Political award for defending country way of life

AN organisation which has championed the lifestyles of people on Exmoor and other rural areas has won a prestigious television award.
The Countryside Alliance, born out of the fight against the hunting ban and the effects of Foot and Mouth Disease, was named ‘the most inspiring political personality’ of the past 10 years in a Channel 4 News political awards programme.
It won the title for ‘its campaigns against the fox hunting ban and its defence of rural life’.
Founding president Baronnes Mallalieu QC and chairman Kate Hoey, MP, accepted the award from actor Jeremy Irons.
Baronnes Mallalieu quoted Shakespeare in describing her own Government as being guilty of the ‘insolence of office’.
She warned future administrations, of whatever colour, that there was ‘unfinished business’ in the countryside.
The ‘inspiring’ category was a special award in the annual political awards to mark Channel 4 News’ 10th anniversary.
Other shortlisted candidates included Tony Blair and Ken Livingstone.
Countryside Alliance chief executive Simon Hart said: “This win is a great shot in the arm for the Countryside Alliance at the start of 2008.
“It is clear that we were shortlisted primarily because of the hunting issue and our vocal campaigning style.
“Our ongoing tenacity and support for the hunting community will remain at the core of what we do, but Channel 4 also acknowledged our broader reach, naming our ‘defence of rural life’.
“The Countryside Alliance believes that when it comes to the defence of that rural life, it is ‘all of us or none of us’.
“This belief in unity makes the victory all the sweeter, the acclaim is for all of us.
“Everybody who has marched, signed petitions, written to their MP, volunteered or worked for the Alliance, and stoically continued to defend country sports and the rural way of life for the past decade can rightly claim this award as their own.”
The award was voted for by telephone, text, and email to decide the winner.
Spokesman for the Minehead Harriers, Mike Padgett, said: “We are so pleased that the Countryside Alliance has won this prestigious award from Channel 4 for fighting our corner, the fox hunting ban and its defence of rural life.”

• Our photograph shows Kate Hoey and Simon Hart, of the Countryside Alliance, with their Channel 4 award. Photo submitted.

Everest Base Camp is first stop for Sir Ranulph

EXMOOR adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes has arrived at Everest Base Camp to begin his second attempt to climb the world’s highest mountain.
Sir Ranulph, aged 64, who lives near Exford, hopes to raise £3 million for the Marie Curie ‘Delivering Choice Programme’.
It took an eight-day trek through the Sagamarta National Park for Sir Ranulph’s team to reach Base Camp.
He will now begin the long acclimatisation process which will eventually see him make a bid for the summit in May.
Sir Ranulph said: “By the time we first saw Base Camp in the distance it was a very welcome sight.
“Lots of people try to make it to the Everest Base Camp and a lot do not because of the various problems with altitude sickness - not just headaches but sickness.
“I am feeling confident. The feeling of altitude - even walking in light boots from the tents to the mess tent, you are completely out of breath and you wake up in the night with panicky type breathing.
“It does not bode well, but you have to think of each day as it comes and hope that when the leader takes you over the next bit you are up to it.”
Everest Base Camp, at more than 17,600 feet, is perched on a creaking, shifting glacier at the bottom of the notorious Khumbu Icefall.

• Our photograph shows Sir Ranulph at Everest Base Camp. Photo submitted.

Micro generation grants are now open

THE Building Research Establishment which administers grants on behalf of the Government, has just announced the launch of a new open grants programme as an award from the Big Lottery Fund.
The programme will provide £8m for the installation of micro-generation technologies and energy efficiency measures by community based organisations and £1m for project development grants.
Whilst project development grants will be awarded on a first-come first-served basis the capital grants will be awarded on a competitive basis determined by quarterly selection panels.
Grants will be made to not-for-profit-organisations which will now allow applications by Parish Councils.
This new scheme reinforces the existing grants but uniquely seeks to combine micro-generation of energy with energy efficiency measures.
Edwin Beckett, Chairman of the Exmoor Trust, warmly welcomed this announcement which adds to the emphasis which the Trust is giving to the advantages for the communities of Exmoor of sustainable energy.
He said: “The capital grants available under this scheme are considerable – up to £50,000 or 50 per cent whichever is lower.
“Even the project development grants offer up to £5,000 or 75 per cent whichever is lower.
“However there are downsides for systems producing electricity as they want a fairly large output. “There is also a complex application process but the principle benefit appears to be that all production systems have a level playing field.”
Archie McIntyre, who is arranging the Energy for Exmoor event on 2 May at Ralegh’s Cross Inn, is confident that communities seeking more information or clarification about this new grant scheme will be able to get advice from experts.
He added: “The Exmoor Trust has produced a guide to funds available to support the installation of micro-generation systems which will be available at two identical sessions starting at 9 am and 2 pm.
People wishing to guarantee the session of their choice should pre-register on www.exmoortrust.org.uk.

Drunk driver crashes into woman's parked car - police breathalyse HER!

CONSULTANT business trainer Margaret Worth had a shock when she heard a drunk-driver crash into and wreck her car while it was parked outside her home.
And as police responded to her 999 call and arrived to arrest the Eastern European driver, she was even more surprised when they promptly breathalysed - her.
Mrs Worth, of Glenmore Road, Minehead, had been sitting on the sofa in her living room when the crash happened outside.
But she still found herself being formally breath tested by officers to check if she had been drinking.
The result was ‘zero’ – and Mrs Worth has kept the breathalyser as a souvenir of the bizarre law enforcement approach.
However, she has not complained, as she reasoned that the test put her in the clear just in case the foreign driver tried to claim in court that she had driven into him instead.
The incident happened at about 4 pm on a Friday afternoon.
Mrs Worth told The Post: “I was sat on my sofa and heard this car going along, and then I heard a crunch and thought somebody must be hurt.
“I got to the door just in time to see him ricochet into my car, lifting it up and pushing it along by three feet.
“I could see he was drunk, and he roared off as I dialled 999 and did a circuit and came back.
“He was sat there when the police arrived and they removed an empty bottle of whisky from his car.
“I actually got cautioned and breathalysed and I had to produce my documents. Apparently, it is the law.
“The police were extremely professional. I was quite happy to give a breath test because I do not drink, and naturally it came up zero.
“On the face of it, it does sound ridiculous. I still think it is funny to be suspected of being drunk in charge of a sofa.
“But when you start to analyse it, then I suppose it does make some sense.”
Avon and Somerset Constabulary spokesman Wayne Baker confirmed to The Post yesterday that it was not routine to breathalyse witnesses to such an incident.
However, Mr Baker said the officers who attended Mrs Worth’s incident had incorrectly received information that she may have been driving her car at the time.
Mr Baker said police who dealt with the incident had arrested a man on suspicion of drinking and driving.

Fraud squad police investigate photographer

FRAUD squad police have investigated a Minehead photographer who is also a former bankrupt.
Two detectives visited the town last year to speak to local businessmen about the activities of Mark Stothard (pictured), who has been trading under the company name Mark The Photographer Ltd.
The inquiries at that time were in relation to items being sold on the internet auction site eBAY apparently on behalf of a firm called Carnopy.co.uk, which was a genuine company not involved in any scam.
Mr Stothard, aged 40, who at one time took photographs for The Crier newspaper and subsequently for The Post, was found to have been discharged from bankruptcy only the months earlier.
He had been made bankrupt in Eastbourne County Court in May, 2005, when he was known to be also using another name, Anthony Leaver, which coincidentally was the name of a Scottish man who had lost his wallet the previous year. Anthony was also his middle name.
His occupation at the time was given as unknown and his address was listed as Gates Cottage, Beasley Farm, Timberscombe, although it had recently been in North Street, Taunton.
A month after his automatic discharge from bankruptcy, Mr Stothard converted his Mark The Photographer sole trading name to a limited company with a registered address in Praed Street, London, which continues to be used as a trading address.
Eleven months later, in December, 2007, a county court judgement for a debt of £12,194 was obtained against Mr Stothard’s company Mark The Photographer Ltd during an ‘in chambers’ session held in Banbury County Court, Oxfordshire.
A few days later, The Post began receiving invoices from Mark The Photographer Ltd claiming fees of nearly £1,000 for photographs taken under an agreement whereby had received promotion of his business in the newspaper.
Since then, the bills claimed against The Post by Mr Stothard have risen to nearly £1,300 and the newspaper has also been receiving demands on his behalf from a business calling itself South West Debt Recovery.
Mr Stothard, who uses his wife Sarah Masters a company director to sign correspondence, was recently believed to be living off Seaward Way, Minehead, but has now started using a trading address in Bridge Street, Taunton.
SW Debt Recovery – which is also the name of a dissolved company – conceals its identity by using a Taunton PO Box number as its address and does not give any names of people in the business.
After threatening court action against The Post, the debt recovery business has since claimed to have reported the newspaper to the ‘Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Constabulary together with the electoral and Parliamentary bodies regarding your business activities’.
The Mayor of Minehead, Councillor David Hawkes has received correspondence on behalf of Mr Stothard complaining that he was owed money by The Post’s sales and marketing manager, Dudley Seale, who is a town councillor.
It is understood Mr Stothard has sent similar letters to the Conservative’s constituency office and to the West Somerset Free Press and Somerset County Gazette newspapers.
The Post understands Mr Stothard has similarly harassed a member of Minehead Cricket Club and other local businesses have been upset by his demands for payments they did not believe he was owed.
Since moving to West Somerset, Mr Stothard has been involved in a string of different business names, including We Have Delivered It, Inco (IBS) Management and Business Consultants, Summerlands, Carnopy.eu, and Tender First.
One interested party who has tracked Mr Stothard’s known business history since he left school in Lancing, West Sussex, at the age of 16, described him as a ‘moving target’ who used anonymity of the internet and the privacy of accommodation boxes to evade creditors.
The Post has received an extensive dossier on Mr Stothard listing a trail of people said to have been owed money by him.
Prior to moving to live in West Somerset, Mrs Stothard also had many other business names, and one company The AJ Management Company Ltd, was compulsorily wound up by the Official Receiver in Brighton, in July, 2002.
During his time working with The Crier, Mr Stothard used a 07074 premium rate telephone number on his advertising which he claimed was a ‘mobile’ number, and he earned money every time somebody called him on it. The practice stopped when The Crier challenged him on the matter.
He also made claims on his website during 2006 that he was going to be away in France photographing the Tour de France cycle race and in Germany for the football World Cup finals – while somehow he was actually still able to be in Minehead taking photographs for The Crier.
His glossy website contains a gallery of photographs of world leaders and sportsmen, but Mr Stothard carefully avoids actually stating in writing that they were taken by him.
This week, Mr Seale went to police in Minehead to complain about Mr Stothard’s business practices.
The Post will make available to the police the dossier of information it has on Mr Stothard.
Mr Seale said: “I would like to hear from anybody else who has had dealings with Mr Stothard or any of his businesses so that I can draw up as comprehensive a picture of his activities as possible.”

Finally, a final decision on Vulcan Road on the way

THE future development of Minehead’s Vulcan Road car park could finally be decided next week, after months of back peddling by district councillors unable to face letting down the people who elected them.
Councillors will consider their preferred option for the future development of the site at their meeting on Wednesday – even though the authority previously formally agreed a supermarket scheme and other retail use two years ago.
Another round of public consultation recently revealed there was significant local support for a medium-sized supermarket to provide competition for similar outlets in the town and support for affordable housing.
There was little support for a large Tesco supermarket, mixed retail/industrial development, or an hotel.
In light of this, the report being presented to councillors next week recommends:

• The site for development is restricted to Vulcan Road car park and the council’s Mart Road depot site
  
• The ‘preferred option’ for elements of the development consist of a medium-sized supermarket, plus A1 retail and affordable housing
  
• A future draft development agreement includes clauses that require:

1. any viable scheme put forward by the developer to include proposals for linking the development site with the town centre
   
2. any viable scheme to include proposals that minimise the environmental impact of both the design and subsequent operation of the finished development
   
3. the limitation of A1 retail following the non-inclusion of a hotel as part of the preferred option
   
4. any viable scheme put forward identifies the difference in the amount of capital receipt generated between units of rented affordable housing and shared equity affordable housing

Once members have decided their broad preferred option for the development of the site, work will begin on drafting a detailed development agreement which will go back to the council for consideration at a later date.

Council to find £1.1m for new hospital

A NEW agreement is to be considered next week which could be an important milestone in the ill-fated New Horizons project aiming to deliver a new £36 million community hospital for West Somerset.
The cash-strapped district council will be recommended on Wednesday to find up to £1.1 million to pay for capital works to enable the scheme to go ahead.
The council previously pulled the financial plug on New Horizons when its share of the costs rose to £11 million – but there was said to be nothing in the coffers to fund it.
Despite The Post being told the council was bound by an undertaking to provide infrastructure for the hospital to be built anyway, the authority’s media and PR officer, Stacey Beaumont denied this.
Now, the ‘riot act’ has been read to district councillors by their Somerset Primary Care Trust partners and a new agreement has been drawn up, which also involves Somerset County Council and the West Somerset Community College.
New Horizons also aims to deliver a 14 to19 years vocational training centre, adult learning facilities, sports opportunities, and affordable housing.
If the agreement is approved by councillors on Wednesday, the proposed new Minehead Community Hospital will be then the subject of a detailed planning application which will be submitted by the PCT in the summer.
The agreement also maps out how the partners intend to take forward land deals so that work can also start on marketing the housing aspect of the project, 30 per cent of which will be affordable housing.
The county council has already approved the agreement, in which it commits to contributing up to £1.2 million as well as transferring significant amounts of land to partners to make the scheme work.
The report going to district councillors recommends:

• A capital contribution equal to approximately a 25 per cent share of certain infrastructure costs of the project. This sum is to be capped at £1.1m and would support all elements of the community facilities, the Community Hospital, Skills and Enterprise Centre, new playing field provision and residential housing.
• 
  The transfer to Somerset County Council of an area of land adjacent to Seaward Way equal to approximately 4.4 acres. In exchange, Somerset County Council will transfer an area of land adjacent to Seaward Way equal to 0.42 acres to West Somerset Council. This will enable the creation of an access road from Seaward Way and the replacement of sports pitches within The West Somerset College.
• 
  The transfer to Somerset Primary Care Trust of an area of land adjacent to Seaward Way equal to approximately 0.42 acres to enable the completion of the access road to the new hospital site.

West Somerset Council has already invested £2.7m in purchasing land to help facilitate the project and has also contributed a significant amount of staff resource and time in working with the partner organisations.

Town crier to open new-look Watchet Esplanade

THE official opening of a new-look Watchet Esplanade will be celebrated on Saturday with a packed programme of events.
West Somerset Council secured £138,380 of European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) and more than £51,000 from the Somerset Rural Renaissance Partnership to enhance the area alongside one of West Somerset’s best-loved historic ports.
The enhancement project included infrastructure such as market stalls to enable the town to host local farmers and craft markets, new seating, audio/visual equipment, a refurbishment of the current shelters to include an information point, new paving in some areas, railings, lamps, curved benches, planters, and new tree plantings to boost the overall appearance.
District council chairman Councillor Jenny Hill, who is also a Watchet town councillor, said: “We are delighted with the project.
“It is now a really good area for tourists and the local community to enjoy.
“We are looking forward to the opening and to The Esplanade hosting a range of other events for the benefit of everybody.”
Town council chairman, Councillor David Banks, said: “The open day is essentially a community day where local organisations can take advantage of the enhanced facility.”
The celebrations start at 11.30 am with the cutting of a ceremonial ribbon by Alec Danby, who has served Watchet as town crier for 20 years.
A samba band, balloon modelling, the Rattlebox Theatre, Raventale Giants, and wandering clowns are also lined up to keep the crowds entertained for the afternoon.
Other activities will include a climbing wall, trampolines, hair braiding, and face painting, as well as a vintage car display and a variety of stalls on The Esplanade.
West Somerset Council’s acting head of paid service, Adrian Dyer, said: “It is great to see this project come to fruition and to see The Esplanade being enjoyed by local people.
“As well as providing new seating and renovating the shelters and paving, there is now provision for the town to host markets which will attract more visitors to this lovely, historic seaside town.”
A programme of events for the day is available from the Watchet Tourist Office or by emailing tourism@watchettowncouncil.org or telephoning 01984 632101.
The official opening celebrations will continue until 4.30 pm.

Our man 'Deadly' Dudley chosen for by-election challenge

THE Post columnist Dudley Seale has been chosen to fight the Alcombe East by-election for a seat on West Somerset Council.
Mr Seale, who is also a Minehead town councillor, will stand for the Conservatives.
He is one of four candidates contesting the vacancy created when former Minehead and Alcombe Mayor Nick Messarra stood down last month.
The others are Tony Bowden (Lib Dem), who has made several unsuccessful attempts at winning a seat in Watchet, Ron Bridlefor the Labour Party, and retired Minehead Town Council employee Sandra Slade, who is standing as an Independent with town and district Councillor Terry Venner acting as her agent.
The by-election will b e held on Thursday, May 1, and anybody living in the ward who is registered to vote will receive a poll card in the weeks running up to the ballot.
Polling will take place at St Michael’s Church, Alcombe, between 7 am and 10 pm, and the count will take place at the church immediately after the close of the poll.
Anybody wishing to have a postal or proxy vote must apply by 5 pm on Wednesday, April 23.
To register for a postal or proxy vote contact Electoral Services Officer Elisa Day on 01984 635272.
A vacancy in the ward for the town council will be decided by co-opting a candidate, possibly as early as next week, after nobody called for a by-election to be held.

Smart new look for Dreamscheme community volunteers

DREAMSCHEME volunteers and young people in the Seaward Way area of Minehead will now look smarter than ever, thanks to the support of local printing firm, Porlock Print.
PCSOs Luisa Skinner and Rachel Cutler met with Porlock Print boss Gary Needs and came up with a design for a polo shirt for all volunteers and children to wear when carrying out their activities and tasks in the community.
The Dreamscheme project is planning a fun day with sports coaching and re-opening of the revamped multi-use games area at Sandpiper Close, on Friday April 18.
During the past three months, young people and volunteers have been redecorating the boards that surround the area, and with support from Magna West Somerset and Knightstone Housing Associations, West Somerset Council, and police, new lines will be painted for football and basketball, and new football goals and basketball nets will be fitted.
Funding for the Dreamscheme project has also been received from local businesses and agencies.

• Our photograph shows Gary Parker with some of the Dreamscheme volunteers. Photo submitted.

Hospital 'missed' Butlins woman's fatal illness

A WOMAN employee who died at the Butlins holiday centre, in Minehead, is thought to have contracted a fatal illness which went unnoticed by hospital doctors.
Colleagues of Alexandrea Toth, a 22-year-old Hungarian, found her dead in her bed at the holiday centre last week.
After complaining of feeling unwell the previous day, she went to hospital for checks but was sent back again because she started to feel better.
However, she died in her sleep during the night.
She is believed to have died from a bacterial infection known as group a streptococcus (GAS), which can be linked to meningitis.
It is a bacteria which many people carry in the throat and on their skin, and it can survive long enough to be passed to other people by sneezing, kissing, and skin contact.
Generally, it proves harmless, although in rare cases it causes serious illness and death if it reaches the bloodstream, muscle tissue, or lungs.
Symptoms include fever, aching muscles, localised tenderness of muscles, and redness or inflammation around wounds or open skin.
Medical advice for anybody suffering from such symptoms is to immediately contact their GP.
Other staff at Butlins were offered antibiotics as a precaution following Miss Toth’s death.
However, the Dorset and Somerset Health Protection Unit said staff and visitors at Butlins were not in any danger.
The unit’s director, Dr Sue Bennett, said it was a rare illness with as few as 15 cases a year in Somerset.
She thought it was unlikely to have spread to any friends or colleagues of Miss Toth.
Dr Bennett said: “We have informed the management of Butlins that this is an isolated event and represents no risks to the health of either staff or other guests.”
A spokesman for Butlins said it was a ‘rare and unforeseen tragedy’.
He said Miss Toth was well-liked by staff and her death had upset everybody at the centre.
“Alexandrea was a popular young lady with all members of staff and will be sadly missed,” he said. “We offer our condolences to her family.”

Rescued Hannah already planning second attempt at North Pole record

ADVENTURER Hannah McKeand, who was brought up in Watchet, is planning to make a second attempt at her North Pole record.
Hannah, whose mother Julian Burbury lives in the town, was dramatically rescued from the Arctic icepack last week.
She was flown to safety by the Canadian Royal Air Force after falling into a crevasse and injuring herself so badly that she could not continue.
Hannah had been trying to become the first woman to ski solo and unsupported to the North Pole and she was barely two weeks into the journey when the accident happened.
In an email to The Post as she was being taken for medical treatment, Hannah said: “I am looking forward to getting home and getting healed and starting to plan how to get back on the ice next year for another attempt.
“No, of course I have not been put off, this is what I do.
“I am hoping to be back up here next season. It will be fun.”
Two years ago, Hannah became the quickest person - man or woman - to ski unsupported to the South Pole.

Now, it's 'fat cat' council pensions in the watchdog's spotlight

PENSIONS for local council staff are costing every West Somerset resident a total of £62, a startling new report by local authority watchdogs the Taxpayers’ Alliance has revealed.
Information obtained by the alliance using the Freedom of Information Act shows Somerset County Council increased the money it spent on pensions for staff from £20.64 million in 2005-06 to £24.332 million in 2006-07 - a huge 17.9 per hike in just one year.
The Liberal Democrat-run county’s pensions bill alone was £47 for each person in West Somerset.
On top of this, each resident was forking out another £15 for pensions at cash-crisis West Somerset Council, although its spend actually fell by 13.5 per cent from £615,000 in 2005-06 to £532,000 in 2006-07.
The news comes just two months after The Post reported a Taxpayers’ Alliance investigation which showed the number of County Hall ‘fat cat’ officers earning more than £50,000 a year had skyrocketed by 1,200 per cent from just nine in 1997 to a staggering 111 by last year – costing each West Somerset resident £13.64.
The cost of pensions at neighbouring Taunton Deane Borough Council rose by a huge 46.6 per cent from £1.66 million in 2005-06 to £2,434 million in 2006-07, which amounted to £23 per person.
Sedgemoor District Council increased its pensions funding by 23.2 per cent from £1.6 million to £1.973 million between 2005-06/07, costing each resident £18.
Nationally, the average council now spends more than £10 million on employer pension payments - a 13 per cent increase on the average amount spent in 2005-06.
In 2006-07, local authorities across the country spent a total of £4.6 billion on employer contributions to the Local Government Pension Scheme and unfunded payments and added years benefits to local government employees, teachers and fire
Fighters - representing 21 per cent of council tax revenue or £1 in every £5 of council tax.
TaxPayers’ Alliance chairman Andrew Allum said: “It is unacceptable that ordinary families and pensioners who struggle to pay inflated council tax bills see so much of their money spent on gold-plated council pensions that have all but disappeared in the wider economy.
“With pension costs jumping 13 per cent in one year, the problem is clearly getting worse and requires urgent attention.
“Councils should start correcting their own behaviour immediately, and the Government must face down union pressure and reform the outdated local government pensions scheme as soon as possible.”
Mr Allum said urgent reform of public sector pensions was ‘clearly essential’ in order to reduce the bill to taxpayers, free up money for services, and avoid a serious crisis in public sector pension funding in the future.
He said at present many councils added extra years to an officer’s pension to allow them to retire early.
“In other words, it is possible for certain council employees to retire at age 55 and immediately draw on a pension as if they had retired at age 60,” he said.
Mr Allum said added years benefits was a practice which should cease immediately.
He said at the same time as increasing their spending on pensions for staff, many local authorities were raising council tax and at the same time cutting services such as rubbish collections or care for the elderly.
Local Government Association deputy chief executive John Ransford said: “The TaxPayers’ Alliance appears to be condemning lollipop ladies, bin men, street cleaners, and librarians for getting a pension worthy of the years of service they have given helping local people.
“Councils provide more than 800 different services for local residents and these cannot be delivered by robots or machines.
“The Local Government Pension Scheme recently underwent a radical overhaul, which provides greater value for money to the taxpayer while at the same time recognising the invaluable work that council staff do to make the lives of local people better.
“According to the Treasury, councils are the most efficient and effective part of the public sector, and the independent Audit Commission has recently said that councils are delivering better services than ever before.”

EXCLUSIVE: Outdoor market set to return to seafront site

MINEHEAD’S outdoor market looks set to make a return to the town’s seafront, following extensive talks with a local publican.
John Richardson, of the Hobby Horse Inn, on The Esplanade, has revealed to The Post how the town’s outdoor Tuesday and Thursday market is almost certain to be based at his establishment, following talks with market officials.
The news will be a big boost to local traders, who have been calling for it to be relocated nearer the main town centre shopping area.
They had complained of seeing a downturn in their business following the market’s move further out of town to Seaward Way.
Mr Richardson said: “It is 99.9 per cent certain the market will be based here, although there are few areas we still need to sort out.
“The market will be open on the same days, and the format will still be the same, although it will have to downsize a little to fit into the space.
“The gardens and outdoor areas will be used, and use will also be made of the ballroom for those things which are currently indoors.”
The outdoor market had to leave its long-standing site next to Minehead Railway Station last year to make way for a controversial industrial units development being carried out by Somerset County Council.
Mr Richardson said he was ‘only to happy to help’ when approached by market officials who looked at a number of possible sites on which to relocate the market.
He said: “The market people asked if we were interested after looking at a few places, and they thought they could make it work.
“This will be good thing not only for us, but for people all around this area who have wanted the market to move back to this end of the town.”
The move to The Esplanade is likely to take place during Whitsun week at the end of May, or possibly a week earlier in order to allow a trial run before the public holiday.
Market organiser Brian Davies was unavailable for comment as The Post went to press.

Woman in her 90s seriously injured in A39 collision

A WOMAN in her 90s has been seriously injured by a car which hit her on the A39 near Selworthy.
The accident happened at 3 pm on Thursday, March 27, at Budleigh Hill, which is between Minehead and Porlock.
A blue Peugeot car travelling towards Porlock from the direction of Minehead collided with the woman. The driver stopped at the scene.
The woman suffered a serious leg injury and was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital, in Taunton, where she remained in a serious condition.
Police are appealing for information and are keen to speak to anybody who witnessed the collision.
Anybody who can help should call the force’s collision investigation unit on 0845 4567000 or contact the police through the secure Crimestoppers contact form at https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/crimestoppers/ContactForm.aspx
Alternatively, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, where they do not have to give their name but could receive a reward.

Hannah's North Pole record bid ends in drama

A BID by adventurer Hannah McKeand to become the first woman to reach the North Pole solo and unsupported came to a dramatic end after she had to be rescued from the ice by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Hannah, aged 34, who was brought up in Watchet, where her mother Julian Burbury still lives, had fallen into an eight feet deep crevasse and injured herself so badly that she could not continue.
Mrs Burbury learned the news at home in Watchet when Hannah was able to ring and leave a telephone answering message on Saturday after being rescued.
She told The Post she would be flying out to see her daughter as soon as she was able to locate to which hospital Hannah had been taken.
Mrs Burbury thought it unlikely that Hannah would want to have a second attempt at the record.
She said: “I think she is sensible. She has tested herself to the limit. I think with a bit of persuasion she will realise that one world record of that kind is enough (Hannah set a record two years ago when she became the fastest person to ski solo to the South Pole).”
The Arctic expedition came to an end during the Easter weekend and as The Post went to press, Hannah was believed to be recovering in a Canadian hospital, although her exact whereabouts were not known.
She was two weeks into the journey when she climbed a pile of ice blocks to scout the view ahead of her and without warning the snow gave way and Hannah fell sideways into a deep hole.
In the fall, Hannah wrenched her left leg and also hurt her lower back and left shoulder.
Hannah had already suffered several falls previously because of poor weather conditions and on one occasion she injured her shoulder but had been able to continue her journey.
This time, however, it took Hannah an hour to drag herself out of the crevasse and she knew immediately that her injuries were more severe.
She was able to contact the expedition doctor and took medical advice and medication and she then set camp and spent all day on Good Friday resting and assessing her condition.
By Easter Saturday, Hannah was still in considerable pain and her mobility was restricted, so she knew she was not up to dragging her pulk another 380 nautical miles over the Arctic.
Although she was out of immediate danger in her tent with warmth, food, and shelter from her own equipment and supplies, the longer she stayed put, the fewer supplies she would have for the remainder of the journey.
The expedition’s operations manager, Steve Jones, said: “Physical injuries are a high risk to polar expeditions and several North Pole expeditions have had a member of the expedition evacuated.
“Obviously, in a team of one that does not leave many to continue.
“I can only imagine how disappointed and frustrated Hannah is, but it is a tribute to her strength of character that she sounds cheerful and in good spirits on the Iridium phone.”
Hannah was able to call for help and a Canadian Forces rescue helicopter managed to land on the rough Arctic ice pack and airlift her to safety.
She was first flown to Alert, a remote Canadian government station on northern Ellesmere Island, from where she was taken to Resolute Bay, on Cornwallis Island, also in the northern Nunavut Territory.
After that, she was flown south for medical care and a full assessment of her condition, and is believed to have reached Toronto.
The final few days of the expedition had seen Hannah make slow progress in the difficult terrain and in one 8.5-hour day she had travelled just 1.5 nautical miles, which she reported had been ‘horrible’.
Her Argos satellite tracking beacon had also stopped working which left her dependent on two Iridium satellite phones for communications with the outside world.
Despite all her efforts in temperatures as low as minus 45 degrees, Hannah had only travelled a total of about 33.5 nautical miles and still had another 380 to reach the Pole.

A jazzy case of village parking

A WOMAN driver caused quite a stir for a Wootton Courtenay couple yesterday (Wednesday) when her car reversed through a garden fence and became suspended over a seven-feet drop.
The drama happened when the motorist apparently mistook the driveway of Mike and Margaret Izaby-White’s home for a country lane.
After overcoming their initial amazement at the scene, the couple called the emergency services.
Mrs Izaby-White said: “I was in the utility room ironing, with the radio on, so I did not hear anything.
“I went into the dining room, where my husband was working on the computer, and he had not noticed either.
“We had the police, fire engine, and paramedics here, and we had the neighbours coming round for a look.
“Nobody had seen anything like it before. It was quite a bizarre morning.”
Mrs Izaby-White said it seemed there was something not right with the driver, as the woman simply sat in her Honda Jazz car for about two hours without attempting to leave.
She said the woman was eventually removed from the vehicle and handed to paramedics apparently unharmed.
As The Post went to press, police said they were waiting at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, to speak to the driver.
Photo by Mike Izaby-White.

Police triple class A drug haul in less than a year

CLASS A drug seizures across Avon and Somerset have more than tripled in the past nine months as officers tighten their grip on the dealers.
From April 2007 to the end of December 2007 Avon and Somerset Police seized class A drugs with a street value of £2.4 million.
This figure compares with £790,000 worth of drugs seized from April 2006 to March 2007.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Williams, head of the force's serious crime group, said: "These figures show the success we are having in dismantling, disrupting and destroying those organised crime groups who seek to profit from drug dealing in our area.
"Working with partner agencies and with the support of local communities we have had some excellent arrests and seizures in the past year.
"One way to gauge the impact we are having on dealers is the purity of the drugs seized.
"As dealers get squeezed by the police the purity drops as drugs get harder to get hold of.
"The average purity of cocaine would be expected to be around 40 per cent.
"That has dropped to around 20 per cent and in one recent seizure the cocaine was six per cent pure.
"That brings with it new risks for the user as it will be mixed with all sorts of cutting agents that no-one will know about.
"The greatest increase in seizures during the last year has been in heroin and cocaine."
Heroin seizures to date equate to £1.3 million in comparison to £85,000 last year, and cocaine seizures increased to £1 million compared to £272,000 for the same period last year.

£180,000 of sustainable grants available for Exmoor projects

The Exmoor Sustainable Development Fund is again open for business and a meeting on Thursday, March 27, of the independent grant advisory panel will consider 11 new proposals.
The panel, comprised of people who live and work across Exmoor and the surrounding area, will meet with the project applicants at Withypool Village Hall.
The projects being considered encompass a wide range of issues, from renewable energy installations and a strategy for making Exmoor National Park carbon neutral by 2016, to assessing the genetics of salmon in the River Exe, to support for the production and supply of local food.
Other applications cover community events and facilities as well as ecological research and education.
Further details of the applications and the meeting are available on www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk or from local libraries in the Exmoor area.
The fund is administered by the national park authority with the funding provided by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Each year, £180,000 is available for projects which show innovation in addressing sustainable development within and around Exmoor National Park.
Since being launched in 2002, more than 130 projects have received SDF funds and have made Exmoor a more sustainable place to live in, work in, visit, and enjoy.
In December of last year, Defra announced that funding would be available for at least a further three years.
“Since reopening for applications we have been inundated with expressions of interest and applications, totalling over £627,000,” said Phil Cookson, the park authority’s sustainability and economy manager.
“In the past five years more than £1.1m has been spent improving Exmoor and people’s knowledge and pleasure and I wish these new projects the same successes.”
Dan James, who is succeeding Mr Cookson, said: “This is great news for Exmoor and reflects the pro-active nature of communities within and around the park in working towards a sustainable future for Exmoor.
“It also means that the panel members will have much debate when advising the national park authority on prioritising the limited funds.”
The authority continues to welcome expressions of interest from anyone with an innovative idea which will further the twin national park purposes of ‘conservation and enhancement of Exmoor’s special qualities’ and ‘public enjoyment and understanding of those special qualities’ in a sustainable manner.
Funding of between 50 per cent and 75 per cent of project costs can usually be considered.
For further details visit www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk or contact Dan James on 01398 322234 or by emailing dtjames@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk.

Planting starts on Exmoor's Celebration Woodland

THE first trees have been planted in a new natural woodland at Wimbleball Lake.

South West Water, the Exmoor Society and South West Lakes Trust have joining forces for the exciting and innovative project, which aims to provide an area where visitors and residents can contribute to the landscape and environment.

The celebration woodland will be planted with a selection of native trees which will cover 1.4 acres and will be open to residents and visitors who wish to join this special tree planting scheme.

It will mark 50 years of the Exmoor Society and provide a woodland which visitors to Wimbleball can enjoy.

“Trees can be donated for numerous reasons,” said Evelyn Stacey, Director of South West Lakes Trust.

“These can include to celebrate a birth, anniversary or birthday.

“Or a tree can be planted in memory of someone special.

“We also think people and business organisations may just wish to contribute to the scheme or to off-set some of their carbon emissions.”

A second phase of planting will take place in the autumn and this pattern will be continued with plantings twice a year in spring and autumn.

To ensure that the Celebration Woodland is kept as natural as possible, trees will not be marked in anyway but a book of dedication will be kept at the tea room at Wimbleball Lake for special messages and remembrance.

Trees can be planted for a donation of £20 which covers the cost of the tree, planting, on-going maintenance and a listing in the dedication book.

Anyone can join the scheme whether they wish to plant just one tree or several.

Anybody who would like more information should contact South West Lakes Trust on 01566 771930.

• Our photograph shows the planting of Oliver’s Oak, the first tree in the celebration woodland at Wimbleball Lake, by (left to right) Cairns Boston, chairman of the South West Lakes Trust trustees, Exmoor Society chairman Rachel Thomas, and South West Water customer services director Monica Reed. Photo by Jim Wileman.