12/08/2013 Midlands Today

with Mary Rhodes and Nick Owen. The headlines tonight: free food to help

families in areas where half the children are said to be growing up

in poverty. We will deliver 2500 males over a number of sites.

will ask if a free holiday kitchen is necessary? New cattle control

measures to tackle the spread of bovine TB.

How serial ex-offenders are helping young criminals steer a part away

from crime. �24 million to be spent on cycle

routes in Birmingham. We are the worst of the big cities outside of

London for cycling. And we have had the sun the rainbow look up to the

skies and you may get more than you bargained for. All be detailed in a

short while. Every other child is being brought up in poverty

according to figures. A new scheme was launched today to help families

struggling to feed their children. Those providing it so providing

meals can push hard budgets to breaking point.

It is being called B food back by some, a soup kitchen by others but

organisers of this food service are calling it a holiday kitchen. The

aim is to ensure children get a decent meals during the school

holidays. As you can see, it is nothing like a soup kitchen. Over

the course of this week, 250 meals will be given out. As well as the

meals, children get the chance to learn about nutrition and nature.

Food poverty means children are not getting the nutrition they need, it

affects their concentration, their ability to learn and it has wider

economic problems along the line. This working mum is one of those to

benefit. The kids are quite happy here and eating. Everything costs

dearly nowadays. I have four children. It is hard to pay the

bills. At nearby shops, most people backed the scheme although there

were concerns. If you genuinely need help, fine, but more children, more

burden to people. If it needs looking after, it needs looking

after. A six-week holiday is quite a bit collar day so extra money, costs

for people who cannot afford it. big families seem to be raking in

everything and those with a couple of children get nothing. It is about

the distribution of wealth not the size of the family. The pilot runs

for the next three weeks. I am joined by Amanda Nicholls from

the Accord Group. How widespread is this problem? Extremely widespread,

particularly across Birmingham for the main part. Some of those set in

the most deprived wards not just in Birmingham but across the country.

Certainly in the top 10% of those most deprived. Is it possible to say

what the source of this problem is? I think it is a combination of

factors. There is no doubt that they will be impacts arising from benefit

changes, as well as issues of high levels of unemployment in the area.

Who is funding the programme? successfully made a bid to

children's charity children in need and manage to get 27 thousand �500

which has funded the programme and will enable us to get 2500 meals out

there into the community. We are doing that in partnership with a

number of community agencies so it has presented an opportunity to

bring communities together. 27 -- 27 �500 not an insurmountable amount of

cash. How will you ensure those that need it will get help? They are

people that ordinarily would have had access to free school meals so

clearly there is a gap there in terms of provision. We know only too

well how expensive it can be for families to entertain children but

what this has done is its has allowed us to provide creative play

activities combined with the provision of nutritious meals.

Thank you. Coming up later in the programme:

Bon voyage! Sports clubs sharing �2 million as part of the Olympic

legacy. Any day now Gloucestershire farmers

will be given the final go-ahead for a badger cull to control the spread

of bovine TB, the first large scale cull for decades. But the disease

isn't just spread by badgers. It also spreads from cow to cow and to

tackle that, the government has unveiled new cattle control measures

today. I'm joined in the studio by our Rural Affairs Correspondent

David Gregory-Kumar. David, what has the government announced? This is a

move to control the disease spreading in cattle and the Midlands

is a bit of a lost cause. It is in our homes, badgers, in other

animals. This is about what is going on at the edge of the infected

zone. The government wants farmers to do more to stop the disease

spreading to TB free parts of the country. Because of allowing TB to

spread are much more and if we are going to stop this disease, we have

to do everything that is available to us and that includes taking a

rather more rigorous view of how we stop the disease expanding at the

rate it has been doing. But the farmers who are having to pay extra

for this in Warwickshire, they will not be able to Carl badgers. Concern

have come from groups opposing the Carl but there will be enough people

to check how humane it will be in Gloucestershire. Also there will

only be 100 or so badgers autopsied after the Carl and there will be

thousands of badgers killed. Pupils who oppose the course so it will not

be enough to see if it will be humane. At the moment, farmers are

still very busy. Once we get beyond hard this, then there is a narrowing

window of opportunity. It is likely the cull will happen once harvest is

over. Two men have been arrested and

bailed following a shooting in Birmingham which has left another

man in a critical condition in hospital. The 35-year-old was shot

outside the Rainbow Warehouse on Digbeth High Street just before

midnight on Saturday. Officers believe it was a targeted attack and

they're appealing for witnesses. A 72-year-old pensioner - hit with a

metal bar at a pub near Walsall - has had to have surgery for a broken

jaw. Emergency services were called to the Three Tuns in Willenhall on

Saturday. A woman in her early 20s received a cut to her head. Police

believe the attacks were unprovoked. Police in Gloucestershire have begun

a crackdown on pubs where glasses are used as a weapon by drinkers.

Landlords are being told to take immediate action following glass

attacks. If it happens again within a year, officers can request the

pub's licence be revoked. They'll also ask premises to consider using

plastic glasses instead. They do not break and do not cause injury and

for the licensee, they do not have glass to keep up -- clear up and

they lost a long time. Serial ex-offenders are helping

steer young offenders away from crime, a new scheme is already

showing success. Involves getting ex-offenders to act as role models

for people released from prison. The year-long project is on the way in

Solihull. A robbery in progress. It is a

sobering fact that 25,000 crimes are committed across the West Midlands

every month and the majority of culprits will have offended before.

Meet Nikki and John, two men who have committed around 200 offences

around them. Now one is helping the other stay on the straight and

narrow. The support, the encouragement from people that have

been in my position helps bridge a gap to help me reintegrate into

society. Prison has spent a home for John on and off since he left

school. Institutionalised he did not know he could lead a normal life on

the outside until he spoke to someone who had. It is all thanks to

a partnership between the social enterprise changes UK and Solihull

services. We have a high success rate and people are no longer

sending or taking drugs or alcohol and living in the communities they

came from. It is exactly what the government wants. Recent proposals

to overhaul the probation service... In 2010, almost half of

all offenders released reoffended within 12 months. This scheme may

help reduced those numbers but is also helping change lives for the

better. For once I felt safe and sane. I don't do it and that is what

they wanted to figure out how to do. Tackling reoffending is key to

reducing crime with continued success, this scheme could be

extended across the region. Our top story tonight: Your detailed

weather forecast to come shortly from Shefali.

Also in tonight's programme: Four priceless goals as a rampant Wolves

put down a marker for their promotion challenge this season.

And a new film remembering Ralph who died in the First World War after

signing up in Gloucestershire when he was only 15.

�24 million pounds is to be spent in Birmingham to improve cycle routes

over the next few years. �17 million has come from the government. It's

hoped that in 20 years time, one in ten of all journeys into the city

will be made by bike. Sarah Falkland reports.

Outside of London, Birmingham is rated the worst city in the country

for cyclistss. I can see why. Congested, commuter roads clogged

with cars, there is not much room for hikes. What a nightmare. But �24

million could change all that. of that money will go on

infrastructure, getting all the routes right and getting the city

centre right to enhance flow. 1% of people in Birmingham cycle to

work. This group are glad they have chosen form of transport is getting

backing. In the past, some of these services have not really been great

for rests so with this money being announced today, it is great.

great to see cycling being taken seriously. But should we not all be

pleased? BT have �2.3 billion lost due to congestion in Birmingham so

to be able to utilise cycle routes it means it is better for the

economy and people 's health and well-being. With Birmingham being

the second worst city in the country for air pollution, anything that

takes cars off the roads will please the environmentalists but in

Stafford, new cycling routes are being abused. The council warns that

if people persist in parking over them, the police will be called.

Work will start almost immediately and the city built for cars could

have a future as a city for bikes. Sarah is in Cannon Hill Park for us.

Quite an interesting route earlier. Presumably this is being welcomed by

cyclist all over? Yes, people are pretty chuffed. I am cycling home

with Dan. Dan works for bike rite which is an organisation which

offers free training and advice for cyclistss. There is a lack of

awareness of what the cycle lanes are there for. This money invested,

too little too late? It is definitely the start of a process

not the end of one. We want to make cycling as popular a mode of

transport as it can be. Going through Birmingham was daunting.

What advice would you give to cyclistss going into the city?

Consider alternative routes. If you can look around for quiet routes

such as this you can find them into city centres. Ride defensively, make

sure you are seen and see motoristss around you. The council

said we are not going to become Holland overnight. What is it like

in Holland and? Around 30% in Holland. How does it compare with

other UK cities? In Bristol it is 3%. But it is a long, steep road

ahead. Onto football and Wolves and

Coventry City both got their first wins of the league season at the

weekend but in front of vastly different crowds. While 19,000

watched Wolves, just over 2,000 supporters were at Coventry's game

in the continuing row over their move to Northampton. Nick Clitheroe

reports. And inspirational tribute to a club

legend. Whats players paid their respects for former winger Dave

Wagstaffe before kick-off and it seemed to inspire the young

generation as Leigh Griffiths put them in front against Gillingham.

This is a young fors side and Lee Evans gave evidence of his potential

with the second. Griffiths scored again. Their first win of the

season. The squad is young but it is a transition period, that is needed

after the last couple of seasons and this tragedy should has to turn into

a good performance. Coventry City also won but the atmosphere was

different. Just over 2000 fans were at their temporary home in

Northampton and half that number were backing visitors Bristol city.

Some fans protested outside, 6000 others chose to watch at the Ricoh

Arena instead. A vibrant Coventry raced into a 3-goal lead but had to

withstand a fightback from Bristol. The next phase is trying to avoid

relegation and if we do that this season, these players deserve huge

credit. Walsall are still the team of the moment. James Baxendale's

goal means both opening games have been won. Birmingham city are off

the mark thanks to a common call own goal at Yeovil. And an own goal

gifted Burton Albion's first league win of the season with a victory

against Rochdale. Did you hear about the Coventry fans who watched the

game from the mound outside the hill? Be interesting after that game

whether it will encourage more fans to go to the way home games. I think

it would. And later this week we'll be looking

at the prospects for our three Premier League clubs as the season

begins for them. Staying with sport and 35 sports

clubs are to benefit from nearly �2 million. The money has been awarded

by Sport England to coincide with the first anniversary of the London

Olympics closing ceremony. The aim of the funding is to encourage more

people to take up a variety of sports, as Ben Sidwell reports.

Barnt Green Sailing Club has been around even longer than the modern

Olympics themselves and like many sporting clubs, has seen plenty of

interest since London 2012. Olympics has encouraged people to do

lots of different sports but the success in sailing has encourage

people to take up courses like this. They hosted the UK trials here. By

some of the club is really starting to show age. Now thanks to �50,000

from a fund inspired by last year 's games, the changing rooms are set to

get a make over. We have been waiting to do something but we have

not had the capital available to do so. This will just improve

everything for the future sailors and running triathlon, fishing club

members as well. It is not just Olympic sports benefiting. Dorridge

Cricket Club is one of six in the Midlands sharing around �200,000

from the Legacy fund. It is the most tangible evidence they will see of a

legacy from the Olympics. We have heard a lot about it, getting it

down to grassroots and this is evidence of it. For the last two

years it has been an ongoing battle to receive funding. There are such

small figures nowadays. This is an �85,000 project and it does not come

from a hole that we have got. The hope is with this money, sporting

clubs across the Midlands will have a permanent legacy to remember the

London games. The story of a Gloucestershire

soldier who died in the First World War has been made into a short film

by his great great nephew. Ralph Howells was just 15 when he signed

up. It's hoped the film of his life will now be chosen to be shown at

major film festivals. Steve Knibbs reports.

Ralph Howells have worked as a minor but lied about his age to join the

Army. He was a month away from his 60th birthday. Congratulations. I

will see you in France. This is a personal film. It was written by

Ralph Howells's great great-nephew. We met in what was the original

family home. My grandmother passed away last May. I always used to

speak to her about row. My sister has done lots of projects on him and

it is a legacy about his life. film was shot with fellow students

as part of Matthews final university project and what helped was finding

the right locations including a replica World War I trench. I found

someone who worked on warhorse and Time team and he dug a trench in his

garden in Surrey and when we went there it was amazing. It was very

muddy and we made our actors crawl through the mud, but it was a great

experience. We had 50 people on set at the moment. He was my best

friend. Although the film cost �2000 to make, it even uses CGI to

transform sorry into the Somme. was not being shot out, I was not

cold, just being there was kind of upsetting. You just cannot imagine

what it was like for them on the front line. It was quite an

experience. You lose concentration for one moment, it will be your

last. Ralph Howells died a few months after arriving in France in

1916. He was digging a trench when he came under attack. Despite a

search, his body was never found after an explosion. His sacrifice is

remembered here in a memorial at his local church. Ralph has already

picked up the Stanley Kubrick award at Matthew's University and he is

now pitching it to film festivals before it goes online for the

centenary of the First World War next year.

Just before the weather, have a look at this. It's a video sent in by

Mike Allison taken in a garden centre in Stratford upon Avon a

couple of days ago. It's not a hummingbird - although it looks very

like one. It is in fact an African Hummingbird Hawk Moth, with a wing

span of between five and six centimetres. And while it is

spectacular, Butterfly Conservation say it's not actually that unusual

to see them in the Midlands. Once spotted, never forgotten. Let's take

a look at the weather. It is looking a look at the weather. It is looking

nice out there at the moment. Some people escaped with a dry day with

plenty of sunshine, others not so lucky. After this it does turn more

I'm settled. A mixture of sunshine and showers. And then it is warming

up from Wednesday until the weekend. Any showers from today will die out

but they will be replaced by showers of a different kind tonight. Those

of you holding stargazing parties probably know about this, the meteor

showers tonight. Some would say you would have to look to the north-west

but that is not true. You can just feel your gaze with as much sky as

possible because these will appear randomly. You do need clear skies

and the best time to view them will be from midnight until sunrise. The

showers from today will die away quickly. The cloud miles away so

near perfect conditions for this meteor showers are viewing.

Temperatures on the chilly side. In towns and cities, down to ten or 11

Celsius. A fairly decent start to tomorrow but only briefly.

Sunshine, dry weather but then the cloud thickens from the West and

this will introduce rain through the day. It could be persisted in places

and then it becomes patchy through the afternoon. Temperatures to 17 or

18 Celsius but the Southwest could scrape by with 20 Celsius. Tomorrow

night, a great night for doing these meteor showers. Clear skies, fairly

chilly, temperatures of 11 or 12 Celsius. On Wednesday we are into a

warm sector. Temperatures rise on Wednesday and Thursday by bringing

instability. Let's recap tonight's top stories:

Let's recap tonight's top stories: Labour finds itself in hot water

after it takes on two of Britain's biggest retailers over jobs for

Labour finds itself in hot water And free food for family in areas

where half the children are said to be growing up in poverty.

Now here's a tale of hope for anybody who's ever lost something

valuable. Yes ,the moral of this story is never give up. Richard Ford

managed to lose his wedding ring in the River Tame at Tamworth when he

was out paddle boarding last month. Undaunted he began the search for it

using a plastic bucket with the bottom cut out and replaced with

Perspex. After 24 hours scouring the riverbed, more in hope than

expectation, it was found by one of his pals, much to Richard's delight.

His ecstatic reaction has become a YouTube sensation. No doubt his wife