A SIX-a-side football tournament will take place this weekend to help raise money for a girl with cancer.

The event at the Astro Park in Penzance on Saturday has been organised to raise funds for Jessica Pawlyn, aged 8, who is battling cancer for a third time.

Scores of players have already signed up for the tournament which will kick off at around noon.

As well as the action on the pitch there will also be a bouncy castle, food and refreshments throughout the day. For more information contact Gary Williams on 07967 546889.

FIREFIGHTERS from Penzance were called to a two-car smash on the A394 near Germoe on Tuesday morning. When officers arrived at around 8.45am they found no one trapped.

Fire crews made the vehicles safe while a female casualty was taken to hospital for what are believed to have been routine checks.

AN ACTING group was due to hold a celebratory party in Porthcurno to commemorate 20 years of performance in Penwith yesterday.

The London-based Central School of Speech and Drama (CSSD) has a longstanding connection with the Minack Theatre and planned to put on the evening at Porthcurno's Cable Station Inn.

The school invited local dignitaries from theatre groups, the council and other organisations to say thank you for their support over the years.

Joe Parslow, who had arranged the evening, said: "We just want to celebrate the last 20 years."

First-year students from CSSD have been performing Arabian Nights at the Minack Theatre this week; tickets are available for tonight and tomorrow's performances; visit www.minack.com

AN ENDURANCE specialist is aiming to be the first person to swim from Land's End to John o' Groats.

Sean Conway, 32, a professional endurance adventurer, writer and motivational speaker, is planning to brave harsh and inhospitable seas, shipping lanes, swarms of jellyfish and even killer whales on a 1,000-mile swim in aid of War Child International.

The swimmer is set to embark from west Cornwall's tip later this month and aims to complete the challenge by September, covering the equivalent of a channel crossing every day.

Born in South Africa, Mr Conway has cycled round the world, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro dressed as a penguin and undertaken a number of other extreme fundraisers, but has little experience in the water.

"I can swim enough not to drown but throughout my entire twenties I probably swam a total of three miles," said Mr Conway.

"I wanted to test myself and try something that has never been attempted."

Mr Conway hopes to inspire others to explore and see the world through experiences, but said that when he was growing up he never thought he would do anything of this scale.

"It's like going to the moon – I didn't think I could try this stuff. But I thought actually, I can do this," he said.

Mr Conway, who is currently in training and will practise sea swimming around Land's End, has a target of £20,000, with 100 per cent of profits going to children around the world who have suffered the effects of war.

The adventurer plans to swim into Land's End at 2pm on June 30, where he will join his three-man support crew, meet the public and begin his summer expedition.

If you would like to track Mr Conway's progress by GPS, find out about joining the adventurer on parts of the swim, or donate, you can visit www.swimmingbritain.co.uk

STUDENTS are to launch their own mobile phone game – its hero a janitor battling his way out of a demonically possessed Penwith College.

Pandora's Mop features a hapless caretaker at the St Clare site who accidentally opens Pandora's Box, which in classical legend unleashed all the woes of the world.

Computer games development lecturer David Atkinson-Beaumont said he invited his students to create a real game to enhance their CVs.

"The game is completely original," he said.

"It's the kind of development you'd expect of first-year university students.

"The only thing the students haven't done is the programming, because that's not part of the course, so I've done that, but they've created all the characters, animation, storyline, posters and marketing and the invitations for the launch."

The 3-D game, which to be launched on June 26, will be available to buy via the Google Play online store for Android smartphones.

Each student was placed in a development team and asked to design enemies and environments in one college building to create the game's world.

"For the hair and beauty building they created a lake of leg wax, for the music building there are lots of punks and graffiti and there's also a gym full of dumbbells that need vaulting and a science faculty with giant Bunsen burners," said Mr Atkinson-Beaumont.

Bright colours, fairy lights and a decorated coffin were all part of the funeral of popular Hayle photographer and surfer Jacob Cockle at St Mary's Church, Penzance, on Tuesday morning. Hundreds of friends and family joined together to pay their respects to the 28-year-old who died last month in Carnsew Pool, Hayle, while taking close-up pictures of a whirlpool. For full story see page 5.

A joint national inspection highlighted that too many people suffering from mental disorders were being locked up in police custody rather than being protected in hospitals.

Police have powers to take individuals suffering from mental health issues in a public place to a "place of safety" for their protection although guidance states that in all but "exceptional" circumstances this should be in a hospital or health location.

However, more than 9,000 people in 2011/12 were taken into police custody using powers under section 136 of the Mental Health Act, a joint report by HM Inspectorates of Constabulary and Prisons, the Care Quality Commission, and the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales said.

In Devon and Cornwall, the figure was 767 in 2011/12 rising to 784 last year – almost 3% of all those held in police custody.

The force said 21 of those people spent more than 24 hours in their cells with the average length of detention being 11 hours and 12 minutes.

"It is not acceptable for people with mental health issues to be locked in a cell because there is no other 'place of safety' available," Mr Hogg said.

"Not only is this potentially detrimental to the individual concerned, but it also places a strain on custody centres and police resources at a time when they are already severely stretched. Too often police officers and staff, rather than experienced and trained medical professionals, are dealing with people who have complex mental health needs.

"I am working with the chief constable to identify how my role as the police and crime commissioner can address this urgent problem.

"I already serve on the region's health and wellbeing boards, so I am ideally placed to oversee and procure wider partnership working.

"I appreciate that health, mental health and social services agencies have resourcing issues, but this is something we simply have to address, sooner rather than later."

Problems with a lack of "places of safety" in the force area were publicly aired as far back at 2009.

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said it was an issue he had raised with both the Association of Chief Police Officers and Home Secretary Theresa May.

"Police cells are clearly not a place for individuals with complex mental health issues who need support from medically trained professionals, not police officers," Mr Sawyer said.

"Being locked in a police cell could potentially exacerbate mental health issues and individuals should only be detained by police in exceptional circumstances for as short a time as possible."

A former Bodmin man has been found guilty of murdering his 11-month-old son. Judge Mr Justice Hamblen at Truro Crown Court accepted a majority verdict in the case of Shane Hawkins, formerly of the Kinsman Estate. Hawkins, described as a "physically abusive father", denied the 2010 death of his son Kaydon, who had suffered retinal haemorrhaging in both eyes consistent with being shaken violently. Hawkins, now of Warwickshire, is to be sentenced today.

A crash involving a car and a lorry forced the closure of a road in the village of Trewoon, near St Austell, yesterday morning. The emergency services were called to the incident in Cooperage Road at 9.16am. The road was closed as fire crews used crash rescue equipment to cut the casualty free of his damaged Peugeot 206. A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said it appeared the man had suffered a "diabetic episode" behind the wheel.

How many times do we refer to someone as inspirational? If that glowing accolade is prompted by your creativity, your humanitarian or charitable works or perhaps sporting prowess achieved through tireless training, then it might feel well earned and be humbly welcomed.

But ever since he was a child, Laurence Clark has been told he's "inspirational" just for doing the mundane, everyday activities everyone else does.

"It's my pet hate," says comedian Laurence, who has cerebral palsy; he uses a wheelchair to get around and jokes that his slurred voice makes him sound drunk. "Whether it's for being married, doing stand-up or having kids, it just seems like they thought I'd never amount to much.

"Nowadays we use the word so much that it loses its meaning. I love to inspire people with my stand-up comedy, but don't call me inspirational for just getting on with my life!"

So it's no surprise to learn that the gist of his darkly funny stage show, Inspired, sets out to smash presumption on the head and challenge social views on disability by getting us to laugh with him about them.

It was commissioned by the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad programme and Laurence was the only stand-up comedian to be asked. The show enjoyed a sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe last year, and Laurence is currently on the road with it.

With an honesty that can be disarming for the unsuspecting, he flips our idea of the inspirational on its head, using a variety of examples from mountain climbing to Doctor Who, via the Swedish chef from The Muppets. Expect absurd logic, death-defying stunts and unusual varieties of crisps... but don't expect to come away "inspired"!

"In the course of the show I try to rediscover what is truly inspiring," he explains. "There's one bit where the audience make noise at various intervals to indicate whether they are inspired or not by what I have told them or shown them."

Next New Year's Day it will be 40 years since he popped into the world after a long labour during which he suffered a lack of oxygen. Doctors warned Laurence's mother that he would probably have learning difficulties and be unable to look after himself.

"I think they actually used the word 'vegetable'," says Laurence, who has problems with posture, movement and co-ordination.

He has always loved to laugh. He cites the classic "geeky" kid in school who makes his contemporaries laugh in order to be popular.

"I think I was that person," he admits.

Growing up in the 80s his favourite TV show was Saturday Night Live.

"It was all the so-called alternative comedians of the day, the cool ones that you'd talk about in school the next day. But it took me ages to think that I might have a go. At first I just wanted to write comedy. I sent some scripts to the BBC and, like everyone else who sends unsolicited scripts, I didn't get very far."

He's certainly not averse to the idea of real inspiration.

"It was Dave Gorman who inspired me to start comedy myself because he was the first comic I saw who used slides and Powerpoint, which showed me that stand-up comedy didn't have to be just one person talking on stage; he showed me a way that I could do something different."

You might recognise Laurence from last year's BBC One documentary We Won't Drop the Baby which followed Laurence, his wife Adele (who also has cerebral palsy and uses crutches to walk) and their son Tom, now eight, in the crucial weeks up to the safe arrival of second son Jamie, who turns two on Monday.

Apparently, jokes the proud dad, his biggest worry was that the baby would be born a Tory... boom, boom.

"We've bought him a climbing frame for his birthday; he climbs everywhere at the moment, so we thought we might as well focus it," laughs Laurence.

On Wednesday he'll be leaving the family home in Liverpool and heading south to Exeter for his first show in the city since 2005.

"I was really just starting out then; what I do now is very different."

Laurence Clark is at Exeter Phoenix on Wednesday, June 26. For tickets call the venue box office.

A Westcountry girl who rose to become a beauty queen has looked back on her "incredible" year as Miss England as she hands over her crown.

Charlotte Holmes, who won the title last June when she beat 59 competitors from across the country, has named meeting Sir Alex Ferguson and completing the London Marathon as highlights of her busy year.

The 24-year-old from Torpoint, South East Cornwall, has come to the end of 12 months of adventures as she hands over the Miss England title, but says that LA might be calling in the next stage of her career.

Of the Miss England final, in which she was a judge, she said: "I was really looking forward to it, but I think I was partly in denial. When I have been judging the heats I have been itching to get up and compete – for the last three years I have been preparing to compete myself so it's strange not doing that."

Charlotte's modelling career began when she won the Face of Plymouth competition in 2007 and went on to compete in Britain's Next Top Model in 2010, coming fourth.

In scooping the title of Miss England, she has travelled the world as a representative for the country and worked with numerous charities.

Charlotte said: "The last year has been incredible – it's impossible to sum it up. I've had the most amazing time and have got to travel the world. I went from school straight into work so I have never got to do lots of travelling before, so it's been a great experience."

Her visits have included a starring role in the Mauritius Carnival, which was of great personal significance for her as her father is half-Mauritian.

The beauty queen has also helped to raise funds and awareness for a host of charities. She said: "Another great part of the year has been getting to work for all the different charities – the London Marathon and Paris Marathon were great and these were experiences that will really stick with me.

"In terms of people I've met, one of the most memorable is Sir Alex Ferguson. He was a really cool guy – it's nice to see someone enjoying their job so much.

"I met him a few weeks before he announced his retirement so everyone was joking that it was my fault he retired – he is really chilled and had a lot of time for people and he was really relaxed and had a good sense of humour.

"It was really great to meet Professor Robert Winston – he's the man that made me. Without his work in IVF and fertility treatment I wouldn't be here. Working alongside him was amazing. When I first met him I was in awe, he's a very inspiring person."

In terms of what's next, she said it may be a case of waiting to see where work takes her.

First however, she'll be taking a well-deserved rest as her role comes to an end.

She said: "I'm off to Turkey straight away for a modelling job for five days, but then I'm going to have a month off and go and see my sister in Barcelona.

"Then I'll stay in London for the time being – I need to be here for work. But also LA might be on the cards. We'll have to wait and see."

There is still, in Britain, a touchingly bucolic view of farming. Jolly milkmaids, hens scratching in farmyards and sunny fields full of happy workers are the images that crop up again and again in advertisements for milk, eggs and other agricultural products. Yet farming is a modern, highly mechanised business. It has to be, in order to keep our supermarket shelves stocked, our larders full and our appetites sated.

So while it is still possible – indeed, highly desirable – to seek out small traditional producers of top-quality Westcountry-grown and reared foodstuffs, a great deal of the day-to-day produce we consume comes from vast fields, cultivated by massive machines, regularly doused in fertilisers and pesticides. Animals too have been bred over many years to make them well-suited to the job they perform, whether that is giving us eggs, milk or meat. In short, we have been managing the agricultural landscape and all that lives in it, for centuries.

Against that background the level of opposition to genetically modified crops, seems excessive. It extended well beyond the extremist 'green' campaigners who ripped up test crops and dressed in gas masks and boilers suits. Ordinary consumers shunned any attempts to persuade them to accept what were quickly dubbed Franken-foods by the national tabloids. As a result any farmer or food producer tempted to give GM a try, even assuming it had been approved a decade ago, was quickly put off the whole idea in the certain knowledge that they would struggle to find buyers.

It has taken years for that attitude to change – but change it has. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson's view that it is "time to start a more informed discussion about the potential of GM crops" is one that must be taken seriously. As he says, there is absolutely no evidence that anyone consuming GM foods, which have been cultivated, harvested and eaten for years in the United States and elsewhere, has suffered any harm. There is also no sign, so far, that damage is caused to the wider environment by the planting of genetically modified crops.

By contrast, the potential benefits of genetic modification, from increased yields to a reduction in the need for potentially environmentally damaging pesticides, are significant. It would be quite wrong to prevent British farmers from competing in what is fast becoming a global market-place for genetic modification. There remain concerns about who benefits most from this technology – consumers and farmers or, as is feared, the giant bio-technology industry? But that is a different argument, with different solutions to the question of whether or not it is right to free up Britain's farmers to join in with the development of GM. Finally, it is worth highlighting another advantage of GM development particularly for the smaller, specialist farmers and food producers of the South West: their produce will continue to command a premium price.

A public meeting has been called in Ladock to discuss the proposed erection of a 500kw wind turbine at Fentonladock Farm.

Construction of the wind turbine has divided the community in Ladock. Those in support say the turbine will help to generate over £30,000 to be reinvested back in the community.

However, those against claim the turbine will be an eyesore and create excess noise.

Anyone who attends the meeting and wishes to express their views on the planning application to the Central Sub-Area Planning Committee will be asked to register on arrival and will then be called upon to speak.

The meeting will be held on Monday, July 1, at 6pm at Ladock Village Hall, Ladock, Cornwall.

Full details of the application can be found on the Cornwall Council website under reference number PA12/11885.

In a speech he re-ignited the debate over the controversial technology, saying GM foods were probably safer than those produced using conventional farming methods. And he attacked critics who described GM produce as "Frankenfoods", insisting the crops could have important environmental benefits and help save lives in poorer countries.

Mr Paterson called for changes in the way the crops were regulated in the EU, warning that British farmers and scientists were being forced to operate with "one hand tied behind their back".

In a major speech Mr Paterson said: "I believe that it's time to start a more informed discussion about the potential of GM crops, a discussion that enables GM to be considered in its proper overall context with a balanced understanding of the risks and benefits."

Mr Paterson was speaking at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire, where he toured the only active GM crop trial in the UK, for wheat that has been engineered to contain a gene from peppermint that deters aphids and attracts their predator, a parasitic wasp.

He said that an area seven times the size of the UK was being used to cultivate GM crops worldwide, but the EU risked being left behind.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) applauded Mr Paterson for the leadership he had shown on the issue.

"We agree that the UK, which is the natural home for science research, should be at the forefront of providing agricultural solutions, not watching from the sidelines," said Melanie Squires, the NFU regional director in the South West.

"Farmers fear being left behind. We want British farmers to be able to develop the latest technologies so they can reap economic and environmental benefits. We welcome his commitment to getting the EU approvals system working."

She said the NFU would take up Mr Paterson's challenge for "all interested parties to help him" and receive his backing.

Her views were echoed by Dr Julian Little, chairman of the Agricultural Biotechnology Council, who said he believed strongly the Government should create the right conditions for Britain's innovative agricultural technology sector to become a leader in the global market.

He said: "GM technologies are already assisting farmers around the world to boost food security in an environmentally sensitive and sustainable way. The mountain of evidence of the benefits gained by farmers through GM technology continues to grow, from higher crop yields to lower carbon emissions, and the UK cannot afford to be left behind."

But environmental group GeneWatch UK questioned why Mr Paterson was "acting as an ambassador for the GM industry".

Its director, Dr Helen Wallace, said: "Why is he wasting taxpayers' time and money doing PR for Monsanto and the other GM companies? Mr Paterson appears to be deaf, dumb and blind when it comes to any science not peddled by big corporations. Only industry-funded research shows any benefits from GM crops, which do not increase yields and are having harmful effects on the environment in North and South America."

A female secondary school teacher has admitted having sexual activity with one of her pupils.

Roseanna Langley, 24, intentionally touched a boy sexually at St James School in Exeter, Devon.

Langley admitted two counts of sexual touching at Exeter Magistrates' Court and accepted she knew the pupil was under 18 at the time of the two incidents.

She will be sentenced at a later date and governors will be meeting to decide her future after court proceedings have concluded.

A school spokesman for St James said: "A disciplinary hearing is being held by governors following the recent court appearance of a member of staff.

"The staff member has been suspended since the allegations came to light."

The spokesman refused to confirm what position Langley held at the school or whether parents had been informed about the court proceedings.

Langley is currently on conditional bail which prevents her from having any contact with any students of St James School who are under the age of 18.

"The crowning fortune of a man is to be born to some pursuit which finds him employment and happiness, whether it be to make baskets, or broad swords, or canals..." So wrote essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson – and one English poet would heartily approve.

She is Jo Bell, the nation's Canal Laureate – who is now challenging anyone in the Westcountry who loves both poetry and canals to write an ode about waterways and water.

Poet-in-residence at the Canal and River Trust – the charity that cares for 2,000 miles of waterways across England and Wales – Jo is launching the nationwide mass-participation poetry event by asking people to write about their special memories of those long, thin strips of water in our countryside.

Being such a hilly region, the Westcountry is not quite as rich in canals as some areas. Nevertheless, we do have the still-navigable Taunton to Bridgwater Canal that flows across the Somerset Levels.

There are also several miles of navigable waters remaining of the grandiose Grand Western at Tiverton.

The brief but beautiful Exeter Ship Canal predates what was known as this nation's "canal-mania", having been built way back in the 1560s. And the Bude Canal – built chiefly to import lime-bearing sand for agricultural use to the hilly hinterland in the Devon and Cornwall border-lands – is often said to be the most unusual in Britain.

There's also a short canal at Gunnislake – once used by manure boats to avoid the tidal river weir and take dung north up the Tamar.

Jo will tweet writing prompts on @CanalPoetry to help people capture their favourite canal moments – and collect poems until September 14. The best works will feature on the Canal Laureate blog: www.waterlines.org.uk

To submit a poem send it to writingonwater@poetrysociety.org.uk. Or visit www.waterlines.org.uk for more details.

One of the oldest pharmacies in the UK celebrates its 190th anniversary this month.

Topsham Pharmacy near Exeter was established in 1823 by a "chymist and druggist" called Marler Troake and has remained an independently owned business ever since.

It emerged from an era when leeches were kept in jars to bleed customers, prescriptions were written out by the local physician in Latin and treatments and potions – some involving poisons like arsenic – were made up on the premises and sold to local residents.

Now Judy Norsworthy, wife of current owner David Norsworthy, has gathered together a comprehensive history of the pharmacy.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society was established in 1841 and from 1868, 'chemists and druggists' had to register with the society.

If a chemist had owned a pharmacy business before 1868, they could register with the society without having to sit an exam, Although examinations were introduced in 1841 for those who wished to take them.

After 1868, an individual who had not previously owned a business had to pass the society's 'minor' examination before they could call themselves a 'chemist and druggist'.

Pharmacy manager Stephen Murphy still uses a stunning, Victorian mahogany chest of drawers with glass handles originally used to store dry powders, roots and herbs. The pharmacy also boasts beautiful Victorian Carboys that are over a century old.

Although the exact age of the colourful glass vessels is not known, they appear in all the historic photographs of the pharmacy, many of which are more than 100 years old.

Carboys are a recognised symbol of the pharmaceutical profession and date back to the 1600s. They guided people to the presence of a pharmacy when literacy levels were low.

During the 18th century, plate glass and larger windows were introduced and carboys became a regular part of the window decoration, used to attract people to the pharmacy.

During the 1900s, gas burners were placed behind the carboys to light them up. But in the 1920s, they started to go out of fashion as pharmacies sold more items and used the windows for product displays. Topsham Pharmacy is fortunate that its carboys were retained.

A typical Victorian pharmacist worked long days. The shop opened at 7am and closed at 10pm. Prescriptions were written out by the local physician, always in Latin. There were no suppliers, other than for ingredients and patent remedies, and although patent medicines were sold, these were mainly for poorer customers who could not afford to pay the druggist to prepare the treatment himself.

The shop would have been filled with the smell of ingredients drifting from the dispensary. Most medicines were prepared by the druggist based on his own formula combined with an agent such as soap, and moulded into a tablet.

The housing crisis in the Westcountry is well known – many people in the region can't afford homes – but it seems our wildlife might be sharing a similar fate, which is why the RSPB yesterday launched a campaign to tackle the crisis which is hitting our natural world.

The crusade comes a month after 25 wildlife organisations released the groundbreaking State of Nature report which revealed that 60 per cent of the wildlife species studied have declined over recent decades.

Now the RSPB hopes to inspire people in the South West to help towards creating a million new homes for nature across the UK.

Many garden favourites in the region were among the creatures shown to be in serious trouble – including starlings, hedgehogs, some butterflies and ladybirds.

Experts say things will only get worse unless more is done to provide better habitats.

Getting individuals and families across the Westcountry to act for nature in their own gardens is the first part of a package of actions that the RSPB is launching in response to the State of Nature.

Over the next few months, the charity will also be outlining what businesses, communities and politicians in the county can do, as well as detailing the RSPB's own plans for saving nature.

RSPB Westcountry spokesman, Tony Whitehead, told the Western Morning News: "Nature in the UK is in trouble and some of our more familiar garden species are amongst those suffering serious declines. Westcountry gardens provide a valuable lifeline for species like starlings, toads, hedgehogs and butterflies, which are struggling to find homes in the wider countryside.

"Although the overall problem is huge, the solution can start on a small scale, right on our doorsteps. It doesn't matter what sort of garden you have, what size it is, or even if you have no garden at all, we need everyone to help by turning their outside space into a wildlife haven."

Mr Whitehead went on: "The more people that get involved in our Giving Nature a Home campaign the better. Our aim is to provide one million homes for nature across the UK, because if there's no home for nature, then there's no nature – it really is that serious."

TV homes expert Linda Barker is one of the famous faces supporting the campaign. She said: "To me, having wildlife in your garden is the perfect finishing touch to any home. Planting wild flowers, digging a pond or creating a log pile for bugs is not just a good way of getting creative and making your garden more attractive, but it will also benefit threatened garden wildlife at the same time.

"Individual actions will make a difference and start to help tackle the lack of habitats for some of our wild creatures."

Linda added. "In my garden I've put up a nest box for birds and planted nectar-rich flowers to attract bees. If everyone can do just one thing and gave nature a home in their outside space it would be amazing – together we can make a big difference."

To help spread the word, the RSPB has joined up with the property website, Rightmove, to help promote the campaign to homeowners, renters and those looking to get on to the property ladder.

Matt James from Rightmove, said: "Though we're more used to helping people find a home than helping them build one, when the RSPB told us about the parlous position of some of the UK's favourite species we felt compelled to throw our support behind the campaign."

Apart from launching a television advertising campaign many of the RSPB's reserves will be running events and activities linked to Giving Nature a Home.

And the Giving Nature a Home website will give everyone access to expert advice about helping nature in any outside space – whether it's a huge garden or a small planting tub on balcony.

To find out more visit www.rspb.org.uk/reserves and www.rspb.org.uk/homes