30/08/2011 BBC Points West

Good evening and welcome to BBC Points West. Our headlines tonight:

Welcome home son, a mother sees her child for the first time in more

than half a century. Heading for a penalty shoot out,

the Bristol stadium plans face a new challenge today.

Young property hunters in despair as affording a first house becomes

impossible for thousands. And restored to health, the pony

making a good recovery after the worst abuse ever seen at one

Good evening. A woman from Somerset has been reunited with her son

after more than 70 years apart. Madge Covey was a single mum when

she decided to give him away for adoption. She then agreed that he

could be sent to Australia, where she thought he would enjoy a better

life. Mrs Covey is now 88 years old and

had the surprise of her life when her son came knocking at her door.

Clinton Rogers reports. Right now this is a family with

every reason to celebrate - a reunion that's been more than seven

decades in the making. Toast is to family! As a 17-year-old single mum

in the 40s, Madge Covey had little choice but to put her baby into

care. Now aged 88, she's come face to face with the son she thought

she'd never see again. Just overwhelming. Awesome, that is your

word. It was just unbelievable. What on earth was going to your

mind? I don't know. My tears became the, I cried and cried. After ten

years in a care home, Tony was one of many children in the 50s to be

shipped to Australia, promised a better life. On 150 sunny acres,

men are told -- thought to become so providing citizens of the

Commonwealth. In reality, many were abused or neglected. It was a

scandal which was eventually to bring a national apology from Prime

Minister Gordon Brown. To each and every one, I say today that we are

truly sorry. They were let down. ran away from home, hid under

houses. Tony's life in Australia was so bad he eventually fled to

New Zealand where he became a successful businessman. But he was

desperate to find his real mum. Is there a sense that you have had

to forgive your mother? No, I forgive her. I said, Look, you gave

me a life. I found you and I want to spend time with you. How do you

feel? I know now that I am not going to go not knowing. Here he is.

Hello, hello, hello! So now Madge Covey has a bit of catching up to

do with a long-lost son and a grandson she never knew she had.

Wonderful to see them together. Bristol City's plans for a new

stadium have received another setback. Opponents of the scheme

have confirmed they want to take the matter to court which would

mean delays to the �90 million scheme and could prevent the

project going ahead at all. David Passmore has been following the

story and joins us now. David, remind us quite how far down the

road are we on this one? You may remember they already have

planning permission for a 30,000- seater stadium on land at Ashton

Vale. The supermarket Sainsbury's have also been granted planning

permission for a new super store on the Ashton Gate site. But the third

issue arose when opponents of the scheme applied for all the land to

be designated a town green thus preventing development. A

compromise appeared to have been reached when in June the council

ruled that the stadium could be built on the northern part of the

site while the southern half be divided between a town green and a

wetlands area. But opponents say they are not happy with that and

want the entire site a town green preventing any development at all,

and want to take the matter to judicial review. So how long will

this all take? The first stage is relatively quick. Opponents of the

scheme will take the matter to a judge who will then decide whether

there is a case to answer. If they say no then that could be it and

the development would go ahead. But if there is a case to answer that

would take much longer, several months at least. So it might not go

ahead at all? That is a possibility - there's plenty of legal water to

flow under the bridge before then. The club said today they were

disappointed with the news but were determined to fight all the way.

Those on the other side say they are not against a stadium, but any

development on that green belt land. Lawyers will be working overtime on

both sides of the argument. David, thank you very much.

A foal which nearly died of starvation earlier this year has

been nursed back to health by an animal charity near Bristol. When

Buddy arrived at Horseworld in January, the charity said it was

the worst case of neglect they'd ever seen. Alice Bouverie reports.

These distressing pictures were filmed when Buddy first arrived at

the rescue centre in Whitchurch. He was so weak he couldn't get up. He

needed to be turned over every two hours because of his sores and he

could barely stand by himself. He was rescued after a member of the

public found him, along with some other horses, in their garden.

on, a young man, let's see what you can do. But now look at him - eight

months on, the transformation is incredible. To see him looking as

well as he is, the difference is remarkable and unbelievable. If I

had not have known this was him, I would not have believed it was this

same course. He is doing so well that hopefully he will become some

family's treasured possession one day. Buddy is now being taught

basic skills like how to be led on a lead. And whatever happens to him,

he'll always have a special place in people's hearts here. Hour

veterinary surgeons told us that it was the worst case. Everybody likes

a bad luck story that becomes a good love story and that is very

much at what he is. His favourite pastimes now are eating, and

frolicking around with the boys, a far cry from the dark days of

January when Buddy's future looked far from bright.

You're watching BBC Points West with Alex and David. Still to come:

Flying high, the West Country pilots showcasing their aerial

acrobatic skills to the rest of the world.

And treated to a taste of table ice hockey, how Weston Pier today got a

Experts in the West are warning fewer of us will be able to buy our

own properties because of rising house prices and a shortage in new-

build homes. It has also become more difficult to get a new

mortgage. Liz Penney scours the property

pages more in forlorn hope than expectation. She's 25 and renting a

flat from her parents, but is anxious to get onto the property

ladder but she doesn't think she'll reach that first rung anytime soon.

I am saving. I see that will go on for at least another 10, 15 years

because at the rate by can save and the bills that I have to pay, the

outgoings, they do not levy. I will be saving for years. That will be

before I can buy a. Liz is far from unique, and the organisation that

represents Housing Associations says the picture is getting worse

and is at crisis level. Part of the recent is the shortage of mortgage

availability. Lenders are not willing to lend money to people

that want to borrow. The builders will not build the homes as a

result. The group says home ownership will hit a 30-year low.

It's also predicting price increases well above the national

average, from more than �212,000 now to above �265,000 in five

years' time. Meanwhile, demand for social housing is high there are

317,000 people on the waiting list here in the South West, so why

aren't more homes being built? have seen a massive fall in the

amount of mortgage lending availability. It has particularly

hit first-time buyers. But there is a much more fundamental long-term

problem going back perhaps two decades and that is the absence of

sufficient number of planning permissions. It is very hard to get

them due to local opposition. government says it is taking action

to simplify planning and to make mortgages easier to afford. What

will have an impact is keeping interest rates low and building

more homes. Those are the twin tracks we are pursuing. We have

always been told there is security in bricks and mortar, yet still for

so many people that first step is the hardest.

Thousands of people across the West are living in homes that

desperately need improvement, but can't afford to meet the cost. Many

homeowners simply don't have the money to improve their heating,

insulation or plumbing. Now, one company which carries out

much of its work free of charge, is facing cuts to its funding from

Bristol City Council. James Hassam reports.

Eunice Stuart's lived here since 1957. Nearly 80 years old, she

struggles to get around. Now, she and her daughter are looking

forward to some home improvements. As you can see, the cooker is quite

low. Mum cannot get to the cooker because she has a bad hip. The

kitchen covers on that up to standard. They are going to rip out

the kitchen and start from scratch. And today, the workmen got to work.

This is a big project, but they've had lots of practice. Last year,

West of England Care and Repair carried out work on more than 8,000

homes in Bristol alone. This refit's being provided for free to

mark its 25th birthday. When Mrs Stuart returns to her home

later this week, she'll find a new kitchen, a new bathroom and even a

new garden with its own decked area. She's very lucky - in the future,

because of spending cuts, many people like Mrs Stuart who need

work like this doing, may have to meet the cost of it themselves.

Looking at all the aspects of how she uses her house... The project's

being headed up by this man. He told me cuts to council funding and

subsidies will have an impact. of these sources of funding are

getting squeezed. They are not going to increase so we have to

find ways of stretching what we do further up with less money.

doing that will make it harder to fund work like this. At the moment,

many elderly and vulnerable people don't have to pay. Unless more

funding is found, that could change, and makeovers like this one will

Memorabilia from the BBC's medical drama Casualty raised more than

�2,300 at auction last night. The show has been made in Bristol for

25 years but now production is moving to Wales after the last

episode was filmed earlier this month. The money raised will go

towards a new echocardiogram for the Cardiac Ward at Bristol

Children's Hospital. An animal charity in Somerset is

making an urgent appeal for help as it has run out of food. The Secret

Wildlife Rescue Centre in Burnham- on-Sea is struggling to feed its 35

badgers and 50 hedgehogs. Staff say that since the recession people

have donated less. The public is being urged to help either by

giving money or tins of dog and cat food.

A Bristol archaeologist has uncovered Britain's oldest example

of rock art. It's been found in a cave in South Wales and is being

scanned with laser and 3D technology to try to confirm its

age. The picture, of a speared-reindeer

on the Gower Peninsular, is believed to have been carved in the

Ice Age. Will Glennon has been to see it.

This is the cave on the Gower Peninsular where the cave art was

found. The cave could be around 300,000 years old. The cave art is

thought to be around 12,500 years old, making it the oldest art to be

found in the UK. Let's have a word with the archaeologist who stumbled

across it at the back of the cave on a field trip, Dr George Nash.

How did you find it? I have been coming here for 20 years with

students and in September 2010, I was with a club in Bristol and we

were looking around, hoping to find something and then I went to the

back of the cave with a light and there it was. Can you describe it?

Yes. It is a carving made by a piece of flint. The artist would

have used his or her right can't two-car fit. It measures around 17

centimetres by 10 centimetres. It has all the attributes of a

reindeer. What was your reaction when you found it? Ecstatic. It was

a once-in-a-lifetime discovery. I don't think I will find anything

like that again. How old did you think it was? I always had a

thought it would be older than 10,000 BC. What gave the game away

was that we are very fortunate to have a stalagmite flowing over part

of the reindeer and that can be dated using uranium series dating.

We took some samples, we had them analysed and a bad two months ago,

we had the date of 12,000, 5072 years. -- 12,572 years. You are

still working on it, doing a 3 D laser scan of the cave. It is part

of a larger project. We are looking at IN the area of. Dr Nash, thank

you very much. One of the reasons we cannot tell you the location of

this cave is because there has been some vandalism already. In fact,

the cave art itself was targeted. Scientists say they are not sure

why these paintings, these ratings, have been made in the past. They

are not just decorations because they were found in caves where

humans were not known to living. A lot of work is still to be done.

Football, and they may be struggling for results in the

league, but tonight Swindon will hope to ruffle a few feathers in

the cup. They're at home to Championship side Southampton in

the second round of the Carling Cup. Alistair Durden is at the County

Ground to see if they can cause another upset. What do you think,

Ali? It's so hard to say with Swindon at

the moment, just when you think they've cracked it, things go wrong

again. They've lost four league games in a row, but within that

time have also beaten Bristol City in this competition a week ago.

That was an excellent performance from Paolo Di Canio's side last

week at Ashton Gate, and earned week at Ashton Gate, and earned

them this tie against another Championship side. The manager was

enthusiastic about his side after that result, but then they lost on

Saturday and he said they lacked desire. So things are still

Let's talk to the Swindon Chairman Jeremy Wray. The cup is all well

and good, but are you disappointed with the start in the league?

knew it would not be easy in League Two, we are under no illusions

about that. We have to adapt to the different style of football and we

have not adapted as quickly as we had hoped, but the clock is -- the

Cup is a nice diversion. Paolo place attractive football. You are

prepared to be patient, have for how long? He has got a clear way of

how he wants to play football and that is what we want to see. It is

wrong for people to assume there is only one way to get out of League

Two. We have got to adapt in certain ways, but we are all

learning and I am very confident we will get there. He beat Bristol

City and now there is another championship match tonight. Is this

another step up? They have got off to a flying start. They have got a

good side and now they will be at the top of their league. They have

got to focus on the Premiership. Maybe we can catch them off guard.

The winners get another home tie against Charlton or Preston, not

glamorous but the chance perhaps to go deep into the draw? With any cup

competition, you look at it. If you're not going to get man United

or Arsenal away, then hopefully you have a chance of winning. --

Manchester United. Maybe the advantage of being behind is that

we can see who we will get next. Thank you for joining us. There are

a couple of other matters to tell Results -- we will have both of

those results at 10:25pm. Two pilots have just landed back

home in the West Country having represented Britain in the

Aerobatic World Championships. They took place in Slovakia and pilots

from around the world were there to showcase their talent. David

Thomson lives in Somerset and Paul Tomlinson lives in Gloucester and

both of them are here with us tonight.

Well come. Let's have a quick look at some of the pictures of that

particular event. Are you crazy, that looks incredibly dangerous?!

think we are a bit crazy. It is not as dangerous as it looks. We do

lots of training so we know what we are doing. We take lots of safety

precautions, but yes, it is a bit of a daredevil sport. You rehearse

a lot, but this is not professional for you, is it? No we are amateurs.

This is all our own money that we have put into it. A but you are up

against professionals? Yes, we are forced up how do you rehearse?

are given a flight sequence which we have to walk through and learn

without having to look at a piece of paper. We do a little dance

which takes us through the figures. We literally repeat it in the air

for, stop when you watch on the air, it looks casual. When you are in

the aircraft, you are experiencing G-forces similar to a pilot. You

just have to sit there and take it. You what only in the air for five

minutes. Afterwards you just want to have a lie down! The you sleep

as much the night before? We get very nervous and so we do not sleep.

You are thinking through what you will be doing the next day.

long have you been doing it? does not get easier. It is always

trying to reach that point of focus at the right time. It is dangerous,

obviously. We have seen bad things happen to the Red Arrows. Howl

risky is it? I think the risks are minimised. We are trained by it the

British Aerobatic Association who have incredible safety measures.

They have been very, very few accidents in these competitions. We

believe that what we are doing isn't that risky. How do you afford

it? If you have a flying lesson, it is expensive. During the time that

you do it, it must cost a fortune. We do our own maintenance and try

to save money that way. Well, have you got more competitions coming

up.? We have got the world championships next year. We are not

sure where they will be, that is yet to be announced, but we are

training for that as a team. Let us know how you get on, good luck.

Thank you for coming in! Be careful out there.

Staying with unusual sports, and if you've been struggling to find

enough games to keep your children occupied this summer holiday, we

might just have the answer. The World Championships of table

ice hockey are taking place in Weston super Mare. It's a board

game played between two people which has around 15,000 followers

across the globe. Around 100 of them made the trip to the West and

Zoe Gough went to find out what it Everything is possible, that is,

within the limits of a 50 centimetre wide ice hockey table.

To play, you need a few Germans, and a bit of skin -- skill and

guile. At the beginning, it was just a private thing with friends.

We started the First World Championships in 1979 with a few

local players and one or two at strangers. Nowadays, it is 15,000

over the world. Today's event is the 33rd tournament and the first

time in England. The current title- holder is making good early

progress. TRANSLATION: I did not play very convincing in my first

game today, but I hope I will make it to the finals and we will see

whether I play the final on Friday night. The end then to has been

offered �100,000 for the game's paint and, but has refused. These

holidaymakers showed the spirit of discovery he wants to maintain. You

know you are taking part in the world's championships? Are we?! It

isn't the most exciting spectator sport, but once he had kicked off

there is no stopping. After Germany, New Zealand and Greece, organisers

hope Western is the next big convert.

Zoe is there with the athletes! We can do that!

I am not fit enough! Eon is he with the weather now. We

saw earlier, the Met Office have The statistics epitomise the summer

to some extent. Let's have a look at the figures now. Across the UK

as a whole, temperatures have been all 0.5 degrees lower than the

average sunshine. The summer in general has been the coolest since

1993, provisionally. Things aren't going to warm up as a go later into

the week, before the time being, we are under a good deal of cloud.

That will continue to be the case. The reason be the high pressure is

sent out to the west of the aisles at the moment... Eventually, as it

gets further east, it will drag in some drier air. We are still a

couple of days from that taking place. The satellite image shows we

have had one pronged area of ripeness. That continues to be the

case this evening, but otherwise a good deal of cloud around. That is

how things will remain overnight. Overnight, with all of that cloud

around, it will not be desperately chilly by any means. It will stay

dry it with lighter winds. Temperatures will be around nine

degrees in the country. Tomorrow we will start with a good deal of

sunshine around. During the day, there will be some breaks

developing. But -- through the day, there will be a hint of the cloud

the more fragile compared to today. Fleeting glimpses of brighter skies.

Light winds and remaining dry through the evening. Temperatures

will be one or two degrees upon today. Looking beyond that, I

mentioned that high pressure will move into the North Sea, the wind

will come into this direction. These are the remnants of what was

a tropical storm Irene. That will eventually bring some weather

fronts towards us on Saturday, but probably quite weak. Until then, it

remains dry. Indeed it starts to warm up for a bit. This is the air

temperature measure a few 1,000 feet up. That is bound today it

through to Saturday, it will start to increase. It is a good signal

that things will improve. That is how things look. Through to

Thursday, there will be a tendency for the cloud to break-up. It's

like a decent day on Friday. A similar story on Saturday. The

spread of the rain coming in later in the day.

Would be looking wet and cooler, at least from the early indications,