Protesters stage demonstration outside G7 hotel
PROTESTERS gathered at the weekend to call on Carbis Bay Hotel in St Ives, Cornwall, to ‘stop the destruction’ of local wildlife, after the hotel chopped down a number of its trees ahead of the G7 Summit.
Cornwall Council has been asked to investigate the work that is being undertaken, allegedly before planning permission was granted.
A spokesman for the Resist G7 Coalition said: “We felt it necessary to come here today, despite the pandemic, to let Carbis Bay Hotel and the G7 leaders know that we won’t stand by while they take destructive action.
“The hypocrisy of the world leaders discussing the climate crisis in a so-called eco-hotel that is destroying woodland is staggering. Carbis Bay Hotel thinks it can ignore planning laws because of the G7. We’re here to tell them they can’t.”
A spokesperson for Carbis Bay Hotel responded: “Part of our longstanding plans for the estate included clearing a small self-seeded scrubland area to the side of the hotel, and work on this area started years ago. We can confirm this was not ancient woodland.”
The hotel said it is working closely with a local landscaping team to increase planting in the area to replace the scrubland with a “plethora of trees and plants” which would be “more suited to the coastal environment.” Meanwhile, the South West Coast Path remains open.
A‘DEVASTATING’ outbreak of coronavirus at a care home in Exmouth has now claimed the lives of nine residents.
Brandon House, a specialist dementia care home in Douglas Avenue, recorded its first case of Covid-19 last month. It has also been confirmed that two residents remain ‘quite poorly’.
All residents at the home received their first Covid-19 vaccine in January.
It is the second care home in East Devon to be hit by an outbreak in recent weeks.
Diane Loxam, a training coordinator at Brandon House, told the BBC: “It’s just awful, no words can express how we’re all feeling at the moment.”
Heather Coles, an administrator, said because many of the residents had dementia it was “harder” for them to understand the restrictions in place at the care home.
Brandon House provides personal care for up to 35 older people. At the time of its last inspection by health and social care regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on February 2, 2021, there were 31 people living there.
The inspection report, published last Wednesday, stated the provider was following best practice guidance in terms of ensuring visitors to the home did not introduce and spread Covid19, and was providing good information and support for all.
Plans were said to be in place to protect vulnerable staff in the event of an outbreak.
The announced targeted inspection was conducted to look at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.
Public Health Devon said, while the county had “relatively few cases of coronavirus” compared to the rest of the country, “a small number of outbreaks” had occurred in some settings.
It is working “very closely” with care homes to ensure the safety of residents and staff, control the outbreaks, and reduce the risk of further transmission.
It added: “Coronavirus is still a very infectious virus, and cases like this are a reminder of how important it is for us still to remain vigilant and to take every precaution to prevent its further spread.”
In a separate incident, an investigation is underway at Holmesley Care Home in Fortescue Road, Sidford, near Sidmouth, where three deaths from Covid-19 have been confirmed.