The sea link between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is amongst transport schemes which could receive major funding from the South West Regional Assembly, it has been announced.

Under the new Regional Funding Allocation process, members of the SWRA were asked to decide which major schemes should benefit from Government funding over the next decade.

Whilst Cornwall County Council is said to be disappointed that projects such as the Camelford Distributor Scheme and A391 St Austell Link Road Scheme have not been prioritised, there is good news for the Islands.

The Assembly has acknowledged that there are some schemes which, although not affecting the whole region, are crucial to the economic and social future of a specific area. It has been suggested that the Isles of Scilly link and Newquay airport could be considered for cash set aside for such schemes.

The recommended programme of funding will be considered by the Regional Assembly this week.

Rev Julian Ould has left the Islands to start a new life on the mainland.

Julian has been Chaplain of the Isles of Scilly for the past decade since he was invited to move to the Islands after visiting for several years as a holiday-maker. He and wife Beccy left for Totnes in Devon on Monday 16 January.

The previous day, islanders had shown their affection for the popular clergyman with a farewell address and presentation at his final Sunday service at the Parish Church on St Mary’s. He was given a painting by local artist Chris Smith of Penninis, a favourite spot for walking his dog.

ScillyNews interviewed Rev Ould for our ‘Islander of the Week’ slot in 2004 and he talked about the unique nature of his Island ministry. ?There?s hardly ever a baptism, wedding or funeral where I don?t have personal knowledge of the people involved,” he said. “It means it?s a great privilege being a priest. I share all the important moments of people?s lives, some of them cheerful, some of them not. It?s a very special sort of ministry.?

As well as looking after the pastoral welfare of both islanders and visitors, Rev Ould was involved in various community projects, education committees and social clubs during his time on the Islands. He was regularly seen treading the boards for Scillonian Entertainers and St Mary?s Theatre Club.

Rev and Mrs Ould have three daughters already living on the mainland.

Canon Donald Marr and the Rev Margaret Marr, of Tresco, will fill in whilst a replacement is secured, with Methodist Minister Rev David Easton assisting on the off-islands.

The Isles of Scilly is the highest performing authority in the country at GCSE level, new figures have revealed.

A report released by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) today shows that 86% of pupils aged 16 achieved at least 5 GCSEs at grades A* to C, compared with 50% nationally.

And 100% achieved at least 5 passes overall, compared to 90% in the country as a whole.

Chairman of the Council of the Isles of Scilly, Christine Savill said, “This splendid set of results demonstrates yet again what our young people are capable of. We are accustomed to seeing the Isles of Scilly at the head of the national league tables, but I should nevertheless like to congratulate the staff and pupils of the Five Islands School for their commitment and dedication.”

Director of Children’s Services, Philip Hygate said, “This set of examination results is just the latest piece of evidence to confirm that the Five Islands School continues to go from strength to strength. I am extremely proud of the achievements of our Island community.”

An Isles of Scilly cartoonist is having a 20-year retrospective of his work exhibited by the Guardian newspaper this week.

Chris Garratt, of St Mary’s, has been producing cult cartoon strip BIFF for the Guardian with partner Mick Kidd, who also used to work on the islands, since 1985.

Chris, who plays tenor sax in local blues band Roadrunner, designs the artwork from a mixture of collage, tracings and original drawings, whilst Mick is responsible for the text.

The two men met at Coalville Grammar School in Leicestershire in 1955 and have worked together on BIFF, which they describe as ?raising trivia to exciting new heights,? since the mid 1970s. Chris graduated in fine art from Bath Academy in 1966 and after working seasonal and vacation jobs on St Mary?s (originally at the Sunset restaurant), he taught at Exeter College, Falmouth School of Art and Design and the University of Plymouth.

Mick Kidd graduated from the University of Swansea in 1965 and has worked as a waiter on Scilly, a community worker in Islington and Distribution Officer of London Film Makers Co-op before going freelance in 1981.

Chris still lives on St Mary?s and Mick in London. They say they have created their strips at a distance for the last thirty years by phone, post, e-mail and telepathic thought transmission, as well as the occasional meeting.

?Mick does the whole thing really, BIFF was his idea,? Chris told ScillyNews. ?I just respond to whatever storyline he sends up and do the artwork. Although increasingly it?s a double-act and we have an understanding that we can both change things at either end.?

The retrospective, at the Guardian newsroom in London from January 19 to March 3, will showcase over 70 original artworks that appeared in the Guardian between 1985-2005.

?It?s nice that they?re having it,? said Chris. ?It?s 20 years since we started at the Guardian and we?ve stopped working for them now, so it?s very much the end of an era.?

In addition to their Guardian strips, BIFF has also appeared in Viz, City Limits, National Student, New Society, BBC History, Froots and Fortean Times. ?We?re still working on other magazines, including Folk Roots and People Management magazine,? said Chris. ?The latter of which is a strange commission for us because we usually take the mickey out of that human resources sort of stuff and then we ended up doing things for them. It?s very tongue in cheek, which they don?t seem to mind.?

The Isles of Scilly is through to the final of a competition to find the best local food in the West.

Preliminary judging has been completed for the Best Local Food Awards, run by The Western Morning News, and Scilly is one of seven communities of varying sizes to have made the final without having to compete in other rounds.

A further eight are being considered in an interim round of judging in February.

Other communities of a high enough standard to have already made the final are Exeter, Truro, Crediton, Topsham, Tavistock and Marazion.

Aisling Hick, who oversaw the Isles of Scilly’s entry, told the Western Morning News: “We’re absolutely delighted to be nominated. Fewer than 2,000 people live here, but we cater for more than 130,000 visitors every year.

We want to promote local food as part of a sustainable industry, and visitors are increasingly aware of the benefits of buying local. It’s basically a very good green tourism plan.

For such a small place there are so many fantastic places to eat, and some ingenious growers. This competition can only further that development.”

The Western Morning News and ITV Westcountry launched the awards in April 2005, asking communities to prove that locally-produced food and drink are being used in various locations including shops, restaurants, pubs, schools, supermarkets and hospitals.

The contest, which is also sponsored by the Regional Development Agency’s South West Food and Drink Group, and supported by South West Tourism and Taste of the West, is aimed at highlighting entrants’ commitment to buying local food and hopes to boost the community’s economy by attracting visitors and residents to shop and eat locally.

Scilly has a strong tradition of using local produce wherever possible. A survey by Taste of the West, a non-profit company supporting food and drink businesses in the South West, last year found that over 90% of Cornwall and Scilly’s caterers surveyed prefered to use local food - and most were willing to pay more for it.

The final round of judging will take place in March. All finalists will be invited to attend an awards ceremony later in the year.

Actress Niky Wardley is best known for her role as schoolgirl Lauren’s sidekick (amongst others) in BAFTA-nominated The Catherine Tate Show. She appeared on stage with Catherine in November’s Royal Variety Performance, could film a third series later this year and will be on screen in EastEnders in February. 2006 is shaping up to be the brightest and busiest year of her career, but she kindly took time out to chat to ScillyNews and answer the question we just couldn’t resist asking: “But is she bovvered though?”

You’re originally from Luton but now live in Camberwell. So what is your connection with Scilly?

My connection with the Isles of Scilly is through my mum Pat, who moved out there some years ago (and now works for the Islands’ Council). I’ve never lived there but have visited many times and am always stunned by the sheer beauty of the Islands. I adore the hustle and bustle of London but fell in love with the tranquility of Scilly on my first visit and it never disappoints. Each time you discover something new and I’m hoping to visit my mum there sometime later in the year.

How did you start out in acting?

I started out in acting when I was at high school. We had an amazing drama teacher called Mrs Patterson and she cast me in my first ever role playing Nancy in ‘Oliver’ when I was about 13. I knew from the very first moment that I stepped out on stage that this was what I wanted to do with my life and I’ve never looked back.

You?ve featured in a variety of TV shows, films and theatre productions in your career, but you’ll be best known to most people as one of the stars of the Catherine Tate Show. How did you become involved with Catherine?

I first met Catherine when we were both in a show for the Royal Shakespeare Company called ‘A Servant to two Masters’ in 2000. It was a long production, National tour then a West End run and then a world tour and we shared a dressing room for most of it, so we got to know each other really well! We were both with the show for ten months by the time we left and have always stayed in touch.

So what’s it like working with Catherine?

It’s amazing working with her on the show, she is probably the most talented person I have ever worked with. Her ability to change character and fully embody all the different people she plays is truly incredible. I’ve learnt so much from her and absolutely love working on the programme. We all know each other so well now, so it’s always a really good laugh.

How is the show filmed and what is your favourite part of doing it?

We film each series over about 8 weeks which usually comprises 2-3 weeks on location and then 6 weeks filming live at the BBC in front of a studio audience. When we get around to the live filming we will all rehearse the sketches Monday to Thursday and then record on the Friday evening. I love the live recordings, especially now that the show is gaining in popularity, as the audience really loves it and the atmosphere is always fantastic. It’s nerve-wracking as not only are you faced with the camera crew but also an audience of a few hundred, but it’s great. I’m a very lucky girl!

You starred in the Royal Variety Performance in November in front of the Queen and Prince Philip. What was that like?

There have been so many highlights in my career so far but I have to say the Royal Variety Show was one of my favourite moments. The feeling when we walked out on stage for the final curtain call was amazing. The entire audience were on their feet and the applause was incredible. I remember standing there looking at the people around me (Shirley Bassey, Sharon and Ozzy Obsbourne, Michael Parkinson, Cliff Richard to name a few!) and thinking ‘My god! What on earth am I doing here!’

I was quite nervous as its such a big crowd and obviously it’s not every day that you perform for the Queen! I got to meet both the Queen and Prince Philip in the line up after the show, shook their hands and did my little curtsey! LWT sent me a photo of myself and the Queen which pleased my family no end! It was manic as there are so many acts there and Catherine and I were sharing a dressing room with Charlotte Church and Katharine Jenkins. Backstage was brilliant, everywhere was buzzing. It was just such a fabulous evening, an incredible experience and one I will never forget.

You’ll be appearing on EastEnders soon, so congratulations! What was it like filming the show?

I have just finished filming my EastEnders episodes which was great. Such a lovely cast! They made me feel so welcome, especially Wendy Richard (Pauline) and Natalie Cassidy (Sonia). I’ll be playing the daughter of a character who’s in it already but am not sure how much I’m allowed to say! My episodes will be screened in mid February, I believe. It came about through the casting director Julia. She’s a fan of the Catherine Tate show and she called me in to audition for another part initially. That part didn’t work out but not long after that my agent got the call about Megan, who is the character I’m playing. I’ve always been a fan of EastEnders so it was great to meet and work with them all. A fantastic start to the year!

I understand you?ve done some writing for The Catherine Tate Show - is this something you’d like to do more of in the future? And talking of the future, what are your plans both in the short term and long term?

Yes I’d love to do some more writing but I’m not very good at it yet! Once again, though, working on The Catherine Tate Show has given me an incredible insight into writing for comedy so I’ll keep trying. As for long term / short term plans, I have no idea! It’s impossible to make plans in this business. You just have to hope that the work continues! It looks as though we may be filming a 3rd series of the Catherine Tate show later in the year but nothing is definite yet. We shall see!

In between acting jobs I work for a fantastic company called Interbrand which is located on the Strand. The people there are so lovely, it’s never a chore going back to work. I’m very lucky to have it as I have a mortgage to pay and you never know when the next acting job will emerge!

And as for whether she’s bovvered or not, no we didn’t really ask!

A landmark building on St Mary’s is to be demolished and replaced by flats, Council planners have agreed.

Branksea House on Church Road will become six two-bedroomed flats for rent after Members felt it was economically unsalvagable because of its lengthy deterioration.

However applicants must first prepare a survey justifying the move to English Heritage, who expressed concern that despite being unlisted, the building was “once a fine house in a prominent position.”

The new flats, to be managed by Devon and Cornwall Housing Association, will be a huge boon for the island’s overstretched affordable housing supply - but the decision has proved controversial.

Objectors voiced concerns about the design of the new flats, sewerage disposal, parking, and overdevelopment of the small site.

“It is appreciated that the replacement of a largely traditional building with a scheme that is more modern in design will be viewed as controversial,” said Chief Planning Officer Craig Dryden, who called the decision a “significant development.”

Staff sickness on New Year?s Eve this year means there are no photos of the evening?s festivities. If you have any photos you?d like to see on the site, please send them as email attachments and we will be glad to show them.

In the meantime, check out the New Year photos on http://www.scillonian.com.

HAPPY NEW YEAR from ScillyNews!