A burger van employee who sold illegal tobacco from under the counter is now more than £27,000 out of pocket. Roy Grenfell of Close Hill, Redruth, pleaded guilty at Truro Magistrates' Court on Wednesday to the supply of illegal tobacco products in the Pool area. Grenfell, 67, had at the time of the offence been working in a burger van in Camborne Retail Park, Pool, where, as a side line to selling burgers, he was also supplying illegal tobacco. Cornwall Council Trading Standards...

A headteacher who failed to tell employers of her school handyman husband's police caution for stealing ladies' underwear showed "a cavalier attitude" to pupil safety, a misconduct hearing found. Sarah Kate Cooke was principal of Foxhole Academy primary school in St Austell where her spouse, Peter Cooke , carried out occasional maintenance. She resigned after her husband of 30 years was arrested early last year, this time for an allegation of outraging public decency in front of...

Welcome to our live coverage of all the day's biggest stories, traffic and travel from across Cornwall on Thursday, June 22, 2017. We'll be looking at all the traffic until this evening, so keep checking back to make sure you get wherever you're going as quickly and safely as possible. We will of course also be breaking news as it happens and keeping an eye on the weather. It's Gareth here until 2.30pm when I hand over to the late team. If you've seen something going on and want us to...

A former doctors surgery that closed less than two months ago could be turned into flats, it has been revealed. Patients of the Woodland Road Surgery in St Austell were disappointed to hear of plans to shut the site in March 2017. Read more: Man's body discovered in tourist town Despite objections, the surgery folded in May, in part of a St Austell Healthcare plan to amalgamate patient services from four surgeries to one. At the time, a spokesman for St Austell Healthcare said that...

At one time or another we've all misplaced something valuable – but spare a thought for one Royal Navy officer who lost his precious service medal. Warrant Officer Stu Paterson was leading the RNAS Culdrose Freedom of Helston parade last week when his wayward decoration was dislodged from his uniform. Imagine the HMS Seahawk Band drum major's dismay when he realised afterwards that his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal had vanished. Read next: Teenage daughter saves dad's life after...

One of Cornwall's biggest towns could be getting larger if a planning application to transform a former bus depot into flats is approved. The former Eliot Road bus garage could see 60 new apartments constructed if developers obtain planning permission. Read more: Penis crusader hitting Cornwall to protect x-rated graffiti Consent was granted in May 2015, for the construction of 30 new dwellings, including affordable housing and associated work, on the Eliot Road site. The 1.2-acre site...

Emergency services were called to the River Tamar this afternoon after a 30-year-old man reportedly jumped into the water from the Torpoint Ferry. A police spokesperson said: "Police were alerted at 4.25pm today that a man was in the water at Torpoint, believed to have gone off the ferry. "The MOD [boat] was launched. All is in order. "The man had jumped in the water having consumed alcohol. "There were no injuries reported." MoD police said they were called to the...

The widow of an engineer who was crushed while servicing a lift on a car ferry at Falmouth docks said she just wants answers. Donna Summerside said the inquest, which begins with a pre-inquest hearing on Monday, has taken too long. Her husband Steve Summerside, 44, died after getting trapped between the lift and the shaft on the MV Ulysses on January 11 last year. The 51,000 tonne ship, operated by Irish Ferries, was berthed at Queen Elizabeth dock for its annual refit. Read more: St Agnes...

Release date:  Wed, 21/06/2017 (All day) Main image:  Summary:  Meadowside, a six-acre smallholding at Trevarth, Redruth, is managed with wildlife in mind and it attracts a large variety of birds and insects. Hedgehogs are often seen here, along with rabbits and the odd fox.

On Sunday, July 2nd it will also welcome ‘human visitors’ when it opens its gates to the public for the first time in aid of Cornwall Wildlife Trust, as part of the Trust’s Open Gardens event.

The smallholding includes a large vegetable garden, two highly productive poly tunnels, an orchard, a fruit cage, and a glorious wildflower meadow with many southern marsh orchids. A walled garden has herbaceous and a shrub border, all planted to attract pollinators, as is the south facing gravel garden. As well as the wildlife, there are sheep, pigs, hens, turkeys and bee hives as well as an impressive array of vegetables grown in the garden.

Admission to the garden is from 2.00pm to 5.00pm, £5 per adult, with under 16s free. Pasties, cream teas, and beverages will be provided by Crantocks Bakery, Roddas and Cornish Coffee. The scheme now has an overall sponsor with Cornwall tourism company Stayincornwall.co.uk

Dogs are welcomed to Meadowside on leads. Toilet facilities will be available but are unsuitable for wheelchair users.

Chris Betty, Communications Officer for the Trust, says,

“Meadowside is a new garden opening for the Trust, and for anyone who has yearned to run a small holding then this is the one to visit, particularly to see the vegetable areas.”

This will be the sixth year the Trust has run their Open Gardens fundraising scheme which has grown year on year and provides much-needed funds to protect the wildlife and wild places of Cornwall.

Other gardens opening for the Trust this year are: July 23rd Trenarth, High Cross, Constantine near Falmouth, August 20th Bolts Quarry Farm, at St. Breward near Bodmin, September 3rd Mazey Cottage, Tangies, Helston, and September 10th Tanglewood Wild Garden, Newbridge, Penzance

More details can be found at www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/opengardens
 

Witnesses have spoken of their disbelief at the sight of a retired music teacher attempting a U-turn on a busy stretch of the A30 in Cornwall – moments before he was killed in a crash. The 84-year-old had swung his hire car at right-angles to the road despite traffic coming in both directions at speeds of 50 to 60 mph. Geoffrey Frank Taylor, who was visiting Cornwall from Lancashire to hear a piece of music he had composed sung by a choir at Truro Cathedral, was pronounced dead at the...

A quantity of Class A and B drugs have been seized and one person was arrested following a police raid on Mayfield residential estates in Newquay. Police officers from Newquay and surrounding stations executed three simultaneous drugs warrants yesterday (20 June). Read more: Man's body discovered in tourist town A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Following searches of the three premises which were located in Hawkins Road, Mayfield Crescent and Trelawney Road, a...

Scores of Cornwall holiday home owners have offered to give up their second homes for a week to help those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire which has so far claimed the lives of at least 79 people. Last week the devastating fire ripped through the West London tower block and in the days since the fire the country has been gripped by the herculean recovery effort and political aftermath. Many people have been displaced and others are still waiting to identify loved ones as the death toll...

The National Trust has said that the important heathland habitat of St Agnes Beacon could take as long as 20 years to recover from a devastating gorse fire yesterday (Tuesday, June 20). Fire crews were still at the scene of the fire almost 24 hours after the first calls came in when smoke was spotted rising from the popular beauty spot opposite St Agnes Head. The fire service was first alerted to the blaze at around 3.09pm yesterday and firefighters along with National Trust rangers were...

The body of an elderly man has been found at the bottom of a set of steps leading towards a car park in Padstow. Forensic and police officers were called to New Street just after 8.50am this morning (June 21). Read more: Head 'didn't tell bosses' school handyman husband arrested masturbating in front of child The death is currently being treated as unexplained and enquiries are ongoing. Formal identification has not yet been carried out. Officers are working to establish what caused...

A woman who has been kidnapped and beaten during the course of her work transforming the lives of ex-addicts and offenders has slammed the authorities after being hit with a four-figure fine for overcrowding. Julie Stoddern, 49, is a previous winner of a West Briton Community Award for 'playing mum' to the young men and women, many of whom have spent time in prison, been homeless or come from troubled backgrounds. Today Stoddern appeared at Truro Magistrates' Court and pleaded guilty to one...

It's the must-have gadget of 2017 - and now it is even being launched in a digital format. The fidget-spinner, the toy none us knew we wanted until the internet told us we did, has proved a sensation amongst all age groups in recent months. Now Google have created an online version which doesn't require a physical spin - instead, you click on a picture of a spinner to send it spinning. Multiple clicks on a spin button will increase the speed of the "device" or you can rely on the...

A number of complaints were made to Perranzabuloe Parish Council on Tuesday after people spotted diggers cutting back the large dunes that Perranporth beach is famous for.The work was undertaken by The Watering Hole bar and the Perranporth Surf Life Saving Club.While one local resident said he was left "disgusted" that the beach bar was allowed to "destroy the beach" in such a way, the owner of the Watering Hole, Toomy Job said the work had instead been carried out to protect...

A man has praised his level-headed teenage daughter who fought to keep him alive after learning CPR from watching the medical TV series House. Barry Holland, 56, collapsed at home after his heart stopped. His wife Tina and daughter Kodie, 18, immediately called 999 and were told to begin chest compressions. And Kodie, who admitted to being obsessed by the American medical drama House, which features British actor Hugh Laurie, realised that her mother was doing the compressions...

Police, coastguards and two lifeboats were out in Looe yesterday afternoon as part of a search operation. Officers were requested on scene after 3pm and both of Looe RNLI's inshore lifeboats were launched at 4.21pm from East Looe beach. Read more: Whitsand Bay drama as diabetic woman is rescued after collapsing on cliff pathThe multi-agency operation lasted more than an hour and was triggered after concerns were raised for a local man, aged 28, who had been missing since the afternoon and...

Commercial space flights from Cornwall are one step closer to becoming a reality after the Space Bill was announced in the Queen's Speech. A government plan to secure growth in the UK's £13.7billion space industry was laid out in the Queen's Speech with the aim to make the UK the most attractive place in Europe for commercial space and make use of emerging technologies. The government said the Space Bill make it easier for Britain and regions such as Cornwall to secure a 10% share of...