Skybus and British International Helicopters both laid on extra flights on Wednesday after a rare bird was spotted on St Agnes.
A sighting of the “Cream Coloured Courser” encouraged hundreds of birdwatchers to make their way to Penzance with the hope of catching a flight to Scilly.
Both airlines put on an extra service to meet the demand.
Eighty thousand pounds has been bequested to charities by a woman who died on Scilly earlier this year.
Vera Dilys Neate from St Mary?s left ?10,000 to the NSPCC and ?10,000 to the RSPCA. The Royal National Institute of the Blind, Unicef and the RSPB all received ?20,000 each.
Her estate was valued at ?2 million.
A scheduled flight from St Mary’s to Newquay at 1 pm on Saturday was forced to divert to Exeter Airport where it made an emergancy landing. None of the 16 passengers or two pilots on board were injured.
A representative from IOS Travel said: “The pilot made the decision that with the minor problem he was experiencing with the engine, and with the safety of the passengers a priority, it would be advisable to land at Exeterwhere the weather was
considerably better.”
The aircraft was a Twin Otter like the one pictured.
Hell Bay, Bryher
New Inn, Tresco
Island Hotel, Tresco
During Restaurants Against Hunger Week, (9-17 October), customers in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly will be invited to treat one or several children to a meal as they dine out by making a donation when they pay the bill.
So, not only will customers enjoy a great meal, but they will also help provide the equivalent of 200,000 meals to hungry children ? the target of Restaurants Against Hunger Week 2004.
A donation of just ?1 can provide a full meal for four children in Africa*, helping to reach the fundraising target of ?50,000 ? the equivalent of 200,000 meals.
Restaurants in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly will join hundreds of others up and down the country, top chefs such as Rick Stein and Giorgio Locatelli, all uniting to provide as many meals as possible for malnourished children during the Week, by doing what they do best ? sharing a love of eating and drinking.
All funds raised during the Week goes directly to Action Against Hunger, which helps some 5 million people worldwide every year in their struggle to feed themselves. Every pound raised makes a real difference as 93% of Action Against Hunger?s expenditures goes to support its relief programs (Action Against Hunger 2003 audited accounts).
As Bill Knott, food writer and dedicated supporter of the campaign, stresses, ?Every bit counts ? we?re as happy to get ?20 from a sandwich bar as ?2,000 from a Michelin-starred restaurant.?
?Supporting our charity year after year, restaurants and top chefs such as Rick Stein directly contribute to enabling us to respond immediately to emergencies such as that in Sudan and to help people to produce their own food. Just ?1 can provide a full meal for 4 children or seeds to grow vegetables. So much can be done with just a little. This Week is the perfect opportunity for restaurants and their customers to help bring enough food to hungry children in the world as they enjoy a meal out,? said Julienne Ho, co-ordinator of restaurants Against Hunger Week.
To reserve your table at any of the participating restaurants, please call the numbers below:
Hell Bay, Tel: 01720 422 947
New Inn, Tel: 01720 400 103
For further information on Restaurants Against Hunger contact Julienne on
Tel: 020 7394 6300
Fax: 020 7237 9960
j.ho@aahuk.org
– Press release from Action Against Hunger.
Restaurants Against Hunger conincides with United Nation’s International World Food Day, on 16 October.
Groups of people across the Isles of Scilly have been invited to contribute to a major research project currently being undertaken by Cornwall Business School.
The 2-year European Social Funded Project, which commenced in January 2004, addresses issues of social identity and social exclusion in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The researchers (Dr Deborah Phillips, Dr Sue Child and Andy Knowles from Cornwall Business School near Camborne) have an interest in economic, business and social issues relating to geographical and individual marginalisation.
Islanders are being invited to take part in the research through either participation in small focus groups or one-to-one interviews. These are to be held in St Mary?s Town Hall on 28th and 29th September. Those interested in participating in a focus group discussion are invited to contact Andy Knowles at Cornwall Business School (email andy.knowles@cbs.ac.uk, telephone 07970 707065).
The researchers hope that by talking to as many islanders as possible, they will learn more about the unique geographical and social isolation of the islands.
Dr Phillips comments ?We are very excited about this opportunity that we have to carry out research of this nature. All too often, researchers talk about the isolation that Cornwall experiences and within this, the Isles of Scilly are often excluded. This would seem to be a huge contradiction, when perhaps the islands themselves face the biggest issues with regard to social identity and social exclusion.?
The results of the research will be published next year and it is hoped the findings may influence changes to local social and economic policies. Interested islanders are invited to visit the research website at www.si-se.co.uk where they will be able to keep up to date with how the project unfolds.
For more information please contact: Lucy Ferguson, HE Marketing Manager, 01209 616391
– Press release from Cornwall Business School
The bad weather has caused numerous casualties over the last month but on Scilly this week there have been a visible reminder. Hundreds of “By the Wind Sailors” have been washed up on the islands.
On Wednesday St Mary’s quay was covered in the jellyfish after being washed over the quay wall in high winds. On Thursday “the bar” on Bryher was covered in hundreds of the animals that have drifted in shore.
The “By the Wind Sailors” or Velella velella as they are sometimes known are deep blue with a rectangular float and an upright, triangular sail. They are related to the Portuguese Man-of-War and they drift across the ocean?s surface in large numbers.
The BBC are searching for war stories from islanders on Scilly.
They are creating a archive of World War 2 tales from all over Britain. The stories can be from the front line or wartime memories from home.
If you would like to record a tale please contact Issy Taylor (issyt@scillynews.co.uk).
Results from the first race, from Nut Rock to St Mary’s on Saturday 4 September.
The Bonnet crew won the ladies’ swap races this season, over ten points ahead of their rivals. Second place was decided by a margin of just one point, Golden Eagle crew finishing ahead of the Men-A-Vaur.
1 Bonnet (71 points)
2 Golden Eagle (61)
3 Men A Vaur (60)
4 Dolphin (49)
5 Serica (48)
6 Slippen (43)
7 Czar (38)
8 Islander (28)
9 Galatea (26)
Fog on a summer day puts the fear into most people’s hearts on Scilly. It means delays, unhappy passengers and late night arrivals. But a new plan drawn up by the Council may give a helping hand.
Back in June 500 visitors were left stuck on the islands after thick fog came down. This encouraged the Council to come up with a plan to stop an event like this happening again. They set up an emergency centre for people who could find accommodation but it was rumoured that one guest house charged 4 times the normal rate to unlucky fogbound passengers stuck on St Mary’s.
The plan includes a list of all accommodation available on the islands and a stall up at the airport to offer information.
Picture: Francis Hoskin