26/04/2014 Midlands Today

Good evening. Businesses in the Much more on the BBC News

Good evening. Businesses in the Midlands are being urged to make

more of Shakespeare's legacy to help give the region global recognition.

It comes as ten's of thousands of people headed to Stratford today to

mark the culmination of the Bard's 450th birthday celebrations. From

around the world thousands lined the streets as a parade in the Bard's

honour marched by. For those living in the town a sense of pride and

recognition of what Shakespeare has done for them. Very important but

not just for Stratford, for Britain. It brings a lot of people in.

Without that, I think the Among the 600 strong procession are diplomats

and dignitaries representing more than 30 different countries, all

drawn to stratford by the power of Shakespeare And at a celebratory

lunch a chance for local business and arts leaders to make the most of

that power. Time would die. And at a celebratory lunch...

You are buying into a brand, the brand of Britain. You are paying for

quality. Shakespeare is absolutely in the core, the DNA that makes you

want to associate yourself with a British product. And Shakespeare

isn't just a product. There are opportunities there. There are

exchange opportunities. Many people study in universities here and many

would like to come here to study more. It is clear Shakespeare will

continue to bring millions of people to Stratford years to come. The

challenge for businesses is to capitilise on his legacy.

Police have released an e`fit image of a woman who called at a house in

Gloucestershire posing as a social worker. She was carrying a fake

Social Services badge and asked to check the mother's four`month`old

son. The incident happened in Quedgeley on Wednesday afternoon.

Anyone who recognises the woman is asked to contact Gloucestershire

Police. A public meeting's being organised

in Stoke on Trent over a recycling depot which residents claim is

blighting their area. Thousands of tonnes of plastics are being stored

without a licence at the site at Minton, and the owners want to make

it a permanent arrangement. They've been invited to attend the meeting

along with the Environment and Highways Agencies. A date has yet to

be set. The Highways Agency has been

explaining its plans to reduce congestion on part of the M40 in

Warwickshire, at two public exhibitions. Motorists currently

face mile long queues at junction 12 at Gaydon, during the morning rush

hour. The proposals involve lengthening and widening the

southbound exit slip road. Onto the day's football now and in

the Premiership, Stoke lost 1`0 to Spurs. Aston Villa are just four

points above the relegation zone after a 4`1 thrashing at Swansea.

But a win for West Brom who beat West Ham 1`0. Meanwhile in the

Championship Birmingham City's woes continue losing 3`1 to Leeds at St

Andrews. The Blue's are now in the bottom three, but with a game in

hand. In League One Wolves have reached 100 points after a 1`1 draw

at Coventry. At the other end of the table Shrewsbury have been relegated

after losing 4`2 at Peterborough. Meanwhile Walsall lost 3`2 against

Stevanage. And in League Two it finished

Rochdale two, Cheltenham zero And finally one Rugby result to bring

you. In the Championship a win for Moseley beating Plymouth by 16

points to 11 Now let's hope all the rain we had yesterday has passed ``

here's the weather now with Mel Coles.

Good evening. After a showery day, there are more showers to come this

evening and into tomorrow as well. We are going to see quite a lot of

cloud work its way in as well. This evening, there are going to be one

or two showers. They will fade from some areas, hanging onto

Herefordshire and Worcestershire as the night goes on but it will not be

a cold night with those of seven or eight degrees. Tomorrow morning,

there is more to come. The showers will creep their way in once again.

We will see variable amounts of cloud around with those showers

could be quite lively with the risk of hail and thunder. Temperatures

tomorrow will reach highs of 14 degrees. Looking ahead to next

week, there is more to come. Remaining unsettled, certainly for

the start of next week. That's all for now. Your next up

date from Midlands Today is tomorrow evening. Have a good Saturday night.

Good evening. An area of low pressure has wrapped itself around

the British Isles for this weekend. There have been a number of showers

today, particularly in the south-west, and there is more to

come overnight. You can see this swirl of cloud, the centre of it in

the south-west of England. Close to the centre of that there will be

some strong winds in the south-west of England and some heavy showers as

well. There will be some big waves along