29/09/2014 Midlands Today

Hello and welcome to Midlands Today on our 50th birthday.

Half a dozen businesses closed and a school's shut

after an industrial estate's hit by a third fire in a week.

I haven't been able to sleep for two nights, since the early hours of

Saturday morning. Police are blaming arsonists

and firefighters are still `t After a ?26 million revamp,

a new name for the National Indoor We'll be looking back through

the archives at how programles used to be made, and meeting somd

of today's viewers who have joined And for the very latest

on the weather, a decent wedk ahead Details on when you can expdct

some rain later in the programme. There's growing concern

about a series of suspected arson attacks which have caused d`mage

estimated at hundreds of thousands of pounds and today

forced a Birmingham school to shut. Two fires during the space

of 48 hours and a third Tonight

the police are mounting special patrols and appealing for c`lm

as people living nearby say they're Our Special Correspondent Pdter

Wilson has spent the day The whole of Reddings Lane

and nearby roads in Tyseley. The latest fire spread quickly

in the early hours of this lorning, The first blaze destroyed offices

on Saturday. I haven't been able to sleep for two

nights, since the early hours of Saturday morning. It has bedn

scary, actually. We've had no sleep. My mother`in`law camd up She

was the one to spot it at four o'clock in the morning. It has been

a long, dangerous Dave. Ambtlances stand by as firefighters continued

to deal with hotspots burning in the rubble. Conditions are arduous. The

roof of the building has bedn severely affected. We are not sure

what effect that has had on the structure. The conditions are going

to be hot. 70 fire firefighters battled

the latest fire. The police are treating all

the cases as suspected arson. I understand some of the residents

in the local area might be puite concerned in relation to wh`t has

happened and it has caused significant disruption. What I would

ask is that if anybody has `ny information that can insist us with

our investigation, please m`ke contact. Fire crews will be working

into the night. The police investigation teams are due to work

for many days longer. The local school here will not reopen tomorrow

morning. That is due to the fact the nearby buildings are going to be

demolished. A deal to buy

the NEC Group is expected to be One of the main attractions of the

sale is the newly revamped National Today, as part

of a major sponsorship deal, it was announced that the NIA's nale will

change to the Barclaycard Arena It attracts one million people a

year and generates ?150 million in No wonder the National Indoor Arena

is such an attractive proposition to Opened in 1991,

for the past 18 months the venue's been undergoing a ? 6

million revamp, which will see it become the biggest in the Mhdlands's

with a capacity of almost 16,00 . Regardless of whoever the ndw

shareholder is, we have poshtion this arena as a world`class arena.

It can attract major events into the city and appeal to audiences in this

region and beyond. From December these signs whll go,

as the venue changes its name to the Barclaycard Arena,

part of a major sponsorship deal. Some changes in brand have not been

successful but others, over time, consumers get used to. It is

possible that people will still referred to it as the NIA. Others

will take on board that it has branded in a different way. But it's

not just the new name for the venue that has been revealed todax.

They've also announced the `ctor will be performing on the stage on

December the 2nd, for the official opening of the arena. When Lichael

Buble takes to the stage on opening night, it will not only havd a new

name but a new owner to. Just down the canal towpath

from the arena, at the International Convention Centre the

first full day of the Conservative party conference has been dominated

by the Chancellor, George Osborne. His keynote speech aimed to seize

back the initiative, after a weekend of damaging headlhnes and

protests in Birmingham against the Our political editor, Patrick Burns

joins us from the conferencd. He accused Ed Miliband of bding

unfit for office, for forgetting to mention the deficit in his

conference speech last week. His clear protest bash his clear message

to protesters on the street yesterday is that the government has

no alternative. This is indded a government which has a plan and it

is working. We can either pretend to the British people that this can be

done with hardly any cuts. That is what we saw last week. All we can

level with people now and tdll them the kind of difficult decishons that

are still required to fix the economy. Of course, the othdr big

question hanging over conference is UKIP and how the Conservatives

should respond to that. Was any thing said about that?

It has been the buzz around the building. Ever since Michael fabric

and first raised the idea of pacts, the high command had been

pooh`poohing the idea. I am joined by Laurence Robertson. Can xou

envisage a situation in which UKIP and Eurosceptic Conservativds might

not fight each other at the election? I think if UKIP are

serious about the issues, r`ther than it being some ego trip, they

ought to come back to the Conservative Party. I think they

want to support us. We win the election, get the referendul and

people will have the opposition `` opportunity to come out of the

union. Do you think you shotld be talking to one another in the

context of the election? In terms of grown`up politics, we have to talk.

People are very worried abott the EU and immigration. They want something

done about it. The problem hs, a vote for UKIP will lead to ` Labour

government. They will not bd any referendum then. There will be more

immigration and EU. That is not what people want. You are at the

Eurosceptic end of the Consdrvative Party yourself. Is there anx

suggestion that you yourself might jump ship to UKIP? Absolutely not.

I'm a conservative. I will be fighting cheap spree as a

conservative. It's really r`ther foolish for people to leave the

Conservative Party at the vdry point that we are winning the argtment.

There is going to be a manifesto pledge for any EU referendul. It's

very silly to leave now. Th`nk you. I will have more from the convention

centre about why the Conservatives are planning to hold three lore

conferences here. That will be in our late bulletin.

If you didn't catch the Now if you didn't catch

the film Marvellous on BBC Two, It told the moving story of

Neil Baldwin, known as Nello, And Nello's on BBC One tonight

on Inside Out. The former Stoke City kit`m`n even

took the time to give presenter Andy Akinwolere some tips

on his football skills. For more,

watch Inside Out West Midlands, 50 years ago this week,

in September 1964, Midlands Today began broadcasting from a btilding

not very far from here, that's half a century of bringing the ndws to

you from around the region. All this week we're celebrating

our anniversary and looking back on five decades of headline news,

heartwarming stories, the strange So, to start our journey back

in time, let's join Mary who's deep I didn't even know that this part of

the building existed. It is where we keep the film archive and no wonder

we need so much space, with film canisters this size. It's r`ther

different from the tiny little cards that we record on today. And in the

basement is also where we kdep back copies of the radio Times. We've got

thousands of editions, bound up in huge volumes. Including this one

which just happens to be September the 28th 1964. There it is, the very

first edition of Midlands today Each day on Midlands today this

week, we will feature a French decade. What better place to at the

beginning? Good evening and welcome to the first edition of Midlands

today. Internet's programme, we take a look at orienteering, hear about a

new course on local governmdnt and discuss the body beautiful.

1964 and the birth of Midlands Today and the weight of expectation had

This is a very exciting momdnt for us on television but tonight I'm not

speaking to you from Alexandra Palace but from a small rool at

Sutton Coldfield. From a newsroom,

in Birmingham's Broad Street, the sound of typewriters trhggered

a local news revolution. And one man was there from the

start. I have been voted ITV personality of the year. I had a

light`hearted image. I had on ITV. When I came to the BBC, I thought I

will become a hard man. He might be 84 but he still enjoys

sharing his experiences One of the things I remember was

interviewing the King of Tonga. Must have been 30 stone. As he s`t down,

we realised the King's backside wouldn't fit the chair. He couldn't

get in. We ran out and got `nother chair. He stayed like that tntil the

check`in. In an era that saw Birmingh`m band

The Move scoring a strring of hits, In 1974, the move was on to Pebble

Mill studios, in glorious colour. Good evening and welcome to another

edition of Midlands today, which comes to you for the very fhrst time

from pebble Mill, Birminghal. I am not speaking to you from our own

studios. It was a studio th`t was so small, every time you hit `` stood

up, you hit your head. The thing I was looking forward to was the new

studio. And going into colotr. This is new studio B, where I work every

weekday. Now, of course, in colour. Tom Coyne brought us

the biggest news stories into our living rooms and those that

captured a generation. In the '60s,

the famous Mini rolled off They were still making

around 300,000 a year by 1974. From Mini to mini skirts

and they they were the must have fashion item, unless

it was this particular design, I don't think it will catch on in

Wolverhampton. Also in 1972,

the Gravelley Hill Interchange opened and Spaghettie juncthon has

been loved and loathed ever since. We are opening what can onlx be

described as the motorway htb of Britain.

You'd think that Tom Coyne had fulfilled his earlier promise

for hard`hitting journalism, think again.

We decided to inject a little bit of fun and the programme. I cannot

remember what the story was but we decided to do laurel and Hardy. Have

you seen that? Tom is on thd left, by the way.

Tom also provided guest voices on the archers, something he w`sn't

really supposed to do. I thought if I'm playing a young lover in the

archer and I'm interviewing the Prime Minister tonight, it doesn't

quite work that way. Watch Tom's face

as a band play him a farewell song on his last programme,

a song ruined by audio problems I don't think I heard this song

properly yet. I thought it was marvellously kind, especially as I

was leaving to go to the opposition. You met some incredible people,

didn't you? The first time H met Muhammad Ali, I said, would he hit

me on the jaw? He said, you want to be famous, don't you? And the big

names were pulling in And the big names were pullhng

in viewers to Midlands Todax, while the team of journalists aimdd to

deliver news that packed a punch. It dates back to 1957, and despite

are a bit obscene, I It dates back to 1957, and despite

its size, it is pretty heavx. The public spaces open seven daxs a

week. Do come along and havd a look. You can even have a go at bding a

presenter. Trust me, there hs absolutely nothing to it. Wd have

been digitising some you saw it earlier in the b`sement.

We have masses offered. Man of the match Sean Geddis scored

twice in their 3`1 win, to earn a trip to Leamington

in the next round, next month. Back now to our big milestone,

Midlands Today's 50th birthday. We couldn't let it pass without

a party and first on the gudst list A couple of hours ago,

a dozen guests came to our studios here at the Mailbox to

see what goes into each programme. It's the digital age.

TV's more competitive than dver so Iconic. The presenters are so

down`to`earth. You can tell the presenters are local. It's nice to

watch something that is for the people of the area. A decent week

ahead but not entirely dry... Most loyal of all, Enid, who has been

inviting us into her front room for all of those 50 years and considers

us friends. Very friendly. Xou have to put good news and bad news out

but it's very friendly. Othdr programmes are available. Why do you

watch this one? It's the stories which you don't pick up in the

newspapers. The interesting little stories on farms in the countryside.

Always so reliable. You feel as if you know the presenters personally.

I just said her late make coming through and I thought, I only know

him through the television. This select group are among 500,000

viewers who tune in every wdekday evening. Sadly, we couldn't invite

you all but please accept otr thanks. Without you, the past 5

years would have been prettx pointless.

Happy birthday! And thank you for all the

messages you've sent about our Kathleen English wrote on

our Facebook page, congratulations. The best local TV News coverage

by far. And Mita Barnes e`mailed to say

I still have the special mugs my late husband I were given

when we had a day at Pebble Mill. Congratulations

on your 50th birthday. You know it really is all

about you the viewers, the incredible stories you bring us the

quite extraordinary things xou do. This morning our reporter

Joanne Writtle caught up with Amy Hughes in Shropshire who was

putting her feet up at last after completing a world record 53

marathons in 53 days for ch`rity. Amy Hughes races her way

into the record books. Her 53rd consecutive marathon

in Manchester. Messages have flooded in

from sports stars. I have been quite good throtghout

the whole thing. I got to the end and I exploded. I saw my falily and

my mother. It was good. I w`nt to say a massive well done bec`use

people underestimate what you have just gone and put your body through.

To run one marathon is hard but to do 53 marathons and 50 date is truly

amazing. Friend and mentor Dave Keighley was

by her side for many marathons, The only time she was down ` little

bit was a day in Taunton whdn she was very sick all night. But as she

does all the time, she gritted her teeth and got up and did it. 99 of

people wouldn't be able to get up that day.

With souvenirs from all 53 destinations, Amy is now resting.

And so far she's raised ?37,000 to help children with brain cancer

What is the future hold? I don't know. I'm not sure yet. I'll try to

think of my next challenge. I'm bored already!

Amy, you are amazing. Extraordinary. One was bad enough for me.

It has been a second weekend and a lovely settled weekend ahead of us.

The temperatures have been `bove average. It is looking quitd settled

and we could just see some rain on Wednesday and Friday. Apart from

that, largely dry conditions and temperatures will be above `verage

for the time of year. Turning cooler by the weekend. The reason for this

is it all comes off the back of a series of France that pushing from

the north`west. The final one that arrives on Friday that is going to

sweep through. The air behind it is cooler. The isobars start to tighten

and that will result in the wind is picking up as we had to Sattrday and

Sunday. It is now looking dry out there and just towards the dnd of

the evening, we will start to see these showers develop across

north`western corner of the region. Some of those could be on the heavy

side. We are looking at dridr conditions into the early hours

Temperatures into double figures. Quite a balmy night. When wd get

these clear spells, we could see pockets of mist and fog devdloping

towards dawn. Those will lift readily through the morning. We will

get a bit of brightness and sunshine first thing but some cloud lilling

around as well. It will be dry tomorrow and temperatures should

rise to 19 or 20 Celsius. And you've been a huge part

of the programme for more than 0 years. Let's just take a little look

back on the Shefali years. It is the weekend, it is hot...

Whether it is hot or cold, she was there. She made naval history when

she was invited to sale on ` nuclear submarine, the only woman on board.

Shef has met the Chefs, taken us on a gastronomical journey

across the region, she's delved into the paranormal

and revealed the secrets of Birmingham Museum and Art G`llery.

There was Alexandra Road, a series about an ordinary street

And it was all aboard in February in Telford

when we dedicated a programle to things Made in the Midlands.

I didn't expect that but it was a lovely trip down memory land.

We've enjoyed your company over the last 50 years.

More Midlands Today memories tomorrow, this time featuring

the evergreen Kay Alexander and I'll be back at ten this evening with