Cornish humanitarian and pacifist Emily Hobhouse was celebrated recently with the unveiling of a bust marking her 165th birthday.

Guests were invited to a day of commemoration of the heroine whose involvement in the Second Anglo-Boer war is depicted in the immersive experience The Story of Emily at her childhood home in St Ive near Callington.

The celebrations began on April 12 with a talk about Emily's life at St Ive Church followed by the unveiling of a bust commemorating this much-overlooked Cornish heroine in the Rectory kitchen gardens.

Award-winning South African journalist and Emily Hobhouse biographer Elsabé Brits spoke of her courage in the church where Emily’s father had been rector and where Emily herself was baptised.

Emily has gone down in history as a heroine in South Africa just as much as she was reviled in her own home country in her lifetime, for going to the aid of Boer women and children forced into concentration camps by the British clearing their villages during the Second Anglo-Boer War.

Disgusted by what she read in news reports, Emily travelled alone to Cape Town in South Africa in 1900, determined to help them and in the teeth of opposition from the British Government of the day.

Elsabé explained: “[Then Secretary of State for War] Kitchener refused her the company of another female on her travels north to the concentration camps. Her journey to Bloemfontein lasted five gruelling days, and she was the only female on the train, packed with British soldiers.

“For the next four months, she travelled between several camps, distributing clothes and food and, most importantly, compiling evidence for her report. And serving as an eyewitness to the sufferings of women and children in war. A significant challenge was to speak to male authority during wartime.”

She continued: “When her concentration camp report was published, Emily found herself at the centre of a political war, which, by its nature, was a war with few rules. The imperialists discredited her integrity as an eyewitness and whistleblower to soften the blow of the report. She was described as a liar, a hysterical woman and a traitor.

“It was thought that what she did was improper for a lady and that she was unqualified for the task because women knew nothing of ‘war and its evils’.

After the talk, guests were invited to join in with a slice of birthday cake and a celebratory toast to Emily Hobhouse, and to let their imagination take flight by creating and flying kites with celebratory messages, while local St Ive resident Doreen Cardew was tasked with unveiling the bronze bust by LA artist Lynn Christopher.

The bust was commissioned in 2019 to celebrate the spirit of this true heroine of Cornwall, more dearly remembered in South Africa then the place of her birth. It was created for her former home to help right that wrong, the wider aim of this new visitor attraction in Emily’s former home.

More information can be found at: www.thestoryofemily.com

On Wednesday, June 11, at Lanreath Village Hall, there will be the usual Lanreath Amenities Bingo Evenin.

Doors open 6.30pm. Eyes down 7.30pm.

Full house prizes include baskets of fruit/chicken/meat dinners.

Also first and second line prizes, money game, raffle.

Tea/coffee interval or bar facilities available.

Do come and join us all monies raised goes back into the community.

Lanreath Football Club 150 Draw May 2025: 1st prize, Dave Smith £30; 2nd prize, Paul Meatyard £20; 3rd prize, Rose Northcott £10.

Our new president Carina Davis welcomed everyone to the meeting, including Christopher Turner who held a talk on the 'History of Plymouth Lifeboats'.

He goes around to schools to educate children on safety at sea. The first lifeboat in Plymouth was in 1803, and was funded privately. They realised they needed a lifeboat as ships were frequently sinking in the rugged coastal waters and men were being lost, which also meant that men were reluctant to go to sea. The first lifeboat station was based at Millbay Docks and in the beginning the crew was manned from employees at the docks. It wasn't until 1947 to 1952 that the lifeboats started to operate with engines and up until then they were operated by using oars. The latest lifeboat called the Sybil Mullen Glover cost £2-million. The inshore lifeboat does 80 per cent of all call outs and it has to be launched within 10 minutes of the call being made. A very interesting talk and what a magnificent job they do.

A few dates for our diaries. A trip to Tavistock is planned for June 13. A fundraiser is arranged for July 5 at the Cornerstone Church in Torpoint between 9.30am to 11.30am (volunteers needed), and finally we will have a stall at the Torpoint Lions Summer Fayre at Torpoint Football Club on July 19 (time to be arranged).

Competitions Letter M: 1st Carina Davis, 2nd Sue Hale, 3rd Heather Pullen.

Flowers: 1st Pat W, 2nd Jean Morgan, 3rd Sandy Luscombe.

We are from next month going to start our meeting at 7pm, and also a reminder to everyone to bring their own cups/mugs for refreshments.

Our next meeting will be held on June 25 in the Church Hall at 7pm. Everyone is welcome.

Mondays weekly - morning prayer at 10am.

Sunday, June 8 - Holy Communion with Bishop Hugh at 11am.

Sunday, June 8 - informal worship at 10am.

The recent annual general meeting of the Linkinhorne group was held Kim Sudell continues as president, Carrie Marshall (deputy president), Viv Jackson (secretary), Marion Turner (treasurer),Pauline Daniel (minute secretary) plus committee members Sue Morton and Beverley Underwood.

All reports were duly adopted and Muriel Browne gave the vote of thanks to the committee on behalf of the membership.

Marion Turner won the competition prize for the year, Margaret Lock was second. Viv Jackson won the Flowers prize with Marion Turner in second place.

Following the meeting, Beverley Underwood gave a talk on Aromatherapy advising that Basil is good for the brain and Geranium for emotional turbulence. She also gave a brief overview of her life in the NHS and how she moved into complementary therapies. Members were then tested their knowledge and whether they could identify four oils which were passed around. Congratulations to Sue Batkin who got the most questions right. Everyone learnt a great deal and were most impressed. The vote of thanks was given by Carrie Marshall.

At the next meeting on Wednesday, June 11, Dr Jane Gilbert will talk about CPR which was one of the WI Resolutions for the year. For more information contact the president via [email protected]

Report by Maxine Browne.

Please meet as usual at 10am at the entrance of Stara Woods on June 7. Anyone is welcome to join the group, contact [email protected] 01579 348464 or 07977 206777.

The next History Group walk will be on Sunday, June 8, for a circular walk led by Mark Camp. Meet at Wardbrook at 1.30pm for the walk around Henwood, Sharp Tor and Bearah Tor.

The next meeting will take place in the Parish hall, Upton Cross on Monday, June 9, at 7.30pm.

Sunday, June 8 - 9.30am, morning service.

Thursday, June 12 - 2pm Knit & Natter.

Cleerway Community Church is meeting on Sunday morning at The Memorial Hall, Well Lane, St Cleer PL14 5EA at 9.45am for breakfast.

Our celebration of Pentecost starts at 10.30am. All are welcome, irrespective of belief or church background.

For more information visit www.cleerway.org.uk

The Unity Methodist St Ive, will be holding its chapel anniversary (165th) service on Sunday, June 8, starting at 11am.

Please note change of time. The service will be led by Rev Tim Wilkinson. There will be a lunch to follow. This will take place in the Village Hall. All are welcome.

Advance notice: A concert to be given by the Burraton Boys at St Ive Parish Church.

On Saturday, June 28, starting at 7pm. Entry by donation, with a pasty supper.

June 6 - Food for Thought with Rev Robert Saunders at 9.30am (bacon baps).

June 8 - Sunday service at Trevelmond Methodist Church with Norman Rowe at 10am.

A large area of Calstock car park has been refurbished thanks to volunteers and a donation from Calstock Bike Show.

Working in collaboration with the parish council, Malcolm Wright coordinated the project, leading a team of community members including Adie Therin, Charlie Spurr, Rawden Langley and Jamie Lang to undertake the work.

The donation from the Calstock Bike Show will go towards the resurfacing costs which were estimated at the April full council meeting to be £3,945.