01/11/2011 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story tonight:

On the edge. The battle to save caravans teetering on this headland

Our other headlines tonight: More treatment in your home. The

Welsh Government unveils its plans for the NHS, but they come in for

heavy criticism. It's a bit like Groundhog Day.

We've had three strategic plans for the health service since this

Assembly was created. They all say pretty much the same.

Police in Swansea launch a crackdown on heroin dealers and

users. When you're a heroin addict, you go

to bed, you wake up, you open your eyes and you think straightaway,

where am I going to get money from? Where am I going to score from?

This company has been going strong for 50 years. With a small growth

in the economy today, we looking at the state of businesses up and down

Wales. And one boat, 3,000 miles, three

months at sea. Two firefighters' Good evening. Dozens of caravan

owners have had a lucky escape after a landslide left their homes

teetering on the edge of a cliff. Nobody was injured at Porthkerry

Leisure Park in the Vale of Glamorgan, but it's sparked

concerns about the continued erosion of the coastline. Carwyn

Jones reports on a day when caravan owners could only watch from a

distance as the ground disappeared From the air, you can see just how

close these caravans came to falling over the edge. It was last

night's heavy rain which caused the landslide at Porthkerry Leisure

Park, leaving 15 caravans teetering on the brink of a cliff. Hundreds

of tonnes of rock were thrown onto the beach below. No-one was injured,

but this photograph taken this morning by one of the caravan

owners shows just how dangerous the situation had become. By this

afternoon, tractors were being used to slowly pull the caravans away

from the cliff edge one by one. The only thing stopping these rocks

from falling to the ground of the roots of an overhanging tree.

This is how the Porthkerry coastline looked in 2005. And even

then, the caravans were close to the cliff edge. Even today, you

could see the results of recent landslides. Some local people say

this was just an accident waiting to happen. I have seen at least

three a ruck falls within his half mile coastline, often caused by a

combination of heavy rain and earlier frost. I would not like to

live on the edge of a cliff. It was going to happen sooner or later. It

was a case of rocks waiting to fall. Officers from the Vale of Glamorgan

Council, who monitor this coastline, are now assessing the affects of

last night's landslide and how best to make the area safe for

holidaymakers, people living nearby and especially those who use the

beach below. Meanwhile, the slow and steady task of pulling the

caravans back to safety continues. Leaving the NHS in Wales as it is

is not an option. The stark warning tonight from the Health Minister

who outlined her vision for the health service over the next five

years. Lesley Griffiths said the status quo was no longer viable and

that far-reaching changes are needed. Tonight, the government's

plans have been criticised as too little too late. I'll be speaking

to the minister in a moment. First, our health correspondent Arwyn

Jones. Since the the formation of the NHS,

there has always been doctors and nurses based in hospitals, there to

help when we need them. Today, the health minister said it was no

longer possible to continue as it has. Outlining his vision for the

future of the NHS, she made her case for the need for change.

will never attract world-class to staff and tackle the patterns of

inequality. We must strengthen community-based care and create a

network of centres of excellence. This is what it means in practice.

Moving doctors and nurses out of hospitals and into communities. In

West Wales, they are trying out this scheme. Patients are seen at

home by a nurse. The Lady's needs are discussed with a GP and social

workers in a telecoms friends, using technology to make life

easier. It reduces the need for hospital treatment and could save

money. It is the kind of thing the Welsh Government is very keen on.

They have been working with nurses about the changes to the way they

will be working. It is about doing things tough hundred -- differently.

We want people to have an achievable option. The message,

they had seen it all before. It is a bit like Groundhog Day. We have

had three strategic plans for the health service since this Assembly

was created. They all say pretty much the same. Here, they have

already lost some services from their local hospital. And even

before the latest plans are published, health campaigners fear

they are about to lose more. If you talk to the local population, they

will tell you clearly that they are increasingly having to travel south

for their general surgical services. And also to a much lesser degree,

general medical services. Today, the health minister said that some

specialist services like cardiology and cancer treatment might need to

move. She insisted that would not mean downgrading district general

hospitals. It is right and proper that services are concentrated in

two specific areas so that that specialism is allowed to continue

and to develop and so be it. People will have to travel. So for more

than 60 years, the NHS has become a familiar face, but there is no

doubt it is about to go through some big changes. We were not know

what they were before Salmons, but the political battle has already

begun. Let's talk to the health minister.

Good evening. This is the same policy as five years ago. New

wrapping paper, same policy. What has changed? This announcement was

me setting out a policy, Standards and direction for local health

boards. The status quo is not a lot should -- not an option any more.

We have overstretched services and recruitment issues. We know the

health service has to change. have seen this suggestion before.

Yes, but we have made progress. There needs to be much more rapid

progress to make sure we have the services we deserve within the NHS.

He promised you would not close any district hospitals, presumably you

can keep the names of the district hospitals but to reduce the range

of services available. I have not seen any plans the local health

boards are bringing forward. We will see a shift of services. There

has to be. People want to be treated closer to home. They do not

want to be in hospitals. With technology, they do not need to be

in hospitals any more. That is just code for cutting the range of

services. Not at all. Those services will be a have to be

provided in a different guise. It will be a much more about

integration of primary and secondary care. You say this is

about delivering a better NHS. It is just about saving money. It is

not. We have had a huge cut in our budget from the UK Government. �860

million. We have to ensure our NHS has the money it provides. As we go

through the year, services have to change.

It's been called a super dairy. Powys Council's planning committee

say they are minded to approve the application for a milking parlour

for 1,000 cows near Welshpool. Planners had recommended that the

application should be refused. The council says the decision makes it

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 55 seconds

likely that the plans will be given When you what an addict, you will

open your eyes and you think straight away, where my going to

get money from? You get up, you go out, you get the money for the

heroine, you buy it, you do it, and then it starts all over again.

says she was hooked by a dealer who offered her a free first hit. Her

curiosity when she got caught in a downward spiral. Police estimate

there are thousands of users in the Swansea area alone. That is why

dozens of rates have been carried out to try and dismantle the drugs

trade in the city from top to bottom. Some of these drug dealers

have stated they are untouchable. My message to them is, you were not

untouchable. We will find due. We will get you. We will put you

behind bars. Users are being warned that their behaviour will not be

tolerated. 80% of repeat offenders are fuelled by a heron and with

addicts leading up to one -- up to �100 a day to fuel their addiction.

We know from national figures that each addict could cost society up

to �850,000. When you work through all of the treatment, or the

criminal justice issues that arise, you can see a significant number of

cost involved. Drug projects open a lifeline but limited resources mean

many addicts drift back to the streets while they wait for help.

We have got excellent resources in Swansea. We have some brilliant

agencies. We have not got enough. Unless we receive for more funding,

it could get significantly worse. Amy is now on a treatment programme.

Her first attempt to get herself of heroin. But the amount of help

available cannot match the reprieve did -- increasing number of people

being referred, the problem will be caught in a vicious circle.

Martin Blakebrough is chief executive of the society

Kaleidoscope. That police report suggested that this could cost

taxpayers up to �850,000 per adult. Are you surprised by that? It seems

a huge figure. I presume he is looking up the crimes they commit

before they get into treatment. It is astronomical. But I think if we

get them into treatment, we can save the cost considerably and we

can save lives. You would work with addicts across the country. We

obviously have a serious problem. We know we have a problem. What is

the solution? The solution is making sure that treatment is

accessible. Sometimes, we force treatment on people, which is not

helpful. Ultimately, they are not ready for services. The Rev -- they

rebel against it. The need to make sure we have an agenda of change to

If people are left out with no job, no housing, no support, how are

they going to get off their drug problem? I can only provide so much.

We have just been reporting on the financial squeeze that the NHS is

going to be facing. People might say, why should we be spending lots

of money on heroin addicts went schools and hospitals need money?

The simple answer is that drug use costs taxpayers through crime,

through people who aren't functioning in the community any

more, through rates of total disillusionment. We saw the riots

in the UK. We have to do something to tackle that disillusionment.

That is the reason people often take drugs.

Much more on this story on Week In Week Out tonight at 10:35pm on BBC

One Wales. Much more to come before 7:00pm:

The founder of Rachel's Dairies says businesses in the countryside

need more support. And 3,000 miles and three months at

sea - two men in a small boat head First, the UK economy has grown

between July and September by just 0.5 %, the rise has been held by a

key financial and service sectors. In Wales there is particular

reliance on the manufacturing industry. How has that small growth

been reflected here? Our reporter is at a factory.

This company is celebrating 50 years in manufacture ring. It is a

family owned company and they make the tools that make packaging for

the food industry including these silver trays and also the use of

plastic cartons. 82 people work here, including 11 apprentices. The

company says it has had to react to the current economic climate it has

been affected by. It has lost some customers close to home but it has

been able to pick up some contracts further down the supply chain. We

will be finding out more about this company later but another key area

for the Welsh economy is tourism. Small increase in its GDP we hear

today but as our reporter has been finding out, many sections of that

industry have been feeling the pinch.

Not so much an icy blast but an economic point is quite chilly out

there. That is despite the UK's better-than-expected growth figures.

The Sun may have been shining over the marina today but here just as

everywhere else, we have felt the effects of the financial downturn.

This marina and sailing in general are important economic drivers in

this part of north Wales. A study in 2000 to suggest they supported

200 jobs. The last few years have seen a decline in the number of

boat using the arena. There are vacant births. Richard Rhones a

boat balloting business. He has noticed a change.

We are not as busy as we used to be a few years ago. Maybe we do 50

votes a year but we might be down to 30.

Paul Hurley will have to work hard to attract boat owners. Here, the

council has pledged to sort out some infrastructure problems. Silk

is to be dredged from the marina entrance and berthing fees frozen.

At the sailing club, they insist it is a world-class venue.

We haven't had to advertise or market this area before. Due to the

economic climate, people have tightened up a little bit. It is

time now to go out and market this place as a destination for sailing.

What goes for the marina goes for the rest of the Welsh economy.

Wales has to be attractive to investors. How do we discover how

we are doing it compared to the rest of the UK? There are no

specific Welsh figures at the moment.

We need to insure Welsh GDP figures are available. That is something we

are looking at. Here they are looking at turning

the corner. Investment and marketing are key.

Companies weathering the storm, there. What about starting out at a

time like this? One of Wales's best known brands, Rachel's Organics,

started in the 1980s during a difficult economic climate. Our

reporter has been speaking to its founders to find out about their

challengers. Now based on a local Industrial

Estate, this is Aberystwyth's biggest private-sector employer

with over 150 members of staff. Rachel and her husband sold the

company for several million pounds 12 years ago but insist the journey

wasn't easy. They say economic parallels between the start of the

80s and now aren't lost on them. It was incredibly difficult.

Looking for money when we were there was very hard. We had to put

the farm on the line. That was the only security we had and that is

how we raised the money. We took a huge gamble.

You must be positive. You must believe that you can move forward.

Yes, it will be difficult, but you have to bring everyone along with

you but that is what we are able to do in communities, especially here

in West Wales. After withstanding pressure from

supermarkets to move the company out of the mid-Wales, Gareth says

more has to be done to help rural communities.

At the moment, the impression I am getting it is about development in

urban areas. There are lots of people there but we can't neglect

the rural areas. That is fundamental.

Rachel's Organics takes another step forward. This is the company's

Things have come a long way since Rachel created the first yoghurt in

her farmhouse kitchen almost 30 years ago.

Sales grew and we grew on the farm. We opened the farm to the public

and that helped us enormously in introducing the product.

Freak snowstorms back in 1980 to melt that milk vans couldn't go up

to the dairy. Rachel had to find another way of using the milk. She

turned to her grandmother's recipes and produced yoghurt, cheese and

butter at the farm. The rest is history.

So, a company that has continued to grow like this one. But in Swansea

a packaging firm is to close with the loss of 49 jobs. Staff at

British Polythene Industries were told of a consultation period today

in advance of the company relocating work to its sites at

Flint or Norwich. So let us cut back to Llantrisant

and find out what they have been doing here and how they have been

managing to weather the storm. Ian began his life here as a boy. 21

years ago you were here as an apprentice. What have you been

doing here as a company over the past couple of years to whether

this economic climate? At the moment, business is strong.

We have a full order book but we have a lot of long-standing

customers coupled with the business we have brought in. That means we

have managed to keep work in the factory and we are good.

Russell, you keep a good eye on these matters as a business analyst.

Slight growth in GDP, anything to celebrate?

Obviously, a rise is better than a fall but this is a rise on the last

quarter, which was a particularly bad one. We had the Tsunami and an

extra bank holiday as well. Going forward, whether this is a start of

a trend, I doubt it. We have a particular alliance with

the manner factoring industry in Wales. What are the challenges that

lie ahead? Is it a case of finding out new markets?

Absolutely, as you say, manufacture rain in Wales is very important. 24

% of GDP here, compared to 11 % in the rest of the UK. We need to look

at the emerging markets that we can export to, such as Brazil,

Indonesia, Russia and we have that Strongman effect during base. We

have to use that to have a true recovery.

Christmas is coming and many customers and consumers are saying

they can't afford it? This is right and consumers are

looking for every single bargain they can get. Many are shopping

online, shopping early. They are trying to save the pennies. This is

a start of a gloomy trend at Christmas time.

Thank you to you both. Back to the studio.

The Swansea Cork ferry will stop all services with immediate effect,

after the parent company blamed the rising cost of oil prices. Fastnet

Line Group has been placed under a business recovery process by an

Irish high court. Passengers already booked on ferries will be

offered a full refund. Once more goes, two men, three

months at sea. Cardiff firefighters planning to row across the Atlantic

for charity. Their epic journey begins in the Canary Islands and

ends in Barbados, a distance of 3,000 miles, made all the more

remarkable when you consider the pair have never rowed at sea before.

In the calm waters of Cardiff Bay, it really looks like plain sailing.

These firefighters know it will be anything but. It is a 3,000 mile

journey with very little time to rest.

During shift. Two hours on, two hours off, 24 hours-a-day. You have

to get someone on the orders to keep the boat straight. Otherwise,

the boat will slide on to the waves. That leaves you with a chance of

capsizing. We are planning up to 90 days on

the boat. Realistically it is about When John's wife developed cancer

three years ago, he decided he wanted to raise funds for a breast

cancer charity. It is hoped their Atlantic -- will raise thousands

for that and other good causes. I have always been an armchair

adventurer. I read all the books and I fancied doing a big adventure

of my own. The opportunity arose to get the boat and I seized it with

both hands. Two years later, here we are.

It is all the more remarkable when you learn they have never rowed

before training for this event. We were both rowing novices, much

to the amusement of the local rowing club. We have heard some

choice comments from them but we had three months to pick it up.

They say it is a 10,000 calories a day Byrne. You can only eat around

8,000. I have been advised to eat and eat and get my body fat up 25 %.

For the last few months, they have been out most days. Jamie's duck --

dog, Bungee, their unofficial mascot.

I'm not sure it will be the easiest of journeys. Let us see what

It will be getting windier but it will be quite mild. This evening,

clear conditions. A bit more cloud pushing in from the rest but it

should be largely dry this evening as we go into the overnight period.

Temperatures at their lowest around nine Celsius. The winds picking up

through the evening. This area of low pressure is responsible for the

wind and rain. The next couple of days looking messy. First thing

tomorrow morning is a drier start for many of us. Hints of brightness

for Anglesey. Quite quickly it will cloud over and the rain gets going

from the south-west as we go into the afternoon with highs of 14

Celsius. Not the best looking end to the day tomorrow. Into the

evening, the rain will push northwards. Heavy at times. 20 mm

of rain in the southern counties. Into Thursday, that should pass and

lingering over parts of the north- east and Powys. A mild night with

temperatures not changing much from the daytime, ranging between 12-14

Celsius. The wind still noticeable into Thursday. Once the rain clears,

it is a matter of showers merger into hard -- showers merging into

longer spells of rain. Our main story again: Dozens of

caravan owners have had a lucky escape tonight after a landslide

left their homes teetering on the edge of a cliff.

Nobody was injured in the Vale of They are moving the caravans to a

safer part. The second stage is to investigate what the underlying

reasons are, what we can stop them. Coastal erosion is natural. It

takes place over time. We are not as used to it as they are in the

south-east of England and it is about learning from them.