Parish Tram by Chris Watts

Starting�at�10.00am�Saturday� October�11th�for�2�weeks�only� September - October 2008

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Issue 23

quarterly

Twenty thousand surviving “Land Girls”

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Twenty thousand surviving “Land Girls”, the women who toiled on the Home Front to provide food and timber for Britain in the Second World War, have been honoured oﬃcially for the ﬁrst time.

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Invites�local�shoppers�to�a�one�off,�closing� down�for�winter�

½�Price�Sale� TOYS,�GIFTS,�JEWELLERY,�FASHION,�SURF...� This�is�your�chance�to�get�those�Christmas� presents�now,�on�your�door�step,�at�the� cheapest�prices�anywhere.�

After a long campaign by the Women’s Land Army and Women’s Timber Corps, the Government announced that their wartime efforts would be recognised with the presentation of a special badge commemorating their service that can be worn on Remembrance Sunday and at other ceremonies. At their peak in 1943, the Land Girls numbered about 80,000, and the Timber Corps, whose members were known as “Lumber Jills”, about 4,000. Wearing a uniform that included green jumpers and ties, brown breeches and brown felt hats, the Land Girls dug ditches, ploughed fields, milked cows, sowed seeds and harvested crops, supplying the nation with food while the men were away on war duty. Lumber Jills provided wood for the war effort by felling trees, sawing timber and sharpening saws. Florence Armstrong, who has lived in Portreath for most of her life, is a Lumber Jill veteran. She was conscripted into the land Army as a teenager and spent four years in Bala North Wales. She recently received her medal, I spoke to her and she told me what she got up to as a “Lumber Jill”. ” I was one of 15 girls who reported to the Timber Corps, which had just formed in 1941. The first day we were taken by lorry with the locals to the mountainside. Except for the actual felling of the trees, the girls (much to the surprise of the local men) coped very well.

Printed by: Mid Cornwall Printing, Truro Tel: 01872 278688 from supplied origination. 8

I worked in the sawmill, just a roof covering the main large

electric saw where I helped two pensioners who had returned to work to help the war eﬀort as all the young men were away at war. Certain trees (softwoods) had tall straight trunks suitable for telegraph poles, these were felled and some of the girls spent days on the mountain, stripping and burning the branches, returning with bloodshot eyes and aching limbs, not a nice job! As the trees fell the problem was to get the trunks down to the saw, I learned to drive a tractor to pull the trunks down the mountain, occasionally horses were also used but I did not learn to do that. Once the trunks were at the mill they were stripped of bark and put on the saw, coming out as pit props or railway sleepers. Evidently, pre-war, we imported these from Sweden but now we had to make them ourselves. Once we had ﬁnished our work on the timber it was loaded onto lorries and delivered to a railway station yard where we loaded them onto large wagons, again very heavy work. The girls were allowed to use small electric saws to cut up cont. page 2

Portreath Annual Bonﬁre & Firework Display Sun 9th November On the Beach Bonﬁre 6.45 Fireworks 7.15 Free Park and Ride scheme from The Treasure Park (Gold Centre) to and from the beach 5.30 to 8.30 Bar B Q, Beach Café, The Retreat, The Basset Arms, Portreath Arms, Waterfront Inn, Portreath Bakery, Portreath Amusements, Simply the Best Ice Cream, Tung Sing Restaurant, The Shore Shop.

Light Sticks please rather that sparklers

waste bark, which we bagged and sold for ﬁrewood. As we stacked the props prior to sale we could build them quite high, this was a two-handed job, which we took in turn to climb on to the stacks as we built them. It was a wonderful feeling to stand on top surveying the stacks all around.

BRIDGE GARAGE

To stack the railway sleepers we had another method, a girl at each end of the sleeper swinging backward and forward and then releasing one on top of another, you could imagine this was heavy work but we coped that way until we used up all the softwoods and had to use oak and ash, then it became very heavy work!

Proprictor: Alan Hugo

Quality Sales

Eventually the sawmill had to be moved and erected in the railway station yard as we were running out of forests, we had stripped so many in the area.

Service & Repaires

After the war ended the trees were planted again, some land girls carried on working in the forestry. I left to get married but will always remember that happy time in the timber corps”.

MOT Testing Tel: 01209 842230 Bridge Redruth Cornwall TR16 4QG

MOBILE LIBRARY 4 - 5.30 p.m. Every other Tuesday from 7th October 2008 at the Portreath Arms Hotel

PORTREATH GARDEN MACHINERY S.J. STOVELL

GARDEN MACHINERY & CHAINSAW SPECIALIST

Tel/Fax: 01209 843180 Jacquemand Ind. Est., New Portreath Road Bridge, Redruth, Cornwall TR16 4QQ

visit us at: www.portreathgardenmachinery.co.uk • email: portreathgmsales@aol.com

Sales • Service • Repair

HEATING OIL COLLECTIVE Many properties in Portreath use oil for central heating and hot water. With the oil prices spiralling as they are it makes sense to buy in bulk. I am forming a collective group to do this and the savings are worthwhile. Based on a collective of 20 customers with a delivery of 500 litres each the savings would be 3.5p per litre, a saving of £17.50. The more members, the more savings. The only disadvantage would be co-ordinating the fuel deliveries. All collective members would have to take delivery in the same week, so good communication and tank monitoring is vital. If you are interested in joining the Portreath Collective call me on 01209 843873 or email cjswatts@gmail.com

�� Our gym, sauna, steam room and swimming pool facilities are open to the public!* ��2 hour Gym and Swim sessions: Adults 16+ £6 | Senior Citizens £3 ��Swim only sessions: Babies & toddlers free Juniors (4-15yrs) £3 per session ��

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VEHICLE TESTING STATION

Ch i m ldr sup ust en b a r ervise e esp ons d by adu ible lt

YOGA and RELAXATION classes Thursday 6.15 - 7.45pm at the Millennium Hall

PORTREATH HARBOUR FUN DAY 2008 What a great day we had! How lucky were we with the weather! The forecast looked really grim on Saturday evening but we had to go ahead after all the planning and the preparations and Sunday morning dawned dry if not sunny! Every one agreed, there was lots to do for all ages particularly the children: Prof. Good Vibes who walked about on stilts and his Punch and Judy, Mister Tickle with his balloons, the greasy pole where you could hit your best friend with a pillow and fall oﬀ, the surf simulator where you could try standing up while the board wobbled, the roundabout, the bouncy castle for the little ones, Newquay Mini Zoo where you could get you face painted, Garry from Gwel an Mor with the owls and the snake, the human table football competition where you could kick away

to your heart’s content. You could buy things at the stalls; quench your thirst with a pint of real ale or coffees and teas, whilst munching a local bugger or a fish platter. BRILL. Entertainment was provided by the Majorettes, the belly dancers, the line dancers and the Last Note Singers, culminating in the Tender Race Challenge by the Harbour Association. The debate still goes on as to who actually won! Thank you very much too every one who helped on the day. So, all set for next year. Lots of ideas have been put forward for making the day even more exiting. Lots of people have already offered help for next year, we still need more.

If you think it is all worth while, attend the AGM to join our friendly committee or to oﬀer your help on the day. Picture shows Portreath Coastguard with their new four wheel drive vehicle. HARBOUR FUN DAY AND FOOD FETE AGM 12th of NOVEMBER 7.30 PM at the PORTREATH INSTITUTE

CONTACT THE TRAM ADVERTISING RATES Full Page Half Page Quarter Page Small Advert

Do you have a letter, article or an idea for the Parish Tram? If so please contact us by post:

Exciting news for the young people of Portreath! Cult!vate and ‘The Barn’ youth club have teamed up to provide a program of weekly activities and workshops for the young people of Portreath. Ben Sutcliﬀ (of ‘The Peoples String Foundation’) will be leading the ﬁrst of these workshops on Monday the 26th September. Ben’s music workshop will be based around the mellow reggae grooves of Bob Marley. ‘The Barn’ is open for activities (or even just to chill out in ‘the sofa zone’) every Monday and Thursday. Monday from 6.30pm – 9.15pm. First session age 9-12 and second session 12+. Thursday from 8pm - 9.15pm. Age 12+. Mondays will be feeding your creative side and Thursdays are packed with physical fun for all abilities! We would love to hear the ideas and suggestions of the young people of the village so we have organised an informal curry night on Wednesday the 8th of October so we can put our heads together and make special things happen! For more information see www.cultivateideas.org or alternatively contact Molly on 07870938725 or molly@cultivateideas.org 6

The Editor: The Parish Tram c/o Portreath PO, The Square Portreath, Cornwall TR16 4LA

Dates for your diary/what’s on in Portreath

Or by email: cjswatts@gmail.com

17th of August 12-18.00 Harbour Fun Day 31st of August Tide Race

Deadline for next issue 20th September 2008

BEAT LINES

We are pleased to be able to report that in policing terms, the summer months in Portreath have again been relatively quiet when compared to some previous years. There were however certain issues which we resolved where the assistance oﬀered by members of the community was greatly appreciated. Once again, we would like to thank organisers, residents and visitors to Portreath Harbour Fun Day for creating an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere, which resulted in the day going without incident for the police. As the summer months disappear we turn out attentions to the festivities and events of the autumn and winter periods.

£40.00 £20.00 £15.00 £ 5.00

The first of these is Halloween night on 31st October. As in previous years our aim will be to ensure that everyone can enjoy this celebration without being intimidated or put in fear. We ask that any person going out to ‘trick or treat’ behave responsibly although preferably an adult will supervise them. I would like to reiterate that we are not ‘killjoys’ but that we will be taking positive action to deal with people who are intent on causing trouble for others. Portreath Bonfire night is due to take place on Sunday 9th November. This is also the day when most places are holding the annual remembrance parades. All of the parades and Portreath Bonfire night will require significant police resources throughout the day. We therefore ask for resident’s support in adhering to the parking restrictions which will be enforced by police no 3

waiting cones which will be placed out in the village that day. Due to the congestion problems it is our intention not to allow parking along either of Penberthy Road or Tregea Hill. If you have friends or relatives from outside the village attending the event, please make arrangements for them to park in a suitable oﬀ road area. There will be the usual free park and ride service from Treasure Park at New Portreath Road in operation on the evening. If you would like to discuss any community issues or concerns with us please do not hesitate to contact us in writing, through the police non urgent number of 08452 777 444 or through email at redruth@devonandcornwall. pnn.police.uk PC 2832 Tim ROBERTS PCSO 30353 Martin EASTER

Letters Page

Greenslade Park

Costcutter Following a number of enquires to the parish Clerk about rumours circulating regarding the future of the Costcutter store in the square, the following email was received from CostCutters head ofﬁce. Can I clarify the rumours: • The store is owned by Costcutter Supermarkets Ltd • The Store has been franchised out for the last 5 years or so. • The Franchisee is terminating on 30th Sept.

Having just watched ‘Ty’s Great Bri�sh Adventure’ - a programme documen�ng the building of Portreath’s new village park - may I be one of the first people to say “Thank heavens for Ty Pennington!” Before the American descended on our �ny Cornish outpost, Portreath was in a ‘terrible state of decline’. The local primary school was only one of the finest in the county, with results far greater than that of the na�onal average; and such was the economic downturn of the village that a three-bedroom house was valued at an embarrassingly low £350,000. However, through a series of inimitable yells overladen with excitement, and an unnecessary large number of ‘high fives’, Mr. Pennington has saved us from further decades of social and financial depriva�on.

• The Store will then become company controlled. • We will look for another franchisee. • We have no intentions of closing the store. If you require any further information please contact. Regards

Using selec�ve camera shots, Twofour, the producers of the show, would have UKTV Style’s dozen or so viewers believe that when deciding a unique tourist des�na�on, Portreath would be chosen behind a roman�c weekend city break to Basra. In fact, it is a good job that Ty brought his own ‘accommoda�on’ in the form of a Volkswagen Camper, as the village is completely devoid of decent hotels, bed and breakfasts, and spectacular ﬁve-star holiday complexes!

David Cornthwaite Retail Operations Manager, Ebor Foodmarkets Ltd Tel: 01904 486217 Mob: 07764 777286

A�er the work had been completed, Portreath marvelled at its new centrepiece, a village landmark surprisingly lacking a bronze statue of its divine creator. The park does, however, look superb, and the diligent volunteers who worked painstakingly on the project deserve a huge pat on the back; but am I the only person who found the documentary to be somewhat demeaning and badly representa�onal to a village of natural beauty whose popula�on had ‘heart’ long before Ty Pennington ﬁrst set eyes on a television camera? Richard Smith

Teenage lifeguard saves surfer, 43

Sing-A-Long with Carol & Tony

28-August-2008

Birthdays, Retirement, Anniversaries All the old Songs we love to hear 01209 843985

AN 18-year-old lifeguard at Portreath on Tuesday helped save the life of a surfer who suffered a heart attack while body-boarding with his family. Adam Harris, who is in his first season as an RNLI lifeguard, was the first person to reach the 43 year-old, who was lying face down in the water. Redruth rugby colt Adam, who lives in Portreath, said: “I heard a scream, looked across and saw the man.”

Portreath Improvements Committee

With the help of a couple of surfers, Adam pulled the man to the shore. “We could see he was in a bad way.” A doctor who happened to be on the beach began chest compressions while Simon Peppler, a lifeguard who normally works at Perranporth, gave him rescue breaths and Adam prepared the deﬁbrillator.

The Committee is currently undertaking a property maintenance program, the ﬁrst to be tackled is the Institute. A new roof was put on during the summer, so avoiding disrupting the Pre School. The next job is to repair the western wall which has developed a crack and needs repointing and waterprooﬁng. The interior also needs some work to improve the storage facilities and install some much needed insulation.

On application they immediately saw signs of life and colour return to his face. Senior lifeguard Chantelle Richards contacted ambulance headquarters and called for the air ambulance. The man was ﬂown to Truro’s Treliske Hospital by Cornwall’s air ambulance, which had landed on the beach.

The committee is pleased to continue the Christmas Lights project this year. We have wall brackets to give away complete with tree and outdoor lights, free to ﬁrst time users. Indoor window lights are available as an alternative (one set per household)

Adam, who was trained by the local surf life-saving club, added: “By the time the air ambulance arrived the man was talking. He wanted to know what had happened.” RNLI area lifeguard manager Dickon Berriman said: “He was unconscious but immediately he was ‘shocked’, he showed signs of recovery.

As usual, previous users get a tree at cost price, usually £5.50£7.50. To apply for your Christmas lights please phone Chris Watts on 843873 before 5 December.

“From everything I have heard, they saved his life. We have word back from ambulance control that they were very happy with what the guards did.

Keep an eye on the notice boards for the Christmas Carols Service.

“We have heard that the man is now in a comfortable condition in hospital.”

The PIC has a number of smoke alarms to give away. They are of the type that plugs between a light bulb fitting and the bulb, so no batteries needed! There are a limited number available so first come first served.

Mr Berriman added: “All RNLI lifeguards are trained as ﬁrst responders and are fully equipped to deal with these incidents but it’s not until you are faced with it in real life that all your training kicks in instinctively.

Call Connie Trewella on 842636.

“Our thoughts and best wishes are with the man and his family and I hope he makes a speedy recovery.”

M. A. LEAN.

Experienced Qualiﬁed Plummer Also Decorating Services

Tel: 01209 843985 Mob: 07742 878 476 4

Portreath Remembrance Parade Sunday 2nd November at the Beach Front Car Park Mustering at 14:15 March oﬀ at 14:30

Story courtesy West Briton

Promenade Café Portreath

Open every day come rain, shine or storm Come and enjoy the view & our fabulous bacon butties 5