KEVIN Foster with his partner is now celebrating 50 years of flying and 40 years of his Moorgoods business based at St Breward, for which they thank those that have supported them.

Kevin started his flying with the RAF cadets then worked at his local flying club in return for flying lessons. He gained an RAF Flying Scholarship, which helped towards obtaining a private pilots licence, and then built up hours and experience.

He joined the RAF, obtained a RAF Cadetship so gained a degree in aeronautical engineering at London University, followed by training at RAF College, Cranwell.

At university he designed a man-powered aircraft since man powered flight had then yet to be achieved. Kevin attempted to fly a man powered helicopter with contra-rotating blades to please an ageing RAF engineer and was quietly pleased that it did not get airborne otherwise he may have been liquidised!

Kevin has always been motivated in the challenges of business. At the age of 14 years he reconditioned bicycles, then went into delivery of groceries door to door using a motorbike and sold pet food from a market stall.

He flew many different types of RAF aircraft including a Bell 47 helicopter, which made him want to fly helicopters — but the RAF had different ideas so he tried to join the Navy for their helicopters, which did not go down well with the RAF, so that did not work.

He eventually left the RAF to sell military aircraft and goods and then moved on to fly and sell single and twin engined aircraft.

He helped establish Cornwall Parachute Centre by dropping parachutists. He stayed in Cornwall longer and longer until he decided to stay permanently as he felt very much at home in Cornwall and puts that down to his Cornish great grandparents.

The club flew first at Bodmin Airfield and then on a farm in St Breward.

Kevin moved to an isolated farm near Brown Willy where he repaired electrical and other items even though the farm was not on mains electric supply but had a generator.

Sales progressed under the newly created name of Moorgoods, because he was on Bodmin moor, using a logo that depicts a side view of Roughtor, with him gaining farming experience as well, but ended up having to get a job at Davidstow cheese factory whilst he built up the electrical business suffering night shifts.

This helped Kevin and his partner, Betty, to purchase the current St Breward site as a derelict farm and commenced making the buildings good whilst running Moorgoods and working shifts at Davidstow.

Eventually after eight years of establishing the business whilst living in a mobile home, the planners allowed a house to be built on site.

They both managed to leave the factory and develop the business selling new and used commercial and domestic appliances, repairs that they do today and selling old and new spares all over the world.

Kevin had always looked at the problem of selling and buying items locally and set up what he initially called the Moorgoods Advertiser by way of an A5 booklet with people purchasing space to advertise their items.

This soon devolved into the North Cornwall Advertiser which he personally delivered all over the distribution area which was well received but as it grew, something had to give way since he was too busy chasing for adverts, then outstanding invoices whilst Betty had the job of compiling and stapling them, all whilst running the electrical business. The advertiser was eventually sold.

Kevin too gained a commercial helicopter licence, gaining planning and CAA approval to operate a helicopter commercially from the St Breward farm, meeting many interesting people including those from showbiz.

He added an instructors rating so currently instructs students on a four-seat Robinson R44 helicopter.

In 1991 Heli Aid Charity was formed initially to get helicopters rapidly abroad in support of Rapid UK but due to the increased cost of moving the helicopters and politics it soon became clear that they should offer the helicopter locally.

Meanwhile, he got involved in the creation of an Air Ambulance very closely talking to all involved.

Heli Aid developed into an ‘eyes in the sky’ operation and transport for the emergency services on a volunteer basis only.

It still offers this service today but following Kevin’s interest in Neighbourhood Watch and aviation it quickly was obvious that there should be a faster response to flights by unexplained aircraft operating over Devon and Cornwall, so Airwatch was formed under the umbrella of Heli Aid and now forms a live watchful eye in the skies, mostly at night.

Do contact Airwatch if you can be an observer for them.

Funds for Heli Aid are mostly raised by the sale of donated goods via the charity showroom based at Moorgoods, St Breward.

Moorgoods have always recycled items, both electrical and non-electrical.

Kevin said: “We are appalled how our planet is being polluted and carry out what is now called up-cycling, where they repair and sell not just electrical but also non-electrical items like household items, building materials, etc. More than that, they find other uses for items being scrapped so request that items are offered to them before they are disposed.

“Often items end up on display in our Heli Aid Charity showroom on the premises.”

Kevin uses his military experience to sell military surplus like cold and wet weather clothing, footwear, etc.

Moorgoods also purchases stock from businesses that have closed down so results in large stock of new and used doors, windows, bathroom items, tiles, tools plus and thousands of other items.

Meanwhile, in his spare time Kevin continues to be a Community First Responder for West Country Ambulance Service which involves suitably trained volunteers responding rapidly to acute emergencies in the local area which he pushed to be created at St Breward as the first one in Cornwall nearly 20 years ago, but there lies another story!