Andrew Segal
BBC South West

Cornwall will "welcome visitors" from tier two areas, despite concerns people may travel there to take advantage of looser restrictions on pubs, a tourism boss has said.

Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, said the county had only seen a 10% rise in visitor numbers following last week's announcement that it would be one of only three parts of England to be placed into tier one rules.

Following the lifting of the first national lockdown in July, traffic to the area "doubled overnight", he said. However, he added that fears of an influx to the area this time had yet to be realised.

He said: "We coped with 180,000-200,000 extra people in August with no rise in infection rate.

"The maximum we would talk about this time of year is 20,000 if that. So people would be welcome as long as they abide by the rules. And with the age profiles of people visiting this time of year, they are likely to be most compliant."

Cornwall is the only part of mainland England to have been placed in tier one after the nationwide lockdown finishes.

Anyone travelling from a tier two area is expected to follow the same rules as the area they came from, including a ban on household mixing - meaning families not living together could not share accommodation.

Those living under tier three restrictions have been asked not to travel to the county.

A "magical trail" of 50 elf doors have appeared to create Christmas excitement despite the pandemic.

BBC Spotlight

A number of theatres across the South West are gearing up to reopen for pantomime season.

Most stages have been dark since March, but the government's cultural recovery fund means a small number of shows will be able to take place.

Audience numbers will be restricted - meaning many of the seats will have to remain empty - hand-santising and mask-wearing will be compulsory.

But, for many, it's a relief to see the curtain raise again.

At the Acorn in Penzance, capacity has been radically reduced from about 230 to 78.

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

A food chain which operates across the West, South and South West is preparing to reopen while having to deal with different levels of Covid-security at different branches.

The Hubbox chain has three of its nine branches in Cornwall; and others in Bristol, Devon, Hampshire and Somerset.

This means it will be operating under tier one restrictions in Cornwall, and mostly tier two elsewhere when the current England lockdown finishes on Wednesday.

However, its Bristol branch will be in tier three.

Under the new restrictions, tier 1 restaurants can open, but venues must be table service only, with last orders at 10pm.

Tier 2 sees pubs and restaurants only serve alcohol if it is with a "substantial meal".

Tier 3 see all hospitality businesses closing apart from offering takeaway and delivery options.

Operations Director Sameer Shetty said both customers and staff needed to be confident they could return.

Image source, Google

Victoria Walker filmed the humpback whale by drone off the coast of Cornwall.

Jenny Walrond
Health Correspondent, BBC Spotlight

Another 10 hospital patients with coronavirus have died in the South West, the latest figures say.

They include four at the Somerset NHS Trust, two in Plymouth's Derriford Hospital and one each at the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Torbay Hospital and Yeovil District Hospital.

The latest figure show 569 hospital patients have died in the South West who tested positive for Covid-19.

They include 314 in Devon and 96 in Cornwall.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Image source, Newquay Zoo

A zoo in Cornwall has come up with a new way of raising money after months of closures or much reduced visits because of coronavirus.

Staff at Newquay Zoo are holding an online auction and among the items for sale is a piece of art created by a baby tapir.

Staff said, external tapir Shaun had "been busy this lockdown creating an original painting".

They added: "We’re hoping that this auction, along with the many other ways you can support the zoo will help to raise vital funds needed to care for our animals and continue our vital conservation work after a tough year."

Newquay Zoo has set a fundraising target of £5,000 for the auction.

Operations Manager Dave Folland admitted that Shaun did need a bit of coaxing in his artistic endeavors, which saw him walking over a canvas after he had walked in some paint, but he created "lots of brightly-coloured little dabs and spots all over the place in his own unique style".

Jingle and Noel are looking "lovely and fluffy" after being found starving and covered in parasites.

BBC Politics

Downing Street is trying to win over Conservative MPs who are threatening to vote against the government's tiered coronavirus restrictions in England.

More than 55 million people will enter the two toughest tiers from 00:01 GMT on Wednesday if the plans are approved.

The measures - which would see Devon in tier two but Cornwall in tier one - are likely to pass as Labour and other parties are to abstain.

But a number of Conservative MPs have decried the Covid-19 restrictions, saying the "wheels are coming off the government's arguments" to impose them.

Mel Stride, Conservative MP for Central Devon and chairman of the Treasury Committee, criticised a government report - published on Monday, external - about the new toughened tiers.

The report said it was "not possible to forecast the precise economic impact of a specific change to a specific restriction with confidence".

Mr Stride said it was "rehashed document [that] offers very little further in economic terms".

Find out more here.

Wasps sign second-row Josh Caulfield from Championship club Cornish Pirates on a short-term loan.

BBC News UK

Drinkers in tier two areas of England could order a Scotch egg with their pint to keep in line with post-lockdown rules, a cabinet minister and Cornwall MP has said.

Under new restrictions from Wednesday, pubs in those high-risk areas can only open if they function as a restaurant. And alcohol can only be served as part of a "substantial meal".

Environment Secretary - and Camborne & Redruth MP - George Eustice told LBC Radio that Scotch eggs would constitute such a meal "if there were table service".

Downing Street has not ruled out tier two drinkers being able to order a Scotch egg, but would not set out the difference between a snack and a meal.

The prime minister's official spokesman said: "I'm obviously not going to get into the detail of every possible meal.

"But we've been clear: bar snacks do not count as a substantial meal but it's well established practice in the hospitality industry what does."

Find out more here.

Image source, PA Media

BBC Click

Lithium-ion batteries power electric cars, mobile phones and other electrical devices, but they are difficult and dangerous to transport and so related industries like electric car plants tend to be located close to the source of the element.

But now a possible new source of the raw ingredient, lithium, may have been found in Cornwall.

One company, British Lithium, believes that the county might be the best place to find the element in Europe and is taking samples to find potentially economic seams.

BBC Click’s Spencer Kelly finds out more.

BBC Spotlight

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly will come out of the lockdown on Wednesday into the lowest tier of restrictions - tier one.

Cornwall is the only part of mainland England where pubs and hotels can re-open fully with social distancing guidelines.

Pubs in tier two areas, including neighbouring Devon, can only serve alcohol as part of a "substantial meal" and people will have to leave when they finish eating under the new restrictions.

Dr David Strain, a senior clinical lecturer at Exeter University, said the reason the government made that decision was because Cornwall had enough outdoor space so that people have not had to congregate indoors.

He added that caution was still needed.

BBC Radio Devon

Students in Exeter and Plymouth are behind a national petition calling on universities to bring back a safety-net grading system to prevent their results from being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The "no detriment policy" was put in place between the first lockdown until summer - the end of the last academic year. It was to ensure exam results would be no lower than their pre-pandemic results.

But this academic year the policy has been dropped, angering students who claim the quality of learning is still lessened, with high stress levels, poor online access, connectivity issues and fewer contact hours.

The University of Exeter said it was not able to bring back the policy as, unlike the last academic year, it did not have any pre-pandemic grades to create a safety net grading system.

Plymouth University said the policy was only put in place in the last academic year because the institution was completely shut at the last minute with no plans for support, unlike this year.

BBC Radio Cornwall

The number of cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly remains stable at 51.

The England average is now 152.

In the week to last Monday, there were 290 new cases in the areas, down 194 on the previous week.

Richard Whitehouse
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Better signs are needed to ensure that dog owners know when they can and cannot take their pets on to Cornish beaches.

That was the call from Cornwall councillors this week as they reviewed the new arrangements which came into force on beaches this summer.

Image source, LDRS

Cornwall Council has Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) in place on 43 beaches around the Duchy and this year set new guidelines in a bid to harmonise the rules which had previously been different for individual beaches.

Under the new restrictions beaches without Blue Flag or Seaside Award status had dog bans in place between 10am and 6pm in July and August.

Those which have Blue Flag or Seaside Awards had bans from May 15 to September 30, again from 10am to 6pm.

The changes meant there was more time for dog owners to take their pets to the beach.

Feedback following the changes has been mixed with dog owners welcoming the move while some were unhappy.

Rob Nolan, Cabinet member for environment and public protection, said: “I have had a good deal of emails and calls about this over the last few months. Signage is the one clear thing that emerges from this and it is something we need to do (improve) ...

“Falmouth and St Ives have town beaches that are very busy and used almost as parks.

“In those areas people would like to go back to restrictions from April to October.”

Councillors said improved signage and an improved webpage providing details of the restrictions was needed.

The committee agreed to have the current restrictions in place for another 12 months and that another review should be conducted after that.

Matt Small
BBC Radio Cornwall

Schools across Cornwall are being encouraged to get involved in Lowender Nadelik - a celebration of Christmas music in mid December.

MusicAbility in partnership with the Cornwall Music Education Hub is hosting the celebration , which will include a concert from St Mary's Church Penzance and recordings of performances that schools are being invited to submit.

It is open to all schools who submit videos or recordings with a Christmas theme.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Two of Cornwall's sixth-form colleges will be closing classrooms a week early from 11 December.

Bosses said teaching would go online for the last week of term, with students being supported in their homes.

The principal of Truro and Penwith College, Martin Tucker, said the move would help to prevent the spread of coronavirus and allow families to have more time together.

He said: "We've got students that travel a long way - in Truro, they're not all from Truro ... and we're appreciative of what people are trying to achieve over the Christmas period."

BBC Spotlight

The post-Brexit overhaul of agriculture in England has been set out by the government.

The seven-year plan will phase out paying subsidies to farmers based on how much land they own.

Instead, they are to be rewarded for preventing floods, planting woods and helping wildlife.

Farming Secretary - and Camborne & Redruth MP - George Eustice said among the new measures would be making sure farmers get a decent price for the food they produce, which was "one the reasons they needed subsidies" as part of work to "address poor farm profitability".

Find out more about the proposed farming policy changes here.

Amy Gladwell
BBC News Online

A 17-year-old boy who has put up a free Christmas lights display by himself has said he hopes it gives people something to smile about after a "rubbish year".

Dan Noall, a trainee electrician, said it took him three weeks to put the display up at Bodriggy Court, Hayle.

Image source, Sheena Collick

He said manufacturing the lights is a family business and the display is in its 23rd year -but this is the first year they have "gone public", making it bigger and brighter and sharing on social media.

"We've had a lot of positive reactions - hundreds of likes... The Angarrack lights display isn't happening this year and we are kind of like the mini Angarrack," he said.

Image source, Sheena Collick

Sheena Collick who lives in the town said: "A lot of us in Hayle have named it the Christmas garden...Such lovely people and it makes me proud to live here!" she said.

Dan Noall said he wanted the display to be Covid-safe and a planned switch-on procession they had hoped for will be delayed until Christmas 2021.

Image source, Sheena Collick