The Cornwall Blog

The two day live music event Falmouth Sound which was due to be held on 29th and 30th August 2009 at Events Square, Falmouth has been cancelled. The following is an official statement from the organisers of Falmouth Sound 09: “It is with deep regret that we announce that Falmouth Sound will not be going ahead this year. It has been an agonising decision on our part as we have spent so much time and money trying to bring this high quality music event to the town. Unfortunately due to difficult economic conditions advanced ticket sales have not reached a point that would warrant staging such a large-scale event. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our team for their hard work and those people who purchased tickets and supported the event.” Ticket holders are advised to contact the ticket retailer they purchased from direct to arrange a full refund. Those people who purchased from the beach hut ticket office at Events Square will be contacted by the Falmouth Sound team sh...

With £250,000 needed to fund the Marie Curie Nursing Service this year, Marie Curie Cancer Care has launched its first ever local Nursing Appeal in Cornwall. Marie Curie Nurse Cathy O’Callaghan, who is launching the appeal, is one of 27 Marie Curie Nurses in Cornwall who provides a free nursing service for terminally ill people who want to be cared for at home at the end of their lives. Last year, Cathy and her colleagues provided more than 15,000 hours of care to people with cancer and other terminal illnesses in Cornwall. Marie Curie Cancer Care has been campaigning for increased investment in end of life care and with increased awareness of the charity’s nursing service, demand is growing. The charity needs to raise £250,000 to fund the nursing service in Cornwall this year. Cathy said “Most people would want to die at home if they were terminally ill but only about a quarter of people get that wish. Cornwall Marie Curie Nurses want to help more people who live locally but we can on...

Two new shops have been completed and handed over as part of St Austell’s £75 million town centre redevelopment scheme – White River Place. The final stages of construction are well underway and Sir Robert McAlpine, the scheme’s main contractor, currently has a work force on site of around 280 with building work taking place 12 hours a day, seven days a week. £31.5 million is being invested in the scheme by the South West Regional Development Agency (RDA) with the remainder of funding from White River Developments. Wilkinson and HBoS have taken possession of their units to enable them to start fitting out the interiors - other retailers will move in over the next few months to begin their fit-outs. The 550-space car park for the scheme is virtually complete with lighting, line markings and services all fitted, ready to hand over to operator APCOA for the final stages. Significant progress is being made on the residential blocks which will accommodate 69 apartments when finished – the e...

Far Eastern Odyssey is a culinary journey along rivers, through jungles and around coastlines. Along the way, Rick visits traditional family-run restaurants, street vendors, floating markets, night markets, fishing villages, and the local cinnamon and rice farmers to learn about the authentic food of the Far East, and to sample the delicious spectrum of exotic flavours. In this tie-in cookery book to the series, Rick shares his new-found knowledge, recreating the tantalizing food of his travels and capturing on the plate the rich and varying cultures of the Far East. With over 150 new recipes and breathtaking on-location photography, this book evokes the magic of bustling markets, exotic locations and exciting flavours. It will be held at Stein’s Deli in Padstow on Thursday 6th August, where Rick will be signing copies of this book between 11am and 12 noon. Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey is currently being shown on BBC2, Thursday nights from 8 - 9pm.

Get the kids into the kitchen this July with a fun fish cookery session at Padstow Seafood School. Introduce your child to the pleasures of cooking with this short course especially for young cooks. This unique session encourages children to take part in cooking by learning the basics of fish cookery in a relaxed and entertaining atmosphere. We find that our younger students always leave inspired after having a great time in the kitchen under the supervision of Padstow Seafood School’s experienced chefs. They have fun whilst learning important kitchen skills such as preparing fish and crab, making mayonnaise, filleting and pan frying! The children’s fish cookery course is being held on Tuesday 28th July, from 9am - 12 noon and is aimed at children aged 8-11 years. Padstow Seafood School is currently offering a 20% discount on this course, with prices reduced from £70 to £55. For more information or to book your child a place, please contact the school on 01841 533466.

Neville Staple EVENT CANCELLED: See explanation in this post ... One of Cornwall’s most exciting new music events reveals its full line up for this August Bank Holiday. As the end of the summer draws ever nearer, the Falmouth Sound team has given us all something to look forward to by announcing yet more big name artists that will be gracing the stage in Events Square, Falmouth on August Bank Holiday weekend. Joining The Wombats, The Boxer Rebellion and Fink on Saturday 29th August will be Irish singer/songwriter Foy Vance, who has been likened to Stevie Wonder and admired by Pete Townshend. And as if that wasn’t enough bang for your musical buck, Melo Park – featuring Sian Evans of Kosheen has also been added to the mix. Foy Vance On Sunday 30th August The Wailers and Gabbidon have some familiar faces as support in the form of The Neville Staple Band (featuring two-tone legend and member of The Specials), Neville Staple) who will be accompanied by ska songstress Pauline Black. And la...

On Friday 10th July Stein’s Fish & Chip shop in Padstow will be holding their Big Fish Supper in aid of the Fishermen’s Mission and have pledged to donate 3% of its total income on the day to the charity. This is an annual event at Stein’s and all monies donated will help the Mission provide emergency welfare support to fishermen and their families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. On average 25 UK vessels are lost each year around the coast often resulting in tragic consequences. The Mission has for over 130 year been a lifeline to the fishing communities around the UK. "Working as a fisherman is a dangerous and lonely job that very few people comprehend. The Fishermen's Mission makes sure it knows the hardship fishermen and their families face and therefore exactly how to help them," - Rick Stein, Mission Vice-Patron and restaurateur.

View from the footbridge at Wadebridge I took the photograph above on my phone a few nights ago, it was a very high tide and there were unique colours in the sky. It prompted me to put some photos of Cornwall on the blog. Spring blossom in Waderbidge Early morning in Padstow Harbour Surfers at Polzeath Beach Waterfowl on the Camel Estuary

Dame Helen Mirren admires a King Protea plucked from the Burncoose stand After months of planning, designing, and growing all of the hard work paid off this morning when Burncoose Nurseries received the news that they had been awarded a well deserved Gold Medal for their climate change garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The garden which is once again supported by Terra Firma, was designed to showcase the different types of plants that are suited to the changing environment. By teaming up with Tresco Abbey Gardens the Burncoose exhibit highlighted plants which thrive in warm, dry and windy conditions, as well as the more familiar shade loving species. The garden illustrated how plants which have historically only been grown in areas with micro climates, like the Isles of Scilly and some parts of Cornwall, can now be tried in other areas of the UK as a result of the changing weather patterns and temperatures. Owner of Burncoose Nurseries, Charles Williams, said “We are delighted to ...

Rick Stein and his team of chefs from The Seafood Restaurant will be heading to Wadebridge this June to prepare a special dinner in aid of Redruth R.F.C. The event, to be held at the Royal Cornwall Showground Pavillion in Wadebridge on Saturday 27th June, will be an opportunity for guests to enjoy a unique five course menu prepared by Rick and his team of chefs. The evening also promises to be a true ‘Battle of the Ashes’ with talks from sporting stars Rodney Hogg, Australian quick bowling legend, and ex-England spinner Geoff Miller. Dave Penberthy, Director of Rubgy and former player at Redruth R.F.C. said: “This is a wonderful gesture from Rick and his team and it is pleasing to know how much they believe in what we are doing at Redruth. The club strongly believes that its future depends very much on the talent that is currently developed through its youth structures and having support from individuals such as Rick and his team is inspiring. “It will help enormously in our aim to kee...