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.

New social group and support for special needs parents

A NEW social club for children in West Somerset with special needs and a support group for parents has been formed.
Information about the group will be shared by Action4Sen at a meeting being held in the Queen’s Hall, Minehead, at 11 am on Tuesday.
Action4Sen was set up last year by parents who were concerned at Somerset County Council cuts in school budgets for special needs provision.
It is campaigning for the council to return special needs funding to the level it was at before last August and also to stop the closure of any more special needs units in Somerset.
The group wants funding to be ring fenced funding to enable SEN assessments to be carried out fully to a national standard, as well as a review of present SEN facilities to allow the service to perform in the top quartile in the country within two years.
Following suggestions by parents for a social group to be formed, Action4SEN has met with CLOWNS, Social Services, and other parents in the area to discuss this idea.
As a result, the first meeting of the new social group will take place during the Easter school holidays at Alcombe Methodist Church Hall on April 10 from 10 am to 12 noon.
It is open to children with special needs, their siblings, parents, and carers, and offers a coffee and a chat with other parents and a chance to discuss how the group could develop.
A play activity box will be provided by Clowns.
More information is available from Siobhan Hutchings on 01643-707481 or by visiting the website http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/illuminate/a4sen/index.htm.

Pupils on the Easter egg trail at Dunster Castle

LOCAL families looking to celebrate Easter in a more traditional style can take part in a number of themed activities in the National Trust-owned Dunster Castle at the weekend.
They include an Easter trail supported by confectionery company Cadbury, which will give an Easter egg to every child who completes the trail.
Other family fun activities for visitors include face-painting, children’s entertainment, and an Easter themed play area.
The Easter trail involves egg hunters following a map around the National Trust site and visiting ‘trail’ points and collecting clues.
The events run from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Cadbury’s support of the National Trust Easter Trail is part of the company’s ‘Purple goes Green’ initiative, a programme to reduce its impact on the environment.
Cadbury ‘Egghead’ Easter eggs, which are the trail prizes, are unboxed and so use 70 per cent less cardboard packaging than the equivalent sized egg, creating less waste.
The confectionery company is contributing £150,000 to the National Trust Ancient Trees and Woodland conservation programme as part of the Easter Trail activity and its commitment to the environment.
For further details of activities and other participating properties go to www.eastereggtrail.com.

• Our photograph shows pupils from Minehead Middle School helping to launch the South West National Trust Easter Egg Trail at Dunster Castle, supported by Cadbury. Photo submitted.

Funeral arrangements confirmed for Sir Arthur

THE funeral of Sir Arthur C Clarke will be held at the General Cemetery in Colombo tomorrow (Saturday), March 22, at 3.30 pm.
In keeping with Sir Arthur’s wishes, the entire funeral will be a low key, secular event with no religious rites, decorations or speeches.
However, both the funeral house and the funeral are open to the public.
“Sir Arthur did not wish to have any involvement by either British or Sri Lankan governments,” said his spokesman Nalaka Gunawardene.
“To that extent, there is nothing official about the funeral. But his friends, fans and admirers are free to pay their respects.
“We recognise that he was a public figure.
“Sir Arthur’s family deeply appreciates the very large number of condolence messages coming in from all over the world.
“These indicate the enormous respect and affection Sir Arthur inspired in so many people.”
The author’s remains now lie at his home at 25, Barnes Place, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.
Since March 19, when Sir Arthur died aged 90, the family has politely declined many offers of banners and other forms of display of sympathy, as Sir Arthur asked not put up structures or decorations of any kind.
One exception is flowers, which are accepted.
In a signed letter left with his family and staff in mid-2007, Sir Arthur gave precise instructions for his funeral.
His final resting place is to be the family burial plot owned by his adopted Ekanayake family at the Colombo Cemetery.
Sir Arthur, who was born in Minehead, shared his Colombo house with Hector and Valerie Ekanayake, and their three daughters Cherene, Tamara and Melinda.
They will all be at the funeral.
Sir Arthur’s brother Fred Clarke has already arrived in Colombo, and sister Mary is due Friday night.
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke died at Colombo’s Apollo Hospital on March 19 early morning (Sri Lanka time) from respiratory complications.
He was also suffering from post-polio syndrome since the early 1990s, which confined him to a wheelchair for the past decade.
Photo of Sir Arthur by Shahidul Alam.

Hannah making steady progress in North Pole solo record attempt

EXPLORER Hannah McKeand was this week making steady progress in her bid to become the first woman to ski solo and unsupported to the North Pole.
Hannah, aged 34, who was raised in Watchet, where her mother Julian Burbury still lives, had travelled about 30 nautical miles north almost a fortnight into the expedition.
Although she still has around another 386 nautical miles to cover in about 46 days, her operations manager Steve Jones said the first section of the route was especially difficult and exceptionally small mileages were normal.
Mr Jones said Hannah’s progress so far was not an indication of how far she would be able to travel in a day later on.
In her log of the adventure, Hannah reported travelling barely two to three nautical miles in an eight-hour day, and on her worst day she had managed just 1.5 miles in seven-and-a-half hours.
However, Hannah said: “It might be tough terrain out here and the temperature is sitting at around the -45 degree mark, but I am experiencing the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets that give me beautiful pink skies most of the day.
“Against the white snow, this makes for stunning scenery and I am loving it out here.”
As well as the extreme cold, which at one point caused a tent pole to shatter, Hannah has had to cope with flat light and poor visibility, including a complete ‘white out’ which meant she kept bumping into things she would normally have found her way around.
On top of the weather conditions, there have been huge pressure ridges to negotiate and the constant movement and cracking of the ice, and several times she has had to risk stepping down to sea level and trusting her weight to refrozen sea water.
On her satellite phone, Hannah described laying awake at night and listening to the ice cracking and groaning around her.
The extreme conditions have caused wear and tear on her equipment and she has already had to carry out some running repairs.
It has also caused her to fall several times, and on one occasion in poor visibility she fell and injured her shoulder.
Although the plan was to ski most of the way, Hannah has found that she has made better progress wearing snow shoes.
Hannah’s progress can be followed on the website www.adventurehannah.com/nthpoledis.html.

Three last wishes of Sir Arthur

SCIENCE fiction author and inventor of the communications satellite Sir Arthur C. Clarke passed away on Tuesday after a brief illness. He was aged 90 years.
He died at Colombo’s Apollo Hospital from respiratory complications with his business partner Hector Ekanayake, who heads his adopted Sri Lankan family, with him to the end, along with his office and household staff.
Sir Arthur had also been suffering from post-polio syndrome since the early 1990s, which confined him to a wheelchair for the past decade.
Mr Ekanayake said Sir Arthur remained alert and active throughout his recent illness.
He was also in regular contact with his literary agents, publishers, and officials of the non-profit Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, which is based in Washington, USA.
Only a few days ago, Sir Arthur reviewed the final manuscript of his latest science fiction novel, The Last Theorem.
Co-written with the American author Frederik Pohl, the book is to be published later this year.
Sir Arthur is survived by his brother Fred and sister Mary, who both live locally. Their youngest brother, Michael, predeceased him.
Fred Clarke and his youngest daughter Judith were yesterday (Wednesday) travelling to Sri Lanka to attend the funeral.
Fred’s other daughter, Angie, who is a director of the foundation, will, by coincidence, be attending the annual prizegiving ceremony at Richard Huish College, Taunton, tonight (Thursday) with fellow director Peter Marshall, to present a new award, the Arthur C. Clarke prize for innovation.
The foundation had already agreed to donate the award and a bursary to the winning student at Sir Arthur’s old school.
The college has previously named its learning resources centre in honour of Sir Arthur.
Mr Marshall told The Post Sir Arthur’s illness during the past few months meant that his death had not been totally unexpected.
He said: “The job of the foundation is to promote his name and his legacy and perpetuate his name and all his good works all around the world, both on the fiction side and the science side of his life.
“We will continue to do this in the future with even more vigour since his legacy depends on us.”
Mr Marshall said he was aware that Fred Clarke had led previous attempts to set up an Arthur C. Clarke centre in either Minehead or Taunton.
He said: “In each case they did not get too far in raising money for it. Maybe this will be a stimulus to do it now.”
In his 90th birthday reflections video released on YouTube in December, Sir Arthur said he had ‘no regrets and no more personal ambitions’.
He listed three ‘last wishes’: some evidence of extra-terrestrial life, adoption of clean energy sources, and an end to the long-drawn civil war in Sri Lanka.
He said: “I have had a diverse career as a writer, underwater explorer, space promoter, and science populariser.
“Of all these, I want to be remembered most as a writer - one who entertained readers, and, hopefully, stretched their imagination as well.”
Sir Arthur wrote 100 books and more than 1,000 short stories and essays during 60 years.
Among his best-selling novels are Childhood’s End, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rendezvous with Rama, and Fountains of Paradise.
One of his short stories, ‘Dial F for Frankenstein’, written in 1964, inspired British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee to invent the World Wide Web in 1989.
Another short story, ‘The Sentinel’, 1948, was expanded to make the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he co-wrote with director Stanley Kubrick. They shared an Oscar nomination for the best screenplay in 1969.
Trained in physics and mathematics, Sir Arthur also wrote many books and essays of non-fiction on space travel, communication technologies, underwater exploration and future studies.
In a landmark scientific paper titled ‘Extra-terrestrial Relays’ published in 1945, Arthur C. Clarke was the first to set out the principles of satellite communication with satellites placed in geostationary orbits.
Sir Arthur never patented the idea, and received no financial benefits from his invention. He was contented being acknowledged as the ‘Godfather of the communication satellite’, and having the geostationary orbit designated as ‘Clarke Orbit’.
Born in Minehead, he was educated at Huish's Grammar School, Taunton, and King's College, London.
He worked in the British Exchequer and Audit Department and served as a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force before turning a full-time author in 1950.
His interest in diving and underwater exploration led him to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where he settled in 1956.
He pioneered diving and underwater tourism in Sri Lanka through his company Underwater Safaris, and played an active role as a public intellectual and as a patron of art, science, and higher education.
He served as Chancellor of Sri Lanka's technological University of Moratuwa from 1979 to 2002.
Although he became the island nation’s first ‘resident guest’ in 1975, Sir Arthur always remained a British citizen.
The Sri Lankan government presented him the Lankabhimanya (‘Pride of Lanka’), the country's highest civilian honour, in 2005.
Government officials, scientists, artistes and diplomats came together to felicitate Sir Arthur on his 90th birthday on December 16, 2007.
Sir Arthur’s literary achievements were recognised by the Queen when she honoured him with a Knighthood in 1998. He had received the CBE in 1989.
Sir Arthur was conferred several honorary doctorates from universities around the world, and had won all the top science fiction literary awards at one time or another.
In 1996, the International Astronomical Union named asteroid No 4923 in his honour, while scientists at the University of Monash, Australia, named a newly-discovered dinosaur species as Serendipaceratops arthurcclarkei in 2003.

• Our photo shows Sir Arthur on his 90th birthday in December. Photo courtesy of Sir Arthur C. Clarke's office.

Sir Arthur dies at age 90

SUGGESTIONS are being sought for a permanent memorial in Minehead to science fiction author Sir Arthur C. Clarke, who died, aged 90, late on Tuesday night.
Sir Arthur was the town’s most famous son, having been born in Blenheim Road, where a blue plaque on the wall outside now identifies the house.
The Mayor of Minehead, Councillor David Hawkes, told The Post he would be speaking to as many people as possible in the next few days to gather ideas for a lasting memorial which could be looked at by the town council.
Councillor Hawkes said he was aware that apart from the blue plaque, Minehead did not have anything permanent to commemorate the town’s connection with Sir Arthur.
Only in December, The Post highlighted how Sir Arthur’s 90th birthday was being allowed to pass by without any kind of local anniversary activity.
Now, Councillor Hawkes said: “I certainly think it is fitting that we as a town should have some kind of permanent tribute to him in Minehead, and something within earshot of the house he was born in would be good.
“We need to look at a memorial which would be of use to the public rather than just something to look at.”
One early suggestion is to site an orrery in Blenheim Gardens within sight of Sir Arthur’s birth place.
An orrery is a mechanical device which illustrates the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons in the solar system in heliocentric model.
It is typically driven by a large clockwork mechanism with a globe at the centre representing the sun and with a planet at the end of each of the arms.
Another similar suggestion for Blenheim Gardens is to place an armillary sphere, which is a model of the celestial sphere and is sometimes used within a sundial.
Councillor Hawkes said anybody who had any suggestions should submit them to the town council as quickly as possible.
Sir Arthur’s funeral will take place on Saturday in Columbo, Sri Lanka, which he adopted as his home in 1956, and his wish will be respected for it to be a private event.
He asked to be buried at the Kanatte General Cemetery family burial plot of business partner Hector Ekanayake, who headed his adopted Sri Lankan family and who was with him to the end.
Sir Arthur also left written instructions for his funeral to be strictly secular: “Absolutely no religious rites of any kind, relating to any religious faith, should be associated with my funeral.”
Photo of Sir Arthur by Shahidul Alam.

Danesfield young scientists win top prizes

STUDENTS from Danesfield Middle School, Williton, scooped one of the top prizes at the prestigious UK Young Scientists’ and Engineers’ Fair organised by the British Association for the Advancement of Science and held in London.

The event, which marked the start of National Science and Engineering Week, showcased outstanding science and technology research projects from students aged 11 to 19 across the UK.
Danesfield pupils Megan Peeks and Alex Christmas were awarded the Best CREST Science Project at Bronze Level for their project investigating the durability of natural dyes.
They have won £1,000 for their school, to help fund and support future CREST and STEM projects, and Megan and Alex each received £20 in tokens.
Sir David King, president of the British Association said: “The achievement of the young people who gain these prizes is not just winning an exciting trip or a handsome trophy.
“In completing their projects they have been able to work like real scientists and engineers, and to find out for themselves how enjoyable and rewarding that can be.”

• Pictures is association chairman Professor Patrick Dowling with Alex (left) and Megan. Photo submitted.

Launch of bowel cancer charity support group

A PATIENT support group for those affected by bowel cancer has been formally launched at Musgrove Park Hospital.
The Somerset Colorectal Cancer Support Group (SCCSG) has been in existence for just over a year, but the formal launch event celebrated:

• The opening of a new consulting room in the endoscopy suite at Musgrove which has been furnished with more than £2,000 raised by SCCSG
• The presentation by SCCSG of a £20,000 diathermy machine for use in gastrointestinal surgery at the hospital

The group exists for anybody in the county who suffers from bowel cancer, their family, friends, and carers, and for anybody receiving treatment for colorectal cancer at Musgrove Park or any hospital in Somerset.
As well as raising money, the group runs a range of support and information groups, both on an individual or group basis.
The next drop in session will take place on April 8 from 6.30 pm to 8 pm at St James’ Church, in Taunton.
A social event to Ilminster Theatre is planned for April 30.
Consultant colorectal surgeon at Musgrove, Chris Vickery, said: “I am grateful to everybody who has worked hard over the last year or so to set up the SCCSG.
“I am also extremely grateful to all those who have contributed to the charity.
“The equipment and furniture purchased so far is much needed and greatly appreciated by medical staff and patients.
“I hope and believe that the SCCSG will continue going from strength to strength, supporting the care of patients in Somerset with colorectal cancer.”
The charity’s chairman, Annie Lanigan, said: “This was a successful event with the Lord Lieutenant, the High Sheriff, and the MP being joined by representatives from Macmillan Cancer Care, the Ileostomy Association, members of our group, donors and supporters, as well as representatives from Musgrove Park staff and management.
“An exciting finale was the totally unexpected boost to our funds of a cheque from the High Sheriff, David Medlock, who generously gave me an envelope as he was leaving.”

• Our photograph shows former bowel cancer patient Maurice Day, of Wells, a founder trustee of SCCSG, cuts a ribbon to launch the charity. Also pictured are (left to right) chairman Annie Lanigan, Josie Day, and Derek and June Cooper, from Wells. Photo submitted.

Railway's spring steam gala beats inclement weather

DESPITE some less than inspiring weather at times the first weekend of the West Somerset Railway’s Spring Steam Gala was a success with lots of happy faces enjoying travelling behind a fleet of the giants of the steam age.
The railway had hired in no less than seven ‘guest’ machines for the gala and these joined forces with six engines that are normally resident on the line to make up a happy ‘baker’s dozen’ for visitors to see, ride behind and photograph.
Among the stars of the show for many were London and North Western Railway ‘Super D’ number 49395, a heavy freight locomotive whose restoration was largely funded by Pete Waterman and ‘Black 5’ 45110 which was one of the engines that was in service on the last day of British Railways steam on August 11th 1968.
Other attractions along the 20 mile line between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead were book signings, museum openings and art exhibitions.
As is often the case with WSR galas, many local accommodation providers reported ‘full houses’ as visitors flocked from all parts of the country to take part in one is traditionally one of the first major events in the steam enthusiast calendar.
WSR general manager Paul Conibeare was pleased with the first weekend.
He said: “We were sorry that the weather did not allow us to show Somerset in spring at its very best but pleased with the number of people who turned-out to enjoy themselves and to give our 2008 season a very good start.
“The gala will resume on Thursday, March 13, and continues to Sunday 16th, after which we will have a one-day break until the Easter programme starts on March 18.”

• Our photographs show (TOP) three ex-Great Western Railway Prairie tanks numbers 5542, 5553 and 4160, and (MIDDLE) visiting London Midland Scottish Railway Engine 45110 from the Severn Valley Railway waiting to leave Minehead. Photos submitted.

Vulcan Road - what you think about council plans

WEST Somerset Council has received a Statement of Community Engagement report from Consensus, the independent consultancy company appointed to consult with local people on the future of Minehead's Vulcan Road Car Park.
Consensus met with interested parties including the Minehead Chamber of Commerce, local pressure group DIRECT and students from West Somerset Community College.
There was also a three-day public display and consultation in The Avenue, one of Minehead's busiest thoroughfares, where local residents and groups such as Minehead Conservation Society had their chance to state their preferences on the car park's future.
The six options put forward included a range of uses and all included affordable housing, an hotel and parking for coaches, with the exception of Option 6. Nearly 400 people responded to the survey and the overall indications are:
OPTION 1. Mixed retail and industrial units 4.8%
OPTION 2. ASDA 15.6%
OPTION 3. Open A1 retail 8.8%
OPTION 4. Sainsbury 24.1%
OPTION 5. Tesco 7.3%
*OPTION 6. None of the above, but… 34.1%
Multiple Choice. (More than 1 option selected). 5.3%
*However, the report gives a health warning relating to the outcome of Option 6.
It states that people should note that the response to Option 6 is not a simple 'no' vote.
Instead, Option 6 aimed to provide respondents with the chance to reply to the question - if none of the above, what would they like to see on Vulcan Road?
The responses to Option 6 showed that some people wanted a 'hybrid' of one or more of the options, while others did not object to developing the site in principle but would like it to be used for a different purpose.
Very few respondents voted in favour of keeping Vulcan Road in its present form.
The aim of the report was to provide West Somerset Council with a qualitative insight into local people's concerns and aspirations for Vulcan Road.
The report also states that there is scope for a further 'hybrid' option, which may involve a combination of aspects of the current proposals and the exclusion of other aspects.
The council's acting head of paid services, Adrian Dyer, said: "The report is a useful insight into how the community would like to see the site developed.
"It also gives us a wider view of topics and issues that influence and impact on the community, and it may help us not only in this decision-making process, but may also help inform future choices in Minehead.
"The report has been sent to members and will be considered by cabinet on April 2.
"Full council will then debate any recommendations arising on April 16 at a venue to be confirmed."
The report is easily available on the 'popular pages' section on the front page of West Somerset Council's website at www.westsomersetonline.gov.uk.

My daughter on her way to North Pole record

PROUD Watchet mother Julian Burbury spoke yesterday (Wednesday) of the bravery being shown by her daughter, Hannah McKeand, who is attempting to become the first woman to reach the North Pole alone and unaided.
Hannah, aged 34, (pictured, right) who was raised in Watchet but now lives in Newbury, Berkshire, set off on Friday from Canada’s Ward Hunt Island hoping to cover the 478 miles to the pole in just 60 days.
Two years ago, Hannah set a new record - for both men and women - for the fastest solo ski trek to the South Pole in a time of 39 days, nine hours, and 33 minutes.
Now, Hannah will have to negotiate the frozen Arctic Ocean, at time swimming in a suit through waters as cold as minus 60 degrees and where floating ice can crumble and pile up into long ridges as high as a house.
She will ski, walk, and swim, and has to carry all her equipment, including pepper spray and a shotgun to ward off polar bears, and her provisions on a 120 kg pulk.
Hannah expects to burn up to 8000 calories a day - the equivalent of running a marathon every day – and to compensate for the weight loss she has had to put on three-and-a-half stone in preparation for the expedition.
Her provisions include a mixture of freeze dried meals and high calorie snacks such as chocolate, fudge, cheese, butter, salami, nuts, and oil.
Mrs Burbury told The Post how Hannah had spoken to her using an internet telephone just before setting off from the island.
She said: “I am very, very proud of her. I think it is wonderful and I am watching her progress and I think she is definitely going to do it.
“I think if she does not do it, then nobody else will.
“I have the computer on all the time to check her progress and she is going at a rate of knots. If she does it, I think it will be a record nobody else will beat.
“Ward Hunt Island is a piece of glacier which has been undisturbed for 3,000 years, but the aerial view shows the cracking that has started and it is coming apart, so Hannah might be the last person who is able to do this particular journey.”
While Hannah hopes to raise £5,000 for the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, she also still needs funds to help cover the actual cost of the expedition.
Anybody who wants to support her financially can send donations via West Somerset’s local radio station Quaywest FM, in Watchet.
Mrs Burbury said: “There are so many people who remember her, that I hope they will feel able to give something to help with the cost.”
Five years ago, British explorer Pen Hadow, then aged 41, became the first person to reach the North Pole unaided from Canada.

Indian food producer to open restaurant in market town

PLANNING permission has now been granted for award-winning Indian food producer Mignon Johnson to convert empty offices to a restaurant in Wiveliscombe.
The restaurant in Silver Street will be branded Moorkhana, which is the trading name of The Saffron Kitchen range of meals currently produced from Mignon’s home in Lydeard St Lawrence.
Work on converting the premises is due to start in the next few days and the restaurant is likely to be open by the beginning of May.
A special telephone number has been provided to local residents while the work is ongoing in case they need to raise any issues.
Mignon and her husband Andrew have already taken on some staff, but are still looking for more employees, especially kitchen assistants, cleaning staff, and waiting staff, whom they hope will be people who live locally.
The couple are keen to support the Wiveliscombe economy through generating new jobs, continuing to source local produce wherever possible, and bringing more visitors to the town
Samples of the food which can be eaten in the Moorkhana restaurant will be available at the Milverton Street Fair on bank holiday Monday, May 5, which Mignon and Andrew will be attending.
Moorkhana has recently also been awarded five stars under Taunton Deane Borough Council’s ‘scores on the doors’ scheme of inspecting food businesses, which means it is rated as having an ‘excellent level of compliance’ and being ‘highly confident in management of food safety’.
Mignon, who is an Indian national, said: “The Moorkhana restaurant is going to be very different from the type of Indian restaurant people have become used to in this country.
“All of our meals use family recipes which we cook ourselves and that means we will have a select menu and not the seemingly endless choices you find in some restaurants.
“It may surprise some people, for instance, to learn that there is no such dish as chicken tikka masala in India - it is something that has been created over here to suit English tastes.
“As well as serving authentic food just like you would find in India, we hope to educate customers about what they are eating to increase their enjoyment of the food and add value to their restaurant experience.
“Our market research shows we are likely to attract people from a large area of Somerset, so it means there are opportunities for other Wiveliscombe businesses to also benefit.”
Moorkhana will be a family-friendly restaurant where children will be welcome, and it also has a function room which can be used by local organisations. Customers will also be able to order takeaway dishes.
Moorkhana has built its reputation over the past few years by regularly attending farmers’ markets in Taunton, Wellington, Cotford St Luke, Minehead, Exeter, Crewkerne, and Glastonbury, and more recently by supplying select delicatessens.
Anybody who would like to work in the Moorkhana restaurant should contact Mignon and Andrew Johnson by telephoning 01984 656931 or emailing to enquiries@thesaffronkitchen.co.uk.
More information about Moorkhana and its range of Indian foods is available by visiting the websites www.thesaffronkitchen.co.uk and www.localfooddirect.co.uk.

• Our photograph shows Mignon and Andrew Johnson outside the offices they plan to convert into an Indian restaurant. Photo submitted.

F1 chance for karting champ Beresford

WEST Somerset kart racer Beresford Mandley (pictured, centre) is to compete in a race of champions at Wembley Stadium for the title of BP’s Ultimate Karter.
Beresford received confirmation this week that he had set a fastest lap time at a qualifying event held at Team-Sport, in Cardiff, which was a new track record of 27.145 seconds.
Thousands of drivers have been taking part at 20 participating tracks around the UK and those with the fastest lap times qualify for the Wembley final later this year.
Beresford and several members of the Somerset Karting Club, which he co-founded, had travelled to various venues in the hope in setting the fastest lap times, but he was the only one to do so.
Beresford, who is 2006-07 National Karting Association Champion, is currently looking for local businesses and motor sport enthusiasts to be a part of a two-year sponsorship deal to help him compete in the Formula 100 series and in more British championships.
Due to lack of sponsors last year, he was unable to raise the £2,500 funding which was needed to compete in that series.
Beresford funds most of his karting activities himself, but previous sponsors Andrew and Sarah Dixon, of Andrews on the Weir, at Porlock Weir, came to his rescue with a sponsorship boost which enabled him to qualify for major competitions such as the BP Ultimate Karter, where he can prove his racing abilities.
He is also waiting for confirmation of a qualifying lap time set in January, which is a competition to find the next F1 star.
Event management company So World Ltd, the Daily Star newspaper, and broadcasters Channel 5 have come together to organise this 12-round championship, starting with karts up to Formula One.
The final two drivers will battle it out in an F1 car to see who will win a contract with a recognised racing team.
The Somerset Karting Club has been operating for more than a year with more than 40 members aged 16 to 80 who can enter the Somerset Karting Club Super series.
Prizes will be awarded for overall series champion, best newcomer, most improved member, best female driver of the year, and the brand new weight classes.
Membership is free and members can learn new driving techniques, race craft, and find their own driving abilities in a safe environment.
Depending on interest from younger members, there could be a juniors’ championship set up for ages eight to16 years.
More information can be found at www.somersetkartingclub.co.uk.

Minehead 'a safe place to live'

FIVE weeks to the day after Minehead gardener Tim Chilcott was killed by a savage town centre street assault which shocked the community, security guard Mike McDermaid was attacked in the town’s busiest supermarket and suffered a fractured skull and eye socket.
A young teenager came up behind Mr McDermaid and struck him over the head with a full bottle of spirits which had been stolen from the store, knocking him to the ground.
The police officer leading the earlier inquiry into Mr Chilcott’s killing, Det Chief Insp Martyn Triggol, announced publicly afterwards that such attacks were rare and Minehead generally ‘remains a very safe place’.
Now, however, Mr McDermaid, who previously served 24 years as a Special Constable in Minehead, is lucky to be alive after a late-night assault which happened as he carried out his duties in Tesco, off Seaward Way.
Mr McDermaid, who lives in Watchet, was attempting to help a colleague restrain a second teenager in the foyer of the supermarket when the assault happened.
Both youths were said to be attending 24/7 @ Periton Mead specialist school, just outside Minehead, and one was known to most traders in the town who belong to the anti-crime Shopwatch scheme.
They had already been officially barred from entering the Tesco store because of previous incidents.
Mr McDermaid told The Post: “Knowing that they were barred, they were actually entering as ‘burglars’.
“I immediately alerted the police and the store management and locked the doors.
“It all then kicked off in the foyer. They shoulder-charged the doors to try to get the doors open, then they were kicking the windows trying to get out. They had a girl accomplice outside who was kicking the windows trying to get in.
“I was going towards the one that my mate was holding onto when the other one came up behind me and cracked me over the head.
“It put me in hospital for two days and fractured my skull from the forehead just above the hairline down to the right eyebrow, which gave me a black eye.
“I do not know why he did it. I was no threat to him because I was going away from him.”
Mr McDermaid has been off work since the assault, which happened at about 10.15 pm on February 25, and he is not likely to be able to return for another three weeks.
Despite nearly a quarter-of-a-century working on police duties in the town, it was the first physical assault he had suffered.
He said: “I deal with anything that comes through the doors from day to day, but not anything like this before.
“It is a regular occurrence to be threatened, and I was once told by somebody they were going to come back and I was going to be stabbed, but I have not had anything like this before.
“As a Special Constable I have been involved in fights, of course, restraining people, especially outside the nightclubs, but this is the first time it has turned to violence towards me.”
Mr McDermaid said the incident had not put him off his security duties and he was keen to return to work.
Police confirmed that two juveniles had been arrested, one on suspicion of theft and assault, and the second on suspicion of criminal damage.
Both were charged to appear before a youth court the following day. The law prevents newspapers from identifying the teenagers because of their young age.

• Our photographs show Mr McDermaid's injuries two days after the attack. Photos submitted.