14/05/2014 Midlands Today

risen, over 200 dead and 120 are still trapped.

Good evening. Tributes have been paid throughout the afternoon to

19`year`old Stephen Sutton, who's died from cancer. The Staffordshire

teenager raised more than ?3 million for the Teenage Cance Trust, as he

refused to let the disease dominate his life. The news of Stephen's

death was announced by his Mum, Jane, on his Facebook page. She

wrote: Stephen grew up in Burntwood, and Joan Cummins is at his old

school for us now. Joan, an amazing reaction to Stephen's death. Yes the

College invited us in today to tell him what and accepts Arsenal ``

exceptional person he was. The school is obviously a morning and

there is a real sense of sadness but also a great feeling of pride for

the life that Stephen lived. In a moment I'll be talking to the chair

of governors here but first my colleague Bob Hockenhull on the

teenager who became an inspiration to so many people. Stephen Sutton

lived with cancer for the last four years of his young life. But his

condition gave him a life that can only be described as extraordinary.

I do not see the point in measuring life in the measurement of time. I

would rather measure it in terms of what I can achieve. I would rather

measure it in terms of making a difference which is a much more

valid and pragmatic measure. His positive outlook touched the world.

His fundraising campaign left it ?3 million better off. Many came to

know the name Stephen Sutton. He was absolutely inspiring. He did

extraordinary things for charity and meeting him was a privilege. At the

teenager's school this afternoon there was grief and admiration.

Certainly around this place there is a sense that everyone is crying. But

equally we need to be as strong as we can be and the main message that

should come across is of how proud we are of Stephen. That is more

important than anything. The Staffordshire teenager drew up a

bucket list of 40 fundraising activities he wanted to achieve.

They ranged from skydiving, playing the drums in front of a packed

Wembley stadium and getting a tattoo in his home town of Burntwood. I

think when he started his bucket list, we never expected it to go

where it has gone. The fact it has inspired and motivated so many

people. Stephen's campaign didn't stay local. When he posted a

farewell message on Facebook in April, the people of the world

responded, raising ?3 million for the Teenage Cance Trust in his name.

Stephen touched the world of celebrity too. Comedian Jason

Manford organised a fundraising comedy gig in Birmingham. Jason

Munford called Steven the most inspiring person he had ever met.

Stephen took part in the show via telephone. Just ten days ago,

Stephen made his final public appearance at his old high school to

break a world record for making heart shaped hand gestures. I'm

going to keep it short and sweet but thank you it is good to be here.

Sadly he's no longer here. But his legacy will live on and other lives

may well be saved thanks to his generous fundraising. Bob Hockenhull

BBC Midlands Today. A book of remembrance has started already. I

am joined now by Guy Evans. What sort of character was Stephen? He

was wonderful, inspirational and has changed Burntwood and put it on the

map. He has made age amend this difference to everyone who lives

around here. I have I been told there are houses festooned around

the town. What are the town going to do to remember him? We will be

looking at various things to remember him both in school and the

community. It is important that we do that because we never want to

forget such a person. What is your overriding memory of Stephen? I

never met him, what was it about him? The most brilliant person with

a smile always on his face. He was always positive and helping others.

He was always playing football on his crutches which was an amazing

thing to do. So playing football on his crutches. One thing Stephen

always said was that he wanted to put fun into fundraising. Stephen's

use of the internet to raise money for the Teenage Cance Trust produced

some staggering statistics. More than one million people

followed his journey on Facebook, and tens of thousands have left

tributes today. Donations came from almost a hundred different

countries. Kevin Reide looks at how Stephen used social media to get his

fundraising message across. After being diagnosed with cancer,

Stephen Sutton decided to use his social media skills to what is now

astonishing affect. He only intended to raise ?10,000 but as the details

of his own life were layed out, the public responded, raising more than

three million. Social media is becoming increasingly important to

charities like The Teenage Cance Trust, who Stephen was fundraising

for and there have been other impressive campaigns across the

globe. Social media helped him as he could post short posts that people

could latch onto and follow in their own way. Social media is becoming

increasingly important to charities like the teenage chance across ``

trust who Stephen was fundraising for. The family of Rachel Beckworth

from Washington in the States raised the equivalent of a more than

?500,000 after she died in a car crash. Eliza O'Neill's family, from

South Carolina, raised over ?300,000 when she was diagnosed with a rare

disease. And Jack Henderson from Edinburgh raised ?32,000 for sick

children, like his brother, after selling drawings via social media.

But no doubt Stephen has attracted the most attention. Anywhere in the

Midlands like here in Coventry for example, people, especially the

young, know who he is. Stephen Sutton. I have seen the campaign on

Facebook. Stephen of course. Yet I've seen him. It is a tough

situation for anyone to being but it was amazing how everybody gathered

together for him. I thought it was really nice. Stephen's story has

been the subject to thousands of social media messages today, all in

recognition of a remarkable young man, but also a remarkable story

which has captured hearts and minds. Kevin Reide, BBC Midlands Today,

Coventry. Before Stephen's death was

announced, he was honoured with an award set up in memory of Diana,

Princess of Wales. Joining us from London his evening is Tessy Ojo,

chief executive of the Diana Award. Good evening. The award has five

categories, tell us more about the one given to Stephen. The category

we have given to Stephen is for the champion fundraiser. It is aimed at

young people who raise money for charitable causes. It is clear to

see why you would give the award to him. He became such an inspiration.

Can you give us an idea of the award and why you chose Stephen in

particular? He is a phenomenal boy. The amount of money he has raised is

just incredible. I had the privilege of meeting him last year and he

began to tell me about his effort last year when he was still aiming

for 10,000. To go way above that is incredible so we are proud to have

given him the award and it is not just about giving him the award, it

is about the community nominating him. We had hundreds of nominations

with people wanting Stephen to be recognised. This is something that

would bring hope and some form of joy to his family. People here are

proud of Stephen. So many chippies have been paid to him today. What

would yours be? I would say he's a legend. I think he has demonstrated

courage, selflessness and hope in the face of adversity. It makes us

think about our everyday inconveniences and think about the

bigger picture. " We've received thousands of comments from you

throughout the day, we'll be reflecting on those at the end of

the programme. Coming up later on Midlands Today:

It cost ?180 million, but is full of rubbish. The new power source for

Staffordshire. And the love affair with cider continues. A record

number of entrants for an international competition in

Hereford. West Midlands Ambulance Service has

been fined ?2.6 million after failing to reach one of its key

targets for life threatening calls. The service failed to achieve the

government's target of attending 75% of emergencies within eight minutes.

Here's our health correspondent Michele Paduano. Life`threatening

emergencies are now split into two categories. It was Red Two where

they failed. This includes strokes and breathing difficulties where

they reached 73.6% in eight minutes. You are there on your own and there

is no one to look after you so we are coming out to look after you.

The trust were on average 12 seconds out, but today in Staffordshire and

Herefordshire it was still missing Red Two, but overall achieving the

targets. We are not happy in the fact we failed to meet the 75%

standard. We have put more focus into this year and have made

improvements and learnt lessons from last year. We have retrained the

structure and are now performing. ?800, 000 has been taken away but

?1.8 million will be reinvested but with strings attached. The 17

funding groups have said quite pointedly that some improvements can

be made without extra money but they are also talking about the remedial

action plans which involves investing money locally in their

areas on things such as staff rotas and hospital turnover times. The

union say it is unfair to take money away and bonkers to give some back.

It is a ridiculous fine it will have an effect on front line services.

There is so much pressure because there are cutbacks elsewhere in the

NHS. That means there are gaps in the services. People have no other

choice but to dial 999 for the ambulance. This former ambulance

chief has said this is the first time the Staffordshire division has

missed a target since 1993. The urban area response time in

Birmingham, in Stoke, in Telford meets standards. But the rural area

response time of Herefordshire or Warwickshire and Worcestershire and

parts of rural style South Staffordshire have not been met.

Management is now helping to improve the East of England's failing

ambulance service is being improved but there is still work to be done

here. Man. BBC Midlands Today.

That's a fall of 13,000 on the last quarter, meaning the unemployment

rate in our region is now 7.8%, still above the national average.

More than 10,000 people are currently claiming jobseekers'

allowance in Wolverhampton, so what's being done in the city to

bring that figure down? Our business correspondent, Peter Plisner, has

been investigating. Long queues for job fair in

Wolverhampton today and for many it was worth the wait. Once inside, job

hunters found scores of employers with hundreds of posts on offer. Out

of work for three years, Jamie Hutchingson, is classed as a NEET.

Someone not in education, employment, or training. I sent off

27 applications to this week alone but you are looking to get one reply

out of a 100. Today's jobs fair was staged close to the Wolverhampton

North East constituency. It's an area where unemployment is twice the

national average. One housing association which has tenants here,

maintains that getting a job with some big employers is next to

impossible. Although there are a huge number of apprenticeships on

offer when you look at some of the major employers in Birmingham, so

people like Jaguar Land Rovers, for a young person who feels very far

away from the world of work, getting an apprenticeship at JLR can feel as

hard as getting a place at Oxford University. Jaguar Rovers' new

engine plant here at the i54 Business Park is just a stone's

throw away from some of the worst affected areas for unemployment. The

company has told us it is working hard with local councils to provide

tailored programmes for local unemployed people. So far, though,

JLR hasn't been able to say how many unemployed people it's likely to

take on. But at another i54 based firm, we found Lee Martin. He's

recently got a job, after several months out of work. At the job

centre it was just offered to me to go for it for work experience, but I

came for the interview and it was a full`time job. Food testing firm

Eurofins has a policy of taking on local unemployed youngsters. Those

people who come and do work experience, we have recruited about

80% into permanent positions because they demonstrated the right values,

work ethic and they enjoy the work they are doing. Put your brag under

because there will still be a little bit of fuel there that comes out.

And that's not all. Across the constituency, a Glasgow based firm

has set up a state`of`the`art training centre. Here a special

pilot programme is helping the long term unemployed become work ready.

We've taken a group of people that were previously unemployed, put them

through this pilot programme to obtain their bus driver's licence.

It has gone very well, we have had at least a 50% success rate. Despite

the continuing fall in unemployment a shortage of skills is still a

problem but it's something that clearly is now being addressed.

A school at the centre of allegations about Muslim hardliners

plotting to take over Birmingham schools has insisted that there is

no extremism at their Academy. Park View School in Alum Rock says it

teaches the national curriculum, and has issued fresh denials saying that

no one has praised Al`Qaeda or denigrated Christianity. The school

is one of 25 being investigated by the City Council and Ofsted.

A project to sell houses in Stoke`on`Trent for just ?1 has been

suspended, after a hole was discovered in the ground. It's a

suspected marl hole ` a pit caused by the excavation of clay. A total

of 33 homes in the Cobridge area are being renovated and sold to buyers,

30 of whom are due to move in by late June.

It's cost ?180 million but will be filled with rubbish. A new power

station in Staffordshire will generate enough electricity for a

small town. All by burning waste. Here's our environment

correspondent, David Gregory`Kumar. On the Four Ashes Industrial Estate

in Staffordshire a brand new building. With a field sized,

plant`filled green roof. A decade after it was first thought of, here

it is. Britain does not grow new energy plant or as you stick with,

incinerator. This plant will tackle the rubbish we can't recycle.

Roughly a third of our household waste. Waste that would otherwise go

to landfill and thanks to the Landfill Tax that's an expensive

option. Anybody living in South Staffordshire, rubbish will becoming

hear. Also parts of the Black Country, and Warwickshire as well.

Anyone who is pretty rubbish into their grey bin, this is where it

ends up. Every year, this plant will say the council ?10 million in land

for tax alone. It also generates electricity. But in the rubbish to

reduce power for 35,000 homes. It goes to be burned. A top operator

can grab five tonnes of rubbish in one go. I came close. 4.26 tonnes of

waste in my drawer. Of course, this also produces ash. But even that is

used. The ash will be taken away and reprocessed and it produces an

aggregate that we can use the construction industry offer making

material. Officially open, this plant will

divert 3000 `` 300,000 tonnes of rubbish from landfill into energy

generation every year. An international competition for

cider makers held in Hereford has attracted more than two hundred

entrants ` a record number. The industry's worth ?3 billion a year

nationwide, and that's rising. As Giles Latcham reports, smaller

producers are now taking on the big boys for a share of the market.

Excuse us, but it is all about preserving the palate between

tastings. Judging is underway in the 15th Annual International Cider and

Perry competition. It is a great job, as they say, someone has got to

do it. We really enjoy coming. The most important thing for us it to

see so many beautiful ciders around. Spitting is optional, but it is

partly because cider is sometimes unpleasant. Not so much these days.

And also because you do not want to take in too much alcohol. There are

218 entrants this year, a record, a reflection of an industry, say

organisers, that is thriving. Gone are the old days' imagery that cider

was the poor man's drink. It has been elevated now and there are such

quality fine ciders being produced. Now, it appeals to a greater

audience. In the competition to find an overall winner, the judges have

narrowed it down to 11 contenders. They are now in the inner sanctuary

at Hereford's Cider Museum. Here, to complete this sensitive, delicate,

and above all secret process. I think it is a very good time to be a

cider producer. Last year, Tom Oliver came out top. A craft

producer from Herefordshire, he is on the small side but he exports as

far afield as the United States. My motto is, I take what the fruit

gives, it must give you a story, it must not just be on the first or

second slip, it must unfold as you drink it. Back in Hereford, the

overall winner is from the Somerset. But a couple of lads making cider in

their mum's kitchen, just goes to show, small is good. Sometimes it is

good to be winning awards next to the big guys in cider making. The

bending boughs, the ancient orchards, all speak of the past.

This is an industry with a very rosy future.

The temperatures are ripening quite nicely. We'll see them peak on

Saturday, but that could in turn induce some heavy showers. Other

than that, it's all looking largely dry. The high pressure's firmly

anchored over us keeping the area clear of any fronts. There is,

however, potential interference from this one to the northwest but only

to the extent it'll push more cloud our way from time to time, and as it

does so, that may also create a bit of mistiness through the nights and

early mornings. We see an example of this tonight. The cloud is thicker

across the Northern counties, clearer towards the south.

Therefore, there will be a different in temperatures. Those of six

Celsius in Herefordshire will stop temperatures in double digits in the

north of the region. We start the day tomorrow with cloud continuing

to sink South and it lingers through the day. The reason is there is a

difference in wind direction tomorrow will stop it becomes

north`easterly. A cloudy day overall, compared with today. There

will also be some sunshine in the afternoon and some sunny spells. It

is still very warm. In southern counties, 80 degrees or 90 degrees

practically `` 18 Celsius or 19 Celsius. Tomorrow night is similar

to tonight. The drop in temperature will not be so drastic. Temperatures

across the board will be in double figures. Lows of ten to 12 Celsius.

Some cloud, too. Friday maybe a bit dull and risky to start off with,

but other than that it should be sunny. Temperatures are on the rise.

Highs of 21 Celsius on Friday and Saturday. In particular, some

showers in the south of the region. Back now to our main story here on

Midlands Today, the death of 19`year`old Stephen Sutton. In a

moment we'll reflect on some of the thousands of comments you've been

sending us, but first let's return to Stephen's hometown of Burntwood,

and his old school. Joan Cummins is there for us. Joan, give us a sense

of what people have been telling you today.

Everybody has been speaking about what an inspiration Stephen Sutton

was. It is important to say is to because everyone is his legacy to be

positive. They want his commitment to making a difference to carry on.

People are queueing to sign in the book of remembrance and Stephen

himself said, although he did not beat cancer, and bad things happen,

it is how you deal with life that actually defines you as a person.

That is what Stephen will be remembered for.

We've had an unprecedented response on our Facebook page to Stephen's

death, with thousands of tributes and comments. Helen Richardson

wrote, "He will be missed but never be forgotten, an inspirational and

very brave young man". David Cowan said, "Such courage and dignity

shown by Stephen. I hope other young people will take inspiration from

his journey and the message he sent". Helen Reeves said, "What an

incredible legacy this fine, brave young man left the world"! And Paula

Pugh posted, "In your short life, you have given far more than many

ever will. Your memory and legacy will live on."

And there have been thousands of tweets about Stephen, too. James

Andrews tweeted, "RIP Stephen Sutton. Your contribution to

humanity has only just begun. You've made the world a better place". This

one from Karen Hathaway, "An inspirational young man. Stephen,

you made a difference"! Tony Goddard had this to say about Stephen, "Some

people make you stop and appreciate life and how lucky you are. Truly

inspirational the bravest of the brave".

From everyone at Midlands Today, good evening.

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