Western Morning News (Saturday)
Dog that killed poodle is muzzled
A MAN whose out-of-control dog killed a poodle at a caravan park has been ordered to keep the animal muzzled – or have it put down.
Wajeeh Izharuddin, aged 29, allowed the animal to attack a pet at the venue near Newton Abbot.
Plymouth magistrates have imposed a control order, which means his dog must be muzzled and on a lead under the control of someone over 16 in public.
Failure to comply with the order means that his pet could be put to sleep.
Izharuddin faced Plymouth magistrates to admit owning a dog which was dangerously out of control at Lemonford Caravan Park at Bickington on July 28 last year.
Magistrates handed him a 15-month community order with a nine-week curfew.
Izharuddin must comply with the probation service’s Rehabilitation Activity Requirement supervision condition. He was ordered to pay £720 compensation.
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson said shortly after the incident that they were investigating a report that a dog was fatally injured by another dog in Bickington.
The owner of a black poodle reported her pet was attacked by another dog being walked by its owner. The poodle was taken to a vet but died of its injuries.
THE decomposing body of a giant conger eel has been found washed up on a Devon beach for the second time in as many days.
Rebecca Searle was out walking with her two children and dog at Dawlish Warren on Thursday when they made the grisly discovery.
Rebecca, a trained ecologist, estimated the creature to be between 1m to 1.30m in length.
It comes after another conger eel measuring around 2.1m was found on Wednesday at Blackpool Sands, near Dartmouth. “We were walking along the beach when the dog starting sniffing at something. We went to see what it was and couldn’t believe it – the kids ran off thinking it was a giant snake!” said Rebecca.
“I think the dog wanted to roll in it but we managed to stop him from doing that. I just thought ‘wow!’ It was really impressive and pretty big. It’s gross but, at the same time, you just can’t stop looking at it either!”
THE winners of the 2020-21 Cornwall Tourism Awards have been announced at a special online ceremony.
Hosted over five sessions by the BBC’s Daphne Skinnard and Robin Barker of Services for Tourism, the online event saw 74 awards presented in 27 categories, with a final surprise ‘Outstanding Contribution to Tourism’ award going to Martin Barlow, owner of the Budock Vean Hotel in Cornwall.
It was the culmination of an 11-month programme that started in March 2020 with entrants judged on a combination of their entry submissions, digital presence, reviews and external evidence – against a backdrop of coronavirus-imposed lockdowns which have had a devastating impact on the hospitality and tourism industries.
Top awards included the prize for business leader, which went to Watergate Bay’s Ben Harper. Among the other top winners was Landal Gwel an Mor, winning gold for Holiday Park of the Year as well as awards for Access, Small Attraction, Spa and Wellbeing, and Wedding Venue.
Sara’s Cottage was another multiple winner picking up golds for Access and Self Catering, while Mullion Cove Hotel and Spa took gold for Small Hotel and Carlyon Bay Hotel the gold for Large Hotel. The Old Embassy House took the gold for
B&B and Guesthouse of the Year with Polmanter Touring Park and Ekopod taking the final two accommodation golds for touring park and glamping.
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary showed its further improvements taking gold in both the Wildlife Friendly and Dog Friendly categories, with Paradise Park also taking two golds for Large Visitor Attraction and Experience of the Year. The Shipwreck Treasure Museum took the Small Attraction gold, with Treseren winning gold for Wedding Venue and St Moritz Hotel gold for Tourism Innovation. Falmouth Oyster Festival 2019 took the gold for Tourism Event of the Year and Visit Newquay Tourist Information the gold for Visitor Information.
Food and drink businesses were also recognised with Teacup Tearoom winning gold for Café/Tearoom of the Year, The Pandora Inn for Pub of the Year, for the fourth year running, and Bango Kitchen the gold for Restaurant and Casual Dining.
Prestigious golds also went to The Sanctuary Cornwall for Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism, and to Cove24 Restaurant and Bar in the New Tourism Business category.
The awards also recognised five ‘Unsung Heroes’ who had gone above and beyond during 2020. These were Gary Zammit of Feadon Wildlife Centre, Kim Spencer of SECTA, Patrick Trembath of PK Porthcurno, Robert Hawkins of Martha’s Orchard and Sally Pickles from The Bowgie Inn.
Awards organiser, Robin Barker, of Services for Tourism, said: “It would have been very easy to cancel the awards this year – we did think long
and hard about it – but the level of early entries we received in spite of everything, and the creativity and determination shown by entrants, inspired us to find a way to make this happen.”
Deborah Heather, of headline sponsors Quality in Tourism, said: “I’ve just spent an amazing day with the awe-inspiring tourism industry of Cornwall. They go from strength to strength each year. We are so proud at Quality in Tourism to be headline sponsor of the Cornwall Tourism Awards. I am humbled by and optimistic because of these industry leaders.”
Malcolm Bell, head of VisitCornwall, said it was “refreshing” to have something to celebrate in what has been an extraordinary year for Cornwall. “Many congratulations to everyone for your ongoing investments in excellence,” he added.
All of the winners will be automatically considered for the regional South West Tourism Excellence Awards later in the year as well as receiving feedback from the judging process. The 2021/22 awards are planned to be launched in April.
A full list of gold, silver and bronze award-winners in every category can be viewed at: cornwalltourismawards.org.uk