Latest news with #Helston
BBC News
13 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Delight as decision to close Cornish eye clinics reversed
Eye patients in Cornwall are celebrating after a decision to close clinics was Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) had planned to close clinics in Helston and St Austell treating people with serious eye conditions and move them to hospitals in Treliske and RCHT said it had reversed the decision to shut the sites due to feedback it received about the "potential impact of the move".Patients said they were relieved the sites would stay open as they provided vital treatment closer to where they lived. 'Limited vision' Veronica Hearn, who receives treatment for macular degeneration at Wheal Northey in St Austell, said the extra travel and associated costs which would have been required for appointments in Truro had left one fellow patient in tears."I know, when talking to other patients, that there were many genuine concerns regarding the closure," she said."Following the treatment you are not able to drive with such limited vision so everyone has to rely on someone to take them and Truro is so much further for them to go."Jill Bristow, who also has injections for macular degeneration at the site, said the reversal had made her very happy."I can't really describe how I'm feeling," said Mrs Bristow, who lives near Bodmin."I'm just so relieved that the decision has been rescinded." St Ives MP Andrew George said the reversal was "good news" for patients."Though I appreciate that the hospitals' trust has been placed under intolerable financial pressure, it's important that the government supports its own policy of moving services closer to patients in their communities," he added.A RCHT spokesperson said it and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board agreed providing the clinics across the county was the "best way forward" after hearing concerns raised by O'Keeffe, deputy chief executive and chief nursing officer at RCHT, said: "Our original plans were made with the best intentions to ensure specialist staff were available in central locations and to deliver more clinics."But once we heard from local people about how the proposed changes might affect them, it became clear that we must do what is right for our patients."We thank everyone who took the time to share their views and help shape this decision."
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Major changes could be coming to 18 Cornish churches
A public consultation has been launched on the reorganisation of the Kerrier Deanery. The Church Commissioners of the Church of England have initiated the process, which could see significant changes to the current structure. The Kerrier Deanery encompasses 23 churches across six groups, stretching from Constantine to Germoe and from Wendron to The Lizard. St Michael's Church in Helston, the largest in the area, is also part of this deanery. Traditionally, each of these benefices has had a resident vicar or rector. However, the proposed changes aim to consolidate all the parishes and benefices into one single Kerrier benefice. Under this new plan, none of the 18 parishes will have a designated vicar. Instead, the Truro Diocese will appoint two stipendiary priests, a team rector and a team vicar, to oversee the entire deanery. These changes require approval from the Church Commissioners, who are now inviting residents in the deanery to voice their opinions. The consultation details are available at with representations being accepted via email at The deadline for submissions is midnight on September 15, 2025. In a statement, St Michael's Parochial Church Council [[Helston]] urged locals to participate in the consultation, stating: "We urge anyone with an interest in the future of the Church of England in this area of Cornwall to contribute their views and opinions. "You do not have to be a practising member of the Church to participate in this consultation." The statement was signed by church wardens John Boase and Melanie Uren, deanery synod representative Michael Thorn, and lay vice chair of the PCC Michael Thomas.
BBC News
18-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Hundreds of sailors take part in Freedom of Helston parade
A military parade through the streets of Helston has taken place for the first time since 200 men and women from RNAS Culdrose took part in the ceremony which saw the establishment exercise its rights to march through the Cornish Seahawk was granted the Freedom of the Borough of Helston in 1958, an honour which allows sailors to march with swords drawn and bayonets Freedom Parade was led by the HMS Seahawk Volunteer Band with seven platoons of sailors and Royal Marines. 'Strong team here' Crowds lined the streets outside the Helston Guildhall to watch the pass through which was rounded up by field gun James Hall, Commanding Officer at RNAS Culdrose, said: "We've got a lot of people deployed and that is our reason to be here, to strengthen the security at home and to protect our interests abroad. "We still have a strong team here at Culdrose because all those people deployed still need support in the background."A flypast by a Merlin helicopter coincided with the end of the parade at 11:00 BST in Coinagehall Street.
BBC News
17-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'Dream' Cornish bookshop bucking national industry decline
An independent bookshop has been providing a community and economic boost to one Cornish town, despite a national decline in the Bookshop in Helston, the southern-most bookshop on mainland Britain, opened in November 2023, giving the town a bookshop for the first time in 40 years. The shop, run by Ginny Sealey, has been telling a story of continued resilience as the Booksellers Association (BA) revealed the number of independent bookshops has been on a downward trend over the last two Sealey, for whom owning a bookshop was a long-held dream, said Helston's high street had had its ups and downs but was "on its way back up again now". 'Enrich local communities' Ms Sealey said: "We're not a supermarket - you're not coming every day to buy a book - so we work closely with the library."There's a balance there for special treats, birthday presents."The latest membership numbers released by the BA showed the number of independent bookshops had fallen in 2024 from 1,063 to 1, said independent bookshops were, however, outperforming the wider retail sector , which saw about 37 shop closures per day in Halls, managing director of the Booksellers Association said: "Bookshops provide local jobs, enrich local communities and fuel local economies; they bring social cohesion and cultural capital to their towns and villages; they bring authors to schools, readers to high streets, donations to charities and support to literacy programmes. "They should be celebrated by us all but not to the point of complacency or at the cost of action."The BA said bookshops such as Helston's were having to show resilience and innovation in the face of economic uncertainty.A survey by the association revealed the top five concerns of independent bookshops for 2025 related to financial pressure via increasing overheads and softening consumer confidence. Melanie Young, who attends a book group at the Bookshop in Helston, said having it on the high street was "good for the economy"."You come to the bookshop, you maybe go down the road to the deli, you see a poster in the window for something that's happening at the new little theatre space and everything starts to snowball," she group member Margaret Logan said Ms Sealey had "added something to the town" and ran lots of additional events for Matthews, another poetry group member, added: "It's something the town has needed for a long time and this has fulfilled every expectation of having an independent bookshop in town. "I spend a lot of money in this bookshop, but I think it invites you to and I think that's for the good of the book trade as well as for the readers."
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Lego robot challenge contest returning to Cornwall
Schoolchildren in Cornwall have been invited to enter a competition which combines Lego building and robotics. Cornwall Council said teams could register their interest for the 2025/26 First Lego League tournament, which has a theme called Unearthed, based on archaeology. The competitions would set teams of pupils challenges which required them to build a robot out of Lego to complete a series of missions on a game table, organisers said. The council said teams would receive their competition kits in September, with the final taking place at RNAS Culdrose, near Helston, in March, with the best performing teams heading to Harrogate for the national final a few weeks later. Last year's event had more than 600 pupils take part in the Cornish final which was spread over two days. George Slater, education projects manager at Cornwall Education Business Partnership, said the tournament combined robotics, engineering and problem solving. He said the biggest lessons the teams learned from doing the competition included building resilience when facing a challenge, overcoming hurdles as a team, developing creativity and improving their confidence. He added: "There are so many things I could talk about in terms of how it affects different teams and the change it makes to their lives. "But the truth is every team is unique, but, with that standardised challenge at the core, they have an opportunity to develop through First Lego League and the way they want to for their future." Schools who want to take part in the competition need to register their interest. More news stories for Cornwall Listen to the latest news for Cornwall Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ Cornish pupils to compete in Lego contest final Students battle in Lego robot challenge Pupils tackling 'real-world problems' using Lego Cornwall Council
