Cornish airbase considered as space travel launch site - The Pasty sells saffron cakes from Cornwall and Cornish pasties

Sir Richard Branson’s business Virgin Galactic may consider using a Cornish airfield for its launch pad for space travel, it has been revealed.

Will Whitehorn, president of Virgin Galactic, which is pumping hundreds of million pounds into making space travel affordable, has said it might use RAF St Mawgan, near Newquay, as a “spaceport”.

Although the company is yet to approach the owners of the Cornish airfield, it is “one of the very few possible sites in England”, he said.

Virgin Galactic is currently building five SpaceShipTwo spacecrafts, which it plans to send more than 70 miles above the Earth.

It hopes to “bring the dream of space travel for many millions closer to reality”.

Tickets for the three-hour journey will cost £115,000. Virgin Galactic plans to launch its first flight from its main base in New Mexico, USA, in 2008.

A series of surf weekends aimed exclusively for women and girls will take place in Newquay next month.

British surf company Gul and SurfGirl magazine have teamed up to produce the fun-filled sessions held on Fistral Beach on September 9-10 and 23-24.

The courses offer both beginners and novices the chance to be taught by expert English Surfing Federation (ESF) coaches.

“Surfing is one of the best ways to keep fit and have fun in summer and all year round,” Liz Barneby, Gul communications manager, says. “These weekends are the perfect opportunity for women from eight to 80 to learn a new sport, make friends and embrace Cornwall’s vibrant surf culture.”

The sessions’ organisers promise a friendly and supportive atmosphere, and say a willingness to learn is more important than fitness.

The events will also offer yoga and massage sessions, as well as diet, health and fitness tips.

For more information, call Rob Barber on 01637 878074 or e-mail rob@orcasurf.co.uk

West Country anglers are being warned about possible attacks from animal rights extremists, following an incident in north-west England in which fly-fishers were attacked by 30 men with baseball bats.

The incident earlier this month prompted the Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trusts (FACT) organisation to demand a meeting with the Home Office to discuss anglers’ safety.

“We want to meet the Home Office to make sure the advice we give to anglers is the best and that the police treat these incidents with the seriousness they deserve,” a spokesman for FACT says.

The organisation’s chairman, Jim Glasspool, added FACT wanted to “ensure all steps are taken to protect innocent anglers from further attacks”.

Although there have been no attacks in Devon and Cornwall, anglers believe it could happen in the future.

“I am quite sure there could be attacks in the future, and we have to be ready for it if it happens,” says Bill Cox, secretary of the Plymouth and District Coarse Angling Club.

Hunt saboteur groups are known to have targeted anglers in the West Country in the past.

Mungo Jerry’s former banjo player pleaded not guilty to assault in a Cornwall court.

Paul King, 58, was charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend and a pub landlord on 4 July.

Mr. King, of Bridge House, Lerryn, near Lostwithiel, pleaded not guilty at Bodmin Magistrates to two charges of assault by beating of ex Fiona Sweet and pub landlord Johnnie Pusey. He was released on unconditional bail.

Mungo Jerry had a number one hit with In the Summertime in 1970.

Mr King will appear in court again on 3 October.

A Newfoundland dog has qualified as the first canine lifeguard in Britain.

Five-year-old Bilbo and his owner patrol a busy beach at Sennen Cove in Cornwall. The clever canine is trained to swim to the person in danger, pulling a board on a rope behind them. The person can then grab on to the board and the dog will pull them to safety.

Since Bilbo has been on lifeguard duty, the number of visitors to the beach has soared.

The number of salmon in the River Tamar is increasing, the Environmental Agency says.

A detailed study of the salmon population has revealed that stocks are rising as the river’s habitat is improving.

The River Tamar, which separates Devon and Cornwall, is one of a small group of rivers in England and Wales being monitored by the agency to investigate salmon and sea trout numbers.

“Our work and the partnership projects provide information of national importance to salmon and sea trout conservation,” says Robert Hillman, ecological appraisal technical specialist for the Environment Agency in Cornwall.

“What we’re doing now will ensure that fish stocks and river and lake environments are being safeguarded for the future.”

A number of methods are being used to calculate the number of fish in the River Tamar, including tagging, fish counters and electric fishing surveys.

The Sea Watch Foundation says encouraging numbers of harbour porpoises and dolphins have been spotted around the Devon and Cornwall coast this year during its annual survey.

The National Whale and Dolphin Watch has revealed north Devon is a key area for marine mammal sightings.

The latest survey included a sighting of a 20-strong pod of common dolphins near the Isles of Scilly and several bottlenosed dolphins.

The foundation says recording the whale and dolphin population is useful in providing a warning of potential problems in the marine environment.

Around 20,000 people packed into Newlyn yesterday for the Cornish village’s annual fish festival.

The festival, which has been running for 16 years, aims to boost the profile of the fishing industry.

One of the day’s highlights was the lifeboat gig race, in which a number of gigs raced in Mount’s Bay to compete for the Trafalgar Trophy. The three-mile course started and finished in Newlyn.

Other features included an exhibition by Seafood Cornwall, local chefs giving cooking tips, and a variety of bands.

“The event is our biggest fundraising of the year and enables the Fishermen’s Mission to continue offering the support and help to the families and loved ones of fishermen who have lost their lives at sea,” Superintendent David Whitehead said.

The festival supports 26 charities who displayed their own merchandise and items at the event to raise funds.

The National Seal Sanctuary at Gweek is releasing its seal pups to the sea wearing yellow hats to help track their progress.

Visitors to Cornish beaches who spot a seal with a hat, which is attached with non-toxic glue and will come off when the seal moults, are asked to contact the sanctuary.

“The hat tags are highly visible yellow colour, which makes them easy to see from a long distance, especially cliff tops,” said curator Dr Glenn Boyle.

“The hats will stay in place until late winter, early spring of next year and then fall off when the seal moults its fur.

“If you see a seal with a yellow hat on its head, please call the sanctuary on 01326 221361.This allows us to track a seal after we have released it,” Dr Boyle added.

Seal sightings have been reported from the Isles of Scilly, Wales, Ireland, Brittany and as far as Holland.

Each hat is labelled with a unique letter and number, allowing the sanctuary’s team to identify each individual seal pup.

Visit the Seal Sanctuary’s website: www.sealsanctuary.co.uk

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) says it will ignore 27,000 people who marched through Hayle on Sunday against cuts to Cornish health services.

Sue Wolstenholme from RCHT, which has a overspend its budget by £31m, said protesters weren’t properly informed.

She said: “My concern is that the protest was a reaction to one small part of a wider discussion that needs all of the implications considered fully.

“They need to understand the reality behind the situation much more clearly.”

But John Bennett, who helped organise the march, labelled the trust’s response “arrogant”.

“It’s very arrogant to tell us we don’t know the real issues,” he said.

“We wanted to send two messages; that we think that the hospital trust is badly managed and a lot more people should be accountable than just Brian Milstead.

“Secondly we wanted to help the trust to go to central government to say we need to have a new approach towards Cornwall.”