A new scheme designed to combine charitable fund-raising with the chronicling of Cornish life stories has been launched with the biography of a Falmouth man who was a shipping agent for almost half a century.

"All In A Lifetime's Work," by Steve Pellow, now 84, is the first in a planned "Local Lives" series of books for Cancer Research UK ghost-written by retired Cornish journalist and Packet columnist Mike Truscott.

As a busy shipping agent constantly on call, Steve witnessed the dramatic, the amusing, the mystifying and, just occasionally, the scarcely credible.

Representing G C Fox & Co, which was Falmouth's biggest and oldest shipping agency, Steve's work included direct involvement in many casualties - among them one of the greatest shipwreck sagas of the 20th Century.

He was also on board the last ship to sink in Falmouth's waters - escaping with just minutes to spare before she went down!

That wasn't the only time he had that sinking feeling. He had his share of personal mishaps when boarding large vessels at sea from a tiny working boat - not surprisingly, given the need to embark and disembark in all weathers.

There was also his own "Mary Celeste moment," with a surprise discovery when he boarded a coaster stranded on rocks . . . plus his unforgettably chilling experience of Russian "hospitality" at the height of the Cold War.

Among lighter moments, Steve recalls the little-known occasion when a solo sailor went aground off Flushing . . . shortly after famously completing an historic circumnavigation of the globe!

His earlier years as a shipping agent belonged to an altogether different era, when the port of Falmouth was bursting at the seams. He relives the time when it was nothing unusual to have some 20 large ships alongside and in dock, often with two or even three abreast.

Steve also takes readers back to the Second World War, with vivid childhood memories of how Falmouth suffered at the hands of the German bombers during the biggest conflict in history.

The book has been funded, designed and produced by Mike Truscott and his wife Janet and is being promoted, also free of charge, by Eventy Marketing and Public Relations, of Penryn.

"All In A Lifetime's Work" is now on sale at the Cancer Research UK shop in Webber Street, Falmouth, at the special limited edition price of £4.95, with all proceeds going direct to the charity. Orders can also be placed by phoning the shop, 01326 211872.