Volunteers Welcomed!

Although we already have a "core" of dedicated cleaners, we are looking for extra volunteers to be part of the Church Room Cleaning Teams.

The Church Room is thoroughly cleaned and tidied by 2 people early in the given month and thereafter checked on a weekly basis for the remainder of that month.

Any volunteer would only be required to help ONCE A YEAR. If you are able to help please contact Michael on 710364 who is currently drawing up the 2010 Rota. Your help would be much appreciated.

Many thanks.

Michael Ball

Christmas Letter From Llyn Evans

Dear Perran friends,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It was lovely to be back in Cornwall last summer, especially to spend some time in Perranuthnoe and find most of you in great health and spirits. What struck me generally is how busy you all are! I’ve no doubt got used to a gentler pace in India, so that I’ve forgotten how to pack every minute with action.

As you probably know, I decided to rent a small flat in Penzance, which made it easier to get around without a car. I made full use of the bus service, which I think is an undervalued blessing that we can all enjoy. If a bus is late, so what? All the more time to watch a bluebell open…. I was enchanted to be back in time for the bluebells, and the burgeoning of an incomparable Spring.

The summer was full of interest, joy blended with unexpected turns of fate for me, with an extraordinary series of setbacks of the type I thought occurred only in India. They were, if anything, more striking in UK. All my efforts failed to get my visa through in time, so I had to miss my flight back and expensively book another one.

But I did get here eventually, and the 9-hour car journey from Delhi to Rishikesh was uplifted by an incident on the road that I’ll never forget, perhaps like the animal who caused it. 6 hours into the dusty, bumpy ride, we got stuck in traffic for about50 minutes, with honking getting louder, pushing more aggressive, heat hotter, and window-selling more pressing. Every time I opened a window to let some air in, someone would try and sell me household goods. The driver bought a saucepan. Would he use the rising heat to cook us a meal, I wondered. But he needed all his skill to hold his own against tractors honking as if it were a Last Trump competition.

At last we reached the source of the hold-up: an elephant! Lumberingly lifting one toffee-coloured foot after another, he plodded forwards with a tree-trunk on his back, taking up the entire width of the road. He was helping with the harvest. The tractors bore sugar-cane; the elephant bore a tree. He made all the difference to my journey, lifting me to the status of a character in the Mahabharata. I no longer cared how long it took: the elephant and I had shared the road to Rishikesh.

It’s great to be back in the ashram, where I’ve been welcomed very warmly into the heart of this close family. Even by the cows. Our Head, the revered Swami Veda Bharati, decided that what the ashram lacked was cows, so he bought 14 of them – 6 adults and 8 calves – who travelled all the 15-hour way from Rajasthan, arriving here just before me. Students have turned into cowherds, the animals are fed a sattvic diet to keep them placid and milk-producing, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I woke up one morning to see them practising Yoga.

A few of us drove up the mountains last Sunday, to walk in the pure air of the pine forests. Donkey-bells sounded across the valleys and the snow peaks of the high Himalayas seemed very near in the sharp light.

In a place of such natural and spiritual eminence, it seems ridiculous to mention technical problems (I am just gratefully amazed to be able to communicate with you at all). But I may just mention that there are major roadworks taking place outside the ashram, and I’m told that every day a different piece of our telephone line is cut. We have 3 lines to the outside world, and the one that connects me to the Internet has been cut for a long time. For the only active one, which serves the Meditation Hall (and the cowshed) I have positioned myself where I can hear both Om and Moo, and am hoping for the blessing of being able to send this with a few pictures.

Wishing you peace and joy in 2010,

With love and blessings,

Llyn

Raffle in support of Sandrose Project & Marazion Pre-School

My youngest daughter Ivy attends Marazion Pre-School and they are holding a raffle next week (Friday 18th). Half the proceeds will go towards sensory equipment for the Pre-School children and the other half is going to this brilliant national charity - The Sandrose Project - which happens to be located a hundred yards away in Marazion. The charity leases 3 cottages with gardens near the quiet beach in Marazion which they make available to families suffering from bereavement. The cottages help bereaved families (particularly those with very young children) to get away for 1 or 2 weeks, to reflect in peace, to re-bond as a family unit, to gather themselves together away from the pressure of well-wishing neighbours and the strains of daily life. The Charity works closely with national bereavement organisations and it is very well managed by a high calibre board of Trustees.

Tickets (£1 each, or £5 for a book of 5) are on sale at Perran Crafts, The Victoria Inn, Tim's Veg stall, Jenny's hairdresser's in Perran and most shops & pubs in Goldsithney too.

Prizes include £100 cash, lunch at the Mount Haven, a helicopter trip to see the Mousehole lights, Kids R Us tickets, a Christmas hamper including veg from Tim's stall, various leasure activities (spa day, swim at the Penventon Hotel pool, a month's membership at PZ leisure centre), Skinners Polypin, local attraction tickets (Minack, Eden, Newquay Zoo, Blue Reef Aquarium, Crealy, Seal Sanctuary), £20 Tesco voucher, 2 Kidzworld VIP guest passes, St Justin gift package.

The raffle will be drawn next Friday 18th December at the Pre-School's Christmas Extravaganza so I'll need to collect all ticket stubbs from local outlets on Friday morning next week. The tickets will be drawn for each specific prize.

Many thanks
Katie Kirk (nee Groves).

Can You Help

Does anyone know of a Crib or Christingle Service being held nearer Christmas than the service at Perranuthnoe, ideally on Christmas Eve afternoon?

We've got six grandchildren coming down for Christmas and this is such a lovely and important start to Christmas, putting the presents and Santa in proper perspective, that I would like to take them to a local service. Their own church in Hertfordshire has its annual service at 4.00pm on Christmas eve so they will miss that one and miss the Christingle here on the 13th December.

I'd be grateful for any help or suggestions.

Thank you

Sue Farrow

(Leave any answers in the comments below or email them through the contact page of this site.)

Broadband Problems?

For the past 10 days or so my broadband service has been slow and unreliable - download speed about 1.0 mbps upload about 0.35. Is it just me or has anyone else had this experience?

Ciaran Forristal

Update - Guy Fawke’s Night at the Cabin

Jenni and Lisa have decided to cancel this event. They wanted it to be something nice for the village and not something that would cause upset.

Jenni and Lisa are holding a traditional family evening of fireworks and food in the field opposite the car park on Thursday 5th November. Please see Village Events for more details.

There is concern in the village about the proximity of the fireworks with particular reference to pet owners.

Jenni and Lisa have said they do not want to cause upset. They are asking if anyone has any ideas for an alternative site.

Please send in your suggestions. You can use the contact form on this website or post you comments and suggestions below.

Personal Note:
As most of you know we ourselves have four dogs and although we love the idea and do not want to be killjoys we are very concerned. Our dogs get absolutely petrified by fireworks, not only do they quiver and shake like jelly whilst trying to squeeze in to the smallest space possible they also loose control of their bowels! Very upsetting all round.

Kay

Church Room Update

To recap the story so far…

Last February residents were invited to take part in a consultation event in the Church Room. Lots of great ideas were put forward to improve the fabric and use of the building.

The findings of the consultation event were published and are still available on the village website.

A working group was then pulled together with representatives from both the Church congregation and members of the wider community. This group worked hard to research the options, determine feasibility and to form a consensus on which of the ideas could be accommodated in the scope of the project. A strong project was defined.

Over the summer, some ‘quick wins’ were identified and a mini-project was funded to ensure that some action was taking place. The community’s own Open Gardens fundraising efforts paid for the new summer furniture and some small items of kitchen equipment in time for the summer events. Grants from the Parish Council (£622.23) and the former Penwith District Council’s Village Hall Grant (£ 1,377.76) have paid for the garden furniture store to be built to the rear of the building (work in progress), thereby freeing up valuable floor-space inside the building.

Latest news

Now that the summer is over, the hard work begins again in earnest. Applications are being written to the Church and Community Fund, Awards for All and others requesting funds for the all important final phase of the Church Room refurbishment.

This refurbishment aims to maximise the potential of the Church Room for use by all members of the community. Specifically we aim to:

1. encourage more people (beyond the usual Church-going congregation) to use the hall as a general community facility. We hope to bring the room up to a standard which is suitable for the wide range of community activity ideas put forward at the February consultation event
2. ensure the building design addresses the practical needs of the very young, the elderly and those with disabilities as far as is reasonably practicable
3. maximise and make best use of the space available with bespoke, creative storage solutions, compact equipment and sensible working arrangements
   

For further details please contact Katie Kirk on 01736 710907

Bus Campaign Result!

The 2b bus timetable from Perranuthnoe to Penzance has just changed:

There will be a bus leaving at one minute to 10 and then every hour thereafter until one minute to 3 every day.

It goes straight through to Goldsithney! (The first bus from Penzance is at 10.30 and then at half past each hour, arriving here about ten to the hour).

Well done all those who strove for a more sensible arrangement all those months ago!

Meg Pinfield.

Telephone Fraud Warning

Cornwall Council Information Services has received reports of a telephone fraud being attempted within the county.

The fraudsters are cold calling people claiming to be Windows XP service providers and then advising that they have detected that the person’s computer has problems (slow running, Trojan viruses etc.) This statement is false. They won’t have had access to the computer to identify any problem.

This claim is made with the intent to scare people into paying money to have their PC’s remotely ‘fixed’. They have also been known to infect computers with viruses once attached to prove their ‘repair’ has worked. They call from UK based numbers but all calls to these numbers appear to end up in India. All reports we have had so far involve people with Indian accents.

They appear to go under a number of names Supportonclick, logmein123 and Systemrecure.

As an additional warning. Random website adverts claiming to have found viruses on your computer are equally suspect and no attempt should be made to install any software offered by them.

This warning applies equally to your computers at home. Please ensure your computers at home have their security systems up-to-date, are fully patched and have a firewall in place.

Regards

Anthony Waters
Senior ICT Support Officer
Information Services
Cornwall Council
01872 323202
awaters@cornwall.gov.uk

Planning for Cliff House

Perranuthnoe Parish Council have today received plans for the proposed re-development of Cliff House.

The application proposes to knock down the existing building and re build it 3.5 metres further back.

Anyone wishing to view the plans can do so at Churchtown House this evening between 8pm and 9pm or Thursday afternoon between 3.30pm and 5.30pm. Alternatively the plans can be viewed at St. Clare.

If you know anyone who may wish to view the plans, please can you pass this message on.

New Photography Group

Following the recent Perranuthnoe village church room consultation day a number of people suggested a group be formed for those interested in photography.

We are pleased to announce the first meeting of this group will be on Monday 5th October at 7pm in Perranuthnoe Church Room.

If you would like to discuss anything relating to photography with like-minded people please come along.

For further details contact Martin on 01736 710820.

Missing - Can You Help?

MISSING

RATTY

Do you have any information on the whereabouts of this dog?

Jack Russell Cross Paterdale
Female, black and white, adult
Missing from Praa Sands near Helston.
Lost on the path from Kennegy Sands to Bessy's Cove (TR13)
Brown leather collar, 32cms high to shoulders

£50 REWARD IF FOUND

Tel: 07976 925 763

or

Call DogLost in the strictest confidence on

0844 800 3220 quoting ref 19081

Newly discovered World War One photographs

A treasure trove of First World War photographs has been unearthed in a barn in rural France.

The 270 never-before-seen World War One pictures are available to view on-line from The Independent.

The newspaper is asking for help to piece together clues about the pictures and reveal the stories behind them.

You can view the article here:
Exclusive: The unseen photographs that throw new light on the First World War

View the photos:
Click here to view the exclusive photographs

To find out how you can help click here:
Newly discovered World War One photographs; Your help needed

Swine Flu

With the speed at which swine flu is spreading it will come as no surprise that there is a possible case of it in the village. The individual concerned is being treated with Tamiflu which is not a cure but should help to relieve some of the symptoms and reduce the potential for serious complications such as pneumonia.

More than 9,700 people in the UK are known to have caught the disease, but the real figure is believed to be much higher. The Government has warned that the number of swine flu cases could soar to 100,000 a day by the end of next month and estimated that the virus could eventually affect up to 50 per cent of the population. In the majority of cases the virus has proved relatively mild.

There are a number of steps you can take to reduce the risk of getting flu and help stop the spread of the virus.

The key is to practise good respiratory and hand hygiene.

• cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, using a tissue and throw the tissue away quickly and carefully
• wash your hands regularly with soap and water
• clean hard surfaces (like door handles and remote controls) frequently with a normal cleaning product

If you think you have swine flu, check your symptoms online using the NHS flu symptom checker , call the Swine Flu information line on 0800 1 513 513 or call your local GP - do not go to the GPs surgery or hospital in person. Your local GP will be able to tell you if you have swine flu over the phone. You can also call NHS Direct on 0845 4647 but they are inundated with calls at the moment so be prepared for a long wait.

More information:

• Swine flu - prevention and treatment
• Swine flu - everything you need to know
• Swine flu and schools
• Symptom Checker
• Swine flu and business readiness

Village SOS

Village SOS is an exciting rural initiative from the BIG Lottery Fund and the BBC, challenging villages across the UK to come up with brilliant ideas for brand new businesses. The best ideas will receive funding of up to £400,000 each from the Big Lottery Fund.

If anyone has any ideas for our Village please contact Kevin on 711808 or make a comment below to add your suggestion - the deadline is 14th August.

More information can be found here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/villagesos/

http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_village_sos

Parish Council Votes Unanimously To Object To The Cabin Proposal

The Parish Council received over 35 letters of objection to the proposal to develop the cabin, as well as a list of well over 60 names registering an objection. It was agreed that the proposal was inappropriate, over development and that it would have a seriously detrimental effect on the community, as well as a negative effect on the environment. I will keep you posted with news of this application as soon as I am aware of any development. Thank you to everyone who gave their opinion. What a great community!

Important Update - Plans For The Cabin

This planning application for the Cabin has now been withdrawn

I have copied Pippa's latest comment in a new post to make sure everyone gets to see it.

All those for and against need to express their views as soon as possible.



Pippa's Comment:

I spoke to Lesley yesterday and today and with her permission I would like to make sure that everyone knows that:

THE EXISTING PLANS WILL NOT BE WITHDRAWN.

Amended plans may be prepared, but at this moment it is not certain when they will be available, or what changes will be made.

Anyone who wishes to express their views should do so based on the plans which I still have available for viewing at Churchtown House.

The parish Council have to make their recommendations before July 1st and will be discussing this issue on 25th June.

Good News For Church Room

Great news - last night the Parish Council kindly approved the £622.23 we requested and this morning Jon Teague from CRCC has approved the Village Hall application. Combined this means we have a commitment of £2k to pay for the construction of a storage shed & path clearance at the rear of the property. This money cannot be spent on anything else.

Please don't buy anything yet until we have all pieces of the funding package in place - the B&Q Manager returns from leave on Monday when Mum is going back for their decision on the furniture.

Submitted by Katie Kirk

Plans for 'The Cabin' - Update

Planning Number - 09-0573-P (MNR)

Please see Pippa Young's comment below the - Plans for 'The Cabin' - article

Lesley will be available at The Cabin on Sunday 14th June between 12pm - 3pm to answer any questions people may have and to show the plans she has for The Cabin.

Church Room Update

Following Februarys Church Room consoltation event all the ideas, problems, solutions and potential activities from members of the community relating to the Church Room have been gathered together.

A project development group consisting of both Church and Community representatives have worked hard over the past 4 months to thrash out which of the ideas from the consultation day are feasible and a consensus has been reached!

There was a high level of support for some sort of shelter at the front of the building so that the outside space can be used without the fear of sun stroke. These items were requested as a high priority by our community and so we would like to address them quickly in a small, affordable project this summer.

The project group went away and did some extensive research into awnings and gazebos but it soon became clear that these would not be suitable for a number of reasons e.g capital cost, repair and maintenance, weather resistance, planning issues. It was felt that a simple set of parasols will suffice but we would need new tables which had a central hole for a parasol and it was also noted that lightweight tables outside would be much easier for the helpers to carry.

Therefore the project group has applied for three grants to help with the cost of the following;

Purchase 6 sets of Acacia hardwood garden furniture. Lightweight. Each set comprising 1 square dining table and 4 dining chairs. Hole in centre of each table for a parasol.

Purchase 6 Sun-shade parasols

Purchase 2 cantilever shelters – one to cover the book stall and one for the cake stall

Dig out and concrete the rear pathway and construct a "Dry Store" (to accommodate the 6 Tables and 24 chairs and parasols) with a pitched roof & lockable entrance.

Gutters near the entrance to rear will be revamped to ensure improved drainage.

Purchase anti-slip trays to reduce the risk of spilling hot drinks and melamine ramekins for very small quantities of cream and jam and a cool bag to keep the food fresh in line with food hygiene recommendations.

[At the February consultation event there were a lot of comments relating to the use of the kitchen – overcrowding, health and safety etc. One sensible suggestion put forward at the consultation event was ‘Teas need a meeting of those involved to organise it a bit more without loosing the lovely atmosphere’. This point was taken on board and a meeting was duly held. Lots of good suggestions about improving ways of working came forward at this well-attended meeting and the non-slip trays, tiny ramekins and cool bag were requested to make the serving safer & hygienic.]

We will have to wait to see if the applications have been successful or not. Hopefully we'll know by the end of next week in each case.

Information will be posted on here as soon as it becomes avaiable.

Live Music at Perranuthnoe Church Room tonight‏

Rob Braybrook & Kif have organised a spontaneous free gig this evening at Perranuthnoe Church Room from 8pm.

I'm told its an amazing, experienced guitarist called Estefan Antonio who plays flamenco among other styles. He'll be playing a 3 necked guitar made by Kif this evening.

The event is free of charge / donations for hall hire & the musician's bus fare!

Enjoy.

Submitted by Katie Kirk

Village Dog Gets Bitten By Adder

Jake, a retired Greyhound was bitten by an adder while out on a walk with his owner yesterday. They were on the coastal path, Cudden side, when the incident happened.

Jake's owner, Karl said,
"I was walking on the dirt track and Jake was walking right beside me on the grass. He suddenly let out a yelp, I turned to look at him and he was holding his back leg off the ground. First I thought he had trodden on something but it then became obvious it was more than that. He laid on the floor and started kicking his back leg out as if he was trying to get something off. I inspected his foot and leg but could see nothing ."

Karl took Jake to an emergency vet in Truro where he was given a cocktail of drugs which includes Steroids, Antihistamine, Antibiotics and an Opiate based pain killer. He was kept in overnight and this morning has been transferred to a vet in Penzance where he is being kept on a drip to help flush out any toxins left in his body. Although distressed and in some pain Karl said Jake is doing fine and he looks forward to picking him up later today.

The adder is not an aggressive snake, it strikes only in self-defence when it feels threatened. They have a pair of fangs which inject an efficient and fast-acting poison. In an emergency they bite and flee so the victim may never know what bit them.

Adder venom is extremely unpleasant and can be very damaging to the affected area so any suspicion of an adder-bite should lead to medical attention as soon as possible.

For smaller animals like dogs and cats any inexplicable pain or swelling, especially in spring when adders awake from hibernation, should be seen by a vet as soon as possible.

Adders are very sensitive to vibration so the best way to make sure your path is clear is to carry a stick and occasional beat the ground in front of you with it.

Male Adder

Female Adder

For more information on Adders click here: www.adder.org.uk/

Update - Plans For 'The Cabin'

Please see Pippa Young's new comment below this article

Planning Number 09-0573-P (MNR)

Some concern had been expressed with regard to The Cabin and plans that may be in place for it in the future.

In respect of this I contacted Lesley (the owner) and she has replied with the following;

The Cabin is 17 years old now and falling apart. I am planning to have it rebuilt. The new build will consist of a wooden structure, much the same as is already there, with the addition of a disabled toilet and some inside seating. As I am having to rebuild anyway it seems sensible to incorporate the changes that are desperately needed for food preparation, cooking and serving as well as being able to accommodate customers whatever the weather!

Jenny and Lisa have done a wonderful job of running The Cabin for the past two seasons and they will stay for this summer and through to the October half term after which I will be running it myself. This is exciting for me as I have missed it greatly and cannot wait to get back to it.

I hope to start rebuilding in November and be ready to open early in the new year. As soon as I have a planning application number I will make it available for publication on this website so that anyone interested can take a look at the plans.

I have always loved the peaceful, family atmosphere of Perranuthnoe and will make sure The Cabin retains it's friendly, family structure as well as offering an efficient service to local people and visitors alike.

Lesley Bizley



As usual, please feel free to add your comments.

Welcome Back Llyn

Llyn (Evans) will be visiting Perranuthnoe after her 6 months in India.

She has kindly agreed to tell of her experiences in this most fascinating part of the world on

Friday, 24th April in Church at 7pm

Many of you have kept in touch with Llyn during this time and will have read her wonderful accounts of life in Rishikesh on the Perranuthoe website; this will be an excellent opportunity of welcoming her back and hearing first hand accounts of her adventure.

Everyone is most welcome to attend - just turn up.

Submitted by Michael Ball

Blooming Good News

Bearing in mind these days of 'shop local', back in January of this year Val and Kevin of Village Crafts, put a request out via this website for ideas on what local people would like them to stock.

After consideration of all requests received they are now pleased to announce that as from Friday 10th April (Good Friday) they will be selling bread.

Kev said, "We will be selling an Organic White Bloomer (400g), an Organic Brown Bloomer(400g) and an Italian Focaccia Loaf (that's a loaf made with Olive Oil and Herbs).

As this is an experiment we will only have small quantities, so it will be first come first served, however we will take orders either by phone on 711808 or by e-mail via our website http://www.perrancrafts.co.uk/
Our initial retail price for all loaves is £1.95 each"

Along with the other items they stock, milk, eggs, stamps, tea, coffee and sugar this is good news for the Village giving us all less reason to take the car out saving on fuel, the environment and supporting local business all at the same time.

One That Didn't Get Away!

Despite a clearly visible sign on the only access road to the beach the driver of a minibus drove his vehicle onto the beach and subsequently got it stuck in the sand.


An eye witness saw the vehicle being driven down the ramp onto the sand and turn left around the rocks. The sand was very wet already as the tide was on its way in. The minibus wheels sank into the sand just a few feet from the waters edge.

The young passengers were evacuated and taken to the car park for safety while attempts were made to free the stranded vehicle. All attempts failed and the sea claimed the minibus.




Police sealed off the area and during the course of the afternoon the tide brought the vehicle round to the bottom of the ramp where it continued to get battered by the waves.

Eventually Simon was able to tow the vehicle to safety using his JCB. It now stands in a ruined condition in the village car park.

Simon was later heard to say that he has recently had to tow three vehicles off Marazion beach which were stuck in the sand.

This has got to go out as a warning. Quite a few people drive their vehicles onto the beach for one reason or another. This is not only very dangerous and inconsiderate to others it is also very costly to all those concerned, and that includes the enviroment. The smell of fuel filled the air as the tide was knocking the minibus about.

The signs are there for a reason.

Church Room Consultation Report

Following the success of the Church room consultation event a full report has been put together and is now available for download.

Perranuthnoe Church Room Phase 2 Consultation Report

Village Tradition Revived - Feast Concert

The Feast Concert, held on Friday 6th March in the Church revived an old village tradition celebrating St Piran's Feast which hadn't occurred since the 1950s!

Local talent was gathered together under one roof for a splendid evening's entertainment. Local band, The Perranaz started the show and a variety of items followed, including songs from Gilbert and Sullivan, delightful poems, violin solos, and a hip hop street dance!
The climax of the evening was the song "You Are My Sunshine" sung and played by all the performers with the audience singing along!
Afterwards everyone enjoyed a delicious pasty supper.

Great fun was had by all!

The Evening In Pictures

First set of photos courtesy Martin Holland

Second set of photos courtesy Chas Gooding

Submitted by Annie Henry

This event has prompted Kevin to start thinking about this years Gwlascore lowen. He is looking to hear from anyone who might be interested in helping organise the event or for any ideas about the format for this year. He is also looking for ideas for community projects that any money raised could go to.

He said;

"I am going to start with a complete blank canvas. The only stipulation is that preferably anyone involved should live, or work, or have some connection with the Parish of Perranuthnoe."

Kevin can be contacted initially by email perrancrafts@googlemail.com or, if people want too, just pop into the shop, Village Crafts.

Gwlascore lowen, meaning Happy Community, was a fantastic success last year. Click here to read the report