Weekly round-up: Stories you may have missed

Britain's Prince William, The Duke of Cornwall, wearing a check jacket over an open neck shirt at the Isles of Scilly Hospital — Image caption,
Prince William has been in the Isles of Scilly

31 May 2026

Prince William opened a new hospital in the Isles of Scilly, a fisherman was left stunned after a whale breach and a new initiative is using art and music to help transform a city's anti-social behaviour hotspots.

Here are some stories from Devon and Cornwall that you may have missed during the past week.

Prince William visits new hospital facility

Prince William sat on a hospital bed while speaking to two patients who are sat on chairs. — Image caption,
Prince William speaks with patient Sue Kirby and her husband Clive during his visit to the Isles of Scilly Hospital

Prince William met hospital staff and patients as part of his visit to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

During his visit, he opened a new facility at Isles of Scilly Hospital, the Isles of Scilly Health and Care Partnership, which has increased medical capacity on the islands.

Celia Hicks, senior staff nurse, gave him the tour, which she said was a "real honour".

Wing foiler in seven-hour glide across the Channel

A wingfoiler stands balanced on a hydrofoil board above choppy sea, holding an inflated wing overhead while riding across the water under a cloudy sky. — Image caption,
Martin Gavériaux sailed from Plymouth to Roscoff

A man has pulled off a Channel crossing on a wing foil, gliding from Plymouth to France in less than seven hours.

Martin Gavériaux, 41, from Larmor-Plage in Brittany, covered about 120 miles (196km) to reach Roscoff in six hours, 56 minutes in what is thought to be the first crossing between the two points of its kind.

"I love doing long distance," said marine engineer Gavériaux, who completed the same crossing on a windsurfer in 2014.

Filming in South West 'just heaven' says actor

Zahra Ahmadi as the character Det Sgt Esther Williams posing for a press shot with Looe behind her across the water on which yachts are moored. She has long dark hair and is wearing a navy anorak and trousers with a white shirt. She is smiling and has her arms crossed. There are lobster pots at her feet. — Image caption,
Zahra Ahmadi plays Det Sgt Esther Williams in Beyond Paradise

An actor in a TV drama said filming on location in the South West was "just heaven".

Zahra Ahmadi, who plays Det Sgt Esther Williams in Beyond Paradise, said it was "quite difficult to put into words just how beautiful it is" after filming the fourth series in Looe, Launceston, Saltash and Tavistock.

Beyond Paradise is set in the fictional town of Shipton Abbott in Devon.

Whale's 'breath-taking' breach stuns fisherman

The whale seen from above which part of its body breaching the water. — Image caption,
The humpback whale was spotted in the waters off Brixham in Devon

A fisherman was left in "complete shock" after a humpback whale unexpectedly performed a "breath-taking" breach next to his boat in the sea off Devon.

Working fisherman Tristan Northway offers tours of the sea around Brixham in Torbay through his business Mr Fish Marine Adventures.

He said the whale breached "out of nowhere directly in front of the boat" while he was on his way back to port after watching a pod of Risso's dolphins.

Music studio aims to prevent anti-social behaviour

Two men stood in the Source Studio looking at the camera and smiling. They are both wearing black clothing. In the background, the studio has white walls with orange artwork and panelling. — Image caption,
Nick Hall (MIDI director) and Dave Knox (Source Studios Producer and Manager) hope to help steer young people away from city centre disruption through music

A new project is using art and music to help transform a city's anti-social behaviour hotspots.

The Music Industry Development Initiative (MIDI) has been launched at the Source Studio in Exeter, Devon, which provides recording and rehearsal equipment to help local musicians.

The aim was to help artists transition from grassroots creative exploration into high-level career development, and steer young people away from city centre disruption, project leaders said.

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