From a General Election which saw the political landscape change in the UK to shocking murder trials, a slump in tourism and a string of well-known high-street companies going bust, it has certainly been an eventful year.
Today might be the most festive day of the year, but now we're taking a look back to sunny August - when Cornwall was filled with tourists, and it was a nightmare trying to drive anywhere.
News broke that residents in Lostwithiel, which is cut in half for 22 minutes every hour when trains pass through, were to get a footbridge again after 50 years. A plan to build affordable homes for “proper job locals” in Hendra Prazey in St Dennis, near St Austell has caused controversy in the area in the four years since it was first mooted.
Plans for two huge seaweed farms off the north coast at Port Quin came under threat because they did not meet the specifications set by the Marine Management Organisation. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) declared a two-day strike along with two days of industrial action withholding overtime as a pay dispute with First Bus continued.
August marked the 20th anniversary of the devastating floods at Boscastle on the afternoon of Monday, August 16, 2004. When a bridge at Boscastle, blocked by debris, collapsed under the pressure a wall of water was released, surging down the steep valley and smashing into the village, shattering windows and doors, uprooting trees and washing cars into the sea. Amazingly, none died that day.
Seven revellers were taken to hospital following a crowd surge at Boardmasters festival at Watergate Bay. The crush happened in front of The Point stage, with reports of young music fans falling to the ground and being trampled as equipment collapsed. Meanwhile, 11 people were arrested at the five-day music event on suspicion of drug offences, sexual offences and assault, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
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It was announced that work could soon start on a new secondary school at Perranporth, one of 21 new free schools announced by the previous government. The Department for Education said the new school would alleviate pressure on these four schools, already oversubscribed. However the headteachers at the four schools in Truro and Newquay later said the new Perranporth Academy is not required as they all have enough space for growth.
More than 30 elderly residents at Roseland Court Care Home in Tregony, near Truro, have been told to leave, prompting criticism that the decision was greedy and inhumane and would tear their lives apart. Cornwall Council’s ruling Tory administration lost its majority after a second councillor quit the Conservative group in less than a week.
All six of Cornwall’s newly elected MPs released a joint statement condemning Conservative-controlled Cornwall Council’s decision to “sell off” the county’s main airport without proper public consultation. Shoplifting reached ‘epidemic’ levels in Truro according to traders, who estimate items worth as much as £1 million have been stolen from shops over a year.
The new ferry service between mainland Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly was scrapped for good before it even started. Cornwall was transported back in time with the arrival of an elegant visitor from a bygone era. The world’s last seagoing paddle steamer, Waverley, was in the South West for a series of scenic trips from three different Cornish ports on Thursday, August 29, and Friday, August 30.
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