A GIFTED mathematician from Wellington School has been selected to take part in the British Mathematical Olympiad mentoring scheme. Arthur Chan, 15, from Hong Kong, is ranked 17th in the country for Year 10 pupils by the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust
IT wasn't particularly pretty, but home fans left happy after seeing Town win 2-1 against Elmore in the Screwfix League Premier Division, for the first time this season at Fairfax Park on Saturday, writes Mark Hollidge. Elmore are the sort of team you
THE REBELS produced a great performance to secure the win and all three points in this bottom of the table clash at the Oak Tree Arena on Friday, writes John Morgan. The bonus point the Rebels gained for the aggregate victory moved them a point clear
DRIVERS are under starters' orders as preparations get under way for Holcombe Rogus' fourth annual Box Car Race. Sponsored by various local companies and garages, the event is set for Sunday, October 19, and cars must be in the pits at Holcombe Court
THIS was a match Albion will be keen to forget as a catalogue of errors and a helping of misfortune saw them crash to their second league defeat of the season on Saturday. Their problems started before the game had started when fly half, Iestyn Williams
WILLAND Rovers will be aiming for their second victory in five days tomorrow (Saturday) when they entertain newly promoted Shrewton Utd in Division One of the Screwfix Direct League. Rovers secured their second win of the season on Tuesday when they beat
PLYMOUTH Albion Ladies face a tough match at the Brickfields on Sunday (2.30pm) when they face Clifton IIs in a Women's National Cup first round tie. Clifton, like Albion, are in National League Division 1 South West, so a tough contest is very much on
DARRELL Cornish hit the first ton of the season in the Highbridge and District Skittles League last week, as his side White Rebels beat the Juniors at the Lighthouse Inn. His superb hand read 15, 7, 16, 14,8, 25, 15 = 100. Needing 15 for the top, Cornish
WILLAND Rovers will be aiming for their second victory in five days on Saturday (October 4) when they entertain newly promoted Shrewton Utd in Division One of the Screwfix Direct League. Rovers secured their second win of the season on Tuesday when they
CREDITON go into Saturday's (October 4) South West Two (W) match at Penryn still looking for their first league victory of the season after a heavy defeat at home to Brixham last weekend. They were beaten 49-16 by the visitors, who have started the season
People living on a Camborne estate have formed a residents' association in an effort to combat problems with youths and litter. The association was formed after concerned Treswithian Park estate residents met last Friday with representatives from the
THE vegetables out weighed the people when Kehelland Horticultural Centre held its seventh annual Giant Vegetable Show. Gigantic greengroceries made the centre look like a set from Land of the Giants, including a 377lb pumpkin, a 207lb squash, a 72lb
CAMBORNE woman Anna Bunt stormed the Labour conference on Sunday in a debate on young people and pol-itics. Speaking in the main conference hall, Anna, 25, talked about the difference she believes Labour has made to democracy in her home town. Earlier
FOUR Lanes Male Choir has launched its search for a new musical director to succeed Ronald Brown who has announced his retirement next year. Ronald has directed the well-known choir for 33 years and led them to numerous successes at festivals throughout
CHAIRMAN of the Sunrise Appeal, Bill Bishop, has accepted a cheque for £1,760 raised by the popular Stithians Lake walk. Mr Bishop was handed the cheque by owners of the Golden Lion Inn at Menherrion, Wendy and John Glosby, and was joined by co-organisers
A THREE-MONTH deadline giving developers Dean and Dyball a last chance to draw up an employment-boosting blueprint for Watchet's East Quay passed almost without notice this week. West Somerset District Council, which owns the site, terminated its agreement
EXPERTS have been drafted in and a special working party set up following this year's outbreak of the Norwalk virus -- the third in as many years -- at Minehead's Butlins holiday centre, it was revealed this week. But consumer protection officers at West
FORMER Minehead lifeboat mechanic John Leech saw his father's legacy to the RNLI realised this week -- more than a decade after his death. Ivan Leech, a brush salesman from the town who sold cleaning products on his bicycle, left a £10m inherited family
PORLOCK'S hopes for the construction of a vital access road to ease village centre congestion look set to fade further next week. Somerset County Council effectively washed its hands of a 20-year plan for a larger relief road by de-protecting the route
THE Rugby Football Union is set to host one of its successful Front Row Clinics at the University of Bristol on Wednesday. The Front Row Clinic has been designed to alleviate the shortage of players willing to scrum down in the front row by demonstrating
THE BRIDGWATER community has been left shocked by the murder of a five-month-old baby. The baby was seriously injured in an incident in the Chilton Trinity area of the town on Sunday last week - but died at a hospital in Bristol on Tuesday. A man in his
THE Mid Devon Star is this week teaming up with Marie Curie Cancer Care in Tiverton to launch an appeal to raise £5,000 for a special- ist cancer care nurse for the area. People throughout Mid Devon are being urged to support our 'Fields of Hope' campaign
THE owner of the Maidstone Stage filling station and old caf on the A38 near Burlescombe has vowed that the building will be restored to its former glory in the near future. David Gilbert, who plans to transform the site into a classic car restoration
THE majority of public toilets in Mid Devon are in such a disgusting state that they will be shut permanently within a year. Council bosses have ruled that 15 out of the 19 public toilets in the area are to be shut as they are thought to be of poor quality
THE Mid Devon Star is this week teaming up with Marie Curie Cancer Care in Tiverton to launch an appeal to raise £5,000 for a specialist cancer care nurse for the area. People throughout Mid Devon are being urged to support our 'Fields of Hope' campaign
BBC Radio Devon's Chestnut Appeal - so well championed by Saltash's Steve Tait while he was chairman of Caradon District Council - has received a much-welcome shot in the arm from the organisers of Morval Steam Rally. The prostate cancer appeal benefitted
A NEW hospital unit, which has just been officially opened in Cornwall, will not be fully operational for a few weeks because of a shortage of staff. Facilities for water births at Helston Community Hospital have cost more than £200,000. But women will
TAUNTON shoppers dug into their pockets last weekend to help the Somerset County Gazette-backed Albemarle Appeal. The Friends of the Albemarle have donated the total of £225 from a street collection in the centre of Taunton on Saturday to the project.
THE final push is on to reach the £120,000 target of the Somerset County Gazette's 'Stop It Before It Starts' campaign. The scheme, which will put a mobile classroom on the road to teach primary school youngsters about the dangers of drug and alcohol
Lives were in danger this week when two concrete blocks were thrown at a train as it passed beneath the Falmouth fire station and the nearby cricket ground. The blocks dented the body of the carriage and narrowly missed windows in Thursday's incident.
SECRETARY of State for Education Charles Clarke has been warned personally that Somerset's schools will be hit by job losses if the county's funding crisis is not resolved. A cross-party delegation led by Pauline Clarke, county education boss, put the
IT'S crunch time for local hero Alex Parks this weekend as she battles it out with two other contenders in a bid to be the winner of the BBC's Fame Academy. Alex, 19, from Mount Hawke, near Truro, has enthralled millions over the past weeks with her emotional
A small group of drug addicted criminals are costing Bristol £1 million of pounds a year, an expert has claimed. Rick Palmer, manager of the multi-agency Community Safety and Drugs Partnership in Bristol, said each hardcore offender in the city might
Police have issued a description of two suspects who robbed and assaulted a man and a woman in their home in Rode, near Frome. Two men, wearing balaclavas, broke into the couple's home at the Post Office, High Street, on Tuesday and tied them up before
DEMONSTRATORS from the Taunton Deane Stop the War Coalition were among tens of thousands of protesters at an 'End the Occupation of Iraq' and 'Blair and His Lies Must Go' event in London last Saturday. They joined a march from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square
Ten peace activists were arrested by police as they were on their way to Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth. They were from a five-day international disarmament camp set up on Thursday by anti-Trident campaign Trident Ploughshares. Trident nuclear submarine
There could be job cuts as a result of a review of posts being undertaken by the Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust. The review is aimed at identifying where savings can be made to concentrate the money available on direct patient care. The Trust said it had
ANTI-nuclear protesters claim newly published reports prove people living near Hinkley Point are at risk from cancer - even though medical experts insist this is not the case. Campaigners at Stop Hinkley say South West Cancer Intelligence Service figures
A GROUP that plays a keen role in keeping Burnham and Highbridge's historical roots alive is facing the chop if more people do not support its work. North Sedgemoor local History Group has met every month for the past 17-years to discuss, debate and enjoy
IT'S crunch time for local hero Alex Parks this weekend as she battles it out with two other contenders in a bid to be the winner of the BBC's Fame Academy. Alex, 19, from Mount Hawke, near Truro, has enthralled millions over the past weeks with her emotional
A SPECIALIST nurse at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, in Truro, has set up a support group for people with bowel cancer. Colorectal cancer nurse Clare Ferris says around 34,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK each year and last year, in
A new blood saving machine at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro is set to benefit patients who do not want to receive a transfusion of someone else's blood - thanks to the generosity of Jehovah's Witnesses and their friends in Cornwall. The new blood
Western Power Distribution is the sponsor for what's expected to be an "electrifying" Promenade Concert at the Hall for Cornwall on Sunday, October 12. The concert is set to raise funds for Truro Hospital Radio (THR) whose "Pound for Sound" campaign aims
Access to Community Education in Torbay is one of twenty groups in the South West whose application for lottery money has been successful in the Community Fund's autumn announcement of grants. Access to Community Education in Torbay has been awarded a
TAUNTON Town will be looking to end a run of four successive defeats with victory over Corby Town in the preliminary round of the FA Trophy at Wordsworth Drive tomorrow (3.00). "It's important we start winning games and kick-start our season," said Taunton
HUGE quantities of fake £20 notes are circulating in Wellington and police are warning traders to be vigilant. Criminals from big cities are targeting the town because the motorway provides an easy access and escape route. But a crime-busting solution
PHONE boxes in parts of Wellington and Rockwell Green have reached the end of the line. BT has given notice that it intends to close unprofitable and underused booths in North Street, Swains and Exeter Road. Their death knell has been sounded by increased
GOLDEN years at Wiveliscombe's Kingsmead Community School are being celebrated next month. Past and present staff, pupils, parents and governors will be in Wiveliscombe to mark 50 years of education at the site, on Saturday November 15. And a book of
CARNIVAL fever brought a party atmosphere to Wellington at the weekend. People young and old cheered on the glittering parade on Saturday night to make this year's Wellington Carnival the best ever, with over £4,000 raised for local charities. Thousands
FEARS that a former Wiveliscombe brothel and commune may return to its wild and wicked ways proved groundless this week. Concerns had been growing over the fate of Langley House after the historic hotel closed several months ago and it was announced that
A WELLINGTON teenager left with life-long heart problems following a series of infections while she was a baby, has won a £180,000 compensation pay-out. Lauren Browne, 13, who lives with her family in Ford Street, fell ill with septicaemia in 1991, when
CREDITON go into tomorrow's (Saturday) South West Two (W) match at Penryn still looking for their first league victory of the season after a heavy defeat at home to Brixham last weekend. They were beaten 49-16 by the visitors, who have started the season
BURNHAM Utd secured a hard-fought fifth successive win on Saturday to move into the second round of the cup. But they were within two minutes of being dumped out of the competition by Division One side Shirehampton, when Jason Kilduff ran on to Ryan McErlain
THE Rebels registered their first 'double' at the Oak Tree Arena on Friday, taking the aggregate bonus point to condemn Hull to the 'wooden spoon' position. Each of the Rebels contributed to the win in what must have been the best all round performance
MINEHEAD are banking on James Browning returning to their side following injury for their Screwfix League first division match away to Corsham Town tomorrow. Both Browning and another midfielder Robbie Fearn have been out with knee injuries. Browning
MEMBER clubs in the West Somerset Cricket League have backed their committee's decision not to award points to Stogumber following their controversial defeat by Over Stowey in their final game. Clubs voted 24-5 in favour of the committee's decision to
PLYMOUTH Albion Ladies face a tough match at the Brickfields on Sunday (2.30pm) when they face Clifton IIs in a Women's National Cup first round tie. Clifton, like Albion, are in National League Division 1 South West, so a tough contest is very much on
Police have launched an internal investigation after a Camborne man arrested on suspicion of trying to murder his wife was released to return and kill her two weeks later. At Plymouth Crown Court Anthony Mundy, from Moor Street, was sentenced to life
A PUBLIC meeting is to be held on Friday to discuss the future of the Fairfield site in Redruth. The meeting, which will be a chance for local people to put their views about the site across, takes place at the town hall starting at 7.30pm. It will be
FOR the second year running, a Redruth-based firm is cele-brating a double success in a prestigious national awards scheme. Alan Rule, of Illogan, and Denis Warder, of St Blazey, employed by David Ball Construction, have both repeated last year's first
Duchy College has celebrated the opening of a new building dedicated to the teaching of horticulture. The Rodda Building, named after Trevor Rodda, a college governor who has been instrumental in establishing the centre in Rosewarne, is the college's
Patients living in the Kerrier district are to benefit from a £400,000 boost to palliative care now that the West of Cornwall Primary Care Trust has been awarded a grant through the New Opportunities Fund. Launched this month, the scheme is expected to
PLYMOUTH Albion Ladies face a tough match at the Brickfields on Sunday (2.30pm) when they face Clifton IIs in a Women's National Cup first round tie. Clifton, like Albion, are in National League Division 1 South West, so a tough contest is very much on
TIMBERSCOMBE youngsters sought out some expert advice before embarking on a special bread-making session this week. Pupils at the village's first school were given the task of creating one of the displays in this weekend's Harvest Festival of Flowers
OPPONENTS of a controversial one-way system in Minehead have won a pledge that the scheme will be dropped if it fails to win the support of local people. Hundreds turned out to a two-day exhibition last weekend, held after protesters claimed there had
HEALTH and safety officers have investigated a total of 51 accidents at West Somerset businesses in the last six months. Although the majority of incidents were minor, a number led to victims suffering amputations. West Somerset District Council's consumer
'STRETCH' limousines in West Somerset will have to be licensed if they ply their trade on the streets. Limousines used for weddings, funerals or minimum seven-day contracts will be exempt from the new rules, agreed by West Somerset District Council's
MORE good news is on the way for Bridgwater patients after a doctor's surgery announced that it plans to open a branch in the Victoria area of the town. Taunton Road Medical Centre chiefs plan to open a new additional branch at Feversham Avenue, together
MERCURY readers have already made their feelings known about our Back the Bistro campaign with letters and petition forms piling through the postbox. Last week we launched a campaign to help transform the historic Cornhill building into a spruced-up business
A bridegroom from Devon went to jail instead of on honeymoon after he allegedly pointed a gun at his new sister in law at the wedding reception, a court has heard. Michael Honeysett, 51, was arrested after Susan Kudliskis told the police about the incident
Record-breaking Exmoor explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes is to run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. The 59-year-old, who underwent an emergency heart by-pass operation in June, will be running the marathons between October 26 and November
THERE are hopes that a new residents' association will be able to breathe new life into a troubled estate in Cullompt-on. Acts of vandalism, anti-social behaviour and fly tipping are regular occurrences on St Andrews Estate, which according to residents
FURIOUS David Hathaway hit back this week after being disqualified from his role as a Mid Devon district councillor and a Cullompton town councillor. The Adjudication Panel for England ruled that Mr Hathaway, who has served on the town council for 12
WELLINGTON go into tomorrow's away match against Calne Town in the Screwfix League's first division without star striker Shane Kingston. Last season's top scorer has moved to join Bridgwater Town, having turned down the chance to play for Street earlier
SOMERSET County Council bosses have welcomed Government plans to invest £50million more in walking, cycling and bus travel to school. The policy is deemed vital in the fight against traffic gridlock in Taunton and other towns in the county, notably during
ONE of Falmouth's most colourful characters died last week after a lifetime of serving the community. Hundreds of people are expected at St Mary's Catholic Church in Killigew Street tomorrow (Friday) for the funeral of Ron O'Neill, who died last Wednesday
Traders will get a chance to air their views on Falmouth's park and ride scheme at a meeting with Cornwall county council officials next month. The meeting comes a month after High Street shop owners wrote to the county council demanding something was
Budding linguists at St Francis School, Longfield, discovered "it was all Greek" when they took part in the semi-finals of a national language competition. With Spanish already under their belts after round one, 15 year five pupils showed off their knowledge
IT'S crunch time for local hero Alex Parks this weekend as she battles it out with two other contenders in a bid to be the winner of the BBC's Fame Academy. Alex, 19, from Mount Hawke, near Truro, has enthralled millions over the past weeks with her emotional
Councillors are to meet in Bath to discuss whether nightclubs in the city should be allowed to stay open later at weekends. A cross party panel is meeting at the Guildhall to assess the impact of having extended nightclub opening hours past 2am on Saturday
BUSINESS chiefs are calling for Taunton's long awaited Inner Relief Road to be shelved amid fears that it will divide the town centre and put the brakes on exciting development plans. The relief road is designed to link Wellington Road with Bridge Street
TAUNTON shoppers dug into their pockets last weekend to help the Somerset County Gazette-backed Albemarle Appeal. The Friends of the Albemarle have donated the total of £225 from a street collection in the centre of Taunton on Saturday to the project.
TAUNTON is cleaner than average - but there's still room for improvement, a Keep Britain Tidy report concludes. The county town scored above the national average in cleanliness in last month's Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS) study. It highlighted that
A SERIOUS hit-and-run incident in Berrow has left campaigners warning someone will be killed if new speed cameras are not installed. A man suffered serious injuries after a car struck him as he walked along Coast Road near Brean Leisure Park at 2am on
THE Rugby Football Union is set to host one of its successful Front Row Clinics at the University of Bristol on Wednesday. The Front Row Clinic has been designed to alleviate the shortage of players willing to scrum down in the front row by demonstrating
Following a threat by the group organising Truro's Christmas lights to not put on a display at all this year, two major sponsors have come forward to break the deadlock. The Mortgage Group and Harvey Plant Hire say they will each put money in to allow
A FALMOUTH boy made good was back in the area at the weekend as presenter of the BBC antiques gameshow Flog It! Hundreds of people turned up at the Great Hall at the Alverton Manor Hotel on Sunday to have their antiques valued by experts and the programme's
A NEW library at Polwhele House School, Truro, has been formally opened and named after one of the school's earliest supporters. The late David Evans, a prominent Falmouth hotelier, was enthusiastically involved in the school from its inception over a
An exciting new project which will encourage babies and young children in Camborne to read 1,001 books this month was officially launched as part of the second birthday celebrations of Sure Start,Trevu. Sure Start Trevu as well as parent and toddler and
TWO TV series featuring the Diocese of Truro, have won significant honours at the Christian Broadcasting Council Annual Awards ceremony, which took place at Keele University. The first episode of the six-part Living on a Prayer' shown at the end of last
ONE of Truro College's top students has been hon-oured with a prestigious award from the British Psychological Society. In 2002, Katy Randlesome, of Mawnan Smith, finished her A-levels at Truro College in style, achieving the country's top psychology
Apprentices nearing the end of their training have been told they face redundancy after a north Devon shipyard called in receivers. Dozens of youngsters are among 550 workers set to lose their jobs at Appledore Shipbuilders. The GMB union said today it
A bridegroom from Devon went to jail instead of on honeymoon after he allegedly pointed a gun at his new sister in law at the wedding reception, a court has heard. Michael Honeysett, 51, was arrested after Susan Kudliskis told the police about the incident
