05/03/2012 Midlands Today

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

The headlines tonight: Thousands of school leavers look to the army as

a way to escape sky high youth unemployment. I would definitely

consider a career in the Army, because I like to be in charge.

gives you a better chance to show what you can do for your country,

and how patriotic you are. As the agony goes on for Port Vale, fans

launch a fighting fund to save their stricken club. We are working

day and night to make sure there is a future for Port Vale. Criticism

of plans for police work to be handed over to private security

companies. These are not benevolent organisations, they are not doing

it for the public good. They are doing it to make a profit for their

board and shareholders. And is the game of darts in decline, as pub

chains call time on a game enjoyed Good evening and welcome to the

start of the week here on Midlands Today. Our main story this evening:

Thousands of youngsters look to escape the unemployment queues by

joining the armed services. The biggest recruiting event in the

region is taking place at a military base in Stafford. There

are 18,000 16 and 17 year olds looking for work in the West

Midlands, and this week 5,000 school leavers will be attending

the military jobs fair. The MoD says it's offering around 1000 jobs

to the region's youngsters. But with the armed forces shrinking, is

a military career a good choice for young people? Ben Godfrey reports.

Could these teenagers become the next generation of frontline

soldiers? At MoD Stafford this week, these pupils are being shown one

way to avoid the dole queue, by signing up to the Army. Our deadly

consider a career in the Army, I like being in charge. I would like

to be a commander training of recruits. I don't want to be a a

rightful person, I want to be a mechanic. Not many people want to

join the Army. In the West Midlands, a thousand paid jobs are on offer -

from infantry, to engineers and chefs. Amid record youth

unemployment, they're looking to school-leavers. You could argue

that the toughest job in the Army's recruiting the next generation of

soldiers. The Army wants -- the government wants the army to cut

7,000 post. -- posts. With troops still in Afghanistan and the

casualty toll rising, the Government says it wants a leaner,

more effective army. In the West Midlands, that means planning years

ahead. It is true that the army is downsizing, but in the West

Midlands alone, we recruit 5,000 people a year. That is not going to

change, the army will always be a large organisation. Adam Gold

joined the Royal Signals because he was concerned about unemployment in

Stoke-on-Trent. Eight years later, he's seeing big cuts in the Army.

We are going through quite a bit era a job cuts. -- quite a big era

of job cuts. Coaches are bringing in thousands of children to this

careers fair where the guns, tanks, and facepaint were creating a sense

of wonder. But how many will be thinking about the realities of

war? Ben Godfrey, BBC Midlands Today, Stafford.

And the MOD isn't the only organisation offering work to the

young unemployed. Our Business Correspondent, Peter Plisner is at

a branch of Tesco's tonight. They've announced a major jobs

boost, Peter, What exactly have they said? They have said they are

creating 20,000 new jobs across the UK. Many of those will be in the

West Midlands, but interestingly, there will be targeted at the young

unemployed. Tesco said, with youth unemployment in record levels, we

are determined to target many of our jobs at young people currently

out of work. Tesco is one of a number of firms to target the young

unemployed to jobs. I expect many more firms to follow suit. Youth

unemployment is a big problem. What is the government doing to deal

that situation? At the moment, 23% of the unemployed population are

16-24-year-olds. It is getting worse. A survey out today said they

expect youth unemployment to get worse until the end of the year.

The government is launching a billion pounds scheme to get jobs

for young people. But they think that is going to do the trick.

Going back to that military jobs fair, one attraction is being

trained in a field while earning money. Indeed. Some of those skills

are highly skilled, and highly sought-after for employers. That is

good, not everyone stays in the army, and they can go to highly

paid jobs, and employers don't have to pay them. There is no waiting

period while they are getting up to speed with their training. Thank

you very much. Port Vale fans are still on

tenterhooks tonight as the club's agonising drift towards going into

administration was postponed for another day. Although it would cost

the 136 year old Potteries club 10 points and all chance of promotion,

most fans see administration as the only way out of the financial

crisis. Daniel Pallett reports. You can hear their pain, you can

see their pain. And for fans of Port Vale that pain is going to

linger for at least another day. Yesterday they gathered at an

emergency meeting where acting chairman Mike Lloyd was asked to

leave. CROWD BOOING

Today they learnt that the club's move into administration has been

delayed at least until tomorrow. are working day and night, we are

having discussions with people to try and make sure there is a future

for Port Vale. The feature Wednesday with the cardboard, but

we want to be in a position where we can leave the club in a best

possible position. All of this comes of great interest to the

club's creditors. Regal Sports Press are just one of many. They've

supplied this season's matchday programmes and other material. But

they've not been paid since the summer. At the request of the

commercial department, getting commercial literature, and also the

design and printing of the club Callander, that is being retailed

at the shop, we produce the bat. We have not been paid, dating right

back to August. But through it all the fans passion shines through.

They were out in force at Accrington Stanley on Saturday. But

the win they were hoping would ease the win they were hoping would ease

the pain didn't come. They took the lead through John McCombe. But were

they were pegged back by Padraig Amond's scrappy equaliser. Chris

Shuker put Vale 2-1 up in the second half. But with just 2

minutes left Will Hatfield earned Accrington a 2-2 draw. It's raining

on Port Vale from all angles at the moment. But the fans are standing

moment. But the fans are standing firm.

And there'll be a full report on the latest in the quickly changing

situation at Port Vale in Late Kick off. That's at 11:05pm tonight here

on BBC One when there'll also be details of a change of manager at

another of our clubs as well as all the Football League action.

Still to come tonight: How scientists at Birmingham University

hope humans in a gym can teach them more about the behaviour of apes in

the wild. "Policing for profit." That's one

scathing assessment of a plan to pay private firms to do police work

in the West Midlands. The Police Federation which represents rank

and file officers, say the proposals aren't in the public

interest. But the force, which needs to make �125m of cuts,

insists the changes will reduce costs and protect front line

policing. Cath Mackie reports. The collection of CCTV evidence;

guarding the scene of a crime, just two of the functions which may

switch from police officers to private firms in the West Midlands.

Under pressure to make cuts of �126m, the West Midlands force say

it's not just about cost savings. We think there's an opportunity,

particularly looking at some of our office duties, there is a chance

for private firms to provide better value. But critics, like the Police

Federation aren't impressed. We see it as Policing Board profits.

Ultimately what we see is that these aren't benevolent

organisations, they are not doing it for the public good, they are

doing it for the profit of their shareholders. West Midlands police

say this is not a move to privatise the police service and they're

adamant it won't mean private security staff carrying out front

line duties like making arrests. The West Midlands is one of two

forces involved in the scheme, the other is Surrey. The private

contracts could be worth one and a �1.5b over 10 years. I think the

public, whether they are a user or a tax payer, will see that this

will be better value for money, and allow us to provide a much better

service. It's a sensitive issue which is causing ructions at

Westminster. Labour's claiming it could put core public policing at

risk. The Home office say it's about supporting front line

services by making the backroom more efficient. West Midlands

police plan to meet businesses interested in the scheme next week.

Police have called off the search for a Cheltenham man who's gone

missing in the Cayman Islands because of bad weather. 30-year-old

teaching assistant Nathan Clarke was last seen near a beach bar on

Grand Cayman a week ago. Hundreds of people have helped in the search.

Police say they'll decide later whether the search can resume

tomorrow. Vital repair work on twenty four

churches across the West Midlands can go ahead following a one point

six million pound grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The money

has been awarded to churches in Warwickshire, Herefordshire and

Shropshire. Included is St Botolph Church in Newbold-on-Avon near

Rugby and Francis Xaviers in Hereford. The money will go towards

repairing cracks in the walls and replacing church roofs.

Managers at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton are defending an

increase in parking charges which came into effect today. Prices have

increased from two to �3 for two hours. The NHS Trust say it's the

first time rise since 2005. Residents are concerned that some

visitors will park on nearby streets, causing congestion.

Three generations of one family have made a remarkable pilgrimage

from Worcestershire to the Falklands, 30 years after the

conflict. The journey of remembrance for Craig Jones is the

subject of a special edition of Inside Out at 7.30 here on BBC One

tonight. Presenter Mary Rhodes went with the Jones family to the

Falklands and she's here now. Thirty years on, what's life like

for the Falkland Islanders now? think it's fair to say that it is

not a lifestyle they everybody. It is very remote and bleak. It is

surprising the number of servicemen who served there you have returned

to live there. There are strong Midlands connections. A ship that

was sunk, SAS connections, 18 people killed there. I spoke to a

man who ran a print shop out there, and I asked him what the appeal was.

He said it was the safety. It was a small-town community. He said it

reminded him of England in the 1950s. A there is a lot of tension

over the Falklands, how is that affecting them? The truth is that

they are very passionate about being British. They wry Union flags

flying everywhere. They are very proud of their islands. They had

visitors coming in on cruise ships, and you can see why. Parts of the

island are beautiful. The wildlife is absolutely stunning. I was

delighted to go and see the penguins. The beaches are white,

many of them are closed off to tourists, because there are

landmines. The landmines are not set off by the penguins! They are

not heavy enough. It is a real privilege to have gone there. This

family went on a remarkable journey of remembrance. There was a huge

debt of gratitude from the islanders. You can see all of that

Heart and lung transplant patient Ben Hughes is dying after his body

began rejecting his new lungs. He may have only days to live but he's

determined to raise awareness of the need for more people to join

the donor register. He also wants to give other terminally ill

patients a chance to fulfil their dreams. It's something he's done

himself, writing about it in internet blogs that have gained him

a worldwide following, as Joanne Writtle reports. Ben Hughes from

Shrewsbury's just celebrated five years since a heart and double lung

transplant. But his body's now rejecting his lungs, and he's spent

the last few months visiting Premiership grounds, going to TV

sets and meeting celebrities as part of a Bucket List of things to

do before he dies. It has been a blast. I have done more in the last

two months I've done in 28 years. It has been really, really good.

Some amazing memories for my loved ones to keep as well. Now too sick

to continue, and with thousands of followers worldwide on a Facebook

page, he wants his wife Ayla to set up a charity to help others. There

is no help out there for people and then's situation. -- people in

Ben's situation. The their charities to help people with

cancer. Everybody that I speak to, they also inspired by him. They say,

I must be so proud, and proud just doesn't come near. Ben's also

written a local newspaper column and blog, something his wife's

continued more recently: I'm not just in -- losing my husband, I'm

losing my soulmate and my whole life. Some of the things on Ben's

wish list were very simple, like spending time with loved ones by

the Weir close to his home. But more than anything he wants to

raise awareness about organ donation. There are 10,000 people

on the waiting list for a transplant at any one time

nationally. In the West Midlands 16 people have had lung transplants in

the last year, compared to 169 nationally. My life would have been

over a long time ago if it wasn't for that person's general --

generosity. As Ben plans his funeral, he wants to publicise that

more people need transplants than there are organs available.

Very brave of him to continue the campaign. According to the NHS

Blood and Transplant Service, three people die every day waiting for an

organ transplant. Hundreds of people have signed up to be donors,

Still ahead here on Midlands Today this evening: All the Premier

League latest, including the fallout from Wolves' woeful five-

nil thrashing at Fulham. And the weekend marked a turning point that

saw a return to the cold. But could it be more than a passing phase?

The road to spring is not a smooth one but there is some positive news

Apes and monkeys make swinging through the treetops look easy. But

scientists have plenty of questions about the mechanics of how they

actually do it. Sadly your average orangutan isn't a particularly co-

operative test subject. So, at the University of Birmingham to learn

more about monkey movement, they're experimenting on people instead.

More now from our correspondent David Gregory. This is an orang-

utan. Here he is moving through the canopy. At least for the purposes

of this experiment at the University of Birmingham. These

experts have been told to move like a monkey to help scientists

understand a movement of the real thing. I like re-enacting things I

see gibbons do injuries. -- in trees. This course will help us

answer all sorts of questions. One of the major ones is how can a big

and more like an orang-utan move through the car -- through the

forest canopy so easily? It is mysterious. We know a lot about

Tauranga times move around. But they're so big and the barge is so

flexible that they're moving on -- a runner cans. We don't know

anything about the actual energy that they used to move around that

habitat. And to measure this energy, the runners use this mask and

backpack. We're using lots of different activities and seeing how

much energy they're using. That translates into a orangutans. Are

they using more, is that going to put more strain on the amount of

food they have to find to survive? And the habitat of orangutans is

certainly changing. But why not use a real a rattans -- around a tang?

-- orangutans? Dan here with the rest of the sports news now. Dan, a

new manager for Hereford? He may have won for the first time in

eight matches on Saturday but it wasn't enough to save Jamie

Pitman's job as manager of Hereford United. The club's board today

relieved Pitman of his duties despite the 2-1 victory over AFC

Wimbledon. He will stay on the coaching staff though.

The new boss is Richard O'Kelly who's never been a manager before.

He's been given a contract until the end of the season. It pleased

me to see the group of players this morning, how we were motivated and

how we were engaged in the process of what is happening. That was good

to see. If you have got that sort of commitment, you have got a

better chance. Just under 25,000 fans saw history made at the

Hawthorns. West Bromwich Albion's first victory over Chelsea in 33

years. That's now six points out of six for the Albion, and their new

secret weapon. Have any of our Premier League

teams made a better signing this season than Emily Badger? Last week,

her rousing chorus of Albion's favourite hymn produced a 4-nil win

over Sunderland.. So no wonder the Baggies invited her back to the

Hawthorns, and Emily's encore inspired another famous, and well-

deserved victory over Chelsea. Delight for Gareth McAuley and

thousands of home fans. Despair for Andree Villas-Boas, who knew the

final whistle was about to blow after only 8 months in charge.

won the game because we played well. It wasn't one of those games way

you have a tin hat on all the time, it was a game where we had as many

chances as Chelsea had. The last time Albion fans sang you're

getting sacked in the morning was at Molineux last month. Mick

McCarthy got the bullet and Terry Connor got the job. And now he

knows exactly what a tough task he's taken on. Fulham were flying

and Wolves never got a sniff. Five times, the ball fizzed past Wayne

Hennessey. Setting up a must-win six pointer against relegation

rivals Blackburn on Saturday. suffered a bad defeat but we came

back into positive. We took another defeat today and hopefully we can

bounce back and get positive results. Aston Villa are now eight

points above Wolves. But it should have been 10? Charles Nzogbia's

strike was their only reward for dominating the first half. So no

surprise when Blackburn fought back after the break to earn a one-all

draw, And one goal settled the game at the Britannia, where Matthew

Etherington's angled drive was enough to beat Norwich. The

Birmingham City manager Chris Hughton says Chelsea will still be

a tough nut to crack in tomorrow's FA Cup replay, despite sacking

Andre Villas-Boas. Whilst Chelsea were losing to West Brom on

Saturday, Hughton was watching his team throw away a 2-goal lead

against Derby County. It finished 2-2. And the Blues boss knows

they'll need to be on top of their game against Chelsea. A to not lose

a -- on one occasion this tough, to not lose on a couple of occasions

is even tougher. We know the quality they have got. We just need

to make sure we are organised flight we were in the first game

and can make a good account of ourselves. Tomorrow, we'll look

ahead to Birmingham against Chelsea and BBC WM will have full match

commentary from St Andrew's. Brewers have got a few injuries,

but it should be a good night. Don't forget late kick-off tonight.

Thank you very much. It is a popular sport on television, but

could the game of darts being the decline? Fewer games in pubs mean

fewer places to power -- to play. It has been part and parcel of the

British pubs to be decades, but now I seem to good old dartboard is

becoming a rarity. There are just a handful left in Birmingham city

centre, like this one at the Wellington. Now wants is -- City

Council has launched his own internet campaign. This is

something people want in their pubs and that is what I'm trying to

emphasise man and get the pub chains to try and reverse the

general trend over the past five to six years of taking darts boards

out of pubs. There are thought to be many reasons why darts are not

played in pubs so often. One is that darts boards have been removed

to provide eating areas. But whilst pubs are going in one direction, TV

is going and the other with darts finals becoming increasingly

popular. Regular finalist Adrian Lewis paints the decline of pubs

darts could be detrimental -- thinks. For some, the missing darts

boards are the tip of a much larger iceberg. Pubs are losing their

traditional feel in any way. -- in many ways. The traditional feel of

the pub is excellent. Campaigners are now targeting all major pub

chains to stop any more time being called on one of our most

traditional pastimes. I was disastrous when I had a go, but

week -- you were good. No, I was hopeless. Time for the weather now.

Lovely day, but perishing. Yes, the weekend, a reminder that

we have Dylan Winter. Spring has not yet officially arrived. It is

then arrival of this one sector on Wednesday that is going to herald

another change. It is this area that is coming through. It will

lift the temperatures and introduce a bit of rain. By midweek, it is

going to turn brighter, otherwise it is looking mainly dry. For

tonight, largely clear skies. It is also dry, we might get a bit of

cloud entering from the north into Central Park later Ron, but other

than that a widespread frost -- later on. We could encounter some

mist and fog patches. It is quite a chilly start of the day because of

that fast but it will not be as cold as today because the

significant change will be lighter winds. It is quite a calm day with

highs of nine or 10 sources. Tomorrow night, we get that warm

sector. Temperatures rise as well, to about five or six Celsius. On

Wednesday, it will be worked with a cooler air. -- wet. A look at

tonight's main headlines: The BBC learns of atrocities in the Syrian

city of Homs. Refugees fleeing under cover of darkness say men and

boys have been separated from their families and killed.

And thousands of school leavers look to the army as a way to escape