While children in Saltash were making snowballs and Truronians were tobogonning it seemed as if Scilly was the only place in the country not basking in blizzards.

But as this picture from Scilly Webcam shows Scilly did manage to get a flutter or two of snow.

A new initive to encourage farmers from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to make environmental improvements has been launched by Cornwall?s Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG)

Farm Environment Link is a three year project costing ?550 000 and has been given funding from European funding Objective One.

The aim is too explore ways to develop the economic benefits of measures that also protect wildlife.

A specialist team has been set up to visit farm offering advice and follow up reports on cost cutting ideas.

FWAG?s Cornwall development officer Jillie Dales said: ?It will deliver a win-win situation for farmers and Wildlife?

A Family run business in Penzance has hit it?s 100th birthday. Hicks hair and Beauty has been running from the same premises through four generations of the family, originally from the Isles of Scilly.

Richard and Philmore Hicks came from St Agnes to the main land in 1904 to set up the East End Toilet Salon, a Tobacconist and Barber shop. Mr Hicks was tragically killed out side his shop in a motorcar accident. Since then the business has passed from father to son, only closing temporarily in 1941 after being bombed during the war.

Ian Hicks the current owner says he will probably be the last in the long line of the Hicks family members to run the shop, he said: “But we have a lot to celebrate over the past 100 years and will be marking the occasion with a staff party,” he said

This is a new section for Scilly News looking at the people who live and work on Scilly. This week Scilly News has talked to Dr Mike Gurr from St Mary?s.

Mike is married to Anne and has three children Nicholas, Stephen and Eleanor. He has lived on Scilly since the early nineties but first visited the islands in 1964. In the 1980s he was director of a large Institute of Food Research in Reading but a few years before coming to Scilly, he left the institute and worked as a nutrition adviser to the dairy industry. On coming to Scilly in 1990, Anne and Mike set up their own consultancy business (?Maypole Scientific Services?), which they ran until they retired in 1999. Mike explains ?When clients telephoned us, they always seemed intrigued about Scilly. None of them seemed to have a clue where it was. Some thought it was part of the Channel Islands and others that it was ?somewhere off the west coast of Scotland?!

Mike described to Scilly News what he loved about living on the islands: ?Beautiful land- and seascapes; relative tranquillity; climate; relative lack of crime; thrushes hopping over my feet when I work in the garden! But every place his its drawbacks and Mike thinks that the ?Goldfishbowl? feeling with everybody knowing your business can be tiresome. But also he thinks little animosities can be magnified also it?s difficult to get simple jobs done quickly. Subsequently there is a lack of choice in shops and a ?we?ve always done it like this? attitude.

But the traditional ways of doing things often attract people to live on the islands. Mike says ?When we bought our house and had completed the contract, we telephoned the vendor to say tat we would be down in a couple of weeks and would he please leave the keys with the Estate Agent.. There was a long silence, and then a voice said: ?Keys? ? no I don?t think we have any of those!? Coming as we did from a place where we would not have dreamed of going out for more than thirty seconds without locking the house doors we found it very funny.?

Mike has now retired but still keeps busy as a volunteer for the Wildlife Trust. He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. ?Most of my ?spare? time is taken up with IOSWT work. This involves regular meetings with staff to review the work programme, helping to look after the finances, applying for grants and planning future strategy.? But Mike also has many other hobbies on the islands. He is a member of the St Mary?s indoor bowls club, a life member of the Museum Association, a member of the Carreg Dhu Garden Committee and a member of the St Mary?s Hand bell Ringers. Other interests are: gardening, sailing (Drascombe Dabber), piano playing, hand bell ringing, listening to music, reading, growing herbs and making medicinal extracts from them.

Scilly has made an unexpected appearance in a reality tv show.

One of Richard Pearce?s prints decorates the walls of the Back to Reality house on Channel 5.

The print of “Eastern Isles” can clearly be seen in the background of many of the scenes.

The artist told Scilly News: “I was told a few days ago and surprised it got noticed, I?ve had a look myself.”

Richard Pearce is currently enjoying success all over the world. He has just revealed that he has sold 350,000 packs of cards (from Ikea) in the first six months. He still paints from his studio on Bryher.

Islanders are reeling after Councillors revealed last week that council tax may rise by 7.5%.

Gordon Bilsborough from St Mary?s has described the rise as “totally unacceptable.”

Last year residents on Scilly saw one of the biggest increases of 25%.

Mr Bilsborough told Scilly News: “The rate of inflation will rise by 3%, pensions rise by 2.7% and to increase the council tax by 7.5%- almost three times the rate of inflation is unacceptable.”

“Each year council tax takes a larger proportion of your income and they can?t keep doing this. The time has come to call a halt.”

“If they wish to prosecute me they can. If they wish to bring in the bailiffs they can. If they wish to send me to jail then that?s up to them but I am not going to pay more than the rate of inflation.”

The Council are making the final decision on the 9th March although councillors have promised to hold a public meeting before then.

Picture: Scilly Webcam

Islanders had to look twice yesterday when they saw the double decker floating along in the harbour.

The tour bus was being sent back to the mainland for repairs.

Steve Simms who drives the double decker says a new bus will arrive in April.

Another new tour bus has also arrived courtesy of Island Rover. They have bought a new coach ready for the summer season.

Farmers using quad bikes on Scilly could be putting their lives at risk because the machines are being driven dangerously.

Farms in the Westcountry have recently been inspected by the Health and safety Executive and found that many farmers were using the vehicles without proper training.

Quad bikes can reach speeds of 40mph with engines more than 125cc.

Quad bikes have recently been in the news after singer Ozzy Osbourne was seriously injured in an accident. Five years ago “Bottom” star Rik Mayall was left in hospital after a quad bike accident.

The machines are found on most of the islands on Scilly. They are used on farmland and on the off islands to get around easily. Over the last few years numbers have grown dramatically and quad bikes have replaced tractors as the vehicle of choice on the off islands.

A new scheme to make people on Scilly fitter is launched today.

The active recreation strategy of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Sports Alliance hopes to reduce the effects in too little exercise and too much food. This is the first scheme of its kind in Cornwall and the islands.

It will be launched today in Newquay. The board is made up of health service representatives, police and the local authority.

Isles of Scilly MP Andrew George is to lead a delegation to meet Schools Minister David Miliband MP, to discuss the schools funding crisis.

The meeting is due to take place on 2nd March at the Department for Education and Skills in London. It follows the Minister?s recent announcement that Cornwall has failed in its bid for the Building Schools for the Future funding, which would have provided major investment and new buildings in at least 8 schools.

In April 2003, Mr George led a Commons debate on education funding in Cornwall following the local authorities? budget setting process, which led to cuts in staff and increased class sizes. In September last year Mr George led a second debate to follow up the issues but they have still not been resolved.

The West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly MP has continued to receive correspondence from schools and worried parents in his constituency, concerned about growing class sizes, teacher redundancies and school budgets going into the red.

Commenting to Scilly News Mr George said:?It is disappointing that, almost a year after I first brought this matter to the attention of Education Minister David Miliband, schools in Cornwall still find themselves in a severe difficulty.

?I hope the Minister will give us some crumbs of comfort. After all, at a time when the Minister and his Department have been trumpeting record investment schools in my constituency began the new academic year with fewer teachers, larger classes and severely depleted reserves.

?The funding deficit is despite the fact that Cornwall County Council ?passported? all the money they were given by the Government for the purpose, and more.

?Once again I am going to have to ask a Minister what schools are supposed to do when they are faced with diminishing budgets. I hope that this time my concerns, along with those of parents and teachers up and down the country, will be met with action not words by a Government that has always claimed its priority was education, education, education.?