22nd January 2020. A charity music festival that has grown in popularity year-on-year has given out the first of a series of cheques as it enters its 20th anniversary year.

Last year's Helstonbury at the Blue Anchor music festival raised £14,200 through four days of live music from bands and musicians across Cornwall. Now it has started giving some of that back, to local charities and good causes. Festival organiser Paul Turton said 2019 marked the 19th Helstonbury event, adding: "We’re very proud to donate proceeds to a variety of very worthwhile local causes.

 One of the local charities who benefitted was the National Coastwatch Institution station at Nare Point who received a cheque for £500. The station near St Keverne keeps a watch over the entrance to the Helford River and Falmouth Bay during daylight hours and have been celebrating the 25th anniversary of the founding of the charity.

 Don Garman, Station and Training Manager at the station, said: "This valued contribution will help to meet the running costs of the station during 2019/20 and may contribute to two projects we are planning - the installation of a defibrillator for the benefit of those using the coastal path and improvement of our very basic toilet facilities. All 56 Coastwatch stations in England and Wales must cover their own running costs, with Nare Point looking to raise around £5,000 annually.” "Our remote land location means we do not have a hinterland with a significant population to support the station, however we are one of the busiest stations in Cornwall and indeed England and Wales with 22,000 vessel movements logged per year and an average of 15 incidents per year," he added.

 The photograph (courtesy of The Packet) shows representatives from Nare Point receiving the cheque from Paul Turton and Simon Stone