:00:00. > :00:00.It's had a rebrand, but is it racist?
:00:00. > :00:08.Tonight, the townspeople who black up For Mummer's Day,
:00:09. > :00:13.the Cornish tradition that some celebrate, and others condemn.
:00:14. > :00:17.I'd never dream of being racist, we're all equal.
:00:18. > :00:29.we join Nick Baker for a water wildlife watch.
:00:30. > :00:34.We have a pod of common dolphins, right underneath the bow.
:00:35. > :00:37.And as the weather bites, I go in search of snow,
:00:38. > :00:41.but are we seeing less and less of the white stuff?
:00:42. > :00:44.We dig into the archives, and even mine our memories to discover
:00:45. > :01:04.Hello, I'm Jemma Woodman, and welcome to Inside Out South West.
:01:05. > :01:06.Different places have different traditions -
:01:07. > :01:11.Bog-snorkling, nettle eating - but blacking up?
:01:12. > :01:19.Can it ever really be acceptable today's society?
:01:20. > :01:21.The winter festival Mummer's Day, was once called Darkie Day,
:01:22. > :01:23.but some locals in Padstow argue that isn't offensive,
:01:24. > :01:28.We sent Artha Ahmad to investigate one of Britain's
:01:29. > :01:45.It's Mummers Day in this Cornish seaside town. My day job's reporting
:01:46. > :01:49.for the BBC's Asian Network. This is the first time I've worked in
:01:50. > :01:53.Cornwall, and it's turning out to be quite an experience.
:01:54. > :01:57.Hello, can I ask you a few questions?
:01:58. > :02:01.No, you can't, at all. On Boxing Day and New Year's Day,
:02:02. > :02:05.some locals here paint their faces black and parade through the
:02:06. > :02:11.for more than 100 years. Some say for more than 100 years. Some say
:02:12. > :02:17.goes back to pagan times. I'm hoping to find out all about Padstow and
:02:18. > :02:20.its tradition blacking up - is it just a harmless old custom or
:02:21. > :02:26.is it too offensive to survive without major changes being made?
:02:27. > :02:29.Blacking up doesn't just happen in Cornwall, there's a handful of folk
:02:30. > :02:38.groups across the country who like to slap on the paint.
:02:39. > :02:45.Good chance to dress up in crazy clothes and go out, happy dance, and
:02:46. > :02:50.a couple of beers afterwards your friends.
:02:51. > :02:55.What you think? I think it also generates
:02:56. > :02:59.mysterious, pagan energies that infuse the atmosphere. If you test
:03:00. > :03:03.that scientifically, you may have trouble finding evidence.
:03:04. > :03:06.Not everybody appreciates it. The man on the left is having a go at a
:03:07. > :03:18.group of Morris dancers in Birmingham.
:03:19. > :03:25.Blacktop reformers have some high-profile fans, including a then
:03:26. > :03:30.Prime Minister, and the community -- Communities Secretary Sajid Javid,
:03:31. > :03:36.who said he was proud of the Morris dancers involved in the Birmingham
:03:37. > :03:40.confrontation. Back in Padstow, the party's in full swing. For eight
:03:41. > :03:45.outsider like me, it feels a bit surreal. This is not something
:03:46. > :03:52.usually see in London, in I am surprised to see yet actually, in
:03:53. > :03:56.2017. I was exciting people to be blacktop, but didn't expect them to
:03:57. > :04:01.be blacked up in entirety. That's quite surprising to see. Some of the
:04:02. > :04:06.songs are also pretty surprising. The original lyrics of this one
:04:07. > :04:14.includes the N-word. Thankfully, there's been a bit of a rewrite.
:04:15. > :04:24.So, they're singing a song in there, but they've changed the lyrics and
:04:25. > :04:29.replaced a racist term it, so now it says, where do the good Mummers go?
:04:30. > :04:33.I really want to talk to the people here, but feels like they've been
:04:34. > :04:40.gagged. Can I ask you a few questions?
:04:41. > :04:43.I'm not glad to say nothing, sorry. A few people ask us not a film,
:04:44. > :04:48.which is a bit strange seeing how anyone can come and watch. One man,
:04:49. > :04:52.not one of the Mummers themselves, told me if I didn't like it, I
:04:53. > :04:57.should go back to my own country. I'm not the only one who has
:04:58. > :05:02.questions. We asked them, and asked them what
:05:03. > :05:08.it was for, and they said it was my great secrets and wouldn't tell us.
:05:09. > :05:10.They said it wasn't racist. But other than that...
:05:11. > :05:13.What were your first thoughts when you've saw it?
:05:14. > :05:19.That it was. You thought it was racist? You're
:05:20. > :05:21.seen you're from Watford? Do think something like this could ever
:05:22. > :05:29.happen of there? No! You wouldn't get away with that.
:05:30. > :05:35.Maybe this man can tell us? What is it about?
:05:36. > :05:36.Gordon, due to tell us what it's about?
:05:37. > :05:40.No. This is what we get as a response.
:05:41. > :05:44.Everyone we took two sees it differently.
:05:45. > :05:53.I don't want to make of it, it makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I'm
:05:54. > :05:55.sure that anybody that came here visiting with probably find it quite
:05:56. > :06:04.offensive. I wasn't sure if it was a racial
:06:05. > :06:09.thing or what the intent of it was. Certainly, in the United States, it
:06:10. > :06:15.wouldn't be acceptable. I don't find it offensive, I'm part
:06:16. > :06:17.of it. I've lived in Cornwall 12 years...
:06:18. > :06:22.And we love you! I've been doing it for many years. I
:06:23. > :06:26.don't find it offensive. Just let it be.
:06:27. > :06:31.One idea that keeps coming up is that it all goes back to be slaving
:06:32. > :06:34.days. Darkie Day and the ship came into
:06:35. > :06:39.the harbour and they let the slaves off the ship and they ran around
:06:40. > :06:43.town, are currently left a few black babies behind.
:06:44. > :06:46.You can see it's not racist. There were coloured people, they came off
:06:47. > :06:51.the boats, there are also autumn colours around. They landed the
:06:52. > :06:54.boats here, went out on the streets, they celebrated the fact they were
:06:55. > :06:59.on land and getting fresh air and have a party.
:07:00. > :07:01.The story goes that people in Padstow partied with slaves who
:07:02. > :07:08.arrived on these shores were stopped and even helped them to escape. But
:07:09. > :07:13.is any of that drew? Defined, we've come to meet Merv Davey, the grand
:07:14. > :07:18.Bard of Cornwall, a title direct lasers were preserving Cornish
:07:19. > :07:20.culture. He thinks the slave boat story is a bit of harmless for
:07:21. > :07:26.Clara. When people are asked why they
:07:27. > :07:32.dressed like this, are you mocking people, no. The story that was
:07:33. > :07:40.went past oriented Padstow, and they went past oriented Padstow, and they
:07:41. > :07:44.dressed up to rescue the slaves. It made sense to them, it made sense of
:07:45. > :07:50.the story, and no way it's quite nice thing, because we can
:07:51. > :07:57.demonstrate as far as the history books go, no slavers went anywhere
:07:58. > :08:01.near Padstow, but the story's not nice, and it makes sense to the
:08:02. > :08:07.people. And what about the parade's all
:08:08. > :08:13.blame, Darkie Day? Merv reckons that has an innocent explanation too.
:08:14. > :08:20.Document get on just meant disguising yourself in Cornish. I
:08:21. > :08:23.was privileged to take part of it, went down, blacking my face
:08:24. > :08:25.at no part in the proceedings did I at no part in the proceedings did I
:08:26. > :08:32.find it from ugly racist or demeaning of anybody.
:08:33. > :08:36.There are more close to the parade's history and copies of the local
:08:37. > :08:40.paper. It turns out the tradition almost died out and was revised in
:08:41. > :08:46.the 1960s as a children's event. There's her letter for one of the
:08:47. > :08:57.people credited with reviving the event. She wrote a letter thanking
:08:58. > :08:59.the darkies. This editor was quite a job to back-up all the faces, but
:09:00. > :09:04.job done. job done.
:09:05. > :09:07.Cilla Black face paint was brought Cilla Black face paint was brought
:09:08. > :09:12.back for the kids, and since then the event has evolved into some kind
:09:13. > :09:22.of musical pub crawl. But is a time for some other change two Merv
:09:23. > :09:25.thinks yes, but may be the Mummers could bring a dash of white into the
:09:26. > :09:29.black and celebrate the Cornish flag.
:09:30. > :09:35.The problem is for everyone you find who is offended another person finds
:09:36. > :09:39.it enormous fun. If I was from Padstow, I would put a white cross
:09:40. > :09:44.across the black faces, but it's not for me to say that. In most places
:09:45. > :09:54.so easy to paint your face. I've so easy to paint your face. I've
:09:55. > :10:00.been somewhere with the paint is read, it is so easy to change that.
:10:01. > :10:06.It's about the skies, not just blackface.
:10:07. > :10:11.Back in Padstow, we've had a breakthrough, some of the Mummers
:10:12. > :10:16.broken ranks and are up for a chat. It's everything to us. It's
:10:17. > :10:19.tradition. Christmas means nothing to me, the
:10:20. > :10:26.only thing I look forward to is Boxing Day and New Year's Day. It's
:10:27. > :10:30.the only thing I look forward to. I think because so many people take
:10:31. > :10:35.it as read says, the older people are Padstow do it. I think, why
:10:36. > :10:40.should we talk about it if we're went to become racist.
:10:41. > :10:43.I wouldn't dream of being racist, I'm a carer, skin colour's nothing
:10:44. > :10:53.to me. , can I talk to you?
:10:54. > :10:57.We've change the words... Suddenly, it's all over. The Mummers
:10:58. > :11:01.are keeping mum again. I couldn't help but notice that some of the
:11:02. > :11:07.younger people were less blacktop than the older ones. Maybe that's
:11:08. > :11:13.just this year's style, what we can say is that some see this as a
:11:14. > :11:16.tradition that should die out, others would take to see at last. I
:11:17. > :11:17.certainly won't be forgetting about it sooner.
:11:18. > :11:20.Coming up, Nick Baker will be all let's see having a whale
:11:21. > :11:25.When you see dolphins you know there is still hope in the world.
:11:26. > :11:32.These animals need a reasonably healthy ecosystem in order
:11:33. > :11:55.Is anywhere more beautiful than Dartmoor in the snow? And a light
:11:56. > :12:00.dusting at least is pretty much guaranteed up here come winter. But
:12:01. > :12:04.if you think you remember a time when he only had to walk out your
:12:05. > :12:08.front door to the knee-deep interests, then you're probably not
:12:09. > :12:12.alone. The older you are, the more likely you are to say, we don't get
:12:13. > :12:18.snow likely used it. But is that drew? Or just faded memories,
:12:19. > :12:26.wrapped up in nostalgia. -- is that true? Time to dip into the archives
:12:27. > :12:28.to find out. In 1963, the South West bore the brunt of a series of mighty
:12:29. > :12:35.blizzards. ARCHIVE: Dartmoor was like Siberia,
:12:36. > :12:41.a large-scale rescue operation. The one good train on Dartmoor got
:12:42. > :12:49.completely buried. Two other engines were rescued were snowploughs, they
:12:50. > :12:53.got buried too. This Devon farmer and his mother
:12:54. > :12:57.remember it's like yesterday. Within is go to school for three
:12:58. > :13:04.weeks! That was short lived. On the farms
:13:05. > :13:12.were rapidly pressed into service as extra farm labourers. Nobody could
:13:13. > :13:15.get their milk out to the factory. It was all churns. We had to take
:13:16. > :13:22.the churns to our neighbours, they couldn't get there. We hadn't seen
:13:23. > :13:29.anything like it before. And we haven't had it as bad sense, really.
:13:30. > :13:34.But in 2010, the same thing happened again. This time, it was McTaggart
:13:35. > :13:39.getting stuck on the roads in what proved to be the coldest winter in
:13:40. > :13:45.30 years. -- milk tankers getting stuck in roads. To not get caught
:13:46. > :13:51.out again, there was a salt spreading scheme.
:13:52. > :13:52.This is this year's delivery, we're hopefully well-prepared should we
:13:53. > :13:57.need it. need it.
:13:58. > :14:04.But your salt spread hasn't seen much action since 2010?
:14:05. > :14:10.No, it hasn't. One or two goes, but nowhere near the amount of snow that
:14:11. > :14:20.we had in 2010 and 2011. And he has the mountains of salt
:14:21. > :14:25.stocks to prove it. Actually, the footage shows that
:14:26. > :14:29.cold or snow. But there is one went cold or snow. But there is one went
:14:30. > :14:34.to McDonald's, and it happened 70 years ago. -- winter that does, and
:14:35. > :14:37.it happened. We had to go way back it happened. We had to go way back
:14:38. > :14:45.into the archives, before many of you were born, and regional TV
:14:46. > :14:48.didn't exist. Mike at the film and television archive has had a good
:14:49. > :14:53.look. I've to good look, there's very
:14:54. > :15:00.little of 1947, but think I've find you a little gem.
:15:01. > :15:07.Hope Cove, looking more like Antarctica and the usually clement
:15:08. > :15:08.south coast. This, lifeboat brings food supplies to the ruined
:15:09. > :15:15.villagers. In 1947, January the villagers. In 1947, January the
:15:16. > :15:19.22nd, the snow started to fall, and fell every day, somewhere in the UK,
:15:20. > :15:27.for over 70 days. That's even more than 1963. The bitter cold was
:15:28. > :15:31.compounded by fuel and food shortages in post-war Britain. But
:15:32. > :15:35.the spirit of the blades sought some keep smiling through. Surely yet
:15:36. > :15:44.more proof that we don't get snow like we used to. -- the spirit of
:15:45. > :15:48.the Blitz. So, will today's owners of the Cottage Hotel, seen in that
:15:49. > :15:54.footage, have any memory of the big snow of 1947? Is this the right
:15:55. > :15:59.place? This is deathly the right place,
:16:00. > :16:04.that is the hotel. Come to the right place, let's see
:16:05. > :16:08.if anyone remember is 1947? But it's not the winter of 47 that
:16:09. > :16:13.this former hotelier remembers. Does this look familiar to you?
:16:14. > :16:17.It does look familiar, but wasn't here at this time.
:16:18. > :16:24.Have you seen a winter like it? It was pretty bad in 78-79, not much
:16:25. > :16:26.difference, I would think. It's true, something I did see
:16:27. > :16:35.buckets of snow. We were worried, we do know how long
:16:36. > :16:40.the snow would go on for. We had 75 people, plus the staff to feed and
:16:41. > :16:50.look after. That was a worry. There were 15-foot deep drifts everywhere.
:16:51. > :16:53.Parts of the South West were left without electricity or running water
:16:54. > :16:59.for three days. Supplies of food and what a retro look at it in, and once
:17:00. > :17:03.again, many didn't have milk for breakfast. -- helicoptered in. I
:17:04. > :17:08.remembered as the very worst winter we ever had, but then I was only
:17:09. > :17:12.five. Time to head to the Met office and find out whether they can tell
:17:13. > :17:18.us if we don't get snow like we used to.
:17:19. > :17:21.When we look back through records of snow, meteorological records, you do
:17:22. > :17:26.see these big spikes. They result from a particular weather pattern
:17:27. > :17:34.that crops up every so often. It's not regular. It doesn't follow every
:17:35. > :17:39.so many years that we will get this. But this particular pattern dries
:17:40. > :17:44.excess of in the UK. Adam's data shows that in the last exteriors,
:17:45. > :17:51.the worst winter for snow was in fact 1963, then 2010, then 1979. And
:17:52. > :17:55.these spikes are down to free weather patterns. But is climate
:17:56. > :18:01.change impacting on our snowfall? Before we answer that, time to one
:18:02. > :18:05.up with Doris, Joan and John from Salcombe, who remember the snow of
:18:06. > :18:13.1947, radiating official Met Office records. Was it like that?
:18:14. > :18:16.Yes, it was! The snow was that the?
:18:17. > :18:22.It was absolutely unbelievable. I looked at the window, and father
:18:23. > :18:28.said, yes, there is no. I couldn't believe it! We'd never seen snow in
:18:29. > :18:33.Salcombe before, not to that extent. I'd actually just left school, I was
:18:34. > :18:37.just 14. I started work. But John was the lucky one, he was still at
:18:38. > :18:40.nearly three weeks. He'll Terry nearly three weeks. He'll Terry
:18:41. > :18:46.about that! He had three weeks of school!
:18:47. > :18:50.Three whole weeks off. My father was a labourer for the
:18:51. > :18:56.Council, and all I remember is that he was out dead as the tiny digging
:18:57. > :18:59.roads. Alongside the council workers,
:19:00. > :19:03.POW camp in Salcombe. It was all POW camp in Salcombe. It was all
:19:04. > :19:08.hands on deck during the big White out of 47.
:19:09. > :19:14.I recall this large snowman it being built outside the shop it.
:19:15. > :19:14.Did you feel sorry for them in the show?
:19:15. > :19:20.I did, yes. I did, yes.
:19:21. > :19:24.That was quite incredible, people were on skis.
:19:25. > :19:28.Skiing? A must have been like being in the
:19:29. > :19:37.It was, yeah. We don't get snow like It was, yeah. We don't get snow like
:19:38. > :19:41.that any more, but don't critically want it!
:19:42. > :19:45.Is that the case? Back to the Met Office to find out.
:19:46. > :19:49.An interesting thing to think about is, if the winds and weather
:19:50. > :19:54.patterns are exactly the same today as they were 19 623, which we have
:19:55. > :20:03.as much snow. The answer is, we wouldn't. -- as they were in 1963,
:20:04. > :20:06.so with milder wins in this area, we're not likely to see the same
:20:07. > :20:09.crippling snow conditions. Still, as long as you can do this!
:20:10. > :20:14.Good shot! You might think that this
:20:15. > :20:16.is the worst time of Surely all the animals
:20:17. > :20:19.hunker down and hibernate? But as Nick Baker discovers,
:20:20. > :20:38.head out onto the water It's a bright and crisp autumnal
:20:39. > :21:00.morning, and we're in Falmouth, we're going whale watching.
:21:01. > :21:07.When it catching a ride with Falmouth-based skipper Keith, and
:21:08. > :21:18.joining me is marine biologist, Dr Simon Ingram. You might think it's a
:21:19. > :21:22.crazy idea to be going out to look for whales at this time of year, but
:21:23. > :21:25.given the right weather conditions and sea conditions, as can be a much
:21:26. > :21:33.more fruitful time to see whales, dolphins and porpoises.
:21:34. > :21:38.My interest in taking this trip out to sea was sparked by the dead fin
:21:39. > :21:44.whale which washed up on the beach in dollars this autumn. The
:21:45. > :21:51.conclusion was that this whale most likely died at sea of natural
:21:52. > :21:54.causes. Think people's response when they
:21:55. > :21:59.hear about a dead animal washing up on the beach is, this is awful. But
:22:00. > :22:01.actually, there is a more positive side to the story, because it could
:22:02. > :22:03.be an indication that the reason be an indication that the reason
:22:04. > :22:08.these and other turning up on the beaches is because there's more of
:22:09. > :22:14.them alive at their in the waters. Which is good news.
:22:15. > :22:20.How easy is it to actually see these elusive creatures in the wild?
:22:21. > :22:26.About is tracking out from the shoreline, all these icons, all
:22:27. > :22:29.these marks on the screen are at this year's sightings. This year has
:22:30. > :22:37.been absolutely remarkable. We have, been absolutely remarkable. We have,
:22:38. > :22:43.to date, recorded some 5250 individual animals.
:22:44. > :22:52.For Keith, that's an all-time record, 40% up on his annual
:22:53. > :22:58.average. This is being fed back to build a national sightings database.
:22:59. > :23:01.These animals face lots of different threats and our waters. Fishery
:23:02. > :23:06.interactions, noise, disturbance, ship strikes. We have to think about
:23:07. > :23:10.all these things together and manage them properly together in order to
:23:11. > :23:15.create a sustainable population size.
:23:16. > :23:20.Fin whales are regular visitors to the waters of Ireland. Simon
:23:21. > :23:23.believes that this may be why they're being seen in increasing
:23:24. > :23:35.numbers off the coast of Devon and Cornwall.
:23:36. > :23:46.Gannets, out to the west of us. There is excitement on the boat at
:23:47. > :23:52.the moment is, because Captain Keith has spotted, about a mile away, a
:23:53. > :23:58.large group of feeding gannets. Where there's gannets, there's face,
:23:59. > :24:03.where there's face, hopefully, there's dolphins, whales breathe and
:24:04. > :24:07.paupers. 2016 saw an abundance of herring and mackerel. This created a
:24:08. > :24:14.feeding frenzy for gannets like these. These streamlined dive
:24:15. > :24:20.bombers make short work of the fish below. Like many birds, -- unlike
:24:21. > :24:24.many birds, they can see down grooves in their bill, and judge the
:24:25. > :24:29.distance to their fish prey with deadly accuracy. Definitely got some
:24:30. > :24:36.paupers milling around underneath where the birds are. -- poor boys.
:24:37. > :24:42.Try and see we can get a shot at them, but they are only one metre
:24:43. > :24:48.long, and in this chop it's bit of a challenge. I wasn't wrong. It's like
:24:49. > :24:49.watching lightning, you can point lightning out, but by macro the time
:24:50. > :24:56.you turn, it's gone. We got one more you turn, it's gone. We got one more
:24:57. > :25:03.fleeting glints of the board poses, but then they were gone. -- of the
:25:04. > :25:07.porpoises. Just when we think our luck might be running out and we are
:25:08. > :25:13.going to head back down the coast, the crew sports more activity.
:25:14. > :25:55.Suddenly, there's a mad scramble in the boat. Dolphins!
:25:56. > :26:05.This is what it's all about! We have a port of common dolphin, right
:26:06. > :26:06.underneath the bowel. Wildlife watching doesn't get any better than
:26:07. > :26:18.this. I could talk for hours about the
:26:19. > :26:23.ecology and what they symbolise for the health of the ocean, but at this
:26:24. > :26:28.of going, yes, dolphins! You can of going, yes, dolphins! You can
:26:29. > :26:35.shout and weep and holler for joy, because it doesn't scare them off,
:26:36. > :26:39.they don't mind. For boys is spent a lot of their
:26:40. > :26:44.time feeding, so they really are on a bit of a knife edge, always try to
:26:45. > :26:48.find enough food, whereas dolphins are that much more efficient, top
:26:49. > :26:53.predators, able to spend some time socialising rather than just
:26:54. > :26:57.feeding. When you see dolphins, you know
:26:58. > :27:03.there's still hope in the world. These are top and predators. These
:27:04. > :27:10.animals need a reasonably healthy ecosystem in order to support all
:27:11. > :27:21.that energy. Then go, they're still here! Oh, so beautiful. I know it's
:27:22. > :27:25.not cool to be that enthusiastic about wildlife, but I couldn't help
:27:26. > :27:31.myself. I'm feeling a little embarrassed, but wow, wasn't that
:27:32. > :27:36.great? Dolphins are those creatures that we ship quite a lot with.
:27:37. > :27:41.right on the surface, they come up right on the surface, they come up
:27:42. > :27:48.and meet us. They fell us with jolly, that's what the dolphins
:27:49. > :27:53.symbolises to many people. -- fill us with joy.
:27:54. > :27:56.Well it's good these albums are returning, we are starting with a
:27:57. > :28:02.depleted state. Let's hope we have things back on track for a recovery
:28:03. > :28:06.in arena systems. When you see dolphins and whales it
:28:07. > :28:11.fills you with hope, hope that there's and off left here to
:28:12. > :28:12.protect. So while the Wales may have eluded us today, seeing dolphins
:28:13. > :28:15.isn't half bad. And that's all for now,
:28:16. > :28:18.but next week we drop in on the school but thinks it's
:28:19. > :28:20.cracked the formula for success. Meet the maths geniuses
:28:21. > :28:23.hoping to take the UK When you actually get it
:28:24. > :28:29.and get the answer right, So brush up on your algebra
:28:30. > :28:38.for next Monday at 7:30pm. Hello, I'm Riz Lateef
:28:39. > :29:05.with your 90 second update. The Government says national
:29:06. > :29:09.security means it won't confirm