Stories you may have missed

A woman said she had been left depressed and in pain due to the diet drug Mounjaro and the name and sex of a rare leopard cub born in captivity was announced.

Here is a run down of seven news stories from Devon and Cornwall which you might have missed.

A book which was loaned out from a library in 1980 has been returned – 45 years later.

Music Notation by Gardner Read was loaned out from Penzance Library and, according to its record card, was due to be returned by 25 March 1980.

It was eventually handed in at St Ives Library in November 2025 anonymously as part of a book amnesty.

Councillor Sarah Preece, the cabinet member with responsibility for libraries and culture at Cornwall Council, said it was “wonderful that books like this one have been returned to the library service”.

A secondary school has been closed for two days because of an outbreak of flu and streptococcus infection.

Head teacher of Budehaven Community School, Dominic Wilkes, said there had been more than 270 pupils and 32 members of staff off sick with the illnesses on Wednesday.

He said following advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Cornwall Council and the school’s governors and senior staff had agreed “a firebreak” was “the best decision” and “to move to a remote curriculum to try and break the spread of infection”.

The latest NHS figures show hospital admittances for flu are at their highest levels on record for this time of year.

The selection of heritage sites in the South and South West granted protected status this year has been celebrated for its “remarkable diversity“.

Historic England (HE) granted protection to two Arts-and-Crafts style properties, a shipwreck and a coastal tower among a number of other heritage structures recognised on the National Heritage List for England in 2025.

Historic England lists sites and structures of special architectural, historic or archaeological interest.

Claudia Kenyetta and Emma Squire, co-chief executives of Historic England said the protected places, which included the Compass Point Tower in Bude, “connect us to the people and events that shaped our communities”.

An RNLI crew has moved into a new “state-of-the-art” building, which was first used as a lifeboat station in the 1800s.

Dart RNLI said its D class lifeboat was now housed in the purpose-built boathall with the station, based in Dartmouth, Devon, operational.

The charity said the building had undergone extensive renovation and included a first floor open space for crew training, an office and a purpose-built changing area for crew.

The restoration project was funded from multiple sources, including a £1.2m local fundraising appeal.