At the March meeting, we presented a cheque to Bude Cancer Support, a registered charity which we adopted for a year to help raise funds and support those who need their services. All volunteers give up their time to help others who are affected by cancer.

Naomi Evans and Emmy Lou Green received the cheque for £ 1,525 which was presented by Heather Stephenson, our club secretary. They were amazed and very appreciative of the amount raised.

Mark Ward gave an interesting talk about Bude Surf Lifesaving club. Established in 1953, it was the first of its kind in Britain. Their aim is to prolong life and prevent drowning and they have an established training programme for ages seven upwards. Mark explained the different methods of lifesaving and how rip currents are often mistaken for calm water, leading to people being swept out away from the beach but the best course of action is to swim with it and eventually get back into the incoming surf. This was a lesson for all of us and Mark’s talk was enthusiastically received.

OVER one hundred Savoury and Sweet Pancakes were served in the Methodist Hall on Shrove Tuesday. Teas, coffees, biscuits and a lucky ticket for prizes were included in the admission charge and profits were for the Church Flower Funds for St James the Great Church. Thank you to the hard-working team for the delicious pancakes which were served to a large number of people.

Hilbre Watts led the service at the Parish Church of St James the Great on Ash Wednesday which included the tradition of 'Ashing'.

The Morning Prayer service at the Parish Church of St James the Great on the first Sunday in Lent was led by Hilbre Watts. It was a beautiful spring morning and it was a joy to hear the Church Bells ringing out prior to the service. The welcomers were Myra Thomas and Tracey Hockin. The lessons were read by Gillian Chibbett and Rita Cann. Hymns were led by church organist Luke Francis, and the church choir.

The offertory was taken up by Joyce Davis. Coffee and biscuits were served after the service.

Easter Lilies in memory of loved ones no longer with us can be sponsored and see St James Church beautifully decorated for the joy of Easter Sunday. The lilies are £3.50 each, please contact Jeannette or Jennie if you would like to sponsor the lilies by April 9.

A full house at Marhamchurch WI to welcome the guest speaker, Dave Sargent or Chef Sargent as he is now known.

Dave now spends a lot of his time cooking for other people in their own kitchens but he started off making and selling desserts.

Starting 18 years ago as Sargie’s Cornish Kitchen the family run business produces cheesecakes, meringues and sauces as well as lemon curd as a by product of the egg whites used to make meringues. The business grew and now supplies Morrisons, Waitrose, Asda and Sainsbury's.

Chef Sargent had always wanted to be a chef and remembers with affection cooking doughnuts with his mum at age six and her adding crisps to their cauliflower cheese and attending evening classes to make desserts. Pecan pie being a particular favourite.

Dave now cooks all over the country and occasionally out of the country, bringing a taste of restaurant cooking into peoples home. His success mean he has repeat bookings and has watched family's grow over time. Dave works alone for smaller parties and fewer courses but employs waiting staff for his larger 10 to 15 course meals with lots of diners.

The business is online and diners have included various famous people holidaying in the area as well as those just wishing for a treat for a special occasion. He also caters at Weddings and other large events. A true Cornish boy, a pupil of Jacobstow primary school, Dave uses local products and local suppliers where ever possible and is a great advocate for North Cornwall.

Members were surprised that Dave found 10-plus courses easier but he explained that a lot of the prep is done before he arrives at the house of his clients. He has cooked in all sorts of kitchens and manages but he always takes his own knives and (wait for it) his own frying pan.

Thoroughly entertained and as a bonus treated to honeycomb and chocolate truffles members could see that Chef Sargent’s funny, friendly and easy going manner made him welcome in so many kitchens.

The meeting closed with the customary tea and biscuits.

Next month’s guest speaker is Katrina Warren who will be talking to the meeting on Herbal Medicine. Visitors always welcome.

The first of a series of organ recitals at St Mary Magdalene was given by choirmaster and organist Dr Sean Sweeney who opened his programme with a two part sonata in A major by Felix Mendelssohn, the first being majestic but with movement and the second a tranquil, slower piece. This was followed by a song set for organ by the famous French organist Louis Vierne.

A fantasy in G major by J S Bach showed off the organ’s versatility before a reflective folk tune by composer Stephen Burtonwood born in 1951. The concert closed with a joyous toccata by 20th century Welsh composer, William Matthias, which Dr Sweeney hoped might inspire the Welsh rugby team to a great performance later that afternoon against England!

The next organ recital in the series will be given by Josh Hughes at 1pm on Saturday, April 5.

The next choral evensong at St Mary’s will be on April 6 at the usual time of 5.30pm. The following week on Palm Sunday, April 13, the choir of St Mary’s with some invited guests will be singing a service entitled “Requiem”, The music contains all the usual movements for a requiem but have been chosen by Dr Sweeney from the requiems of Duruflé, Fauré, Mozart and Rutter so they are arguably some of the best bits. There will also be selected readings appropriate to Holy Week.

At our first March meeting Chairman Christopher welcomed club members and guests

He specifically welcomed club member Ian who is back from his latest world tour.

Christopher mentioned that there had been significant progress on the formation of a Launceston Ladies’ Probus club, with interest from people willing to be founder members.

The main item for the meeting was an illustrated talk by member David on the history of Tavistock Canal. David explained that the canal was built in the 19th century to replace a packhorse route. It was built in a series of stages on land gifted by Lord John Russell, the Duke of Bedford. Transport by packhorse was relatively expensive due to the slow speed and relatively small load sizes. It was in Lord John’s interest to have the canal built, partly to transport materials from his mines, and partly because he charged a 10 per cent fee on goods transported by other people.

The construction of the canal started in 1803, and progress was slow because of a number of obstacles. It necessitated building on an incline plane, construction of an aqueduct and a tunnel that was over a mile long. The tunnel itself took 14 years because it involved drilling and blasting through granite. This was before the days of dynamite, and less powerful and more dangerous black powder was used. Eventually the canal linked the old Abbey site near Tavistock to Morwellham Quay. There was a grand opening in 1816, complete with festivities.

A number of improvements were made to the system over the years. Lack of a towpath in the tunnel meant that boatmen had to propel barges through the tunnel by lying on their backs and pushing on the roof with their feet. This was too slow and a chain drive, powered by a waterwheel, was put in the tunnel to pull barges through. Also the original wooden barges were replaced by larger iron ones.

Initially the canal prospered, handling up to 20,000 tonnes of freight a year, However this tonnage declined, due to a combination of mine closures and the coming of the railways which provided cheaper alternative transport. By 1870 no freight was being transported on the canal

Since then the canal has deteriorated, becoming overgrown and not being maintained. However the route provides for pleasant walks and David showed a video of kayakers going through the tunnel.

David then took a number of questions from members. Replying to one he explained in detail where the canal runs. He also commented that the canal was in private hands and it was not likely to be restored.

Chairman Christopher thanked David on behalf of members for giving them an insight into a significant part of our local history.The meeting was followed by a buffet lunch and drinks.

Our first March meeting will be our first Quarterly Lunch of the year, with partners invited to attend.

Also attending will be potential founder members of the Launceston Ladies’ Probus Club.

The meeting will include a talk by Margaret Young, the well known Councillor and former Mayor of Launceston.

Probus meet on the second and fourth Monday of each month, with a speaker followed by an optional buffet lunch. The club is primarily for retired or semi-retired people, providing a relaxed atmosphere with a focus on entertainment.

For further information on past and future activities of Probus, including talks and visits, visit the website at probusclub.net/launcestoncornwalluk or the Facebook page ’Probus Club of Launceston - Cornwall’.

The first meeting of the year for Holsworthy History Society was held on Thursday, March 13, at 7pm in The Manor Suite, Holsworthy.

There were several new members and visitors among the audience to be entertained and told about The Folk Songs written by the famous Rev Sabine Baring Gould who also wrote the hymn Onward Christian Soldiers and was the Vicar and Squire of Lewtrenchard by Mr Mike Bosworth..

The next meeting is on April 10 when the speaker will be Rev Fitzpatrick on The History of The Royal Navy. All are most welcome.

Following a highly successful inaugural meeting the newly-formed Methodist Women in Britain group in South East Cornwall are looking to grow its numbers and build on its early momentum.

With a mission to unite, inspire and support women within Methodist community, the group offers a welcoming space for fellowship, faith and shared purpose.

The first gathering at the Callington Methodist Church, which was headed up by the Rev Alison Richardson and Bren Stuart-White (Cornwall MWiB President), saw an enthusiastic turnout, sparking excitement for future events, projects and opportunities to make a difference.

The next event will be their MWiB District Day at the Saltash Wesley Methodist Church on Wednesday, May 14 from 10am to 4pm.

Weekday service on Mondays only for morning prayer at 10am.

Sunday, March 23 — morning prayer at 11am.

Sunday, March 23 — ‘Meet & Eat’ breakfast at the Cross Link Centre, Upton Cross at 10am.

The recent Horse Racing evening was a huge success raising a great total of £460 for hall funds. Thanks are expressed to the local businesses who sponsored the horses, to all those who helped in various ways during the evening, to everyone who sponsored a horse and attended the fun evening.

Hopefully the monthly film night will soon return as soon as Cfylm are back and running again to offer the usual entertaining night at the movies.

Looking ahead there will be a Table Top Sale on Saturday, April 5, from 10.30am to 12.30pm. Book early to secure a table as booking is essential via [email protected]

Opening times: At the Parish Hall, Upton Cross — Thursday and Fridays 2pm to 4pm.

Also open every third Tuesday during the coffee morning 10.30am to noon. The next being on March 18.

This will take place on Saturday, March 22, in the Parish Hall at Upton Cross from 1pm to 3pm for church repairs. There will be a raffle and refreshments, entry 20p and cash only event please. Contacts for more info via Sarah Doney 01579 362602 or Michelene Norris 01579 363515.

A huge selection of upcoming activities were discussed and arranged – something for everyone – walking, sewing, celebration dinner dates, meetings, resolutions, competitions, visits and so much more took up the business part of the March meeting. Birthday wishes and flowers for this month were given to Janet Sheer, Elaine Burden, Vi Gold, Jenny Rendle, Mary Yates, Gill Pascoe and Alison Grimes.

Members then welcomed Dave Thompson, from Cornwall Lifeskills, who recalled his time on the police force, including being a Pensilva community officer back in the 90s. Since retiring after 30 years serving Cornwall, he set up a company offering first aid training to a wide range of places across the south west. He told us the history of the Resusci – Anne; how it came about from the tragic death of the son of a toy company owner, who stopped making toys to ‘make something that brought life back’. He also explained the origins of the face of the models now used – a pretty gruesome tale but very interesting!

Dave demonstrated CPR techniques and answered questions, interweaving these with real life tales. Members were allowed to practise the methods for CPR on adult and baby size dolls. A demonstration of a defibrillator proved very interesting and made members feel more confident about their use. The outcome for the patient’s survival increases greatly if one of these is on hand to use. The key message is that to do something in an emergency is better than to do nothing. He was thanked for giving everyone information and for dispelling some of the myths and fears about emergency situations.

March competition winners:

Walking stick: 1st Frances Tucker; 2nd Jenny Rendle; 3rd Jill Pascoe.

Flower of the month: 1st Alison Willis; 2nd Jill Pascoe; 3rd Mary Yates.

Pensilva WI are still collecting used stamps for CFWI.

Next meeting: Wednesday, April 9, 7.15pm - Craig Laing from Devon & Cornwall Police Cyber Crime Unit.

After 65 years Altarnun Women’s Institute has had to close. It was a very sad day on March 6, when the members met in Altarnun Village Hall to take the steps necessary to put our WI into suspension.

This is done so that our funds etcetera, are given over to Cornwall Federation of Women’s Institutes (CFWI) who will hold them for three years in the hope that during that time someone may start up another WI in our area and it would then have the benefit of our funds to help start them off.

The WI advisor, Helen Kestle, along with her colleague Gill Trew, attended the meeting so that Helen could take us through the necessary procedure. It didn’t seem to take very long, and then it was done. Our president, Kate Sibborn, thanked the members for supporting the WI for so long, and the officers and committee members for all their work over the years.

We then had our refreshments while Helen and Gill departed, and then we had a talk on “Peter’s Puppets” from Peter Allen.

It was such a lovely way to close our final meeting of Altarnun WI on such a happy note and having had a real fun evening. Peter was given a very enthusiastic vote of thanks.