Our May meeting was a trip by members and guests to the RNLI lifeboat station at Rock, hosted by local volunteer Stuart. The Little Red Bus was hired for the trip. We were told how the station operated and were shown the equipment and the boat stationed there. This was followed by a rescue demonstration in the Camel Estuary. Chairman Christopher thanked Stuart and the lifeboat crew on behalf of Probus for their hospitality

The visit concluded with an excellent lunch at the Pityme pub.

Our first June meeting will be an illustrated talk by member Paul on undersea mining. Launceston Ladies’ Probus will be holding their inaugural meeting in June.

Probus meet on the second and fourth Monday of each month, excluding Bank Holidays, with a speaker followed by an optional lunch. The club is primarily for retired or semi-retired people, providing a relaxed atmosphere with a focus on entertainment.

For further information on past and future activities of Probus, including talks and visits, visit our website at probusclub.net/launcestoncornwalluk or our Facebook page ‘Probus Club of Launceston - Cornwall’.

Launceston Stamp Club held its May meeting with fewer members than normal attending due to holidays and some members attending an international stamp event at Birmingham. Rex Eccott was the dealer for the evening and was well patronised.

In the absence of the chairman, Rex Eccott opened the meeting and explained the rules for the members one page competition being held during the evening. The entries were to be judged by the members. It was encouraging to see that there were eleven entries displayed on a wide range of subjects including an envelope addressed to the noted philatelist Charles Pack, a page on the 175th Anniversary of Stoke Climsland Post Office, Belgian Royalty, St Vincent, Use of Poached Egg Training Stamps on covers, Alsace Lorraine – Franco Prussian War, 1973 Apex Covers, Ottoman Empire, Butterflies, Guernsey Stamps on Stamps and an unusually addressed envelope with 19 one halfpenny stamps affixed designed to challenge Royal Mail to deliver the item. Members were then invited to cast their votes and after a careful count the entry of Guernsey Stamps on Stamps by Brian Whyte was declared the winner.

The next meeting on June 5 will feature Kevin Webb trading and Roger Winn will show ‘My Italian Job, but don’t Blow the Doors Off’ Visitors and prospective members always welcome. Further information from the Hon. Sec. on 01566 786826.

The Werrington Ladies Circle (WLC) were enthralled with a talk from the amazing Alison Jones, a representative from the “Medical Detection Dogs" charity (MDD).

MDD use the remarkable power of the dogs nose to detect human diseases. Their research is based on the dogs ability to detect minute odour traces created by diseases and is at the forefront of innovative research. The dogs nose is the best bio-sensor known to man. Since 2014, the research conducted indicated that their dogs were capable of detecting tiny traces (around one part per trillion - the equivalent of one teaspoon of sugar in two olympic sized swimming pools) of the odour created by different diseases.

The charity has always focused on establishing a strong evidence base and work closely with fellow researchers, academic institutions, both in the UK and internationally and NHS trusts.

The bio detection research areas include cancer, neurological diseases, bacteria and malaria detection dogs.

In 2021, the results to train dogs to detect prostrate cancer in urine samples, showed they can detect the most aggressive forms of the disease with high specificity and sensitivity which is non invasive to the patient.

The impact of MDD’s work is foundational and seminal to the whole new stew of emergent technologies.

In 2024, the MDD was asked to research the odour of colorectal cancer. To date colonoscopy screening is used and now MDD are aiming to use urine samples over faecal samples.

Neurological diseases affect over one-billion people worldwide. MDD focuses on Parkinsons’ disease. They believe there is a real potential for the dogs to achieve higher accuracy with increased exposure and refined training methods to detect early stages, even prior to diagnosis with urine odour sampling.

Bacteria within the body can be fatal and existing tests to confirm the presence in our body take several days. Current trials and research is to identify a reliable way of collecting samples from the individual that can be tested by dogs.

Malaria is both preventable and curable. It is known that malaria mosquitoes prefer feeding on patients carrying malaria parasites. Further evidence suggests that there is an odour medicated phenomenon: people infected with malaria smell more attracted to mosquitoes than those not infected. The dogs have been shown to detect this odour.

With MDD, Medical assistant dogs are trained to support people with life threatening health conditions. These include the following: Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Addisons disease, severe allergies, Type 1 diabetes, other endocrine disorders.

The work of this charity is endless, second to none, inspirational and above all just proves dogs are mans best friend.

Visit the website www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

If you have any spare pennies, please donate to this very worthy charity. A life could be changed in a sniff.

If anyone would like to join these eclectic, fun loving ladies from all walks of life within the community, please contact Susan Desmond (president), 01566 773768. Meetings are held the last Tuesday each month, in the winter at 2.30pm and summer 7.30pm at Yeolmbridge, Methodist Community Hall, Ladycross, PL15 8TN.

Annual subscriptions of £20 and guests £3 per meeting.

We look forward to welcome new members on May 27 at 7.30pm for tea, cakes friendship, giggles and so much more including a talk on Cornish summer traditions.

Mondays weekly — morning prayer at 10am.

At the last meeting Mike Stephens gave a talk entitled “Bulbs of the Month.” He projected on to the wall in the Parish Hall in Upton Cross flowers of all varieties and shades, he suggested one or two suitable for each month, and advised when to plant the bulbs and how deep they should be in the soil. His enthusiasm was catching and the well deserved vote of thanks was given by Sue Morton. Member Viv Trill won the raffle and the Posy Challenge and Marion Turner won the competition.

Following the AGM , a member of the group, Beverley Underwood is then going to talk about Aromatherapy.

The programme for 2025/26 was handed out during the evening which includes talks on topics such as “Owls,” and “Secret Army” will be an open meeting so that anyone is invited to attend. For more information contact the president via [email protected]

Three members of the local Archive Group recently met the Rowe family from South Dakota to guide them around the district to places connected to where some of their descendants lived and worked in the local mines here. Some lived at Sharptor, Higher Stanbear & North Darley, also farmed in the Henwood area too. Four men of the family left to work in the gold fields of Western Australia. A few years later another left seeking mining work, emigrating to Canada. Apparently the Grandma of the family took her pasty making skills to America, so there was a break in the local “tour” for a Cornish pasty lunch of course! Also a visit to St Paul’s churchyard to see the great grandparents’ grave with a fine gravestone there.

On Thursday, May 8, Archive member, Peter Sharp gave such an interesting talk in Rilla Mill Village Hall of each of the men and their roles during the two World Wars, whose names appear on the War Memorial at Upton Cross. His great research of each of them was much appreciated by those who attended, appropriately on May 8. A vote of thanks was given by the group Chair person, Sally Ellicott.

A History Group walk will take place on Sunday, June 1, “Rising from the Phoenix”, Phoenix Mine Through the Ages, which will be led by Ian Rowe. Please meet at the Hurler’s car park at 1.30pm.

After a successful Bingo Night in April, Callington Lions will be hosting a Summer Bingo Night in June.

Originally scheduled for late September, after the success of the latest event with teams travelling from as far away as Okehampton, Looe and Plympton to attend, the team decided to bring it forward.

The extra Summer Bingo will be held in the Town Hall on Friday, June 27. Booking will be online for the first time via the Callington Lions Facebook page, with some tickets available on the night.

The Callington team welcomed badged up new member Lion Sharah recently who joins the team after helping out over the past few months.

Four 10 years of service awards were also presented to members Don Berrey, Derek Prickett, Julie Searle and Andrew Searle.