Beast of Bodmin: Truth Or Fiction?

Cornwall’s Bodmin Moor breathes myth, its brooding isolation silent and ominous. Remote hamlets and farmsteads huddle in shallow valleys, along narrow, twisting roads. And across the granite uplands, peat mires and windswept treeless heath a shadowy creature prowls: the Beast of Bodmin.

Since the early 1980s more than 60 sightings of the Beast have been reported. Up to five feet long with large yellow-white eyes, the animal apparently resembles a puma or a panther; it appears mostly at dusk. So far its attacks have been confined to livestock, but some local people believe the big cat searches for human prey.

At first glance it’s hard to see how the Beast could have originated. But before the mid 1970s, having a leopard or a panther as a pet wasn’t unknown among the rich and avant-garde. That changed with the 1976 Dangerous Wild Animals Act, which restricted keeping such exotic creatures.

But between then and the introduction of the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, it was perfectly legal to release your meat-loving companion into the wild; some believe discarded pets were dumped in remote areas. Other theories include circus escapees and, rather more left-field, survivors from Ice Age big cats.

In the early 1990s Bodmin Moor’s farmers experienced a spate of attacks on their animals. Speculation grew that perhaps the Beast wasn’t just a fancy of eccentrics; occasionally too, big cats were found in other areas. 

During 1980 at Cannich in Inverness-shire, a farmer captured a puma; christened Felicity, she was kept at Kincraig Wildlife Park near Kingussie. In 1991 near Norwich, a gamekeeper shot dead a Eurasian Lynx. Persistent rumours of Bodmin’s wild cat finally led to an investigation by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, their concern the safety of livestock.

Under intense media interest, the Ministry’s enquiries began in January 1995 and lasted until July. But despite their efforts, the search was unsuccessful. Video footage and photographs submitted as evidence turned out to show domestic cats. Night images sometimes revealed pupils narrowed by lamplight to vertical slits; but in none of the larger cats such as leopards, jaguars and pumas do the pupils contract in that manner.

The Ministry’s subsequent report found “no verifiable evidence” of a big cat on Bodmin Moor, and suggested the mangled sheep could have been killed by animals native to Britain. Tantalisingly though, the report also concluded "the investigation could not prove that a 'big cat' is not present."

Just two weeks following the report, a boy walking on the moor at Golitha Falls noticed a skull in the water. Undeniably cat-like, the skull was missing its lower jaw but among the upper teeth were two large fangs. 

The story made the national press and the find was rushed to the Natural History Museum’s Department of Zoology. Experts agreed that from the number, position and types of teeth the skull was that of a young male leopard. Inside though, they found an egg case belonging to a type of cockroach not native to Britain. They also noticed the back of the skull had been cut cleanly off, a sure sign it had once been mounted on a rug.

The 'Piltdown Pussy' hoax was a serious setback to the Beast’s credibility, but nonetheless sightings and indications continued. During October 1997, Cornwall’s Newquay Zoo officials claimed paw prints left in mud near Bodmin Moor were those of a puma. Some London Zoo staff also believed there was little doubt the Beast existed. In August 1998 an amateur video clip taken on the moor was released, which appeared to show two cat-like creatures of around three feet long.

By then, Paul Tyler, a staunch believer in the Beast and at the time Liberal Democrat MP for Cornwall North, had submitted to the Government his own file of evidence. Photographs, admittedly poor, were included of a black cat-like animal seen at Cardinham and another apparently sunbathing near St Austell. Tyler urged Elliot Morley, then Fisheries and Countryside Minister, to consider the file but Morley’s view was: “I am afraid that, until we obtain stronger evidence … big cats are still in the category of mythical creatures.”

During November 1999 a hi-tech attempt to find the Beast was made by volunteers from the RAF. The team of men and women spent the night camped on the moor, using up-to-the-minute night-vision equipment, thermal imaging, seismic intruder devices – and chicken offal. But perhaps the area’s notoriously changeable weather came to the big cat's aid. Fog developed and though the detection gear was triggered several times, confirming its cause proved impossible. Once again, the canny Beast had evaded its pursuers.

Finally in March 2010, after an investigation across Britain, the Government’s environmental watchdog Natural England (whose predecessors include parts of MAFF) declared: "It is very unlikely there are any big cats at large." During the study, supposed sightings were gathered from people nationwide, but Natural England found not a whisker of conclusive evidence. Equally though, no reasons or motives were put forward to explain why so many claimed to have seen the animals.

Despite the numerous sightings of Bodmin’s prowler, photographs have yet to appear which show the Beast at all clearly. The few images capturing the creature are as poor as those peddled by UFO hoaxers and their Chevrolet hub-caps. And why is the animal often said to be black?  Most cats big or otherwise are marked with variations of stripe or spot; is it that black has been chosen by fakers as a suitably chilling, evil colour?

Rural legend, hoax, or fact? The big guns of Government departments can find no convincing confirmation of the Beast’s existence. But regardless of officialdom's views, on Bodmin Moor sightings and livestock attacks continue. Cornish people who’ve made careful, painstaking study of the evidence over many years insist big cats, and the truth, are out there.   

Wimbledon's First Hero: Dustin Brown!

At Wimbledon today we have our first real hero of this year’s championship: 28-year-old Dustin Brown, dreadlocked, chilled, with his own wonderful take on the game.  

Coaching manuals are in the bin; Dustin plays naughty tennis. This afternoon he beat former champion Lleyton Hewitt in four sets; all through, he looked as relaxed and sunny as if he was having fun in the local park.

Born in Germany to father Leroy and mother Inge, in 1996 Dustin moved to Jamaica. His game’s based around serve and volley, sort of, but that’s not the full story. Today he pulled off a dazzling, mad variety of shots which simply don’t exist in any textbook. 

Ladling the ball over the net, delicate flips at crazy angles, a freakish compendium never seen before. Hewitt didn’t know what to do with him and after the shot that won the game, Dustin Brown’s grin would have powered the National Grid. 

Now, he can afford a new campervan to replace the old bus bought with mum and dad's help; usually he slogs around Europe scrapping at the less august levels of tennis. But for now Dustin, we’ll look forward to seeing you in the next round at SW19. 

 

GCHQ Bude: We Are Listening

Set atop barren cliffs, during calm weather the great white domes and dishes of GCHQ Bude sit in silence broken only by seabirds. But high perimeter fences isolate the satellite ground station from curious coastal walkers; scouring nearby footpaths, security cameras monitor and record. For while the site’s visible from miles away, it’s also Cornwall’s most secret place.

Since 1919 Britain’s had a code-breaking agency, to analyse information gathered from foreign powers. That year the Government Code and Cypher School was founded, based in central London and run by the Foreign Office. The term Government Communications Headquarters first appeared as a cover name for a new centre created in 1939, away from the capital at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire.

Each day during the Second World War Bletchley’s code-breakers were fed with encrypted enemy radio transmissions, intercepted by a network of stations across Britain. When the team moved to Cheltenham in Gloucestershire during the early 1950s the GCHQ title was formally adopted.

Today Bletchley Park’s wartime successes are celebrated, especially the astonishing mathematical feats led by brilliant Alan Turing in decrypting the German Enigma cipher machines. By contrast, GCHQ’s post-war activities have always remained elusive to the public eye. Secrecy is vital in its work at the heart of Britain's international confrontations, her struggle against terrorism and the prevention of serious crime.

One of the country’s three security services alongside MI5 and MI6, GCHQ deals with signals intelligence, known as SIGINT: the eavesdropping, interception and analysis of radio and electronic signals to draw together information. Once studied and filtered, data of possible importance is passed to the Government’s military, diplomatic and law enforcement departments, and often to Britain’s allies. The service also uses its Information Assurance processes to protect Government communication and data systems from cyber-attack.

In 1967, to increase its international listening capacity GCHQ began work on a new satellite ground station, situated in north Cornwall. That year the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works was allotted land on which to build, a flat, remote clifftop area at Lower Sharpnose Point, around 5 miles north of Bude.

Throughout the war against Nazi Germany, the site had hosted an RAF station used for anti-aircraft practice. Named Cleave after a local farm, the trainee gunners fired out to sea at target-tug aircraft and radio-controlled aerial drones. But though the base closed in 1945, the vacated land remained in government ownership.

Early into the project, GCHQ engineers visited the civilian satellite communications terminal located around 80 miles south-west of Bude at Goonhilly, on the Lizard. There they examined Goonhilly’s methods of bulk information handling, particularly its telephone traffic. Meanwhile in 1969 construction of the Bude station began, remaining wartime buildings mostly swept away. The location was ideal; clear air free of electrical interference, and solid bedrock to support huge dish antennas. Its remoteness too was attractive, inaccessible and difficult to find among obscure back roads.

Transporting materials and large pieces of equipment through the winding lanes was a logistical horror, but by 1974 CSO (Composite Signals Organisation) Morwenstow was operational. The site was equipped with the most sophisticated receiver technology available, including two truly enormous dishes weighing hundreds of tons, to capture signals broadcast from across much of the world.

Between Morwenstow and a base run by its American counterpart, the National Security Agency, by the 1980s global interception was achievable of transmissions across the INMARSAT land, sea and air mobile satellite communications system. But as the various satellite networks grew and their broadcast rates soared, so the listeners’ equipment and capacity had repeatedly to be upgraded. To preserve a truly global intercept capability, international co-operation became essential; more bases were built around the world by the allied powers. At Morwenstow a third giant dish appeared, and during July 2001 the site became known as GCHQ Bude.

For some time, it’s thought, Bude’s activities were assisted by nearby Goonhilly. Perhaps it was no coincidence that the eavesdroppers’ base had been built close by; countless signals from satellites received by the civilian terminal were duly captured by GCHQ. But by the time Goonhilly ceased most of its operations in 2008, Bude had long established a stand-alone capability; the various antennas, around 20 altogether, could track most signals passing through western communications satellites.

Allegedly the station can cover all the main electromagnetic frequency bands: L-band, C-band, Ku-band, X-band, Ka-band and V-band. This would allow interception across a huge spectrum, from computer data to TV signals live and recorded, fax and telex, internet, telephone landlines and cellphones.

Commentators believe Bude’s antennas are often angled toward the INTELSAT satellites, as well as those of its former Eastern Bloc INTERSPUTNIK equivalent, and the INMARSAT system. The satellites are positioned over mainland Europe as far as the Urals, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Africa, and the Middle East. Between them, they deliver voice and data communications for the world’s leading media and telecoms companies, multinational corporations, internet service providers and government agencies.

Bude also contributes to the mysterious commercial and private communications intercept system named Echelon, established world-wide between GCHQ and the National Security Agency. Echelon’s suspected existence first emerged in a 1997 European Parliament report and though its presence is no longer in doubt, for some time neither Britain nor the United States went out of their way to add any details. With their overseas partners, each day GCHQ’s listeners screen millions of captured messages for key words, using voice profile libraries and dictionary computers. Most are discarded, but those using suspicious words or the names of prominent people attract analysis.

During the 1990s some EU states expressed concerns over Echelon’s more commercially-sensitive intercepts and the fear that with others, Bude might be involved in industrial espionage. In July 2001 a second European Parliament report appeared, intended to provide reassurance by giving a degree of information about Echelon.

Without revealing activities in any detail, impossible given the network’s covert role, the report emphasised its security and intelligence purposes; misuse of commercial information was denied. Also touched on was Echelon’s limited technical suitability for industrial espionage. By that time, most EU member states had established parliamentary committees to scrutinise their intelligence services. In Britain the job fell to the Intelligence and Security Committee, which monitors GCHQ’s activities as well as those of MI5 and MI6.

Recently though it’s been suggested GCHQ has circumvented the law in other ways, intercepting personal data on British citizens through the US Prism spy programme. Prism is said to give systems access to nine of the world's top internet companies including Microsoft, Skype, Google and Facebook. The British government has faced pressure to answer allegations that using Prism has allowed GCHQ to evade the UK legal process for obtaining personal material such as emails, photographs and videos. The government denies CGHQ has acted illegally.

Meanwhile, beyond Bude's security fencing there’s still some evidence of the RAF's wartime presence: at the cliff edge, concrete plinths that once mounted artillery and the target-aircraft catapult; the old mobile radar ramp; pillboxes dotted around. Passing cliff-path walkers are able to inspect the relics, but today’s base wouldn’t take at all kindly to close examination. The activities of GCHQ Bude remain as opaque as the sudden sea mists which roll in along the Cornish coast, but one thing’s for sure: they’ve got your number. 

Redruth's Transport Heritage: Murdoch Day Celebrates!

The rugged Cornish town of Redruth has strong links with transport history, through engineer William Murdoch and his extraordinary horseless carriage. 

A Scot born in 1754, William was employed by the steam-engine manufacturer Boulton and Watt; during 1779 he travelled to Redruth to work for them. The engines were used to pump water from the area’s mines. In his spare time, William experimented with various inventions and ideas of his own; in 1784 he designed a revolutionary road carriage moved not by the usual horse power of the day, but steam.

William’s vehicle was a three-wheeler, its engine and boiler set over the two rear wheels and the smaller front wheel steered using a long wooden tiller. He built his carriage in model form, running it around the floor of his sitting-room. William carried on with his transport experiments until he married and had twins, when we may suppose his free time became less. But he continued to investigate technology, developing a working gas-light system; decades later, most towns were lit by gas.

These days William’s old Redruth house has been restored and is used by various local groups. Today too you can see the glorious Murdoch Flyer, a full-size working steam carriage based on William’s old model. Created by members of Redruth’s Murdoch Flyer Project, work on the vehicle began in 2003; a first public showing followed three years later.

In steam the Flyer’s truly impressive, the orange glow from its fire-box surmounted by hissing, clanking machinery, an astonishing mix of metal and wood combining with the warm odours of burning coal, oil and clouds of damp vapour. If you miss the working engine’s appearances there’s a full-size static model to admire on the town’s Tolgus roundabout.

Each year William Murdoch’s association and work is commemorated. On Murdoch Day, Redruth’s streets are packed with entertainment and things to do, while the Murdoch Flyer has appeared several times.

This year’s celebration falls on Saturday 15th June. Events will include the children's dance and art procession, all-day live music and entertainment, more than 50 street stalls, an old-time fair and loads of other activities. Locally-themed exhibitions will be held at William’s house,

Nick Thomas is Day Manager for Redruth Community Radio, the not-for-profit online station run by local people for the town and its surrounding villages, which has recently secured a 5-year FM licence. “Murdoch Day works because it’s tried and tested, and has a broad appeal reaching out to all ages. We have market stalls going right through the centre of town and masses of people turn up, visitors as well as locals. The children’s procession is a fantastic show; seeing the kids enjoying themselves is a pleasure for everyone.”

As Nick explains, it’s also a matter of civic pride. “The day’s a celebration of all that’s best about Redruth; our heritage and tradition, as well as people working together to ensure a great time. Whether it’s enjoying the music, browsing our stalls or visiting the exhibitions, Murdoch Day’s become a Redruth institution and everyone looks forward to it.”

Redruth’s big day kicks off at 10.00am, Saturday 15th June. Everything’s free; get along!

To check out Redruth Community Radio, including information on Murdoch Day, go to www.redruthradio.co.uk

Crystal Palace Promoted To The Premier League!

Kevin Phillips' £120-million spot-kick: will Ian Holloway buy him a pint?

Congratulations to Crystal Palace Football Club, promoted today from the Championship to the Premier League. It’s a move reputedly worth a staggering £120 million for the club. I was so pleased; I have happy memories of watching them as a boy, with my Uncle Tom. Old friend Mike Moore, also a CPFC supporter, will be pleased too.

Masterminded by manager Ian Holloway, Palace beat Watford in the Championship play-off final at Wembley, winning 1-0 thanks to a penalty from veteran forward Kevin Phillips. Three times previously Phillips has appeared in play-off finals, but never on the winning side. 

Of his spot-kick, the 39-year-old said: "I had in my mind where I wanted to take it, I was happy to take it. I picked my spot and stuck to it. I don't know if that's going to be my last match, but if it is, what a way to sign off." 

In the Premiership, Palace will be without their young striker Wilfried Zaha, who’s off to Manchester United. Phillips said of Zaha: "This man leaves now with our very best wishes. He's been great for us this season and he really wanted to leave having sent Crystal Palace up to the Premier League.” 

As Palace’s players climbed the Wembley steps to collect their trophy, Irish centre-half Deamien Delaney sat in tears, overcome with emotion. Without a club at the start of the season, and with serious medical problems behind him, he’s now a Premier League player.  Likewise Julián Speroni, the Eagles’ loyal goalkeeper and three times their Player of the Season, will be back in the top tier. 

Ian Holloway summed up: "I've been very fortunate to have worked with some great players and I'm very grateful to this bunch. We're in the Premier League now, and God help us.” 

That’s the spirit Ian!

Charles Causley: My Mother Saw A Dancing Bear

Charles Causley was a poet of international stature, born and bred in Cornwall where he lived most of his life. Today in Cornwall’s old capital Launceston, the Charles Causley Festival takes place annually; this year it’s over the weekend of 7th – 9th June. 

I’m not up on poetry, but I do like Charles. My favourite Causley poem is 'My Mother Saw A Dancing Bear'.

My mother saw a dancing bear
By the schoolyard, a day in June.
The keeper stood with chain and bar
And whistle-pipe, and played a tune.

And Bruin lifted up its head
And lifted up its dusty feet,
And all the children laughed to see
It caper in the summer heat.

They watched as for the Queen it died,
They watched it march, they watched it halt.
They heard the keeper as he cried,
"Now, Roly-Poly!" "Somersault!"

And then my mother said, there came
The keeper with a begging cup,
The bear with burning coat of fur
Shaming the laughter to a stop.

They paid a penny for the dance
But what they saw was not the show;
Only in Bruin's aching eyes
Far-distant forests, and the snow.

 For information on the Charles Causley Festival, visit http://charlescausleyfestival.co.uk/

UKIP Wows Scotland!

Nigel Farage, leader of Britain's fashionable UK Independence Party, embraced a centuries-old tradition yesterday when he took part in an Edinburgh pub lock-in! Hilarious eccentric Farage, who often enjoys a tipple, nipped in "just for a quick one" during a visit to raise his party’s profile in Scotland.

As he supped numerous local ales, word quickly spread of the UKIP chief’s session. Outside the Dog and Spanner protesters gathered from Scotland’s widespread teetotal community. Like his companions, to be at the demonstration Angus McProle had booked a day’s holiday from work. “I’m not against them coming here, but they don’t like us and we don’t like them,” he explained. History of Art student Hermione Shrill agreed: “These bastards need knocking up … no, locking up … oh fuck, it’s Daddy …"

After he’d dropped his pint of heavy and been sick Farage was manhandled from the bar by police, shouting: “Bastards, fuckers, I’ll take you all on.” A taxi was called, but refused to carry him because of his slurred speech: “We simply couldn’t understand what the poor chap was trying to tell us,” said C U Minicabs driver Jimmy McKill. Finally, on borrowed bicycles the UKIP leader and his aides wobbled off to their tour’s next activity: a Tea Party.

Spot The Difference (11): Jonah v Nigel Farage!

Leader of the strange UKIP Party, who attracted a substantial 'Fuck The Lot of You' mid-term protest vote at this week's local elections.













Much-loved Beano comic character who everyone's pissed themselves laughing at for more than 60 years!

 













This STD was first pointed out by a gentleman from Cornwall named CW - brilliant, more please.

Cornish Giants and the St Agnes Bolster Festival

Giant Bolster: "Grrr!"

Of countless Cornish legends, tales of the Duchy’s ancient giants are among the most enduring. Cornwall’s giants were often violent, fighting among themselves and treating local people as vassals. But from time to time they were also ardent suitors and despite their enormous power, a few were tender spirits. In Cornish folklore, giants loom large.

Long ago, perhaps during King Arthur’s reign, giant Cormoran lived deep in West Penwith with his wife Cornelian. The two made their home off the coastline, quarrying granite to form St Michael’s Mount, but Cormoran was idle and short-tempered; put-on Cornelian did most of the work. Her husband spent his time oppressing local villages, stealing the best sheep and pigs to eat and dangling them from his belt. Cormoran was ugly, his face set in a great scowl; he stood 20 feet tall with a huge bulging chest and matching waistline.

Many tried to slay the cruel giant but to no avail; the Cornish folk despaired. Finally though, a farmer’s boy named Jack outwitted him. One night as Cormoran slept, Jack dug a great hole nearby which he covered with furze. In the early morning he blew his horn; disturbed from slumber, the angry monster raged after him. 

But Jack was standing on the far side of his pit and the giant tumbled in, defenceless. The boy killed Cormoran with a single ringing blow from his pick-axe and the grateful villagers rewarded him with a fine sword; he became known as Jack the Giant-Killer. The victor went travelling; he felled several other giants, and today we remember him through the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk.      

Giants adored big rocks and stones, using them as furniture, missiles and to play their games of quoits. They’re also said to have helped form the Cheesewring, the extraordinary granite formation near Minions on the edge of Bodmin Moor. Led by chief Uther, the local giants were infuriated when a group of Saints arrived in the area. The new residents were popular with people living nearby, receiving tithes formerly stolen by the bullying monsters. 

To settle on who’d stay, Uther and holy man Saint Tue held a rock-throwing contest, pitching in turn. The idea was to toss each great boulder atop the previous until a tower was formed. With some divine help Saint Tue beat the giant, whose final throw fell short of the mark. Uther promised to give up his delinquent lifestyle; he and his cronies melted into the hills. But the huge rockpile is still there.

Holiburn: "Er, hello?"

Not all giants displayed such behavioural problems. Holiburn, the kindly giant of Carn Galva, protected the villagers of nearby Zennor and Morvah from attacks by others of his race. His fees were modest; the occasional sheep or goat to rend and crunch. The giant built himself a huge logan stone, on which he’d spend the evenings swaying gently back and forth. But sadly during a bout of horseplay, with a good-natured but careless tap on the head Holiburn killed one of his human friends; he was so mortified, he died of a broken heart. 

Other giants roamed the great stones. Cormoran’s neighbour, the giant of Trecrobben near St Michael’s Mount, built a rocky castle there for himself and his friends. Deep in Penwith, at Treen’s ancient Treryn Dinas cliff fort near Porthcurno lived deaf-and-dumb giant Dan Dynas, and his wife An’ (aunt) Venna. A good couple, they offered local people protection within during times of conflict. 

Today the best-known of Cornwall’s giants is Bolster. Living high on the Beacon hill outside St Agnes, Bolster was dastardly; as well as animals he’d gobble up children, and ill-treated his wife until she became worn-down with overwork. Bolster’s eye began to wander and ignoring his marital status, he proposed to a local maid named Agnes. 

Horrified, Agnes wracked her brains for a way to be rid of him; she set Bolster a long series of tasks to prove his ardour. The love-struck monster engaged in battles, feats of strength, races, but finally his patience ended; he insisted on one final endeavour after which Agnes would become his wife.

By then though, Agnes had a plan. She took Bolster up to the cliffs at nearby Chapel Porth, and showed him a small hole in the rock. As a final token of his love, Agnes asked the giant to make a cut in his wrist and fill the hole with blood. Bolster obeyed, believing this to be the simplest task of all. 

But Agnes knew the hole was bottomless; it ran through the rock, down to the sea. Hour after hour the hole remained unfilled, as slowly Bolster’s blood drained away. Finally, with a great sigh the monster expired. On the Beacon the villagers partied and their heroine became canonized as St Agnes; Chapel Porth’s cliffs still bear blood-red stains. 

 

Now, each year the oppressor’s final downfall is celebrated by the St Agnes Bolster Festival. The event takes place over the first weekend of May and includes live music, a lantern procession, bonfire and barbeque. The highlight is a grand parade, its star a colossal effigy of the wicked giant. Surrounded by his helpers, mighty Bolster struts the length of the village accompanied by the Bolster Drummers, Mr Mayor, brave knight Sir Constantine and unfortunate Mrs Bolster.

"Hi, fans!"

Bill English runs the 17th century St Agnes Hotel with wife Diane; he enjoys the weekend. “It’s a really great occasion for the whole village. Everyone gets together and people of all ages come in from miles around to see Bolster. He’s been going for about 20 years now, and his reputation’s spread far and wide. Bolster’s a villain but everyone loves him, though some of the kids are a little wary at first; he’s well over 20 feet high!”

This year’s Bolster parade begins at 12.00 noon on Sunday May 5th. Later that afternoon the challengers will gather at Chapel Porth, to challenge their foe in a do-or-die confrontation.  Before thousands of spellbound onlookers, as the drums beat ever louder Bolster will appear on the horizon; against a backdrop of towering cliffs and blue twinkly sea, the final battle unfolds.

To find out more about the whole weekend’s events at the St Agnes Bolster Festival, check out:

http://www.whatsoncornwall.co.uk/community/st-agnes-bolster-festival

Charles Causley, and the Causley Festival

Cornish poet Charles Causley is celebrated for his genius worldwide, but drew inspiration from his home; he lived nearly all his life in the Duchy’s old capital Launceston. Admired by contemporaries John Betjeman, Ted Hughes and Roger McGough, Causley’s work frequently embraced his local area, as well as broader Cornwall and its plentiful legends. But he also told tales of working people, simple stories at first glance, and the conflicts they experienced in an often tough world.

Charles was born in his grandmother’s small cottage by the River Kensey, along from Launceston’s St Thomas parish church; his passion for poetry grew as a schoolboy. Dull day jobs and evenings struggling to write was followed by naval service abroad during the Second World War. Home in one piece, Charles trained as a teacher but continued his poetry, inspired especially by WH Auden, Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon.

Success finally arrived in 1951 with publication of Farewell, Aggie Weston, wartime recollections by turn exhilarating, sombre and bleak. Charles compiled several anthologies, attracting admiration from writers as diverse as Seamus Heaney, Philip Larkin, Edith Sitwell and John Wain. In the 1970s he began writing children’s poetry, verses of innocence to charm young readers sometimes by their very sounds. He also produced short stories, plays and opera librettos.

Always a modest man, appearing at an Edinburgh Festival Charles shared the bill with his early hero Auden: “It was wonderful for me; I don't know what it was like for Auden.” In 1967 he was awarded the Queen's Medal for Poetry, later the CBE. During 2000 the Royal Society of Literature made Charles a Companion of Literature; his reaction at 83, a gentle-humoured, “My goodness, what an encouragement.” Roger McGough said of him: “He sits at the foot of England and tickles its toes.”

Malcolm Wright chairs Launceston’s Charles Causley Society and is a long-time admirer. He also helps organise the town’s annual literary event, the Charles Causley Festival, which this year takes place over the weekend of 7th – 9th June. Malcolm explained: “We held our first festival in June 2010, and it’s been growing ever since.  Charles was primarily a poet, but he was also an accomplished musician and dramatist, and the festival reflects all these aspects of his artistic talents.” Each year sees visits by poets, writers and musicians with live performances, talks, book-signings, exhibitions and workshops. Even guided tours are available, bringing Charles’s Launceston alive to visitors; people enjoy seeing the places mentioned in his work.

Visiting this year will be Sir Andrew Motion, former Poet Laureate. Sir Andrew, patron of the Charles Causley Trust, will read from his new collection The Customs House, with a question-and-answer session together with a book-signing; he’ll be at the Town Hall on Friday from 4.00pm. Friday night will feature five contemporary poets: Matt Harvey, Simon Williams, and the Dead Chough Collective otherwise known as Alan Kent, Les Merton and Mick Paynter. At the Lawrence House Museum on Saturday, Alan will be launching his new collection of Charles’s theatre works, along with a talk and book-signing.

Until recently, Launceston resident Richard Graham ran the town’s bookshop; years ago the poet was among his customers. A great fan, Richard said: “As well as his work for adults Charles wrote a great deal of children’s poetry.  He wrote for children as equals and never talked down to them.  He didn’t believe in age distinction in poetry.” This year, among young readers’ events will be BishBashBosh Productions’ Beast of Bodmin Moor, a puppet show based on Cornwall’s mysterious big cat and how it came to wander the wild landscape. Over the weekend too, The Story Republic will be invading medieval Launceston Castle, small groups of storytellers armed with Charles’s poetry to enchant children and adventurous adults.

With most events held in and around the town’s centre, it’s easy to stroll between them. As you walk, Charles’s Launceston comes to life. St Mary Magdalene church appears in the ballad Sir Henry Trecarell as well as Mary, Mary Magdalene while the school where the poet taught is featured in Salt and Pepper, recalling a crusty colleague. Launceston Castle lends the backdrop for Mr Pennycomequick, a cautionary children’s verse about an intrepid amateur parachutist. Other poetic landmarks are Tom and Tim, the Guildhall’s quarter-jacks, as well as Zig Zag Hill and the Eagle House Hotel’s fine pair of avian statues.

Among non-fiction writers appearing this year, Caspar Henderson will talk about his Book of Barely Imagined Beings, a compendium of real creatures often more astonishing than anything dreamed of in a medieval bestiary. He’ll be at Liberty House (Jericho’s) on Saturday. Sunday sees Dr Michael Sparrow share adventures from medical life, again at Liberty House, from 1 pm; the stories, captured in his books Country Doctor and Repeat Prescription, would be entirely unbelievable if they weren’t 100% true.

Musical events will include Devon folk-singer Jim Causley; he’ll be launching his new CD featuring Charles’s poetry on Thursday 6 June at the Town Hall, as the Festival gets underway. Sunday’s music features Launceston Live, again at the Town Hall from 6.30 to midnight, with acts including Issy Paul and The Ukeladies. The evening’s headlined by Dalla, Cornish Celtic music’s first supergroup, renowned for their performances taking Cornwall’s melody and song throughout the Duchy and beyond.

But at the celebration’s heart will be Charles Causley himself. His poetry is treasured by a wide, diverse audience; its traditional forms, clarity and universal themes have an enduring quality. Malcolm Wright summed up: “The real glory of Charles’s work lies in its variety, from the sombre tones in Six Women to the humour of When I Was a Hundred and Twenty Four, and the observational skill in Timothy Winters. Charles is one of the best-loved poets of the second half of the 20th century; he stands alongside Hughes, Larkin, Heaney and Betjeman.”

Richard Graham added: “Charles had a natural rhythm and cadence to his writing, perhaps made more natural because he was also a musician. His poetry is very readable, understandable; he talked in a simple way.” Another admirer was Ted Hughes, who wrote: “Before I was made Poet Laureate, I was asked to name my choice of the best poet for the job.  Without hesitation I named Charles Causley … a poet for whom the title might have been invented afresh.”

For information on the Charles Causley Festival, visit http://charlescausleyfestival.co.uk/