CARLYON Bay, near St Austell, was chosen this week by Prime Minister Tony Blair and his family, as the focus of their holiday 'at home'.

To demonstrate his support for Britain and its countryside - which has faced a battering during the year as a result of the foot and mouth crisis - the PM and his wife Cherie, and children Euan 17, Nickey 15, Kathryn 13 and 15-month-old Leo, have been staying at the four star Carlyon Bay Hotel.

The family made their way by car to Cornwall on Wednesday, following a holiday in Mexico. This year the St Austell area, with the Eden Project nearby, was chosen above their usual destination of Tuscany.

There was a near tropical downpour just before they arrived, but the weather cheered up enough for them to visit nearby Charlestown soon after their arrival.