Browse content similar to 06/07/2011. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines... | :00:07. | :00:13. | |
Calls for Government help to create 10,000 jobs in an area where 10 % | :00:13. | :00:16. | |
of the workforce is unemployed. I am encouraged by the real sense | :00:16. | :00:20. | |
of leadership and ambition. As fire services look to make big | :00:20. | :00:25. | |
cuts, how one brigade has managed it already, they say without | :00:25. | :00:30. | |
putting lives at risk. Can generous Midlanders do it again, | :00:30. | :00:34. | |
after raising millions for Pakistan, a fresh appeal for famine victims | :00:34. | :00:39. | |
in Africa. And found by a man with at a metal | :00:39. | :00:49. | |
:00:49. | :00:53. | ||
detector - after the Staffordshire Good evening. Welcome to | :00:53. | :00:58. | |
Wednesday's Midlands Today from the BBC. Tonight, fighting to bring | :00:58. | :01:02. | |
thousands of jobs to Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, a Government | :01:02. | :01:05. | |
minister was today given the hard sell by business leaders desperate | :01:05. | :01:09. | |
to secure an Enterprise Zone for the area. | :01:09. | :01:13. | |
That could mean 10,000 new jobs as companies are attracted by lower | :01:13. | :01:16. | |
companies are attracted by lower business taxes and simpler rules to | :01:16. | :01:20. | |
stop the competition is fierce, with up to 25 areas in England | :01:20. | :01:23. | |
chasing 10 zones. Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire | :01:23. | :01:27. | |
have already missed out once, so will the Government now deliver a | :01:27. | :01:37. | |
The minister for business, innovation and skills being shown a | :01:37. | :01:41. | |
test-bed in Stafford. Mark Prisk is on a two day visit to the region | :01:42. | :01:46. | |
hearing about priorities for job creation and economic growth. | :01:46. | :01:51. | |
It is really about the ability to kick-start local economies and our | :01:51. | :01:55. | |
ambition to make sure we balance the economy so that we ensure that | :01:55. | :02:02. | |
not just services and the south- east, but the Midlands strength is | :02:03. | :02:08. | |
strengthened. In manufacturing and developing | :02:08. | :02:11. | |
power transmission, there has been investment in the past few years. | :02:11. | :02:16. | |
It is Stafford's biggest private sector employee-owned -- employer, | :02:16. | :02:21. | |
with 2,000 workers and more dependent on the factories and | :02:21. | :02:23. | |
laboratories. A in developing the complex systems | :02:23. | :02:27. | |
here, we require many components and products, and we reached out to | :02:27. | :02:31. | |
the local supply chains in the region and across the country. | :02:31. | :02:40. | |
This is one of the sites the local Enterprise Partnership hope will | :02:40. | :02:43. | |
become an Enterprise Zone. Entrap - - attracting employers back will be | :02:44. | :02:49. | |
the challenge. This is the first time for a generation we have had a | :02:49. | :02:52. | |
united and determined effort to bring certain businesses into these | :02:53. | :02:58. | |
three areas. Beforehand, it has been a mix-and-match, with | :02:58. | :03:02. | |
different councils wanting to do this, that or the other, but this | :03:02. | :03:07. | |
time we are acting together. There have been previous plans to bring | :03:07. | :03:12. | |
new economic life into sites such as this, but some experts are | :03:12. | :03:16. | |
sceptical of the ambitious targets. The Enterprise Zone is to encourage | :03:16. | :03:21. | |
companies to move there. We may get displacement across the southern | :03:21. | :03:30. | |
region. Companies already here just moving, and best is not additional | :03:30. | :03:34. | |
jobs. Transforming the economic landscape will not be easy. The | :03:34. | :03:38. | |
decision on whether it will be granted Enterprise Zone status will | :03:38. | :03:43. | |
be delivered by the end of the year. Emir, I spoke to one of the | :03:43. | :03:47. | |
region's MPs, John Whalley, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent North. She | :03:47. | :03:51. | |
told me what she thought an Enterprise Zone would do for the | :03:51. | :03:55. | |
area. We need jobs, investment for the | :03:55. | :04:00. | |
area, and the tax and business rate incentives that would come from an | :04:00. | :04:04. | |
Enterprise Zone status. Do they really work? Two separate | :04:04. | :04:10. | |
think-tanks have said they are ineffective and expensive. | :04:10. | :04:14. | |
There is no one solution to how to get the investment we needed. There | :04:14. | :04:19. | |
is always a danger there could be displacement from Enterprise zones, | :04:19. | :04:23. | |
but now Enterprise zones are just about that the only show in town in | :04:23. | :04:27. | |
terms of getting extra support for job creation in stunt to -- Stoke- | :04:27. | :04:31. | |
on-Trent, and that is why I and my colleagues across the border are | :04:31. | :04:38. | |
doing all they can to press for the special status for North | :04:38. | :04:44. | |
Staffordshire and for this -- the three sites we have identified. | :04:44. | :04:48. | |
you have any doubts about the areas economic potential? | :04:48. | :04:55. | |
Are we are looking for sustainable development. We are looking to | :04:55. | :04:58. | |
attract been technological industries. We want a whole series | :04:58. | :05:05. | |
of people to come and invest in Stoke-on-Trent. We have a transport | :05:05. | :05:09. | |
infrastructure, a skilled workforce and an Enterprise Department | :05:09. | :05:13. | |
working with all local councils to do everything we possibly can to | :05:13. | :05:17. | |
get Government support for this job creation that is so urgently needed. | :05:17. | :05:22. | |
Do you really have a skilled workforce? 10% are out of work. | :05:22. | :05:26. | |
We have people needing jobs, and we have a dedicated and a loyal | :05:26. | :05:33. | |
workforce. The people of North Staffordshire need this investment. | :05:33. | :05:39. | |
Joanne Whalley, talking to us earlier from Westminster. | :05:39. | :05:43. | |
Still ahead... 30 years of the Lichfield Festival, but what is the | :05:44. | :05:53. | |
:05:54. | :05:56. | ||
Up to 120 library staff could lose their jobs as Warwickshire County | :05:56. | :06:00. | |
Council tries to save millions of pounds. Staff were briefed today on | :06:00. | :06:04. | |
plans to make 50 full-time posts redundant. That is the equivalent | :06:04. | :06:14. | |
of between 80 and 121 jobs. It is hoped the staff can reduce their | :06:14. | :06:21. | |
hours or take voluntary redundancy. A 22-year-old man has been arrested | :06:21. | :06:26. | |
for aggravated trespass at a rock local -- aggravated trespass at an | :06:26. | :06:34. | |
open cast coal mine. Broadcasters have been at the site at UK Coal's | :06:34. | :06:38. | |
mind, and the company has been trying to remove protesters since | :06:38. | :06:48. | |
they set up in March last year. Fire brigades -- a fire service in | :06:48. | :06:54. | |
the region has managed to reduce its expenditure by �1 million in | :06:54. | :06:57. | |
the past year. A Staffordshire Fire and Rescue | :06:57. | :07:04. | |
Service attends on average 46 incidents every day. Fire bosses | :07:04. | :07:08. | |
say the cuts will not compromise community safety and have taken | :07:08. | :07:12. | |
advice from frontline firefighters. It is important to engage the | :07:12. | :07:17. | |
workforce, the people doing the job on a day-to-day basis, in that | :07:17. | :07:23. | |
change process. They see where the inefficiencies are. | :07:23. | :07:27. | |
The severs has a budget of �42 million per year and needs to save | :07:27. | :07:35. | |
�4 million over the next four years. The plan is ahead of Segel. I am | :07:35. | :07:38. | |
quite didn't we are going to make the savings required. | :07:38. | :07:43. | |
-- ahead of schedule. We will minimise the disruption to | :07:43. | :07:48. | |
the workforce, protect community safety and in no way compromised | :07:48. | :07:53. | |
firefighters safety. Area today, the service attended a | :07:53. | :07:57. | |
collapsed building in Stoke-on- Trent. One big cost-cutting | :07:57. | :08:01. | |
exercise is reducing the number of fire engines set out to false | :08:01. | :08:07. | |
alarms. Last year, the service attended more than 5004 farms. They | :08:07. | :08:12. | |
aim to reduce that by 2,000 this year. At a cost of �250 per call- | :08:13. | :08:19. | |
out, that will help to save �500,000 per year. | :08:19. | :08:22. | |
At Sandford community fire station, schoolchildren are being put | :08:22. | :08:28. | |
through a drill. The fire service say the role of the fire officer | :08:28. | :08:32. | |
and is changing, and it is now all about education and prevention. | :08:32. | :08:36. | |
were are all potentially at risk from fire in the home unless we | :08:36. | :08:39. | |
take simple steps. That is the type of education we | :08:39. | :08:43. | |
are delivering to young people, to community groups. | :08:43. | :08:47. | |
The service admits, with savings this large they will have to be job | :08:47. | :08:53. | |
cuts. Staff will also take a pay cut. It has actually been able to | :08:53. | :09:00. | |
increase the number of fire stations, from 30 to 33. | :09:00. | :09:04. | |
The levels of malnutrition among children fleeing Somalia's drought | :09:05. | :09:09. | |
could lead to agreement tragedy of unimaginable proportions. That is | :09:09. | :09:13. | |
according to the United Nations. It is the worst drought in 60 years, | :09:13. | :09:18. | |
and Birmingham aid workers are in Africa now helping with the belief | :09:18. | :09:24. | |
effort. Our correspondent is at the headquarters of Islamic Relief. | :09:24. | :09:29. | |
There is a 40,000 strong community from Somalia here in the Birmingham. | :09:29. | :09:34. | |
We are at one of the warehouses of Islamic Relief. These clothes will | :09:34. | :09:39. | |
be sent to charity shops across the country to raise their vital funds | :09:39. | :09:45. | |
needed to buy food, hygiene equipment, water and so on. I am | :09:45. | :09:52. | |
joined by Jenny Cosgrave from Islamic Relief, and Mohammed Sharif, | :09:52. | :09:56. | |
a Somalian community leader and analyst. Tell us what you are doing | :09:56. | :09:59. | |
to help? And Islamic Relief has been working | :09:59. | :10:04. | |
for many years in the region. We are making sure people have | :10:04. | :10:08. | |
access to clean and safe water. We have been providing 35,000 people | :10:08. | :10:14. | |
with clean water, seven litres per day that you need to survive. We | :10:14. | :10:18. | |
have also been providing food for around 21,000 people, and we have | :10:18. | :10:24. | |
also been making sure that over 1,300 women and young children have | :10:24. | :10:31. | |
access to medical care. Describe what their reaction is | :10:31. | :10:35. | |
within the Somali and community. The Somali people in Birmingham are | :10:35. | :10:43. | |
very sad and desperate about this campaign. It is horrific at the | :10:43. | :10:49. | |
moment, and they are thinking about the issue back home, discussing how | :10:49. | :10:54. | |
they can help. All of the Somalis coming into Birmingham are really | :10:54. | :10:57. | |
talking about the issue of the drought in Africa. | :10:57. | :11:03. | |
It is a huge talking-point. Islamic Relief have said an initial target | :11:03. | :11:07. | |
of �5 million, but of course the Pakistani and -- the Pakistan | :11:07. | :11:12. | |
appeal last year raised 30 million, so they are hoping to exceed | :11:12. | :11:15. | |
expectations. A rare collection of Roman coins | :11:15. | :11:19. | |
dating back well before the time of Christ is to go on show to the | :11:19. | :11:24. | |
public. They were found by a man using a metal detector. It is the | :11:24. | :11:31. | |
earliest Roman hoard ever found in the region. | :11:31. | :11:34. | |
Edge Hill in south Warwickshire, famous for one of the biggest | :11:34. | :11:38. | |
battles of the English Civil War, and now for the largest discovery | :11:38. | :11:44. | |
of Roman coins in the region. I have spoken to the person who found | :11:44. | :11:50. | |
them, who has asked to remain anonymous. He told BT was on the | :11:50. | :11:55. | |
way home, went the metal detector at me denies. -- he told me he was | :11:55. | :11:58. | |
on the way home. He said although he was grateful for the treasure, | :11:58. | :12:02. | |
this is about reminded us of the history of Warwickshire. Buried in | :12:02. | :12:08. | |
a pot for almost 2,000 years, some 1146 silver coins were uncovered. | :12:08. | :12:14. | |
Some of them were made almost 200 years before the birth of Christ. | :12:14. | :12:19. | |
After being verified and catalogued, they are about to be put on display | :12:19. | :12:24. | |
at the Warwickshire Museum. They told us it is the largest | :12:24. | :12:28. | |
hoard of early Roman coins in the West Midlands, and probably the | :12:28. | :12:32. | |
second largest in the country, so pretty significant for Warwickshire. | :12:32. | :12:35. | |
The detail is incredible, showing a range of Roman emperors, including | :12:35. | :12:42. | |
Julius Caesar and Emperor neo-. They are also revealing of the | :12:42. | :12:47. | |
obsession with animals and gods. One of my favourites is this coin, | :12:47. | :12:56. | |
dated around AD 45. The inscription on it means, we | :12:56. | :13:02. | |
came, we saw and be conquered. Although the Romans were none to | :13:02. | :13:07. | |
have some settlements in the county, and the discovery of this Roman | :13:08. | :13:11. | |
hoard has prompted more questions than answers. | :13:11. | :13:16. | |
It was a big saving, that is the intriguing thing, he put these | :13:16. | :13:20. | |
altogether and needed to bury them in the ground? Why did they not | :13:20. | :13:24. | |
come back? This weekend, the public will be given the first opportunity | :13:24. | :13:28. | |
to ponder the mystery of the coin treasurer and why it was buried in | :13:28. | :13:38. | |
:13:38. | :13:45. | ||
A fascinating mystery! There's much more on our Facebook page. | :13:45. | :13:48. | |
Back in 1982, the relatively unknown acting trio of Stephen Fry, | :13:48. | :13:52. | |
Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson performed at a new arts event in | :13:52. | :13:57. | |
Staffordshire. Fast-forward to 2011 and the Lichfield Festival now | :13:57. | :14:01. | |
enjoys international acclaim. As it celebrates its 30th birthday, what | :14:01. | :14:05. | |
does the Festival mean to the cathedral city? Our correspondent | :14:05. | :14:13. | |
has spent the date there. It has been a day of frantic | :14:13. | :14:17. | |
preparations. It is the 30th Lichfield Festival. Things may be a | :14:17. | :14:21. | |
little quiet here now but it all begins in earnest tomorrow evening | :14:21. | :14:26. | |
with more than 500 artists due to perform here, it is promising to be | :14:26. | :14:31. | |
quite an event. 30 live size pigs, decorated by | :14:31. | :14:35. | |
schools and community groups to represent 30 years of the Lichfield | :14:35. | :14:40. | |
Festival. They have had two months to paint them and now they will be | :14:40. | :14:45. | |
around the city in different venues. There are 30 because it is the 30th | :14:45. | :14:49. | |
anniversary. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra will play | :14:49. | :14:53. | |
tomorrow night and an opera singer will perform in the cathedral. | :14:53. | :14:56. | |
Across the city, more than 80 events will be taking place with | :14:56. | :15:02. | |
more than 500 artists appearing at theatres, hotels and in the streets. | :15:02. | :15:06. | |
The Staffordshire born poet Laureate to Carol Ann Duffy who is | :15:06. | :15:12. | |
appearing at the festival has written a special poem. Last year, | :15:12. | :15:16. | |
10,500 tickets were sold with more than 30,000 tickets attending. The | :15:16. | :15:23. | |
economic impact of the event is estimated to be around �1 million. | :15:23. | :15:27. | |
It is certainly something which dry spot for into the city centre to | :15:27. | :15:32. | |
the businesses, cafes, shops, hotels. It is certainly something | :15:32. | :15:38. | |
that is welcome for City traders in these tough times. It is one of the | :15:38. | :15:42. | |
busiest times. We have other festivals as well, but this does | :15:42. | :15:47. | |
generate a lot of income. It can only be good in this day and age. | :15:47. | :15:55. | |
Now, they see them here, they seek them there. If you see the festival | :15:55. | :15:59. | |
paid as he hides at various locations, you will be given two | :15:59. | :16:06. | |
tickets to the festival -- the festival paid for. I am joined by | :16:06. | :16:10. | |
the festival director now. It is the 30th anniversary, is it going | :16:10. | :16:15. | |
to be better? It is certainly going to be big. We have got a whole | :16:15. | :16:19. | |
range of things, orchestras, international musicians from all | :16:19. | :16:23. | |
around the world to celebrate with us in Lichfield. We have got | :16:23. | :16:32. | |
special guests, Michael Moore play ago. We have put many of his books | :16:32. | :16:37. | |
across the city for people to pick up and take 10. Carol Ann Duffy has | :16:37. | :16:45. | |
written a special poem. The film producer Lord Puttnam is coming and | :16:46. | :16:50. | |
also we have an array of world musicians, dancers, comedians and | :16:50. | :16:55. | |
authors. They are all coming here to celebrate. We also have free | :16:55. | :16:59. | |
events of people in the local community. There will be a market | :16:59. | :17:05. | |
this Saturday. Fireworks. And on the 17th, we will meet for a | :17:05. | :17:08. | |
special festival birthday party. People can come and join us for a | :17:09. | :17:14. | |
piece of cake and help us celebrate our birthday in style. They are | :17:14. | :17:17. | |
very important role the festival has for the City? It has an | :17:17. | :17:21. | |
important cultural role. And it was founded to bring high quality art | :17:21. | :17:27. | |
here. We also foster the skills of our children and local community. | :17:27. | :17:34. | |
Plenty of tickets left if you fancy coming along. | :17:34. | :17:41. | |
Still ahead, an ancient art from Pakistan. How taxi drivers here are | :17:41. | :17:45. | |
ditching their cabs and jumping on horseback to recreate the sport. | :17:45. | :17:48. | |
And reports of hail and thunder storms debate. Is there more to | :17:48. | :17:58. | |
:17:58. | :18:01. | ||
come? -- thunderstorms to date. There is a big Olympic at the me in | :18:01. | :18:03. | |
sport are tonight. First of all, the opening instalment of what | :18:03. | :18:09. | |
could be another football transfers are good. It will get resolved | :18:09. | :18:14. | |
sooner or later. Aston Villa have turned down a �15 million bid from | :18:14. | :18:19. | |
Liverpool for their England players Stuart Downing. He was the player | :18:19. | :18:22. | |
of the year last season for Villa. He scored eight goals. He has got | :18:22. | :18:27. | |
two years left on his contract. It is believed that Villa would want | :18:27. | :18:32. | |
at least �19 million if they were to sell him. The London 2012 | :18:32. | :18:36. | |
Olympic torch relay will be will be a celebration lasting 70 days. It | :18:36. | :18:40. | |
will start next May and 8000 people will get the chance to take part. | :18:40. | :18:48. | |
Their job is to carry the torch, being made in commentary. | :18:48. | :18:52. | |
-- in Coventry. For the first time in their lives, these bill bumph | :18:52. | :18:55. | |
from Edgewick Primary School -- these children from Edgewick | :18:55. | :19:03. | |
Primary School. The London 2012 torch will go on show in Coventry. | :19:03. | :19:09. | |
8000 more torches will be made, one for each torch-bearer in the relay. | :19:09. | :19:16. | |
I like it. It is a shiny fast up I like that it has got 8000 bits on | :19:16. | :19:21. | |
it. Someone else excited to see the taught his Phil Bouser with his son | :19:22. | :19:27. | |
Harry. He was a torch-bearer during the 2004 Athens Games and has the | :19:27. | :19:32. | |
souvenir to prove it. You never think you are going to be a torch- | :19:32. | :19:37. | |
bearer. It was probably the slowest 400 metres I have ever run. You | :19:37. | :19:41. | |
want to savour the moment. I think the Olympic torch symbolises so | :19:41. | :19:45. | |
much because the flame is the Olympic Games, probably more | :19:46. | :19:54. | |
powerful than the rings and other images, it is the flame that comes | :19:54. | :19:57. | |
from grease and line is the Olympic golden. Anyone can be nominated to | :19:57. | :20:01. | |
be part of the relay and one way of doing it is to climb into the back | :20:01. | :20:08. | |
of this Coventry made London taxi. That is what these people have done. | :20:08. | :20:15. | |
It looks good. Also there today, a man from the Coventry company which | :20:15. | :20:19. | |
has won the contract to make the thousands of tortures. There has | :20:19. | :20:23. | |
been so much bad publicity over the past 10 years with companies | :20:23. | :20:28. | |
closing, unemployment. People have said that Coventry has lost its | :20:28. | :20:32. | |
skills but they are still here. deadline for internet nomination | :20:32. | :20:38. | |
has now ended but there is another chance to nominate when the torch | :20:38. | :20:43. | |
for a Rolls into Cheltenham and Birmingham in August. | :20:43. | :20:47. | |
Eight athletes have returned home to the Midlands with medals from | :20:47. | :20:51. | |
the Special Olympics in Greece. The competition was hot, in more ways | :20:51. | :20:55. | |
than one. The British team were struck down by a nasty virus but | :20:55. | :21:05. | |
:21:05. | :21:10. | ||
that did not stop them from being Athens Greece, 2011 Special | :21:10. | :21:18. | |
Olympics. The fireworks may have died, but listen carefully, it is | :21:18. | :21:23. | |
the jingle jangle of medal on medal. It is music to the ears of Richard | :21:24. | :21:27. | |
Murphy and Jamie Dancyger. Back home in Bromsgrove, they have just | :21:27. | :21:31. | |
come back from Athens, to share a host of memories and a clutch of | :21:31. | :21:36. | |
medals to celebrate their athletics success at the Special Olympics. | :21:36. | :21:40. | |
Did it live up to expectations? we were going to make history, have | :21:40. | :21:44. | |
the experience of our lives. Everyone's dream is to become a | :21:44. | :21:48. | |
world champion, to become the best of the best. We beat the best of | :21:48. | :21:53. | |
the best. We gave everything we ever had. He won ever forget it? | :21:53. | :22:03. | |
:22:03. | :22:03. | ||
No Wave. I was almost crying. A great feeling. I cannot believe I | :22:03. | :22:08. | |
have done it. We met Richard and Jamie three weeks ago as they | :22:08. | :22:11. | |
prepare to join 7000 athletes with learning difficulties that the | :22:11. | :22:16. | |
Special Olympics. When they arrive, it was flaming hot and many of the | :22:16. | :22:22. | |
British team went down with a nasty virus. But nothing could one could | :22:22. | :22:28. | |
prevent Phil Bouser and Jamie Dancyger from winning medals. | :22:28. | :22:34. | |
proud moments. You are used to doing it locally, that is fine. But | :22:34. | :22:38. | |
doing it at a World Games, it is massive. A I am so proud. I was | :22:38. | :22:43. | |
hoping to get a medal and I did. I was so excited just to be there. A | :22:43. | :22:46. | |
great honour. They will never forget their Special Olympics | :22:46. | :22:50. | |
experience but tomorrow they are back to earth with a bump because | :22:50. | :22:56. | |
Thursday night is training night at the Rylands Centre in Bromsgrove. | :22:56. | :23:00. | |
Great to meet them. And Richard and Jamie were not the only medal | :23:00. | :23:04. | |
winners. There were gold medals for gymnasts Richard Hammond and Sarah | :23:04. | :23:08. | |
Whitehouse, Jane Hinett in the tennis and Briony Johnson in the | :23:08. | :23:11. | |
badminton. There was a silver for Gwillam Jones in the table tennis | :23:11. | :23:14. | |
and bronze for Darren Roberts in the badminton. | :23:14. | :23:19. | |
Well done to all of them. The latest call from Edgbaston in | :23:19. | :23:23. | |
the Twenty-20. Derbyshire made 162 for 5 in their 20 overs against | :23:23. | :23:31. | |
Warwickshire. A sport of a very different kind. | :23:31. | :23:35. | |
It is called tent-pegging and it dates back hundreds of years. It | :23:35. | :23:37. | |
originates from Pakistan and a group from Birmingham have decided | :23:37. | :23:44. | |
to try to keep the sport alive. It involves swapping taxis or courses. | :23:44. | :23:49. | |
Take a small group of cab drivers, give them some well-groomed horses, | :23:49. | :23:53. | |
add in some very sharp lances and you have got a piece of Pakistani | :23:53. | :23:56. | |
heritage being played out in a small corner of the Midlands. | :23:56. | :24:00. | |
This is the sport of tent-pegging, it dates back hundreds of years, | :24:00. | :24:08. | |
originating from h in military tactics. They used to come out at | :24:08. | :24:18. | |
:24:18. | :24:18. | ||
night and they used to run, take the 10th, -- take the tent. The end | :24:18. | :24:23. | |
of the game is spot each rider to try and lance a wooden tent peg out | :24:23. | :24:27. | |
of the ground. Points are awarded for piercing, picking it up and | :24:27. | :24:33. | |
carrying a to wait. The pegs are made out of date wood and are from | :24:33. | :24:38. | |
Pakistan and a specially treated so that it will stick like glue to the | :24:38. | :24:42. | |
lance. The men on horseback make up Prince Malik's Lancers. They have | :24:42. | :24:45. | |
got almost 100 years' experience between them. They say that anyone | :24:45. | :24:51. | |
can take part. People who ride horses, showjumping, cross-country, | :24:51. | :25:00. | |
dressage, they look very difficult, you have to put the practice in. | :25:00. | :25:05. | |
This tent-pegging, we have taught lads within four or five weeks. | :25:05. | :25:12. | |
Each year, they compete at events from across the globe -- ad that | :25:12. | :25:16. | |
events a round the country. We have to remind ourselves of where it | :25:16. | :25:23. | |
came from. These people are from Birmingham and Pakistan. They are a | :25:23. | :25:26. | |
fantastic example of how we can work together to present it. | :25:26. | :25:30. | |
Today's practice was cut short by the British weather. There was | :25:30. | :25:34. | |
still time for the next generation of the Prince Malik's Lancers to | :25:34. | :25:42. | |
give the ancient sport a go. Very impressive indeed. Now the | :25:42. | :25:52. | |
:25:52. | :25:55. | ||
The cricket is on at Edgbaston. They may be caught out by the rain. | :25:55. | :25:59. | |
But I think they could be lucky as the match will be ending in half- | :25:59. | :26:03. | |
an-hour. There have been lively showers across the region. There | :26:03. | :26:07. | |
have been more in the north where there has been hail and thunder | :26:07. | :26:11. | |
storms. There have also been thunderstorms in Birmingham itself. | :26:12. | :26:17. | |
There is more rain overnight. The next wave of rain after yesterday's. | :26:17. | :26:25. | |
It will be more active and there will be stronger winds with it. The | :26:25. | :26:30. | |
rain is in the West, heading our way, moving eastwards. Some of it | :26:30. | :26:34. | |
could be quite heavy. It is breaking up as it moves eastwards. | :26:34. | :26:38. | |
The north of the region, Staffordshire, will bear the brunt | :26:38. | :26:42. | |
of the heaviest outbreaks. As it tears later on, there will be more | :26:42. | :26:48. | |
showers. It will turn windier, gusts of 40 p to 50 mph. There will | :26:48. | :26:58. | |
be a lot of cloud. A temperatures holding up. There could be 10 to 15 | :26:58. | :27:02. | |
mm of rain. Tomorrow is a day of sunshine and showers once again. | :27:02. | :27:07. | |
There could be longer spells of rain. They could again be hail or | :27:07. | :27:13. | |
thunder. It is mild in the sunshine, temperatures up to 19 degrees. | :27:13. | :27:16. | |
Colder in the showers with the winds picking up. | :27:16. | :27:21. | |
Let us have a look at the headlines. The Prime Minister promises a | :27:21. | :27:23. | |
public inquiry into the phone hacking scandal now engulfing the | :27:24. | :27:27. |