St Ives Cornwall - What's On This Week

Guided Tours Of St Ives

---

Things have gone a bit quieter now after half term week and town will probably remain relatively quiet until Easter. Still a fair bit going on though - so here's a selection of events for the coming week.

Monday (1st) sees the return of Guided Tours Of St Ives. Meet outside St Ives Guildhall at 11.00 am, no need to book, cost is £5.00 per person. Tours will take place at the same time on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays weekly until November.

On Tuesday (2nd) St Ives Jazz Club are staging saxophanist Iain Ballamy with The Ralph Freeman Trio. Doors open at 8.00 pm, music at 9.00 pm, entry on the door £10.00 / £6.00 (members).

On Wednesday (3rd) St Ives School of Painting have an art class - life drawing. Starts at 7.30, no need to book just turn up, cost is £7.00.

On Thursday (4th) the weekly St Ives Farmers Market is open from 9.30 am to 2.00 pm at St Ives Backpackers on The Stennack.

Friday evening sees the opening on the new exhbition at Millennium - The House Of Fairy Tales. More than 100 artworks exploring folklore, mythology and metamorphoses with emerging, established and internationally acclaimed artists. Open daily until 28th March.

More events on my:
St Ives Calendar

St Ives Food and Drink Festival

St Ives Food and Drink Festival - June 2010

---

A celebration of the very best of Cornish food and drink - the first St Ives Food and Drink Festival - is coming to town in June.

It will run from Monday 14th June with daily events in some of the town’s bars and restaurants. This will lead up to the main Festival weekend on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th June, when there will be a Food and Drink Fayre at St Ives Guildhall.

Food and drink producers from across West Cornwall will be taking part along with cooking demonstrations, recipe ideas and a range of food and drink related events at locations around town.

Events planned so far include:

• Cornish Cheese Tasting - Cornish Deli - Monday 14th June.
• Fish Masterclass - Sea Food Cafe - Tuesday 15th and Thursday 17th June.
• How To Cook Cornish Mussels - Alba - Monday 14th to Friday 18th June.

Lots more will be added so I will post details here in due course.

There will also be a St Ives Food and Drink Trail - a map of St Ives and surrounding area highlighting all food and drink related outlets.

Lots more will be added so I will post details here in due course.

The festival website is currently under development - so I've added a Food Festival page to my OneStIves website:
St Ives Food and Drink Festival

Organisers now want to hear from every bar, restaurant, café and food retailer in and around the town who would like to have their details placed on the food and drink trail and on the Festival website. They are also seeking ideas for events.

For more information contact Mercury PR.

St Ives Cornwall - Free For All

Free For All - St Ives Guildhall

---

Has your house has been filling up with useful items which you no longer need ? There is now an opportunity to have a clearout and pass them on to others.

St Ives Town Council is organising a Free For All event in The Guildhall on Saturday 6th March.

Local residents and businesses can bring along any unwanted items, and also help themselves to any of the items which other people have brought along. There will also be some surplus furniture, prints and other items brought along by local hotels which have been having a refurbishment.

Goods can be brought to the Guildhall between 3.00 pm and 5.00 pm on the Friday evening or from 9.00 am on the Saturday morning. You can turn up and help yourself to the goods on offer between 10.00 am and 2.00 pm on the Saturday.

The only items that you can't bring are electrical items, so you can bring along absolutely anything else which is in a usable condition.

More details available from St Ives Town Council:
01736 797 840
www.stivestowncouncil.co.uk

St Ives - Politically Correct Chippie

St Ives has gained its first politically correct chip shop.

The Balancing Eel has been awarded the CHEFS (Cornwall Healthier Eating and Food Safety) award by Cornwall Council's Food Safety Police.

To achieve a gold award "food establishments must satisfy council food inspectors that they not only offer healthier dishes but through preferential pricing that they actively encourage customers to choose them".

Cornwall "cabinet member for stronger communities" - Lance Kennedy (Con - Bodmin East) said: "This is a great scheme and I'm delighted that we have added the traditional fish and chip shop to the list of award winners".

At last somewhere that middle class mummy can safely take little Toby and Pandora to enjoy a free range fairtrade sustainable organic ethically sourced zero carbon footprint low food miles quorn fritter with baked chips. While at the same time celebrating diversity.

I'll be sticking with St Ives best chippy - The Albatross in Chapel Street. Pukka steak and kidney pie, proper chips cooked in industrial strength dripping, mushy peas and afterburner curry sauce. Yum.

---

Finally - on a serious note:
My daughter is at Truro College studying photography amongst other things . They seem to be so short of money that she (or we) have to pay for basic items such as sim cards and photo paper. St Ives day centre for pensioners is set to close. The council tax increase for 2010 has been set at the maximum 2.9 % (again!!) to "boost council coffers".

Cornwall Council leader Alec Robertson (Con - Helston North) said "the annual council budget of £451.9 million, including the decision to increase council tax, was "a good one, founded on good Cornish common sense and pragmatism".

But Cornwall Council are still happy to waste our money on stupid politically correct schemes like CHEFS and many others. Like many of you I'm about to get a bill through the letter box for something approaching £1500.00 - can't pay won't pay ?

St Ives September Festival - Gigs Announced

Livewire - St Ives Guildhall - Saturday 25th September 2010

---

Some of the main September Festival gigs at St Ives Guildhall have just been announced:

• Saturday 11th: Courtney Pine
• Sunday 12th: The Unthanks
• Tuesday 14th: Eddi Reader
• Wednesday 15th: Altan
• Friday 17th: The Imagined Village
• Saturday 18th: Peco Pena
• Tuesday 21st: Imelda May
• Wednesday 22nd: The Mousehole Choir
• Thursday 23rd: Robin Trower Band / The Hamsters
• Friday 24th: The Beat / John Otway
  
• Saturday 25th: Livewire / Limehouse Lizzy

The programme does look a bit different this year - and a good mix of different genres.

Legendary guitar hero Robin Trower is coming to St Ives - awesome !

I can also vouch for the fact that AC/DC trib. band Livewire are the closest thing to the real thing you're ever going to see and hear. Still a few slots open - Mark - any chance you'll book Lacuna Coil ?

Tickets will not be available until Easter - when you'll be able to get them from St Ives Tourist Information at The Guildhall.

The full programme will also be published at Easter with more details of the arts programme, films, theatre, talks and other smaller events.

No doubt more will be added here in due course:
St Ives September Festival Website

I'll also be adding stuff to my own Festival page:
OneStIves - St Ives September Festival

St Ives Cornwall - What's On This Week

Trevor Watkis - St Ives Jazz Club - Tuesday 23rd February

---

Still plenty going on in our little town - so here is a selection for the coming week.

Tonight (20th) tribute band Not The Beatles are at The Lifeboat Inn. Starts at 9.00 pm, free entry.

Tomorrow (21st) there are pub quizzes at both The Queens Hotel and The Union Inn. Start time is 8.00 pm.

On Monday (22nd) St Ives School of Painting have an art class - Life Drawing. It starts at 7.30 pm and costs £7.00 - no need to book just turn up.

Tuesday (23rd) sees the regular St Ives Jazz Club gig at The Western Hotel. This week they're staging Trevor Watkis Trio. Doors open at 8.00 pm and music starts at 9.00 pm. Entry on the door is £10.00 or £6.00 for members.

On Wednesday (24th) St Ives Folk is at The Western Hotel - Kiddlywink Bar. Starts at 8.30 pm, free entry.

Thursday is Cafe Frug night at St Ives Arts Club. An eclectic mix of music, poetry, prose readings, comedy and film hosted by the inimitable Bob Devereux. It starts at 8.00 pm and entry on the door is £4.00.

On Friday its Late At The Tate starting at 7.00 pm. Free entry to the galleries until 9.00 pm. Music, food and a pay bar in the café until 11.00 pm. Film - Rebecca - tickets £5.00.

More details of the above and lots more events listed on:
St Ives What's On

St Ives Cornwall - News

St Ives Lifeboat and Crew - Dwarfed But Not Defeated

---

I've just added a news feed for St Ives to my Google homepage. So I thought I'd post some of the latest local news gathered from the web.

Cornish Pottery Vies For £100k Art Fund Prize.
The Leach Pottery is one of 11 contenders shortlisted for the Art Fund Prize.
Full story - Daily Telegraph

Dwarfed But Not Defeated.
St Ives lifeboat tows in a vessel double its length and 10 times its weight.
Full story - RNLI

Cornwall Council To Review Day Centre Provision.
Pensioners worried about the future of day care centres in St Ives and Penzance.
Full Story - BBC News

Letters By First World War Soldier For Lover On Display.
Exhibition in St Ives Library.
Full Story - Daily Telegraph

Coming up here soon:
St Ives Food and Drink Festival - June 2010 - first events announced.
St Ives September Festival - main events to be announced on Twitter.

Textile Art Workshops

Jo McIntosh - Textile Art Workshops - St Ives Cornwall

---

My wife Jo is running two textile art workshops in St Ives this month.

Saturday 20th February - Monoprinting On Fabric.

Saturday 27th February - Fabric Collage.

Each costs £40.00 including materials.

Get in touch with Jo if you'd like to book or want more info.

Also - let her know if there is a textile related workshop that you'd like to see her running later in the year.

01736 797 122

Knit One Weave One

St Ives Cornwall - Woolworths Update

Woolworths - Fore Street - St Ives Cornwall

---

I've received information from an anonymous but well placed local source about the next tenant of Woolworths on Fore Street.

The story is that one of the big pizza chains is moving in. Not sure which one but presumably Pizza Hut, Dominos or similar.

Also that JD Wetherspoons long rumoured move into St Ives is finally happening. I'm told that it will be the company's upmarket brand "Lloyds No. 1" moving in.

All of this is totally unsubstantiated - so if you know any different let me know.

St Ives Literature Festival 2010 - Update

Liz Kessler - Sunday 2nd May 2010 - St Ives Arts Club

---

Some of the events and writers have been confirmed for the May Festival.

Two local writers will be appearing.

Best selling children's author Liz Kessler will be reading a few excerpts from her published books and give a sneak preview of her soon-to-be-published book. She'll also answer questions about writing, books, mermaids, fairies and anything else she happens to be asked.
Sunday 2nd May 2010 - St Ives Arts Club. Time and tickets to be confirmed.

Novelist and poet Ann Kelley will will talk about and read from her latest novel Koh Tabu.
Thursday 6th May 2010 - St Ives Arts Club. 6.00 pm. Tickets: £6.00

Australia's leading poet Les Murray will be reading from his work.
Saturday 8th May - Mariners Gallery . 8.00pm. Tickets: £10.00

Others likely to be reading include Kelvin Bowers, Charles Shaar Murray and Anna Chen.
Details to be confirmed.

The Festival runs from Saturday 1st to Saturday 8th May 2010.

Lots more will be added - check out the website for the latest news:

St Ives Literature Festival

St Ives Cornwall - Valentines Day Gifts

Textile Art Workshops With Jo McIntosh

---

Next Sunday (14th February) is Valentines Day and like many people I'm struggling with the question of what present to buy. So here are some ideas.

Gift Voucher For A Textile Workshop ......
My wife Jo is running a series of one day workshops in St Ives throughout the year. So if your loved one enjoys doing something creative and fun this could be an ideal and different gift. Cost is £40.00 for a full day including materials. Contact Jo for details:
Jo McIntosh - Knit One Weave One



Beautiful Handmade Glass From Cornwall ......
is available from the Jo Downs shop in Market Place. Jewellery and a range of other items, many with heart motifs - ideal for a Valentines gift. They have a great poster in the window as well - click the photo above to enlarge:
Jo Downs

St Ives Feast

St Ives Feast - 8th February 2010

---

I've now pulled together and edited a compilation video from St Ives Feast today.

It includes The Hurling of the Silver Ball, The Western Hunt in Royal Square, Return of the Silver Ball and finally Throwing Pennies at St Ives Guildhall.

Hope you enjoy it.

St Ives Cornwall - Feast Day - The Silver Ball

St Ives Feast - Hurling of the Silver Ball

---

For the latest news about events in St Ives Cornwall - visit:
St Ives Cornwall - What's On

---

Today is St Ives Feast Day - commemorating the consecration of the Parish Church of St Eia in 1434.

Following an ancient tradition - at 10.30 am the mayor hurls the Silver Ball from the wall of the church down to the beach.

Local children then fight over it through town. Whoever returns it to the mayor on the steps of St Ives Guildhall on the stroke of midday receives a silver coin.

In this video you can see one of the local kids getting hold of the ball and then diving into the sea to get away. The others then stream off to intercept him on the other side of the harbour. Then another kid dives into the sea in pursuit !



Other traditions include a meeting of The Western Hunt to to take a stirrup cup from the mayor and the distribution of pennies to local children at The Guildhall. More vidoes showing those coming soon.

My friends Alban Roinard and Sarah Lincoln were also there - respectively filming and photographing. Sarah took the picture above. Hopefully I'll be able to publish some more of their images soon as well.

St Ives Cornwall - Website Design

St Ives Cornwall Website Design

---

Today I'm featuring my own website - St Ives Cornwall Website Design.

I've built websites for many local businesses and organisations - around St Ives and West Cornwall. I've also helped a number of people with redesign and website marketing.

These include a great variety of different projects including shops, artists, galleries, pubs, hotels, self catering, holiday hire and community organisations.

One of my current projects is building a site for a series of childrens stories (adults might like them as well !) set in the Faerie Realms. This website is very much ongoing - with many more books and illustrations to be added over the coming months. Take a look here:
Fairy Press Website

I'm also working on a new site for a St Ives portrait artist - still under development so I'll feature it here at a later date.

So if you'd like help building a new website, updating your current site or with online marketing let me know. Check out my website here:
St Ives Cornwall Website Design

Fabric Stash Sale

Fabric Stash Sale - St Ives Cornwall

---

My wife Jo will be holdng a Fabric Stash Sale on Sunday 7th February.

31 Bedford Road, St Ives, 10.00am to 5.00pm.

She has a vast range of fabrics and needs to clear some space !

You can choose what you want and fill a bag for a fiver.

Tea, coffee and biscuits provided.

Jo McIntosh - Knitweave