Man injured in Plymouth Hoe fall. Questions about emergency call system - and about maintenance....

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Wall collapse on the Hoe sparks concern

Council-appointed contractors have been called in after a waterside resident in his 70s was seriously injured on Plymouth Hoe when a section of stone wall collapsed.

Andrew Welch suffered a serious head injury and severely bruised ribs, and needed two hours of treatment and monitoring by ambulance medics.

The incident happened as he was walking down the steps close to the Belvedere “wedding cake.” and leant on the corner pillar for support as he passed. Instead the headstone gave way and Andrew’s momentum threw him down onto the stone.

“The ambulance was called, but fortunately I was, eventually, passed as fit to avoid Christmas in Derriford,” he said.

“Had I had a thinner skull or had a small child been hit by the stone, there could well have been a death.”

The incident has been passed to the Hoe Neighbourhood Forum as it would appear to have been caused by a lack of routine checking and preventative maintenance on public infrastructure.

Local councillors Chris Penberthy, Alison Raynsford and Lewis Allison have also been informed.

Penny Tarrant, Chair of the Hoe Neighbourhood Forum told The Beagle: “The Hoe park is Grade II Listed and of great historic and national significance. It is regrettable that it is not currently well maintained.

“This is not the first example of stonework crumbling and shifting. The Forum is doing its best to advocate for the conservation of this and other parks on the Hoe through its Neighbourhood Plan. I would urge PCC to work more closely and proactively with community groups such as ours to look at opportunities for funding for collaborative projects to protect such important assets for all to enjoy safely in perpetuity.”

A council official wrote to Mr Welch: “I can confirm that a contractor has been instructed to commence repairs, subject to conservation rules that are in place at the location. I hope that this can help to ease your mind.”

One aspect of the incident that has caused concern is the apparent lack of an adequate emergency contact system at Plymouth Council over the festive season.

Mr Welch, a retired former Royal Navy Captain, tried calling the council, including the “emergency phone number” listed online to no avail.

“It appears Plymouth City Council is completely closed on Christmas Day. I tried the ‘emergency’ number – it was not answered and there was no answerphone, so I sent a text. I doubt it was received. How the PCC team would have heard and been alerted, had there been a death, is an interesting question,” he told The Beagle.

A Plymouth City Council spokesman said: "We were sorry to hear about this gentleman’s accident on Christmas Day and wish him a speedy recovery.

 "Given the amount of walls and assets we own across the city, maintenance is always a challenge, but we have arranged for the wall to be repaired through our contractor and one of our team is checking the area to see if there are any further issues that need to be addressed.

"We operate an out-of-hours phone service across all bank holidays, and this a 24/7 service. While this is not a text service, any telephone call should have been picked up – we are looking into this." 

Damage caused by Storm Goretti

Last night’s Storm Goretti hit the Hoe hard.

Thankfully the West Hoe pier survived the night.

But a large piece of metalwork was blown off the Azure West apartments, landing in Leigham Terrace Lane- and woodwork fell from the bridge linking Azure West and South.Thankfully there we no injuries or further damage from the falls.

Restaurant’s sudden demise 18 months after opening

A restaurant in the Royal William Yard has closed suddenly just 18 months after opening. The News Cafe has posted a message on its website announcing it has permanently shut.

“We regret to inform you that our restaurant is now permanently closed. We want to thank all our wonderful customers for their support and loyalty. It’s been a pleasure serving you, and we’re truly grateful for the memories we’ve shared,” they said.

When it opened, it was described as a “vibrant new dining experience bringing a taste of Miami Beach to Royal William Yard.”

It took its inspiration from the legendary News Café in Miami beach – which grew from being a newsstand and café in the 1980s into a must-visit destination for everything from brunch to sundowners. The independently owned restaurant was one of two News Café eateries opening in summer 2024 - the other was in Salisbury. They were the brainchild of local business owner, Mike Turner.

Barbican Theatre helps launch summer festival

A brand-new summer festival is set to be launched by the Barbican Theatre team this year, with organisers promising a joyful, accessible celebration designed to bring communities together.

The festival, which will take place at the Quad Theatre and across the surrounding Plymouth Marjon University campus, marks the first time the partners have teamed up to create a large-scale summer event in the city. While the full programme remains under wraps, organisers say the ambition is to establish a new cultural highlight for Plymouth and the wider South West.

The idea for the festival has grown out of conversations held over the past year with audiences, artists, students, families and local communities. A recurring message, organisers say, was the desire for more events that feel social, uplifting and inclusive — spaces where people can gather, discover new work and celebrate Plymouth’s creative spirit.

Although details of the line-up are still to be announced, the festival is expected to feature a mix of music, theatre, comedy, workshops and pop-up events, alongside more unexpected moments designed to surprise audiences.

Albion ticketing tweak

Plymouth Albion has announced a small but significant change to its matchday ticketing arrangements as growing crowds continue to flock to Brickfields this season.

The club says rising attendances have prompted the move, aimed at managing demand more effectively, improving the supporter experience and ensuring matchdays run smoothly. Under the updated system, online ticket sales will now close at 10pm on the evening before each home fixture.

The change comes into effect immediately, starting with this weekend’s home game against Bishop’s Stortford Rugby Club. Supporters are being encouraged to plan ahead, with online sales closing at 10pm tonight (Friday).

Albion has already introduced advance-booking discounts this season, meaning fans who buy early pay less than those purchasing on the day. That approach will continue, with the club keen to reward supporters who book in advance.

This weekend also marks the end of a special £10 ticket promotion, which will close at the same 10pm Friday deadline. With both the promotion and online sales ending together, the club says there is “even more reason” for fans to book early, save money and enjoy a smoother arrival at Brickfields.

Tickets will still be available on matchdays at the gate, with adult admission priced at £18. Under-16s will continue to be admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult or concessionary ticket holder.

Albion says the rise in attendance has already made a noticeable difference both on and off the pitch, helping drive the club’s wider mission and vision. Officials thanked supporters for their feedback and said they will continue working closely with fans and ticketing partners to improve the overall matchday experience at Brickfields.

Fence-watch!

Here at the Beagle, we think Plymouth’s city centre and waterside communities are blighted by too much ugly, temporary (and often unnecessary) ‘Heras’ fencing. So in our new weekly feature, ‘Fence-watch’, we plan to feature a different fence!

This week it’s the fence ‘protecting’ the empty pool alongside Cafe Roma in Armada Way.

If you have a photo for “fence-watch”, please email: contactthebeagle@gmail.com

Home straight for Royal Parade improvement

Plymouth’s Royal Parade improvement scheme is on the home straight with resurfacing work due to start next week.

The final phase involves nighttime working over the next few weeks. The existing road surface will be removed (known as planing), a ‘binder course’ installed, and then new road markings will be painted. The phases will start at Derry’s Cross and move up to St Andrew’s Cross, with planing starting on Monday 12 January, and further work taking place overnight during the following weeks.

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Plankton research six miles offshore

Scientists from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) have achieved a world-first real-time view of how microplastics move through the guts of tiny marine animals, in research conducted roughly six nautical miles south of Plymouth on the Western Channel Observatory’s L4 station.

Using samples collected from offshore waters aboard PML’s Research Vessel Quest, the team filmed and measured how copepods — microscopic crustaceans central to marine food webs — ingest and expel tiny plastic particles.

The study, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, tracked individual microplastic particles as they passed through copepods’ digestive systems and found that regardless of shape — beads, fibres or fragments — plastics typically took around 40 minutes to exit the gut.

By combining these measurements with known copepod abundance in the western English Channel, researchers estimate these creatures could be transporting hundreds of microplastic particles per cubic metre of seawater each day — sinking plastics from the surface into deeper waters.

PML scientist Dr Matthew Cole explains how this “biological pump” moves plastics through the marine environment, highlighting that microplastic pollution isn’t just a surface issue but one intimately tied to the behaviours of tiny animals in our seas.

For Plymouth’s waterside communities, this research underscores how local marine processes — just offshore — directly influence microplastic dynamics across the regional ecosystem.