25/10/2011 Midlands Today

Hello and welcome to Midlands Today with Suzanne Virdee and Nick Owen.

The headlines tonight: An exclusive interview with the

Prince Charles he talks about his hopes for the future of Stoke on

Trent's pottery industry and regeneration. This part of the

world, Stoke-on-Trent, and the Potteries, has such a remarkable

place in this country's history. Travellers a step closer to being

told to leave the greenbelt site where they've been living illegally.

Calls for an English Defence League protest to be moved away from

Birmingham City Centre amid fears over violence.

And Wolves manager Mick McCarthy slams the fans who called for him

to be sacked after a string of defeats. It is cut -- destructive

and no good to me or anybody else. What I know is I will keep picking

Good evening. Welcome to Tuesday's Midlands Today from the BBC.

Tonight, a message of hope from the Prince of Wales as he visits the

Stoke-on-Trent pottery firm his charity salvaged from closure. --

the travellers appealed but after a public inquiry earlier this year,

an inspector backed the cancer's original decision of the government

says the inspector was right to say no to the plans.

Celebrating the news they'd been longing to hear. This morning,

campaigners in Meriden were told that the Secretary of State for

Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, had backed Solihull

Council's decision to refuse planning permission on this patch

of greenbelt land for eight pitches to site eight mobile homes and

eight touring caravans. It was on April 30th last year that the

travellers, who own the greenbelt land, moved onto the site and began

developing it. We are relieved the Secretary of State agrees with

local residents and the council this is an unlawful unsustainable

development causing day leak harm to the green belt. Although they've

spoken to Midlands Today a number of times before, today they refused

to comment on the ruling. Next week will mark a year-and-a-half since

residents set up a 24 hour vigil against the development. They say

they will stay here until all the travellers have gone. The big

question now is just how many days that will take. The ruling doesn't

mean the Council can now evict the travellers. That will be a decision

for the High Court. And with the scenes at Dale Farm in Essex fresh

in many people's memories, Solihull Council are determined to make sure

everything is done to keep this situation peaceful. The situation

is very different from Dale Farm and we have continued dialogue with

the travelling community here and there is nothing like the scale of

Dale Farm. The circumstances are different. We don't anticipate

those sorts of problems and will be taking every step we can to make

sure it doesn't happen. The corks are in the champagne bottles and

will not be out until this site has been restored to green belt.

that could still be weeks if not months before it happens.

There are calls tonight for a protest by the English Defence

League in Birmingham's Victoria Square on Saturday to be moved to a

less high profile venue. Anti- fascist groups are planning a

counter-demonstration, raising fears of a repeat of the violence

during a similar protest two years ago. Our reporter Jackie Kabler is

in Victoria Square now. Jackie, is this protest still likely to go

ahead? Yes. The police told me the Sutton

and they have no plans to Madrid from Victoria Square and, of course,

it is going to be a static demonstration. They have no sort of

powers to ban that sort of demonstration. You can see Victoria

Square is occupied by these anti- corporate greed protesters and

there is going to be an anti- fascist group demonstrating as well

so there are concerns we might see some sort of trouble like we saw in

August in Telford went EDL groups and anti-fascist groups clashed

during a similar demonstration. You're still very concerned they

should move it, aren't you? I wrote to the Chief Constable and the

chairman of the city council. To have the fascist groups protesting

here in Victoria Square, the prominent Victoria Square it would

be difficult for the police to handle in light of the lack of

resources. And few resources they have. I am concerned the USAF group,

counter demonstrating, and the light of what happened last time

and the police found it difficult to keep on top of it, I will be

break-ins and they can keep it together. There will be a lot of

pressure on the police with two football matches. West Midlands

Police do is say that they will have officers deployed throughout

Birmingham to provide visible reassurance and any criminal

offences will be dealt with robustly. That is a reassuring

message from the police but it seems that protest will be going

ahead. A march to highlight the plight of

the young and unemployed arrived in Rugby today. It's tracing the same

route as the historic Jarrow March from the North East of England to

London, which took place 75 years ago It comes at a time when 234,000

people in the region are out of work. That's 8.9% of the working

population. 54,000 young people are currently claiming Job Seekers'

Allowance in the West Midlands. Andy Newman reports.

Times may have changed. Their cause has not. The latter-day Jared

jobseeker's arrived on the outskirts of rugby this afternoon,

three-quarters of a century after their four fathers followed the

same route. The original march has become an icon of the fight for

jobs in the 1930s. Today's activists may have been fewer in

number but nonetheless determined to have their voices heard. What's

your impression as you come through the Midlands of the unemployment

situation? It is as bad as it is everywhere and it is a national

question which is why we are getting the support we are. In the

Midlands it is similar as across the country with a traditional

industry being decimated. As the modern-day marchers pass through

Warwickshire, we thought we would take the economic temperature of

rugby. The unemployment rate is just over 7%, lower than the

regional and national average. The town still has more vacant shops

than it would like that stop general consensus is that the town

is doing very well. The town centre, we feel, is the area we need to

concentrate on most, and the general theme of the town has

scenes -- lacks some confident. shortage of confidence at autumn

but of installations at rugby. They make noise dampening parts for cars

and they have doubled their turnover in the last few years,

winning a �1.3 million contract with Jaguar Land Rover and

expanding their work force. From our point of view, we are busy.

Some of our neighbours are working 24 hours and we are on two shifts.

So, very good. There may be some hope for the young unemployed for

rugby. As for the marchers, then next stop is Daventry and they are

due to arrive in London on Guy Fawkes night.

Was Shakespeare a fraud? That's the controversial claim of a new

Hollywood film which portrays the Bard as an illiterate oaf who was

the front man for the Earl of Oxford. The accusation has angered

Shakespeare enthusiasts so much that they covered up a statue of

him today to let the world try and imagine what life would be like

without the world's most famous playwright. Here's our Coventry and

Warwickshire reporter Joan Cummins. It's taken four years to come to

screen and presents Warwickshire born William Shakespeare not as the

worlds greatest playwright, but a front man for the Earl of Oxford's

writing ambitions. Congratulations, you have at an epic poem published

today. In a book? I am drawn to these kinds of things went there is

something there when people could argue about. I think it is the

function that movies should have, much more than they have now.

street signs with Shakespeare's name on were covered and at first

light the iconic statue of the Bard in Stratford found itself shrouded

from the gaze of the public in protest at the impudence of

Hollywood suggesting intellectual theft. The whole thing is total

bunkum. It is just rubbish. Of course, film-makers have the right

just as novelist to twist history, just as Shakespeare did, but

anybody who is taken in by this must be bonkers. Almost five

million tourists visit Stratford every year generating �300 million

for the local economy, so is there a fear that questioning

Shakespeare's skills could reduce the town's income? Shakespeare is

Stratford and Shakespeare is such a wonderful person, and I cannot...

Cannot understand or cannot believe that anyone could doubt that he

wrote the plays. Look how many people are here. He is not a fraud.

They will be questioning Father Christmas next, won't they? It is

nonsense. Perhaps the test of Shakespeare's legacy though is that

even hidden under a sheet he was still attracting interest from

visitors. Bizarre, isn't it? Still to come in tonight's

programme. Shefali with all the weather details.

You could say we got off lightly with the rain last night after the

hammering Wales got. But next time we may not be so lucky. There's

more to come this week. Tonight, a message of hope from the Prince of

Wales as he visits the Stoke-on- Trent pottery firm his charity

salvaged from closure. The Prince's Trust rescued the Burleigh Ware

factory in the summer saving 50 jobs as part of a major restoration

and regeneration project. It's now hoped that the factory in

Middleport will become a catalyst for much needed economic growth and

job creation in the Potteries. During the visit, he spoke

exclusively to our Staffordshire reporter Liz Copper and said he

hoped it would help rebuild hope and self-confidence in an area

blighted by job losses. Arriving for this, his first visit

to medal port. As the gates opened by Prince Charles was greeted by

the Potters whose jobs he has helped to secure. He has taken a

very personal and direct interest in this factory's future. Speaking

to the BBC, he explained why he had chosen to support this private.

is a very special and unique survival here. And still incredibly

popular around the world. But I also wanted to see if we could use

this remarkable place as a means of helping to gradually regenerate

other parts of England and perhaps to spread brings further out.

unemployment is a big problem in the Potteries and in the West

Midlands as a whole more generally. How can heritage projects and

regeneration projects like this one help address that problem? At a

time like this when it is so difficult anyway, you cannot do

everything, but we can to try to make some difference here and there.

Add half the battle is to try to bring an investment from elsewhere,

and we have managed, for instance, here, to bring in private

investment. Earlier, the Prince had been shown the traditional

techniques used here, unchanged since the Victorian era. He also

had a chance to see the factory's collection of pottery moulds.

17,000 data facts, it is one of your's oldest and largest

collections. This pottery has been described by English Heritage as a

national treasure. Its workers have welcomed the Prince's support.

think it is fabulous. It is putting the heart back into the company

which is what we need. A lot of factories have closed in this area.

And I think with the Prince's Trust coming in and saving the building,

I really do think it will keep it going. We need to retrain the

younger generation, to pick up the scale, because it is one of the

last places doing this old skill. As well as preserving skills, this

product will also see the renovation of these historic

buildings. There are plans for an education centres so visitors can

see and learn for themselves about the inner workings of this unique

factory. It is hoped that will provide a spoke for new employment

opportunities. This is the street right opposite the factory.

Families living here hope the investment by the Prince's

regeneration trust will have wider benefits. He has come out and said

he will do this and that, and nobody else has, so good on him.

During his visit, the Prince spoke to every member of staff at the

factory and it is hoped this will mark the start of a long

association between the Prince and Joining us from Stoke-on-Trent is

the former mayor, Mark Meredith, now the councillor responsible for

the city's economic regeneration. Thank you for joining us. You heard

Prince Charles talking about what he will do to help regenerate towns

and cities. What are you doing in Stoke-on-Trent? You are breaking up

a little bit, but we are pleased to see the Prince here today. He has

spoken to every worker in the factory, and everybody associated,

including all the partners in the private sector. Do you see a

brighter future in the potteries as a whole, because it is a bit dismal

or around at the moment, isn't it? Yes, we are all quite optimistic.

At the moment, there is the British ceramics biennial taking place in

the potteries which is a six week- long festival of the ceramics

industry, not just of British manufacturing, which is in a

revival state at the moment, but also of new businesses that are

coming in and new young artists that are basing themselves in

Stoke-on-Trent, that are coming out of the universities and design

studios. Indeed, we have also been talking to Chinese potential

investors, and also to local pot banks that are bringing back some

of their production from places like China to produce again in the

world capital of ceramics, this great city of Stoke-on-Trent. We

are all very optimistic. Bentley for joining us this evening.

-- thank you. A pool on an industrial estate could hold the

key to the long-term survival of the increasingly rare British

crayfish. It has been almost completely wiped out in some areas

by its larger American cousin. The British version is thriving so much

in Warwickshire that it has become to's largest surviving population.

Our Environment Correspondent has been finding out more in the latest

You might imagine that when people move into an area the wildlife

moves out, but that is not always the case. Here in the Midlands,

some of Britain's rarest wildlife is to be found in some of our most

Hello. Nice to see you. I'm looking for crayfish? Yes, indeed. Around

about here? Yes, they are in the shallows of relief. We are looking

for the extremely rare native British crayfish... Oh, wait.

There's one! It turns out that in this very special Paul, they are

not so rare. That was quicker than I expected. How many are in there?

We think something like 100,000, so a massive population. But these are

really rare. These are the native crayfish. Yes, for most of the UK

they are not around, but we have got some sites which are really

special for them, and this is one of them. This is one of four main

populations in the UK. Strangely, it is surrounded by all this

urbanisation and really in an area you would not expect to find them.

But it is that urbanisation that has sealed off this pool in

Nuneaton, which also meets these crayfish are sealed off from the

invasive American signal crayfish. But how can you tell the native

crayfish from the invaders? A key distinctive feature, as well as the

coloration and size, is this ridge along here. If you just run your

finger back on that one. Big claws! It catches, little tiny spikes.

and it just catches. That is distinctive. So, as the native

crayfish struggles, this population could well help save it. At least

in a similar locations. What we are planning is to look at similar

balls elsewhere that up isolated urbanised pools, where we can move

a population from here. Again, it is a safety population, if you like.

It is like creating an ark for these animals. Well, that was

really incredible. I guess the most incredible thing is it is

urbanisation that has saved that population, Britain's largest

population of native crayfish. It is this housing estates, the

industrial estate. Without these, the American signal crayfish would

have invaded and probably killed them all off.

David joins us in the studio. He said 100,000, how does he know

that? Obviously they cannot count them all. They catch a batch, mark

them, and release them again. There may go back a bit later and catch a

second batch and see how many are caught the second time that have

the mark. That over that, with some clever mathematics, there's your

estimate. He did say between 50,100 1000. That is enough to know, for

example, that you can take some out and restock another pond. I had a

crayfish salad for lunch so I am feeling guilty. Are these the same

variety that you would get in the supermarket? You can eat them, but

there are rules. You can't do the native one because that is a rare

and we want to protect that. But the invaders, if you have a licence,

you can catch them and trap them. But you need a licence from the

Environment Agency. You need to know what you are doing because you

could inadvertently spread the disease by moving tracks between

different rivers. If you go to my blog you can find out more about my

-- about the licence that you need. Onto football, and Mick McCarthy

came out fighting today. First, the Wolves boss slammed the fans who

called for him to be sacked at Molineux on Saturday as "mindless

idiots". Then he thanked everyone else for their unbelievable support

over the past couple of days. As Wolves prepare to face Manchester

City twice this week, McCarthy has been talking to Ian Winter.

Mick McCarthy was fuming on Saturday, but now he has calmed

down. All my toys are back in the pram and I am all right. But

sometimes I have a bad day, and Saturday was one of those. I am

fine. But if he is no longer at boiling point, he is still

simmering on a low heat it is those Wolves supporters who sang, you're

getting sacked in the morning and you don't know what you are doing,

when he made his double substitution.

Do you feel that it can create a siege mentality among Store

Players? Yes, this chanting does not help. These mindless idiots who

do it, do not give them any credit for getting us playing well or

getting a result, because they don't deserve any of that. Exactly

12 months ago this week, Wahlstedt Manchester United to the wire in

the Carling Cup before losing 3-2, and four days later, they shocked

everyone by beating Manchester City in the Premier League. But the

bookies don't believe lightning will strike twice. They are quoting

odds of 130-1 against was completing a Cup league double

against City in back-to-back games this week. I hope it will be that

way so they can have a whingeing get shot of their manager. They are

not getting shot of the chairman of the players, so let's give it to

the gaffer. We are having a tough time. Give the lads some support,

don't give us aggravation. As the new stadium takes place at Molineux,

Mick McCarthy says he has done a great job over the past five years.

He talked of solidarity at the club and the unbelievable support he has

had this week from players and fans alike. Few could doubt his passion

for keeping balls in the Premier League.

-- Wolves. You can hear the full interview with Mick McCarthy on BBC

WM at 8pm tonight. Plus, full coverage of all

tonight's Football League games on your BBC local radio station.

And, while we're talking sport, there are only six days left now to

send in your nominations for this year's BBC Midlands Sports Unsung

Hero Award. For the details, go to our website or the Midlands Today

They were part of the so called forgotten army - thousands of young

men sent from the Black Country to fight the Japanese in the Burmese

jungle during the Second World War. Now their ordeal has been made the

subject of a feature-length documentary in which some of the

veterans talk about their ordeal for the first time. The film,

called For Your Tomorrow, has been six years in the making. Bob

Hockenhull reports. The untold story of the Black

Country's Burma war veterans, uncovered after 70 years by

Wolverhampton film-maker Don Clark. They were nicknamed the forgotten

army, rarely ignored by a public at home, both during and since the war.

It's estimated 17,000 Allied soldiers died. Less than 1% of

survivors from the Black Country are still alive. Don recorded 80

hours of interviews for his documentary, For Your Tomorrow. It

received its world premiere last night. George Hill and Charlie

Maber, both in their eighties, are featured. To be quite honest, I

feel ashamed of myself. I get emotional. God knows why. Charlie

was just 17 when he joined up. He flew sorties over the jungle -

back-up for the advancing troops, among them his friend, George.

I wake up some might and it is as clear as a bell. I can see their

faces, I can hear them. Other than that, I'm not doing so bad, really.

I was one of the lucky ones to come back. Arms, ammunition, food...

Wolves president Sir Jack Haywood is one of the veterans featured.

The film shows young descendants of the forgotten fighters finding out

about their brave past. These anonymous black countrymen

that we walk by in the street every day of the week had some incredible

memories that they can share with us, and I am very glad that I have

recorded these stories. Lottery did these men have to contend with

fighting the Japanese, they had to make do dense jungle, put up with

tropical diseases, and encountered deadly species like snakes and

scorpions. The documentary will be taken to film festivals around the

world, and it will be released on DVD this Remembrance Day. A fitting

tribute to the bravery of these veterans.

The brave men we will never forget. We will be alternating between two

lots of whether this week. Sunny and dry, and also cloudy and wet.

Those wins are toned down for the time being, but could whip up again

by the weekend. Today has been pretty decent. A few showers, not

many, but for those of those -- you who need them, we have more

migrating up from the south, moving north through the first part of the

night. Then you can see they move off to the north leaving all parts

dry and quite clear. Because we have got colder air coming into the

region, temperatures will fall to a minimum of six Celsius in towns and

cities. A chilly start to the Data error, but when you have clear

skies during the night, it lends itself to a sun-kissed morning.

Plenty of sunshine around first thing. Then slowly we start to see

more cloud and some showers developing through the afternoon.

More widespread than today. Most of them will be light. Temperatures at

Murrough in the north of the region any reaching highs of 12 Celsius.

Elsewhere, 13 and 14, so a touch colder than today. The winds are

slightly lighter. Through tomorrow evening, no sooner have those

showers cleared off to the north, we see the next system arriving.

More cloud from that, and we will start to see some light, patchy

rain developing as well. Heavier on Thursday. Then it starts to drive

up for Friday, but the legacy of that rain will be more cloud on

Friday, although it will become sunnier but breezier on Saturday.

A look at tonight's main headlines: David Cameron insists there is no

bad blood after the EU rebellion by his MPs.

And, here Prince Charles has visited the potteries and said he'd

do all he could to help regenerate deprived towns and cities.

Earlier in the programme we talked about the English Defence League