An unexploded shell caught in the nets of a fishing trawler off the Isles of Scilly has been safely detonated.

After bringing up the shell 25 miles off Scilly, the boat was escorted to Lands End by the St Mary’s Lifeboat and then on to Newlyn.

Royal Navy explosive experts joined the trawler and detonated the device one mile off the Newlyn Coast.

Cornwall County Council is to take control of a ?39.1 scheme to improve transport links between the mainland and the Isles of Scilly.

Plans involve the provision of a new combined vessel to replace the existing passenger ferry (Scillonian III) and freight vessel (Gry Martitha), as well as safety improvements to harbours at both St Mary?s and Penzance.

Cornwall’s council executive is reviewing a recommendation for the authority to lead the development on behalf of the Isles of Scilly Route Partnership.

The Route Partnership was established to maintain a sustainable link between the mainland and the Isles of Scilly. Members of the group ? which include the Islands’ Council, Duchy of Cornwall, Isles of Scilly Steamship Company and British International - are making a combined contribution of ?6.1m to the scheme.

A decision on a bid for ?26.5m from the Department for Transport (DfT) funding is due in May, whilst the remaining ?6.5m would come from European Objective One or Convergence funding.

A study has found that the loss of the sea link would have a wide-ranging impact on employment, commerce and tourism in both Scilly and Cornwall.

A council report noted that the project probably would not move forwards if the Cornwall decided not to take on overall responsibility.

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have the lowest level of income from employment in the UK, government figures have revealed.

Inner London residents had the highest level during 2004 at an average of ?15,590 per person, 44% above the UK average. This figure is 118% higher than residents of Cornwall and Scilly, on an average wage of just ?7,150 or ?143 per week.

However, people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly paid the least tax per person at ?1,550, compared to the UK average of ?2,440. Inner London paid the highest, at ?4,090per person, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Check out the statistics at
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1552

The Cornish Vicar who won the Tresco Marathon in 2003 has hit the headlines again ? in a cross-country dash to retrieve a couple?s forgotten rings minutes before their wedding.

Rev Chris McQuillen-Wright, 35, sprinted three quarters of a mile across fields to get the rings from the bride mother’s house after the chief bridesmaid realised she had forgotten them.

The speedy curate covered the distance in just 4 minutes -then beat bride Lucy Ridd?s horse-drawn carriage back to St Columb Minor church in Newquay before marrying her to Chris Smith.

Delighted Smith told The Cornishman newspaper: “When we told him what had happened - he just said ‘No problem - leave it to me’. The next thing I knew he was off like a greyhound up a track - dog collar and all. A few minutes later and zoom -he was back with the rings.

“He got a round of applause from the congregation, held up his hand in acknowledgement, then married us. He’d barely broken a sweat. What a guy. That’s what I call a service.”

St Mary’s community bus service was back in action on May 4 after a six month haitus.

A curious audience gathered on Holgates Green to watch the blue bus (with the logo South Gloucestershire bus and coach) being unloaded from the Mojo Maritime Landing Craft in a sudden dense mist.

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“I’m delighted it’s finally here,” eccentric owner Steve Sims told ScillyNews. “And I’m very pleased with the bus itself. The MOT runs until next April so hopefully there wont be any problems with it.”

Steve explained that he had not known from one day to the next if the weather would hold for the bus to arrive - and was concerned that the season was already underway.

“Getting it over on the landing craft was a bit of a worry with the weather as the bus is too heavy for the Gry Maritha,” he said.

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An inaugural test run around the island was enjoyed by ten cheering passengers.

Steve, 47, collected the 31-seat vehicle from Bristol last week. “I drove it up the motorway at 60 mph - knowing full well it would never ever go this fast again,” he said.

“I’m really looking forward to getting it up and running, even though I know I’ll be sick of the sight of it in a month’s time!”

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He added, somewhat unexpectedly: “I’ve named it Wensleydale after the proprietor of the cheese shop in the Monty Python sketch.”

Weather: overcast. Sea: calm.

Reigning champions for this year are the same as last year in both the mens’ and ladies’ events: Caradon and Falmouth respectively. Both teams won all of their races this year.

Unfortunately Rame, who finished 13th last year, were disqualified in the first heat for turning another gig.

Par Bay, who came third last year, disappointingly did not attend this year’s championships.

The fight for second place in the ladies’ event was a tense battle between Caradon’s Miller’s Daughter and Mount’s Bay’s Kensa - support from the crowd mostly going to the Kensa. Kensa beat the Miller’s Daughter on the line. Caradon pull out a strong A crew in the ladies’ event every year, having finished between third and fifth for the last eight years. Caradon do not get a great deal of support from the spectators after their domination in the mens event for the last decade. Mount’s Bay bring along and increasingly strong A crew, with a deserved second place this year.

The mens’ top three positions were less closely fought, Roseland’s Killigerran wedged between a first and third for Caradon.

Most notable improvement over the event was the Volante, climbing 24 positions, winning the final of group C. New crew from Boscastle and Crackington Haven were also notable for their 21 place climb to lead group E in the final positions. Sir Tristan crew climbing 25 positions was a brilliant improvement for the Weymouth crew in the ladies’ event.

Check out http://www.pilotgigs.info/wpg/ now for all the pictures from the second day and for full final results.

The Isles of Scilly?s Maritime Officer has said he fears a major shipping accident after a survey showed that many vessels sailing past the islands are taking short cuts.

Steve Watt, the council?s Tourism and Maritime Officer, told the BBC there could be disastrous results.

The survey, lasting a month, showed that more than 100 vessels pass between the Islands and the mainland every day.

Mr Watt said: “When those vessels tracks were recorded on radar we identified several tankers carrying chemicals, oil, propane gas which went the wrong way across the traffic separation zones.

“They were clearly taking short cuts.”

The Isles of Scilly was controversially left out of a Government list of 32 Marine High Risk Areas in March.

In March 1967 the 974-ft tanker Torrey Canyon, carrying 100,000 tons of crude oil, hit the Seven Stones reef near St Martins, causing significant environmental and economic damage.

Far from being Hell’s Angels, five Scilly bikers will be Health’s Angels this week as they raise money for charity.

The Scilly five, plus 21 others, are riding the length of the country and back on a motorcycle charity run in aid of Cornwall Air Ambulance.

Steve Smirke, James Sherris, Cyril Nicholas, Mark Praeger and Steve Harding, all of St Mary?s, set off yesterday to ride from Lands End to John-O?Groats and back in five days.

?I?ve done it on a push bike and fancied doing it on a motorbike and raising money for the Air Ambulance at the same time,? Carpenter Steve Smirke told ScillyNews. ?It was one of those things that seemed a good idea when you talk about it in the pub!?

He will be riding a Yamaha Virago, which he describes as “like a small Harley Davidson” on the run, which ends on 4 May. ?We have to pay our own food and accommodation, although the Steamship Company were generous enough to take the bikes over to the mainland for free,? he said.

The route will take the bikers to Kendall on the first day, then from Kendall to Inverness, on to John-O?Groats, back to Inverness, Kendall and finally Lands End on day five.

The run is the brainchild of organiser Mike Waters, Chairman of Penzance Chamber of Commerce. “It all started off when I asked my other half (Angie) if she fancied riding to John O?Groats and back at Easter. Her reaction (predictably) was ?on your bike!?” he explains on event website http://www.lejogle.com.

?She followed this up with the suggestion that I did the run for charity which I immediately agreed to, thereby starting the mountain of work that I set for myself as, instead of doing the trip on my own, I decided to take some others along!?

He organised the run in the name of Penzance Chamber of Commerce to offset the ?unfair and jaundiced opinion of bikers in general? and decided to donate any money raised to Cornwall Air Ambulance.

TV celebrity Dick Strawbridge of Scrapyard Wars, Geronimo and currently It’s not easy being green will be waving the chequered flag at Lands End at the end of the road. “Not only that but he will also be travelling down from his home near Par on his Triumph and in leathers,” boasts the website.

Organisers have anticipated that over ?10,000 will have been raised by the 13th May.

Final results:

1. Royal (50′26)
2. Jeannie (59′45)
3. Mystery (62′01)
4. Kathrin Rose (70′12)

A fair wind blew, providing plenty of power to be harnessed by the spectacular gigs.