08/04/2016 BBC Wales Today

Tonight's headlines: Judie Thomas owes tax and she owes wages to some

of her former employees - questions tonight over why she got

thousands of pounds from the Welsh Government.

It doesn't take a lot of digging to find previous companies she has gone

through, been wind-up. I thought more due diligence would have been

Also tonight: Packed lunches for children

who get free school meals - the call to make sure they don't go

Investigations begin after the huge blaze swept

The leader of UKIP in Wales says comments from a party Assembly

candidate linking rubbish in Cardiff to immigration

In tonight's sport: It's the race every trainer wants to win,

but there hasn't been a Welsh winner at the Grand National since 1905.

Questions are being asked tonight about the Welsh Government's support

for a businesswoman who is being pursued by former employees

and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs for unpaid

Judie Thomas runs companies with links to the fashion industry,

but a BBC Wales investigation has found that she was awarded funding

despite leaving a trail of debt from previous business ventures.

Kavanagh was an apprenticeship at Project WD, a close factory in

Swansea. She was employed under the jobs growth wheels programme. She

left the company in February because she wasn't paid all of her wages. I

feel very frustrated. It is an added stress that I don't need at the

moment. I thought it would be an excellent opportunity. I thought it

would be too good to be true in the sense. I was left feeling confused

and very angry. Helena is just one of a number of people who said they

were not paid properly for the time at Project WD. Judie Thomas is the

owner of the company. In 2010 the BBC Wales investigation revealed the

trail of death and broken promises surrounding eventually promoted to

showcase Welsh designers. Three years after the programme, temp one

are still involved in the world of fashion, making clothes to order for

designers. The Welsh Government give her ?9,000 of funding under a scheme

designed to encourage employers to recruit redundant workers. Some of

her former staff are now fulfilling court action to try to retain their

wages. Judie Thomas did not respond to questions we approached her at

her factory. Why have you not paid some of your staff? I am not willing

to discuss it. Should the Welsh Government be giving you money

considering your business background? Mrs Thomas? It is not

only employees of object WD borrowed money. Chris Price from the civil

engineering firm. For the past two years he has been pursuing a debt of

?33,000 from another company of which Judie Thomas was a director

after his firm to the subcontracting job for them. He was shot that she

had received government funding. It doesn't take a lot of digging to

find previous companies that have gone through, been wound up. I would

have thought a bit more due diligence would have been in order

there. The company that owes Chris money was forced into liquidation by

HMRC last year. It is understood that Judie Thomas owes them between

?65,000 and ?95,000 in tax. Colleges Wales aims to improve opportunities

for learners. The headers raised concerns about how the Welsh

Government came to support someone with a questionable business track

record. I would like to see the Welsh Government ensuring that all

reasonable steps, that it takes all of the practical options it has

available to them to make sure that this money ends up with is intended

to be. The Welsh Government says it is investigating its involvement

with Judie Thomas and can comment that is ongoing but it says the

companies participating in the scheme is must provide evidence of

wages being paid before they can receive funding. Calendar says her

wages have recently been settled by the Welsh Government.

During term-time many children across Wales benefit

Tonight, there are calls for something similar to be provided

The Church in Wales says that it's too often left to the voluntary

sector and the service can be patchy.

From Wrexham, Teleri Glyn Jones reports.

Every morning during the school holidays these volunteers prepare

packed lunches. How many hams do we want doing? This food is delivered

to children and some of the most the prized areas in Wrexham. This scheme

provides food for 140 packed lunches every day. That does not come cheap

though much of this that is donated. It costs around ?350 per week. That

is money that comes straight from the church in Wales or the community

council. The church in Wales says that because there is no statutory

provision in place to support children during the holidays,

feeding the most needy in our society is being left the voluntary

and more needs to be done. The provision is there during school

term times and then suddenly there is a gap. While it is perhaps not so

bad during half term, when it comes to the long school summer holidays

some children can seriously use food over a prolonged period. I think

that they should be doing some more, if they have the resource and are

able to do it, because it is certainly true that for some

families the budgets are so tight. The relationship between eating well

and doing well at school is well-established, but research by

Bangor University suggest that not having enough food during the

holidays can take its toll in classroom. Teachers noticed that the

children are not learning as well and it takes about a month even

longer for them to catch up with where they were before they went on

holiday. There is an argument that it would be a logical step for the

government to step in because we already have free school meals

during the times that children are in school and something similar

needs to be provided and children are on holiday. This children's

Centre is one of the scheme from the church's work and Gareth, one of the

play leaders here, says that admits a real difference difference to

some. It is very important. A lot of these kids spent hours dying here.

They spend a lot of time down here, burn up a lot of energy. They will

get engrossed in things so they forget that they have not had

something to eat so to bring no food is important. It is back to school

next week for these children. The situation here and across Wales will

give decision-makers food for thought.

Bethan Lewis is our education correspondent.

So, Bethan, a call for free meals during the holidays.

In school, children from homes claiming certain benefits are

eligible for free school meals. At the moment around 19% of five -

15-year-olds get free meals. Breakfast is available as well and

some primary schools. What is being talked about here is what happens on

holiday time. At the moment there is no statutory, legal responsibility

on government on councils to provide anything. There are some examples of

council run projects in poorer areas that involve free meals or what is

being called for is for a that involve free meals or what is

that would have to be provided across Wales.

What other politician saying? It is to what extent did they want to use

a substantial amount of public money on targeted support outside school.

a substantial amount of public money Labour has said it has helped young

disadvantaged people through programmes, Plaid come resettable

look at this through its Child poverty action plan. The Lib Dems

want to move for money to the councils to help this scheme.

want to move for money to the Tackling the root causes of poverty

is the key thing for the Conservatives. Ukip says it would

welcome more volunteers to help the councils during the public holidays.

The Typhoons were launched from Lincolnshire when the aircraft

It's believed the plane is privately-owned and was experiencing

Fire-fighters in Cardiff have been tackling a blaze which has destroyed

almost half of a disused secondary school in the Ely area of the city.

They believe it was started deliberately.

Fire crews was called to the old high school just after ten o'clock

last night. One block of the former secondary school was already well

alight and such was the intensity of the blaze that it has had more than

60 firefighters were needed. People living in nearby homes were

understandably worried. It was a huge blaze but I am not a panicky

person. We were lucky not to have any high winds that we get such a

lot of. The smoke was going straight up. This morning council officials,

including the director of education in Cardiff, was onside assessing the

damage. The school is no longer used. It has stood empty for a year.

Fire crews said they managed to save 60% of the building. This school is

no longer used it is a derelict property in the heart of this

sprawling housing estate. Firefighters believe the blaze was

started deliberately and there are investigations under way into the

cause. Still ahead on the programme: It's

the world's most famous steeplechase - could there be a Welsh winner

at the Grand National tomorrow? Colder air from Canada

is heading our way bringing a mixture of sunshine

and April showers. Hail, thunder, sleet

and even snow in places! The leader of Ukip in Wales,

Nathan Gill, has spoken for the first time about controversial

comments made by one of the party's leading candidates

in the Assembly election, who blamed litter problems

in Cardiff on immigrants. He said Gareth Bennett had not been

racist, but was speaking in a personal capacity,

rather than on behalf of Ukip. In the last of our interviews

with the party leaders, our Political Editor,

Nick Servini, caught up with Nathan Gill

in a hotel in Penarth. Nathan Gill, welcome to Wales today.

The party has a great opportunity in this election coming up. What is the

point of Ukip assembly members after the EU referendum in June? There

will be a huge point for us. But the cause has gone. We have had 17 years

of failure in Cardiff Bay. It is not just independence from the EU, it is

independence from big government, from jobs were telling you how to

live your lives, independence from taxation. You have followed the

script so far in terms of the campaign. A lot of infighting,

controversial statements from candidates. I want to bring up the

latest one, Gareth Bennett, one of your leading candidates in South

Wales, he said in an interview talked about making the connection

between a letter problem in the Welsh capital and Eastern European

immigrants. 16 fellow candidates thought offensive, the route to

complain. He is staying in that position. You have never spoken

about this before. What you think about what he had to say? Gareth

spoke for himself, he was not speaking for the party. He equated

the problem with glitter with the fact that there had been a massive

increase in immigration in that area. Was he right to do that? That

is as he says empirical evidence for that. I wouldn't have done at the

way that he did it, obviously not, but I think he has highlighted a

serious and legitimate situation in the fact that our councils, our

governments, our councils prepared for unmanaged immigration? Of course

they are not. They need to manage the issue. He blamed the problems on

Eastern Europeans. Yes, and that was of his own volition. It was

aggressive? No, of course it wasn't. Racist against what race? You spoken

what he thought was the issue and what he thought was causing the

problem. It is not Ukip policy. He was speaking for himself it was his

own analysis, have become to a situation in the world where we want

politicians not to speak their minds? It is easy to blame

immigrants for a lot of problems in the same way that you remember when

Nigel Farage was clear for a rally in Port Talbot, he painted on

immigrants on the M4 for causing traffic jams. This is the kind of

dog whistle politics had thought you were trying to get away from.

Absolutely. It is not our politics. I don't want this election campaign

to be about that. Yet he is still a leading candidate. He would have

liked the decision to go the other way. It is irrelevant on high I

wanted a one way or the other. The NEC have looked to what is said and

are happy with him as a candidate, therefore he is my candidate in the

backing. The reintroduction of grammar schools. At some stage a

policy becomes unrealistic, it would require such a radical change of the

education system throughout the United Kingdom. For it to have any

merit. I don't understand why you would say that. Ultimately, if there

was a better system than we need to look at it and we need to enact it.

With social cohesion, with that feeling, social mobility has gone

backwards, so the people from pleura backgrounds who are brighter are

being field and let down by the one size fits all education system that

we have in Wales. A return to an education policy that was forced 40

years ago, really? A policy that work for so many of our politicians

today, Labour and Conservative, or where they are today because of

grammar schools. Yet the pools up the ladder behind them and stop them

ability for people now. People now need mobility. The ability if they

are right and capable, to succeed and to be in an environment where

everybody is there pushing them to the limit. You strike me as being a

reluctant leader at times. Do you want to be the leader in future? I

absolutely want to be the leader, only because they have a vision for

Ukip in Wales and where we can go and where we should be. The last

time we ask you this she were not sure, but this is definitive. The

want to remain as the Ukip leader in Wales. Absolutely. I know where we

need to be in this party in Wales. I know the people of Wales, our

membership and that we have wonderful men and women who want

something better for us and they say that Ukip is the only way to get

there. Nathan Gill, thank you very much. You are welcome. You can watch

that interview again on a website with a few added extras.

The Green Party are "on the cusp" of getting their first

Assembly Members - that's according to their only MP.

Speaking on a campaign visit to Cardiff ahead

of next month's election, Caroline Lucas said Green AM's

would "shake up the Senedd" and that the proportional

representation system used to elect regional Members will help the party

secure its first seats in the Senedd.

Ahead of the Assembly election campaign, we've been asking

what you want from the next Welsh Government and many

of you have raised business rates as your My Manifesto 2016 issue.

We're a nation of small businesses that support thousands of jobs,

and the money raised from rates goes on supporting local services.

But some of you are concerned about the impact of those charges,

including Howard Jones from Flintshire.

His son Stewart runs a four-by-four repair business in Mold.

There are five of us working here at the moment. We have four ramps, a

lot of tools, a lot of headaches. Stuart Jones is proud of what he

achieved. I rented a unit, came here with nothing. I learnt as I have

gone along, basically, and have developed into the business I got

today. It is a redundancy that forced his hand. He has since built

a successful business, and expanded, but that group cost him. Business

rates they -- he says there are no relationship to what he can pay. I

had a letter saying I did not have to pay business rates, massive booze

-- massive bonus. Then got a letter to say I owed ?6,000 of business

rates were to have the best Christmas. I paid the first this

February of over ?2500, which, again, for small businesses a big

shock. Business rates or nondomestic rates as they are also known by the

way businesses helped to pay for local services. The money is

collected by local authorities, the County Colts and -- County Colts --

county councils, then it is shared out across Wales. If you speak to

business owners, the rates that they pay are often the biggest complaint.

The five who work in this business include Andrea in the office and

there are two apprentices. I got the apprenticeship era about three years

ago. I am ready to sign it off. I love mechanics. I don't know what I

will be doing that they didn't come here every day. I tried to take on

another member of staff but there is just no chance at the moment. If you

were First Minister, what would you do? We need to turn the country

around and I think small businesses need some big help at the moment.

Well, if you want to be part of My Manifesto 2016,

tell us what you'd do if you were First Minister.

We'll be passing on your ideas to whoever's in charge of

The Dragons, Wales' last remaining region in European Competition,

travel to Gloucester in the quarter-finals

Neither side has been in the best of form in recent weeks the Dragons

suffered their seventh successive defeat in the Pro12 last week.

Having lost four games in a row, Gloucester's James Hook says recent

results won't have any bearing on his side's approach to the game.

Both teams have probably been struggling domestically. We are in

the quarterfinal now and have an opportunity to kick on in this

competition. The Dragons Den against that tough team, they tried to wear

you down. They have lost a few games but they haven't lost by much. They

are an 80 minute team that will stick in there.

World Champion boxer Lee Selby and his opponent,

the American Eric Hunter, have had their weigh-in ahead

of tomorrow's IBF featherweight title fight at the O2 arena.

The boxer from Barry says he's in great shape and says he's up

This will be Selby's second title defence.

Helen Jenkins will continue her fight with Jodie Stimpson

for a place on Britain's triathlon team for the Rio Olympics

when they race in the early hours of tomorrow morning in Australia.

After missing out on a medal in London four years ago, Jenkins,

who's from Bridgend, says she'd love to make it

to her third Olympic Games and join fellow Welsh athlete Non Stanford

It's the highlight of the horse-racing calendar

and at the Grand National tomorrow three horses trained in Wales

It's the race every trainer wants to win, but there hasn't

been a Welsh winner for more than a century.

Business is busier than usual at Forest Farm in Newport,

Rebecca Curtis is one of the country's top horse trainers.

A third at the Grand National with Tea For Three in

She has two running tomorrow, so from the wonderful picturesque

setting of West Wales, it is off to the nervous

I have O'Faolains Boy, of the two he would be the better jumper.

You would be more confident about his jumping to get round.

Then Rommford Pele, this fella here, he fits the race well

as in he stays really well, acts on better ground.

Alongside O'Faolains Boy boy and Romford Pele, Buywise comes

from the Evan Williams tables in the Vale of Glamorgan.

All three aiming to become the first Welsh trained horse

to win the Grand National since Kirkland in 1905.

You know, it is one of those races that everyone dreams to win,

whethet you are a trainer, jockey, owner.

It is just one of those, you can have the best horse

in the race but you need so much luck in running.

A win in the Grand National for Wales would be brilliant.

A TV audience in excess of 10 million will be watching this

year's Grand National, along with the 70,000 strong cloud

A quarter of the UK adult population will place a bet on this

Saturday's race, so where will the money go?

We reckon in total somewhere around 200 million will be placed.

30 million alone with William Hill, so great for us.

which is the red-hot red-hot favourite.

Training and champion takes hard work and dedication.

All worth it if the 2016 Grand National sees a Welsh winner

for the first time in over 110 years.

Ian Woosnam has told reporters within the last few minutes he has

played his last competitive round at Augusta National. The end of an era.

Let's get the weekend weather forecast.

If you are playing golf this weekend, it will be chilly. Calder,

more unstable errors heading our way bringing a mixture of Sun and

showers. Gardeners watch out for frost with crusty winds on Sunday.

Temperatures inland following the one-off red touch of frost. Here's

the picture of eight o'clock in the morning, certainly colder than

today. The north-east writer and sunny for a time. Elsewhere,

showers, heavy in places with hail and sunny for a time. Elsewhere,

showers, heavy in places with Halen sneaks -- hail and sleep. Snow in

places, too and you may even hear a rumble of thunder. It is a case of

dodging the showers tomorrow. Hail and snow in places. In between the

showers there will be blue sky and sunshine with fewer showers later in

the afternoon. The pictures below average, only six to nine Celsius

with a light to moderate breeze. If you are going for a walk tomorrow,

the thermals will come in handy. There will be wintry showers, hail

and snow. Tomorrow evening, one of two showers, other ways are dried

night. A cold night to with some frost, especially in mid and North

Wales. Sunday will be a breezy, windy day with the strongest winds

in the south-west. 12 showers, otherwise a lot of dry weather, the

best of the Sun Chang in the North but the rain made reach the South

later in the afternoon. We'll have a quick update at 8.00pm,

more after the BBC News at Ten.