BBC News Cornwall

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A pub near Bodmin has also offered to provide free school meals over the upcoming half term and cheaper meals throughout November.

The Lanviet Inn said the offer wasn't about "political views" but rather about "humanity" .

They said: "2020 has been exceptionally tough, for everyone and we understand how important a simple meal can be to children of families who may struggle to make ends meet."

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Redruth's Smokey Joe's cafe is offering free meals to all children over the half term period.

Owner Aubrey Caddy said they would be offering a meal off their children's menu with a drink to all school aged children.

Cornwall community group CHAOS will be providing free school meals from their Truro cafe over half term.

The cafe said they disagreed with the government's vote not to extend the programme until the end of Easter next year.

Following the decision, businesses around the country have declared they will provide food to families who need it and sparked calls for the government to change course.

Falmouth's Castle Beach Cafe has said it will be giving free lunch bags to children who normally get a free school meal during half term.

Cafe owner Rachel Crum thought she was doing a "local, small thing", but was surprised by the sheer volume of social media shares of the announcement, including footballer Marcus Rashford posting about her offer on Twitter.

She said: "It reminds you in times of doom and gloom that the vast majority of people are delightful, helpful, caring people and the world needs to be reminded of that."

On Wednesday, MPs voted against a Labour call to make free school meals available outside term time for the next six months, including over the Christmas and Easter holidays.

Families who's children normally get free school meals are being offered free food boxes by a business operating in Truro and Goonhavern.

The Refill store has got together with other food shops and volunteers to offer the service in half term, after the government said it wouldn't extend the free meal vouchers during holiday times through until next Easter.

Shop co-owner Alice Bane told us she couldn't stand by and do nothing while children who receive free school meals "suffer" over the holidays.

She said: "To think there's family out there struggling and children going without a good, nutritious meal at lunchtime is just awful."

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There is no legal requirement on Devon and Cornwall businesses to check where guests live or to refuse to service people from England's highest level of coronavirus restrictions.

That's according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

It comes after a tourism boss in Devon called for more clarity on government guidance, and said accommodation providers "had to rely on people sticking to guidance that they should not travel".

Sally Everton, from Visit Devon, added: "Those areas are in lockdown and I'm trying to believe those people will remain in lockdown."

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Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, has urged all his members to call guests in advance to find out where they are from and has criticised the government's tier system.

A DHSC spokesperson said the travel restrictions are guidance rather than legislation "so there are no penalties on either party".

They added: "We advise against people from 'Covid Alert Level: Very High' areas travelling outside their local area, but there are reasons people could need to do so, including for things like work, education, or caring responsibilities.

"If travel and overnight stays are essential, people must only do so within their own household/support bubble."

• Covid tier system: What is the tier lockdown system in England?

St Austell Brewery says it will have to make redundancies in the coming weeks as the furlough scheme comes to an end.

The brewery is one of the biggest employers in Cornwall and bosses say the time has come to make "unfortunate and difficult decisions".

Bosses expect the key Christmas trading period to be much lower than usual.

The job losses will be across the breadth of the business, they told the BBC.

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Quote Message: Clearly as we see continued pressure on our revenues and profitability and as I say a very long winter ahead, then you know, with huge regret and a heavy heart we are having to make these tough decisions. from Kevin Georgel Chief Executive, St Austell Brewery

Clearly as we see continued pressure on our revenues and profitability and as I say a very long winter ahead, then you know, with huge regret and a heavy heart we are having to make these tough decisions.

A mother from Cornwall who receives free school meal vouchers has expressed anger that all six Conservative MPs voted to reject extending the programme until Easter 2021.

Donna Terry, from Pendeen, said it was going to be "pretty tight" for her family over the Christmas holidays.

She said: "It's going to be a case of do they get that extra present this year, or do you feed your child?

"I think, as poverty is at the moment in this country, you will have to feed your child, but there are still children going to school at the moment that are not having breakfast."

The Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has led the calls for the government to change its policy and was awarded an MBE for his campaigning.

St Austell and Newquay MP Steve Double, has defended his decision to vote against the Labour Party Motion, arguing the government was providing assistance.

He said: "This isn't about whether we should support families, it is about what mechanism we use to support those families."

Mr Double added the government's Universal Credit was the best way to support struggling families and the benefit system had performed "incredibly well" providing assistance to them during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cornwall Council is urging people from areas with high rates of coronavirus infections not to travel to the area.

The council said it was echoing calls from tourism industry leaders including Visit Cornwall's Malcolm Bell to stop holidaymakers heading to Cornwall from any tier 3 lockdown areas.

Council leader Julian German said: “Our first priority is to keep our residents safe during this pandemic and ensure that undue strain is not placed on our health service.

“It is not easy, especially after such a difficult year, to ask any business to turn trade away but these are exceptional circumstances and we are asking everyone to work with us to keep Cornwall safe."

Mr German said while Cornwall had relatively low numbers of infections "we know from other areas of the country how quickly the picture can change".

“I am not willing to undo the fantastic work of our public health team in keeping our residents safe, and that is why I am asking those who visit us to follow the rules," he said.

"Do not travel to Cornwall if you live in a high-risk area and help us to keep Cornwall safe."

The man behind the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan has urged people to plant local heritage fruit and vegetables, or risk losing them for good.

Sir Tim Smit said in the age of supermarkets' mass produced food and refrigeration it's easy to forget about truly traditional and seasonal food.

He said anyone with a garden should "hone" their own growing skills to "bring back the respect of horticulture".

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A number of city and parish councillors have got together to fight proposals to build on green sites around Truro city centre, in order that surrounding areas don't become "Greater Truro".

Cider makers across the South West have had a tough year because of the Covid pandemic.

Demand from pubs and restaurants has plunged, and festivals and county shows - where cider is usually in big demand - have been cancelled.

Sales were reported to be down by about 85% for some brewers, although online sales did see an increase.

The problem has been compounded by a bumper harvest, and the organisation which represents makers, the National Association of Cider Makers, said it had called on the government to help.

In Cornwall and Devon, cider producers have said tonnes of apples could remain on the ground this year because they were still struggling to sell last year's product.

David Berwick, from St Ives Cider, said: "We've half of last year's vintage still in the vats at the moment, so we've had to turn down contract apples we would normally take.

"There are some cracking orchards out there, but everyone is struggling and we don't have the space to put it anywhere at the moment."

Luscombe Drinks in Devon, which has started selling online, said its glut of apples had left problems in planning for the future.

Founder Gabriel David said: "I've got to forecast what we need for the next year and that's a challenge ... we don't want to produce too little."

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People will be able to identify as Cornish on 2021's national census, but there will not be a specific box to tick.

People who want to are being advised to tick "Other" in the ethnicity box and then write in the word "Cornish".

Dick Cole, leader of Mebyon Kernow, a political party which campaigns for the greater self-government of Cornwall, says he's "pretty disappointed".

Quote Message: The government recognised the Cornish as a national minority in 2014. They said the Cornish would be treated the same as the Welsh, the Scots and the Irish; and we are now putting pressure on the government to deliver on that. This was the most obvious example of parity - give us a basic tick box that we can tick, and they said: 'No.'" from Dick Cole Leader, Mebyon Kernow

The government recognised the Cornish as a national minority in 2014. They said the Cornish would be treated the same as the Welsh, the Scots and the Irish; and we are now putting pressure on the government to deliver on that. This was the most obvious example of parity - give us a basic tick box that we can tick, and they said: 'No.'"

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• Cornish people granted minority status within UK

Some hotels and B&Bs in Cornwall and Devon are reporting much higher numbers of bookings for half-term than in a normal year.

However, some owners said they were not sure what to do about bookings from people from areas with increased virus restrictions including tiers 3 and 2. Some have also cancelled bookings by guests.

John Hyatt, the director at Hendra Holiday Park near Newquay, which has cancelled bookings, said he was surprised people from tier 3 had only been given guidelines, not restrictions.

The government website states it was only "advising people not to travel into or out of an area if it has been categorised as a very high alert level [tier 3] area."

He said: "We took the decision to cancel those bookings. We don't want them down here, and there was enough demand to take [endure] those cancelled bookings. We made contact with those guests from tier 3 and relocated their booking or gave them a refund."

Cornwall's head of tourism, Malcolm Bell from Visit Cornwall, said other accommodation owners should phone people who had booked a break and ask them about where they would be coming from and their health so the industry can "play its part in keeping everyone safe".

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