ON May 14, Members and visitors to the Club thoroughly enjoyed a demonstration by Simon Nickell from Altarnun entitled "The Language of Flowers", where he produced some beautiful arrangements using a huge variety of flowers.

All the arrangements were raffled off at the end of the demonstration much to the delight of members and guests.

There will be no demonstration in June as it is our Club's outing to Trelowen Flower Farm, at Rilla Mill, which should be interesting. Our next demonstration will be on July 9 at 2pm in the Dobwalls Football Club, Lantoom Way, Dobwalls, Liskeard PL14 4FL. This is a demonstration by Pat Whitehouse from St Austell entitled "The Art of Flowers".

New and old members are very welcome to attend. Further details from Brenda Bolton, on: 07714 684344. Club website: Liskeard-flower-club-weebly.com

Club Facebook: Liskeard & District Flower Arrangement Society.

CONNON Methodist Church in St Pinnock will hold a cluster service at Trevelmond on May 31 at 10am.

On June 1 the Knit and Natter group will meet from 1.30pm to 3.30pm.

St Melor's, Linkinhorne, Mondays weekly - morning prayer at 10am. Sunday, May 31 - Evensong at 6.30pm.

St Paul's, Upton Cross, Sunday, May 31 - united service at Calstock Church.

St Paul's Church - 3pm to 4pm every Thursday during school term time.

ANYONE who has attended the school during past years are invited to Rilla Mill Village Hall on Saturday, May 30, from 1pm to 5pm for a cream tea.

Please bring your spouse, partner or a friend to enjoy the time reminiscing of your experiences at the school. If you are attending please give Julie a ring on 07899 803196. A small donation of food most welcome too, thank you.

ANNE Hughes reports that there is a plan to plant a Marie Curie "Field of Gold" at the entrance to Colquite Wood using the small, natural Cornish daffodils.

Marie Curie are very enthusiastic and will be donating the proceeds to their next Car Boot Sale towards putting a Marie Curie bench in that area. Marie Curie provides nursing care to support people with cancer in their own homes, and one of our Friends is a Marie Curie Nurse.

We will be inviting people to come along on the day to plant bulbs in return for a donation to Marie Currie, and those who can't come in person to donate bulbs to be planted on their behalf. We are also inviting donations towards the bench - any surplice will be given to Marie Curie. Enjoy the woods as we move towards Summer and the woods unfurl their full beauty!

Information re donations please contact via [email protected] or text 07710 348789 and information regarding joining Friends of Stara Woods. For information re management and the Working Party contact [email protected]

THE next committee meeting will take place on Thursday, May 28, at 7pm. Also the annual general meeting will be held on Thursday, June 25, at 7pm.

ON Sunday, May 31, the Tribute Benefice Service, will be held at Quethiock Church. Starting at 10.30am. All are welcome.

Looe & District Flower Club meet on June 2 at Pelynt Village Hall at 2pm.

We have a demonstration of flowers by Danielle Stephenson entitled "Surprise".

The competition is using flowers in a cafe.

Visitors £5. Tea and coffee provided.

The flowers are raffled off.

ON Thursday, May 28, at 2pm the Knit and Natter group will meet in Dobwalls United Church.

On Sunday, May 31, there will be informal worship at 9.15am. The benfice service will be at St Martins at 10.30am.

SALTASH celebrated 40 years of friendship with its twinned French town, Plougastel-Daoulas, during a ceremony at Saltash Guildhall.

The event marked the renewal of the Charter of Friendship between the two communities and was attended by the mayor of Saltash, Cllr Brian Stoyel, deputy mayor Cllr Brenda Samuels, and First Deputy Mayor of Plougastel, Patricia Henaff.

Representatives from Saltash Town Council, Saltash Twinning Association and visitors from Plougastel attended the celebration, which included the signing of the charter by civic leaders, reaffirming the long-standing cultural links between the communities.

Gifts exchanged included a Railway 200 competition-winning photograph by Stephen Evans, a handcrafted bowl from Saltash Community Shed and a commemorative book celebrating four decades of twinning memories.

Guests enjoyed Cornish cream paired with locally grown strawberries from Plougastel.

A CORNISH garden designer has struck gold at the world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show with a powerful and deeply personal show garden raising awareness of gynaecological cancers.

Darren Hawkes, who is based in Fowey and founded Darren Hawkes Landscape and Garden Design, was awarded a prestigious Gold medal for designing The Lady Garden Foundation’s “Silent No More” garden on Chelsea’s renowned Main Avenue.

The striking installation – believed to be the first RHS Chelsea show garden created for a gynaecological cancer charity – has been designed to spark conversation around the five gynaecological cancers and break the silence surrounding symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

The garden opened to RHS members this week before welcoming the public through to Saturday, May 23.

At the heart of the design are four sculptural timber structures inspired by Spanish artist Eduardo Chillida’s clay sculpture La Casa del Poeta III. Together they form a cocoon-like, womb-inspired sanctuary intended to encourage reflection, conversation and openness.

Soft Mediterranean-style planting featuring silver foliage, muted pinks and calming textures surrounds the space, while water features and sculptures guide visitors through the garden.

For Darren, the award marks the culmination of a two-year journey working closely with The Lady Garden Foundation and families affected by cancer.

“I’m honoured to receive a Gold medal for the ‘Silent No More’ garden at the world’s most prestigious flower show,” he said.

“This project has involved immersing myself in the charity’s work and listening to patients and families speak openly about the devastating impact gynaecological cancer has had on their lives.

“I wanted to create something thought-provoking that would help ignite life-saving conversations.”

The Lady Garden Foundation was established in 2014 to tackle the stigma surrounding cervical, ovarian, womb, vaginal and vulval cancers while funding research and awareness campaigns across the UK.

The charity says 60 women in the UK are diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer every day, while 21 die from the diseases daily.

Co-founder and CEO Jenny Halpern Prince MBE described the garden as far more than a Chelsea showpiece.

“This is a public health intervention,” she said. “We hope the platform of RHS Chelsea allows us to reach thousands of people and encourage conversations around symptoms, diagnosis and preventative action.”

Adding a strong Cornish connection to the project, the award-winning garden will eventually be relocated to sites in both Cornwall and Jersey following the conclusion of the flower show.

The coastal-inspired planting scheme was specifically designed with those future homes in mind, with many of the Mediterranean plants chosen for their ability to thrive in Cornwall’s milder coastal climate.

The relocation means the garden’s message and legacy will continue long after Chelsea finishes.

Darren, whose botanical designs are heavily inspired by coastal landscapes and subtropical planting, has earned growing recognition for combining contemporary garden design with emotional storytelling.

The “Silent No More” garden is already attracting significant attention at Chelsea for both its beauty and its powerful message, ensuring conversations around women’s health are firmly placed in the national spotlight.

A NEW food and drink festival will be filling the streets of St Austell town centre on Saturday (May 30).

Eat:St Austell, described as a festival designed for everyone, is due to run from 10am until 4pm with stalls in Fore Street, White River Place and Biddicks Court.

The event, which includes entertainment, has been commissioned by St Austell Town Council and St Austell BID (Business Improvement District) and will be run by Eat:Festivals which organises similar festivals across the South West.

A spokesperson for the festival said: “Are you looking for a cracking free day out on Saturday, May 30, with stuff for the kids, somewhere to sit down, a brilliant choice of food and drink, and some fun?

“Pop along to the eat:St Austell food and drink festival with more than 50 fantastic food and drink producers.

“Expect exceptional street food, local favourites, creative makers and plenty of surprises along the way. Fore Street will be lined end to end with stalls, White River Place will be buzzing and Biddicks Court will host a children’s play area plus even more stalls to explore.

“This is your newest annual tradition – eat:Austell. See you on Saturday, May 30, for a day full of flavour.”