Recently we, the Launceston College Team, travelled to Bath University for the Young Engineer for Britain Awards 1999. The team members: Lucy Parsons, Matilda O’Donovan, Kimberley Strawbridge and Jade Turner, reports Lucy Parsons and Matilda O’Donovan.

The founder of the Boscastle Witchcraft Museum is to appear in a Channel Four series exploring the hidden history of New Age Britain. Cecil Williamson, who established the museum at a number of venues before finally bringing it to Boscastle, will appear in ‘Far Out’, the first ever history of New Age Britain which takes the form of three programmes starting on Sunday.

A total eclipse of the sun happens only once in a lifetime for most people, However, for Joyce Hargrave-Wright of Tintagel, this is not the case. The last total eclipse in this country was in 1927 on June 29, and the line of totality went through Yorkshire. This was the day Joyce was born.

The Princess Royal’s visit to North Cornwall yesterday (Wednesday) has been seen as a tremendous boost to the area, particularly Camelford. HRH Princess Anne spent the afternoon visiting Maybridge Chemicals, Tintagel; The Indian King Arts Centre and the Riding for the Disabled, both at Camelford, plus Bott at Bude.

Thanks to ‘Laura’s Campaign’ organised by the ‘Post’ at the beginning of the year, Laura Hoare, who has a degenerative disease and is often confined to a wheelchair, is now enjoying a week in Paris.

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Holsworthy Good Neighbours Luncheon Club welcome Ashwater over 60’s. The group included the mayor (Mrs B Wonnacott) and two of the oldest members of the Luncheon Club, Mrs Vanstone, 93, and Mr Danny Kay, who is 90.

Happy schoolchildren at Lifton School’s Summer Fair on Saturday raised £220 in aid of the PTS’a fund to purchase a video recorder for the school. The event was opened by Christopher Smith of Radio Devon and featured Holsworthy Town Band.

Callington Carnival Queen, Tracey Clements, and her attendants Katy Batten and Nicola Western.

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Launceston dental surgeon, Mt Kenneth Erlich, had to jump for his life when his 22-foot yacht exploded and burst into flames. The explosion occurred as Mr Erlich was changing a spark plug on the yacht which was moored at Saltash.

Mrs May Cobbledick has been appointed the new caretaker of Week St Mary Hall in place of Mrs Milly Fowler, who for business reasons had recently resigned the post.

Local preachers’ certificates for 40 years’ service were presented to Messrs L Soper, T Lashbrook and W Burrow by the Superintendant Minister, Rev Arthur Tuley, at Bude Methodist Circuit’s quarterly meeting.

Sergeant Gillian Sale, aged 24 of Boscastle, is drum-major of the Women’s Royal Army Corps Band.

The 19th summer concert at Launceston College, next Thursday, will be the swan-song for Mr Sam Self, the college’s director of music, who is leaving the college but not the district.

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The effect locally of the one-day postmen’s strike and the overtime bad was explained to the “Post & Weekly News” by the Post Office authorities. In Launceston itself, there was a 100% response by the postmen to the official one day national strike, and the head postmaster, Mr F J Horsford, said that as a result there was no collection or delivery of mail in the town.

The mile-long Callington bypass linking the Tavistock and Liskeard Roads was discussed at Tuesday’s meeting of Callington parish council. The road is narrow in places with dangerous corners, and traffic there has increased considerably.

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With last year’s Royal Cornwall held in the district, and the Bath and West due for next year, Launceston Agricultural Association’s annual exhibition – better know as Launceston Horse Show – made is only appearance in the current three years with its 67Th annual edition held at Hurdon On Thursday.

Born at Chilsworthy, near Holsworthy, over 100 years ago, Mrs Julia Back died at her Shebbear home on Monday. The last in a family of 11, she celebrated her 100th birthday at Backway Farm, Shebbear, five months ago. Much of Mrs Back’s life was spent in Westminster, where her husband was a tea merchant.

Mr and Mrs C Hope, with three year old daughter, Sandra, of Sportsman’s, Camelford, recently returned from a five week holiday in the United States of America. They were visiting Mr Hope’s sister on Long Island, New York.

A further step has been made at Hallworthy Market place to improve the facilities for the large number of sheep which come to this centre, 120 of the latest design sheep pens have been installed to provide space for approximately 1,500 sheep and pigs.

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Killed in action: L/Cpl Austin K Ware, of Truro, formerly a police constable of Bude and Lasunceston. Cpt Percival Edward Gott Coode, of Polapit Tamar.

Killed on service: Harold Pooley of North Tamerton, Harry Deacon, of Liskeard Road, Callington: and Harold Philp of callington.

Under Methodist changes of station, Rev’s G C Shovel and G N Stephens will be coming to Launceston circuit: Rev’s M Slade and m L Collings to Camelford and Wadebridge; Rev V E Knowles to Holsworthy and Rev A E Clarke to Bude.

Mr Walter Hamley, of Launceston, celebrated his 90th birthday on Saturday – by going off to as usual to his work at Messrs Hender and Sons, Kensey Vale Tanneries, where he has been employed for no less than 70 years.

Mr W S Wearing, 51, of Venterdon, died in hospital after falling under the cart when the horse he was driving bolted on the way to Bray Shop.

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Launceston’s great benefactor, Mr C H Gillbard, has given the town two blocks of flats and two blocks of working class houses at Chapel Park, sufficient to house 16 families at rents of 3s and 4s a week. The profit, after maintenance is met, will be distributed annually among the deserving poor of the borough in parcels of groceries and coal. The opening ceremony of the Gillbard homes took place on Wednesday, when the town clerk (Mr Stuart I Peter) said it was the greatest act of charity the borough had ever seen.

A Bude rink won the Cornwall County Bowling Championship at Newquay, beating Penzance in the finals. It comprised H C Keveth, S Rowe, T Tregaskes and C Thorn. In the singles, E Allin (Bude) reached the semi-final where he was beaten by only one shot.

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About 500 Roman Catholics gathered at Launceston on Sunday for their annual pilgrimage in commemoration of Blessed Cuthbert Mayne. Preaching in the Castle Green at the evening service, Father Bede Jarratt launched a fierce denunciation of Protestantism.

Holsworthy St Peter’s Fair produced the customary disturbances among members of the Romany tribe, although not as remarkedly as when gipsies regarded the fair period as the time to settle old scores. There were, however, several brawls and one gipsy woman was fined £2 for creating a disturbance. It was said that it took four policemen to hold her.

Launceston Show, held yesterday at Pennygillam under the presidency of Mr A M Williams, was marred by rain and attendances were very much down. A programme of circus turns and fireworks scheduled for the Castle Green in the evening had to be cancelled.