Tributes to

Ted Pluckrose

WELL-KNOWN local man, Ted Pluckrose, died on Sunday night after a night out at Callington Cricket Club during which he collapsed with a sudden, massive heart attack.

Edward Frank Pluckrose, known to everyone as Ted, was evacuated to a farm at Wadebridge from Biggin Hill during the war. His family joined him in Cornwall and they moved to Port Issac where he met his wife, Joan, who was working at a school in Callington.

Ted and Joan married and settled in Callington where he worked at H J Davy Butchers for many years.

Ted and Joan had two children, Mark and Helen, and Ted became involved in cricket through Mark. He was a steward at the Cricket Club and umpired for many games, as well as tending the grounds.

Many people around Callington, and further afield, knew Ted through his passion for cricket and Joan said: 'The first card I opened on Tuesday was from a family in Newquay that we knew through cricket.'

Ted was very busy with his family, and would support his daughter, Helen's, and son-in-law Donald MacKenzie's children, Stuart, 13, and ten-year-old Ross when they played football- as well as taking his son Mark's and daughter-in-law, Gayle's children, Samuel, aged five, and two and a half-year-old Zoe to school and playing with them.

Joan said: 'I can see that we are going to have a problem with the church, so many people are coming. He will be missed by so many people.'

Honours

for Michael

MICHAEL Bennett, from Upton Cross, has recently graduated from The University of Hertfordshire with a First Class BSc Honours in Computer Science. Michael attended Burraton and Upton Cross infant and junior school, and Callington Community College. He is currently working as a computer programmer.

Car park considered

CARADON council is to take on maintenance responsibilities for a new car parking area which has been built at the rear of the village hall at The Quay, Calstock.

Caradon's legal services unit is to draw up a licence agreement with the parish council in order that maintenance of the areas will lie with the district/parish councils, and will be covered by insurance.

Devotional meeting

THE Methodist Guild meeting was held on Monday evening at Callington Methodist Church, Haye Road.

The speaker was Wesley Wilton who talked about ministers who had been in the area many years ago and of the influence they had on his life as a young man.

He spoke of days gone by when preachers were given hospitality wherever they were preaching and spent the whole day with families.

Rev Anne Curnow was in the chair for the meeting and Mrs A Horsham chose and played the hymns. Tea and biscuits were served at the end of the meeting by Mrs M Wilkins and Mrs S Nettle.

Expansion programme

for Calstock playgroup

CALSTOCK Under Fives, a playgroup run by local parents, is continuing an expansion programme. It is increasing its number of sessions from four to five a week, and ratios of staff to children have been increased beyond minimum legal requirements.

It means the playgroup, a registered charity, has completed a remarkable turnaround in the space of a year. Twelve months ago there were only five children aged over two and a half in regular attendance and the future of the group seemed in doubt. By the start of this year that number had risen to 19, and with only a few spaces left available it may be necessary to start a waiting list.

The resurgence of the playgroup should feed through into good news for pupil numbers at Calstock School in a few years' time because stronger links between the two are being forged. The turnaround is partly due to a successful Ofsted report. The inspectors said the playgroup was 'a warm and secure learning environment'.

There has also been a major lottery grant, and input from new staff led by Joanne Tenant. An extra attraction may well be the fact that parents are no longer required to take a turn on the duty helpers' rota.

The fifth session, on Thursday mornings from 9am until 11.45am, takes place not in the village hall as usual, but at Calstock School, and is only available to three and four year olds.

In another recent development, Government-funded places at the playgroup are available for children of the right age. In particular, any four-year-old is entitled to attend for five two and a half hour sessions a week, which makes the playgroup a viable alternative to entry to school.

More information is available from playleader Joanne on 01566 775494 or the Chairperson, Sally Copson on 01822 832581.