Nick Clegg's Cornwall visit

Nick Clegg was in Cornwall today for three visits on the theme of industry.

First up, he went to Hayle with Julia Goldsworthy to visit a precision engineering firm called Rigibore. This is a family business which specialises in extremely precise engineering - to tolerances of 3 microns (three one thousandths of a millimetre).

The firm also employs people through the Unlocking Cornish Potential scheme which helps unemployed or under-employed graduates to find the right job and provides support to the firms that employ them.

Nick and Julia were shown some of the work done by the firm and some of the very hi-tech machinery that creates their products. (The machine in this photo is one of their slightly less hi-tech machines!)

Then it was off to the CUC campus at Tremough with Terrye Teverson. The staff and students they met are involved in a green energy project which will harness tidal power. But as well as that they develop software for buoys which measure wave height.

The staff at CUC were keen to point out that the buoy was not painted in our honour!

After a brief stop at Radio Cornwall it was off to meet with Stephen Gilbert and to visit Imerys at Par and then one of their quarries in Clay Country.

I sometimes take the clay industry for granted having grown up in Cornwall, but it is still one of our biggest industries and employers and we have the largest clay mine in the world. Imerys told us they are confident that they have enough reserves for decades of work to come.

Finally, Nick met with Western Morning News correspondent Matt Chorley who is touring marginal constituencies in Devon and Cornwall in a VW camper bus. Matt and Nick enjoyed a cuppa and biscuit as the interview took place sitting in the door of the van.