The heavy rain has caused a  number of postponements  in Cornish football today.
The highest profile casualty was Truro City's home Blue Square South game with Eastleigh.
The match looked set to go ahead early this morning, but a further downpour led to it being postponed because several areas of  Treyew Road were waterlogged.
It had been hoped to switch the game to tomorrow, but Eastleigh's squad had already headed home on the team bus and City would have been without four of five players because of other unbreakable commitments.
The match will now probably be played as an evening fixture.

Games off in the Carlsberg SWPL:Premier: Camelford v Bodmin Town; Elburton Villa v Tavistock (Friday); Falmouth Town v Ivybridge Town; Liverton United v Liskeard Athletic; Plymouth Parkway v Launceston;Saltash United v Witheridge.
West: Callington Town v Perranporth and Penryn Athletic v Wadebridge Town

The South West could lose out on almost 20,000 new jobs in renewable energy unless growth accelerates in the sector, industry experts warn.

At present the region is on course to miss a key Government carbon emissions target to produce 15% of all energy from "clean" energy by 2020, a new report claims. As things stand, the total regional share is set to fall well short – reaching 9% by the end of the decade – and based on the current trajectory the existing total of 10,000 jobs will only see a modest rise to 15,500.

But if activity increases sufficiently to meet the UK-wide level, the number could climb to 34,000, Regen SW predicts, adding 18,500 skilled jobs to the struggling economy. The study comes just days after Western Power Distribution said the National Grid is close to capacity in parts of Devon and Cornwall, potentially making schemes "prohibitively" expensive.

Conservationists claim that large swathes of Devon and Cornwall are unsuitable for any development and say meeting the target locally could spell the widespread "destruction of the landscape".

Opponents also counter that more jobs could be lost in tourism if unsightly wind farms and hillsides plastered in solar panels drive visitors away.

Merlin Hyman, chief executive of Regen SW said: "This report shows we have made great progress in renewable energy in the past year, but we need to redouble our efforts if we are to make the most of the potential to create new jobs and thriving companies exporting their skills and expertise around the world.

"Renewable energy is a huge opportunity to generate the jobs and investment we need, but we must back key projects like offshore wind farms and put in place a framework to enable the sector to thrive."

The report Potential Energy – Potential Jobs: building a low carbon economy in south west England analyses progress in renewable energy technologies like wind, solar, marine and biomass. It will be formally launched at Renewable Energy Marketplace, the showcase event of the region's renewable energy and energy efficiency sector, in Exeter next Tuesday.

The so-called renewable "gold rush" has already pushed up the amount of electricity which can be generated by almost 60% during 2011/12 with potential output expected to jump by the same amount over the year to April.

Countryside campaigners who have been fighting a surge in plans to build wind turbines in sensitive areas say the target need not be met in the South West, provided the national mark is reached.

Bob Barfoot, North Devon chairman of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), said even huge offshore wind schemes, such as the Atlantic Array, would cause "massive impact " to the nearby Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

"We cannot meet these targets without destroying the landscape – in Devon 52% is designated for its scenic beauty and Cornwall has huge areas where we simply cannot put renewable developments," he added.

"This is a national target which does not take into account landscape designation or how various regions ought to implement it.

"We may create these jobs if we carpet the two counties with huge wind turbines and solar farms but our main economy here is tourism and people come for tranquillity and beautiful countryside."

The report calls for "clear, consistent and certain" national policy and backing for renewable energy by councils.

It wants much more investment in the local electricity grid to cope with decentralised energy and wants better engagement between local communities and developers.

Nicholas Ames, managing director of Supacat, which employs ten people on marine and offshore renewable projects, said increased support for the industry was "key to our future growth" and would help the company "grow significantly over the next few years".

It's been a busy couple of months, working behind the scenes to keep the historic tidal swimming pool at Bude in North Cornwall open. I'm Rowena Hoseason, one of the founder members of the Friends of Bude Sea Pool -- and here's some of what our team have been getting up to recently...

LAST CHANCE TO DIVE IN
Don't miss the final showing of POOL OF DREAMS tonight, Saturday 16th March by Bude Youth Theatre at Budehaven Community School, at 7.30pm. This fabulous production tells the story of the Sea Pool from its origins in 1929, through to the present day, in an artful mix of performance, song and dance. This show really captures the soul of the Sea Pool – don't miss it! And of course, a proportion of the profits go to FoBSP.
See www.budeseapool.net/bude-youth-theatre-pool-of-dreams-play-14-16-march

STRUCTURAL WORKS NEARLY FINISHED
The extensive building works at the Pool are nearly complete. Our contractors have been at work for the past month, carrying out some urgent remedial work (fixing the leak in the wall!) and replacing the defunct sluice gate with a more flexible system. This will allow us to get access to the Pool's interior more easily, to remove the sand and rocks, and give it a good clean more often. If the weather and tides permit, the new gate system will be installed this week, and the Pool should be full again thereafter. This has been a major project for us, the second phase of vital structural repairs, and we couldn't have done it without all the hard work from FoBSP members and supporters who've raised the necessary funds. Give yourselves a pat on the back!
To check on progress and see if the Pool is full again, see www.budewebcam.co.uk/seapool.htm or follow us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/budeseapool for frequent updates.

CELEBRATE ST PATRICK'S DAY!
The Falcon Hotel in Bude are holding a St Patrick's Day celebration this Sunday 17th in Bude, all evening, with the FoBSP team on hand to raise funds for the Pool. Drop by if you fancy a spot of the old Irish!

PUB QUIZ, March 27th
Fancy a fun evening with funds going to our favourite cause? Head to the Preston Gate pub at Poughill then on Wednesday March 27th for a great night out. Quiz starts at 8pm so make sure you arrive a bit earlier to bag a table and sort out your team!

BRABHAM TICKETS SELLING FAST
Tickets for our awesome evening with world-class motor-racing star David Brabham are selling fast.
David, son of Sir Jack Brabham, will be at the Falcon Hotel in Bude on Wednesday 15th May where he will give an insight into the top levels of the international motor racing scene. Tickets are £30 (discounted to £28 for FoBSP members) and include dinner, interviews with David, an auction of racing memorabilia and more. See www.budeseapool.net/an-evening-with-david-brabham/

THE SEA POOL NEEDS YOU!
FoBSP now fund and manage the Sea Pool independently. We must raise enough money each year to pay for its upkeep, repairs and lifeguards, and to carry out vital renovations. Your membership fee directly contributes to the Pool's upkeep, so please do renew your FoBSP membership when it falls due.
But in many ways, people are more precious than cold hard cash! FoBSP is run by a small committee of volunteers and more helpers would be very welcome to share the workload. If you'd be able to help out with occasional fund-raising, or could take on a regular task, please get in touch. All contributions count!
Contact volunteer@budeseapool.org

THANKS TO
…absolutely everyone who has helped to raise funds over this winter, and especially SimplyWood of Kilkhampton, whose Chef's Kitchen event raised over £1500; Marion and Dave for their heroic Dart 10k swim last year; Tony Wade for his benefit gig at The Plough; Richard Wolfenden-Brown for staging Pool of Dreams; the staff of the Co-op supermarket for a superb contribution of over £450 from their Christmas raffle; and the guys at the Bude Tandoori whose Indian Feast evening also contributed a whopping £1500 to the kitty. And let's not forget the efforts of our excellent volunteers who have been keeping the Pool clean and tidy during the winter season: you're all wonderful people!
There are many more unsung heroes who've helped out, chipped in, and gone the extra mile to keep the Sea Pool in the swim. Your efforts are massively appreciated – not just by the FoBSP team, but by the thousands of people who enjoy swimming in the safety of the Pool every year.

SIGN UP, RENEW, LEARN MORE… at www.budeseapool.net/join/

St Blazey 1, Torpoint Athletic 2

TORPOINT Athletic produced a battling display to claim a hard fought and deserved win at Blaise Park on Saturday, writes Lee Hall.

The Premier Division clash was one of only a handful of Peninsula League game to go ahead after heavy rain.

And while it may not have been the best of games for those who braved the elements, both sides gave their all on a mudbath of a pitch.

St Blazey made the best possible start when Seb Broomfield turned home Lewis Edwards' cross after eight minutes.

But almost immediately after the restart Torpoint were level when Lewis Kershaw slotted home.

And with 17 minutes on the clock Paul Baker grabbed what turned out to be the winner when he headed in at the near post from captain Shane White's cross.

The best chance to equalise for St Blazey fell to Lewis Coombes, who was denied when one on one with Torpoint goalkeeper Sam Borthwick.

At the other end St Blazey goalkeeper Dave Painter kept his side in with a shout when he saved from Kershaw.

St Blazey: D Painter, D Evans, R Yeoman, D Barker (A Bance 65), J Smith, D Bennetts, J King, G Swain, L Coombes, S Broomfield, L Edwards (P West 61). Subs (not used): L Brown, S Walbridge.

Torpoint: S Borthwick, J Fenwick, L Thornton (T Payne 76), G Walsh, D Smith, S White, G Williams, L Kershaw, P Baker, D Hicks, L Avis-Riordan (D Chapman 90+1). Subs (not used): K Curtis, D Edwards.

Other premier division results: Newquay    1 Bovey Tracey 1; St Austell 4 Penzance 1. All other games postponed.

Division One West: Dobwalls 0 Sticker 0; Foxhole 0 Hayle 1; Godolphin 2 Holsworthy 0; St Dennis 6 Vospers Oak Villa 1. All other games postponed.

An anthology of work by poets living in Cornwall is to be launched during an evening of verse readings this week.

Murder Of Krows has been compiled by Duncan Yeates and Abigail Wyatt and features work by a number of local writers, including Abigail Wyatt, Kane Baker, Peter Jenkin, Janet McEwan, Chris Pease, Carole Ann Powell, Jane Ross, David Rowland, Una Taylor, Martin Wood and Jo Yeate.

The event, which includes free drinks and buffet, is at The Melting Pot cafe in Redruth this Wednesday from 7pm. Clay country poet, playwright and novelist Alan M Kent will be joined by fellow poet and Poetry Cornwall editor Les Merton to deliver a series of readings.

Duncan Yeates, who is organising the launch, said: "The appearance of these two talented writers promises to make the occasion both exciting and significant.

"The anthology itself is a selection of work by poets mostly from the Redruth area and gives an insight into the talents of a small group of writers who regularly get together to perform their work at The Melting Pot on Wednesday nights.

"Among those contributing are previously published and well-respected poet John Phillips and visual artist Janet McEwan, ensuring that this is a collection that really showcases what Cornwall has to offer.

"We intend the anthology to be the first of many promoting Cornwall's many published and unpublished writers."

Those attending the free event will have the chance to buy a copy of Murder Of Krows – each of which is numbered in a limited-edition print run – for just £1. The anthology will also be available after the launch from The Melting Pot Cafe in Redruth and Here & Now Gallery, Jam Records and The Cornish Store in Falmouth.

OTHER EVENTS THIS WEEK

BARNSTAPLE

Queens Theatre: Sing-a-Long-a-Grease. Friday 7.30pm; The Irish House Party. Saturday 7.45pm.

Castle Centre, Castle Street: North Devon Archaeological Society. AGM 7pm, A talk by Alan Neil on Dowsing for Devon's Heritage 7.30pm. Refreshments. Visitors £2.50. Tuesday.

BLACK TORRINGTON

Village Hall: Easter Bingo. Saturday doors open 7pm.

BODMIN

St Lawrence's Community Church: Spring Fair, stalls, cakes etc. All welcome. Saturday 10am.

Masons Arms: Damien Barber & Mike Wilson. Non members £7.50. Friday 8pm.

BRAYFORD

Poltimore Inn: 724 355 North Devon Ramblers walk about four miles. Wednesday 10.30am. Nice & easy, one steady climb opt lunch.

BUDE

St Michaels Church: Bude Choral Society will be performing Judas Maccabaeus. Saturday 7.30pm.

Hanover House: British Heart foundation Coffee Morning. Entry £1 incl refreshments. Cake, bric a brac etc. Friday 10am.

Parkhouse Centre: Floral Art Demonstration by Lizette Bevan entitled Spring in Cornwall. All welcome. Tuesday 2.30pm.

CALLINGTON

Methodist church: Ploughman's and sweet. Friday 12.30pm.

CHAGFORD

St Michael's Church: Chagford Singers with Jason Smart, organ. Saturday 7.30pm.

CHUDLEIGH

Parish Church: The Harcombe Singers present spring concert. Tickets £7, concessions £5. Saturday 7.30pm.

CRACKINGTON

Institute: St Gennys Silver Band Table Top Sale, Saturday 10.30-2.30pm.

DARTINGTON

Village Hall: Second Hand Fayre, Sunday 11am-3pm.

Village Hall: Playford style country dancing. 01626 834981. Friday 7.30pm.

The Old Craft Ed Building, Schumacher College: The Resilience Imperative with Pat Conaty. Tickets £5/concessions £4. Wednesday 8pm; Horsepower, with Ed Hamer, Thursday 8pm.

The Great Hall: Dartington Community Choir present Verdi: Messa da Requiem. Sunday 7.30pm.

EGLOSHAYLE

Village Hall: Wadebridge Spring Garden show. Saturday 2.15pm.

EXETER

New Theatre: Peter Puma Hedland, Sweden's nyckelharpa master. Friday 7.30pm.

EXMOUTH

Withycombe Methodist Church Hall: Caller Nicole & Souwesters Band. Thursday 8pm-10pm.

FALMOUTH

Princess Pavilion: Falmouth Spring Flower Show. Saturday 10.30am-5.30pm, Sunday 10am-4pm. £3.

FROME

Merlin Theatre: Budapest Cafe Orchestra, Thursday; the Jazzalikes presents Something Different, Sunday.

GERRANS

The Royal Standard: Euchre Drive. Monday 8pm.

GOONHAVERN

Village Hall: Goonhavern & District Old Cornwall Society Meeting. Friday 7.30pm.

GREAT TORRINGTON

The Plough Arts Centre: The Boy at the Edge of the Room presented by Forest Forge Theatre Company. Tuesday 8pm; Rodney Bewes 'As a Boy Growing Up' stories of Dylan Thomas. Friday 8pm.

HARROWBARROW

Village Hall: Harrowbarrow & Metherell Local Committee's Annual Sale and Auction in aid of Cancer Research UK. Saturday 1.45pm. Free entry.

HOCKWORTHY

Village Hall: Steve Knightley (of Show of Hands) solo concert tour. Thurs doors open 7.15 for 8pm.

ILFRACOMBE

The landmark: Chris Addison, Friday 8pm; National Theatre Live – People. Saturday 7pm.

ILLOGAN

Paynter's Lane End Hall: Country Market. Tuesday 9.15-11am; Jumble Sale, Wednesday 10am.

KINGSBRIDGE

St Edmund's church: the Stanborough Chorus Music for Passiontide, Mendelssohn's: Come Unto Him. tickets £8 on the door. Sunday 7.30pm.

KINGSKERSWELL

Community Centre: Kingskerswell & District Conservation society AGM plus presentation by Colin Vosper on the Kelly Mine on Dartmoor. Tuesday 7.20pm.

LAUNCESTON

Central Methodist Church: Launceston Choral Society Concert, Tickets £5 from Launceston TIC. Saturday 7.30pm.

Langore Village Hall: Gaming Evening. 16 plus age group. Friday 5-10pm.

Jericho's Brasserie: Launceston boardgames, modern board games for all ages. Free entry. Thurs 3-5pm.

LIFTON

Dingles Fairground Heritage Trust Centre: Opens Thursday 10am.

LISKEARD

Long Room: Country market. Friday 8.30am-12noon.

Sterts Arts Centre: Aibade- Cube Theatre, Thurs 7.30pm.

LOSTWITHIEL

the Community Centre: Antique and collectors Market. Friday 11am-3pm.

LUXULYAN

Village Hall: Luxulyan Old Cornwall Society meet on Thursday 7.30pm. All welcome.

MELDON

Village Hall: Okehampton Sequence Dance Club. £1.50 per person. Beginners welcome. Wednesday 8pm-10.30pm.

MODBURY

Devon Rural Archive, Shilstone: Exhibition of the work of the Devon Gardens Trust Tuesday through to May 2.

NEWQUAY

W I Hall: Scottish Country Dancing. £3. All welcome. 01208 77598. Friday 7.30-9.30pm.

The Mermaid Inn, Porth: Newquay Pentire Probus Club third Wednesday lunch group. Wednesday 12.30 for 1pm. New members welcome. 01637 878990.

NEWTON ABBOT

Courtenay Centre: Rebel Country with 'Natalie' (ex Calico). Admission £6. Friday 8pm-11pm.

OKEHAMPTON

Okement Centre: Devonshire Association talk on the History of Bratton Clovelly Post Office by Mary Jordan, Thursday 7pm.

PAR

The Gott Hall: Par Old Cornwall Society, refreshments, a chance to view a selection of library books. Speaker Chris Batters on The background to a famous Cornish murder. Wheelchair facilities. Saturday 7pm.

Scout HQ, Moorland Road: Choosing of Queens for the 50th Par Carnival 2013. Fairy Queens age 4-8 years, Carnival Queens 14-plus. Saturday 2pm. Details 01726 815334. (Must live in PL24 postal area).

PENZANCE

Penlee House: Jeremy Cowdrey on The making of Summer in February. Monday 7.30pm.

PLYMOUTH

Royal William yard: Timmy Mallett Art Exhibition. Saturday until April 7.

Sherwell Centre, Plymouth University: Peninsula Arts Chamber Music Series. Saturday 7.30pm.

Drum Theatre: Forever House, black comedy drama. Thurs-April 6

Plymouth Athenaeum: The Making of the University of Plymouth by Dr A Kennerley. Thurs 7.30pm.

Theatre Royal: Birdsong. Until March 23.

Elburton Methodist Church: Plymouth Area Police Choir. Enquiries 01752 404407. In aid of The Mission in Britain Fund. Friday 7.30pm.

The Royal Plymouth Cornithian Yacht Club, The Hoe: Plymouth Carlton Big Band. Tickets £8 on the door. Sunday 12.30pm.

Trinity United Reformed Church: Sir Joshua Reynolds Choir. Tickets £5. Sunday 2.30pm.

St Peter's Church: Plymouth Phoenix Chorale. Tickets £8, cons £5 on the door. Saturday 7.30pm.

The Guildhall: Plymouth Symphony Orchestra, with Peter Fisher, violin. Wednesday 7.30pm.

Pavilions: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Hollywood Blockbusters. Thursday 7.30pm.

St Edward's Church Hall: The Plymouth Railway Circle meet for Eastern European Steam from 1960s to 1980s and From Hell to Paradise with Peter Gray. Monday 7.30pm.

REDRUTH

The Murdoch room: Cruse Bereavement Care meeting of Bude Friendship Group. Friday 5-7pm. Ring 01209 214095 before attending group for the first time.

RILLA MILL

Village Hall: Whist Drive, Tuesday 7.30pm.

ST AGNES

Museum: Coffee morning, Saturday 10am-noon. Cakes, books etc. Everyone welcome.

ST AUSTELL

Mount Charles Social Club: Royal Air Forces Association monthly lunch meeting. Noon for 12.30pm.

ST BURYAN

Village Hall: Farmers Market, Saturday 9.30-12.30pm.

ST DAY

Teyluva Childrens Centre: St Day Historical and Conservation Society – Husbands Abroad: The wives 'left behind' during 19th-century migration from Cornwall, illustrated talk by Lesley Trotter. Wed 7.30pm.

ST DENNIS

Claytalc: St Dennis Old Cornwall Society meet for AGM followed by Fred Greenslade Picture Quiz. All welcome. Monday 7.30pm.

ST ENDELLION

Church Hall: Whist Drive. Tuesday 7.30pm.

ST MABYN

Village Hall: The church's fundraising Lunch and Lecture (Russia and the Russians: Why are they not like us?) Ticket available on the day or ring 01208 841378. Tickets £15 non members. Friday 12.30pm.

ST ISSEY

Village Hall: Coffee morning, bring and buy and cake stall. Admission £1. In aid of Marie Curie. Tuesday 10am-12noon.

ST IVE NEAR LISKEARD

Coombegate Cottage: Garden open in aid of NGS Sunday 1-4pm. £3.50. Sloping site with steps. Refreshments

ST TEATH

Church Hall: Soup and Sweet lunch prepared by Camelford Floral Society £4. Wednesday 12-1.30pm.

TEIGNMOUTH

United Reformed church: Macmillan Cancer Support concert with The Maesteg Male Voice choir with soloist Daisy Walford. Saturday.

Carlton Theatre: Teignmouth Festival for one act plays, Thurs, Fri, Sat 7.30pm, also 2.30 Sat.

TIVERTON

St Paul's Church: Concert by Tiverton Concert Band with special guests Uffculme School. Saturday 7.30pm.

TOTNES

Methodist Church Hall: Totnes Folk Club night. Thursday.

TORQUAY

Princess Theatre: Mother Africa. Thurs 7.30pm; Joe Brown in concert. Saturday 7.30pm.

Babbacombe Theatre: Spellbound, Tuesday and Wednesdays 8.15pm.

TREWOON

Village Hall: Andrew Nix from Yorkshire will be playing a concert of all types of electronic organ music. All welcome. Non members £6.50. Wednesday 7.30pm.

TRURO

Cathedral: Three Spires singers and Orchestra. Saturday 7.30pm.

Hall for Cornwall: Truro Country Market. Tuesday 9.15-3pm.

The Hall of Cornwall: The Solid Silver 60s Show, Monday 7.30pm.

WELLS

Cathedral: St John Passion. Saturday.

WIDECOMBE

Village: Widecombe Fun Day Charity Fun Day Sunday 10am - 4pm. A great day out for the family in aid of Widecombe Primary School.Entry is just £4 per person.

Not long to go now before you get your answer Aries, but I can see that the patience you're having to show is agony. Dealing with a younger person's problem today kills time and helps out. Ring now to hear how Mars uncovers a lie in the family.

A problem which started off as a small worry has now taken on a life of it's own, but rather than worry about handling it you can relax with the confirmation that others are dealing with your problems. Call now to hear why official dealings are well starred.

How can you relax with so much on your mind? By making up your mind what to do and then leaving it in the hands of fate to ride the journey though. Accept you've done your best. Call now to hear why it's worth investing in a group event.

An immature side to your nature makes you the perfect candidate to talk to someone younger who has been going through stress since January. Pay attention to phone calls, they're being made to help. Phone me now for a message of growth from Jupiter.

Would you lie to those you love? You think not, but aspects suggest you may have already. Saying nothing is like giving the impression of saying yes or no. Heart to hearts now and not later. Ring me so we can better understand what you need and want.

Don't take on too much at once. You should know that a little done well is better than a lot done badly. Taking on someone else's roll gives you a peek at what your alternatives are. Ring now to hear what naughtiness the Moon encourages tonight.

Sometimes things just don't work out but that doesn't mean that you have failed Libra. What you have actually done is learnt by what has occurred. Don't end what you have started with hate, for both your sakes. Ring now to hear what Venus has planned for you long term.

It's the start of a more pro-active Scorpio who wants to feel happy all the time instead of feeling sorry for themselves. News you hear pertaining to an event from your past enables you to do so. Call now so I can tell you more about what's to come.

People you didn't think would be in your life again come back, but for a different reason than the one before. Offers of fun should be accepted. Life is fun if you'd let it be. Call now so I can tell you what your chart means in full.

Although this is an expensive time for you, that doesn't mean it isn't one during which you can save too. You've helped get someone in trouble. Don't feel guilty. You had no alternative did you? Ring now to make your mark in life and love.

If you're feeling tired then take some time out. Sometimes Aquarius you can be your own worst task master. Visits you make to family this month help tell you what really went on with a relative. Call now so we can take a look at your love options.

It appears as if you've put your life on hold while you sit and wait to see what someone is going to decide. This is your first mistake and one you can rectify by taking the initiative today. Call now to hear why this is a great career month for you.

If one is described as a Christian by counting the visits made to a Sunday church or chapel service, then I feature very low on the religious scale. Mind you when I was a litle tacker in the 1950s, regular weekly visits to Knowstone Methodist chapel were compulsory.

When my father died, I was 16 and my visits lapsed; today I call myself a spiritual person, believing there to be an omnipotent deity who created all races and creeds. On my annual return visit to my childhood farm and village I enter the church (the chapel is now a private house) and have a one-to-one chat with my deity. I briefly visit the family graves, but they mean little to me as I recall my father's analogy of the caterpillar turning into a butterfly.

Today, on most mornings, I walk through our Cornish village, lean over a farm gate and stare out across the fields. I see again my father working with the shire horse and hear his gentle voice; the feelings intensified in summer when the scent of newly mown grass fills the air. When my wife bakes our weekly loaves of bread and yeast buns, I'm back in the farmhouse tree cellar branch waiting for my mother's smile, her signal and sign of approval for me to run my finger along the inside of the mixing bowl. Breaking up kindling wood for our fire and I'm in the woodshed with my aged maiden aunt seeing her twinkling eyes as she snaps the twigs. Words from Helen Keller sum up my thoughts....

"What we have once enjoyed

We can never lose.

All that we love deeply

Becomes a part of us."

One of the best known, colourful, unconventional and popular characters ever to live deep in the Westcountry hills is to be the focus of a new exhibition opening on Exmoor later this month

The life and times of writer, artist, professional countrywoman and reclusive moorland dweller Hope Bourne will be examined in the summer-long display which is being staged by the Exmoor Society in Dulverton.

"This important exhibition celebrates Exmoor through her life and work as author and painter, for she had many skills and talents and led an extraordinary way of life, living close to nature," said society chairman Rachel Thomas.

"On show will be a wide range of Hope's sketches and drawings. She was an expert at detailed observation of sky and landscape and the natural world in all its variety," adds Mrs Thomas. "Present-day photographs are also shown with quotations from Hope's books."

Hope Bourne, who died in 2010 aged 88, bequeathed her entire estate to the society, which has now been able to curate many of the items – including numerous personal possessions mentioned in her books – to form the core of the exhibition.

The show will also feature a collection of memories from Miss Bourne's many friends – some dating back to her childhood – giving visitors a flavour of her unique personality.

A specially commissioned ten-minute DVD by distinguished film-maker Chris Chapman, who knew Miss Bourne well, will be shown for the first time and will run continuously at the exhibition.

It was in the 1950s – after her mother died – that Hope Bourne found herself with no home, no qualifications and hardly any money. From 1970 until 1994, she lived a self-sufficient lifestyle in an old caravan parked at Ferny Ball, a remote farmstead in the hills two miles from Withypool.

It was during this long period that she began to write books and eventually started appearing in her own series on television. "Despite the hardships she encountered, some of Hope's finest work was produced during this period," said Mrs Thomas.

"Three television documentaries brought the simplicity of her life to public attention. Hope recognised that simple lives tied to the land and governed by the seasons had remained largely unchanged over hundreds of years."

Miss Bourne was an ardent conservationist who believed that living in the wildness engendered a sense of adventure and encouraged independence. In her book Wild Harvest she wrote: "I love the wilderness – or what is left of it in this day and age. I love its space, its defiant freedom, its proud unconquered spirit, its wild and primal beauty, its challenge to the human soul."

Miss Bourne's legacy was a "a mass of unorganised material" according to Mrs Thomas – and it included more than 2,000 drawings, unpublished as well as published manuscripts, profuse notes, a large collection of books and other papers and personal possessions.

"The society is in the process of cataloguing all this material and wishes to share this rich legacy by celebrating Hope's life," adds Mrs Thomas. Ms Bourne became a member of the Exmoor Society in 1958.

Hope Bourne's Exmoor exhibition March 25 to November 2 at the Guildhall Heritage and Arts Centre in Dulverton, admission free – for more details see www.dulvertonheritagecentre.org.uk

A book by Hope Bourne lies open on my desk and inside is a note written in September 1988 to my journalist father, Peter Hesp, which says: "You ask about a possible interview – the answer, sadly, must be no…"

I won't go into the reasons why the celebrated countrywoman and author refuses to be written about, as they are of a highly personal nature and concern her own health – but I will say that she relents to a degree by providing my father with her newly installed telephone number.

It's an ex-directory line, but Hope says she would very much like to see my father on a friendly, non-interview, basis – should he be minded to drive up to the remote corner of hills where she lived in a tiny, half-derelict, caravan.

I tell you all this because it makes all the more remarkable the call that both my father and I received from Hope some two years later. On this occasion she nigh-on begged us to go out and see her. She was very angry with the government of the day in general – and with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in particular – and claimed she could no longer sit by without speaking out.

My father and I headed off for the hills above Withypool for the meeting. It was one of those "real" Exmoor days when the wind howls and the rain beats down in horizontal sheets…

I can recall sitting in my father's tiny Mini Metro which was actually being shaken from side to side by the gale as we waited for Miss Bourne to appear. I had a commission from The Guardian newspaper and from BBC radio to turn the interview into some kind of material – and I am looking at the resultant article as I write these words.

Here is an extract taken from my Guardian piece dated Friday, February 16, 1990 – the "other journalist" mentioned is, of course, my father…

Eventually what came out of the swirling torrents was a jaunty bundle of anoraks and scarves. After a great unravelling of these many outer layers, we at last met Miss Hope Bourne.

She took the front passenger seat and, holding the other journalist's hand, she turned to me: "Yes, I am a political creature and that is why I have decided to speak out. And yet for 30 years I have lived in these hills, no better than an animal."

"Miss Bourne shoots straight from the hip and at present all her guns – and she is a mean shot – are aimed at Margaret Thatcher. "It takes a woman to see the cruel, wicked misuse of powers which is undoubtedly taking us toward a totalitarian state," she said quietly.

"I have voted Tory all my life, but now I am lost. Yes, I hate that bloody woman. I used to hate because I envied her. I was jealous of the political power which she enjoyed while I remained out here in these lonely hills. Now I hate her because of her cruelty.

"She is, in no uncertain terms, out to crush the little people of this world. And I am one of them."

When it comes to material wealth Hope Bourne is very far from the stockbroker belt. The only stock she sees are her neighbour's cattle which she feeds and looks after in lieu of ground-rent for 12ft-long caravan situated high in a remote coombe. So decrepit has the modest dwelling become that a large tarpaulin is pegged down over the entire caboodle to keep out the weather.

We had to meet her at the bottom of the coombe in the car. My journalist colleague had been up to the caravan long ago and he remembers being unable to enter because there was only room for one.

Hope Bourne has lost her birth certificate but she says she is somewhere between 70 and 80, and she is in very fine fettle indeed. Without electricity, running water and, for that matter, any other consumer service, Miss Bourne owns just one practical luxury.

"I keep a high-velocity rifle with which I am able to shoot the odd deer. There are plenty of rabbits and the occasional hare.

"I've always been able to butcher my own meat. The things I have managed to teach myself, I have always done well. Shooting is one of them.

"It has been a great adventure. But don't think I'm just an oddball who likes living far away from civilisation. As I am poor, it has been a matter of necessity.

"At times, living no better than an animal has been tough. Once I broke my knee in that hollow down there. I had to crawl over two fields to get home. I made myself a splint and hobbled about for a few months until it got better. No, I didn't go to a doctor. He'd have only done it all up in plaster, and that is no good for me out here. I've only visited a doctor once in 30 years and that was when the midges stung my eyes and I went blind for a time."

All this rough and tumble belies the rather genteel and Victorian existence Miss Bourne experienced in her youth. It was when her widowed schoolteacher mother died, and with her the source of any income, that Hope was forced to sell the Devonshire home and, with a few hundred pounds left over, begin her wild life in the depths of Exmoor.

In a way fate has been rather unkind to Miss Bourne. In her teens she had been ambitious and full of energy: "I felt the urge to be a great speaker, able to influence people and events, and be one of those people who make history."

But life, being an unfair sort of a thing, saw the young Hope leave school at 14 and, afflicted with asthma, stay at home until her mother died 16 years later.

"Believe it or not I was more or less regarded as an invalid when I was a young girl, but I'll tell you how I managed to cure myself. I lived with my mother for many years until I was about 30. Things were rather Victorian I suppose. I was highly restricted for my own health's sake. And then there came a time when I thought – if I go on like this I may as well be dead.

"So I made a list of all the things I had been told not to do. Then I looked up at the heavens and said… well, you are going to have to kill me. I did every one of the things on the list and, believe me, felt very much better for it.

"In fact, I suppose you could new describe me as being quite robust."

With the decommissioning of the UK's coal and nuclear power stations, the big renewable energy bluff will finally be exposed as we begin to suffer power cuts. What is amazing is that articles by so called energy experts in Cornish papers can only think of adding more unpredictable wind and solar to our energy mix. I cannot understand how they think that renewable power systems that require up to 90% backup will keep the lights on. What is more likely is that Cornwall's rush for wind turbines and solar farms will destabilise the grid not give us a secure supply.

Now we have the possibility that power companies will hold the government to ransom and demand a high price for its electricity equal to that paid for wind and solar if we want them to build new nuclear at Hinkley point or new clean coal and gas power stations. We may not like it but nuclear and shale gas are the only things that will keep the lights on and keep our industry competitive.

The green movement who have much to answer for in destroying our power infrastructure will point to Germany as an example of a country decommissioning its nuclear plants and committing to wind and solar power.

Do not be deceived. Germany is having to import more and more coal and nuclear power from its neighbours to keep the lights on, it has already suffered power glitches.

The UK has not the luxury of neighbours with cheap spare power.

Of course many have pointed out that some times Germany has been overwhelmed by power from its renewables, but that is an attempt to mislead you because if Germany has 20% of its energy from wind and solar how can it ever supply all its needs on those rare occasions when the wind is blowing flat out all over Germany and the sun is bright everywhere? What really happens is that when renewables come on line the conventional power stations see a drop in demand form their generators, they have no idea how much power or for how long it will be supplied and so they still have to continue to burn power and pay for all that planned for local and imported energy.

Sadly Cornwall council will allow more wind turbines and massive solar farms to be built and use money that it should be using to run services for the Cornish to put up its own turbines and solar panels. The council and the likes of Merlin Hyman from Regen South West will still boast of the south west as having a bright future in renewable energy which will bring thousands of jobs and prosperity ( forgetting the last 25 years that they have been saying it) while paying for anyone to connect to the wave hub.

Our MPs and councillors will keep going on about energy mixes because it sounds good.

Solar to keep the lights on! Keep the council planning executives pay high, more like.

The Global Warming Policy Foundation's newsletter has come my way and I recommend anyone remotely interested in the issue to visit their site thegwpf.org. This particular paper has relevant observations to make.

First is the news that James Hansen, the founding father of climate change theory, has co-authored a study which reports that the big event is actually no event. There has been no global warming over the last 15 years; there has been a temperature standstill. Nevertheless, he evidently maintains that global temperature continues at a high level that is sufficient to cause a substantial increase in the frequency of extreme warm anomalies.

This at the very least supports my view that the science behind climate change policy is not as solid as proponents would have us believe. There may well be climate change taking place but our geological history going back over 500 million years tells us such change is not new. In recent geological time we have experienced several ice ages. We can be fairly sure that the main determinant of our climate is the sun and the solar cycle. The question is whether man's activities can really over-ride natural factors and to what extent. I concede that these are questions not answers but you can guess what conclusion I draw.

Another piece of news concerns ice cover. The prophets of doom like Sir David Attenborough are predicting the disappearance of the Arctic ice cap by 2020 based on the shrunken size of the ice cap last summer. Yet now we hear that Arctic sea ice extent is now virtually back to normal (possibly due to winter in the Northern Hemisphere?) Whilst people were fretting about this last summer, the extent of the Antarctic ice cap was increasing. Arguably, if we put the two together then there is not much change.

Talking of changing ice caps leads me to another straw in the wind. We think affectionately of polar bears and greet news of their declining numbers with considerable concern. Yet it seems all is not as bad as the doomsters would have us believe. A report by the Polar Bear Specialist Group on State of the Polar Bear suggests there are 22,600-32,000 polar bears worldwide or rather more than the 2005 figure of 20,000-25,000. Maybe it's a case of now you see them, now you don't!

So what are the implications for policy from all this? Does it mean we can forget about climate change and ditch all our policies such as Ed Milliband's 80% reduction of CO2 emissions by 2050 target or building loads of windmills and littering every south-facing roof with solar photovoltaic cells? Or does it mean we should stick to existing policy and take the long-term view that global warming will recommence sooner or later and the need to tackle emissions remains valid?

I think it means we should take another look at the scientific case for the sort of alarmist statements of Al Gore and his ilk. Then we should reconsider our slavish worship at the temple of renewable energy as the main policy mechanism to combat climate change. Put another way, let us agree upon the objective and then determine the means rather than just say we need more renewable energy (see http://www.gileschichestermep.org. uk/Sustainable-Secure-Energy.pdf).

I believe renewable energy is a part of any energy strategy but I wish people wouldn't put all their eggs in one basket as recommended by the last Labour Government White Paper of a decade ago which said wind energy alone was the way to go. The energy efficiency of wind generation is exaggerated and relies heavily on back-up standby generating capacity. Solar PV is even less efficient and cost effective. All of which tells me we should pursue renewable energy much more cautiously and think three times before blighting the countryside.

Whether or not climate change is being driven mainly by CO2 emissions alone (which I doubt), it is prudent to look for alternative energy sources to fossil fuels of coal, oil and gas on grounds of security of supply. Eventually these fuels will become so scarce they will price alternatives into the market. We know some of the alternatives already. Nuclear energy is the most obvious as a mature, proven technology in fission reactors (see http://www.gileschichestermep. org.uk/In-praise-of-nuclear-energy.pdf).

Energy efficiency and conservation are always viewed as the low hanging fruit of energy policy, yet we are not doing very well in achieving them. Given our massive dependence on oil, we must look to electric cars, hybrids and fuel cell propulsion. Our longer term needs may be met in large part through nuclear fusion powered electricity. And who knows, someone may come up with a new technology. Failing that, we may have to resort to the bicycle or shanks's pony. That would be good for our waistlines!

Conservationists have warned of a wildlife and landscape "disaster" if two countryside agencies are merged.

The claim comes amid a Government review which could combine Natural England and the Environment Agency, which have bases in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset, employing hundreds of skilled staff.

The heads of more than 20 environment groups, including Friends of the Earth, the RSPB and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, have written a joint letter arguing that scientific expertise in mapping endangered species was needed now more than ever and said the two organisations have "different remits and areas of expertise".

"In a single body, because the Environment Agency's core business is flood defence, there will be inevitable pressure to prioritise this over wildlife and landscape, and their enjoyment by the public," the letter to The Times said. "This would leave Britain without a government agency devoted to protecting the countryside for the first time since 1949, which would be a disaster for our landscapes and wildlife."

With major bases at Bristol as well as smaller offices in Blandford, Taunton, Bridgwater, Exeter, Truro and Bodmin, any merger would reduce the workforce and impact on the region where there are several fragile sites of significant environmental and scientific importance such as areas of Devon that provide a habitat for the high brown fritillary butterfly and vulnerable sites in Dorset that provide habitat for the Dartford warbler and the sand lizard.

The Wildlife Trusts, an organisation representing 2,300 nature reserves said the loss of Natural England's independence would make it harder to protect some of the most fragile habitats in England.

This includes areas that that support populations of skylark and many species of orchid. The merger, which would follow a similar move with counterpart organisations in Wales, comes after Environment Secretary Owen Paterson launched a review of Natural England in December.

In Wales, the devolved Environment Agency, Forestry Commision and Countryside Council for Wales will be rolled into one next month.

Natural England was set up to protect the country's plants, animals and landscapes, while the Environment Agency is a larger organisation whose responsibilities include flood defences and pollution.

The organisation enforces wildlife laws such as the licences for the badger cull that will begin this summer in Somerset and Gloucestershire and the body's experts are the act as the Government's main scientific adviser on conservation.

The charities fear that the two could be collapsed into one organisation as a cost-saving measure.

London Editor

Almost 2,500 military and civilian personnel have departed the Westcountry's major bases since the coalition came to power, the Western Morning News can reveal.

The figures emerged as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) prepares to announce the future of bases and barracks in the naval estate, which could have a major impact on the region.

The military, and the Navy in particular, forms a major plank of the economy of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, providing jobs for around 15,000 people at eight key bases.

In a Freedom of Information request to the MoD, the WMN asked how many service and civilian personnel have been made redundant or left of their own volition since the May 2010 general election at military bases across the region.

A total of 490 service personnel have taken redundancy and 1,460 have left of their own accord before the end of their contract through various release programmes.

The Government expects 5,000 UK naval personnel to depart by 2015, indicating the Westcountry is taking the brunt of the cuts.

Furthermore in the region, 340 civilians have taken redundancy, and a further 180 staff have left via retirement or resignation.

Officials insist the number of people leaving the Armed Forces does not represent the actual cut to the headcount, as some of the posts vacated may have been filled.

But it could not say how many of those that have left have been replaced.

The cuts are part of an MoD plan to claw back a £38 billion black hole, slashing 25,000 servicemen and women in total. It will leave Britain with a standing maritime force of around 30,000 – the smallest in recent memory.

As part of the cuts, four Type 22 frigates were axed from Devonport Naval Base and 24 Commando Engineer Regiment at Chivenor was disbanded.

Much hinges on where next generation Type 26 frigates are located, with Devonport vying with Portsmouth for the ships.

An announcement on the future of the Navy estate is expected in the next few weeks.

While it could have an impact on basing in the region, ministers have repeatedly offered assurances that Devonport's future is safe as one of Britain's three principal naval bases.

Speculation has mounted over whether basic naval training at HMS Raleigh and officer training at Dartmouth could be brought onto one site.

After ministers announced two weeks ago 45 Commando in Arbroath would not be moving to the South West as planned, questions were raised over the future of Raleigh.Ministers had heavily hinted Raleigh would be the new home of 45 Commando.

Former Armed Forces Minister Nick Harvey told the WMN the MoD had "no choice" but to cut manpower given the deep cuts imposed by the Treasury.

But the North Devon MP argued the Navy had taken too much of the burden compared to the other two armed forces.

The Lib Dem said: "I think the cuts to the Navy have been more brutal. I think the Navy are being asked to do more than they can given their current capability."

Sheryll Murray, Conservative MP for South East Cornwall, agreed. Mrs Murray, whose daughter is an officer in the Navy, said: "There is very little fat to trim from the Navy from now on. We have to make sure the services are operating on an equal basis."

She is seeking assurances on the future of Raleigh.

She said: "We need to make sure there is not a closure there. Raleigh is hugely important for the economy of South East Cornwall."

AROUND 110 public toilets throughout Cornwall will be managed and maintained by town and parish councils in Cornwall from next month, according to Cornwall Council.
The move follows localism discussions which have taken place over the last year between Cornwall Council and town and parish councils.
As part of the transfer arrangements, the council claims to have invested around £850,000 in making capital improvements to facilities. This, the authority said, has brought about significant improvements including improved access for people with disabilities and energy and water saving measures which will help cut future running costs.
The council has also allocated revenue grants to town and parish councils of around £600,000 for the 2013/14 financial year to help smooth the transition. In many cases, the council has also agreed to requests from town and parish councils for the freehold of these assets.
"I am pleased that Cornwall Council is working with so many partner parishes and towns to devolve the operation of these toilets," said councillor John Pollard, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for Localism, Sustainability and Devolution. "It has been a long and often difficult process and I fully acknowledge and understand the apprehension of some of those involved but at last we have achieved a major success.
"Running their local facilities presents towns and parishes with the opportunity to provide and retain what they see as vital services. The funding packages and improvement works have made the transfer more acceptable to the parishes and towns and I am delighted that so many have decided to move forward in this way."
Although a cut in funding of £170m by central Government in 2010 forced Cornwall Council to review the non statutory services it provides, such as public toilets, this exercise has shown how positive a truly community-based approach can be.
Cornwall Council will continue to operate 56 facilities throughout Cornwall in locations where exceptional circumstances have been identified, which, combined with those facilities being taken on by town and parish councils, will ensure we continues to maintain a high level of provision.
"We may have to introduce charging in some facilities in places where we have been as yet unable to reach agreement with the town or parish council," said councillor Bert Biscoe, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for Transportation, Highways and Environment (Delivery).  "By working positively we will be able to keep to a relative minimum the number of toilets which will have to close. We remain available to discuss future handovers and are busy completing all those which have come forward. The ultimate results will be a significant improvement in the quality of public conveniences, retention of a good network of conveniences and a restoration of local control over local services."