A CIRCUS which suffered at the hands of vandals in Callington for two consecutive years is making a welcome return to the town.

Paulo's Circus is coming back to the Saltash Road Recreation Park where in 2006 and 2007 a group of youths committed damage and anti-social behaviour during its five-day run.

Press officer for Paulo's Kenny Darnell said the circus had received a good response from the public in Callington but this had been marred by the problems they had experienced.

'We thought we would give it another try,' he said. 'We are going to provide our own security this year but we are still slightly concerned about what happened before. We will come and give it a go and see how it goes.'

Abuse was hurled at performers from Paulo's, which is Britain's oldest circus, and tyres slashed on vehicles two years ago. The damage amounted to £2,000. Police officers had to be drafted in from elsewhere to deal with the incident.

This time there will be a high fence around the Big Top and performers' caravans and vehicles and security personnel on patrol.

'We like to come and do shows in Callington,' added Mr Darnell. 'It is a nice town and I personally prefer these small towns rather than the big cities. Hopefully this time we can leave on good terms.'

Portreeve of Callington Rick Lumley said he was 'over the moon' that the circus was coming back: 'It goes hand in hand with what we are trying to do at the moment with bringing life, fun and laughter back to the town.

'It is catering for people of all ages and I hope people will appreciate what is being done for the town and not cause any problems.'

Paulo's Americano Circus will run in Callington from October 16 to 20 with two performances on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The show includes clowns, acrobats, foot juggling, plate spinning, hula hoops, cloud swing and the world famous duo Timur from Ukraine with their wheel of death. Tickets can be obtained from the box office on site.

l With the drive to get more entertainment and diversity in Callington, the new CAVe —Callington Arts Venue has launched its programme of events up to Christmas and it now has its own website: http://callingtoncave.weebly.com">http://callingtoncave.weebly.com

There is theatre, music, free monthly film shows for children and a new season of adult films starting with romantic comedy Amelie on October 8.