50,000 sing Trelawny online
MORE than 50,000 people from the western side of the Tamar to the other side of the world joined in a weekend singalong to celebrate the Patron Saint of Cornwall, St Piran.
The tradition of the Trelawny Shout – a mass rendition of the unofficial Cornish anthem at 9pm every March 5th – is only in its seventh year and organisers had to think quickly to make it a digital celebration for 2021, via Facebook.
A rousing video featuring Cornish choirs, fishermen, farmers, nurses and hundreds of others, was shared on the Trelawny Shout and BBC Radio Cornwall Facebook on Friday.
The team at Trelawny Shout HQ had to sew together the voices from five choirs, all recorded on phones and ipads in bedrooms and across Cornwall and synchronise the audio with the video.
The three-minute film, funded by FEAST Cornwall can be watched on the Trelawny Shout Facebook page.
THE Lorraine Cox murder trial heard yesterday how in the days after her alleged killing the prime suspect made regular shopping trips to buy items used to wrap her body in.
Azam Mangori was recorded on CCTV walking from his flat above a kebab shop to Wilko in the Guildhall Shopping Centre in Exeter.
He would allegedly return each time with various items, including rolls of tape, polythene sheeting, a dust sheet, fan heater, dozens of black bin bags and a moisture absorber.
The shopping trips started on Thursday, September 3 – two days after he is alleged to have murdered Lorraine in his flat. Mangori is standing trial at Exeter Crown Court. He denies murder.
Yesterday, the jury heard more prosecution evidence about key events on the days after Lorraine, a 32-year-old from Exeter, went missing. Police searched thousands of hours of CCTV to piece together Mangori’s movements and purchases after she vanished on September 1.
Receipts show that his first purchase on September 3 included a dual fan heater and 30 black bin bags. He made another trip to Wilko later that day and five more over the next 48 hours.
The prosecution allege that after killing Lorraine her body remained in his flat for some days. He dismembered it and disposed of the parts using items bought at the shops.
The jury was also told of an encounter the defendant had with a woman who bought an electronic keyboard from him via Facebook Marketplace on September 4.
Lucy Judd gave a description of the man she met during a brief exchange between buyer and seller in the street. She described the defendant – a man she knew only through his Facebook profile as Christopher Mayer – as coming across as ‘intelligent’ and ‘engaging’. She thought he was an international student.
Several days later she saw a photo published of Mangori in connection with the killing and told police about their meeting. The jury has already heard prosecution evidence that Mangori killed Lorraine after a chance meeting in the early hours of the morning. She had been drinking and was heavily intoxicated. Mangori had spent the night in his flat trying to contact male and female escorts but had left shortly after 2am to roam the streets. It is said Mangori lured Lorraine back to his flat.
The prosecution cannot say exactly what happened in the flat or how Mangori killed her. But it is alleged that by the next morning he was using her SIM card to pretend to her family and friends that she was still alive and had moved to Plymouth.
Lorraine’s father, Anthony Cox, reported her missing to police on September 3. The trial continues.
aNEW short film featuring a well-known Exmoor farmer speaking openly about his experience of mental ill-health has been launched.
‘The Hill Farmer’, which has been produced by the Somerset Mental Health in Agriculture Group (SMHAG), aims to highlight the vital role of support organisations and charities in helping farmers during challenging times as well as supporting mental health and wellbeing.
The film features Oliver Edwards, telling his story of dealing with pressures on the farm at the same time as battling a diagnosis of colon cancer. Taking an enormous toll on his mental health, Oliver admits having suicidal thoughts.
Initially, Oliver says he found getting help difficult, as he shut himself off from others and didn’t want to burden those around him. Thankfully, his diagnosis served as a “wake-up call”, which motivated him to ask for help.
He explains: “I felt really down and couldn’t see any way out. I found it difficult to speak about what I was feeling. Those who aren’t from a farming type of world can struggle to relate, as they don’t know the same types of stresses that you might be under. I felt a bit foolish, and didn’t think others would understand the problems I was facing.
“I’m usually seen as being the stable person and the rock who others come to for help. When you’re in that role, it is hard to be the one to ask for help.”
Oliver continues: “If I’d spoken to somebody earlier about the stress of what I was going through, it could have really helped my mental state. I urge those watching [the film] to talk to somebody. Talk to a neighbour, a family member, or organisations like the Farming Community Network (FCN), RABI (Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution) or the NFU (National Farmers’ Union). Someone will have been in a similar situation to you and will understand.”
The film has been produced by the SMHAG, a group of individuals from various rural organisations with a common interest in raising awareness about mental health in agriculture.
One SMHAG member is Tod Merson, an FCN volunteer based in Somerset and recent winner of a Mole Valley Farmers Country Heroes award, given in recognition of his tireless work to help others during the pandemic. He explained: “Oliver’s story mirrors my own. When I experienced depression during my farming career, admitting it to anyone else
was the hardest thing to do. It is also the essential first step on the path to recovery.”
The film was financed by the Bridgwater Agricultural Society (BAS), as part of its vital role in supporting farmers in Somerset. Society director and Levels farmer, James Winslade, is also one of the founders of the charity Forage Aid, which provides emergency animal feed and bedding to farmers nationwide hit by extreme weather events or natural disasters.
He said: “My work helping other farmers through extreme weather crises has convinced me of the need for better support for mental health. My hope is that the film, and the training built around it, will make a contribution to this.”
The SMHAG’s chair, Becky Wright from New Leaf, runs a range of mental health training courses throughout Somerset and the South West. As well as being a “very powerful film”, she believes that The Hill Farmer will make an “ideal training tool”.
She continued: “The issues that Oliver talks about are central to an understanding of how farmers see themselves. I am developing a course which uses the film to help train others in giving support to the farming community.”
Last month, a study carried out by the Farm Safety Foundation revealed that 88% of farmers aged under 40 rank poor mental health as the ‘biggest hidden problem’ facing farmers today.
The film is available to watch at https://vimeo.com/507036647
I felt a bit foolish and didn’t think others would understand the problems I was facing OLIVER EDWARDS