16/03/2017 Channel Islands News

From heartbreak to helping others, the widow trying to save lives

Just do have that bolt out of the blue, terminal cancer diagnosis at

29 and 30, I just couldn't believe what we were hearing.

Just three months before the Island Games,

there's a mass walk-out in Jersey women's football.

A woman from Jersey whose husband died from a brain tumour

less than a year after their wedding wants to raise awareness

of the disease so other families don't have to go

Emma Cotillard was six months pregnant when she and her husband

Justin had to cut short their honeymoon so he could get

Jessica Banham has their story, which you may find upsetting.

Emma talks to Mia about her father every day.

A keen sportsman, Justin often split his time between the boxing

But one night during the couple's honeymoon in France in the summer

of 2015, he no longer recognised his new wife.

Returning home to St Helier, he was diagnosed with

we both had careers, we had our lovely

We just thought we're a really lucky couple to have found this together,

and then just to have that bolt out of the blue, terminal cancer

just couldn't believe what we were hearing.

Brain tumours kill more adults under 40 in the UK

Here in Jersey, the most recent statistics show that almost 200

people were seen for brain tumours at the General Hospital

But once diagnosed with a cancerous tumour, just 14% of adults

The impact of brain tumours are very significant,

and they're very difficult to treat because surgically there's always

a potential risk that you will damage the brain

For Justin, despite successful surgery his tumour grew back,

and he was given just two weeks to live.

He managed to survive for a further ten months, until his family

At the time Mia had developed chicken pox, and wasn't

allowed into the hospice where he was staying.

They came into us and said, he is hanging on for

And it was brother said, because he has not seen

Mia for two days, maybe he wants to see her.

That's the worst part about this whole story.

So the nurses said, you know, it's a one off,

if we bring Mia up, we'll bring her straight into Justin's

room and let her have some final time with him.

Emma believes further research into brain tumours is vital -

there have been few developments in how to treat them

And ultimately she hopes that by telling Justin's story,

she might be able to prevent other families from going through

Jersey spends far less on funding university students than many places

in the rest of the world, according to a new report

The group says it's essential that the States considers

Earlier I spoke to our reporter Julie Flanagan, who's been

This isn't a new problem and assemblies haven't been able to find

a solution. Deputy Macon has been leading this review into the cost of

funding for higher education and he said that even the maximum state 's

grant doesn't go anywhere near far enough to cover the cost of getting

a degree. He told me he has spoken a degree. He told me he has spoken

to some families and they have said they are having to spend money that

they have saved for their pensions and even selling the family home to

send their children to university. But he believes that the benefits of

getting a degree are enormous long-term for the island.

I think the evidence shows that if we want to support local

businesses and we want our students to reach the

top of their profession, and we want to address the concerns over

population growth, we have to be able to support our students into

The States I tried to cut spending, not increase it? Jersey spent about

a quarter of 1% of its GDP on higher education. If you compare that to

countries like Latvia which spent four times as much as jersey and

Northway which spends ten times as much as jersey, the Education

Scrutiny Panel have said many families and students want to see

some form of loan scheme. Deputy Macon says that the Treasury and

education ministers just haven't been taking this problem seriously

and have not done enough to resolve it. But the Assistant Education

Minister Deputy Anne Pryke thinks that is unfair.

We will look at the findings and report accordingly,

but I think they didn't come up with really long standing

and sustainable funding, because it can cost, we

Deputy Macon says that a subcommittee that has been set up by

the Chief Minister to look at funding for third level education

needs to set a deadline and publish its terms of reference so that

people can understand what it hopes to achieve.

That was our reporter Julie Flanagan talking to me earlier.

In other news, the father of the murdered Guernsey woman

Sarah Groves says he's spoken to the man accused of

The 23-year-old was stabbed to death in Kashmir in 2013.

Her family fear they may never get justice after 90 court hearings

But her father today revealed he's talked on the phone

to her alleged killer, Dutch national Richard de Wit.

He said the details of their conversation can't be shared,

but described the call as "unsatisfactory".

Jersey's women's football manager - and the rest of his coaching team -

have resigned, saying their positions have

It's a major blow to the team who are hoping to retain

their Island Games gold medal this summer.

For many, Jersey's women's gold was the defining moment

The women's game in the island at its highest -

but now at a real low, as the manager that day,

Simon Petulla, and the rest of his senior coaching team,

have stepped down after a falling out with JFA bosses.

As a management team, we have resigned.

We're not getting the support we think we deserve.

I'm devastated, but it's something we think we have

His decision comes a week after his wife Kerry quit

as JFA vice-president, and follows the controversial

cancellation of the women's Muratti against rivals Guernsey.

He feels the Jersey FA should have tried

This would not have happened if it was in the men's game.

There's only been 20 or so Murattis for women

and you can't lose the Muratti, you have to fight for it.

So, with exactly 100 days to go until the Island Games,

another blow to women's football in the Channel Islands.

And with a friendly against the Navy just two days away, the Jersey FA

will have to act quickly to find a new manager.

They have appointed new local coaches.

The Jersey FA have said they are disappointed

with Simon's decision, and thank him for his enthusiasm and commitment.

But women's football is seemingly in a mess in the islands -

you have to wonder who would want the hassle of taking on the job.

Tim Pryor, BBC Channel Islands News, Jersey.

And Tim Pryor will be your host next Tuesday at midday

on BBC Radio Jersey and BBC Radio Guernsey to debate

the future of women's football in the islands.

In rugby, Jersey Reds James Freeman - who's captained the team

for much of this season - is joining Premiership

Freeman, seen here wearing number six in the black scrum cap,

has signed a two-year deal with Exeter from next season.

Now let's get your weather forecast - here's David.

Good evening. All this week we have been plagued with this seems like

this, the file can be mist. The sunshine trying to get through. Over

the next 24 hours, we will see a bit of a change. Much brighter tomorrow,

some sunshine in the morning, much better visibility. It will cloud

over and ten breezy later with the risk of some patchy rain overnight

and into the start of the weekend. What is happening at the moment is

we have got to change brought about by a cold weather front that is

nudging towards us this evening and do the night to come. It takes its

time but eventually it should collate that want to go through,

much better visibility, a breeze, largely find the tomorrow. The

of an area of high pressure on the of an area of high pressure on the

weekend, all the crap that is running around the top of the area

of high pressure keeps us rather grey and rather cloudy for much of

the weekend ahead. This was much earlier today, the clearance moves

through the south-west of England. It is moving towards us, later on

this evening, we will see the guy is clear. Into the small hours of the

morning, we will see the temperatures glowing then they have

been. Six to seven Celsius. A brisk north-westerly wind. A largely fine

day to enjoy tomorrow with a good deal of sunshine in the morning, a

brisk north or north-westerly wind and quite a cool feel to the ad. 10

Celsius. Some want across parts of Spain and Portugal, here we will see

a change across the next 24 hours or so that cold front sweeps through.

As we head into the weekend, the area of high pressure not quite

close enough. Not a huge amount of wet weather on and Sunday but rather

a lot of cloud on both days. That is all from me. Have a good night.

That's all from BBC Channel Islands News for now.

You can catch up on anything you have mist online.

I'll be back with you again tomorrow evening at half six here on BBC One.

there will be rain around, most occurring overnight.

Good evening, quite a range of whether an offer earlier today in

the north and north-west of the UK quite a lot of showers around,

lively ones, little bit of sunshine in between. The best of the sunshine

to be found at the other end of the country towards the south-east in

Kent, lovely picture here from one of our weather watchers. A range of

temperatures, too. 17 degrees for a few, on the other side of the

weather front, only seven or 8 degrees. Showers in the north and

west. The fresh air will win out over tonight coming in behind the

cold front, which isn't bringing much rain but it will bring some,

clearing away towards the continent, cold air following behind, as do the

showers. Wintry weather over