Latest news with #Newquay
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Walkie talkies handed out to keep Newquay safe
Beach lifeguards, police, CCTV operators and town rangers have been given 10 new walkie talkies to "enhance safety" across a Cornwall town's beaches and high street. The project, funded with about £3,000 from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, aims to "ensure quicker response times, better coordination and a stronger deterrent presence", said Mark Warren of the Newquay Business Improvement District."They will help keep our residents, local businesses, and visiting tourists safe throughout the year," he walkie talkies come on top of 80 already deployed in the town at shops and pubs, said Mr Warren.
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Mobile phone light helps Newquay RNLI rescue mission
A person used their mobile phone light to help with rescue efforts during an incident on the Cornish RNLI said it was called out at 00:32 BST on Wednesday to do a shoreline search from Tolcarne to Lusty Glaze beach to find a person who needed medical crew said during the search, one of its lifeboats spotted the light of the casualty's mobile phone shining in a small cove.A post on the crew's Facebook page said a Coastguard helicopter, the Newquay Coastguard Search and Rescue Team and paramedics helped rescue the person, who was airlifted to hospital.
BBC News
7 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Former Cornwall councillor Louis Gardner breached conduct code
A former Cornwall councillor has apologised for breaching the authority's code of conduct by supporting £200,000 for Spaceport Cornwall after he was offered a top job at the Gardner, former Conservative portfolio holder for the economy, accepted the role of head of future air and space at the firm's headquarters at Newquay Airport while still a member of cabinet, an assessment report said. He did not declare an interest during a meeting in which £200,000 of government funding was approved for Spaceport, it said. In the report, Mr Gardner said: "I had no idea that supporting an existing and longstanding Cornwall Council project, which I had already supported previously on multiple occasions would bring anybody into disrepute. However, I am very sorry for the harm which this has caused." 'Contrary to the code' Devon and Cornwall Police said in early April they were investigating following a report of misconduct in public office by an individual in the Newquay area. A spokesperson said enquiries were of the matter were heard at the final meeting of Cornwall Council before the election on 1 ruling Conservative group was voted out at the election and there was now a Liberal Democrat / Independent administration leading the Gardner, from Newquay, stepped down as the council's head of the economy on taking the Spaceport job and retired as a councillor on 1 Council withdrew the £200,000 funding in April and Mr Gardner resigned from Spaceport Cornwall in assessment of Mr Gardner's behaviour was conducted by Cornwall Council assurance officer Simon Mansell following complaints from Matthew Stokes, the council's head of legal and democratic services, and Independent councillor Julian Mansell concluded Mr Gardner failed to properly register his disclosable pecuniary interest, with part of the complaint also forwarded to the police to consider if an offence had been Mansell said: "Even if he believed at the time of the meeting that Spaceport would not benefit, it does not alter the fact that he voted for and seconded the grant knowing that he would be working for that company and there might be at least an indirect benefit to himself. "It may be therefore that Councillor Gardner had used his position improperly to the advantage of himself or anyone else contrary to the code of conduct." 'Personal decision' In his complaint, Mr Stokes said Councillor Gardner had failed to declare an interest at a meeting of the Isles of Scilly Economic Prosperity Board (EPB) two days after he was offered the job with Cornwall Airport Ltd and one day after accepting said the decision around funding "might reasonably be regarded" as affecting the financial position of Spaceport and Mr Gardner's own five paragraphs of the Cornwall Council code of conduct for councillors, he said a "reasonable person with knowledge of all the relevant facts" would consider his interest so significant it was likely to "prejudice his judgement of the public interest".Mr Gardner said he had made the "personal decision" he did not have an interest based on a number of included the fact he was not yet an employee at Cornwall Airport and it was not certain the process would "run to completion".He said the project was "existing and longstanding" with the council and "fully endorsed by Cabinet"."In hindsight, I would have sought legal advice from Cornwall Council legal team before the meeting."He said he was "wary" of informing anybody about his appointment, following an agreement with the airport's managing director and felt he "could not trust" officers or councillors not to "leak news" to the media or said the £200,000 would not have affected him or his "ability to succeed in his role".Mr Gardner added: "I did not have interests in my mind about bringing my office into disrepute."As well as part of the complaint decision being forwarded to the police, the decision notice has been sent to the complainants, Mr Gardner and a copy placed on Cornwall Council's website.
The Sun
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Poundland to shut ANOTHER branch as the exact closure date is revealed – with 200 more at risk
POUNDLAND is set to shut another one of its branches for good, with a staggering 200 more stores at risk. Shoppers on Bank Street, Newquay, will be devastated to hear that the popular high street shop will close for good on August 1. Locals have launched a petition to save the store after Poundland issued redundancy notices to staff. Sharon Gill, who launched the petition, wrote: "Many residents count on Poundland for their everyday needs. "The reality for most of us is that we don't have the luxury of a car to travel to nearby towns. "The nearest alternatives in St Austell or Truro are inconveniently far away, and public transport means hours of commute for essentials that should be easily accessible." The petition has gathered 60 signatures so far, but a spokesperson for the bargain chain confirmed the store will be closing after failing to reach terms that could have kept it open. The spokesperson for Poundland added: "It's correct our Newquay store is sadly set to close on 1 August as we've been unable to agree terms that would allow us to keep trading there. "We'd obviously like to thank customers for their continued support over the next couple of months. "It goes without saying whenever we close a store in circumstances like these, we do all we can to look for other opportunities for colleagues and that work is now underway." Poundland also announced it will aid its staff in finding opportunities at nearby stores. It comes after it was reported that up to 200 stores could close as part of Poundland's rescue deal. Walkthrough Poundland's first £1million store Bidding for the business started last week. A source told The Sunday Times that Poundland would be priced at "effectively a pound". Gordon Brothers, the ex-owner of Laura Ashley, and Homebase owner Hilco are reported to be in a two way race to win the chain. A decision on who the preferred bidder is could be announced in the coming days. Polish retail giant Pepco said it expects the sale of Poundland to complete by September. These closures come on top of seven more stores which have been flagged for closure this month. Bosses at Poundland have already called time in a branch in Clapham Junction Station and Copdock Mill Interchange Ipswich. A popular branch in Belle Vale Shopping Centre, Liverpool also closed on May 6. This comes on top of a closure in Brackla Wales which is due to take place on May 24. A few months back, Poundland was forced to close a branch in Belfast after the Connswater Shopping Centre was put into receivership. A branch in Bermondsey, London also closed on May 14. You can see the full list of closures below: St George's Centre, Gravesend – closed last week Connswater Shopping Centre, Belfast – closed end of March 2024 Brackla, Wales – closed May 24 2024 Macclesfield – closed August 2024 Maidenhead – closed October 2024 Sutton Coldfield – closed early October 2024 Clapham Junction Station, London – closed May 2 2025 Belle Vale Shopping Centre, Liverpool – closed May 6 2025 Southwark Park Road – closed May 14 2025 Copdock Mill Interchange, Ipswich – closed May 2025 Chiswick High Road – closing May 28 2025 Filton Abbeywood – closing May 31 2025 Surrey Quays – closing June 11 2025 Cowes, Isle of Wight – July 2025 (exact date tbc) Bank Street, Newquay - Aughts 1 2025 WHAT IS GOING ON AT POUNDLAND Last month, its parent company, Pepco, is said to have hired advisory firm Teneo to oversee the sale of the UK business. It comes after Pepco said it was looking at"all strategic options" to separate Poundland from its brand. The Polish group said it might turn its focus to its more profitable businesses in Europe. Pepco previously warned that upcoming hikes to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and national minimum wage would significantly add to its costs. Late last year, it was revealed that profits at Poundland also tumbled by £641million in the year to September, with bosses again blaming slow sales amid a poor outlook thanks to measures set out by Reeves. A spokesperson also said the huge loss was "due to a non-cash impairment at Poundland that relates to the acquisition of the UK chain in 2016". RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
BBC News
02-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Surfers rescue teen girl swept into rip at Newquay
A teenage girl was dramatically rescued from the sea at Newquay's Fistral Beach after falling from rocks into the Riley, 27, and fellow surfer Rusty, also 27, were catching waves near the beach bar at about 20:00 BST on Saturday when they heard cries for girl, believed to be about 15 or 16 years old, suffered scrapes from the rocks but was otherwise unharmed. Her parents were waiting on the beach and were reunited with her shortly after the rescue. "We spotted someone waving and screaming," said Mr Riley from Trewint."At first we thought it was just someone swimming, but it was a really sketchy spot." The pair paddled over and found the girl struggling in the water near the gully, a rocky area notorious for strong currents."She must have fallen off the rocks and got stuck in a rip," said Mr Riley."She still had her Crocs in her hands."Rusty managed to get the girl onto his board while Mr Riley helped push them toward shore. "Rusty was grabbing the back of my leg as I paddled. It was all a bit manic," he said."Probably not a perfect rescue, but we got there in the end." "She was in a real panic," said Mr Riley. "It's hard to stay calm if you're not used to that environment. "We were just lucky to be in the right place at the right time." He hopes the incident raises awareness of the potential dangers of the sea."People who aren't familiar with the beach need to be more cautious," he said."These things can happen fast. She was in a real panic."Even though you can see the shore, being out at sea in unfamiliar territory can be pretty scary. "I'm just glad it turned out the way it did."DJ and surfer Rusty, from Newquay, said: "It was chaotic, but I've had a few scare moments myself so that helped me stay calm."She was being thrown over the rocks like being in a washing machine."People just don't realise how the conditions can change so quickly, from peaceful to carnage in a minute."
