"THE VIBE in the town is fantastic."

That's the opinion of Alan Shepherd, chairman of the St Ives September Festival, now under way and well into its fourth decade as an institution in the town.

"St Ives is full, the traders are happy and we've got plenty of entertainment, both inside and out to keep everyone happy," he said.

"The street events at the weekend, organised by Tony Carver, were great with music, dancing and sessions in the pubs. They were a terrific starting point as was the amazing sold-out opening gig by Fairport Convention while Chastity Brown, the US blues and soul singer, also went down brilliantly on Monday evening at the Western Hotel.

"The poor weather hasn't harmed the lunchtime music and poetry performance sessions by Bob Devereux, which normally take place in Norway Square.

"He just pops into a nearby gallery and they are still regularly attracting around 100 people."

The two-week festival got under way on Saturday with more than 200 events planned and continues until Saturday, September 28 when tribute bands Livewire AC/DC and the ZZ Tops are likely to provide a rousing finale at the Guildhall.

Among the events taking place on the opening day was St Ives' first town crier competition, organised by the town's rotary club in an attempt to find a new town crier, and to commemorate Abram Kernow, a former holder of the office from 40 years ago.

Chosen

Judged by the Mayor of St Ives, Colin Nicholls; the president of the Rotary Club of St Ives, Victor Wallis; and the town crier of Penzance, Philip Rowley, Carbis Bay's Bob Blaby of Carbis Bay was chosen to fill the historic civic office.

Rotarian Kenneth Ashmore, who organised the event, said: "It is hoped that the town council will see fit to appoint Mr Blaby in an honorary capacity in due course, but that local businesses and other organisations may also call upon his services.

"We thank Cornwall Council who provided funding for the project through their 'Feast' programme, and also to the St Ives Festival Committee for including the competition in their programme."

As well as music concerts, there are a host of other dance, literary and arts-related events and film showings to enjoy; log on to www.stiveseptember festival.co.uk for full details.

A PUB landlord says he can't believe Cornwall Council plans to move one of its outside walls 1.2 metres to put in a footpath that will "go nowhere".

Paul Green, 55, who runs the Plume of Feathers in Penhallow near Perranporth, said he was angry at the council's plans to knock down a wall, only to rebuild it a few feet away so a short length of pavement can be laid.

Two years ago, with the council's permission, Mr Green built a small wall to prevent cars coming along the A3075 hitting one corner of the pub.

He said he was shocked to discover Cornwall Council would be paying to knock down the existing wall and rebuild it on Monday.

"I can't understand why Cornwall Council would spend money on this," said Mr Green.

"They'd be better off spending the public's money on more important things like the roads."

A 20ft length of pavement will also be built alongside the wall, despite the fact that there is no path beside the road for miles.

"It's crazy," said Mr Green. "The closest pathway is five miles in either direction. I could understand if they were putting in a path all the way to Goonhavern, but they're not. This path will go nowhere.

"It's a waste of public money when the council are saying they don't have money to do this, that and the other."

As the West Briton went to press the council had yet to reveal how much the work was costing.

In a statement, it said: "This has been a long-running issue which was finally resolved last year following a meeting between the council and the landlord. As a result works to set back the wall are due to begin on September 23. As agreed with the landlord, these will be funded by the council."

BOSSES at scientific engineering company Pall have assured workers at its St Columb site their jobs are safe – despite the news that the company's Redruth plant will move to Slovakia.

A source close to Pall Newquay, which produces medical products and employs around 330 people, told the Cornish Guardian that up to 30 jobs were being axed, on top of the 175 at Redruth.

But Huw Chapman, the international company's managing director for Europe, said on Monday there was no truth in the rumours.

He said: "While it is our policy not to respond to rumours or speculation, I can confirm that the statement [regarding job losses at Pall Newquay] … is not correct."

The company operates four sites in the UK, at St Columb, Redruth, Portsmouth and Ilfracombe, and primarily manufactures filtration products for the healthcare and aerospace industries.

The source said the redundancies had come as a huge shock, as the Pall sites in Cornwall had been performing well, with the Redruth factory receiving a productivity award last year.

The facility is due to close in 2015, and it is understood that staff are being asked to train the Slovakian workers who will take the new jobs.

The man said: "Not only is it a blow for Pall Redruth, this relocation will affect many other local companies who supply Pall with parts.

"They have said it is only Pall Redruth which will be affected, but there are going to be 30 redundancies at the Newquay plant.

"For a plant which is the most productive worldwide and generates the most money worldwide, how can they justify relocating to another country when they have the best workforce right here in Cornwall?"

A spokesman for Pall said the new factory in Slovakia would have "minimal impact" on staffing levels at their manufacturing plants in Portsmouth, Ilfracombe, and Newquay.

"However, we will be transferring the majority of our industrial manufacturing operations from our Redruth site to the new Slovakian location," he said.

"The move is part of our continued effort to ensure we are structured to deliver high-quality products and superior service to our customers worldwide.

"This includes developing dedicated centres that improve the effectiveness of our operations and make it easier for customers to do business with Pall."

TWO staff will say an emotional goodbye to the shop in which they have worked for a combined 72 years – when it closes its doors for the final time on Saturday.

The end of an era looms for Betsy Baker, the manager at the Clarks shop in Meneage Street, where she first worked at age 16 – some 48 years ago.

Colleague and friend Diane Williams has put in 24 years.

"I don't know where the years have gone," said Betsy.

Family business Goodenough Shoes, which also has Clarks franchises in Penzance, Falmouth, Truro, St Austell and Bodmin, said it is closing quite suddenly after negotiations over the building's lease failed.

The five staff at Helston have been offered jobs in the other shops. Mrs Baker said: "We had been told there were negotiations with the lease but you don't really believe it is going to happen. It's devastating really.

"Lots of people have been coming in and everyone can't believe it. It's been quite emotional."

She said she helped fit shoes for whole generations of families – people brought in by their parents who have returned with their own children.

She took a short break when she moved to Germany to marry Bryan Baker.

He was serving in the Army and they met as pen-pals.

"They'd promised me a job if I ever came back," she said. "So, that's what we did. I am from Helston you see, I was born here.

"Most people don't stay in jobs like that anymore.

"I've seen so many changes. The shop itself has changed and the Clarks brand has completely changed.

"The biggest difference is everything was so formal back then. It was 'Mr' this and 'Miss' that.

"Now it's much more casual and everything's done by first name."

She wished her staff all the best, adding: "It's been lovely."

Goodenough Shoes has owned the shop for the past three years, having taken over from Clarks, which had succeeded the company John Farmer.

Director John Goodenough said the decision had been difficult. "We were always hopeful we could get a new lease. It's all happened very quickly and we've got to a stage where we can't continue any longer."

"I had to make the unhappy decision to close. We do have great customer loyalty and great staff loyalty too.

"We thank everyone for their support over the years and thank our manager Betsy. I can't praise her enough."

The building is for sale.

DOZENS of people attended a heated public meeting to discuss controversial plans for a solar farm near Luxulyan.

Elgin Esco Ltd's plans for a 34-acre solar farm on land close to the hamlet of Bodwen have sparked outrage locally.

And more than 60 people packed into Bugle Village Hall on Thursday evening to meet with members of Cornwall Council's strategic planning committee to make their feelings about the scheme known.

Tim Warne, Cornwall Council planning officer handling the application, said that the site covered seven fields across 14 hectares of land and was expected to produce 5MW of electricity, enough to power 1,000 properties.

It was anticipated that construction would take 12 weeks.

Chris Austin, chairman of Luxulyan Parish Council told the meeting that by agreeing to developments at Trenouth and Tredinnick within the parish, amounting to 42 acres, they had made a reasonable contribution to green energy in Cornwall.

Other arguments included:

Turning the countryside into factory land would not appeal to visitors, regardless of whether they walked, cycled or rode horses.

That one site in a parish was sufficient, but six or seven within a few miles of each other was unacceptable.

Future problems with food poverty with the growing population of this country and more cheap food imports would put farmers who continued producing food under even greater strain.

Roger Smith, from campaign group LAND, said: "Residents of Bodwen were emphatic that their rural lifestyle would be changed forever; several families with young children walked along the lane, without footpaths; that would now have heavy traffic and were one-car households with no other choice.

"Their perception of the rural area would be changed forever, with the quiet life of the hamlet being disturbed for months at a time.

"There was not one person in the hamlet in favour of the development and all felt that quality of life was going to become unbearable."

The meeting concluded with a statement that Elgin had been given a Regulation 22 request for more information and the application would not be discussed at a strategic planning meeting until this had been received.

It is anticipated the application may be discussed at either the October or November meeting.

Four years ago Cornwall Council predicted that it was "preparing for a solar power gold rush".

With companies eager to benefit from the guarantees of the Government's Feed in Tariff (TIF), as predicted, the following years saw a large amount of planning applications put before the local authority and its counterparts in Devon.

And the eagerness of the solar companies to take advantage of the region's longer hours of sunshine was reflected in the acceptance of the first application for a solar farm in the UK in Truro in 2010.

Since then the solar park at the former Wheal Jane mine site has been matched by countless others in Devon and Cornwall.

In Cornwall alone there are 33 solar farms already operational producing 137MW of electricity.

In South Hams there have been 36 applications for solar arrays, ranging from panels to farms, approved, in Teignbridge at least another eight, as well as countless others across the rest of Devon.

The expansion has been welcomed by developers and industry experts, with the counties leading the way in the development of the technology and the thousands of jobs it supports.

However, it has not been welcomed with open arms by everyone, Somerset Liberal Democrat MP and Government minister Jeremy Browne labelling them a 'monstrous desecration' last month.

For many communities on the front line that feeling is shared.

In Luxylan and Bugle in Cornwall there are plans in existence for 219 acres worth of solar farms, with 42 acres already erected.

Roger Smith, from campaign group Luxylan Against Needless Development (LAND), which are strongly opposed to the proliferation, said the solar farms carry more than just a visual impact.

"It is also the fact that people need to be able to take pleasure from their environment, it contributes to people's wellbeing," he said. "It's not measured in planning but perhaps it should be.

"It's a low wage area but the fact that it is so considerably attractive acts as a compensation for that and makes it more attractive for people to stay and probably make their home.

"People are proud of their natural environment but if the solar sites are given approval it's going to have an impact on that.

"The greatest fear is that we will have an industrialised landscape. I think that another fear we have is the disservice it is doing to green energy, and it's dramatic.

"This is a rapid visual change. It's I think about an area that people love and cherish and the feeling of helplessness that nobody really wants."

Christine Wharton, from Fowey Renewable Energy Enterprise, said solar farms which have foreign owners don't keep all the financial benefits locally.

She said: "My personal preference is to site solar panels atop roofs or above car parks to avoid taking up precious countryside which will be needed for food production as global warming makes it harder to grow crops nearer the equator."

Conservative MP George Eustice warned in the Western Morning News on Saturday that the region was reaching "saturation point" for renewable technologies.

Yet, his fear is matched by the reassurance of those involved in the industry.

Merlin Hyman, the chief executive of independent sustainable energy centre Regen SW, said each project needs to be carefully scrutinised.

He said: "We need to make sure that developers, local authorities and local communities, work together to make sure the benefits for the community, such as local jobs, the right schemes, are there.

"The South West Renewable Energy Manifesto published this year sets out a commitment from local MPs, Local Enterprise Partnerships and businesses to make the south west a leader in renewable energy, creating 34,000 jobs by 2020."

TWO girls are to share the leading role in Redruth Amateur Operatic Society's forthcoming production of the musical Annie at the Regal Theatre.

Emily Bradley, 12, a pupil of Mounts Bay Academy who has performed in many Playrite Theatre School productions, sang her first classical solo in front of a large audience at the age of 5.

Rachel Millington, 13, goes to Newquay Tretherras School and has been dancing and singing since she was 2.

She played the title role when Annie came to the Hall for Cornwall on a national tour, in which TV's Su Pollard played cruel, embittered orphanage boss Miss Hannigan, and has also been in the HfC pantomime for the past six years.

Gail Angove, directing the show for the Operatic Society, said she and musical director Alastair Taylor were so impressed by Emily and Rachel's auditions that they decided they could share the title role.

She said Emily and Rachel were really enjoying rehearsals, the support from the rest of the cast and making new friends, especially with Daisy-May, an eight-year-old golden retriever who appears in the role of Annie's dog Sandy.

Her owner, society member Heidi Whitehead, said: "She loves children and thrives on attention, although she's not interested in retrieving a stick or ball which is what retrievers are supposed to do."

Set during the Great Depression, Annie tells of a foundling left on the doorstep of the New York orphanage run by Miss Hannigan and determined to find the parents she believes to have abandoned her.

The show runs from October 29 to November 2 at 7.30pm with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.

Tickets for Annie are available from the Regal Theatre box office on 01209 216278 and can also be booked online at www.merlincinemas.co.uk

PUPILS and staff at Hayle Community School donned checked shirts and hats to pay tribute to a teacher who died suddenly three years ago.

Head of PE Matthew Upsher suffered an epileptic seizure while surfing and died on September 13, 2010.

Every year since on that date the school has celebrated his life by wearing checked shirts and hats – two of his favourite items of clothing.

Head teacher Chris Jackman said: "We asked the children how they wanted to remember Matt. We had a small surfboard with a plaque on it which reads 'You believed in us' put up.

"Matt loved what he did; he loved the children, he loved sport and his family. He really inspired them and they knew he cared for them."

More than three-quarters of Hayle pupils came in wearing a checked shirt, she said, of whom many never met Mr Upsher: "They did it properly," she said. "It was nice they showed respect."

The school was also asking for donations on Friday towards the Matthew Upsher Foundation, a charity set up his family following his death. The money it raises will go towards various causes including offering support to people with epilepsy.

Former pupils who were taught by Mr Upsher left messages of support on Facebook, with one saying he had worn a checked shirt to college on the anniversary of his death.

Fifteen-year-old Ellie Clifford, a Year 11 pupil who was taught by Mr Upsher for a year, said he was highly thought of by all his students.

"His lessons were popular; he was really good fun," she said. "It's a nice way to remember him."

Former colleagues joined his family and friends for a remembrance service at Perranporth Beach on Friday evening, where he died while surfing with his brother.

A NEWQUAY surf shop has been chosen to take part in a pilot project which will see it advertised on up to 50 Barclays cash machines in Cornwall.

Boardwalk, on Cliff Road, is one of 67 businesses selected nationwide to take part in the scheme, aimed at supporting small and medium-sized firms.

It is estimated more than 350 million people use Barclays' 3,400 ATMs each year to withdraw cash, check their balance and obtain mini-statements.

Tim Smith, owner of Boardwalk, said: "This is a great idea and offers a small firm like ours a platform to raise awareness of our brand while reaching out to a new local audience. It is one which I and other businesses really welcome and we would like to thank Barclays for involving us in this pilot and for their continuing support for our business."

Ben Rundle, area business manager for Barclays, Cornwall, added: "This ATM initiative is an ideal way in which we can help and support our customers' marketing activity and I'm pleased that we have been able to offer a local trader the opportunity to take in the pilot.

"We are interested in hearing feedback from our customers to help measure the success of the scheme while we continue to look at ways in which Barclays can support the local business community."

Boardwalk will feature on ATMs between Tuesday, September 17, and Monday, September 30. The pilot concludes in November and if successful could be implemented more widely in 2014.

A BUGLE man befriended an elderly woman and then swindled her out of thousands of pounds leaving her with just a few pounds in her bank account.

Cynthia Foxall, 79, thought she had a friend in Mark Green, 52, and trusted him so implicitly that when money started to disappear from her account she did not consider he could be to blame.

The widow, who has lived on her own for 13 years and has mobility problems, was left with just £3 in her account after Green, of Minorca Lane, Bugle, made 24 withdrawals from ATMs using her card and pin number.

Green took up to £300 at a time between April 2 and July 10, 2012, eventually getting away with £4,180.

On Wednesday at Truro Crown Court Green pleaded guilty to theft and was jailed for a year.

Phillip Lee, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said Ms Foxall "befriended this defendant and as far as she was concerned they were very close friends".

He said: "In June 2010 she went to the bank. When she saw statements for the period May to June 2012 she realised that several withdrawals had been made that she was not responsible for.

"Shortly after that she realised that in the period June to July there were further withdrawals."

Police identified Green as the thief using CCTV captured at the ATMs he had used, but he went on the run and it was not until a year later that officers managed to contact him.

In August 2012 he sent a letter to his victim that said: "I have been a fool and an idiot. Now I have got to sort this mess out. I am sorry for letting you down", but Mr Lee said Green made no attempt to repay the money and failed to turn up to several appointments with the police. When he was finally interviewed, he admitted taking the money.

Martin Pearce, defending Green, said he suffered from anxiety and depression, which was why he had missed a previous court hearing, and that fairly recently he had lost both his parents and a partner who was extremely dear to him.

Sentencing, Judge Peter Johnson said: "This was a mean, despicable offence you committed over a period of time which has had a marked impact on Ms Foxall.

"She is less trusting now than she was, concerned about who she lets into her house and she was worried about how she was going to survive financially."

Judge Johnson ordered no further action in respect of Green's failure to appear at court on September 3.

A BODMIN man died from a form of lung cancer – as a result of exposure to asbestos more than 50 years ago, an inquest has heard.

Thomas Edmund McFadden of Tredanek Close, died on March 20 of this year at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, in Truro.

An inquest into the 69-year-old's death, at Truro Coroner's Court on Thursday last week, heard that he had been diagnosed with mesothelioma – a form of lung cancer strongly associated with asbestos exposure – in 2012, and had deteriorated quite quickly.

Shortly before his death, Mr McFadden decided to move from his home of Liverpool to Cornwall to be closer to his daughter and other family.

Mr McFadden was admitted to hospital on March 17 but died three days later.

The inquest heard that Mr McFadden had been exposed to asbestos, which is strongly related to mesothelioma, during his working career as a plumber, joiner, window fixer and asbestos sheet fixer during the 1960s and 1970s.

Mr McFadden had been living independently until six weeks before his death, the inquest was told.

Cornwall Coroner Dr Emma Carlyon found that Mr McFadden died of a mesothelioma as the result of his asbestos exposure.

Dr Carlyon concluded that Mr McFadden died from an industrial disease.

COUNCILLORS in Launceston are backing plans for a full-time rail link from Okehampton to Exeter.

Plans are being drawn up to create a new Parkway station at Okehampton offering a freight and passenger link from North Cornwall and West Devon to Exeter, and from there to the rest of the UK railway network.

Okehampton Town Council is asking other bodies, including Launceston and Bude-Stratton town councils, to back its case for the re-establishment of a regular Okehampton-Exeter service.

At their meeting last Tuesday, Launceston town councillors voted to ask their opposite numbers at Okehampton whether they could have a member appointed to the project working group. "It would bring the railway a step nearer to Launceston, and enhance the bus service from Launceston to Okehampton," said Robert Tremain.

Members discussed a letter from Okehampton Town Council which stated that it and British and American Railways, which owns the Okehampton-Exeter line, had undertaken survey work to ascertain the feasibility of the proposal, with positive results.

At present trains run on Sundays from the existing Okehampton station to Exeter and from there to Plymouth and up to Gunnislake, with passengers making the return journey to Okehampton by coach.

However, it is a tourist service with only five trains a week, all of them on a Sunday.

Councillors at Tavistock have already voted to give their support to a regular rail service being provided between Okehampton and Exeter.