Top blogger on wildlife


A Looe volunteer has been named BBC Wildlife Magazine’s Blogger of the Year.


Heather Buttivant takes a close look at life in the intertidal zone in her blog Cornish Rockpools.


Stunning photography combined with detailed descriptions of the miniature kingdoms below the surface won praise from the magazine judges.


‘Fun blog’


One commented: ‘This fun blog is jam-packed with a whole range of in-depth content, including sections on specific animal groups and tips for those wishing to discover the wonder of rockpools for themselves. The style is relaxed and informal but none of the quality is lost.’


Heather’s highlights of 2017 included an unexpected


encounter with a lobster, finding a strange-looking urchin known as a sea potato, and being able to film a tiny camouflaged sea slug feeding on fish eggs. Most of the entries on the blog describe rockpooling sessions at Hannafore in West Looe.


Heather said: ‘I’m lucky to be part of a growing network of keen citizen scientists recording wild-life and promoting marine conservation.


‘Knowing that my blog is inspiring others to try rockpooling and to protect our beaches keeps me going on those freezing winter days when any sane person would stay at home in the warm!’


Heather is a volunteer with the Looe Marine Conservation group and leads outdoor events for the Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Junior branch.


Heather Buttivant


Guildhall glass repairs to start


Work to repair the stained glass windows in Looe’s Guildhall building was due to start at the end of February


The £23,000 project will take between two and three months, and Holywell Glass has been contracted by the East Looe Town Trust to carry out the delicate task.


Grant secured


The trust has secured a £10,000 grant from the Pilgrim Trust for the project. It has also received £400 from the Devon and Cornwall Police proceeds of crime fund towards the repairs. The remainder of the cost will be borne by the trust itself.


The Guildhall’s stained glass was originally commissioned from Fouracre & Watson Ltd of Plymouth in 1877.


Many of the Guildhall windows depict important events or prominent local figures.


New moves on skate park


A new pedestrian crossing on the main road out of Looe could be an option to enable a skate park to go ahead. The project’s plans, which are at an early stage, have received encouragement from a county planning officer.


The Looe Development Trust would like to build the facility on a field at St Martin’s near the Barbican, land donated for the purpose by the parish church.


A campaign to open a skate park in Looe was first started around 20 years ago, and has recently been renewed. A pre-planning application was submitted to Cornwall Council last year – and now advice


from the council suggests that the scheme could get the go-ahead, provided certain concerns are addressed. In his report planning officer James Hills says: ‘The site benefits from existing access points. However, the proposed use is likely to invite a significant increase in visitors to this spot on a regular basis – it will be for the application to demonstrate that a safe and suitable access via a range of transport modes can be achieved, with particular reference to pedestrians…..options to consider include surfaced walkways and a pedestrian crossing point.’


Club has hopes to expand after clubhouse fire


Looe Town Council has backed a club’s plans to expand following fire damage.


The Looe Rifle and Pistol Club at Polean was attacked by arsonists in August last year and the blaze caused considerable damage to the clubhouse. Now plans submitted by the club to build a bigger replacement building are being considered by Cornwall Council.


The new clubhouse, if built, will provide


much-needed extra space to the club’s more than 40 members.


The Looe Rifle and Pistol Club has been in existence since 1858 and is ‘part of the fabric of Looe’, says Cornwall and Town Councillor Edwina Hannaford.


Support for the rebuild also came from town mayor Armand Toms, and the town council generally, who have backed the new development scheme.


LOOE NEWS MARCH APRIL 2018 7


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