In this week’s edition of the Cornish Times, we lead on the towns in South East Cornwall getting ready to open for trade on Monday – but with just a tiny amount of Government money available to adapt the high streets for business at a social distance, the cost has to be borne by local councils and traders themselves. As one of the ten towns in the country with the biggest rise in unemployment during the coronavirus outbreak, Looe is as keen as anywhere to get back to business, but in a way that is safe for residents and visitors. Local councils and town centres have a lot to balance – and we’ll be carrying more on this in coming weeks as shops and businesses adapt to the messages from Government.
Inside the paper there are tributes to a Liskeard man whose career included a pioneering role at the highest echelons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, time as speech writer to the Lord Mayor of London, and several years as a close aide of the Queen. Leonard ’Robbie’ Robins died aged 98 after falling ill with the coronavirus.
We hear how 100 people living and working on Bodmin Moor are to be the first in the UK to trial a new dash cam road safety scheme, and how a Torpoint couple have launched a nationwide project that links the very young and the elderly through reading stories over the phone.
There are reports on the lockdown home-learning with a serious message being done by some of our talented primary school youngsters. Ten-year-old Talitha’s speed survey in her street is being taken seriously by councillors and helping to reinvigorate a 20mph safety campaign. And upcoming young writer Maisie has interviewed people from different walks of life about the impact of the coronavirus lockdown.
In our great four-page sports section, we hear how a talented Liskeard teenager is one of just 15 in the UK to benefit from a sports fund set up by Elton John. Dave Potham takes a look at Torpoint Athletic’s entry into the St Piran League, and reviews the Callington Ladies’ season. Meanwhile, Saltash United’s former manager Matt Cusack gives editor Nigel Walrond an in-depth interview on the highs, lows and frustrations of the curtailed season. Sports on the back page tells how Bodmin Town have brought back one of their most prolific strikers of recent years into the fold.
As well as this we’ve got news and information for the Farming and Business sectors in South East Cornwall, Ray Roberts’ informative Nature Watch page, and thought-provoking letters on a rage of subjects from our readers.
Look out for your latest edition of The Cornish Times – out in the shops from this afternoon!