The Link Winter Edition 2022

Photo: Phil Blake

www.stminverlink.org

Editor & Chair Morwenna Vernon morwenna@stminverlink.org 01208 880714

Editorial Barbara Le Main barbara@stminverlink.org Distribution George Morris george@stminverlink.org 01208 862827

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Endelienta

Events at St Endellion

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - Christmas Classics

Friday 9th December, 7pm St Endellion Church

£12 | Accompanied under 16s free

This December, join Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for a special Christmas themed concert. A midscale chamber ensemble of exceptional musicians will be performing a programme of wellknown festive tunes and wintery Christmas classics for all the family.

K’antu Ensemble

Saturday 14th January, 7.30pm St Endellion Church

£12 | Free for accompanied under 16s

Founded in 2012 by Ruth Hopkins, K’antu Ensemble explore the less-trodden territories of early music, combining elements of folk and world music with historically-informed techniques.

The People’s String Foundation

Friday 27th January, 7.30pm St Endellion Church £12 | Free for accompanied under 16s

The brilliant south-west based band, People’s String Foundation, bring together a heady mix of passionate theatrics, artisan flavours and world beats. Tickets available at: http://endelienta.org.uk

Church Services

Information can be found for both the North Cornwall Cluster and the Wadebridge Parish by checking the relevant websites: northcornwallclusterofchurches.org.uk wadebridgeparish.org.uk

Hello again! Holidaymakers often ask, ‘But what do you do in the winter?’ and it always makes me chuckle as this issue will demonstrate. There is so much going on in this area all year round. We really are very fortunate so make sure you keep your Link so that you don’t miss out!

I particularly enjoy interviewing for the ‘Business Spotlight’ feature and the ‘Featured Chef’. Meeting people with a passion for their chosen profession who are able to run successful businesses while living in this beautiful part of the world is very inspiring and this issue features two such individuals.

The incredibly mild autumn has meant that gardens are flourishing again after the prolonged drought, I don’t think I usually have to continue regularly mowing the lawn at this time of year. I’m sure there’s some garden folk lore about a mild autumn being followed by a hard winter, but let’s hope it doesn’t happen. With soaring energy prices, we all hope that the winter is short and by the time the spring issue of Link is out, on the 1st March, we can plan our spring and summer activities. In the summer issue, I warned that the price of Link was going to have to rise due to increased printing costs and I’m afraid the spring issue will be £2 and the subscription costs for those who have their Link posted, is going up to £16 per year. We are not planning any more price increases for the foreseeable future and hope you will agree that the Link is still good value for money. We’ll be back in 2023 and wish you all a very happy festive season and happy healthy New Year! Morwenna and all the Link team

Hand-made to last a lifetime, our Shepherd Huts are made by craftsmen who love what they do.

Built in our workshop near Pencarrow House, each piece of wood is carefully considered and lovingly put together to create a Timeless Space which can be enjoyed for generations.

Our Timeless Shepherd Huts, Glamping Pods and Bespoke Huts are all made from locally and ethically sourced timber.

County Award Success for Avalon Youth Theatre of Wadebridge

Avalon Youth Theatre received a total of six nominations for the Cornwall Drama Association awards following the fantastic production of The Addams Family in February 2022. They won three awards.

• Best Set- Well deserved for the hand crafted structure, made by a small team of volunteers. The set rivalled that of a professional theatre.

• Best Choreography- Liv Crook, a former Avalon member, received the accolade after the adjudicators were impressed with the excellent movement and dance produced by the cast throughout.

•

Best Musical Production

All entries were considered of an extremely high standard. Avalon Youth Theatre have won this award from the Cornwall Drama Association for two consecutive productions; Cats and The Addams Family. The next production, Matilda Jnr, will be showing at Wadebridge School during February half term 2023; tickets go on sale in December, online via Cornwall Riviera Box Office. www.avalonyouththeatre.co.uk

Wadebridge Sports & Leisure Centre

Volunteers with Vision

When Wadebridge Sports and Leisure Centre was threatened with closure, a group of volunteers joined forces as The Friends of Wadebridge Leisure Centre (FOWLC) to protest the decision. Ultimately they set up a community interest company to bid for the contract to take over the site and run it for the good of the community. Mayor of Wadebridge, Amanda Pennington, spearheaded the campaign to save the centre back in October 2021 and after nearly a year, the FOWLC officially took over on 1st September 2022. Since then, the transformation of this much-loved community centre has been nothing short of remarkable.

Under the leadership of FOWLC and newly promoted GM Tom Mutton, the centre has had a mini makeover boosted by two successful volunteer evenings. Visitor use and memberships have increased dramatically and the buzz throughout the building

is palpable. “We have been blown away by the community support,” explains Scott, the centre’s Chief Operating Officer, “it's great to see so many people active and enjoying sports and fitness. The adult fitness timetable has doubled with 12 new classes added to cater for all abilities from aqua fit to boxercise. The reception team, phoneline and Saturday birthday parties have been reinstated and the gym space has been completely reimagined with new equipment purchased and staff hired. “During the daytime over 700 secondary school children use the sports hall each week and in the evenings the centre is now home to 12 different sports clubs from karate to roller hockey,” adds Emma, the FOWLC Business Strategist. “We are working closely with the schools and health care providers to ensure we remain inclusive.”

The pool-side numbers are equally impressive with four hundred children now enrolled in the centre swim school, with new baby and parent and adult lessons added. Twelve primary schools signed up for statutory swimming lessons and over four hundred Year 7 and 8 secondary school pupils will start swimming lessons in the spring term to bridge the skill gap caused by Covid

lockdowns. “Living by the sea, as we do, it was a priority to ensure that our local children should be safe in the water,” explains Ben Harbour, Chairman of the Polzeath Surf Life Saving Club.

The FOWLC has proved the appetite is there, and the group will continue to expand the centre’s timetable, upgrade the facilities, and host community events for all ages. However, the current energy crisis is taking its toll, so the next challenge is to install solar and thermal water panels on the roof to reduce the centre’s immediate energy costs. FOWLC need c.£250,000 to be able to do that, and they need to do it quickly before the business energy price cap is lifted in March.

The FOWLC is running a fundraising campaign and asking for donations from local businesses and individuals to help them safeguard the future of the centre. Please visit their website to support them. www.wadebridgeslc.co.uk

Wadebridge Choral Society’s Christmas

Wadebridge Choral Society was founded over thirty five years ago and has grown into a choir that has performed three concerts every year since then. Needless to say, Covid-19 put a stop to rehearsing and performing and the members kept in touch so that in 2021, the Choir was able to reform and prepare for a summer concert. Numbers were small at this stage, with many unsure of the wisdom of joining a large group. In the event, with the proper precautions taken, the spring concert went ahead successfully – and the Choir was back in business.

Keys to the success of the choir are a dedicated committee and the inspirational Director of Music, Nicholas Danks, a widely experienced choral conductor and formerly Director of Music at St Martin in the Fields, London. Two further concerts have taken place since then, the latest, this summer, featuring ‘A

Cornish Cantata’ composed by David Briggs for the Choir’s 25th anniversary, for choir and orchestra, but on this occasion with Paul Foster accompanying on piano. A great success. With the Choir now back to full strength, the Christmas concert will take place at Egloshayle Church on Saturday December 17th. The two major works will be Poulenc’s wonderful ’Gloria’, and Karl Jenkin’s ‘Joy to the World’. There will be lots of carols, of

course, some for the choir and others for all to join in. All in all a proper preparation for Christmas.

Tickets will be on sale at The Wadebridge Bookshop, and will be available from Choir members and on the door on the day. This promises to be a popular concert, so book early. For further information contact the Hon Secretary, Fiona May on 01208 851382 or email her: jandfrmay@btinternet.com.

Twenty Years of Hair at Nigel’s

On September the 10th 2002, we opened our doors for the first time. I had bought the business from Joyce Parnell, who had her business for forty three years.

Three years later we extended upstairs, to the Colour Room. We could now offer a more personal service and we had the space for more equipment. This has been a great success, many clients travel quite a distance, even as far as Plymouth.

In 2007, I qualified as a Master Craftsman, and was offered a prestigious position in London’s West End. I deliberated for quite a while, but loved my little salon in Rock and did not want to leave Cornwall and all the friends I had made.

2010, brought its own surprises; not only our first big anniversary, but Hair Inspiration Magazine came to us undercover and subsequently wrote a very complimentary feature article, The ‘Mayfair’ Salon in Rock, Cornwall.

I cannot believe how quickly the years have gone by; my mother Jean, still comes to

the salon every day. Joyce came to the salon for many years, looking after her own clients. She sadly passed away just before Christmas, and we miss her happy and friendly approach to life.

Then along came Covid; like so many businesses, we were forced to close. The salon seemed very eerie and strange without the usual friendly people, but we were not idle; we had been discussing refurbishing the salon for a while, and with the salon closed, Jean and I stripped everything out and started again! Most salons today are very minimal in approach, but we wanted something very different. The main decor is very Georgian in style and colour, shades of gold and white.

The Colour Room did not escape our attention ~ It is now our African Lounge! A

total contrast to downstairs, in orange and terracotta colours, with African pictures and art.

We have now reached our 20th Anniversary; so many nice people have passed through our doors.

During our celebratory week, we offered champagne, Jean also made her signature cup cakes. We wanted to create a party atmosphere, and to many we gave the special gold envelope!

We have very special clients and friends and we wanted to thank you and give our very best wishes to you all.

Nigel and Jean.

Photos: Martin Broadfoot

We Will Remember Them

BATEMAN MARGARET MELVENE, WADEBRIDGE

BISHOP NICOLA JUDITH, WADEBRIDGE

BLAKE ELIZABETH MARY, WADEBRIDGE

BLEMINGS MALCOLM TERENCE, WADEBRIDGE

BOYD IAN WALTER, ROCK

BOYD MARIE CHRISTINA ROSALIND, ROCK BULL JEAN, ST MINVER

CHANT PHILIP CHARLES, WADEBRIDGE

CHAPMAN DOREEN GLADYS, WADEBRIDGE COX GEMMA ALEXIS, WADEBRIDGE

CROWLEY BARRY DENNIS, ROCK

DALLEY GLADYS, WADEBRIDGE DEAN PETER, WADEBRIDGE

HEYWOOD MARJORIE, WADEBRIDGE HOLMES CHRISTINE ANN, WADEBRIDGE HORSFIELD DEREK, ST MINVER

HOWARTH DAVID STANSFIELD, ST MINVER

HUMPHREYS KENNETH JOSEPH, WADEBRIDGE

LEWIS JANE, WADEBRIDGE

LOBB MAVIS JULIA, ST MINVER

LUKE SYLVIA LAURA HELEN, WADEBRIDGE MASTERS JUDITH, WADEBRIDGE MAY STEVEN ALFRED, WADEBRIDGE MITCHENER JOYCE IRENE, ST MINVER OSBORNE PHILIP JOHN, WADEBRIDGE

PERRIN NIGEL WILLIAM, ROCK

RENALS JEFFREY PAUL, WADEBRIDGE

RICKARD THOMAS EDWIN, WADEBRIDGE ROBINSON ANN MARGARET, ST MINVER

WAKELING JOAN MAY, WADEBRIDGE

WILLS WILLIAM ANTHONY RICHARD, ST MINVER YELLAND NESTA CAMPBELL, WADEBRIDGE

Afternoon

The Grace Project Clothing Children Within Our Community

During the summer months The Grace Project continued to distribute pre loved children’s clothing to families in our community (Egloshayle Church was lovely and cool for clothes sorting on one of those hot summer days!).

To improve promotion of the project , we have welcomed Ruby to our team. Ruby is now in charge of the social media feeds for The Grace Project and has made a great start by introducing Blossom and Blue, our mascots. Awareness of the project has grown, and we received thirty two requests for clothing, including shoes and wellies, within a week. A couple of the volunteers have also recently met with Elaine Munday, a Team Vicar from Bodmin. Elaine provides support to families within her community and was interested to learn more about The Grace Project and how it could help some of the families she supports. In return Elaine is also able to access nappies and milk powder for the parents of newborns who might be in need and requests can be made through The Grace Project. Postcards advertising the project are now being distributed with the family Foodbank Boxes from the Wadebridge Storehouse and

we were delighted to show Jackie White our project when she recently attended a service at Egloshayle Church.

As the winter approaches and the need for layers increases, we look forward to distributing lots of the lovely brand new knitted jumpers and hats we have been given, in addition to the pre loved winter clothing, coats and waterproofs. If you or anyone you know could use some children’s clothing (0-12 years) then please contact us via email; grace@wadebridgeparish. org.uk or find us on Instagram or Facebook. Messenger can be used to make requests. All requests are treated with confidence and bundles are left for discrete collection in Egloshayle Church which is open 10am until 4pm everyday of the week.

Nonsense Farm

On Nonsense Farm near Upside Down

There are the strangest things. The donkeys walk about on stilts And all the pigs have wings.

The baby lambs say “Quack, quack, quack The ducks all say ‘Mee-ow And ‘Tweet-tweet-tweet’ is what is said By every single cow.

The fishes live up in the trees And make their nests of snow Then leave wet footprints on the grass And everywhere they go.

The rabbits swim around the pond And when I asked them why They said, ‘It is the only way We keep our feet so dry’.

The mice have lovely curly tails Of blue and green and red. They wrap them up in curling pins Each time they go to bed.

The wise old owl just blinked and said, ‘I really think it’s true That Nonsense Farm’s the queerest place’. I think so too, don’t you?

This poem was written by Lily Orman, the mother of Ralph Orman, Deputy Head at Wadebridge School in the 1970s. He and his wife, Connie, lived on the Rock Road for many years and their daughter gave the Link permission to print it.

Above: Blossom and Blue, the Grace Project mascots!

by Lily Orman

St Minver Church Fete - A Great Success!

On the afternoon of Saturday, 20th August, Gus and Jaye Guest kindly hosted a Garden Fete in aid of St Minver, St Michael’s and St Enodoc Churches in their beautiful house and garden.

There were many stalls of home made and home grown produce, plants, cakes, books and puzzles. Games to challenge your skills, like the Raingutter Regatta and Holey Cheese Game, Guess The Weight of The Cake and Guess The Number of Sweets in the Jar. There was also Jaye and Sarah’s kind donation of beautiful pottery and cards.

Many of us enjoyed a delicious cream team while sitting in the stunning garden. There was a brilliant atmosphere while sitting in the sun; much chatting and laughing as we all enjoyed a wonderful community event, with all ages enjoying themselves.

The fete raised over £3750 so many thanks go to Gus and Jaye and their band of ‘super helpers’. Rosie Needham.

Long Service Awards For St Minver Bellringers

St Minver Bellringers recently had an afternoon outing with St Kew Bellringers.

The group rang the bells at Advent Church, St Breward Church and Egloshayle Church, finishing with a celebration meal at Seasmiths in Wadebridge where three of them were presented with long service awards - for a total of 128 years of service to St Minver Church!

L - R: Nick Meagor, Ian Buse both received awards for 50 years of ringing and Ted Rowe received an award for 28 years

Photos: Martin Broadfoot

St Enodoc Golf Club Awarded GEO Certification

St Enodoc Golf Club has been awarded the prestigious GEO Certification in acknowledgement of a number of years of work in meeting the rigorous requirements set out in the GEO standard.

The club has taken its role as custodian of the land on which the course lies very seriously. Clearly demonstrated by the work carried out over the last decade with Natural England and the club’s implementation of a Countryside Enhancement Scheme (CES) for a Rock Dune Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Separately, the Club is also investing in a range of measures to protect and restore the sand dunes which have become subject to erosion, aiming to retain and extend this Priority Habitat. Most recently, work has focused on the treatment of invasive species including three species of cotoneaster which were colonising and reducing the value of areas of sand dune, the creation dune hollows, ongoing management of previouslycleared scrub and the establishment of a strong population of Babington’s Leek.

The club also works closely with Buglife, an organisation dedicated to creating twenty hectares of flower-rich habitat

along the North Cornwall coast to help a variety of threatened bee species. St Enodoc has a number of areas of rough around the course that are key sites for the threatened Large Scabious Mining Bee, so the greenkeeping staff have managed this habitat to ensure it is rich in Field Scabious which these bees feed on. Conserving resources is also important to the club; a recent example of this is the upgrade of sprinkler heads to adjustable/part arc array which has made a substantial saving in water usage on the fairways. Moreover, over the last four years, a programme of overseeding the greens with Fescue grass in order to change their profile and make them more drought tolerant, as well as requiring less fertilisation, has been implemented.

Similarly, several measures have been taken to reduce the carbon footprint whilst at the same time reducing its use of

fossil fuels through the investment of further solar technology to increase its renewable energy capacity and a machinery and buggy plan to replace petrol and diesel vehicles with modern hybrid/electric options.

In order to become better neighbours, the club has created events that encourage members of the local community to interact with the club and course, hosting habitat walks with local environmental experts and supporting local businesses and clubs with their activities.

“The verification process confirms that St Enodoc Golf Club satisfies all the GEO Certification criteria.

The comprehensive GEO On Course report provides solid evidence of the continued commitment by the Club to maintain wider sustainability issues, proving we are meeting the stringent certification standard. St Enodoc is rightly proud to have the GEO verification and is delighted that this national accolade recognises, in particular, the outstanding work of the Course Manager, Scott Gibson, and all his green-keeping staff in terms of ecology and environment,” General Manager, Simon Greatorex.

Wadebridge Community Day

THE John Betjeman Centre was abuzz on Saturday 29th October for its first Wadebridge Community Day.

More than eighty people came to meet with representatives from twenty three different organisations, charities and support groups. They handed out leaflets and free goodies. The day was organised by Concern Wadebridge, which is based at the Betjeman Centre, and supported by Age UK Cornwall as part of its Go For Gold celebrations.

During the day Julia Treglown held two sponsored aerobics sessions, including a chairbased event which has helped to raise more than £1,000 which will be divided between Concern Wadebridge and

Macmillan Cancer Support. Concern Wadebridge manager Emma Burt said: “We were overwhelmed by the response. Seeing so many people talking and groups networking between each other was really rewarding. I just wish we had thought of it sooner.

“A massive thank you to Julia for organising the sponsored aerobics and to all the people that took part to make the event such a success; also, a special mention to Vitality Chi for their generous donation.”

Thank you to all the organisations including: Age UK, Cornwall & Macmillan, Neighbourhood Police Team, Memory Matters, Wadebridge Memory Cafe & Wadebridge Carers Group, Healthwatch, Cornwall Carers Service, Man Down, Wadebridge Breathers COPD Support, Wadebridge Lions Club, Coasters For All (cycling), Wadebridge Rotary,

Cancer Research UK, Betjeman Belles WI, Sea Holly Therapies, Wadebridge Camel Estuary PPG, North Cornwall Stroke Group, North Cornwall Coast Primary Care Network, Port Isaac Surgery, Wadebridge Food Bank, Camel Community Supported Agriculture, WREN & Community Energy Plus, CRY for Matthew and Lifestyle Qigong.

Jane Wethered is apiary manager for the Wadebridge Beekeeping Association which is part of Cornwall Beekeepers. The apiary is situated at Ball and provides a training site for beekeepers of any age and experience. If you are interested in finding out more, email apiary.wbka@gmail.com. Anyone interested in coming along to one of the winter meetings, contact Jane.

The beekeeper’s activities in autumn include harvesting honey, treating bees for disease, feeding hives, and generally making sure that colonies are strong enough to survive the winter – if necessary, uniting two weaker hives to make a stronger colony.

If all has gone well at the end of the summer, as the days shorten and the leaves start to turn on the trees, a beekeeper will be rewarded with supers full of beautiful golden honey. These hold the bees reserves to see the colony through to spring; the availability of forage, pollen, and nectar, declines at the end of summer and without food stores a hive will starve.

If some of the bees’ reserves are removed – and most beekeepers do take honey, it is their duty to replace those stores. Honey is usually harvested by the end of August/early September and is followed by a period of feeding with a 60% sugar syrup. Depending on the type of the hive bees will need forty to fifty pounds of stores to see them through the winter. Beekeepers’ inspections reduce, the queen lays fewer

eggs and winter bees need to survive for six months until the following spring. The beekeeper is looking to see if the hive is healthy and what, if any, treatment against disease or parasite might be required, to be given after any honey is harvested.

Once honey has been extracted from super frames these are stored in cool dry place until the following year as frames which are already drawn out can be used the following season. Queen excluders are removed to enable the bees to easily move around the hive to consume stores and entrances are made smaller so that guard bees can defend the hive against thieves. Wasps, whose own food supplies in their nests

Above: Frame of Sealed Honey

Below: Contact Feeder on Hive

dry up, are on the lookout for a sweet treat and mice will happily enter a hive to seek out a warm dry home with a built-in food supply. In some areas woodpeckers can cause problems – holes drilled can let in other pests such as mice, so hives need to be protected with netting. I aim to have my bees fed, treated, and closed up for winter by the end of September; target achieved this year! Jane Wethered

Left: Extracting Honey

Right: Contact Feeder on Hive

St Minver Silver Band

We had a successful summer season on Polzeath beach where we put on our Tuesday concerts until the end of August. The band was also able to resume some of the regular summer engagements that had been suspended during lockdown. The band took part in the Last Night of the Proms massed band concert in Wadebridge Town Hall on October 22nd. Allison Allen has grown into her role as our musical director and has attended an enjoyable and instructive conducting workshop in October organised by the Cornwall Brass Band Association.

At the time of writing, we have the following list of planned engagements: November

Sunday 13th at 11 am – Remembrance Day Parade and Service, St Minver church.

Sunday 27th at 6 pm – Padstow Christmas service at the harbour band stand. December

Friday 2nd at 6.30 pm – Padstow Christmas festival at the harbour band stand.

Saturday 3rd from 10 am to 3 pm – Christmas carols at Morrison’s, Bodmin.

Sunday 4th at 5 pm –Christmas lights at St Merryn.

Saturday 10th from 10 am to 3 pm – Christmas carols at Tesco, Wadebridge

Saturday 17th at 5 pm – Christmas carols at Trelights

Sunday 18th at 3 pm – Christmas Carol service at St Issey church.

Saturday 24th at 4 pm (TBC) – Carols at the Old House, Chapel Amble.

Saturday 24th at 6.30 pm (TBC) – Carols at Rock Sailing Club.

You can get an update on band activities, post comments and contact us via our Facebook page.

We welcome new players in any section. Any player who would like to join us should contact Garry Gauss on 01208 814170, or Peter Allen on 07980 302193. Our normal rehearsal nights are every Tuesday from 7 until 9 pm.

Garry Gauss/Band Secretary

St Minver Cricket Club

to cross paths once again in the future!

The Wild Hop Bar and Café continues to get busier, providing food Wednesday to Sunday every week. With the introduction of Sky Sports and an ever evolving food menu, we intend to remain open throughout the autumn five days a week for food and drink, with the hope of attracting fresh faces to the club alongside the regulars. We ran our final First Thursdays art exhibition of the summer in which we welcomed a local guitarist and singer, which saw out a successful introduction to the local art scene.

St Minver CC has had a hugely progressive season as both teams have now won their respective leagues with wins in their final games. The finals took place at Redruth and St Stephens respectively, where both teams achieved close fought wins to round off an outstanding season with five trophies for the club; a fantastic response to the disappointment of last season. Our first year of the Dynamo youth cricket programme, which was an enormous success, has also ended, rounded off by a BBQ and fun filled evening. We also ran our first ever women’s taster cricket session and we will be running a full programme next year. We aim to celebrate and promote a growth in juniors and woman’s cricket, to make cricket available for all.

In August we had our first cricket tour for some time, when we travelled to Bournemouth and played in Devon on the way back, something we will aim to do again, to help create relationships in the wider cricket community. Once again we hosted a charity game in aid of Cancer Research between Padstow CC and Wadebridge Camels which was an enormous success, raising lots of money for an extremely worthwhile cause. Back in August we hosted Marin CC who made the trip across the Atlantic from San Francisco, North America, touring much of the Southwest on their way to Menefreda Way. We hope we gave them the warmest of welcomes and hope

We would like to send a huge thank you to Sustainable Furniture for donating the teak benches and chairs, which helped improve the exterior aesthetics of the club, to go alongside the beautiful wildflower garden to the rear. Thanks must also go to Alf Wyatt for treating the wood, to help extend the life of the benches. Post season, we recently hosted our first large capacity event and are also delighted to announce we will be hosting St Minver School’s biggest firework display of the year for bonfire night.

We are available for hire, if that is something you are interested in, please contact stminvercc@ gmail.com or 01208 863402 for more details.

Archie Edwards/Dean Jeffery

St Minver Football Club

Up to 12th November, St Minver Football Club have had an encouraging start to the season, as shown by the league table extract below.

1st Team: East Cornwall League Reserves: Duchy Division 1. Foxhole Points 28 1. Pensilva Points 21 5. St Minver Points 20 2. St Minver Points 18 The Link committee were delighted to sponsor the club’s match balls for this season. Link awarded the club £250.

Talented Local Photographers

This picture was taken from The Point in August 2022 by David Atfield and is entitled ‘ A Memory of Summer’

Polzeath Coastguard Update

by Matt Sutherland

We have had a busy summer again this year with plenty of tourists coming to enjoy our beautiful region; but it felt a little calmer than the previous year. We cover an area from Wadebridge to Port Isaac and have call outs ranging from dogs over the cliff, to people cut off by the tide, to medical episodes on the beach. Occasionally, our call outs aren’t directly coast related, such as a recent shout for a nasty road accident in Port Isaac.

We work closely with other emergency services and last month saw us involved in a joint water exercise with Cornwall Fire and Rescue and the Rock Lifeboat in the River Camel in Wadebridge.

Along with the fire brigade, we conducted a number of rescue scenarios, with both live and dummy casualties. Joint working is a very important part of our training and helps us better understand other emergency services capabilities.

We have welcomed two new recruits into the team this year: Jordan Frapwell and Rich Pascoe who are both very keen and settling into the team well. With these new additions it brings us to a total of thirteen. We all live and work in the local area and are available to respond at any time of day or night.

It’s been a busy October, with five call outs to date including a lady having a seizure on

the beach, an accident in a local quarry and a yacht that was dangerously close to the rocks with a broken anchor winch, near The Rumps, which required a tow from the Padstow Lifeboat.

As we enter into winter, we have a busy schedule of training, both indoors and outdoors, which keep our skills and knowledge up to date and ready for the next emergency situation. If you see us out and about, please stop and say hello and ask any questions you may have. Please remember, if you see an emergency in or near the coast, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard; they will task the appropriate teams.

Rescuing an injured lady cut off by the tide near Greenaway

North Cornwall Book Festival 2022

The dust is beginning to settle on the 2022 Book Festival. Our amazing team of volunteers managed to create another hugely successful event. This year our two schools days were sponsored by Seasalt, who, as well as funding much of the costs of the school days, provided each child with a special Seasalt book bag and book voucher that could be exchanged for a book on the day. This meant every child not only had a great day, with varied and inspirational workshops, but were able to take home a book without the schools having to ask parents to send in cash. The word used repeatedly to describe the schools’ days with the voucher scheme was ‘transformative’ Over the weekend, we had a series of author talks, workshops, evening concerts, our pop-up café, an amazing exhibition from Sara Bevan, Amanda Richardson and Aiden Hicks, as well as our popular festival market, showcasing local produce and makers. We were extremely grateful to our sponsors; Seasalt, GWR, Savills, Cornish Horizons, Eden Project and Sharps, not to mention numerous generous individual patrons.

As you can imagine the costs of running the festival have gone up considerably, but

we are determined to keep our ticket prices low. We were fortunate to secure over £10,000 in sponsorship and support from individual patrons in 2022, a figure we will have to achieve in 2023 (our 10th festival) as well.

People wishing to become

Patrons can do so by going to the www.ncornbookfest.org or by contacting Plum@endelienta.org.uk

To ensure you hear about what’s on at the book festival and our bookish events through the year join our mailing list www.ncornbookfest.org

Featured Artist

Sue Pullin

by Jacqueline Fleming, Art Editor

If you are reading this in December – Merry Christmas! - time spent in Sue Pullin’s new gallery shop in Porthilly would not go amiss if you are after presents or festive homewares. Equally, if you are reading this in the new year – Happy 2023! – a visit to Kiln will help you clear out the old season and usher in the new, ready for spring.

After years in Port Isaac - and one in Wadebridge - Sue has recently settled into this new space to sell her range of fresh, lively hand painted bone china. Each piece has been thoughtfully decorated, each piece is absolutely unique. Alongside her own work you will find a carefully chosen homewares which reflect Sue’s slightly Scandinavian manner. At first glance you might be mistaken for thinking the aesthetic is minimal and sparse. Look closer and amongst the background white, creams, greys, you will see a variety of bright colours – rose pink, lime green, bluegrey – and a depth of textures – wood, concrete, wool – in the comforting combination that our Nordic cousins put together so well. And which Sue has curated because she

loves each and every item in her shop – rather than because she wanted to recreate a decorative style.

It is this creative intuition which is behind each piece of Sue’s work. Do not be fooled by the initial impression of ease. The simplest of designs take as much time and effort to achieve as the most complex. This is the key

to Sue’s success as an artist painting china – and selling her work - for well over thirtyfive years.

Sue uses the word “smitten” to describe her reaction to the very first time she painted china, when accompanying a friend to an evening class in Saffron Walden. A family move near to The Potteries enabled her to take lessons at a china

painting school where she improved her understanding of the basics. A few years later, back in Essex, Sue found an opportunity to graduate from selling informally to friends and family to selling commercially in a local shop. Relocating to Cornwall meant bringing the business along too.

Over the years she had been inspired by Suzy Cooper and Art Deco; at one time, florals and stylised roses featured in her work. Now – having actually originally been taught not to use outlines – her immediately recognisable style is that of ‘an outline, filled in’. Let me elaborate: Sue orders china blanks from various suppliers in The Potteries in Stoke on Trent. As a small business she does not commission her own range of

shapes, but choses from what is available. Orders can arrive in the hundreds or just the last score produced. These blanks are white, plain, ready glazed. Sue then draws on her designs freehand with a chinagraph pencil. She uses no stencils, no ruler: every mark is made by eye. If you examine the accuracy of her work you will be astonished with the near perfect results of her careful and exacting process. Even more so when you learn that each piece has been fired at least twice after she has painted over the pencil line and then – design dependentinfilled with colour. Mixing her own paints from china paint powder and pen oil means that sometimes Sue’s studio smells of lavender, sometimes of aniseed, as the pen oils are natural. The paint used for the outlines of the designs dries relatively quickly.

By contrast, those used for the colourful infills have been mixed with an open medium – which slows drying time –so the mix has to be totally accurate to avoid drips and runs during the firing process. And the designs themselves? Currently a single big heart, a constellation of large five-pointed stars, a counter

top’s worth of coffee beans, a myriad of random tiny hearts, miniature polka dots perfectly lined up as if on their passing out parade, a harlequin of diamonds. And don’t overlook the fact that these hand created shapes were not drawn on a flat two dimensional piece of paper. Each has been precisely positioned on the soft curves of a hug mug, carefully placed along the straight up and down curves of the tall Urano jug, meticulously tucked in around the undulations

of spouts and handles of tea pots. Sue is dependent upon suppliers to provide her blank stock, so she does not have sets of matching items. Whilst she sometimes paints to order Sue does not take commissions – she once turned down an opportunity to paint in person on the sales floor of Fortnum and Mason in Piccadilly, preferring to work quietly in her space. Some of Sue’s designs are also available as tea towels, cards and gift wrap.

Producing a kiln’s worth of work on a daily basis, Sue can be found painting in her new studio shop tucked away in the valley of Porthilly. She sometimes works from home,

in which case the shop is staffed by one of a small team who work for her. Behind the scenes her husband runs the business side and the online shop.

One woman’s passion for

perfection drives this whole creative enterprise. Visit for yourself. You may well be smitten.

Kiln, The Gallery, Porthillly, Rock, PL27 6JX www.kilnstudio.com

Wildlife in Winter

by Adrian Langdon

Local wildlife photographer Adrian Langdon is one of our regular contributors. Anyone who is unfamiliar with Adrian’s work can take a look at his website:www.adrianlangdon.com, follow him on Facebook or visit his blog: http://www.images-naturally.co.uk/ Adrian has always lived in Wadebridge; there’s not much he doesn’t know about local wildlife.

As autumn gives way to winter, we say goodbye to those birds that have spent the summer in Cornwall and welcome those from the north that have travelled south to reach us. Lots of birds just keep on flying south to much warmer climes, but many will find that the usually mild climate of Cornwall is a pleasant change from the frozen north. Lapwings breed in the county in very small numbers, but in winter, we can see large flocks of them gracing the Camel estuary. Often known as ‘peewits’ due to their calls they are also referred to as Green Plovers. One of the best places to see individual birds is by the bridge in Wadebridge town. There will undoubtedly be small groups of them from

now until the end of winter. Another bird that draws the birdwatchers in numbers is the Waxwing. We’ve not had many in Cornwall now for a few years as they migrate south from Northern Europe and Scandinavia in search of

berries to eat. Often the berry crop fails drastically in their homeland and they start to head south, first into Shetland and then Scotland and eventually right throughout Britain. The British Trust for Ornithology are already saying that waxwings are on their way so maybe this will be the year to see them here. They are such a beautiful bird and seek out berried shrubs such as Rowan, Pyracantha, Cotoneaster etc. They will come into gardens and are often first spotted on industrial estates and supermarket car parks as these places are usually planted with shrubs they prefer. In my opinion,

Top Right: Lapwing

Bottom Left: Waxwing

one of the few plus points that planners have insisted upon when designing these estates! We were lucky to share our wetland reserve on the Amble marshes with several Otters during last winter and I know they are still active as I’ve found lots of tracks and sprainting sites throughout the valley. One otter in particular treated many people to fantastic daylight views all through last winter and I’m really hoping it’ll still be active again when winter kicks in again. A family of three was seen very recently around the Egloshayle Playing Fields area of the river and I also watched them near Rock so they could turn up anywhere and with the leaves fallen from the trees it will be much easier to

spot them during the winter months.

Whilst we are talking about trees and their berries, I thought I’d mention the Spindle berries which are often overlooked. Spindle is a native British tree which has bright pink berries that start to open in winter revealing bright orange seed. Some of the uses of spindle can be assumed from its name, it was used to make ‘spindles’ for spinning, as well as skewers, toothpicks, pegs and knitting needles. Both the leaves and fruit are toxic to humans – the berries having a laxative effect. (I only know this from my research and not through experience!)

Adrian Langdon

Country Diary from Cobb Cottage

Written and Illustrated by Joan Cockett

‘I saw old autumn in the misty morn…..

Stand shadowless like Silence, listening…’ It was about thirty years ago that these half remembered lines from Autumn by Thomas Hood, came to my mind. I was at Rock Institute, hanging an exhibition with a group of fellow artists; it was early on an October morning, and I stood at the large window looking across a hazy landscape as the sun broke through the mist. The stately oak tree in the

field opposite had a timeless quality about it and lines from the poem came back to me. I did a quick drawing in my sketchbook ( always with me). Shortly afterwards I did a painting inspired by this moment; it later sold in an exhibition at Port Gaverne. I wrote the lines from the poem on the back of the painting – I wonder where it is now, and whether the owner recalls these lines on an autumn morning – I hope so.

Autumn has always been my

favourite time of year and this year my vine in the garden is celebrating. Vitis coignetiae, the decorative vine that produces tiny grapes, turns a wonderful deep red in the autumn and this year has spread a cloak of colour over the apple trees. The large, heart- shaped leaves are quite spectacular. The change from green to red doesn’t always happen; sometimes the leaves are shredded by high winds. It is also necessary to have at least one night when the temperature falls low enough to trigger the change of colour. It is truly a celebration this year. Elsewhere, small golden leaves scatter across the grass, and rose hips attract the birds. Childhood memories are more sensory than visual; the woody smell of bonfires, and scent of chrysanthemums, the shiny feel of conkers, the smell of fireworks as autumn departed for winter on November 5th. Often here in Cornwall, autumn lasts a little longer- we all hope so; the rising fuel costs in a turbulent year are causing great anxiety. 2023 will be a leap into the unknown, but hang on to the stable things: our beautiful surroundings, spectacular November sunsets , walks along the beach, hot soup and beans on

toast!

Our book club met again last week for the first time since Covid. It was great getting together again, and discussing the various books we had read during lockdowns. Our next book is Any Human Heart by William Boyd – a book I had always been meaning to read since a nephew told me it was the best book he had ever read- praise indeed!

Friends still met for a coffee at the Mowhay, a restorative hour and a half, where we have lively conversation about metric versus imperial measure, the future of the monarchy amongst many other things. Whatever our views, we all agreed

that watching the dignified funeral of Queen Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey was a moving experience for us all. With such turbulent happenings in the world, this was the moment of stillness and reflection.

The mist has cleared as I write on this autumn day; the last leaves of the vine have fallen, one particularly bright one near the porch, it is here on the page. I will end with John Betjeman’s words from his poem, Autumn 1964 ‘And now although the mist is white, In half-an-hour a days of days Will climb into into its golden heights.’

Seize the day!

News from St Minver School

A new academic year is well under way at St Minver School and we have new class names to boot!

We decided to name each of our classes after a local beach, not only to give the children a sense of place in the community, but also to remind us of the amazing landscape in which we are learning together.

So, in order from youngest to oldest, St Minver School now has Cowrie Class, Daymer Class, Greenaway Class, Lundy Class, Porthilly Class and Rock Class. Did you notice that they are in alphabetical order? This has certainly helped us to remember who is who, as we have been getting used to our new class names!

We have been fortunate to have been able to update our Early Years base this

term, which coincides with admission of three year olds to our new nursery class within Cowrie Class. We are currently offering fifteen hours for our nursery children and are hoping to expand this as the year progresses. We are delighted with the fantastic start our youngest children have made. The environment and resources support both the nursery and reception children to be confident, happy and secure in exploring their classroom and new learning experiences. We currently hold a waiting list for our nursery places and would like to invite you to get in touch with the school office if you are interested in either a nursery place in the future or a reception place for September 2023.

At St Minver School we

believe in the power of shared experiences to deepen the children’s understanding of their learning. We love to take the children out of our school setting to enhance our learning themes and this first half term has been no exception. The Year 1 children of Daymer Class took a trip to Newquay Zoo as part of their ‘Animals are Amazing’ topic. The sleepy sloth was definitely a highlight of this trip!

Meanwhile, the Year 4 and 5 children in Porthilly Class brought their ‘Mountains and Rivers’ to life by having a taster of what it feels like to be a mountaineering climber at the Tide Climbing Centre. More exciting trips are planned for the second half of term, too!

Finally, it was a treat and a privilege to finish our

Daymer Class at Newquay Zoo

first half term by sharing a Harvest Breakfast as a school, celebrating together in the hall for the first time in three years. Our shared meal gave us an opportunity both to reflect on what we have and are grateful for, as well as how we can help others. We were very grateful to our families who helped us put together a wonderful collection for Wadebridge Foodbank. As part of the children’s personal development, we remain committed as a school to deepening our pupils’ understanding of their place in our wider society.

Do keep up to date with what is happening at St Minver School via our Facebook page and also via the school’s website.

We have places available in some of our classes and would be pleased and proud to welcome new families to our wonderful school and to Team St Minver!

Mrs J Rodwell Head of School

Defibrillators in our area

Rock Social Club, Rock, PL27 6LY

Gunvenna Holiday Park PL27 6QN

The Pityme Inn, Rock PL27 6PQ

Camel Ski School, Rock PL27 6LD

St Enodoc Hotel, Rock PL27 6LA

The Waterfront Cafe Bar, Polzeath PL27 6SP

Daften Diecasting, Wadebridge PL27 6HF

Bridge Bike Hire, Wadebridge PL27 7AL

John Betjeman Centre, Wadebridge PL27 7BX

Wadebridge Bowling Club PL27 6AE

Wadebridge Town Football Club PL27 6DJ

Trelawney Garden Centre, Wadebridge PL27 6JA

Royal Cornwall Showground PL27 7JE

Old ‘Phone Box, Trelights PL29 3TQ

Old Forge Garage, St Minver PL27 6QT

The Stone Barn , St Endellion PL29 3TP

Tristram Car Park, Polzeath PL27 6TP

The Point, Polzeath PL27 6QT

The Spar Shop , The Platt, WadebridgePL27 7AE

Conservative Club, Wadebridge PL27 7DR

The Fish Cellars, Port Quin PL29 3SU

Visit our website - www.stminverlink.org

Porthilly Class at The Tide Climbing Centre

The Jess Memorial Surf Competition

Another well attended surf competition in memory of our lovely daughter Jess, so missed but in holding this event it brings not only family but friends together to remember Jess in a happy way. This year, contestants had to book a place by text beforehand as last year we ran out of daylight before some of the contests were over. We had one hundred and six entries and sixty five contestants The surf was good for all abilities and there was some amazing surfing to watch from the cliffs. The older surfers will have to watch out as the younger generation are surfing really well! It was lovely to see so many families enjoying this great community event. Thanks to Becci and Emily for allowing us to run the event from Tristram Cliff Car Park and allowing the barriers to be up, with donations going to the Wave Project. Thanks, also, to Paul Vincent for providing an event trailer again. There was also a pop up sauna for contestants to use which they did and said it was great to warm up between heats, thank you Saunas by the Sea.

The water safety team was headed up by Alex Roads but, unfortunately, he had Covid so passed the job onto his son Hugo with other lifeguards, Llyr, Liam, Jago and a couple more taking it in turns. Without them we couldn’t hold the event, so a huge thank you to them all for keeping everyone

safe.

Our son Dan (Jess’s brother) organised the judging with his friends and they say it’s the only day of the year they can catch up with each other having a good chat and a laugh whilst always watching the surfing.

For the prize giving it was down to the Valley Caravan Park, by kind permission of Martin Taylor, where Kato was busily doing the cooking after entering the surf competition.

The trophies are made by Jess’ brother Rich and these were awarded first, along with other prizes. Thanks to Anns Cottage for all the 1st and 2nd prizes. The other prizes were from Nalu Beads, Cornish Granite Sport who gave two robies embroidered with a Jess insignia, Marine Centre

and also Mad Watersports, Wadebridge for the best wave of the day. Thank you to all for supporting this event.

Jane Evans went to all the businesses in the village for the raffle prizes and they all gave generously; thanks to everyone and especially Jane. After the prize giving it was time to tuck into the delicious food, thanks to Kato.

Elise Livingston (Jess’s friend) started the music; it was so nice to hear her play her saxophone at the end. Dave O’Diamond was next, singing the classic Neil Diamond songs and got everyone dancing and singing along with him. Finally it was the classic band Mahoustic. A huge thank you to Wailin, Pete, Andy and Will, hopefully all of you will come and play again for us next year.

Photo: Hattie Warren

The total amount raised for The Wave Project was £3,592.34. Alan and I presented the cheque to Esme Lee, the coordinator for the Polzeath Wave Project. It will make a huge difference to young people with mental and physical disabilities to feel good about themselves. Being in the sea and learning to surf makes them feel good and positive that they can achieve different things in life. Thank you to everyone who makes this surf competition happen by competing, giving prizes, helping and being there to support. See you all next year.

Pam Solley

Results: U12

Photo: Hattie Warren

Photo: Hattie Warren

St Breock School News

The autumn term has got off to a flying start following a wonderfully warm and sunny summer. Our children hit the ground running, as they returned to their new classes having spent the last three weeks of the summer term there for a smooth transition and to wash away any worries they may have about their new class.

Over the summer we, again, kept the school open to the community to run our Summer Club two days a week. Children aged 4-11 were able to attend and take part in various activities provided by local coaches or artists. The club was well attended and we received some lovely feedback from parents.

Last week we received our certificates from Wadebridge Library for the forty two children who took part in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge. The children were very proud of their certificates

to show how determined they had been in meeting the challenge set.

In September, children have the opportunity to create a manifesto to be a member of our School Council. Each class facilitates presentations from those wanting to put themselves forward and a system for the children in each class to vote democratically.

As a result, we now have our brand-new School

Council led by our Chair and Secretary from Y6. The School Council’s first responsibility was collecting and delivering our Harvest donations to Wadebridge Foodbank. The Council were super ambassadors for the school and we are looking forward to their plans for the year. We were very proud to send eight of our children off to trials for Wadebridge School’s Gifted and Talented Sports Academy this year. Sixty two children from our local cluster schools attended for eighteen places. We were delighted that five of our pupils secured a place and will benefit from the coaching.

Despite the challenges of rising costs and transport issues, our first school trip of the year has already happened. Y2 made the journey to Geevor Tin Mine to experience a Cornish Tin Mine, which will bring to life

Y2 at Geever Tin Mine

their topic this term exploring the life of tin miners. The children had a truly interactive experience with much awe and wonder at this significant part of Cornish history. Finally, staff were able to experience some professional development early in the academic year, provided by the Youth Sport Trust – Active in Mind. We explored how we can use our body, mind and environment to influence mental wellbeing and how, as educators, we can support the young people we work with, to take control of their mental wellbeing too.

As usual, school remains a buzz of activity and we look forward to much more learning, love and laughter.

Sian Hall, Head of School

Autumn Term Learning at Little Bridges Nursery

Our youngest pupils have been learning about celebrations. Over the course of this half term, children have explored all sorts of celebrations including birthdays, weddings, Diwali, Christmas and firework night. One of the children’s favourite celebrations was Diwali. Diwali is the festival of light, celebrated in the autumn with the dates changing each year, according to the Indian lunar calendar. The festivities typically last five days, with temples and other places of celebration brightly lit throughout. How is Diwali celebrated? It’s common to do a big clean up in homes in the run-up to Diwali. People often then decorate with rangoli, pictures made out of colored powder and sand usually made on the floor. Houses are lit up with candles and clay lamps both inside and out. There are many different things that might be eaten during Diwali, but it is most known for the sweets. The children have been creating Rangoli patterns using coloured rice, sand and powder paint. They have also painted Rangoli patterns with bright colours. All of the children have made a Diya

lamp from clay, manipulating the clay with their fingers to make a shallow dish and decorating it with colourful paint and glitter. The children listened to some beautiful Indian music and moved their bodies to it. They used pieces of material and scarves and danced with their friends. Finally, the children had a Diwali feast. The children helped to make an Indian sweet treat made from coconut and icing. They tried samosas, bahjis and mango chutney, then sampled an Indian sweet. It was lovely to see them immersing themselves in the topic and willing to try something new.

To finish our Diwali celebrations we lit our Diya lamps and listened to some Diwali music. What a fantastic celebration!

Little Bridges Nursery is at Wadebridge Primary Academy and is open in term time for children aged 2 to 4 years. Funded places available.

Garden Folk Lore and Words of Wisdom

Every gardener, however inexperienced, has wisdom to share. I have been lucky enough to be the recipient of a great deal and it is my love of gardens and plants and my fascination with old-fashioned adages and advice that has been the driving force in my career as a gardener, spanning countless years.

It is probably not surprising that many well-worn sayings and pieces of advice relate to old fashioned flowers found in the cottage garden, such as roses, carnations, sweet peas and also vegetables that include potatoes, peas and beans.

Let’s start by looking at cottage garden flowers: the lupin whose seeds have long been used by the Navajo to make a medicine that relieves boils and was also a cure for sterility - Navajo even believed it to be effective in producing baby girls.

Let’s explore that saying, Hours fly, flowers die. This is the start of a poetic sundial motto found in a garden at Yaddo which ended up being an artist’s retreat in Saratoga Springs, New York. In full it reads; Hours fly Flowers die New days

New ways Pass by Love stays

I remind myself of the above and it complements the whole gardening season.

For all you love birds out there: As a ladybird flies from your hand, it will fly in the direction of your true love. If you say the rhyme;

Ladybird Ladybird Fly away flee! Tell me which way My weddings to be. Please let me know if this has happened to you.

Now let’s look at vegetables: it was always considered lucky to find a single pea in a pod and also to open a pod with nine peas inside and even more especially if it is the first one you shell.

Words of wisdom while sowing seeds for runner, broad and French beans: One for the mouse One for the crow One to rot

One to grow

I find this to be especially true on my allotment.

In the vegetable garden the arrival of migratory birds coincided with planting potatoes. In my home county of Cheshire, it was thought risky to plant out your

potatoes until you have seen the yellow wagtails. Hence the bird’s nickname of the potato dropper. I tried to convince my Dad who was a keen vegetable grower, but he took no notice. Low and behold I used to grow the better spuds. I also tried to convince him that the cuckoo signalled potato planting time! I could not convince him of this rhyme I had learnt: When you hear the Cuckoo shout.

Tis time to plant your tatties out You can make up your own mind on who grew the best tatties!

Is it going to rain?

Gardeners hoping for rain or not have for many thousands of years relied on signs of nature to help predict it. Old country signs of a wet summer are rooks building their nests low in trees and ash trees in leaf before oak trees hence the rhyme:

Oak before Ash, only a splash Not a very reliable guide as the ash tree almost always comes second.

Finally, I know winter is approaching but let’s smile with a symbol of spring. Spring to some gardeners, including myself, is known as lilac tide. Lilac is cited as the quintessence of spring. A

rhyme from Ivor Novello’s 1945 wartime classic goes like this; We’ll gather lilacs in the spring again And walk together down an English lane Until our hearts have learned to sing again When you come home once more All the adages and wisdom I have shared with you in the article for me is a moment of reflection and something to smile about. Adages and wisdom are a vital part of guest speaking especially at the end of a presentation I find my guests go away in a relaxed peace of mind and I feel good. Season’s greetings everybody. Next issue....Tips for Spring.

St Minver Brownies

Remembrance Sunday

Remembrance Sunday every year is a very important part of our Brownie calendar. St Minver Brownies have attended the service of Remembrance on Remembrance Sunday at

St Minver for many years. The girls are always interested to learn about Remembrance Sunday and what it means.

We spent an evening of remembrance in the hut making our own poppies and a poster to commemorate all those from the area that are named on the war memorial and of course named during the remembrance church service at St. Minver. The girls were able to recognise several local surnames, as some of their friends at school share the same surname and even one of brownies shares one of the surnames.

For most of the Brownies, this year will be their first Remembrance Sunday Church Parade as last year we were unable to have our normal parade and service due to Covid. It will an honour to have the Brownies back on parade with the cubs and scouts and back in the church for the service. Katrina Bacon

Business Spotlight: Balance

Hollie Runnalls went to Wadebridge School and then trained to be a registered nurse at The University of Plymouth. Three years abroad followed, with periods working in hospitals and clinics in both Australia and New Zealand, specialising in cosmetic and surgical nursing.

When she returned from travelling, Hollie then worked within the NHS and private sector as a Registered Nurse, working in Dermatology and general surgery. Hollie always dreamt of having her own business, offering a holistic approach to well being and skin health, bridging the gap between a medical clinic and a spa, but Covid meant that, like many in the NHS, she kept working at the hospital until she managed to secure premises on the Rock Road. ‘On a day off from the hospital, I was out helping my mum with her Holiday Home Waste Collection business, when I noticed the premises was available. I contacted the landlord, John Bray, and he was incredibly helpful in ensuring I was able to adapt the building to the needs of my business, and Balance was opened in July 2021.’ The business was an immediate success, so

much so that Hollie now has two employees who are as passionate as she is about skin health and total wellbeing. ‘We are committed to giving people time and to be treated as a whole person, really getting to know each person who comes to see us.’

Balance now has extra treatment rooms and Hollie has invested in additional medical equipment in order to provide the best and safest treatments for her clients. A new website is also being developed, allowing clients to gain a better understanding about what Balance offers.

Hollie has made a long journey from Wadebridge School to Australia and New Zealand and back to Rock, picking up experience and ideas wherever she has worked and she is now happily settled at Balance. www.balancewellness.co.uk Instagram balancewellness_rock

Featured Chef: Lewis Cole of Wild Bake

Lewis Cole has always wanted to work in the hospitality industry. He started as as an apprentice working at Lakeview in Lanivet, and took an NVQ level 2 at Cornwall College. However, he soon realised that the kitchen was where he belonged so went back to Cornwall College and took a Level 3 in patisserie.

As Lewis listed all the local establishments in which he had worked over the past 20 years, he explained that chefs like to move on as they acquire new skills everywhere they go. After qualifying he went to Hustyns and then Seven Bays in St Merryn, followed by a very successful two and a half years at Margots in Padstow. He then opened a tapas restaurant called Jacks in Padstow, followed by a period working at The Basement in Padstow. ‘Every move meant I was improving my skills and discovering in which direction I wanted to go.’

In 2013 he started Wild Bake and started selling in various regular locations in the area from a converted horse box. He has replaced the original horse box with one he has converted himself, once again learning from his previous experience to design and build something which suited the needs of the growing business.

He makes the sourdough pizza bases and prepares the toppings, at his kitchen at Hawksfield. Wild Bake specialises in seasonal toppings and while I was there, Lewis was preparing some beautiful porchini mushrooms that he’d gathered from local woodlands that morning. ‘ I love making pizza toppings which reflect the seasons and all that’s on offer locally.’ He also makes a wonderful range of desserts, drawing on his extensive experience as a pastry chef, which are available from the horsebox.

Last spring he branched out into Italian cookery courses which were hugely popular, giving participants the opportunity to make different types of pasta and focaccia. Lewis also demonstrates the skills for making a perfect risotto and he has decided to share his recipe with Link readers.

Wild Bake has regular weekly stops, Wadebridge on Mondays, Bodmin on Tuesdays, St Columb on Wednesdays

and Nansledan on Fridays; Saturdays are kept free for special events such as parties or weddings. He sells approximately 500 pizzas a week, and the majority of his customers are regulars. ‘All my customers know that i don’t have a standard menu, the offer depends on what I have been offered by my local suppliers.’

So what’s next for Wild Bake? With four daughters, Lewis and his wife Clare, who has her own business, Claire Cole Fitness, try to maintain a work life balance and value family life, so Lewis isn’t really looking to expand just yet. ‘Wild Bake gives me an opportunity to do what I love best, cook fresh local ingredients in my local area, but still have time for my family.’ Given the normally anti-social hours required for the hospitality industry, it sounds like he’s got it just right.

Insta: @wildbake FB: @wildbakefood Tel: 07707 082415

Classic White Risotto Recipe

Ingredients

• 1.1 litres (2 pints) organic stock (chicken, fish or vegetable, as appropriate)

• 1 large onion

• 2 cloves of garlic

• olive oil

• 70g butter , plus 1 extra knob for frying

• 400g risotto rice

• 2 wine glasses of white wine

• 115g Parmesan cheese

• 100g Creme fraiche Method

1. Heat the stock in a pan, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic.

2. Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the knob of butter into a separate pan, add the onion and garlic, and cook very slowly for about 15 minutes without colouring. This is called a soffrito. When the vegetables have softened, add the rice and turn up the heat.

3. The rice will now begin to lightly fry, so keep stirring it. After a minute it will look slightly translucent. Add the wine and keep stirring – it will smell fantastic. Any harsh alcohol flavours will evaporate and leave the rice with a tasty essence.

4. Once the wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of sea salt.

5. Turn the heat down to a simmer so the rice

doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and massaging the creamy starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 minutes.

6. Taste the rice to check if it’s cooked. If not, carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Don’t forget to check the seasoning carefully. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, add some boiling water.

7. Remove from the heat and add the 70g butter and grate in the Parmesan and add the creme fraiche then stir well. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes. This is the most important part of making the perfect risotto, as this is when it becomes amazingly creamy and oozy like it should be. Eat it as soon as possible, while it retains its beautiful texture.

8. There are endless combinations of ingredients that can be added to a classic risotto, here are a few examples: pancetta, pea and spinach.; roasted red pepper and courgette; sausage, roasted butternut squash and sage; mushrooms, bacon and thyme.

9. For all these variations just follow the classic white risotto recipe, roast or pan fry the other ingredients and add them to the risotto just before serving.

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At St Endellion

Church on Sat January 7th at 7 pm a group of talented young professional singers from the world of classical and musical theatre, under the direction of Maria Jagusz and musical director Will Sharma, will be performing in a concert entitled Sea Fever. This concert will lift your spirits and will be a wonderful way to welcome in the New Year through the beauty and power of song. The singers include Harry Apps who has recently completed a long run of playing the role of Marius in the West End production of Les Miserables

Fashion-Autumn/Winter

by Maggie Wombwell of White Goose, Wadebridge

It’s Showtime

As winter brings us crisp bright mornings and cosy evenings round the fire to celebrate this wonderful time of the year, Whitegoose (& Co) Wadebridge have shown a selection of their fabulous winter range at a fashion event at the Carlyon Bay Golf Club, for the second time, in aid of Cornwall Hospice Care. ‘We know the importance of looking and feeling great, especially when the weather can be dark and uninviting,’ says owner Maggie and we’ve done everything to try and cheer everyone along. We’ve collected a stunning range of affordable clothing, plus an eclectic selection of fabulous accessories. From Paris we have some delicious full and midi length tulle

skirts, patterned and plain in gorgeous colours, either dress it up for those parties or for a super edgy daytime look, team with a chunky sweater and boots. Why not try Chanel style jackets teamed with a simple tee and jeans ?

Fabulous chunky hand knit sweaters in gorgeous colours; chic short styles and long midi length cardigans; brights and neutralsthere’s something for every taste team with corduroy or denim jeans.

From Athens we have a sophisticated collection of dresses, pants and tops in monochrome colours, but adding vivid splashes of colour, lifts the pieces, great for layering and teamed with winter boots and gorgeous Amilu softest Italian leather bags (similar to Bottega Veneto but without the price tag).

And waxed hats from Brim and Peakestunning hats to ward off the winter rain.

Our accessories are sourced internationally, as well as locally, with gold and silver plated pieces from Barcelona, as well as silver from St Ives and gorgeous pearl pieces from Pinky le Grelle.

Style is not a matter of money but the skill in putting together a unique look without spending a fortune.

Book Review by John Baxter

Waters, Santo and Crowle

by Jeremy Waters

Published privately : for further information contact author at Jeremy.waters5@btinternet.co

The History of Three Remarkable Victorian Cornishmen and their Families

A small ship on the outskirts of Syracuse on the South-East coast of Sicily was an unlikely place to become aware of this book. The author, Jeremy Waters, was a fellow passenger, and an over-dinner discussion had turned to local history in Cornwall. It quickly became clear that this retired chartered surveyor and distinguished yachtsman had carried out extensive research into his family history, an interest stimulated as long ago as 1970 by the huge number of cousins and aunts attending his grandfather’s funeral. It is not quite clear when the actual research began, but it is likely to have gathered pace after the author’s retirement from his profession and the subsequent selling of his boat after twelve years of largely Mediterranean sailing. The end result, in 2019, nearly fifty years after the funeral, is this immensely impressive and attractive family history, now into its third print run. The author crisply summarises

the essence of the book in the opening paragraph of his Introduction. ‘This is the story of three remarkable Cornishmen closely connected by marriage and their strong Methodist faith. Each rose from a very modest background to a position of considerable success, and each had a significant influence on the lives of those descended from them’. The first point to emphasise is that the spelling of the three names in the title of the book reflects that which was most commonly used by the beginning of the 20th century. All local historians will be aware that variations in spelling proliferated in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly in parish registers. North Cornwall readers will be familiar with the variety of spellings of Mably, probably one of the most extensive of families in this area.

Jeremy Waters was fortunate (or challenged?) to have access to a vast supply of source material: family letters, photographs, elderly family members with good memories, in addition to such standard archive gleaned from Record Offices,

newspaper files and the Society of Genealogists. The book, therefore, teems with a rich array of source material, sadly some of it unattributed, an omission the author acknowledges.

It is impossible to do justice to this astounding piece of research in a short review, but it is important to try to place the three families in the pantheon of Cornish history. The first of the three characters to appear in the book is the Rev. Richard Waters, the author’s great-grandfather. The first ‘official’ record of him is in the 1861 Census where, aged 9, he is described as an ‘engine driver in an iron mine’ at St. Issey. By the age of 23, however, he became a Minister

of the Free Methodist Church, preaching on the Wadebridge and Bodmin circuit. It seems likely that Richard was drawn to the Methodist Church during his teenage years in Camborne, almost certainly influenced by his father who was ‘deeply read in Biblical literature’. Shortly after his marriage to Abigail Santo, Richard was appointed the Minister of a struggling innercity Church in Plymouth, the ‘Hope United Methodist Free Church’, which was to become his lifetime’s work. An able administrator he quickly took on the Presidency of the Free Church Council in Plymouth, and for ten successive years was elected Chairman of the Methodist District of Free Churches in Cornwall. A wholly inadequate building with barely one hundred members became transformed, largely by his drive, into a handsome chapel seating seven hundred, a large schoolroom, nine classrooms, vestries and other related accommodation. Sadly this splendid structure was completely destroyed in an air-raid in 1941. It is the emphasis on Education that is particularly significant. Without any formal education himself he made considerable sacrifices to ensure that his two sons were educated at the Hoe Grammar School, and that they were supported in the early stages of their careers. The oldest of the trio is John Santo of Lostwithiel, who was born near Camborne in 1852, and whose sisters married

John Crowle of Charlestown, and Richard Waters. John Santo is an exception in that he spent all his life in Lostwithiel, initially working in his father’s butchery. Elected Mayor five times, he successfully lobbied for a new Charter for the town permitting membership of the Council to Non-Conformists, was made a J.P. and became President of the Working Men’s Institute. Deeply interested in education he was one of the managers of the Council Schools and represented the town on the District Education Committee. His was a life of which Santo descendants should be very proud.

John Crowle’s career was a sharp contrast although he, too, started work in his father’s butchery in Charlestown. He remained in that business on his move to London, where he can be subsequently described as a successful entrepreneur. An opportunity to acquire a neighbouring business enabled him to secure Royal Warrants, and his activities greatly expanded. He later managed to purchase land near Felixstowe, subsequently expanded into a flourishing Estate. His children benefited from excellent education, one son gaining a Law degree at Cambridge. He retained his deep Methodist faith and contributed generously

to the Wesleyan Methodist Conference for the formation of ‘The John Crowle Band of Hope’ for the promotion of Christian Temperance work in the East-end of London. So successful was his commercial career that it is calculated that on his death his estate was worth £35m in 2019 money.

It is invidious to comment on just one descendant of these three towering Victorian families but the heroism of Arnold Waters VC, younger son of Rev, Richard Waters, deserves a mention. The printed copy of the citation describing his extraordinary bravery in the 1914-18 War is riveting, accompanied later in the book by fascinating photographs of commemorative events held in Plymouth.

The book is extensively illustrated with copious photographs, family trees, copies of letters, and is most attractively designed. It will have a limited appeal, but it might well be of interest to members of similar families in North Cornwall interested in pursuing a similar project. It is available in all the Record Offices in Cornwall for all readers interested in Cornish Family History, and the author has kindly agreed to be contacted at Jeremy.waters5@ btinternet.com to respond to relevant enquiries.

Parliamentary Update from Scott Mann MP

Migrant Accommodation in Manston, Kent

Many of you have contacted me over the last week to raise your concerns about the situation in the English Channel and at Manston, in Kent, where migrants are processed after arriving in the UK. You may have seen on the news that the Home Secretary visited migrant processing facilities, confirming steps to improve the situation on the ground immediately, while we do whatever it takes to crack down on the number of small boats crossing the Channel. We have too many people coming to the UK for economic reasons, which is putting huge pressure on our processing capacity for genuine asylum claims. It is vital that we dismantle the international criminal gangs behind the global migration crisis – whilst ensuring the safety of local communities, our asylum processing teams, and the people in our care. That is why the Home Secretary went to see, first-hand, how we are working to reduce the number of people in Manston, ease pressures and support people there while tackling the business model of people smugglers to ensure the illegal migration route across our Channel is rendered unviable. We are working urgently to protect our borders, provide immediate care to vulnerable people, and deliver an immigration system that works in the interests of the British people, ensuring that people who are here illegally for economic reasons are removed. These issues can seem a long way from North Cornwall, but it is a national concern that we must address because of the impact it has on the entire country.

NHS Dentistry

There have been significant difficulties with NHS dentistry since the introduction of contracts in 2006. In my time in office, I have held meetings with dentists in North Cornwall and the wider South West region, the NHS and, of course, the patients themselves. We have identified some of the key factors that contribute to the issue, including recruitment and retention of staff within local dentistry. It can be difficult to bring the staff we need in Cornwall due to the housing pressures we also face and I have put forward suggested courses of action such as key-worker housing within new developments to be set aside for NHS staff. The impact of the pandemic has also been detrimental to dentistry across the UK. Earlier this year the government delivered £50 million in additional funding to provide up to 350,000 extra appointments, with local NHS teams using the funds to secure increased care capacity. Dentists have told me that the NHS Dental Contract requires reform. I have held direct meetings with the Secretary of State and the Minister responsible for dentistry on several occasions since 2019 to feed this back to Westminster. I am very pleased that initial reforms to the contract have been delivered this year. This will be an ongoing process, but I am confident we are heading in the right direction. If you are having problems with this or any other issue then please do contact me via scott@scottmann.org.uk.

Local Telephone Numbers

Churches

Catholic (Bodmin & Wadebridge) 01208 72833 (Tintagel) 01840 770663

Methodist (Rock) - Steward J Tilling--------01208 862616 (Wadebridge)--------------------01208 895157

Multi-denominational (Tubestation Polzeath) 01208 869200 St Minver (Warden Mrs Ruth Varcoe) 01208 862954 (Warden Mick Sumra) 01208 862550 Wadebridge Parish Administrator info.wadebridgeparish@gmail.com

Doctor / Medical Bridge Medical Centre Wadebridge 01208 812342

Bodmin Hospital 01208 251300 Frank About Drugs 0800 776600 Drinkline 0800 9178282

Port Isaac Surgery 01208 880222

Royal Cornwall Hospital (Treliske) 01872 250000 Wadebridge Health Centre 01208 812222

Libraries Cornwall Library Renewals 0845 6076119

All Libraries 0300 1234111

Reference Library 0800 0322345

Police

Devon & Cornwall Police (non-urgent) 101 Crimestoppers 0800 555111

Emergency / Helplines

Age UK 0800 1696565

Concern (Wadebridge) 01208 812392

Electricity (Western Power Distribution) 08006783105

EDF Energy 0800 365000

National Domestic Violence Helpline 0808 800 5000

National Gas Emergency Service 0800 111999

NHS Direct HelpLine 111

Parentline Plus (24 hour) 0808 8002222 Samaritans 08457 909090

Women’s rape/abuse centre 01208 77099/0808 8029999

Water Helpline 0344 346 2020

Veterinary and RSPCA Wadebridge: (G & P J Nute) 01208 813258

Bodmin: (Harleigh Vets) 01208 76403 Bodmin ( Penmellyn) 01208 76789

RSPCA Animal Centre 01637 881455

RSPCA Animal Centre 24 hour 0300 1234999 Strandings Hotline 0345 201 2626

General Numbers

Bridge Club (Robert Mabley) 01208 814564 Cancer Research (Gina Snelling) 01208 862820

Citizens Advice Bureau (Advice Line) 08444 99 4188

Cornwall Council 0300 1234100 CRUSE Bereavement Care Cornwall 01726 76100

Animal Welfare & Veterinary Laboratory 01872 265500

Betjeman Centre 01208 812392 North Cornwall Cluster of Churches07957609085

Old Cornwall Society (Margaret Bartlett) 01208 816307

Padstow Harbour Master 01841 532239

Parish Council: Highlands Clerk Sue Theobald clerk@stminverhighlands-pc.gov.uk

Parish Council Lowlands Clerk (Gillian Thompson) 01726 884024

Perceval Institute (Maureen Rickard) 01208 869426

Polzeath Area Residents Association (David Webb) 01208 813456

Polzeath Beach Warden----Polzeath Marine Conservation Group 07779896650

Polzeath Post office 01208 863430

Polzeath Surf Life-Saving Club 07921004101

Rock Institute (Allan Caswell) 01208 869420

Rock Lifeboat Station 01208 863033

Rock Sailing & Water Ski Club (John Wade) 01208 862709

Rock Water Taxi 07778 105297

St Minver Brownies ( Katrina Bacon) 07866004349

St Minver Cemetery Committee (Gillian Thompson) 01726 884024

St Minver Cricket Club 07950 862506

St Minver Cubs (Nigel) 01208 815102

St Minver Football Club

(Roy Birchwood) 01208 880459

St Minver Post Office 01208 869426

St Minver School 01208 862496

St Minver Scouts (Robert Watson) 01637 889 190

St Minver Senior Circle (Alec Chambers) 01208 592956

St Minver Short Mat Bowls (Ian Tatum) 01208 862522

St Minver Silver Band (Gary Gauss) 01208 814170

University of Third Age 01208 814416

Wadebridge & District Angling Association (Dave Churcher) 01208 812748

Wadebridge & District Camera Club (Stewart Privett) 01208 869435

Wadebridge Bowls Club 07531 175044

Wadebridge Choral Society (Annabelle Woolcott) 01208 815322

Wadebridge Sports Centre 01208 814980

Wadebridge Tennis Club Howard Gunn 01208 815975

Wadebridge Male Voice Choir (Mick Stone) 01208 812912

Wadebridge Post Office 01208 812813

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Victoria