21/01/2014 Midlands Today


21/01/2014

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LineFromTo

rain from the east. That's all from the BBC News

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Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: A reprieve

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for 24`hour A services at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, but

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children's and maternity services look set to be downgraded.

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I am pleased with the recommendation on A and that we will keep

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consultants on site. I'll be asking the man leading the

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campaign to save services at the Alex, where do they go from here?

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Also tonight: West Brom striker Nicolas Anelka faces charges from

:00:32.:00:33.

the FA over this alleged anti`Semitic salute.

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We get the fans' view. When is a pothole not a pothole?

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We're out on the road with the man who decides.

:00:40.:00:45.

From Wolverhampton to the West End ` singer Beverly Knight makes her big

:00:46.:00:55.

stage debut. Thrilled initially, just totally thrilled and then the

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fear set in. I was like, great! Great.

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And after a misty, murky start today, things are looking a little

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clearer for the rest of the week, but the rain is back. For how long?

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I'll tell you later. Good evening. Health campaigners

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who've spent 18 months fighting to save their hospital's accident and

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emergency department are tonight a major step closer to victory. But

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under new proposals announced this afternoon by an independent health

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panel, maternity and children's services in Redditch are likely to

:01:32.:01:36.

be downgraded. Here's our health correspondent Michele Paduano.

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Playgroup on a cold Tuesday in January but it shows how complex

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changing hospital care is. Amelia was born without a thyroid gland and

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spends considerable time in hospital. She was on the ward and

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under their care for 12 days. Without that she could have

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permanent development issues. She could even have brain damage so it

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was important she was treated as quickly as she was. I would not have

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had time to go to Worcester. These staff at the Alex were fantastic. In

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future, Jack's mum would have to be transferred to Worcester. The review

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panel also said 1200 of the sickest children would be moved. The

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reception we have received from the leaders of the organisations have

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been supportive of the recommendations we have made. It has

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been a long drawn`out process. In June 2012, the trust 's first

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floated concentrating health services on one side. In May, a

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takeover bid was put forward. In July, NHS England appointed an

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independent panel to sort it out. I am pleased with the recommendation

:03:08.:03:11.

on A and the fact we will keep consultants on site. That was

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something the sea CGE fought for. We are pleased that has happened. If a

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patient needs emergency surgery they would likely be brought to Worcester

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or brought here. There is a recommendation that the A

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department in West has to be made larger.

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Let's go live to Redditch and save the Alex campaigner Neil Stote. Your

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reaction to today's recommendations? We are pleased we will retain A

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with consultants. That was something we were told would not be achieved

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back in 2012. Obviously, concerns about overnight paediatrics and

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maternity and we need to study the report in detail to understand why

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recommendations have been made. What impact will it have on the people of

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Redditch? From a paediatric overnight point of view, there will

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be one ` two transfers the day to a specialist hospital and as a parent

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myself, if your child is that ill, you would want the best care. The

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bigger numbers are consultant led maternity and one of the things we

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have called for is for capacity to be in the system before changes

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happen. The report has recognised that. We need to look at why... Your

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website does acknowledge that the hospital trust has a ?50 million

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deficit. This is a minimum spec, a blueprint for services and if

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Worcester acute hospitals trust cannot afford delivery, let's find

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someone who can. This is from a panel of top clinicians. It is not

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for the trust to dumb it down because they do not have the money.

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Coming up later in the programme: Famed for its foundries, furnaces

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and faggots and peas ` the Black Country now has a flag, but where

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exactly is it? Four families have been contacted to

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say their babies' organs have been kept without their permission for

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the last 15 years. Lawyers acting for one family are now demanding a

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public inquiry to get answers about why the children's organs were taken

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without consent. We can join our reporter Joanne Writtle in

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Birmingham City Centre. Joanne, what more do we know? We know that for

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families have been visited in Birmingham from environmental health

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officers. In one case, one mother was told that a number of her baby

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son's organs were removed by a pathologist and they had been stored

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at Birmingham central mortuary. In that case, her little boy died when

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he was barely three months old. He died of cot death and as is usual in

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these cases, the coroner was informed, he instructed a

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pathologist to carry out a postmortem. What they have not been

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told is why those organs had been removed, under whose request

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authority and why they were not returned to the family when the

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coroner 's inquest had been closed. Has the mother in this case given

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her reaction? She says she is stunned. This is my son, she said,

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and she is determined to get to the bottom of what happened. Many people

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will remember the Alder Hey scandal from a few years ago when patients

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organs were retained without family consent. In this case the baby boy

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died a year before the Alder Hey scandal became public. What has

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Birmingham City Council said? They are liaising with the families

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involved and say they can decide what they want doing with their

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babies bodies. Lots of unanswered questions in the case we were

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talking about. One mother still does know which of her baby's organs were

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removed and it is a cause of great distress.

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Police in St Lucia are still questioning three men about the

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death of 62`year`old Roger Pratt, who was killed defending his wife

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from robbers. A postmortem examination has found that the

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yachtsman from Warwickshire was hit and then fell, or was pushed into

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the sea where he drowned. Today, his wife Margaret told a St Lucian

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government news service that before her husband's death, they found the

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island extremely friendly. We have enjoyed St Lucia, we have not felt

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unsafe until the events of those final tragic minutes. We have had

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considerable kindness from very many people. That kindness is continuing

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during the period of the investigation.

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A 33`year`old man has been arrested after armed police shot dead a dog

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in Birmingham. Richmond Road in Bearwood was sealed off after two

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pit bull`type dogs were spotted last night. One dog was shot dead amid

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concerns over public safety, while the other was taken to the force dog

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unit after being found in a garden. We heard about a gunshot, still the

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dogs were barking and then a final gunshot and then it was silent. It

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is quite upsetting because I am an animal lover and those dogs were

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very friendly, very obedient. The West Bromwich Albion striker

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Nicolas Anelka is facing a minimum five game ban. He's been charged by

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the Football Association of an aggravated breach of its rules by

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making what appeared to be a "quenelle" gesture. Anelka made the

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sign, which many view as an anti`Semitic gesture reminiscent of

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the Nazi salute, after scoring at West Ham last month. Our sports

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reporter Ian Winter is in the BBC WM radio studios for tonight's football

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phone`in. What is the reaction? The lines are hot on the phone into

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night. Albion supporters have a lot to talk about. The guest is the

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format West Brom favourite Richard stickers and we will pop inside to

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gauge the mood of fans. Last night I was at the hawthorns to judge if the

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Nicolas Anelka controversy would overshadow Pepe Mel's first game in

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charge. On a cold night at the Hawthorns.

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Nicolas Anelka warmed up for the battle ahead ` his future still very

:10:20.:10:22.

much in limbo. For 75 minutes, his mind was fully focused on events on

:10:23.:10:26.

the pitch. By nine o'clock this morning, he'd been charged by the FA

:10:27.:10:29.

following his controversial gesture last month. Having received a

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34`page document outlining the allegations against him. Nicolas

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Anelka has until Thursday evening to respond to the charge. If found

:10:45.:10:49.

guilty he could face a lengthy ban. Will he be well advised to

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apologise? He will try to explain the meaning of this was. IM guessing

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it was not anti`Semitic and he will say this was a gesture of defiance

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and he was showing support for a friend. Nicolas Anelka is a very

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good player, a good professional and I am only head coach. Last night

:11:17.:11:22.

Pepe Mel was given a warm reception by the home fans and he responded in

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similar fashion. Four minutes before the break, his team fell behind

:11:28.:11:35.

before a well worked Everton goal. With 15 minutes left, Albion were

:11:36.:11:39.

level. Thanks to a fine cross by man of the match James Morrison, and a

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firm header from Diego Lugano. Throughout the match, Pepe had

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prowled up and down, pointed here and there. And finally, he praised

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his new team for their hard work on his debut. Marks out of ten? Eight.

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Much more exciting to watch. Seven. Nine out of ten. Eight or nine.

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Heroes toying with the rest of the crowd. Nicolas Anelka left last

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night knowing he faces a minimum five match ban if the charges are

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upheld. You are now live on BBC Midlands Today. What has been the

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mood of supporters? Mixed views. We had one found that says that Nicolas

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Anelka has served it is an antiestablishment gesture and he

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would want him to take it through to the High Court. Otherwise, he would

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not be convinced it was antiestablishment. Some fans

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supporting him, some saying he should take his punishment.

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One other football line tonight and Graham Turner has quit as manager of

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League One strugglers Shrewsbury Town. The 66`year`old has called

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time on his second spell at the club with the Shrews a point above the

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relegation zone. He said today it's very sad decision. The football

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phone in continues here. Where exactly is the Black Country?

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A simple question or so you'd think. But for years a fierce debate has

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been taking place over its precise location in the West Midlands. Not

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even this map from the Black Country Living Museum has settled the

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argument, as plans were announced to mark Black Country Day. We've had a

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huge response to this map on our Facebook page, including this

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message from Bill Hollingshead, who's clearly not a fan of maps. He

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says: "The Black Country is defined by the way people feel and speak.

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So the only certainty seems to be that a special day to celebrate the

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region will be held in July. And Dudley was today named capital city

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of the Black Country. Live now to Sarah Falkland in Dudley. Sarah, you

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are definitely in the Black Country then? Most definitely. But here we

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are, you could be mistaken to thinking you are not in the Black

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Country because this building and it opened last Tuesday. 800 years of

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Black Country history. The launch of the new Black Country flag.

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The Black Country, a place west of Birmingham, home to more than a

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million people. The Black Country is about the people. We are genuine,

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honest and hard`working. Thanks to this schoolgirl they have their road

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flag. The Black Country was described as black by day and read

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by night and that is why I have done part of it black and part red. The

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glass cone in the middle to show all the manufacturing and industry in

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the area. We were the core the industry. But it is our accent and

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people put you down. The famous dialect aside, July 14 will see the

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dawn of the first`ever Black Country day. The Black Country culture is

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not celebrated enough. Wales has their dragon, Scotland has a

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referendum and we need to proclaim what England is about and the Black

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Country is at the centre. You will have heard about its canals, have

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the first steam engine was invented here and there is strong IM

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production industry. `` are you. 20% was produced here. But today,

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somewhere it is a place you can find a casino next to a mosque. What does

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it mean to you, the Black Country? Everything, I was born and bred

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here. It was where I was brought up. Another man for whom the Black

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Country is very special, Doctor Brian Dakin. What do you think is

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the essence of Black Country this macro to use a line out of a lyric,

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it is strong guns and a warm heart. Hands and heart. Which encompasses

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the industry and the generosity of the people. What about the future?

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Where is it going? It continues to evolve so it will always be here and

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just embrace whatever comes into it. What do you think about the Black

:17:09.:17:15.

Country day? Busting! It is fantastic, it is a day for us to

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celebrate. People are contacting myself about festivals and getting

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involved in that, so it will be a wonderful way for people just to

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know how proud they of region. And you have written a poem for it? Yes.

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The day is the 14th. Our top story tonight: A reprieve

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for 24`hour A services at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, but

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children's and maternity services will be downgraded.

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Your detailed weather forecast to come shortly from Rebecca.

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Also in tonight's programme: how running a mile for Sport Relief is

:17:58.:18:00.

helping budding DJs in Coventry. And Wolverhampton singer Beverley

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Knight on her first West End stage role.

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Last week, we had a huge response from you to our report on the

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scourge of motorists across the region ` potholes. We wanted to know

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what councils are doing to tackle the problem. Ben Sidwell has been to

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meet a man who you could say is Mr Pothole.

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Meet Staffordshire 's Mr pothole. This is a severe pothole outside of

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a school. We need to make this saving 24`hour. `` safe in 24 hours.

:18:46.:18:57.

As a senior Highway inspector, what Will Painter doesn't know about

:18:58.:19:01.

potholes probably isn't worth knowing. This is a rural road. We

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will be checking this annually. There is water running down the edge

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of the carriageway. In Staffordshire they are repairing around 400

:19:15.:19:18.

potholes a week. Last year the council added half ?1 million

:19:19.:19:22.

meaning that more than 13,000 of them were fixed. But in these times

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of cuts, even the road maintenance budget is being squeezed. We are a

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council and have to make sure all vivant of all people are looked

:19:34.:19:39.

after as well as the roads. At this garage in blocks which they are

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seeing first`hand the effect potholes can have. If you look here,

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the core Spring is sticking out. This driver's repair will be around

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?200 but some are running into the thousands. Your macro when I first

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started 20 years ago, we never had any course brings broken. We are

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seeing more of these, probably 10`15 a week. Back in Staffordshire and as

:20:14.:20:18.

quickly as crews are filling them, yet more potholes are being found.

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We have a team working here. We need to make this safe. The battle

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against potholes goes on. Sport Relief returns to our screens

:20:35.:20:37.

in March, with fundraisers being urged to run, swim or cycle at the

:20:38.:20:41.

Sport Relief Games. Community groups across the West Midlands hope to

:20:42.:20:44.

benefit from the special weekend of events ` groups like a local radio

:20:45.:20:47.

station in Coventry. Here's Louise Brierley.

:20:48.:20:52.

Set in one of Coventry 's most deprived areas, this community radio

:20:53.:20:57.

station is giving its volunteer DJs skills. Where I come from thereon

:20:58.:21:04.

not many opportunities and I got here and got to do what I love. I

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get to help out other kids as well who come in on a weekly basis. The

:21:11.:21:16.

line`up reflects the diverse community of Hill Fields, one of its

:21:17.:21:23.

older DJs has a big Irish fan base. Coventry is like a melting pot. It

:21:24.:21:29.

is a community radio station so we try to get as much out to the

:21:30.:21:35.

communities that we can. Like many projects, without donations from

:21:36.:21:39.

charities like Sport Relief it would not exist. In 2012, the West

:21:40.:21:47.

Midlands raised over ?1 million which has helped to fund 360

:21:48.:21:58.

projects across the region. All the funding we get enables us to reach

:21:59.:22:02.

out to the community and that is important, so we reach the community

:22:03.:22:08.

in so different ways and funding is allowing us to do that. It doesn't

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matter where you have come from, it is a welcoming place to be. A family

:22:14.:22:19.

that has been brought together thanks to money raised by you.

:22:20.:22:25.

Wolverhampton's Beverley Knight has been starring in her debut stage

:22:26.:22:28.

role in The West End. For an award`winning soul singer what has

:22:29.:22:32.

it been like making the move from singing to acting? Our Arts Reporter

:22:33.:22:39.

Satnam Rana has been finding out. From Wolverhampton to the West End.

:22:40.:22:44.

Beverley Knight is wowing audiences in her first role on stage in The

:22:45.:23:01.

Bodyguard. I was thrilled initially, just totally thrilled and then the

:23:02.:23:06.

fear set in. I was like, great! Great. I thought I have now got to

:23:07.:23:13.

actually extend myself beyond what I have been doing. The show is based

:23:14.:23:24.

on the film starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. It sees Beverly

:23:25.:23:30.

singing big numbers in big costumes. It is a big dress so it is a big

:23:31.:23:37.

number, I will always love you. Right at the end of the show. It

:23:38.:23:44.

weighs a tonne. I was always a fan of Whitney Houston. Beverly was

:23:45.:23:52.

awarded an MBE for her work in 2007 and has sold over a million albums

:23:53.:23:56.

in the UK but the last time she acted, it was on a school stage.

:23:57.:24:03.

Little did I know that all those years ago that very rudimentary

:24:04.:24:13.

training would help me out. A bit of your Wolverhampton experience to the

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West End. Exactly! What have the critics made of her debut? Her

:24:20.:24:25.

talent and her talent alone is making people come to the theatre.

:24:26.:24:32.

There are only a handful of singers that can do these songs and Beverly

:24:33.:24:38.

is one of them. I would relish the opportunity to do another acting

:24:39.:24:43.

role on stage certainly, and if I work really hard and if anyone

:24:44.:24:48.

thinks I am good enough, maybe I make the transition to the screen.

:24:49.:25:01.

But who knows, we will see. In the next few hours, audiences will be

:25:02.:25:05.

coming through the doors here to see Beverly and she has been a hit

:25:06.:25:10.

amongst them. She has agreed to extend her run by three months until

:25:11.:25:21.

the end of May. We have had that tricky combination for a forecaster,

:25:22.:25:25.

Frost and fog. Will they get the same tonight?

:25:26.:25:31.

Hopefully not but we have got rain so I do not know which is worst. It

:25:32.:25:38.

has been a 40 few days and Matthew managed to get this picture of the

:25:39.:25:44.

Broadway in the Cotswolds. A beautiful for the scene. It will

:25:45.:25:49.

look damper tonight. Do keep your pictures coming in. You can see our

:25:50.:25:55.

full selection on our Facebook page. It changes tonight because of this

:25:56.:26:01.

band of rain. We will feel the full effects through the next few hours.

:26:02.:26:07.

Rain moving through the region. Over tonight it will get more heavy, more

:26:08.:26:12.

persistent and we could see heavy downpours to calm before it starts

:26:13.:26:16.

to clear away to the east and behind that, we will get clear skies. Under

:26:17.:26:21.

those clear skies, temperatures will fall away. We could see mist and fog

:26:22.:26:27.

patches developing tomorrow morning. Temperatures managing to

:26:28.:26:32.

stay above freezing. Tomorrow is a day of sunshine and showers. The sun

:26:33.:26:40.

will help to burn through any mist and fog patches and it will be a

:26:41.:26:45.

pleasant day with a lighter winds. Temperatures between seven and nine

:26:46.:26:52.

Celsius. Showers continue to rattle through as we head through the

:26:53.:26:57.

evening and then it is another clear night. Temperatures will fall but it

:26:58.:27:03.

is not long before we see the next weather system working its way in.

:27:04.:27:08.

Temperatures still dropping down to close to freezing. Thursday we seem

:27:09.:27:13.

to get through one weather front and another one starts to move through.

:27:14.:27:18.

Squally conditions on this band of rain. Not a pleasant day on Thursday

:27:19.:27:22.

and more rain in the forecast for Friday.

:27:23.:27:23.

Tonight's headlines from the BBC: On the eve of the biggest diplomatic

:27:24.:27:27.

effort to end the Syrian conflict ` shocking pictures of torture by

:27:28.:27:30.

government forces. A reprieve for 24`hour A services at the

:27:31.:27:32.

Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, but children's and maternity services

:27:33.:27:34.

will be downgraded. That was the Midlands Today. I'll be

:27:35.:27:38.

back with more on the future of the Alexandra Hospital at ten o'clock.

:27:39.:27:41.

Have a great evening. Goodbye.

:27:42.:27:43.

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