Close to Summerleaze beach and the centre of Bude you will find the Castle, home to Sir Goldsworthy Gurney. In front of it stands the Bude Light, a monument inspired by an invention of Gurney’s nearly 200 years ago.

Early Days

Sir Goldsworthy Gurney (1793 - 1875) was perhaps the most prolific inventor Cornwall has produced. He was born near Padstow and was educated at Truro Grammar School, and before he was twenty qualified as a doctor.

In 1820 he and his wife moved to London where he began to build horseless steam carriages. In one of these he made a famous journey from London to Bath and back. He set up the Gurney Steam Carriage Company and orders flooded in. However with the coming of the railways the business collapsed, and he branched into other fields including new inventions for the ventilation of sewers and mines.

The Inventing of the Bude Light

In 1830 he moved to Bude and leased a beautiful sandy plot of land close to Summerleaze beach from his long standing friend Sir Thomas Acland. It was a beautiful site for a house but the problem was the unstable sand. He responded to this challenge by building a large concrete raft, the first of its kind, on which he built his so-called Bude Castle.

To illuminate the rooms of the Castle he created a brilliantly bright light by injecting a stream of oxygen into an oil flame. This single light source was reflected throughout the chambers and corridors of the Castle by cleverly positioned prisms and mirrors. This became known as the Bude Light. He was then engaged to improve the lighting in the House of Commons by replacing the existing 280 candles in the House with three Bude Lights. They were used for sixty years until the arrival of electricity.

Gurney adapted the Bude Light for use in lighthouses by placing the light in a revolving frame. As the frame moved it made a flashing beam. Each lighthouse had its own sequence of flashes, a principle still in use today.

The Millennium Celebration Bude Light

To celebrate the millennium of 2000 and the invention of the Bude Light in 1830, the so-called Bude Light 2000 was built in the grounds of Bude Castle. It consists of a slender cone made in concrete with the colours of sand, sea and sky. It is over 9 metres high and weighs nearly six tonnes. There is a core from the base to the stainless steel lantern at the top to house the fibre optic cables and fixing bar. 130 holes were drilled into the lowest section of the cone for the fibre lights to depict the night sky. The cone surrounded by the Zodiac circle which also contains fibre optic lights is set in a coloured design which suggests the seashore.

Gurney was knighted in 1863 but three months later was partially paralysed by a stroke. He died in 1875 and was buried at Launcells Church near Stratton, two miles from his Castle home.

Here at the Camelot half of all our guests are either returning visitors or people recommended by others. We must be getting something right! It is always a pleasure to welcome back familiar faces, and there are a number of ways we like to show our appreciation to our regular customers.

The Camelot loyalty scheme
Any guests staying at the Camelot Hotel for 2 or more nights under a dinner bed and breakfast tariff will automatically be entered into our loyalty scheme whereby 10% of the value of their accommodation package will be added to their Loyalty Account. The balance of this account can be used to offset the cost of any future stay at the Camelot hotel. Regular guests receive written notification their account balance, but if at any time would like to know how much credit you have in your account simply contact us and we will be delighted to tell you how much cheaper your next stay will be.

Hawkers Diners Club
For regular diners at Hawkers restaurant there is Hawkers Diners Club. Membership is just £10, all of which is donated to local charities. Recent beneficiaries have been a home for children with learning difficulties and the Bude Community Cinema. Dining Club members are entitled to 10% discount on all our delicious dishes and also receive advance notification of our themed evenings and events. These are always popular and Dining Club members are given priority when booking tickets.

The Camelot Golfers Club
Many golfing groups and societies return to the Camelot year after year. Not only do returning golfing groups benefit from our loyalty scheme but they are also entitled to further discounts depending on the size of the group. New groups are welcomed to the hotel with a selection of golfing gifts, and all golf groups and societies benefit from prizes and trophies donated by the Camelot during their stay. The club also runs ad hoc promotions, and a number of groups have enjoyed free beer when they returned for their 10th year!

Each spring the Golfers Club runs the Camelot Cup, and 2 golfers from each group or society that stayed in the previous year are invited to enter. As well as being a great social event, trophies and prizes worth hundreds of pounds are presented to the winners.

Refer a friend

If you have been a guest at the Camelot hotel and enjoyed your stay, why not refer a friend? Every new guest referred to the hotel will receive a 15% discount on their accommodation package, in addition to any other offers they may be eligible for!

Blanchminster - the oldest charitable trust in the world
Bude houses what is believed to be the oldest ongoing charitable trust in the world. The Blanchminster Trust originated in 1421 and since that date has been actively engaged in providing assistance to persons originally in Stratton and Poughill and later in Bude.

In its early years the Charity had religious objectives as well as providing help for needy people. Since 1893 the Charity Commission has regulated the activities of the Trust. and its 'Area of Benefit' comprises the Parishes of Bude, Stratton and Poughill. The Board of Trustees is made up of thirteen local people. They receive no payment or allowances and give their time freely in the service of the Trust.

The Trust has two principal Objects
Firstly - to promote Education by the provision of assistance to those in need of help. Education is widely defined and not limited to formal school or university activities. It includes involvement of people in sporting activities, community service and further training after the end of their formal education.

Many of the young staff at the Camelot Hotel have been given generous financial assistance when, on leaving school, they move on to further education. Everybody in the community is aware of what the Trust has to offer, and many apply successfully for financial help.

Secondly - 'The Relief of Need'. Anybody who can provide proof of financial need and who is resident in the 'Area of Need' can apply. Help may be in the form of a cash grant, equipment for the disabled, travel costs to visit the sick, and the like. Again the local community, when suffering hardship, know that requests for help will be sympathetically listened to.

Additionally - Also the Trustees may, in certain circumstances make grants to local organisations of a charitable nature where the help is for the benefit of the community. For example, the Trust funded the building of a Crèche alongside the local Junior School.

May The Blanchminster Trust continue to help the citizens of Bude and Stratton for another five hundred years!!!!

Bude is proud of: the Cornwall Air Ambulance

A familiar sight in the skies above Bude is our own distinctive red and yellow helicopter, the Cornwall Air Ambulance.

First introduced as an integral part of Cornwall’s ambulance service in April 1987, the Air Ambulance is charitably funded by the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust and it is the fantastic support given by the people of Cornwall and local businesses that keeps the Air Ambulance flying.

 

The Air Ambulance can reach any part of Cornwall in 20 minutes

The County of Cornwall has a widely scattered population with remote communities and many narrow lanes, often making the use of conventional ambulances more difficult. Our beaches, cliff tops, moorland and the sea attract many people who participate in water sports and extreme sports which also increase the incidence and severity of accidents. Bude is an hour's drive from the nearest major hospital so having the Air Ambulance on call is a great benefit to the town. And although no-one from the Camelot Hotel has ever required the Air Ambulance's services it's a comfort to now it's only a few minutes away.

From its base at Newquay Airport, Cornwall’s Air Ambulance can reach any part of the county within 20 minutes, and the Isles of Scilly in 28 minutes. This purpose-built aircraft flies at 140mph, and on average arrives on scene within 12 minutes of a 999 call so although it is expensive, its use can significantly reduce the time taken to convey seriously ill and injured people to hospital. In very many cases over the last 23 years, this has simply been the difference between life and death.

 

The Air Ambulance attends about 1000 incidents a year

In its 21st year, the helicopter attended its 20,000th 999 emergency call, and statistics for recent years show that the service is attending around 1000 incidents each year. This is one of the busiest helicopters in the UK, and is tasked several times every day, giving Cornwall a hardworking value for money service.

Space inside the Cornwall Air Ambulance is limited but it is fully equipped like a road ambulance. Equipment carried on board includes a range of monitors, which give the paramedics and the emergency teams in the hospitals important information about the patient.

There are many other carefully stowed bags and containers, each containing equipment, dressings and drugs used to save lives and manage the patient’s condition at the scene, and during the journey into hospital.

 

The Cornwall Air Ambulance was the first

The Cornish people are extremely proud of the air ambulance, and especially of the fact that it was the first of its kind in the UK, a successful model that has been envied and copied across the majority of the country, where there are now 26 air ambulance helicopters, the majority funded by charitable donations just like ours in Cornwall. The helicopter bears the wording “Funded by the People of Cornwall” along the fuselage, because whether through donations, legacies, the lottery or the collection jars, it is the people of this county that have remained steadfastly supportive and passionate about their air ambulance.

Bude lifeboat station has operated for over 125 years and the crews have been presented with awards for gallantry. It's different from other Lifeboat stations in as much as it has to launch into the surf by tractor and with the often treacherous weather conditions of the unpredictable Atlantic Ocean, the crew, who are all volunteers, have to be very skilled! {p style="text-align: left">For years the Bude Lifeboat Station was only open during the summer and dealt with mainly beach safety issues and the rescue of people who, for example, had been cut off by the tide. These days Bude Lifeboat Station is open all year with both the Boat crew and a hard working Shore crew who maintain and prepare the lifeboat. These guys deserve to take just as much of the glory as the Boat crew because without them the Bude Lifeboat wouldn't be float. Did you know that under strict RNLI guidelines, if the lifeboat capsizes and the engine is flooded, that engine is never used again? It is sent off to be repaired and sold on, and a new engine is fitted to the lifeboat.

 

During the Summer season you can watch their exercise days every Thursday 5pm - 7pm & Sunday 10am - 1pm. On occasions our Lifeboat has the opportunity to exercise with the Search and Rescue Seaking Helicopters from either RNAS Culdrose or RAF Chivenor.

New lifeboat station on Summerleaze beach

In 2004 the Lifeboat station relocated to Summerleaze beach. A new boathouse for the lifeboat, carriage and launching tractor was completed, also providing new crew facilities and a souvenir shop. The funding for the boathouse was donated by Bridget Blundell OBE. On May 11th 2004 a new D class lifeboat (ILB 1) Henry Philip -D617 - was placed 'On Station'. The D class has been the workhorse of the service for 40 years and has continued to evolve since its introduction. It is small and highly manoeuvrable, making it ideal for rescues close to shore in fair to moderate conditions. It has a single outboard engine and can be righted manually by the crew following a capsize.

Volunteer fundraising

Bude Ladies Guild was reformed on 21st June 1971 and is fortunate to have one of the original members of that committee, Mary McMahon as President. The Guild works very hard to raise funds for the RNLI and support Bude Lifeboat. They have a very successful new souvenirs shop which is built into the Lifeboat Station and to show how dedicated they are they raised over £20,000 in 2004. The last Lifeboat quiz raised a further £1009. Bude Lifeboat Day on August Bank Holiday Monday is one of the busiest in the South West and the Guild raises over £5000 with it's stalls in the marquee and outside the shop. Thirty volunteers keep the shop open for six days a week from 10am to 4pm. If you think you would like to help then pop into the shop and meet some of the Ladies who will give you any information you need.

Early Bude Crew - Lifeboat and Boathouse c1850

The original Lifeboat House can still be seen in the car park opposite The Falcon Hotel and Brendon Arms Public House. Over the entrance is the inscription: "The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea"

It’s time to break out the sparklers, wrap up warm and get out to those bonfires and fireworks displays. Here is a list of local events. If you are keen you can find a different venue for 4 consecutive nights.

Bude:

Thursday 5th November at Bude Rugby Club

The fire is normally lit at 6.30pm and fireworks approx 7pm

Thursday 5th November 10pm -2am

Bonfire Party Night @ ROGUE Nightclub, Bude

Friday 6th November at St Petroc's School, Ocean View Road, Bude
Gates open 6pm. Food available.

Saturday 7th November at Launcells, the village playing field. Fireworks & Bonfire will be lit at 7.00 pm.

Sunday 8th November at the Bay View Inn, Widemouth Bay
Treats, hot choc etc from 6pm onwards, fireworks starting from 7pm.

Hartland:

Sunday 8th November at Hescott Farm, Hartland
Gates open 6pm. Spectacular fireworks, magnificent bonfire and guy, and delicious barbecue.

Bideford:

Friday 6th November at the Pollyfield Community Centre, East-the-Water. Fireworks at 7.30pm. Refreshments and hot dogs available. Small fair rides for children from 5.30pm

Torrington:

Saturday 7th November at Torrington Rugby Club. Award-winning pyrotechnics will be entertaining the crowds from 7pm.

Wadebridge:

Saturday 7th November at Outer Retallick Farm Just off Winnards Perch Roundabout .
Gates open 7pm. Refreshments available

Tintagel:

Thursday 5th November at Tintagel Cricket Club, The Butts, Tintagel Free bouncy castle for children. Food available and refreshments.

Launceston:

Thursday 5th November at Coronation Park, Launceston From 7pm. Refreshments available. Toilet facilities at the leisure centre.

“The long wave and the thundering shores of Bude” (as Tennyson wrote in his poem ‘The Birth of King Arthur’) have long made Bude a surfer’s paradise.

Bude town overlooks a wide bay of hard golden sand flanked by spectacular cliffs and protected by a breakwater. The beaches of both Summerleaze and Crooklets, continuously pounded by the Atlantic, have been described by Australian surfers as the ‘Bondi of Britain’ and it was here in 1953 that some of them formed the first Surf Life Saving Club in the country. The club motto is ‘Vigilance and Service’ and during its time club members have saved many thousands of people from drowning.

It was also here on Crooklets beach that Alan Kennedy, an ambassador from Australia, declared “What surf and what a place for surfing!” The first Australian life guard bronze medal was awarded to Alan Brock (Chuckles) of Bude, and the rest, as they say, is history!

The Club still thrives and weekly demonstrations give an insight into its valuable role; the long and fascinating history of Bude’s local lifesaving club is well documented.

The SLSA of GB is a founder member of International Life Saving (ILS) whose members throughout the world teach lifesaving to the same high standards. There are now 82 Surf Life Saving Clubs affiliated to the SLSA, with thousands of members, from Nippers (7 - 12) to Seniors and Masters. Children learn Sea Safety in Nippers and further develop their lifeguard skills in Juniors. By Senior level most take the NARS beach lifeguard award and compete at national standard for the club in various events.

During the last 54 years well over 20,000 rescues have been made on Bude’s beaches by lifeguards, most of whom have come from the volunteer ranks of the Surf Life Saving Clubs where they learn their patrolling and rescue skills. And this figure does not include the many rescues performed by club members ‘out of hours’, such as when the club captain singlehandedly one evening rescued nearly 30 children who had been swept out in a rip current. Many a time when the lifeboat has been scrambled it has arrived on the scene to find that the casualties have already been rescued and treated with first aid by Bude Surf Life Saving Club members!

Of the lifeguards you see on our beaches 80% are home grown, having been trained as lifeguards through the surf club. Lifeguarding the beaches is a way of life, not just a job. The multiple skills and fitness required is quite outstanding. The Surf Life Saving Association expects high standards in swimming, board paddling and running as standard. The rest, such as surf boat rowing, surf ski riding and competition is optional!