CORNWALL branch of the Women's Food and Farming Union will be hosting the organisation's National Spring Conference next year. The venue is The Victoria Hotel, Newquay, and the dates March 14-16.

The conference theme is "Rural Innovation - Thinking Outside the Box". The panel of speakers include:

* Guy Smith - agricultural journalist and Farming Ambassador of the Year 2004.

* Chris Hines - sustainability project officer at the Eden Project.

* Carol Trewin - author and journalist on food, farming and countryside issues.

* Sally Kendall - she set up and now runs a very successful farm tourism diversification business in Cornwall - speaker at the Oxford Farming Conference 2004.

* Ian Lobb - partner in family farm and award-winning farm shop and education facility at Heligan near Mevagissey.

* Roy Heath - sustainable food development manager, Cornwall Food Programme: a Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust Initiative.