A PETITION started by North Cornwall MP Dan Rogerson seeking to bring railway services closer to east and north Cornwall has been backed by hundreds of local people.

The petition supports the plan to reopen the line between Plymouth and Exeter via Tavistock and Okehampton and asks Network Rail to explore the options for extending it into Cornwall.

Launched on February 11, by Monday nearly 2,000 people in the Bude, Launceston and Camelford areas had signed the petition, as had others from Cornwall, the UK and even as far afield as France and Germany.

The Cornish Guardian has joined forces with the Western Morning News in calling for the Government to halt its £30bn HS2 upgrade of the line between London and the Midlands and use the cash to bypass the storm-wrecked stretch of track at Dawlish which has severed the Paddington-Cornwall route.

Mr Rogerson said reopening the line via Okehampton and Tavistock would bring rail services much closer to North Cornwall.

"At the same time I'd like to see Network Rail explore the options for extending and connecting the Okehampton line to communities in North Cornwall that don't currently have a rail service," he said.

"Hundreds of local people have already backed the petition, as have people from across the country who want to see better connections to help them visit the area to see family, friends or come on holiday.

"The more signatures there are, the stronger our case to Network Rail will be as we ask them to look at bringing back railways to our area."

The petition can be found at http://bit.do/NorthCornwall- Railways

Jade Farrington, Cornwall councillor for Launceston South and a fellow Lib Dem, said the response in her town had been phenomenal.

"I urge as many Cornish residents as possible to put their weight behind the campaign by signing the petition," she said.

Malcolm Mitchell, a resident of Marhamchurch who has been supporting the campaign, said: "Due to the horrendous weather and the devastating damage caused to the only rail link into the South West, there has never before been such an urgent and intensive cross-party dialogue into providing an alternative and reliable inland rail route.

"We have here a golden opportunity to put ourselves back on the national railway map after some 50 years of isolation, and with that would come the inevitable boost for the whole area in tourism, commerce and social mobility."

A NEW crime-busting partnership between traders and the police has been set up in Wadebridge.

Ten businesses have so far signed up to the Shopwatch Radio scheme, and the police hope more will do so in the near future.

Devon and Cornwall Police have funded the project, which provides radio communication between shopkeepers and local officers.

The radio sets will be used to tackle a range of issues from suspected shoplifters to missing children.

Police Community Support Officer Pete Sobey, who helped set up the scheme in the town, said that the radios placed in participating shops would provide a quick and efficient way for traders to communicate with each other and for any information to be passed directly to the police.

PCSO Sobey said that, although incidents of shoplifting were not common in Wadebridge, the radio sets could be used to alert other traders and the police that thieves were active in the area.

"The only incident we have had recently was when £200-worth of vintage clothing was stolen from a charity shop.

"Now that the ten shops have received their radios, one can warn the others of suspicious characters in the area.

"A radio will also be carried by a police officer who is patrolling the town.

"The scheme has other benefits, too. If a child goes missing, or if someone has left a wallet or something else of value in a shop, radio communication is the quickest and most effective way to pass on information to others."

Devon and Cornwall Police provided £1,000 of funding for the radio sets, and shopkeepers pay a £2 per week maintenance charge.

"This is just the start of the scheme in Wadebridge and we are hoping more businesses will join soon," said PCSO Sobey.

One of the traders who has signed up to the initiative is Emily Cholerton-Perry, who runs jewellers Savage & Co, in Molesworth Street.

She said: "It's a fantastic scheme.

"Obviously, we traders try to communicate with each other to keep everyone informed, but now, with the new radio system, we can do that much more quickly, and we can also get an instant response from the police."

A NEW multimillion-pound technology and design business centre in Wadebridge has failed to receive the full backing of town councillors after some members voted against supporting it with the use of the council crest.

The town is in line to receive a £10 million EU funding investment for the proposed Smart Innovation Hub.

This is seen by many as an exciting new concept, bringing together new businesses in developing fields and providing growth and employment opportunities in the area with high-calibre jobs.

At a meeting last week, the town council narrowly voted in favour of using its logo on a scoping document about the project.

But Wadebridge mayor Tony Rush and three other councillors voted against it.

The centre, which is planned to be sited beside the river on the opposite bank to the Camel Trail, would house technology and design businesses, as well as performance and educational facilities.

It would be a collaboration between the town of Wadebridge and Falmouth University.

Mr Rush says he is backing the proposals but is concerned about allowing the town council logo to be used on the document.

"I'm certainly for it as it would help employment and investment in the town, but my only worry is, if we put our logo on the paperwork, we may be pre-empting planning decisions," Mr Rush said.

"At the moment, this is only an idea and the plans haven't yet been drawn up.

"If we attach our logo to it now this may affect our ability to make a planning decision at a later date."

In December, a team from the town, including Mr Rush, members of Wadebridge Chamber of Commerce, The Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network (WREN) and Stephen Knightley, the Cornwall councillor for Wadebridge East, travelled to Falmouth to discuss the proposed centre with representatives of the university's Academy of Innovation and Research (AIR).

Mr Knightley believes the town council should be looking to support any potential scheme that could generate highly-skilled jobs in the town.

"The whole area is under consideration in the Neighbourhood Plan (NP) and needs to be co-ordinated, which is happening," he said.

"The town council, which is deeply involved with the NP and whose chairman is the mayor, should be looking to support any potential scheme that could generate highly-skilled jobs in the town. One would seriously hope the scheme will have their support, at least as a feasibility study.

"There will be a new mayor in May and I think the focus of seeking support should be concentrated on the incoming mayor who may be more inclined to support the scheme."

Mr Knightley said the next step will see landowners and stakeholders meeting to discuss the idea.

A ROW has broken out between a skip hire company and a developer over plans to close a road which provides one of two access routes to the shopping centre in Fraddon.

Skip hire firm T Julian and Sons says a stopping up order on New Road, agreed last year to accommodate plans for a supermarket, will be detrimental to its business.

A spokeswoman said: "We're not happy with the closure. We'll have trouble turning our vehicles around with all the congestion.

"There are two entrances at the moment and they want to shut off one of them, which is the better entrance from our point of view. On an expanding retail park it's obviously better to have two entrances for safety."

The developer of the retail park, which also has permission to add a Next store and a Starbucks to the growing site, said the complaints were largely unfounded.

Abe Simpson of Kingsley Village insisted: "As far as I'm aware a lot of the objections were withdrawn at the public inquiry. Only one or two were left in and I think that's because they don't understand the scheme well enough.

"They've spent time and effort objecting to something which will bring enormous benefits. They don't know enough about it to raise a substantiated argument.

"Any claims from people who say that it's detrimental to them are farcical, because it's clear there are improvements to be made.

"Our new development is making the parish a far more sustainable one. People needn't travel to other areas to find work; they can stay here now. What we're doing will bring enormous benefits to everyone."

Other businesses in the village said they were concerned that having just one access point, near the petrol station, would make it difficult to reach their properties. A spokesman for Whitbread, which runs the Penhale Round pub opposite Kingsley Village, said the consent granted by Cornwall Council to close the road at the Blue Anchor junction would have an effect on lorry deliveries to businesses including the pub.

"We will continue to work alongside the council and other businesses affected by the decision to assess if there is a solution to the situation that suits everyone," he said.

St Enoder Parish Council said it supported the expansion of the retail park at Kingsley Village, which would bring new jobs to the area.

THE chairman of the St Austell Bay Chamber of Commerce – a body which voted against Coyte Farm – has stood down after just four months in the job.

John Kneller said he resigned from the position due to "personal reasons" but would remain a member of the organisation.

Mr Kneller, who is also chairman of Together St Austell, a group of business leaders calling for development within the town centre, said he had enjoyed being the chamber's chairman but had decided to stand down for a number of reasons.

Reflecting on his short time in the job, he said when he first took up the position he had hoped to highlight several problems affecting businesses in the town.

"There were a number of things that I thought were important for St Austell and they still are important," Mr Kneller said. "There are a number of things I thought we could do to try to improve the town centre in particular, such as business rates and car parking.

"Both are ongoing issues."

Steve Hurst, a longstanding member of the St Austell Bay Chamber of Commerce, said in recent weeks the body had received seven applications for membership from prominent supporters of the Coyte Farm scheme.

He said the chamber welcomed applications from new businesses.

"We're getting applications from the pro-Coyte Farm group," he said. "If they're genuine applications from businesses in the area that's absolutely fine."

Mr Hurst said when a vote was taken on whether the chamber would support the Coyte Farm application last year, 145 members had voted against the scheme and three had abstained.

A MOTORIST reversed into a parked car as he came out of a driveway and laughed at the owner when she challenged him, Truro magistrates heard.

Christopher Robert Brown, 60, an engineer living at Denyer Court, Meadowbank Road, Falmouth, pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention at Pit Meadow, Falmouth, on November 14, and to failing to stop after an accident, and failing to report it.

Brown was fined £335 with £118 costs and surcharge, and was banned from driving for 56 days.

Alison May, for the prosecution, said Brown caused a 12in scratch to the parked Audi. When its owner sounded her horn and shouted he stopped, laughed, said the scratch had been there before and that he was running late, and was going. The Audi driver suffered discomfort in her neck as a result of the jolt.

Solicitor Polly Morley, for Brown, said he had been having a difficult year, particularly in November; a friend had recently come out of hospital, and his partner had been taken ill.

At the time of the incident, he was not concentrating on what he was doing.

He did stop, but did not exchange details and did not report it. He was remorseful.

District Judge David Parsons told Brown he had displayed a cavalier attitude to the other motorist, an aggravating feature of the case, which involved serious offences.

THE NEWQUAY Fish Festival has been left floundering after having its grant cut by more than half.

At a meeting on Tuesday, Newquay Town Council's tourism and leisure committee agreed to provide £2,000 of the £5,000 festival organisers had asked for.

Councillors have advised the Newquay Regeneration Forum, which runs the festival, to apply for additional funding from the finance and policy committee.

Despite the shortfall, organiser Andy Cole said: "We're very pleased to have been given £2,000. It's great the council has been able to help given all the cuts they've had to make.

"They have been very supportive in all directions but we do require extra finances this year, and we need the support of everybody."

Mr Cole said that unless funds can be raised, the future of the festival, which costs £30,000 to run, is uncertain.

"If they don't give us anything, some things may not be achieved. Extra money would allow us to move the fish festival forward, so that we're not looking at going too into the red."

He claimed the festival, which is set to take place from September 12 to 14, will benefit the resort as a whole.

"The money we're asking for to put on a major Newquay event is a small sum to pay for all of the publicity it creates and the people it brings in. We're estimating 12,000 to 15,000 people will turn out," he said.

Meanwhile Newquay Town Council has agreed to give £1,500 towards the Lions' carnival, which will take place from July 5 to 12.

A further £1,500 was granted by the finance and policy committee at a previous meeting.

Jill Willmott, senior vice-president of the Newquay Lions, said: "We're extremely pleased. Without the council's support we couldn't put the carnival on. This is a great way to bring everyone together and to encourage people to the area."

For more information on helping at the Newquay Fish Festival or the carnival, e-mail Andy Cole at newquaysurf@btconnect.com

THE suicide of a "kind and intelligent" student has triggered a review of support services at Cornwall's university and led to improvements at a doctor's surgery.

Joseph Evans hanged himself at his flat on Church Street in Falmouth on June 22 last year after suffering from depression, an inquest heard.

It followed a suicide attempt by the photography student, who then received support from mental health professionals and a GP.

At the inquest on Thursday, assistant coroner for Cornwall Andrew Cox said he would write to Falmouth University and The Penryn Surgery to ensure improvements made in the wake of Mr Evans' death would "take root and grow".

Mr Evans, 21, tried to take his own life on November 23, 2011, while in shared accommodation in Falmouth.

Over the next 18 months he had a home visit by a university support team and a clinical psychiatric nurse, three appointments with a GP, a session with a university counsellor and an appointment with a wellbeing case worker. He was also prescribed a months' worth of antidepressants.

The inquest heard he was repeatedly not "chased up" when he failed to attend follow-up appointments, but had created a "smokescreen" to hide his condition from his parents, friends and health professionals.

GP Christine Dunne saw Mr Evans at Penryn Surgery on November 24, 2011. She told the inquest it was "not necessary to chase him up" when he failed to attend an appointment the next day. "He was not actively suicidal; he was able to make his own decisions," she said.

The third-year press and editorial student from Stoke Newington missed his second session with university counsellor Sofia Chanda-Gool in January 2013. She told the inquest it was "counter-productive" to pursue patients, adding: "We are not encouraged to do that."

Wellbeing case worker Julie Rae, who saw Mr Evans in April 2013, said: "Joe went to great lengths to hide his condition and the extent of it. There was certainly no indication when I met him that he was likely to harm himself."

After his death, a review was carried out into the university's student support services.

Dr Chanda-Gool said: "It caused a great deal of alarm. There were several meetings."

Ms Rae said there was a "systems overview" and a weekly risk assessment practitioner's meeting had been introduced to discuss individual cases. Internal processes were more "robust".

She said the university was applying for funding to employ an extra full or part-time assistant for her, as the only case worker for 6,000 students at the Penryn and Falmouth campuses. The university also now has fortnightly meetings with Penryn surgery.

Dr Dunne said the surgery had reviewed how it followed up patients who miss appointments and improved communication with the university.

Parents David and Paddy Evans said after the hearing: "We can't bring Joe back, but if something positive has come out of Joe's death it would be that we can help to protect other vulnerable young people."

"LIKE a switch" a Hayle man had turned into an attacker, strangling his fiancée and biting her twice on the chest, Truro magistrates were told.

Samuel Paul Thomas then tried to hug Keely Waller and then left the caravan they were in. The following morning he behaved as though nothing had happened.

Thomas, 21, of Tamarisk, Hayle, pleaded guilty to assaulting Miss Waller at Penzance on January 20.

Anita Kennett, for the prosecution, said the couple were engaged to be married, having been in a relationship for four years. She loved him and wanted him to return to her.

On January 20, fed up with waiting for him to go into town with her, she said she would go on her own. "Like a switch" he started to attack her.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her backwards, causing a scratch on her chest, and then began to strangle her, making it difficult for her to breathe. He let go, and then bit her twice on her right breast.

Elliott Moore, for the defence, said Thomas had health issues and the possibility of a learning disability.

The case was adjourned for a probation report.

A GROUP has been launched in Newquay to help families in crisis.

The Noah Project provides food, clothes, toys, and practical and emotional support to individuals and families.

The Newquay Foodbank, Newquay police, JobCentre Plus, and the town council, are working alongside the group, referring people in need of vital help and assistance.

Founder Denise Billington said: "Noah was created to provide an extra package of support for families and single parents in poverty and crisis situations, and demand for our services is growing day by day. We have assisted approximately 30 families in the past six months with new requests coming in all the time."

After helping four families in Newquay during the initial pilot project, The Noah Project entered into the Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneurs Programme.

This allowed it to apply for a cash grant of £4,000 and a place at the School for Social Entrepreneurs.

The project was chosen as one of 20 finalists from 241 applicants, enabling it to continue receiving support from Lloyds Bank over the next year.

Denise said: "What we do works and it works extremely well. We reduce stress and worry, help to rebuild morale and bring the local community together.

"We are now assisting families across Cornwall with a planned second Noah Project opening in St Austell shortly due to the high volume of requests we receive from this area.

The Reverend Chris McQuillen-Wright from the town's foodbank, said: "No one project can sort out someone's problems, but working together, we can get to the heart of the challenges facing many families, appropriately and effectively.

"Working together is the only way for us as a community to tackle the social and economic deprivation that is particularly prevalent in seasonal tourist towns."

For more information about The Noah Project, call Denise on 07714 820585 or e-mail her at info@thenoahprojectnewquay.org.uk

Or join the Facebook group: The Noah Project Newquay.

A PAIR of Mawgan Porth businessmen are in discussions with Cornwall Council over their plans to redevelop Mawgan Porth village.

Graham Jones, owner of Cornish Fresh, and landlord Mahash Patel want to find out if the area by the seafront can be developed, despite it being at risk from flooding.

The pair have claimed essential improvements are needed to some of the dated infrastructure to protect against water damage, and to avoid putting off investors.

They said if the work is not carried out the council risks "condemning Mawgan Porth".

Mr Jones has suggested existing businesses should be raised to reduce the risk.

The two men are consulting with London architects Rock Townsend, which has conducted a study of the beachfront zone.

They are now proposing a number of ideas aimed at improving life for residents, as well as encouraging holidaymakers to visit.

Plans include an artisan market and a microbrewery.

The pair said they are also considering ways of discouraging motorists from driving near to the beach, with architects exploring the possibility of creating an attractive, paved brick road.

Mr Jones told the Cornish Guardian: "The initial phase of work was to find ways to increase the profile of the area generally.

"This concluded with the idea of an artisan marketplace – a way of increasing the attractiveness of the destination to locals and visitors alike."

But he warns all of this comes at a cost, and needs the backing of village residents.

A meeting will be held later this month when people will be encouraged to voice their opinions and make suggestions, which the architects can look to incorporate in a final plan.

For more details about the Mawgan Porth Initiative, visit www.mymawganporth.com

A NEWQUAY motorist said she was "left speechless" by Cornwall Council parking restrictions in place at a popular beauty spot near Watergate Bay.

Kate Griffiths pulled in at the lay-by down the hill from Trebelzue on Saturday, February 8 to watch the huge waves crashing against the rocks from a safe distance with her two children.

Having stayed at the spot for no longer than ten minutes, Mrs Griffiths said she was "amazed" when she heard a knock on her car window.

"I unwound the window and was greeted by a council official who told me I wasn't allowed to stop there and told me to move on immediately.

"I questioned this as I was clearly in the lay-by, but apparently the council has put double yellow lines down and no-one is allowed to stop there. I was left absolutely speechless at the stupidity of it all," she said.

Mrs Griffiths said she understood that some people may misuse the lay-by as free parking for long periods of time, but suggested the council should restrict waiting times to 30 minutes to allow people to enjoy the views from the vantage point.

"If this is not changed I fear that it may cause many accidents as people will continue to admire the view while driving down the steep and windy hill," she said.

"It seems to me that rather than making Cornwall more accessible to locals and visitors, the council is doing its utmost to literally drive people away.

Cornwall Council's highways department said: "We carry out regular patrols and will deal with any vehicles contravening restrictions along the route of the patrol.

"In recent weeks increased patrols have been required in coastal areas due to the need to check that coastal car parks are in a safe condition."

Last year, motorists hit out at "overzealous" traffic wardens who issued tickets to cars parked on double yellow lines in the same lay-by above Watergate Bay.

Mark Bracey from Truro said:"Is it really right that we should penalise people in such a way? Surely people should be encouraged to go to the beach?"

THE Commons Transport Select Committee yesterday heard from senior figures in Cornwall of how the county suffered in the storms and floods. Local Enterprise Partnership chairman Chris Pomfret, part of the delegation, said they had discussed the aftermath of the storms, what government assistance was needed and the impact on Cornwall of the broken rail link due to the collapse of the line at Dawlish. "We made it very clear we needed a robust solution at Dawlish that not only deals with the current problems but also delivers a longer term solution on that exposed stretch of line for at least the next 10 to 20 years," he said.

A FOWEY man whose death from cancer shocked the town was remembered during a three-day fundraiser.

Organisers of the charity bonanza held at the Toll Bar agreed to divide the £1,000 raised between the Mission to Seafarers' Fowey branch, the Gurkha Charity and the Cancer of Unknown Primary Foundation (CUP).

Elaine Elliott, from the Mission to Seafarers Fowey and the Gurkha Charity, said they decided to donate some of the money to CUP in tribute to Michael Curtis, who lived in the town and died suddenly in September.

Mrs Elliott, who is a friend of Mr Curtis's widow Jenny, said: "When I read that more than 14,000 people die in the UK of unknown primary cancer, which is what Michael died of, I felt we ought to do something."

The organisers were delighted with the amount raised at the event, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, she said.

"It was so well supported and we had people from everywhere including Chacewater and Truro."

Items which were not sold have been donated to Cancer Research UK.

Friends will be raising more money for the CUP Foundation in memory of Mr Curtis at a coffee morning taking place at the Lugger in Fore Street on May 10 .