19/09/2013 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today. Tonight's headlines.

The rising number of people here in work but living in poverty. They now

out-number those without a job. Very possibly in a few months I may lose

some of my funding. I will not be able to live an what I earn.

Also tonight. RAF serviceman Scott Hughes was hit by a speedboat at a

military base in Cyprus. An inquest blames a failure of safety systems.

We as the family have endured almost three long years of pure hell

waiting for this inquest to take place.

Tackling street prostitution in Cardiff, an action plan to move sex

workers away from residential areas. We're in France at the Somme, where

work is getting underway to renovate this memorial representing Welsh

soldiers. The librarian saved from the sea is

reunited with her mystery rescuer, thanks to Wales Today.

Good evening. More families who work are living in poverty than those who

don't. That's according to a report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation

which also says Wales has the highest proportion of low income

households in the whole of the UK. Almost a quarter of households here

are living in poverty which the charity says is because of a lack of

well-paid jobs. James Williams reports. Keeping the home fires

burning as a delicate balancing act. The husband is employed and she has

a 15-year-old daughter to care. Times are tough, despite a job. You

think that you are working and everything will be fine. But you

have mob bills to pay because the benefits are being reduced. Your

bills are higher. Possibly, in a few months, I will lose some of my

funding. I may be down to 14 hours a week and I cannot live under. I am

not sure what will happen then. Kate is one of 285,000 adults in Wales

who currently have work but are struggling to get by. As it stands,

they currently outnumber those suffering from out of work poverty

which is more of a problem in more urban communities. Pay has been

pretty static for three or four years. At the bottom, it has been

static for something like eight years. That is driving the poverty.

After household costs have been detected, people earning less than

£11,000 are considered to be living below the poverty line. Poverty

£11,000 are considered to be living today is a well reported story. A

third of our children live in poverty. Wales still has some of the

worst areas of poverty in the UK. We need to make sure we simply do not

accept that people live in certain communities will not have crept

prospect of finding work now and in the future. Education is a key

strand in the action plan. Cuts to the welfare budget are a concern to

Labour in Cardiff Bay. It is perfectly possible to tackle

poverty. The ascribed deadline of 2020 is not possible according to

the latest actions. Well, the report shows that rural

areas come out particularly badly with the north and west parts of the

country struggling the most. Abigail Neal has spent the day in Llandysul

in Ceredigion to find out more. Employment poverty is worst in the

west. Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion have the highest

proportion of people in work who receive tax credits to boost low

wages. Household income is a measure of poverty so you get a picture of

what the situation is like in West Wales when you look at what people

earn. Across Wales as a whole, most people earn around £25,000, but here

in Llandysul in Ceredigion the most common wage is much lower than that

at £19,000. Families where one or both adults work part-time are more

likely to have lower incomes. Philip Marchant has just come off sickness

benefit and works 13 hours a week in a cafe. I would not say poverty but

we are on the line. We have just enough money each month to pay the

we are on the line. We have just bills and fees and so on. This sign

has been up in the high street hairdressers for a year but the

owner told me no-one qualified has enquired. Even if they did, lack of

passing trade means it's more likely they would be offered a part-time

position. That is another problem, we have busy days and quiet days.

Having staff hanging around, you cannot afford to pay them. For an

area where minimum wage and part-time has become the norm, it's

not hard to see why work does not always equal wealth.

Sean O'Neil is the policy director at Children in Wales. You work with

families struggling with poverty every day. What are you hearing

about how hard it is for people? First of all, this is an important

report which has come out today. It lays to rest that work automatically

is a route out of poverty. Lots of hard-working families try to hold

down if you jobs with a family, with children, and earning wages that do

not keep them up above the poverty line. Hopefully, the myth is over

and we need to create a more sustainable jobs. The impact on

children is important. We are finding that lots of children miss

out on basic things which other children take for granted. That is

often evidence of children going to school hungry and missing out on

school trips and other social activities. As winter draws in, the

temperatures drop and once again, parents will struggle to pay heating

bills. Poverty levels have not changed for the last 15 years. We

report on this regularly. Is this just a no win situation? A lot of

work and resources have gone in two just a no win situation? A lot of

different activities. We need to be doing more to join some of these

things up. I think that is greater awareness now of poverty. People did

not accept people were in poverty in Wales but up the report helps to

dispel that myth. Thank you very much.

The family of an RAF serviceman who died when he was hit by a speedboat

in Cyprus say the Ministry of died when he was hit by a speedboat

Defence catastrophically failed to ensure his safety. Scott Hughes from

Y Felinheli in Gwynedd died whilst at a military base in 2010 just

after returning from a six-month at a military base in 2010 just

tour of Afghanistan. A coroner said there was a failure of safety

systems. Matthew Richards has more. Less than 48 hours after leaving

active service in Afghanistan completely unscathed, Scott Hughes

was killed in a place designed for rest and relaxation. He had been

riding on an inflatable being towed by a speedboat at the Tunnel Beach

military base in Cyprus. Having fallen off unnoticed by the boat

driver and spotter he began to swim to a pontoon when the boat hit him,

driver and spotter he began to swim its propeller caused injuries from

which he died two days later. His family are angry that safety

failings at the base led to his death. His whole life and promising

career within the RAF Regiment have been cut short by the failures of

the Ministry of Defence. We as the family have endured almost three

long years of pure hell waiting for this inquest to take place. Our

quest to find out all of the truth about what happened to our precious

son, Scott. The inquest was told by the spotter on the boat Daniel

Drinkwater that he and the driver only became aware of Scott Hughes

after he appeared at the back of the boat severely injured. Oh no, the

driver said, what have I done, before driving away in shock without

helping the dying aircraftman. The coroner said there had been a

systemic failure of 60 systems at the airbase. -- safety systems at

the airbase. The Ministry of Defence says it has made all the necessary

changes to prevent, as far as possible any recurrence of similar

tragedies. A man has been charged with the

murder of six-week old baby. Alfie Sullock from Cardiff died at the

University Hospital of Wales last month. 32-year-old Michael Pearce is

due to appear in court tomorrow. A man from Newport charged with

three counts of attempted murder after a shooting in the city earlier

this month has been remanded in custody. Three people were taken to

hospital after a car was shot at in the Chepstow Road area. Brogan

Hooper, who's 20, appeared before magistrates and is due to appear at

Newport Crown Court next week. Probation officers and Wales have

been protesting against plans by the UK government. Chris Grayling said

the move would help to cut reoffending. Unions say that as a

disregard for public safety. There are 120 women working the

streets of the Welsh capital as prostitutes with the majority from

abusive backgrounds. That's according to council leaders in

Cardiff, who will be discussing how to tackle the problem next week.

Jenny Rees reports. A centuries-old profession but still a modern to

boot. How to tackle the issue of prostitution? Cardiff council

cabinet will discuss a plan to move workers on from two residential

areas of the city. A study by the council found around 120 women were

involved in street prostitution with 95% of them coming from abusive

backgrounds. In many cases, they were addicted to class a drugs. One

councillor told me residents in this area have often complained they have

found condoms and needles in an area where children play. Introducing

alley gates can help but it simply move the problem on. My daughter

walks to work early in the morning and I get the fear someone will stop

and try to approach her. It frightens me. I tend to take her to

work. It is worrying. The idiots being focused on are a stones throw

away from the city centre. There is no overarching strategy to tackle

the problem. It project helps to protect street workers. Many of

these street workers have trust in services. A lot of our work is about

building up trust. We give out safety equipment, attack alarms and

things like that. Cardiff council says much progress has been made but

there is considerable work to be done.

Still to come tonight. 50 years ago a bomb attack killed

four children at this church in Alabama. How communities in Wales

came together to build a of symbol of hope in the Deep South.

Celebrations, gifts and thank yous as a mystery rescuer is reunited

with the woman he saved. In France at the Somme, work is

about to get underway to renovate a memorial to the soldiers of the

Welsh division who fought in one of the bloodiest battles of the First

World War. In 1916, nearly 4000 men from Welsh regiments were either

killed or wounded in just five days at the Mametz Wood. From there,

Roger Pinney has sent this report. It is a pretty place. That is the

first impression. It belies the horror of what happened here almost

100 years ago. You come across the Welshman module down a narrow track.

The dragon looks across at the wood where so much slaughter took place.

He would hear has long since regrown. Look more closely beneath

the undergrowth and that is still evidence of the battle today. There

are craters, shell holes, the ground is marked for good. The sum is a

byword for the harder of war. Almost 4000 soldiers from the first

division were killed in just five days of fighting. The monument put

up in their memory was a place where old friends met. Welsh and French

have worked together but it was paid for by public subscription in Wales.

The Dragon was forged from Welsh steel. It is being renovated. We

went to maintain an iconic Memorial. It is much photographed and loved.

We want to make sure it is in tiptop condition. The local Maher told me

this place is important for them. He was joined by the Welsh first

Minister to remember the sacrifice. Yesterday evening in Belgium, Carwyn

Jones take part in the last post ceremony. We will remember them.

Before laying a wreath on behalf of the people of Wales, this is the

start of a programme of events working at two and through the

centenary years. If you look at the battles that took place, all these

battles are important to those people who lived at that time and

the years subsequent. We want to make sure the memory is not lost. In

a nearby cemetery, many of the bodies of those who died in the

battle are varied. In the wood itself, their attributes to the

fallen. This is a place where Wales remembers.

A homecoming parade has taken place in Haverfordwest for troops

returning from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Members of the 2.2.6

Signal Squadron, based at the Cawdor Barracks, were presented with

medals. The barracks is due to close in 2018.

Universities in Wales say they plan to put all their lectures and

academic resources onto the internet so they can be accessed for free

around the world. They say the move will put them at the front of a

global revolution in education. It means students and teachers in

poorer parts of the world will be able to access and use work carried

out here. That is a thirst for knowledge right across the world

particularly in the developing world. Getting access to resources

so that individuals can learn is difficult. The responsibility on us

in the developed world to provide that mattered for people who are not

as not as fortunate as we are. This week in 1963, a bomb ripped

through a church in Alabama in the United States, killing four young

children. The world was outraged, and across Wales, communities came

together in solidarity. They quickly raised the money needed to replace

the stained glass windows of the church and 50 years on, those

windows still stand in Alabama. Carwyn Jones has the story.

Violence on the streets of Birmingham, Alabama. In the early

'60s, as the civil rights movement gathered pace, the city became a

hotbed of racial tension. In september 1963, a splinter group of

the Klu Klux Klan planted a bomb at the 16th Street Baptist Church. The

explosion killed four young girls, who were attending Sunday School. It

made headlines around the world. They were such horrific mammaries.

People who are now in their 60s were children at the time and we all

remember that time. You cannot forget. When news of the attack

reached Carmarthenshire artist John Petts, he felt compelled to do help

the black community of Alabama in any way he could. His response was

to create a new stained glass window to replace the centre piece of the

church that had been shattered by the bomb. After many drawings,

selecting and rejecting, there came the moment of setting out the whole

thing to large scale. To bring the design into being. This was John

Petts' vision, a black Jesus, arms outstretched in forgiveness, beneath

a rainbow of racial unity. At the base of the window, a simple message

"Given by the people of Wales." And Wales really did unite in

solidarity. Thousands of people came together to raise the funds so the

window could be finished and then shipped to Alabama. Much of the

money came from the multi-racial community in Cardiff's docklands.

David Shipper, was a volunteer at the Butetown community centre at the

time. A collection was taken and I saw £5 notes going in. You are going

back 50 years when £5 was considerably more then than it means

now. In 1964, the window was installed at the Baptist church in

Alabama and it's still there 50 years on. This week America has been

remembering the attack and the four schoolchildren who lost their lives.

The Wales window has become part of the fabric of the church, an

enduring symbol of solidarity and the power of forgiveness.

Tonight's sport starting with football and it's half-time in

Valencia in Swansea City's opening group match of the Europa League.

The home side were reduced to ten men earlier on after this challenge.

On 14 minutes, the striker gave Swansea the lead. Swansea are

currently leading by one goal. There's commentary of the second

half over on BBC Radio Wales. And we'll bring you the result in our

bulletin at 10.25pm. The Tour of Britain had ended its

second and final stage in Wales. The riders covered more than 177

kilometres from Machynlleth to Caerphilly. The stage was won by Sam

Bennett. Team Sky's Sir Bradley Wiggins retains the race lead.

Rain in Chelmsford held up play for much of the third day of Glamorgan's

Championship match against Essex. The home side moved onto 240 for two

before the heavens opened. Its Glamorgan's last match before their

LV40 Final on Saturday. We'll be live at Lords on tomorrow evening's

programme. On Tuesday's programme, we brought

you the story of Fran Murphy who was looking for the man who saved her

life. The Cardiff librarian was on holiday in the south of France when

she was swept out to sea and a complete stranger scooped her from

the water and lay her on the beach before disappearing. The only clue

to his identity, he said he was from Swansea. Well thanks to Wales Today

he's been found and we've brought the two of them together. Hello.

Nice to meet you. She thought she would not be able to thank him.

After Wales Today told her story, who Mr Lee K got in touch and we

reunited them. You look better than last time. I do not think I could

have looked worse than then. She was on the beach in the South of France

when she got into trouble. The former Marine came to her rescue.

She was in a bit of a pickle. Borderline unconscious. I took hold

of her and slam her back. On the way back, her friend informed me there

was another group of dead Sea. She was safe so I turned around and went

to see if I could help out again. Nobody on the beach realised how

close to death she was. Her lungs were full of water. Ian went back to

sunbathe with his girlfriend. I noticed he had been gone for a

while. He was athletic so I thought he had been swimming. He came back

and casually said he had saved someone but he sat down. What

happened? He said some women had got into trouble and he helped them. I

left them to add. He casually got on with things. The women had no idea

who had saved them. On the way in with the second group, I just

brought up that I was from Swansea because they were from Cardiff. I

said if I had known they were from Cardiff I would have left them. I

did not realise how serious the condition was when I left. I would

not have left if I had known. It was only when they got back home that

they put two and two together. I am glad she is OK. Absolutely over the

moon that we can thank you in person. You made a big difference to

my life. Wonderful. I am really happy. They do not know where they

will go on holiday next that they say they would like to go wherever

Ian is going. They truly modest K. Let's see what the weather has in

store. How's it looking, Derek? A big improvement in the weather

today. Wind and rain followed by sunshine

this afternoon. Tomorrow largely dry with lighter winds and there's more

dry weather to come over the weekend but not completely dry everywhere.

Fine this evening. The sky clear so look out for the full Harvest Moon.

After midnight, though, cloud may bring spots of drizzle to Gwynedd

and Ceredigion. The wind easing and a cool night. Lowest temperatures

seven Celsius in Monmouthshire. 11 on the north Pembrokeshire coast.

Here's the picture for eight in the morning. Most of the country dry.

Bright in places. Some sunshine. But some cloud as well. Spots of drizzle

in Deeside and Ceredigion at least for a time. Otherwise generally dry

tomorrow. A fairly quiet day weather-wise. Some cloud with some

bright spells and sunshine. The wind lighter than today with top

temperatures 14 to 17 Celsius. Feeling quite pleasant in the

sunshine. In Meirionydd, largely dry tomorrow. Some cloud and sunshine.

The temperature in Corwen rising to 15 Celsius. Tomorrow evening dry.

Clear spells but during the early hours a few spots of drizzle are

likely in the south and west. Saturday's chart shows high pressure

over France. This low over the Atlantic is the remains of tropical

storm Humberto. He's not heading our way but this warm front is and that

will bring us warmer, moist and humid air from the Tropics. So for

the weekend, I can promise some dry, bright weather, especially in the

north and east. But some low cloud, mist, drizzle and hill fog is likely

as well, especially in parts of the west and south-west. And by Sunday

it will feel warmer and humid. Next week, mostly dry and settled thanks

to high pressure. Sunnier and warmer on Monday. Temperatures rising into

the 20s. Shorts and T-shirt weather again! Our picture tonight is from

Mike Davies. Sunset over the Bristol Channel. Thanks Mike and enjoy the

dry weather tomorrow if you can. The top story again. A crack down is

ordered on pension schemes that offer poor value to millions of

savers. The Office of Fair Trading calls for a ban on some high charges

which eat into people's savings. But campaigners say it isn't enough. In

Wales. More families who work and living in poverty full stop the

report also says Wales has the highest proportion of low income

households in the whole of the UK. That is Wales Today. We'll have a

quick update at eight and more news at 10.25pm. Have a good evening.