Fishing for new markets in Newlyn

Pilchards

Inside Out investigates the changing fortunes of the pilchard industry in the South West.

In most Cornish seaside villages, tourism is now the main industry.

But go back 100 years in time, and pilchard fishing and curing were major industries.

Eventually the industry declined but now there's signs that it's making a comeback.

Catches are up to their highest level for 40 years.

But this still hasn't been enough to secure the future of one of Cornwall's oldest surviving links with its fishing heritage - the Pilchard Works in Newlyn.

Curing works

The Newlyn works has been curing pilchards for 100 years, using a method that hadn't changed for centuries before that.

At one time this was the only way to preserve them.

Fresh caught pilchards are put into tanks dry, with nothing but salt, which draws the water from them.

Then they are packed neatly into presses known as coffins.

Four hours later they are turned out and packed into wooden boxes, where they'll remain edible for up to a year.

The Pilchard Works is run by Nick Howell, but now it's shutting down.

Nick can make more money out of this building - by turning it into apartments.

Rich heritage

Long before tourism took over as the region's highest earner pilchards were big business.

In the 19th century the total tonnage of pilchards caught in Cornwall was greater that of all fish caught now.

That was back in the days when fishing was done under sail, close to the shore and fish were landed at the end of each shift.

Then came a steep decline.

Consumption in Britain fell sharply and the Pilchard Works would have closed a long time ago, were it not for a single customer in Genoa.

The factory's saving grace was the Borzone family, who have been buying pilchards from Newlyn ever since the Pilchard Works opened a century ago.

Through Giorgio Borzone and his family, pilchards found their way right across Northern Italy, into little alimentari.

Traditionally eaten with Polenta, pilchards also find their way onto the menu in fashionable restaurants.

But even in Italy Pilchards just aren't as popular as they used to be - people don't want them anymore.

Italians now prefer their Cornish pilchards pre-packed, from the supermarket.

And it's the downturn in the traditional Italian market that's finally forced the closure of The Pilchard Works.

Future hopes

But as one door closes, another opens. It might be the end of the line for the Pilchard Works but the pilchard itself is on its way back as the Cornish Sardine.

The man behind this revival is none other than Nick Howell himself from the Pilchard Works.

The Cornish Sardine is eaten fresh, so it won't save the Pilchard Works, but it is giving a new lease of life to the pilchard fishery.

Nick has encouraged local fishermen to modernise their boats along Breton lines and since 1997 catches are up a hundredfold.

These new boats are able to catch pilchards fast - and keep them fresh.

They're breaking with old traditions in more ways than one - the boats are packed with state of the art equipment including
sonar to track the fish's whereabouts.

Pilchards are easy to spot because they swim closely together for protection.

Many of the boats also use Breton-style ring nets.

They form a circle with it then close it at the bottom, like a purse. The fish have no escape.

Once caught, it takes up to an hour of solid teamwork to haul the bottom of the net to the surface.

We watch one fisherman as he scoops a record 8 ton haul.

It will take several hours to land all the fish and it's dark by the time the work is done.

Pilchard makeover

Thanks to a modern makeover the humble pilchard has become the suave Cornish sardine and fishermen are netting the benefits.

The Pilchard Works finally closed at the end of October 2005 - a sad end to a centuries old tradition.

But Nick Howell won't be walking away from pilchards altogether - he's opening a new premises to process the fresh variety.

The pilchard is dead - long live the Cornish sardine.

Links relating to this story:

• Pilchard Works
• Newlyn Harbour
• Newlyn Fish Industry Forum
• DEFRA
• Cornwall County Council

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites

Heroes of Zeebrugge

Heroic action - the South West's Zeebrugge heroes remembered

Daniel Sandford is the BBC's Rome correspondent but is best known for his dramatic reporting of terrorist attacks on London in summer 2005.

He visits Zeebrugge in Belgium for Inside Out to tell a personal story about a South West hero.

Courage under fire

A fierce battle was fought on the shores of occupied Belgium in 1918.

Incredible bravery was shown by the troops in the face of overwhelming enemy firepower which made it one of the most decorated British military actions of all time.

In the same year two tiny submarines were being prepared to take part in a voyage from Dover.

There was only a slim chance of making it back from their dangerous mission.

Their noses were weighed down by five tons of high explosive.

Richard Sandford - courage under extreme conditions

It was so dangerous that only single men were allowed to volunteer.

One of the subs was commanded by Lt Richard Sandford.

His mission was to put out of action the deadly U-boat base near Zeebrugge.

In charge of the raid was Vice Admiral Roger Keyes.

Helping him plan it was Richard's brother, Daniel Sandford's great uncle Lt Cmdr Francis Sandford.

And it was he who suggested the use of submarines, a decision that was to put both brothers at the heart of events that followed.

The perilous voyage across the channel was to take 10 hours. Their destination was Zeebrugge in Belgium.

Extreme danger

The canal entrance at Zeebrugge was protected by a mile long Mole, or jetty, which was heavily fortified.

Any ship entering the harbour would be a sitting target.

So before the concrete blockships could approach the canal, our forces had to take out that Mole.

A 1,000 strong raiding party aboard the Vindictive headed straight for the end of the Mole.

The Mole and some of the raiding party

In the face of heavy artillery fire they came alongside and climbed down onto the jetty, suffering terrible losses in the process.

After bloody hand-to-hand fighting they eventually silenced the Mole's big guns.

But their task would have been even bloodier were it not for the valiant actions of Richard Sandford and his crew aboard.

The sub had a steering device that allowed Sandford to abandon ship before impact, but not wanting to risk a miss, he decided to stay on board.

He rammed the sub into the Mole.

After impact they quickly lit the fuse, clambered aboard a skiff and rowed for their lives.

The Germans opened fire and half the men in the boat, including Sandford's great uncle were wounded.

The explosion left a gaping hole 100 feet wide. The Mole was left defenceless, allowing the concrete laden ships to go in and be sunk, blocking the canal.

Aftermath of the attack

Almost 100 years later, the heroism of the raiders is still celebrated by the people of Zeebrugge. There is also a memorial in the city.

Two hundred and fifty men gave their lives in the attack on Zeebrugge.

But in one of those coincidences for which wars are famous Sandford's two great uncles were reunited when Francis later plucked his badly wounded brother from the skiff and took him back to Dover.

As the survivors headed home it all looked like a success.

Eight Victoria Crosses were awarded to the men on the trip

But was it? It took only three days for smaller U-boats to get past the blockships and resume their deadly work.

But there is no doubting the men's courage.

Altogether eight Victoria Crosses were won in the Zeebrugge raid.

Inside Out shows rare footage of Sandford's great uncle receiving his, which now has pride of place at Dartmouth College, next to that of another West Country Zeebrugge hero, Torquay's Lt Commander Arthur Harrison, who died in action on board the Vindictive.

Richard recovered from his injuries and survived the rest of the war.

But then - just 11 days after the armistice, he caught typhoid and died in hospital, he was still only 27.

Links relating to this story:

• BBC History
• CLEO
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The Great War Society
• Imperial War Museum
• McKenzie UK
• Victoria Cross Research

Bankruptcy

Watching the pennies...

Over 33,000 people went bankrupt in England and Wales between April-December 2005.

Just over two thousand of them lived in Devon and Cornwall.

This is the story of Chris, who went bankrupt after Christmas.

Chris' problems started three years ago when he took time off work to look after a dying friend.

By last Christmas he'd seen two businesses go under and his father had also died.

On January 4th he went bankrupt owing £22,000:

''to have someone ring you up and say they're dying of cancer, what else can you do but see to their last wishes, and if you're the man they ask to see to that then there's nothing you can do about that… things just seemed to go wrong from then on.''

Behind every bankruptcy there's a story.

Cheap credit, the boom in consumer spending coupled with an unexpected life event most commonly relationship breakdown, accident, illness or redundancy and you find yourself unable to meet the monthly bills, relying heavily on credit and ignoring unopened bills.

For some people this is the start of a journey into debt which ultimately leads them to the bankruptcy court.

Increase in bankruptcies

According to the Insolvency Service, in the three months to the end of December 2005, 17,562 people filed for insolvency, up 46% on the previous year, the highest since records begin in 1960.

Take early action to prevent money woes

Of the total, 12,043 went bankrupt while 5,519 entered into an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) with creditors in an attempt to restructure their debts and pay them off.

The Insolvency Service also estimates that by the end of March over 55,000 people will have filed for insolvency and the figures for the financial year 2005/2006 are expected to be even higher.

But finding yourself struggling with debt doesn't automatically mean you're heading for the bankruptcy court.

Early action

Tackle it early and talk to someone about it and the outcome can be very different.

Colin Trend from Money Advice Plymouth has this to say:

''We would encourage anyone with a debt related problem to talk to someone as soon as they realise their finances are getting away from them.

"The earlier you seek help from one of the many free debt advisory services out there the more options are available to you.

"If you leave it until you're about to be evicted or the bailiffs are knocking at your door, there are far fewer options open to you. Remember, it's rarely as bad as you think.''

Of the many people coming through the doors at Money Advice Plymouth, Colin only helps a small number of them to go bankrupt, mostly he manages to find another way for his clients to get themselves out of debt.

Remember, it's a last resort and there are many agencies on hand to help.

All that said, a good place to start talking about your debt problems is to a friend.

Confide in someone you can trust and let them help you. With so many people in debt there's one thing we know for sure. You are not alone.

Help at hand

For free information and advice try these organisations:

Citizen's Advice Bureaux
Citizens Advice Bureaux provide free, confidential and independent advice from nearly 3,400 locations including in bureaux, GP surgeries, hospitals, colleges, prisons and courts.

Consumer Credit Counselling Service
CCCS is a charity offering free and confidential advice, from budgeting to debt management plans.

National Debtline
National Debtline offers free and independent advice on how to deal with debt problems.

Its website covers personal budget planning, sample letters for writing to creditors, debt advice and debt management plans.

There's also a free phone number if you would rather talk to someone in person.

Payplan
Payplan are a free debt management company who make repayment arrangements between clients who owe money and the company they owe money to.

Advice UK
Advice UK is the UK's largest support network for free, independent advice centres. Just click on Advice & Links on the left hand side of the page.

Legal Service Commission
The Legal Service Commission offers free high-quality legal information to help you deal with your legal problems.

Money Advice Plymouth
Based in Plymouth, Money Advice can deal with any money related issue you might have including debt problems and management.

01752 208128

Source: DTI

Links relating to this story:

• Citizens' Advice Bureau
• Consumer Credit Counselling Service
• National Debtline
• Legal Service Commission
• Payplan
• Advice UK

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites