Thursday 29th January 2009
The boardroom at Fugro Seacore in Falmouth was packed as 40 members squeezed in to hear John Gleadowe’s re-scheduled talk. Seacore began in 1976 as the concept of two CSM mining engineers to develop underwater drilling equipment for tin exploration off the north Cornish coast. A prototype was tested in a creek in Zambia.
Sunday 20th April 2008
At 6am, in the half light of a slightly misty hut dry morning. 15 persons converged on Goongillings Farm near Constantine to ioin Martin Rule and listen to the dawn chorus. Some of the birds were already in full voice. A wren interrupted its song to tick annoyance at the group and a chaffinch, likewise, gave vent to “spink-spink”. A wood pigeon cooed in the distance, more melodious than the pheasant’s harsh welcome to the new day.
19th January 2008
The hidden world of our Helford creeks was revealed to a large gathering by the well-known marine broadcaster and retired lecturer of the University of Exeter, Dr Tegwyn Harris.
1st December 2007
Dr Thomas Bligh, who lives beside the Helford River, has enjoyed an illustrious career in precision engineering and craftmanship, explosives research, energy conversion, robotic systems, underwater diving equipment, catamaran design and more recently until his retirement, Fellow and tutor at Caius College, Cambridge.
3rd November 2007
National sea bass expert Graham Pickett described the life-cycle of this fish so familiar to our shores and also commercially important, these days attracting higher prices than salmon.
27th October 2007
Dr Paul Chanin, international otter expert, talked about the milestones of the last 30 years of otter studies.
28 July 2007
Sat. 28 July 2007 was the day of the Port Navas Regatta Family Fundraising Day, where the Helford MC Members Group for the first time decided to have a stall to further the public awareness of the HVMCA.
8 July 2007
After weeks of heavy rain countrywide we hardly dared to hope for our “traditional” sunny day for the cruise but we were not disappointed as the sun shone brightly until obscured by cloud at the very end of the afternoon! The water sparkled against the soft green of the Helford woodlands.
16 June 2007
By the middle of June we had expected a return of the earlier spring sunshine but it was not to be and some beefy showers proved off-putting for this Saturday event at Durgan. A handful of adult HMCG members joined Margaret on the shore but the younger generation were less robust and missed a very pleasant morning on the shore.
6 May 2007
Two weeks later Goongillings Farm was again the venue for an HVMCA event but this time it was for an afternoon look at the flowers and other vegetation. A relaxed stroll for the 21 participants with Keith Spurgin and other botanists highlighted the amazing variety of plants appearing on an organic farm under countryside stewardship management. Habitats included woodland with trickling stream, herb-rich meadows with a lake and the upper shore slopes of the saltwater creek. Once again the hospitality offered by Charles and Barbara was greatly appreciated.
22 April 2007
An early start did not deter an eager band of some 28 people armed with binoculars converging on Goongillings Farm where a delicate grey mist swirled amongst the trees edging the creek. The expertise of Martin Rule, the group leader was much appreciated in recognising the songs of the unseen vocalists. Charles and Barbara Pugh rounded a very successful expedition with hot drinks and refreshments amid requests for an even earlier start next year!!
3 April 2007
A warm Spring day attracted an enthusiastic group of 17 adults and 32 children to explore the magical seashore exposed as the tide fell at Helford Passage. Colourful sea anemones, scuttling crabs, wonderfully sculptured shells, delicate worms and skulking shore fish were all discovered to the delight of the young explorers under the guidance of marine biologist, Ruth Williams.
24 March 2007
After many years under the management of the Hodges family, in 2005 the Duchy of Cornwall Oyster Farm had been acquired by Ben Wright and Wright Bros Oyster Merchants. Ben gave a lively description of his current operations to rejuvenate the native oyster beds by lifting and cleaning all the stock, initially by hand – a daunting task but to be continued with a recently acquired oyster barge.
20th January 2007
Leslie Collins, vice-chairman of the Group, delighted a large audience (57) with his fascinating narrative on his favourite pictures as he shared a lifetime of local experience in Gweek.
