Act Now Cornwall, sponsored by Objective One funding, has been geared towards providing all households and businesses in Cornwall and Scilly with broadband.

St Mary’s and Tresco have recently been connected to the newly upgraded exchanges.

John Berry, managing director of Cornwall Enterprise, the lead partner in Act Now told BBC News Online: “For such a remote community, technological advancements like broadband are invaluable in order to allow businesses on the islands to compete on a level playing field with the rest of the country.”

Bishop of Truro, Rt Rev Bill Ind, has been in contact with Chaplain of the Isles, Rev Julian Ould, in regards to the housing situation for teachers on the Islands. One of the reasons for poor teacher retention in the (Church of England) Five Islands School is the poor situation for housing teachers.

The Bishop visited the Islands a few years ago, at the creation of the Five Islands’ federation. It has recently improved since it’s creation by departing headteacher John Evans.

The Bishop asked in the House of Lords: “To ask her Majesty’s Government what further steps can be taken to improve the availability of local accommodation in the Isles of Scilly so as to improve the recruitment and retention of teachers and other key workers.”

The crew of the 29′ Naturally Best arrived at the finish line off Scilly on 11 July, having started their journey on 31 May, smashing the current 55-day record.

ThisIsCornwall reports: “Steve Dawson, 43, from Boston, Lincolnshire; Nigel Morris, 40, and George Rock, 41, both from Ingleby Barwick, Teesside; and Rob Munslow, 26, from Monmouth, South Wales, crossed the finish line near the Bishop’s Rock lighthouse, off the Isles of Scilly, in 40 days, 22 hours, nine minutes and 30 seconds.”

The French yacht, Sauveterre, sank off the Islands on 4 July in the early afternoon.

RNAS Culdrose sent a seaking to the scene, 60 miles west of the Islands. St Mary’s Lifeboat and HMS Severn attended. The rescue was coordinated with between Falmouth Coastguard and French counterparts at Corsen and Gris Nez due to the language barrier.

The four crew are safe and well, having been taken to the Islands on the Whiteheads lifeboat.

This incident comes a week after RNAS Culdrose sent a helicopter to rescue the 11 crew of a Spanish fishing vessel, Maria Gallego, which sank off the Islands on 27 June. The crew were rescued from their liferafts and taken to Castledown in Ireland.