Carnival

winners

THE winners of a Liskeard carnival quiz competition, in which all the answers were birds, were Maureen Segola and Edna Caddick, who entered as a pair.

The winner of the carnival £.s.d competition was Sheila Powell, following a draw between two successful competitors. The prizes were £10.

Macmillan

coffees

A TOTAL of £48 was raised at a coffee morning, held in aid of Macmillan Cancer Relief, in the Long Room on July 23.

Thanks were extended to all for their support. The next event is cream teas on August 19 at the home of Ann and Tre Ugalde.

A pageant for the

Liskeard community

LISKEARD school provided the setting over three days last month, for a pageant celebrating l,000 years in the history of Liskeard.

The pageant was part of a four-day festival, organised by St Martin's church, to raise money for the recent re-roofing of the church, and to celebrate St Martin's role throughout the ages in the life of Liskeard. The script, written by Tony Wood and narrated by Bob Hollingdale as the voice of Caradoc, took the audience on a historical journey. This took in the freeing of a slave, compiling the Domesday Book, King Charles' visit, the expected arrival of John Wesley, the squalor of housing in the l9th century, and much more.

Each scene was performed by a differing group, those involved including Liskeard junior and St Martin's schools, members of Liskeard drama group and Liskeard musical theatre company, students from Liskeard school and members of St Martin's church. The whole cast totalled just under 70 people altogether.

In his introduction to the pageant programme, Tony Wood wrote: 'The intention is to entertain rather than instruct, and to that end my powers of imagination have worked harder than my powers of research.' Entertainment was at the forefront, whether the scene involved a migrant Breton stonemason trying to get on with his work of building the church's stone tower while being distracted by inquisitive children, or the powerful choral speaking of a group of miners and bal-maidens (Liskeard year l0 drama students). An exhibition of Liskeard's architectural history ran concurrently at Stuart House.

The pageant concluded with a finale in which cast and audience together sang 'In the first years of Millennium old Liskeard gives to us' to the tune of 'On the First Day of Christmas' - the first gift being a church with a lovely new roof. Gifts for subsequent years, on a highly topical wish list, included two grand hotels and 12 thriving shops!

Concern over litter along the verges

THE growing amount of waste to be seen littering the hedgerows in and around Liskeard - and further afield in Cornwall - has been highlighted by Ann Cornelius, who runs a bed and breakfast business near Liskeard.

Mrs Cornelius, of The Miller's Tale, said that not only have she and her husband, James, noticed more litter than usual by the verges this year, her guests have also complained about the neglected look of the area. This is also due to an abundance of nettles in laybys etc, the length of the grass by the side of roads, and the overgrown state of cycle paths, such as that near her home, opposite Looe Mills cafe.

She said: 'Many of our visitors say they don't think it measures up to the cleanliness of other countries, especially Switzerland where every piece of litter is picked up. Both my husband and I, and our neighbours Sylvia and Viv Dennis, pick up any litter we see nearby our homes, but it really is a matter for concern.'

Mrs Cornelius has lived in her current home for three years, and has been so worried by the litter etc to be seen this year that she has contacted district and county councils in a bid to see the problem improved. She said: 'I realise the litter blows around, but there is much more of it to be seen this year than ever before. Also the cycle path is so overgrown near our home it is difficult for people to use it.'

Her fears come at a time when the RSPCA announced that injuries to animals and wildlife, caused by litter, have risen alarmingly in England and Wales. Wild birds are the most frequent casualties, with water birds and wild mammals such as hedgehogs and foxes also being badly affected. Litter problems in the South West tend to peak in June, July and August. Among recent casualties have been a tawny owl found flapping in a tree, tangled in fishing line, next to the Camel Trail near Bodmin. The bird was rescued by the RSPCA but was badly injured and had to be put to sleep.