IN this week’s Cornish Times, in shops from today (Friday), we lead with a Seaton cafe worker describing the frightening drama that unfolded when her car rolled backwards into the river in the dark after she and colleagues ended their New Year’s Day shift.

Although her vehicle has remained half-submerged in the water for a couple of days, she says that she is determined it will not spoil the start of 2019 for her and she is just happy that she and the three colleagues with her in the car were able to escape unharmed.

Many readers were moved by our recent report about seven-year-old James Darling wanting to give up his Christmas Day to feed the homeless. Now we have the story and pictures of how his kind gesture went on the big day.

We also report that Cornwall Council has agreed to spending almost £40m on emergency accommodation for those who find themselves homeless in a bid to reduce the use of B&Bs for this purpose.

Many decided to make a big splash for charity at New Year – we have lots of pictures of those who took the chilly plunge in New Year’s Day dips along the coast, and also of the many costumed revellers who went out on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the end of 2018. Our festive community pictures also include the special supper delivered to a local lifeboat crew on their last training night of 2018.

In other news, we report on three of those from South East Cornwall named on the New Year’s Honours List, as well as about a Torpoint couple marking their 60th wedding anniversary, and a local Slimming World group leader who had a photoshoot with flamboyant TV presenter Rylan Clark-Neal.

More tragically, we report on the unexplained death of Saltash woman in a house fire.

South East Cornwall shoppers have given a big boost to plans to enhance the historic Mary Newman’s Cottage, and in our planning news we report on a scheme to extend and update the Fowey Hotel.

Meanwhile, there is an unusual opportunity to buy a Grade I-listed, 700-year-old South East Cornwall village church for just £85,000, and a Cornish author is to give a talk offering a fresh look at the case of a Victorian servant girl’s murder on Bodmin Moor that rocked the county and inspired a memorial monument and the writing of folk songs and books in the more than a century and a half since.

We also have a special section for farmers, Ray Roberts’ latest Nature Watch pictures, your letters, a special Cornish Times recipe from a local chef (see more details on this website) and our regular books and TV choice columns.

Find all of this in the latest issue of the Cornish Times, on sale from today (Friday).