I have observed over the years: the catastrophe that is pink and yellow, usually involving a combination of roses and rhododendrons. I call it the Battenberg Effect, for obvious reasons. I used to consider it a criminal act, yet even I’ve been guilty of it in years past. I flatter myself that my preoccupation with collecting interesting plants caused me to neglect colour planning, allowing the Battenberg to lift the latch on the back gate and sidle in, marzipan and all.

And then there is the all-one-colour option, like the wonderful swathes of violet blue in the bluebell woods at this time of year. A wonder of nature, uniform in colour and unquestionably beautiful, but when a strict colour discipline is applied to the borders, I’m never so sure. It always feels like something is missing.

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Perhaps, like the Battenberg effect, it’s not so much the colours as the plants that are the problem. If the planting lacks a sympathy of shape and texture, then however nice the flowers are individually, they will always struggle to be together – like two children who just can’t get on. I hope this is the case, as I currently find myself strongly attracted to pink and yellow.

Perhaps the flowers just need to be smaller, the foliage finer and the whole effect more diffuse.

Now if it’s not too late, given that spring strikes early in Cornwall, here are your April tips for the garden:

► Beware of front-loading your garden with spring flowers alone – there’s a whole year to get through.

► Remember a great many spring flowers are woodland plants that pop

up early to get the sunshine before trees come into leaf. Therefore, not only is it a good idea to mimic those conditions but, best of all, it means you can save your sunny spots for high summer and early autumn. ► Lastly, make sure you look after the foundations of your garden: the soil. Improve it every year if you can until it’s soft and friable, like the texture of chocolate cake. You can also apply a general-purpose fertiliser if your plants are still hungry. But if your soil is pink and yellow and the texture of marzipan, I wouldn’t recommend a slice with your afternoon tea!

Dan Grigson is a professional gardener based in Manaccan. www.notesfromacornishgarden.co.uk

| CORNWALL TODAY

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property & BUSINESS

M OV I N G S TO RY: C AT H Y R E T Z E N B R I N K ROHRS & ROWE

(page 98)

THE OUTSIDER’S GUIDE: W O R K I N G I N C O R N WA L L TINKEBU TOYS

(page 96)

(page 100)

(page 103)

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MOVING STORY

F R O M L O N D O N TO FA L M O U T H Interview by Emma Fowle

Name: Cathy Rentzenbrink Age: 45 Moved from: London Moved to: Falmouth Job: Author I was born in Treliske hospital and we lived in Cornwall until I was five years old. My parents met on Custom House Quay. My dad ran away from home in Cork and joined the Merchant Navy; the first time he saw Falmouth, he’d been caught in a storm at sea. As they came into the harbour he saw the pastel-coloured houses and thought it was the most beautiful place in the world. We travelled a lot when I was little, but when I started school they decided to settle near my grandparents in Ponsanooth. Dad got a job as a tin miner at Mount Wellington and they thought they had settled forever.

When the tin mines closed, Dad got a job at Selby Coalfield in Yorkshire, so off we went.

We’d been daydreaming about moving back to Cornwall for years. We visited my grandparents a lot, so up until the time that my granny died when I was 12, I was in Cornwall every Christmas and every summer. Since my parents retired here ten years ago, we’ve been coming down every holiday. We’d have a brilliant time and every time we left, I’d wonder, “Why are we leaving?” I’d be walking down Falmouth High Street and looking in estate agents windows, thinking, “If we came down here, we could live in a house instead of a flat, maybe have a garden.”

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I was doing more and more freelance work and my husband, Erwyn, was running his own business. He was trying to do it out of one tiny little room and I was always falling over boxes. My last big chunk of work that meant I needed to be in London regularly came to an end and we just thought, “Why not?” We moved in August 2017, with our eight-year-old son, Matt.

I knew I wanted to live in Falmouth town. I really love the interesting mix of little shops on the high street. It’s arty and yet down-to-earth at the same time. Falmouth has year-round quality, probably because of the fact that it’s a working port. I like watching the comings and goings in the docks and marina.

For inspiration, I have definitely got something going on with the sea. I love Gyllyngvase beach, but everyone loves Gylly. I love sneaking down to Castle beach when nobody is there. I go up to Pendennis castle, find a place where you can see the sea and imagine all the other people through the ages that would have looked at this view. The maritime history is just so fascinating. I would definitely like to write some kind of Cornish historical fiction. I wander round Falmouth thinking up plots.

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Living in London, I continually had this feeling of scarcity. I spent a couple of years writing my books while working more than full-time. It was extremely enjoyable, but I did take my eye off the ball with my family. I wanted to steady off a little bit. Since coming down here, I am finding joy in a simple life. These days, I am always in pursuit of how to feel small in a good way. Even when it is raining here, there’s always something interesting happening in the sky. Being attuned to that and forcing myself outside every day to look at the sea coming in and out is monstrously good for me.

Cornwall is fascinating. There are lots of writers here, and lots of people that want to write. I interviewed Nina Stibbe and Sarah Winman at Waterstones Truro. That was so much fun. I really like having a proper bookshop too. I love popping in and out of the Falmouth Bookseller, and I’m signed up for Port Eliot festival this summer, which will be nice.

I am so obsessed with Falmouth that I just don’t want to leave. We don’t really do holidays. Erwyn is Dutch, and so we go to see his mum in Edam, Holland, but we don’t really go anywhere else. When you could come to Cornwall, why would you go anywhere else?

I would take a first-time visitor to St Mawes. It is a bit of alright, isn’t it? Fish and chips at the Rising Sun is just amazing. We ate a lot of fish and chips when we first arrived, excusing it as research. Also, I utterly adore the Pandora Inn we went there for my birthday in January.

Cathy Rentzenbrink is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Last Act Of Love. Her latest book, A Manual For Heartbreak is out now in paperback.

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G E T A L I F E – I N FA L M O U T H

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his deceptively spacious, semi-detached period town cottage (on the right in picture) in Arwenack Avenue offers much character and charm. Accommodation is located over four floors, with three bedrooms, a family bathroom, a lounge/diner, kitchen/breakfast room, a basement room (currently used as a children’s games room), further basement storage space, a utility room and separate WC. A staircase descends directly from the kitchen into the basement room and doorway through to the inner cellar store room. A covered accessway with outside storage leads to the garden, which is a secure enclosed rear garden area with a small open courtyard at the front.

This home is ideally suited to a family, or simply for those wishing to enjoy the benefits of town life. It enjoys fabulous views from the rear over the town towards the coastline of Flushing and Trefusis Point, Falmouth’s inner harbour and docks, and out to Pendennis Castle and the headland.

Guide Price £340,000 All enquiries to Lewis Haughton Wills

www.lewishaughtonwills.com

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PENPOL | RESTRONGUET CREEK | GUIDE £750,000 | EPC E

AERIAL IMAGE OF PENPOL

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PARC BEW & COTTAGES | ROSELAND PENINSULA | GUIDE £1.25M | EPC D | 7.5 ACRES COTTAGE 1

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The

outsider’s Guide to...

WORKING IN CORNWALL

Words by Amy Sheppard, portrait by Amy Cassidy

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hen we first started telling people that we were moving to Cornwall, the first question everybody asked was: “What will you do for work?” We used to mumble a few prepared sentences about my writing, and my husband, Paul, commuting back to London for freelance work. But in truth, we didn’t really have any idea.

When you’re planning a family relocation, you generally concentrate on the big three: house, school, job. We concentrated on the house and school part. Paul was working long hours in the film industry and as a writer, I was earning almost nothing. My first book was due out a month after we were planning to move, so my future income was somewhat unpredictable. The ‘earning money’ part seemed like a potential hurdle to our otherwise perfect dream.

So we did what all optimists do: we concentrated on the

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good bits, such as the carpet we would have in our new house and how pretty the walk to school would be. We actually became very good at ignoring the work conundrum altogether.

The only thing we did know about our financial future was that we didn’t want to carry on working in the same way we always had. Paul often left before the children woke up and got home after they were in bed. We were financially secure, and I was able to renovate our house – an asset that enabled our move to Cornwall – but it all came at a cost. The move was not just an opportunity to live in a place we loved, but a way to release the equity from our house and earn less.

We were very fortunate that a rise in house prices in the South East meant we had some savings to act as a bit

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Here are some things to consider: ► A lot of the work in Cornwall is seasonal and based around

of a buffer when we moved. It gave us much-needed breathing space as a family and a couple of months to find jobs. Paul found work at a local college, a job he really enjoys and that fits around family life much better.

My work as a writer means I can set my own hours and pick the kids up from school every day.

Do we earn as much money as we did in the SouthEast? Not even close. But Paul’s working hours have halved, and we go to all of the kids’ concerts, sports days and football matches, and can go to the beach after school. Without wanting to sound too clichéd, you really can’t put a price on that.

Follow Amy’s Cornish adventure on Instagram

@welliesandwetsuits

► ►

►

►

tourism, with a large part of income during the spring/ summer months. Consider whether your property would make a suitable holiday rental. Could you rent out an annexe, offer bed and breakfast or move into a caravan for the summer to free up your house as a holiday home?

Look at your finances. What’s the minimum salary you need to live – mortgage, bills, food? Can you cut back on anything, if only for a short time?

Cornwall wages are considerably lower than some other parts of the country. It’s important to remember when applying for jobs that you’re not moving here for the salary, but for the lifestyle. That might mean less money, but it will more than likely mean fewer hours and a greater quality of life.

There are a high number of self-employed workers in Cornwall. If your current work or skill-set can be transferred to self-employment, it’s a great way to gain flexibility and set your own work-life balance.

If you’re moving with a partner, consider one of you moving first. Being apart comes with its own pressure, but testing the water before you sell your house means that you’ll not only have greater financial security when you do decide to move, but also a better idea of what you want.

CORNWALL TODAY

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To view or request further information:

01326 270212

www.htiddy.co.uk

ST MAWES | price guide ÂŁ2,950,000

Distinctive detached Marine Residence, with foreshore and mooring, occupying private mature surrounding gardens, offering magniďŹ cent river & countryside views, conveniently located in exclusive coastal village.

Relatively level walk to village amenities and harbour.

Highly versatile and adaptable light and airy family sized accommodation comprising 6 bedrooms, 4 reception rooms, 5 bath / shower rooms. Detached chalet ideal as ancillary accommodation.

Triple Garage, well-tended gardens, parking / boat space.

Foreshore and Mooring. EPC - D.

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HAVE FUN AND AVOID LANDFILL WITH TINKEBU WOODEN TOYS Words by Kirstie Newton

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here’s a lot in a name, and the story of Tinkebu wooden toys is all about names. Take company founder Jaime Tinker, who was born in Honduras to English parents, who gave him a Spanish name as a souvenir. “It’s a stamp I’ve never quite been able to shake,” he smiles. And he’s Tinker by name, and tinker by nature, never happier as a child then when creating things in the workshop with his dad and brother. This love of making has transpired into Tinkebu, itself a combination of Jaime’s surname and that of his wife. “Natty kept her own name, Buist, when we married; her brother introduced us at our wedding as the Tinkebus, and it stuck,” he laughs.

Jaime, 31, came to Cornwall seven years ago, in pursuit of his then-girlfriend (now wife). Based in Truro, they now have a daughter – Tabitha, aged 18 months – and another baby due any day now, coinciding neatly with Jaime’s Crowdfunder campaign for Tinkebu. “It’s an exciting time to say the least,” he laughs, rather nervously.

Four years ago, Jaime did a woodwork course and made a few gifts for friends and family. A toy box for his niece lit the touchpaper for launching Tinkebu in earnest. “People kept saying, ‘You should be doing this for a living’,” he says. “Then when Tabitha came along, we were reluctant to fill the house with garish plastic, which seemed to be the main thing on offer.”

And so, following a few sketches in Jaime’s book, Hamish the Highland Cow rocker (£199) was born. Suitable for one to four-year-olds, this delightfully furry chap is now Tabitha’s most cherished companion, “although she now stands on his back like a rodeo cowgirl”.

As more friends had babies, so more toys came out of the Tinkebu stable, from tiny toy tractors (£20) to mini VW campervans (£18) and a mini-Angus roller cow (£49). Jaime

and Natty decided to brave the general public at Fowey Christmas Market, at which many a piece was sold and much constructive feedback taken on board. Future plans include a sheep pal for Hamish, using local fleece, and a baby gym with dangly toys.

In his role as researcher for Unlocking Potential, Jaime had an inside track into the best business advice – which turned out to be deceptively simple. “Just get on with it – a good idea will remain an idea until you put it into practice.” Meanwhile, Newquay-based Crowdfunder and domain specialist GoDaddy were looking to matchfund ten handpicked projects. Tinkebu was one, and the race is now on for Jaime to raise £2,000. The total will be used to fund equipment, show attendances and online presence.

Jaime is committed to sustainable manufacture; all toys are made from reclaimed beech or pine sourced from local salvage yards, and Jaime donates a portion of each sale to One Tree Planted, a reforestation charity that works around the globe to get more trees in the ground. “I wanted to move away from disposable culture and think about making a toy’s life longer by improving the quality. I’m waging war on plastic, one small cow at a time, and having some fun along the way.”

Call 07904 715352, or visit www.tinkebu.com Find the fundraising campaign at www.crowdfunder.co.uk

D I A R Y D AT E S ► April 6, 8am: Bank of England Breakfast, Cornwall Chamber

of Commerce at Penventon Park Hotel, Redruth. www.cornwallchamber.co.uk ► April 18: Cornwall Business Fair, Sir Ben Ainslie Sports Hall, Truro School. www.cornwallchamber.co.uk ► April 19: Cornwall Business Awards, St Mellion International Resort. www.cornwallbusinessawards.co.uk ► April 20, 3pm: HFC Networks Club with Unlocking Potential. @HFCNetworksClub

CORNWALL TODAY

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advertise your business in the uk’s best regional magazine contact 01872 271451

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wellbeing

THE LUCKY FEW

(page 106)

MINDFUL MOMENTS: ACT NOW

(page 110)

N O U R I S H : H A RV E S T YO U R E N E RG Y FA S H I O N W I T H R O O THE EXTRA MILE

(page 112)

(page 114)

(page 115)

THE SIX-MONTH SMILE

(page 116)

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PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DOWN’S SYNDROME SHOW PRIDE AND SOLIDARITY BY SPORTING A TATTOO Words by Ginette Davies, photographs by Sally Adams

LEFT: WAYNE ROBERTS TATTOOING BONNIE DAVIES

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BELOW: MEMBERS OF THE SUPPORT GROUP WITH TATTOOISTS WAYNE & JOHN

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never thought I would ever set foot inside a tattoo parlour, let alone actually go under the needle. But in February, I was among nearly 30 people from across Cornwall to take part in a mass inking. We are all parents in the Cornwall Down’s Syndrome Support Group (CDSSG), and along with other family members and a young person with Down’s Syndrome, we chose matching tattoos designed by an American mum.

Mica May, who has a child with Down’s syndrome, saw the arrows in a dream but did not initially understand their significance. She and three friends were tattooed with the symbol last year, calling it “The Lucky Few” after a book about Down’s Syndrome. It became a global movement – #theluckyfewtattoo – with other mums pointing out its symbolism.

Children with Down’s Syndrome, also called trisomy 21, are born with three copies of the 21 chromosome. This addition means they often have developmental delay, and it can put our children at greater risk of certain health conditions.

So Mica’s three arrows could represent the three sets of chromosomes. It’s also been suggested that the arrows are about rising up and moving forward: “We fly the highest after we have been pulled back and stretched, sometimes even more than we think we can bear.”

I have two daughters; the youngest, Elodie, will be three in April, and has Down’s syndrome. She is an incredible little girl and brings us so much joy, from her very cheeky laughter to her determination to overcome any obstacle. She has come on in leaps and bounds, and teaches us not only to celebrate the small things, but also to be patient.

I wanted to be able to help and support other families, so

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I became secretary of the support group. When a video of Mica’s story started appearing in our social media feeds two weeks ago, members of CDSSG all started tagging each other with a half-joking “Let’s do this!” Within a few hours, we had a Messenger group up and running, asking who was in, and lots of comments of ‘Me!’ and ‘Absolutely!’

So it was that I and 26 others – including 18-year-old Harley Jolley, from St Dennis, who has Down’s Syndrome – spent the day at Black Ink Rebellion studio in Newquay, where tattoo artist Wayne Roberts opened the studio especially for us, for free – he has done charity work for Bliss before to thank them after his child was born prematurely. “When I was offered to be part of this I jumped at it,” he said. “It puts tattooing in a more positive light - we are not all big scary men!”

By the time we got there we were all giddy with excitement (and a few nerves). Over the course of seven hours, Wayne and fellow artist John Dimery created individually tweaked designs, all incorporating three arrows stacked on top of each other. It was a new experience for around half of us, and to share it was incredible – that is what the support group is all about.

Emma Brown, from St Agnes – whose six-year-old daughter, Connie, has the condition – had her tattoo behind her ear. She said: “I always wanted one, but never had the courage to do it. The meaning of this tattoo is all about our children and the support we give to each other as a group. It feels really good.”

The support group is about parents supporting other parents – being there with advice, information or just a hand to hold or shoulder to cry on when things get tough. We also celebrate our children’s achievements together. The most

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RIGHT: KIMBERLEY MILNESBARKER AND GINETTE DAVIES BELOW: GINETTE AND ELODIE

marvellous thing about the group is that it is like an extended family – full of people who know many of the answers you are looking for, and also understand your situation before you even open your mouth!

This was a really uplifting occasion, and we even got to Facetime Mica May during the afternoon, which was an incredibly surreal but wonderful moment. To share the joy of what we did with her was very special.

Teri Hughes, from Four Lanes near Redruth, spent 14 years in the Royal Navy without succumbing to the tattooist’s needle. Her daughter Shannon does not have Down’s syndrome, but a rare disorder called 11q duplication; she is the only person in the UK to have it, and CDSSG gives her a great deal of support, hence her decision to have a tattoo incorporating both the arrows and the 11q.

Should anyone think we jumped on a bandwagon, none of us made this decision lightly. I certainly would not put something so permanent on my body for a whim. It is not simply saying: “My child has Down’s syndrome and she is wonderful.” For me, the tattoo more represents our unity as a group, and starts a dialogue – I have already had people asking what it means, making this a positive way to talk about our children and the condition, and dispel some myths.

It’s of even greater importance at the moment, with the introduction of a less invasive screening test for pregnant mothers which many feel this could lead to an eradication of Down’s syndrome. Expectant mums are not given the full facts about the condition, just negative, antiquated ones which will lead more to decide on termination – in Denmark

and Iceland, nearly all Down syndrome pregnancies are terminated. The new non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) will be offered to about 10,000 women a year who are considered to have a higher likelihood of giving birth to a baby with Down’s syndrome or two less common genetic conditions, Edwards’ and Patau’s syndromes.

A few members couldn’t join us on the day itself, but have had their tattoo on another occasion, so there are lots of us out there now with this simple, effective and beautiful tattoo.

what is Down’s Syndrome? ► Also known as trisomy 21, Down’s Syndrome is a genetic

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condition which occurs because a baby’s cells contain an extra chromosome – 47 instead of the usual 46. It is not an illness or a disease.

It can cause learning and development delays, but most children with Down’s syndrome will walk and talk, read and write, go to mainstream school and look forward to a semiindependent adult life.

On average, two babies are born with it each day in the UK, and one in every 1,000 babies will have the condition.

Although the chance of having a baby with Down’s syndrome rises with maternal age, the majority of babies are born to younger women, since the overall birth rate is higher in this age group.

Disco Beads in Mawgan Porth is selling a specially designed bracelet which gives a percentage of sales to Cornwall Down’s Syndrome Support Group. www.discobeads.com

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13/03/2018 11:16:09

WHY WAIT? ACT NOW! Words by Joanna Hulin of Horizon Inspired

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moved to Cornwall nearly three years ago now, drawn by the beach and a promise of a slower, more authentic way of life. It took me a while to get used to not having Pret on hand, and the fact that buses came every other hour rather than every other minute, and not being in amongst the buzz that seemed to both energise and drain me when I was a city-dweller; but I haven’t regretted the move one bit.

I remember sitting with a colleague in our swanky London Bridge office. She asked me if I was sure it was what I wanted. She told me that she, too, had a dream of moving to the South West one day, but when she was “like, 60 or something … to retire”. She was genuinely concerned that I would somehow be missing out on ‘life’ once I’d moved.

A few years on and my colleague’s fears seem even more ironic. Despite this, I have to admit that I have been surprised at the level of ambition, drive and creativity that exists in Cornwall. There are plenty of entrepreneurs working on innovative projects, all operating with the same level of oomph and determination we might associate with our bigger city friends – only they seem to

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actually be enjoying their life, too.

Perhaps it’s just that we are naturally more inclined to live mindfully here, thanks to the roar of the ocean or the silence of the mornings broken only by birdsong. This sense of space allows us to create a life that we really do love living. Or perhaps it is the sense of community that I struggled to find during my London years.

I have recently attended a number of events run by super-driven Alex Light, who founded and runs As One, a social purpose company that seeks to elevate the work of the movers and shakers, offering a platform for growth and success for those who are ‘getting stuff done’.

His series of ‘As One Talks’ highlights successful and inspirational Cornish businesses. He has set up a network of hungry, ambitious folk called The Dojo, as well as the monthly Market Cornwall to champion local makers and growers in his home village, Crantock.

I attended and spoke very briefly about meditation at a Dojo networking event recently. It was so refreshing to be in a room full of people full of purpose, passion and skill; people who had chosen a balanced life that they love, but who were not willing to compromise on their creativity,

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drive and passion.

It seems cafés, restaurants, galleries and theatre companies in Cornwall are easily the equal in quality of what we associate with comparable London organisations. These are people committed to offering current, vibrant, high-quality and authentic products, menus and experiences, while a synergy for themselves between enjoying a laidback coastal/ country lifestyle and this sense of entrepreneurship.

Don’t get me wrong – Cornish life isn’t for everyone, and most certainly requires a level of self-motivation to get up, out and seek out what you are looking for. I’m not claiming our way is the way. It’s just what I heard more of in London was of dreams: the “one day I will…”, “when I retire I’ll…”. What I find in Cornwall is, to generalise, people actually making things happen today, now – even if it’s small, considered steps toward their big goal. I’ve realised it’s not hearing people’s dreams that really excites and inspires me; it’s watching their actions, the dream becoming reality.

In truth, however, it has very little to do with London or Cornwall, and everything to do with us as individuals. I was surrounded by dreamers in London because I was one. I wasn’t happy because I wasn’t living the life I wanted to be

living. One thing I’m sure of now, as I step further into making my own dream a reality, is that the time will never be right in the future. You are never too old or too young. You will never feel you have enough money or time, but despite this only you are the creator of your dreams. Only you and the steps you take today will move you towards living your dream in the now.

So dream big, bigger, even bigger than that. Go on, add a cherry on top! Then realise you are in the driver’s seat. Start somewhere, anywhere, but don’t wait for the future to arrive in order to get going, because it never will. Soak up the ambition, the story and the examples set by your peers here in Cornwall.

Surround yourself by the do-ers, like those in the As One network. Introduce yourself, send an email, say hello to make the most of the Cornish community spirit.

Just don’t wait. Choose to live fully now.

www.theasonesite.com Joanna Hulin of Horizon Inspired offers mindful inspiration, articles, one-to-one support and retreats.

Follow her on Instagram @horizoninspired or visit www.horizoninsspired.co.uk CORNWALL TODAY

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13/03/2018 10:58:02

HARNESS YOUR ENERGY Words by Amanda Forster-Searle

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id you know that every cell in your body contains energy? Much research has proved that the human body is made up of energy, not just matter. The energy within our cells is referred to as many different things, such as life force, or chi in Chinese culture.

Energy healing is a holistic practice that activates the body’s subtle energy systems to remove blocks. By breaking through these energetic blocks, the body’s inherent ability to heal itself is stimulated.

Although various ancient cultures used different modalities to stimulate the body’s natural ability to heal, they all saw internal energy as a powerful force of good. I’d like to share with you some interesting facts on how energy healing can help us all.

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Reiki

Dating back to the early 20th century, reiki is the Japanese tradition of energy healing. The seven energy transmission centres of the body are described in many ancient texts; known as chakras, they comprise the Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, Third Eye and Crown. Meridians, the energy superhighways of the body, are the road maps on which traditional Chinese medicine practitioners base acupuncture.

You don’t have to be spiritual to benefit from energy healing

Just as you don’t need to understand the law of gravity before you can fall down, you don’t need to completely grasp the concept of energy healing before you dive into the practice.

I would recommend going in with an open mind for maximum benefit.

Any time is a good time to visit an energy healer. If you are stressed, anxious or physically drained, an energy healing session can help you relax and feel more balanced. If you’re already feeling good, it’s always

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possible to feel a little better! It’s important to note that energy healing is a complementary modality that shouldn’t exclude any Western medicine you may be taking.

Your energy at home

Just as you shower and brush your teeth every day, energetic cleansing should also be a daily commitment. Once you visit an energy healer, keep the good vibes flowing by taking a bath in Epsom or pink Himalayan salts for 20 minutes whenever you start to feel the heaviness creeping back into your body.

Smudging, or burning sage, also clears negativity from your aura. High-vibrational crystals have their own healing properties and can help give your energy field a boost.

How can energy healing benefit you?

► It clears stress and tension to allow deep relaxation. Stress is just not felt in our heads, but in our entire bodies.

► It accelerates the body’s natural ability to heal itself and increases

vitality. One way energy healers can support you is by being conduits of universal energy. Energy healers open themselves up as a channel to bring life force into the client’s body. This energy enables your own healing system to engage. ► It can help with acute injuries, chronic health issues and relieve pain.

The body’s natural state is health and vibrancy. It knows automatically how to heal itself. ► Dis-ease in the body often shows us what needs work and what we still need to learn. Because energy flows to where attention goes, it is a powerful force. Energy healing activates and energises the body’s natural ability to heal. Lower back pain can be a physical manifestation of fear, related to survival issues. Clearing the Root Chakra and kidneys of these blocks can bring much-needed relief over time.

► It helps clear negative emotional and mental thought patterns.

Unexpressed emotions can get stuck in the body, creating blockages.

Feed Your Chakras

You may have heard the saying ‘Eat the rainbow’. By eating many different colours, you eat a wide variety of nutrientrich foods. The Chakras each have their own related colour which is a good guide to follow:

Red: Root Chakra. Red apples, cranberries, beetroot and red lentils Orange: Sacral Chakra. Carrots, squash, sweet potato and oranges Yellow: Solar Plexus Chakra. Yellow peppers, banana, melon and turmeric

Green: Heart Chakra. Celery, courgettes, green apples and broccoli Blue: Throat Chakra. Blueberries, sloes, water and prunes Indigo: Third Eye Chakra. Acai, plums, aubergine and goji berries Violet: Crown Chakra. Blackberries, purple grapes, cabbage and purple potatoes

Energy healing can be extremely powerful at the same time as being relaxing and restorative. Whether it be to help your body to heal from something physical, or to clear emotional blockages from your past, all you need is an open mind.

Amanda Forster-Searle is an integrative wellness coach offering reiki healing, nutrition, stress reduction and crystal healing at Nourish Healing in Ladock, near Truro; and co-owner of Sandalwood & Sage Healing. www.nourishkitchen.net www.facebook.com/NourishKitchen CORNWALL TODAY

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fashion

WITH ROO CROSS I O F F I C I A L L Y D E C L A R E T H A T ...

spring is here!

Got any fashion dilemmas you’d like to share?

Email me and I can help.

ABOVE: Roo & Bex

ABOVE: Hartford Makeup Sun Yellow Jumper £129

shop@roosbeach.co.uk LEFT: Clarks Originals Ashton Yellow Shoes £95

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officially declare that spring is here!

My colleague Bex and I recently went to a talk and workshop run by Zoe, who blogs under the title of Dress Like A Mum. She’s got infectious, positive energy and doesn’t take life too seriously, which I think is an enviable quality and one that I am channeling. She was coaching us on how to be photographed. Most people hate having their photo taken; we generally make a fuss, don’t know what to do with our hands, look away, I try and replicate the pout my 15-year-old has perfected on Instagram – on me, it looks ridiculous! Zoe’s advice was: “Stand tall, look directly at the camera, smile and commit.” We did, and I liked the result: I looked confident, assured, positive and happy.

I’d like us all to take the same approach to spring fashion. Let’s just commit, stand tall and get on with it, with enthusiasm, excitement and no looking back. Fashion

should make us happy, bringing a smile to our faces and getting us excited. You can take it slowly - I’m not advocating jumping straight into dresses and sun tops with full exposure of pale legs and arms. Start with a pretty pastel knit which may just slip off one shoulder to get you used to having some flesh exposed. How about replacing black socks for gorgeous floral ones, just glimpsed between the bottom of your jeans and your shoes?

Put away dark denim for a few months and invest in a pale pair of jeans, so pretty paired with a yellow jumper, the perfect nod to spring.

I can’t tell you how many people come into the shop and say they can’t wear yellow. You can; you just need to find the right shade for you. It’s the perfect colour for now, radiating light, sunshine and happiness. It can’t fail to

lift your mood and make others smile.

Clarks Originals have just sent us these utterly gorgeous Ashton shoes; they mould to your foot, are as comfy as slippers and have a wonderful 1970s’ nostalgic vibe. They make even my huge size 8 feet feel rather dainty and feminine!

Finally, to help you make the transition, invest in a small bottle of St Tropez Whipped Mousse - the best fake tan I’ve ever used. You only need a tiny pump of this dark brown foam. Smooth it all over a clean face, making sure you blend it into your hairline and neck. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly with soap afterwards. The result is a wonderful, sun-kissed glow within an hour. Use it a couple of times a week, stand tall, look straight ahead, smile and commit.

You can find us opposite the beach at Porth, just outside Newquay. Keep an eye on the website or sign up to the newsletter for up-to-date information

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THE

extra mile WITH BECKY MILES TRIATHLON SEASON BECKONS

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ow spring is here, I finally feel like I’m ready to get back into training and put the tough winter weather behind me. As a keen triathlete, I’m always excited about April as it is when triathlon season starts, and I can get out training and racing again. This year is even more exciting as there are new triathlons taking place in Cornwall, the first being in Newquay on April 22, run by the evergrowing charity INTOTRI. With seven pool and open water triathlon events across Cornwall, the 2018 Cornish Tri Series is going to be the biggest yet. It will also be the first time a Cornish Mini Tri event is included in British Triathlon’s South West Tri Series (June 17 at Liskeard), having won British Triathlon’s award for best children’s event in the South West last year. This is another significant step to create a platform that allows children of all abilities to experience the thrill of triathlon and progress to the national championships. Over the coming years, INTOTRI is looking to grow these events into the biggest Junior Tri Series in the UK. With the introduction of the shorter Super Sprint distance

events, it is giving even more triathlon novices (aged 15+) a chance to give the sport a go. At the same time, innovative formats like the HEXA Tri on July 8 in Penzance (two stages, six disciplines, one event) and the UK’s first triathlon championships for surf life saving clubs (September 16, for kids and adults at Falmouth’s Gylly beach) will challenge the triathlon enthusiasts and serious athletes.

You can probably tell I’m very excited to have the opportunity to have a series of triathlons available so close to home. If you haven’t done a triathlon before, this is the perfect year to give it a go. The INTOTRI events are aimed at novices, so you’ll be well looked after, and if you sign up a family member to volunteer and help marshal, you’ll get a discounted entry into another event.

The sprint distance triathlons involve a 400m swim (all pool based except for an open water swim at Falmouth), a 15-mile bike ride and a 5k run. Go on, be brave and try a tri. You won’t regret it!

For a full list of events, visit intotri.com

Becky Miles Total Fitness Coaching | 07807 580204 | www.facebook.com/totalfitnesscoaching CORNWALL TODAY

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BRIGHTEN YOUR BEAM WITH WADEBRIDGE DENTAL

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nhappy with your smile? The good news is, it can be fixed; and, even better, you don’t have to spend months wearing outdated, uncomfortable braces.

Wadebridge Dental offers the latest in short-term orthodontic treatment: the Six Month Smiles®, a modern twist on tried-and-tested treatments, developed in the USA and now widely used across the UK. It is an effective method of straightening teeth that takes on average just six months, and can be used on teeth which are crooked, twisted or even gapped.

Principal dentist Dr Melissa Taylor explains the appeal: “Use of braces has shown to provide the most conservative and predictable final result when straightening teeth. The Six-Month Smile uses Lucid-Lok toothcoloured wires and brackets which are barely visible, making this a popular option for adults who may not want to wear a traditional ‘train track’ metal fixed brace.

“Patient Tray Kits ensure that appointments are fast and

comfortable, while the low forces and short overall orthodontic treatment times increase comfort, safety, and hygiene.” With prices starting at £3,000, a Six Month Smiles treatment is also typically less expensive than traditional braces, aligner therapy or veneers.

Alternatively, the practice is one of the few in Cornwall to offer Fastbraces treatments, a fully comprehensive orthodontic system to straighten teeth safely in the shortest possible time using clear or metal braces. Fastbraces aim to straighten your smile in 100 days - takes less than half the time of traditional braces.

Wadebridge Dental offers free opalescence teeth whitening, worth £350, when paying for either treatment in full, with 0% finance available over 12 months.

These are just two of the services offered by the practice; Botox and dermal fillers are also available, with convenient evening appointments available on a Tuesday and Wednesday.

Wadebridge Dental, 8 Park Place, Whiterock Road, Wadebridge, PL27 7EA | 01208 813816/816668 | www.wadebridgedentalcare.co.uk

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leisure

WA L K S C I L L Y

(page 120)

G E T O U T S I D E W I T H O R D N A N C E S U RV E Y WOOF GUIDE TO BEACHES

(page 124)

T H E A T R E : C A N VA S A N D R U M THE WRITERS’ BLOCK

(page 128)

(page 130)

BOOKS: THE CORNISH STORE’S CHOICE M U S I C : PA L O M A FA I T H

(page 122)

(page 132)

(page 134)

BACKALONG WITH PETE CROSS

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Walk

EXPLORE THE ISLANDS ON FOOT FROM APRIL 4 TO 14 Photographs courtesy of Visit Isles of Scilly

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alk Scilly, the spring-time walking festival on the archipelago, returns from April 4 to 14, and keeps on growing. This year’s festival, the twelfth, has been extended to 11 days and 37 walks.

Unspoilt and uncrowded, 28 miles south-west of the mainland, Scilly is known for endless white sand beaches, crystal-clear waters and exotic flora and fauna. There’s no better way to exploring the amazing scenery, wildlife and cultural heritage than with expert local guides bringing the treasures and hidden gems of each island to life.

New walks for this year include an energetic hike around the entire coastline of St Mary’s, a brisk walk to St Martin’s distinctive red and white Daymark, and the length of Tresco from north to south. There’s a sunrise stroll to a spiritual spot with a guided meditation, a sensory amble around St Agnes introducing island sounds and experiences, and a stargazing walk on St Martin’s – the perfect place to look up into unpolluted darkness and marvel at the Milky Way, planets and stars.

Young children will love the delightful story of The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch by Ronda Armitage, complete with mini-quests and a picnic lunch; Michael Morpurgo fans can follow in his footsteps across Bryher, finishing at a new mini-

Morpurgo exhibition in the island’s red phone box; and on St Mary’s, families can delve into Scilly’s fascinating rockpools and turn bat detective.

Of course, old favourites will return: uninhabited island adventures, food foraging forays, farm walks, sea safaris, wildlife discovery tours, beachcombing, top-to-toe rambles across all five inhabited islands and an insiders’ stroll around Tresco Abbey Garden.

There’s also an evening programme including a welcome party, acoustic folk nights at the Bishop & Wolf, a special evening at the Isles of Scilly Museum and a series of history and wildlife talks.

To book, phone 01720 620601 or email events@visitislesofscilly.com For the full festival programme, go to www.visitislesofscilly.com/walkscilly Walk Scilly 2018 participants can enjoy a

10% discount on travel to the islands through Isles of Scilly Travel – www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk Quote WLK18 when booking.

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BELOW: ZENNOR MOORS RIGHT: TRELISSICK

Get

CHARLOTTE MACKRILL FROM TRURO IS AN ORDNANCE SURVEY AMBASSADOR, HELPING TO HELP MAKE GREAT BRITAIN A MORE OUTDOORSY AND ADVENTUROUS NATION

As a child, I’d always choose being outside over staying indoors with my head in a book. I joined the Army Cadet Force, and went on to become an officer with them. I was an air force instructor for 10 years, and took a break to go to Costa Rica with Operation Raleigh. I led a 300km, six-week trek through the mountains and jungle. I didn’t want to go back to working in a classroom after that.

Today, I work with Truro & Penwith College, steering young people through their Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. I spent 10 years working with those in mainstream education – you have to get them out in the hills, working as a team, when they are more used to sitting in a classroom and studying for A levels. The skills I used in Costa Rica can be brought into my teaching, and the fact that I learned them in the jungle makes it exciting for the students.

I especially love working with those who have special educational needs (SEN) – students of different abilities and capabilities, with autism or behavioural issues. You have to be caring and compassionate. They learn about teamwork and understanding, and also about themselves. It’s the most rewarding thing you can possibly do. It’s fantastic to see them working together and independently, and it’s

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beneficial for them, without a doubt – their tolerance levels and self-confidence improve. When they are out there, they are equal and awesome.

I have my own woodland in Baldhu, near Truro, where I teach forest school sessions and bushcraft skills. In summer I put on adventure days for SENs. It’s when they most need it – with eight weeks off, their structure goes.

I get them outdoors, making things, doing things. The tasks might include lighting a fire, building a shelter from whatever materials you can find, or cooking and camping out overnight. I currently have 21 students training for their bronze expedition, and I’m showing them how to put a tent up and take it down.

As one of 60 GetOutside champions, Ordnance Survey (OS) was really asking me to do what I do every day of the week.

The initiative is all about helping more people re-engage with the outdoors, showing that it is enjoyable, accessible and safe for all ages and abilities. I’ll be given exclusive access to OS products before anyone else, including the latest digital mapping, and it’s introduced me to a fantastic network of people. At the launch, we met TV presenter/ adventurer Ben Fogle and endurance adventurer Sean

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Conway, and the other ambassadors include journalists, bloggers and authors who write about their adventures in Britain. They are all are amazing, and I’ve asked some to come and talk to my students.

I’m also a volunteer callout member and West section training officer of Cornwall Search and Rescue (Mountain Rescue). We work with the police force to search for people who go missing, if they are deemed at high risk or in a search area that needs crazy people like us to go out and find them, whatever the time of day and in all weathers. We’re available 24/7, 365 days a year, and get up to 50 call-outs annually. In September 2017, when a hiker fell 100ft down a mineshaft in Porth Nanven, near St Just, we were in attendance. But more often than not, these are people with dementia, or who are feeling despondent, so it can be challenging. While it’s great to find someone and fix them up with the help they need, it doesn’t always end that way, and you need to be prepared for that.

In February, I spent a chilly day on Penwith moors, putting potential search and rescue volunteers through their paces.

We tested them on first aid skills and navigation, and

realistic scenarios – a casualty who needs stretchering off the hill and carrying to the nearest ambulance point. There were 15 applicants, some in their twenties, others in their sixties. It’s not about age, though – it’s about experience and attitude. I was really impressed with all 15, not least for the fact that they all turned up despite such unforgiving temperatures. That’s the kind of commitment we need. In the end, 11 were selected for further training, while the others were given feedback and encouraged to reapply.

My favourite places to walk in Cornwall include the Lizard and West Penwith. I love the fact that they are remote and beautiful, with views both inland and of the coast, and they can be challenging. For an easy option, I’d recommend the woodland walk at Trelissick, near Truro. I go there with my dog and my nephews, who are nine and 11, to get them outdoors. At the moment, you can find lots of painted rocks hidden there. I think that’s a brilliant idea – anything that encourages kids to get outside.

To find out about Charlotte, follow her Twitter feed: @charlottejmmac Meet the 2018 GetOutside champions at www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getoutside

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t’s the time of year when the seasonal dog ban looms, but there are plenty of absolutely beautiful, huge, soft sandy beaches where dogs can run free all year round. Here are some of our favourites; for more, visit www.dogfriendlycornwall.co.uk 1. Blackrock beach, Widemouth Bay Three miles south of Bude, Blackrock beach has a car park, café, seasonal toilets and lifeguard cover. There are lovely walks along the coast path here too.

Location: EX23 0AW – 3 miles south of Bude Dog-friendly lunch: The Black Rock beach café Parking: Yes 2. Daymer beach Frolic with millionaires at this hidden gem of a wide, sandy, dunebacked beach at the head of the Camel Estuary at Rock and opposite Padstow. Drive directly to the beach, or from Padstow take the ferry to Rock and walk along the coast path. Best visited at low tide.

Location: PL27 6SA Dog-friendly lunch: Beach caé and the Rock Inn Parking: Yes 3. Porthcothan We’ll be honest, there are lots of beautiful, dog-friendly beaches on this stretch of coast, but we had to choose this one because it’s where they filmed Aidan Turner as Poldark taking his swim in the crystal cove!

Location: PL28 8PW Dog-friendly lunch: The Tredea Inn and Berryfields Farm are both dog friendly in Porthcothan.

4. Watergate Bay Home to award-winning eateries and host to international events from Polo on the Beach to the English National Surfing Championships, this beach is huge, popular and dog-friendly.

Location: TR8 4AA Dog-friendly lunch: You’re spoiled for choice but The Beach Hut serves brilliant burgers, steaks, fish and shellfish, all with sea views.

5. Fistral beach Newquay is perhaps the most popular holiday destination in Cornwall, and this is probably its most famous beach, home as it is to international surfing championships. It’s also dog-friendly all year round.

Location: TR7 1HY Dog friendly lunch: To the south of the beach, they take burgers and paninis to the next level.

woof guide 12 DOG-FRIENDLY BEACHES

Words by Viki Wilson of Dog Friendly Cornwall

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6. Perranporth Dogs are allowed on leads on Perranporth all year, but stroll north beyond the Watering Hole pub to Penhale Sands, and the beach is a wide expanse of soft sands where dogs can run free.

Pavillion Ice in the village even do dog-friendly ice cream Location: TR6 0ND Dog-friendly Lunch: The Watering Hole, a pub actually on the beach.

Parking: Yes, plus showers and toilets.

7. Portheras Cove Beyond St Ives near Pendeen lighthouse is a really beautiful hidden gem of a beach, kept clean by a keen local community group. Park at Pendeen lighthouse and follow signs.

Location: TR19 7TU Dog-friendly lunch: The North Inn in Pendeen welcomes dogs, and we highly recommend Heather’s coffee shop where dogs are allowed on leads.

8. Kennack Sands East Tucked just to the west of Lizard point are the sheltered sands of Kennack Sands. In summer, the western beach has a dog ban, but the lovely east side, accessible via a path from the car park, is dogfriendly and a short stroll from beach cafés and other facilities.

Location: TR12 7LZ Dog-friendly lunch: Choose between the two beach cafés on site.

10. Porthluney Cove This lovely flat beach is easily accessible from the car park behind it and overlooked by the majestic Caerhays Castle. The house and gardens are open to visitors from April to June.

Location: PL26 6LX. Dog-friendly lunch: There’s a beach café in the dunes behind the beach.

11. Talland Bay This lovely little cove between Polperro and Looe is home to Richard and Judy and a lovely space for dogs to play.

Location: PL13 2JA Dog-friendly lunch: There is a little café on the beach, and the nearby Talland Bay Hotel is incredibly dog-friendly and allows pooches in The Brasserie.

12. Whitsand Bay Overlooked by so many, the lovely three-mile stretch of sand on the western side of the Rame peninsula is a wide-open space where dogs can play all year round.

Location: PL10 1JU Dog-friendly lunch: The Eddystone Café at Tregonhawke beach welcomes well-behaved dogs.

9. Porthcurnick If you venture on to the Roseland peninsula and take a short stroll from Portscatho (or try your luck at Rosevine, where you can park on the road) you’ll find the beautiful Porthcurnick beach.

Location: TR2 5EW Dog-friendly lunch: The Hidden Hut beach café has made this spot popular with foodies and dog-lovers alike.

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classic cottages THE BEST GARDENS FOR DODGING THOSE APRIL SHOWERS Words by Kayleigh Hardy

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aster is arriving early this year, so we’re expecting it to be a little cooler than usual – but that’s still no excuse not to be outside.

The many gardens in Cornwall will be bursting into life, meaning your holiday will be nothing less than colourful.

However, Easter is a time for those notorious April showers to catch us all off guard. Pack a coat and a pair of wellies and head to one of these gardens, which have a little more overhead coverage and extra shelter (in the form of towering trees) where you can hide from the rain while also splashing in muddy puddles. Whether you’re visiting for Easter school holidays or a relaxing weekend away, release your inner child and play in the trees.

Naturally, the first port of call is the Eden Project.

There’s a host of outdoor gardens to see and even a sensory garden if it’s warm enough for bare feet, but the biomes are the place to go on a particularly wet day. Transport yourself to the rainforest and the Mediterranean for a small one-day-holiday treat and some extra warmth if it’s chilly outside. There are always activities during the school break, but if you’re visiting outside of the kids’ holidays, there are plenty of interactive displays to play with as you wander through the biomes.

The more adventurous among us love Glendurgan for splashing in muddy puddles. It has lots of hiddenaway places to explore – we love the giant’s swing and the old school house. At the bottom, Durgan beach makes this the perfect all-rounder for garden-lovers and beach babies. It’s also a great excuse to get your wellies wet even if you’re visiting on a dry day.

Trewidden has a fantastic fern forest that makes you feel like you’re in a jungle, so play pretend with the kids and go on a safari or keep things real and go on your own Cornish creepy-crawlie hunt. If you’re looking for some local history, the ferns are in a bomb crater left from a Second World War air raid on Penzance. There are loads of trees for overhead cover from any passing showers, and a cosy café for a hot cup of tea.

Choose a holiday cottage with a vibrant garden on the doorstep and you won’t need to go far to get closer to nature. In south-east Cornwall, Lady Emma’s Cottage stands alone on the edge of the Mount Edgcumbe estate with its own garden, a bubbling hot tub where you can relax under the stars and a footpath down to a shingle beach. This rural retreat makes a great base for your holiday in Cornwall but once you get here, you might decide that you never want to leave.

Classic Cottages have been holiday cottage specialists for the West Country since 1977, finding homes that make great holidays. www.classic.co.uk

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oll up! Roll up! Step right this way ... The date is September 11, 1967 and The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour pulls into the seaside town of Newquay. Devoted fan Sandeep Chaudary, owner of the New Balti House, finds himself intricately caught up with their visit. Events lead not only to him meeting John, Paul, George and Ringo, but also to a global tour with friends and family on the incredible Balti-Celtic carpet ride. It’s a life-changing event for everyone,

showing how the past has affected both the territories of Cornwall and India.

Post-colonialism meets pop in The Incredible Balti Celtic Carpet Ride, the latest play from the pen of St Austell writer Dr Alan M Kent. Wildly imaginative, it takes as a starting point the true story of the Fab Four’s visit to Cornwall to film part of the experimental movie Magical Mystery Tour, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. The band spent three days being filmed in and around the town, including the Huer’s Hut, Porth, Watergate Bay, Holywell Bay, Tregurrian, Fistral Beach and the famous Atlantic Hotel on Dane Road, where they stayed for three nights.

The play is produced by Gwary Teg Theatre, which focuses on Cornish language, dialect, culture and identity – Gwary Teg being Cornish for ‘fair play’. Alan is an award-winning playwright whose work includes The Tin Violin, Surfing Tommies, Oogly as Sin and National Minority. Of The Incredible Balti Celtic Carpet Ride, he says: “This is a play I have had in my mind for about ten years, and I finally got around to writing it.

It’s been a lot of fun, and I know audiences will delight in this fusion of Cornish and Indian culture.”

Director Iga Drzymkowska adds: “Alan’s put some great comic writing in this piece. We’ve given Cornwall a kind of Bollywood makeover, bringing together the Celtic and Indian.”

Touring the length of Cornwall from March 30; for a full list of dates and venues, call 01726 879500 or visit www.crbo.co.uk

A tree for Will The Lost Gardens of Heligan marks the centenary of the death of gardener Will Guy with a weekend of commemoration, storytelling and song on April 21 and 22.

As 2018 marks the Year of Remembrance and 100 years since the end of the First World War, Heligan celebrates the lives of the ‘lost gardeners’ brought to life

in the poignant book A Song For Will.

Join storyteller Jenny Beare, singer Tanya Brittain, author Hilary Robinson and illustrator Martin Impey. A tree planting ceremony will take place in the presence of Will’s relatives on Saturday, April 21 at 4pm in the Sundial Garden.

For further details, visit www.heligan.com

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CLIMB ON BOARD A SAILING SHIP WITH NORTHSOUTH THEATRE Words by Kirstie Newton

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heatregoers buying a ticket for Canvas and Rum

by NorthSouth Theatre should be prepared to hoist the mainsail. The performance takes place on the Kajsamoor, the Estonian ketch moored in Charlestown harbour, and audience participation is on the agenda.

“We will get them moving, hauling ropes and pulling oars,” says actor Steve Kelly, looking quite serious but with the hint of a smile on his lips.

The play begins with Steve seeking passage on board a whaling ship, to escape arrest following the riots that swept through Falmouth in 1810. Packet ship sailors mutinied when customs officers confiscated private goods intended for sale overseas and regarded by the crew as legitimate perks. On board, he meets grizzled old seadog Jason Gerdes, who shows him the ropes and has much to teach him about the important things in life.

There are mysteries to be revealed: Old Shellbacker, as he is known, has a package for his sister, the contents of which won’t be revealed until the play’s conclusion. And Steve’s character remains unnamed until a significant moment in the play – with unexpected consequences.

“It was intended to be poignant, but during the first performances, we found that audiences found his name

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highly amusing, so we worked on that,” says Jason.

The novice sailor is blissfully unaware of the many superstitions at sea, and keeps Old Shellbacker on his toes.

“Every five minutes, I fall foul and Jason says ‘Don’t do that!’” laughs Steve. “There’s also a lot of talk of ‘crossing the line’ – the equator, when much fun was made of the ‘virgin’ sailors who had never been to the southern hemisphere – and the women of Rio.” Jason and Steve are joined in the production

by Emily Woodman (Rogue Theatre) in female roles including the shanty singer’s favourite lady, Sally Brown.

The Kajsamoor is the perfect venue for creating the right atmosphere, with action taking place up on deck and also down below. “It really does feel like you’re out at sea,” says Jason. Stairs will be involved, seating will be minimal and rustic, and space restrictions mean audience sizes will be kept to a maximum of 50. Food will be available courtesy of Keep Cornwall Fed. Steve and Jason met at a Hall For Cornwall workshop four years ago and, finding they shared a similar sense of humour, vowed to start their own company together. Jason hails from Yorkshire, while Steve has “lived in Corwnall the longest I’ve ever lived anywhere,” hence the name NorthSouth Theatre.

“Our friend Shazz Andrew, of Scary Little Girls, encouraged us and even booked us a slot at Penlee Park in Penzance – which meant we had to come up with a production, fast,” recalls Jason.

That show was the First World War drama Pals, which launched in 2014 and returns for the centenary of the end of the war, touring the country in April before playing at the Minack from May 1 and 2, where the pair will be joined by Camborne Town Band and directed by Jason Squibb. While on tour, Jason will be working hard on the next production, taking the seven deadly sins as his inspiration.

Canvas And Rum runs on board the Kajsamoor, Charlestown Harbour, from April 2 to 6 at 4pm and 7pm. www.crbo.co.uk Pals is on tour, playing at the Minack Theatre on May 1 and 2. www.minack.com

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IDEAS

FROM THE

ATTIC A MINI-FESTIVAL AIMS TO INSPIRE THE RELUCTANT WRITER Words by Olivia Lowry, photographs by Steve Tanner

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he greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.” Roald Dahl’s words from his last children’s story, The Minpins, could have been perfectly penned for The Writers’ Block. Residing in the midst of Cornwall College Camborne, this is a real space as magical as Narnia, Oz and Wonderland together, and to experience it is every bit as transformative.

This “curious new world” created by writers, teachers, theatre-makers and artists is carefully curated by KEAP (Kernow Education Arts Partnership) and The Story Republic.

The Writers’ Block came to life when KEAP director Amanda Harris and Annamaria Murphy, of Kneehigh Theatre and the Story Republic’s artistic director and lead writer, decided to tackle the issue of writing in schools. “With the educational focus on the importance of grammar, writing becomes dry and difficult for children,” Amanda explains. “They begin to feel remote from both the joy of writing and from stories.”

The consequences are often profound and far-reaching.

Children – especially boys – and young people who experience this become reluctant writers. They may understand the technicalities of writing, but simply think they have nothing to say. They have lost the confidence in

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their own voices and as such, become distanced from their imaginations and all the freedom that can bring.

It is exactly this access which The Writers’ Block is created to unlock. One of the key architects of this was Bill Mitchell, founder of Wildworks Theatre, who passed away in April 2017.

Designer, theatre-maker and pioneer in landscape theatre, Bill joined the team as the consultant designer. Together they explored the idea of what a classroom could be if it wasn’t a school room. This carefully considered liberation takes the students on both a literal and an inspirational journey.

The first section of The Writers’ Block is dark and mysterious. The students discover the space with torches, tracing its treasures and unfolding its secrets – the centre of which is Bill’s magnificent Cabinet of Curiosities. Originally commissioned for Kensington Palace, it is an object of incredible beauty and wonder, riddled with hidden drawers and cupboards, each revealing a miniature universe of objects inside. Worlds upon worlds of stories waiting to be told.

Next, they are guided through a corridor of wardrobes, all with more universes insides, before stumbling Narnia-like through a rack of coats into the light, bright and airy space to write. By this point, the desire to put pen to paper is fizzing at

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ABOVE: ANNAMARIA MURPHY LEFT: STORY REPUBLIC

their fingertips. In this space, there are no set desks: bean-bags, cushions and cozy corners are all available, even the floor. More crucially, there are no wrong answers and no critiquing. The decision of where to sit is about the students taking ownership of their own creativity and not simply doing as instructed.

Removing the barriers of right and wrong, and the threat of the red marker pen, gives the children permission to turn off their inner critique. “They love it. For those reluctant writers it’s revelatory,” says Amanda. “It’s very moving.”

The writing space is not only full of natural light but it is also decorated with stunning illustrations by Story Republican Keith Sparrow of famous authors and inspirational quotes from their texts. “I am immensely proud of The Writers’ Block,” adds Anna. “I wish I’d had a place like it when I was at school. I go and write there sometimes myself, watched over by Causley and other writers who are probably the reason I started to write anyway.”

These visual cues enhance the feeling of support. Struggle or strive, you are always in good company. The often solitary act of writing transforms into a network and community.

Becoming this kind of creative and cultural hub is the other important aim of The Writer’s Block – a hub for the ‘curious

cultured’, for spoken-word, emerging theatre, storytelling, illustration and writing. The Writers’ Block offers an everexpanding menu of professional workshops for young people and adults alike.

All this creative energy is encapsulated in the mini-festival Ideas From The Attic, exploring Bill Mitchell’s creative process as well as his lasting cultural legacy. It is an extraordinary opportunity to gain insight and inspiration from a masterstoryteller. With his background in visual arts, Bill would create theatre by taking things and putting them in boxes, moving them constantly to produce an ever-evolving merry-go-round of stories to be constructed, explored and constantly played with.

Ideas From The Attic will offer a symposium of speakers, writers and publishers. “It will be an exchange of ideas and inspirations, a place to talk and inspire and have conversations in our busy world,” says Anna. “It is very fitting that it is inspired both by Bill’s attic and the man himself, as he helped realise The Writers’ Block”.

Ideas From The Attic will run from April 20 to 22.

Find out more at www.thestoryrepublic.co.uk/events

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1. Naughty Nicky And The Skullduggery Crew

3. Tin Tin An Kanker Ha’y Dhiwbaw Wrek

by Colin and Gail Miles, £5.99

(The Crab With The Golden Claws) by Hergé, £7.99

Meet the Pudwinks who live aboard the Oggy, a pirate ship with a Kernow twist and a lovable ginger moggy. Set in fictional Penpudland, this rhyming tale introduces younger readers to Naughty Nicky, a lovable rogue with a love for milk and cookies, and his crew: the Pudwinks, from the land where pixies play.

Created by the great Belgian cartoonist and originally published in 1941, this is the second Tin Tin book to be published in Cornish. A4 size, in full-colour cartoon format.

2. Osborne’s: Falmouth’s Unique

Photographic Family, by Peter Searle, £14.99 In 1880, Ernest Alfred Osborne embraced the new and exciting technology of photography, which was the start of four generations and over a century of Osborne photography. Ninety years were spent in Falmouth’s Arwenack Street, just two doors down from the Cornish Store! After a devastating fire in 1962, Ernest’s grandson, Brian, decided to preserve 1,500 photographs, calling the collection Images Of The Past. This fascinating book

by Falmouth History Archive volunteer Peter Searle showcases a small selection.

4. A Dozen Dramatic Walks In Cornwall

by James Clancy and Simone Stanbrook-Byrne, £6.99

This guide takes you to the most spectacular scenery the Duchy has to offer, contrasting majestic coastline and moorland with delightful villages and pockets of verdant woodland. Twelve outstanding circular routes are illustrated by stunning photography, with clear directions and suggestions for refreshment stops, places to stay and nearby places of interest. Routes begin in Trebarwith Strand, Helford, Polzeath, Zennor, Talland Bay, Bodmin Moor, Boscastle, Chapel Porth, St Anthony Head, Bodinnick, The Lizard and Treen.

getREADING SEVEN BOOKS WITH A CORNISH THEME, ALL ON SALE AT THE CORNISH STORE IN FALMOUTH Chosen by Keven and Anne Ayres

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5. Walks In The Footsteps Of Cornish Writers

7. Marli’s Tangled Tail,

by Sue Kittow, £8.99

by Ellie Jackson, £6.99

Twenty walks, each associated with different writers connected to Cornwall, from Derek Tangye’s Minack Chronicles in Lamorna, West Penwith, to the Reverend Stephen Hawker at Morwenstow, near Bude.

Sue Kittow offers a fascinating insight into contemporary authors and their favourite places. Some, such as John Betjeman, are buried in the county, while others, like Philip Marsden, use regular walks as a valuable part of their writing day.

The second book by Looe author Ellie Jackson is a true story about a little puffin who gets more than she bargained for while hunting for food.

This delightful bedtime story delivers an important educational message about the importance of looking after our precious planet, helping children to understand the link between discarded plastic and the harm it can cause to wildlife.

6. The Man Engine Remembers,

by Will Coleman and Brian Hosking, £9.99

Back in summer 2016, the hearts and souls of men, women and children were captured by the unusual sight of the largest mechanical puppet ever constructed in Britain, steaming the length of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. This poignant children’s book by Man Engine creator Will Coleman includes beautiful illustrations by Brian Hosking, and features young protagonist Billy Crago learning more about Cornwall’s industrial heritage with the help of the colossal engineering miracle.

Whichever book you choose, mark your page with a leather bookmark in Cornish blue and white with One And All logo (£2.50), designed and made exclusively for The Cornish Store.

The Cornish Store 11 Arwenack Street, Falmouth, TR11 3JA 01326 315514 or buy online at

www.thecornishstore.co.uk

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inspired

HOW CORNWALL PLAYED A PART IN PALOMA FAITH’S NEW ALBUM, THE ARCHITECT Words by Lee Trewhela

“

A

bsolute nonsense.” That’s the first thing Paloma Faith says to me. This country’s most engaging pop star hasn’t gone rogue and revealed herself to be more Hackney harridan than likeable Londoner. I’d simply asked her if the rumour I’d heard about her buying a house in Cornwall was true.

And as for Mousehole, where she was supposed to have descended? “I’ve never heard of it!” she hoots (with apologies to the good people of Mousehole). “People completely overestimate how much money I’ve got; if these rumours were true I must have 20 houses by now. I only need one like everybody else.”

I was speaking to the singer-songwriter as her fourth album, The Architect, was due to go double platinum – a feat that will make her the first British woman whose first four albums have all gone double platinum. “Thank God Adele takes her time!” she laughs.

Paloma will plays Live In The Wyldes, near Bude, on July 8.

Her last visit to Cornwall proved a direct inspiration on the album: “I felt totally inspired by my visit to the Eden Project.

In fact, I wrote the title track, The Architect, after Tim Smit told me loads of stuff that blew my mind. I felt the humanity of the place and it fed into that song and the feel of the whole album.”

The very classy album, her first UK No 1, is a slightly different beast for Paloma. The modern update of that Motown/girl group sound is still there, if improved this time around, but it’s the lyrics that stand out in these troubled times. “I thought it was time to be more sociopolitical: political with a small ‘p’. Politics really needs to be modernised – it’s an absolute mess.”

Indeed, on the surface, a song like Guilty sounds like an old-fashioned lost-love ballad, but dig a bit deeper and it’s actually a reflection on the Brexit vote from the perspective of a regretful Leave voter, while Crybaby ponders whether

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war would cease to exist if men successfully dealt with their emotions.

“I love Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On for that – you get into the groove and want to make a baby … and then you realise it’s about Vietnam,” added Paloma. “This time around I wanted to write about the world outside rather than what’s in my own mind. There is so much that’s unjust and morally wrong in the current climate.”

Her UK tour, with its Cornish date, will be a bit different.

“A lot of my shows have been retro and nostalgic, which I still really like, but the next tour will be all about the modern day and looking at a better future. There will be an emphasis on modernity. I have a very loyal fanbase who come to more than one date on a tour and they definitely want to see a new angle and something different.”

I told Paloma that with this album’s set of rousing songs, which often veer towards Bond theme territory, she’s this generation’s Shirley Bassey. “Shirley actually told me that herself. I felt so happy!”

Having said that, Paloma is unique. There is no other pop star who is currently singing her kind of songs or imbuing them with such political honesty. She agrees: “I rang my manager yesterday for a bit of an insecurity pep talk, and he told me I do things my own way and shouldn’t compare myself with anyone else. Being in my own avenue has been quite a weird, slow and steady path. I’ve never had a major peak or major crossover.

“I’m like a slow-cooked lamb shank,” she concludes. But with added rosemary jus, I told her. Our chat ended with THAT laugh ringing in my ears.

Paloma Faith plays Live In The Wyldes, near Bude, on Sunday, July 8. For further information and to purchase tickets, visit www.intothewyldes.com

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By Hannah Beech

Where’s it to?

Can you guess the identity of this popular Cornish location, as portrayed by illustrator Hannah Beech? Look out for cheeky clues hidden within the picture. To be in with a chance of winning an A3 print (unframed), email your answer to Competitions@ cornwalltoday.co.uk See more work at hannahbeech.com or pick up a print from her Etsy shop, MerryAndBrightUK

Wonderful Cornish words

by Adam Jacot de Boinod

Can you guess what the correct meaning of the following words from both the Cornish language and Cornish dialect:

A) the sting of a bee B) benumbed, moving as if benumbed C) a baby’s tooth

Competition winners (Feb 2018)

Adam Jacot de Boinod was a researcher for the television series QI and is the author of The Meaning Of Tingo And Other Extraordinary Words From Around The World, published by Penguin Books.

Dick Twinney: A Tedford, Street | Where’s It To? (Truro): R Cairns, Colchester

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WITH PETE CROSS

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ALWAYS GET FIVE PEOPLE ON YOUR PUB QUIZ TEAM…

ou may have seen an article in the papers last month about a survey that revealed how stupid the British public are. Out of 1,500 adults, 30% didn’t know where Stonehenge is. The fools. Ten per cent thought that Pudding Lane is where the Beatles recorded their first album, and not the site of the start of the Great Fire of London! And most appalling was the fact that…brace yourself…more than one in ten did not know that Land’s End is in Cornwall. Yes! Honestly, what are we like?

So in the interests of this article, I set about researching just how dim we are in this country, and maybe even find out how we rank on the global thicko scale. Via Google, obviously. I very quickly came unstuck when I discovered there’s a world of conflicting information out there. India apparently tops the most recent Ipsos Index of Ignorance, whatever that is, stealing the dubious crown from Mexico. And several websites have it that only half of adult Americans can identify New York on a map. There’s a lot of that sort of thing on the internet. Take it with as big a pinch of salt as you like.

Let’s forget Google. Anecdotally, I’m often surprised to find that someone doesn’t know something I expected them to know. But I’m just as often impressed to find that they do know something about which I’m ignorant (for example, how to construct that last sentence more clearly).

I well remember many years ago chatting to a young local chap sitting next to me on a Greyhound bus in Manitoba – that’s in Canada, you idiot, didn’t you know? I was thoroughly absorbed in an interesting conversation with this apparently intelligent chap, right up to the point when he amazed me by suddenly saying: “So, you’re from Britain, eh? What language do you guys speak there?”

Anyway, back to that survey. The papers were making out that the results were all terribly embarrassing. But instead of being appalled that one in ten people don’t know where

Land’s End is, I think we should be celebrating the fact that nine in ten people do! After all, there are people out there who’ve never been to Cornwall. Let alone Land’s End. So why would we expect everyone to know exactly where it is?

Let’s not be too hard on ourselves – we all have gaps in our knowledge. One of the questions in the survey was about the location of Antony Gormley’s vast winged sculpture, the Angel of the North. I had no idea what county it’s in. Does that make me disappointingly dim? Should I hang my head in shame, now that I’ve just discovered it is, in fact, in Tyne and Wear (a place I’ve never been)? Ask Professor Stephen Hawking for some cupcake ideas, or to name the Kardashians, and let’s see how clever he is. Personally, I’m pretty good at identifying plants and birds and motorcycles, but ask me to identify a professional footballer, or a Star Wars character, and I haven’t got a clue.

No one can be expected to know everything about everything, but you can bet that we all know quite a bit about something. If you see what I mean. This is why you want at least five people on your pub quiz team. Do you think that QI presenters Stephen Fry or Sandi Toksvig really do know everything about all those quirky subjects? I’d be willing to bet they’d be a lot less smug if you took their notes away. Let alone their research team.

I should say at this point that a handful out of the 1,500 people doing the survey apparently thought that the Angel of the North isn’t a sculpture at all, but a Michelin-starred restaurant. Also, some thought that Land’s End wasn’t anything to do with Cornwall, but a location in Game of Thrones. Which is, granted, pretty bad.

But honestly, you can’t help some people.

The second anthology of Pete’s Backalong columns, Notes From A Cornish Shed – Another Shedload is out now in paperback and eBook.

Facebook: Pete Cross Backalong www.petecross.co.uk

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