21/02/2017 Midlands Today

Birmingham Children's Hospital becomes the first specialist centre

I think previously we weren't listening properly, a lot of staff

on the ground have concerns about the way care was given and the stuff

wasn't there at the right time or with the right equipment.

And we'll be reporting on another development at the hospital today -

the opening of a new support centre for bereaved parents.

Growing problem: with another hundred fridges found dumped today,

investigators are now dealing with 12 cases of fly-tipping

People believe that this is a victimless crime. Actually, it

isn't. What we are seeing here is the taxpayer yet again picking up

the bill for someone's anti-social behaviour.

Testing their mettle: training time for the women aiming to become

the first all female team to ski coast to coast across the Antarctic.

The teenagers building their own bikes as part of their GCSEs.

And after a few mild days, a change is on the way

With weather warnings in place I'll have all the latest

Good evening. And we start with good news!

Eight years after it was criticised by health inspectors

for not having enough beds, operating theatres or trained staff,

Birmingham Children's Hospital has become the first of its kind

It's been praised by health inspectors for turning

BBC Health correspondent Jane Dreaper reports.

Conor's just seven months old and recovering

in intensive care from a liver transplant.

Home is 50 miles away so older brother James has

changed school. Give him a kiss.

It's a tough time for the whole family but they feel supported

We've nearly lost him several times over the last

six weeks we've been here, we can really

close and without them we

wouldn't have a child that's laying in this bed and while he is still

quite poorly, we have him here and we have every faith

that we will get to take him home, and that's the

only ask as a parent of a sick child.

This is the play and admissions Centre, designed to distract and

relax young patients before their treatment.

Inspectors have been impressed with the hospital's

This hospital has come a long way since it was criticised by

Back then, a report found shortage of

Paying much closer attention to the views of patients and staff...

And listening to their ideas has helped change the culture in

Birmingham and encourage better teamwork.

Eight years ago we were in an organisation that certainly was

not listening to our staff, that was not listening

to what people and families were saying, and

it was in a really difficult place through focusing on those areas, our

patient engagement, staff engagement we have

now got to a position where

Some of the children in outpatients need repeated

appointments so it is vital they feel comfortable.

A couple of weeks ago I was with the doctor who wasn't

like scary or anything, it was very...

relaxed and like he actually like help me, like I felt

Is it scary when you come here or do you feel OK about

it? I feel OK about it.

The staff here believe they can improve care

even further but today is a huge moment, showing how this hospital

And you've been getting in touch with your experiences

there and says "The staff and doctors are absolutely

fantastic, can't praise them enough for all the work they do"

They operated on Vivienne Godfrey's 11-year-old son when he

She says "He was so well looked after...

"And we were able to take him home weeks before

While a little further back in time - Linz Harris was also

She wrote on facebook "I can't thank them enough,

of many of you when he posted " Well done BCH, nice to see

"a success story about the NHS and in Brum too, brilliant."

Thank you to all of you who got in touch.

Now, earlier today our reporter Nicola Beckford went to see

a new ?1 million centre at the hospital.

Magnolia House has been specially designed for and by families

and children who are facing the toughest of times.

Gayle Routeledge's son Lewis was cared for at

Birmingham Childrens' Hospital but sadly he died from a rare form

of cancer when he was just two years old.

As you can see it's just a beautiful large space for us.

and families facing the worst of times.

We had a lot of difficult conversations over those two years,

this is -- decisions we needed to make about treatment and most of

those discussions were in offices or in Little rooms and that is

difficult, when you are trying to process information and understand

what lies ahead for your child. Gayle joined a network of bereaved

families who played a key part So we have here the sitting room

that we are in now, there is a children's area in the corner as

well. There is a beautiful outdoor area, so fresh air, again, you can

see the sky, you have light which is lovely.

Magnolia house is the first centre in the uk designed specifically

to cater for families facing life changing news.

It cost one million pounds to build and it was funded

Three quarters of the money was raised by Birmingham

The remainder came from local fundraising

On a day that the hospital was praised for its good work

For around 120 children and young people a year, sadly they pass away

in our care. And it is so important for families that the way that news

is shared with them is done in the most appropriate way that there is

lots of time and space. With the centre now officially

opened it's hoped it will it will provide a sanctuary

for children and families A 39-year-old Imam from

Stoke-on-Trent has appeared before Magistrates in London charged

with encouraging support for Kamran Sabir-Hussain,

from Tunstall is alleged to have committed the offences

while preaching at a small mosque in the city between June

and September last year. Mr Hussain has been remanded

in custody, and is due to appear A retired police officer

from Shropshire has been told he can't keep his police dog,

despite a petition asking But the force says Ivy has many

years of service ahead of her and will be passed

onto another handler. The family says it's

devastated and will be looking Police have cordoned off an area of

water in Edgbaston just before three today. The body has been found, and

has not been formally identified at this stage, enquiries are ongoing.

You'll have noticed we've reported on a number of large-scale

fly-tipping cases recently which have blighted

Today, the Environment Agency has confirmed the problem is on the rise

and organised gangs are even using "professional spotters"

to scout the countryside for places to dump their waste.

We're being urged to look out for them and report our suspicions.

No fewer than 12 cases are currently being investigated

The latest involving more than a hundred

fridges dumped overnight in a lane in Birmingham.

Laura May McMullan has been to two sites in Staffordshire today

which will cost up to ?20,000 to clear.

A steaming, stinking pile dumped along the A50 near Uttoxeter.

The farmer who owns the land says around

40 tonnes of household waste was dumped here around a week ago

and he's told me that it's going to cost

him personally around ?8,000 to clear it.

Domestic waste including children's toys, bedding and nappies

We're absolutely disgusted, we are in shock.

And moreover we are sad that we are sad

because this area is so beautiful and some individual has chosen to

It's absolutely disgusting that people have just come and just

dumped rubbish instead of taking it to the proper places.

The Environment Agency says it's because the waste removal can

They say fly-tippers are organised and some

even using professional spotters to seek out dumping grounds.

People can now get an unlimited fine or a

For this type of activity, and we also will follow

through proceeds of crime or anything to ensure we get the money

In just the last few weeks, there have been other incidents.

Ten foot high blocks of rubbish were discovered in a Staffordshire

Moorlands, and the next day mounds of medical waste found at Madeley

And the latest, just last night, 110 fridges

What we will be looking to do is get them

forensically examined, it's one of the things

that we now do to try and build up a database of who's

doing this, and hopefully eventually, if they aren't already

on the register they will be caught for this.

The Environment Agency says it's everyone's job to tackle

this kind of crime because it affects every taxpayer.

As the Environment Agency continues investigations so are we.

If you're affected by flytipping where you live we'd very much

Send your pictures and stories to us here, email us

at [email protected] or join the debate on our facebook

It's day one of the National Farmers Union Conference in Birmingham -

and a key moment as the industry prepares for Brexit

and a future outside the Common Agricultural Policy.

It'll be younger farmers who'll have to farm outside the European Union,

so we asked Rural Affairs correspondent David Gregory Kumar

to find out what they think the future holds:

When he's not dealing with new arrivals on his Penkridge

farm, Richard Bower spends a lot of time thinking about the future.

I spoke to my local MP last week, last Friday, and we asked him about

what trade deals we might get, what kind of access to labour and what

agricultural policy would look like in the future and he threw it

straight back at me and said he is not an expert in this area, we are

the farmers, we are the experts and through the NFU we need to use the

channel for the information. So the big NFU meeting

in Birmingham today isn't just about the newest tractors

or the latest farming ideas... It's a chance to rethink our entire

approach to farming . And Richard is at the heart

of things leading a group of younger NFU members

from across the countr putting their point

of view to NFU chiefs. So this is a very interesting graph,

this is productivity of farms by age of the farmer. And as you can see

younger farmers at the bottom are much more productive. So in an

unsure world post Brexit those much more productive younger farmers

could well be key to the future of agriculture. Welcome to lower

Visitors are another important source of income on this farm.

And the tour guide is Richard's dad Ray.

Ray remembers farming life before the EU.

It has never been easy, food prices over the last 12 months, food prices

have been up and down, technology prices have been up and down and we

aren't out of the club yet. After a massive shake up then what

will new British farming look like? More efficient certainly,

perhaps greener? And with a stronger

focus on consumers. By choosing to Brexit the British

consumer has chosen to remain British and hopefully this is

choosing British produce, produced jobs, British products but also

hopefully backing British farming. Creating a new world

for British agriculture, driven by farmers like Richard

starts today in Birmingham And David is at the ICC

in Birmingham now, as the first day of the NFU conference draws

to a close. Well it has been an interesting day

and the mood has been interesting as well. Let's talk a will farmer from

Oswestry, Malcolm Roberts will stop what is the mood to be like here

today? Very much upbeat. We realise Brexit will happen and for the

farming community it is really important now to get the best out of

a Brexit deal. So the NFU has a lot of ideas, what is it you are 20

cheap as an organisation? We want profitable farming businesses

feeding the nation but at the topmost it has to be profitable but

basically what we want is to campaign with the government that we

need a good trade deal. We must have as much access to that single market

as possible, at little or no cost, obviously there could be some

implications, there. On top of that we need access to a good labour

force. So you need people to come from Europe to pick food. In some

form or fashion we need that staff and labour. Skilled labour is

difficult, unemployment is quite low in this country and you get this

product picked at the right time and put on the shelves, and don't forget

that has extended into the food processing plants, we need all that

availability to labour. The third thing that we do realise and we are

pressing the government for is domestic policy, that will underpin

the volatility of food production, you know, and the fact that we are

dealing with the elements that the world will throw at us so there are

three issues, trade, labour, and domestic policy. I have to say, it

has been as Malcolm has said, in an upbeat conference so far, and as the

minister said so far today, it is a once in a generation chance to

reshape rigid farmers, and farmers here today are excited by that.

Thanks for joining us on Midlands Today, this

is our top story tonight: Birmingham Children's Hospital

becomes the first specialist centre to be rated as "outstanding".

If you're of a nervous disposition, Beccy will tell you it's best not

to listen to the weather forecast this evening,

If you like your weather calm and settled, it's

By Thursday we can expect strong winds and heavy rain as Storm Doris

I'll have a full update on what we can expect a little

Also this evening, What an incentive to do your homework!

The teenagers making their own bikes as part of their GCSEs!

Well, Beccy's warned us of some grim weather to come

in the next 24 hours, but nothing to what this

A team of soldiers, including four from the Midlands,

are hoping to become the first all-female group to cross

During a three month expedition, they'll face temperatures

of minus 40 degrees - and they'll be walking in that

for up to nine hours a day during the 1,700 kilometre mission

which will take them to the South Pole and beyond.

Our reporter Phil Mackie joined them for some

The Ice Maiden team is heading out across a frozen Norwegian lake

at the start of its final training exercise.

At the south pole, conditions will be even more

In September, these soldiers will begin their historic

journey, hoping they'll succeed and its inspire

One of the leaders is Major Natalie Taylor from Lichfield.

It's not just about five women crossing

Antarctica, it's about encouraging women from across the military but

also civilian life just to get out therem give things ago and

realise there is no ceiling, you can achieve anything.

These are the pods, this is what they are going to

have to pullacross the Antarctic with them, carrying everything they

need for that journey, they are going to weigh between 70 to 80

kilos, and that's in most cases more than their own body weight.

We're just going to have, oh, hot chocolate with orange today.

Home for the next few weeks and for the

80 days of the expedition will be a small tent.

It will be the bedroom, living room and kitchen.

The team is determined and brave,

who is based in Redditch but comes from Cannock admits

I am concerned that there is a potential we're going to lose a

finger or two so that's in the back of my mind

but that's not enough to

The only other thing is I'm worried about are more if I do

something wrong that stops the team from achieving its aims.

And one of the hardest things will be maintaining morale as each long

Lieutenant Zana baker is from Hereford.

Various a song that sticks in my head and I

just keep singing that and plodding along to it and yeah, the hours

disappear, and eventually it is night time and

you are inside the tent for

12 hours or what ever it is, and then you wake up in the morning

and you just have to, yes, the worst

thing you have to do all the day is get out of the tent and then once

that's done... It's just another day.

Two will be reserves, as five can cross the Antarctic where they hope

to break the ice ceiling, putting them in the history books alongside

explorers like Scott Shackleton and Amundsen.

Phil Mackie reporting from Norway - and weren't

Some stunning aerial shots too, from our cameraman Kevin Church.

The end of the season simply can't come too soon,

after yet another defeat against Newcastle ...

Plus a painful injury to one of their big-money signings.

So not even the most optimistic Villa fan expected them to return

For most of the first half, Villa played well without scoring.

But then, just a couple of minutes before the break,

Newcastle took full advantage of a goalmouth scramble

And Steve Bruce knew they faced an uphill battle

No surprise when the home side doubled their lead on the hour ...

w2hich means Villa have now taken just one point from their last eight

And as if that wasn't bad enough, their new striker Scott Hogan

Still waiting for news on his ankle injury.

It happened near the end of the game.

Hogan was clearly in some pain after landing awkwardly

Villa are waiting for the results of a scan before they'll

know exactly how long he could be missing.

But it's a real body blow for Steve Bruce who says it's been

a tough eight weeks, and he's never known

By the way, Villa are now six points above the relegation zone.

Their last win was back on Boxing Day against Burton Albion

who travel to their near neighbours Derby County tonight.

And if Burton manage to win, they'll jump above Villa

On to some brighter news and West Bromwich Albion today

named one of it's staff as their Premier League Kicks Hero.

Each club has selected a staff member who's worked tirelessly

in their local community and for Albion it was Dean Burton.

The 24-year-old helps young unemployed people into sport

to give them confidence and enhance their lives.

His reward included a comic strip about himself written

Never saw anything like it to be honest

so it is really good for the

Premier League to come up with something like that.

because like I say, it's overwhelming.

It's not easy for kids to follow and tearful things at a

young age but he's done that and he's worked

his way through and the

other lads in that room that Dean is working with,

can inspire someone else or a couple of them lads to follow in his

I see the Warwickshire pace bowler Chris Woakes is in the money,

after being signed up to play in the Indian Premier League.

Yes, Woakes is one of several England players to have been signed

Kolkata Knight Riders paid half a million pounds for him.

But that means he'll be missing for most

It's exactly 100 days to the ICC Champions Trophy.

Edgbaston will stage five games in June.

And Warwickshire's Director of Cricket Ashley Giles says

he's resigned to being without Chris Woakes

It's a bit more disappointing for us in that you know we were hoping to

see Woakes at the start of the season but we totally

delighted for him as well because it's

a fantastic opportunity and

there is no point in, you know, skirting around the financial issue,

it's also extremely rewarding so well done to Woakes,

we will miss him but you know, I'm sure he'll have a

Building top of the range bikes isn't something you'd normally

But that's exactly what pupils are doing at a school in Shropshire.

Teenagers studying GCSE Design and Technology at Adams Grammar

in Newport are using computers and hands-on skills to make

bicycles which they then get to keep themselves.

Arriving for lessons at Adams Grammar in Newport

on their bicycles - something many teenagers enjoy doing

but this is a journey to school with a twist.

What makes this trip totally unique though

is these pupils are not only

riding their bikes to school, they've also built

Resembling a factory floor, in the school workshop -

the teenagers are busy creating the bikes' steel frames.

They've used computer and geometry skills to work out the design.

At the end of the school year they should have a GCSE in Design

and Technology and a new bike which they can keep.

We are used to looking at this metal, which is quite valuable for

engineering, and it is very practical and helpful, different

from normal school. When you see a bygone shelf, it is not related to

the amount of effort had actually text.

The school bike project is believed to be unique.

It's the brainchild of teacher Andrew Jones.

He builds frames in his spare time and realised the skills involved

So what we have here is something which is a brilliant skill set, it

is really special to them, and if you remember what you build that

school in your DT project, they can save they built a bike and they have

that as a legacy overtime, that's something they are proud of and we

are really proud of. Some of the components are supplied

free from companies. Parents like Nigel Tufft,

have also got involved contributing to the cost

and delighted their children are developing a passion for cycling

which they otherwise When most parents look at the

capability of the 15-year-old they don't think they are capable of

building a bike and then miraculously Mr Jones inspires them

to do just that. And I was really impressed with the quality and

dedication of all the kids building their bikes.

33 bikes are currently under construction -

it's a school made cycle production line - and ideal preparation,

say the teachers, for a future career in industry.

Bob Hockenhull, BBC Midlands Today, Shropshire.

Finally, staff at Tewkesbury Abbey have put out an appeal for knitters

willing to help them celebrate its 900th

But it's gradually hoping to increase that number to 900,

one for every year the Abbey has been in service.

And Beccy's starting tonight AFTER she's given us the forecast..

I don't know about knitted monks, but Thursday I'll be opting

for knitting myself a jumper - could never manage sleeves though -

But no need for woollies at the moment, it's still mild

with some brighter spells at times today, which helped to push up

But still plenty of cloud around, so for some, the only colour came

But with some cloud breaks and brighter spells,

temperatures made it up to 14 Celsius in Herefordshire, and it's

in from the flowers, like these crocusses

Don't be fooled though - winter is preparing to bite back!

You may have heard about storm Doris, there is a Met Office Amber

weather warning in place from 6am on Thursday for strong winds.

Gusts of 60-70mph possible, with 80mph gusts not

and around that there is a yellow warnings.

Gusts of 60-70mph possible, with 80mph gusts not

But still relatively calm at the moment with cloudy

conditions, some rain for the north midlands, and the breeze

is strengthening, but overnight temperatures holding up

between eight and 11 Celsius - that's above average for the time

of year during the day, so still mild.

A cloudy and mild start to tomorrow with the rainband stalling over us,

further south there will be some rain breaks, but still

Mild again with highs of 13 Celsius - where we get any brighter spells

That band of rain will steadily clear to the north and east

during the overnight period into Thursday to give a brief window

Storm Doris will move through - the centre of the low pressure

system crossing Scotland, BUT see how tightly packed

the isobars are over the north midlands, gusts of up

Much colder, a touch of high ground clearing by the end of the day -

Much colder, a touch of high ground snow.

But do stay across the forecast for the next few days,

And on tomorrow's Midlands Today we'll be finding out how recovering

drug and alcohol addicts in Staffordshire are turning

to a local farm to help them back into society.

Full details tomorrow evening at 6.30

I'll be back at ten thirty with your late update,

Nawal El Saadawi, the world-renowned Egyptian author

A fearless feminist facing a world in turmoil.

Imagine... She Spoke The Unspeakable.