11/11/2011 South Today

Hello, I'm Sally Taylor, welcome to South Today. In tonight's

programme: The South remembers, and for many

the tributes to the fallen are very personal.

When he was in combat, that is what he lived for, really, and he felt

being in the infantry, that is what they were for, they were there to

fight and he loved every minute of The next generation remembers those

who gave their lives as a new war memorial is unveiled.

Proud of them because they represented our country, and they

fought for us. Goodbye humble train ticket, hello

smartcard as one train company takes the plunge.

And the hard-working ten-year-old carer who has just won a top

At 11am this morning, people fell silent right across the South to

remember those who have died for their country. It is a national

tradition that began 93 years ago, and it seems to grow more powerful

with every passing year. In Berkshire, the Poppy Appeal is set

to break records, with nearly a million pounds raised. Today in

Southampton, new additions to the city's war memorial were unveiled,

and our reporter Steve Humphrey is there for us now.

The service held here at the Cenotaph in Southampton was one of

many held across the south, and it was a very special ceremony because

they have unveiled these brand new glass panels which include the

names of over 3,000 local people who have died in wars and conflicts

since 1914. The reason they have put the names on the glass panels

is that the original names on the 19-year-old Senedd have have begun

to a road. Amongst those taking part today were friends and family

of some of those killed in Afghanistan. Chris Coneybeer has

been talking to the father of a Reading soldier who was killed in

Helmand province, and has also been speaking to a senior army officer

whose regiment has suffered very many losses over recent years.

It began with a him. Then, from different points around the parade

ground, the names of all of those who have died since the rifles were

formed five years ago were read out, 77 of them. Corporal Robinson,

Afghanistan, 2009. Then, the We have clearly suffered a

tremendous number of soldiers killed, and so as a family it is

critical for us to come together and remember those who have fallen.

The focal point of the service was the new memorial which records the

names of those from Ford Battalion the rifles who have died in Iraq,

Afghanistan and the UK. There were relatives at the service, among

them some who had all too recently suffered a loss. But the work goes

on. For rifles is currently the spearhead battalion, ready to

respond at short notice to go anywhere needed. Across the south,

many paused for thought today. Chris Green laid a wreath and

tended the grave of his son Richard, who was killed in Afghanistan last

year. When he was in combat, that is what he lived for, really, and

he felt being in the infantry, that is what they were for, they were

there to fight and he loved every minute of that. I guess the nation

is feeling a pride for people like him, and we should feel a pride for

them, we should be proud of what they did and it is about

remembering them as well, which is important to the families.

Amongst those holding special ceremonies today were the people

down at Lee-on-the-Solent. They have added two names to their war

memorial, one is a local man who died in Malaya in 1950, another is

a local man who died in the Falklands war in 1982.

For two minutes, many people stopped what they were doing at

11am. The time that the guns on the Western Front had fallen silent at

the end of the First World War. Our high streets and in big shopping

centres, people remembered. At railway stations, there was a pause

amidst the fossil and bustle of a busy Friday morning. For young and

old, it was a moment to stop and reflect. At Lee-on-the-Solent,

workers from a nearby building site joined those gathered for the

ceremony at the War Memorial. Here, they unveiled two new names which

have just been added to the list of the fallen. Petty Officer David

Briggs died on HMS Sheffield in the Falklands war in 1982 as he battled

to try to save the ship after it was hit by a missile. Corporal

Bryant was killed when an aircraft crashed in Malaya in August, 1950.

It is what we have always wanted, and it has come at long last, come

to light up. It is where he should be. Amongst those at today's

service were some of the men who served alongside -- alongside David

Briggs at HMS Sheffield and remembered his bravery. A little

bit of tears. It is one of those little stories from wartime that

you remember, you know? Just the bravery of it. I don't even think I

would have done it. It has taken some time to add the names of

Corporal Bryant and Petty Officer David Briggs to the memorial, but

at last their sacrifice is recognised alongside those who gave

their lives in the first and second world wars.

A large number of services will be taking place in the south across

the weekend. Later in the programme we will look at how young people in

the south have been getting involved in acts of remembrance.

And just to let you know about a special documentary running on

Radio Berkshire this weekend. It is presented by Helena Tym, whose 19-

year-old son Cyrus Thatcher was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. You

can hear The Lion Of Afghanistan Danilo Restivo, who murdered

Bournemouth mother Heather Barnett, has been sentenced to 30 years by

an Italian court for killing another woman, 16-year-old Elisa

Claps. In June this year, Restivo was sentenced to life without

parole for killing and mutilating his neighbour, Heather Barnett.

Today, the court in Italy tried the 39-year-old in his absence for

killing a teenager in Italy 18 years ago. The body of Elisa Claps

was found last year in the attic of a church in her home town of

Potenza. Five boys have been found guilty of

carrying out an armed robbery at a Southampton newsagents. The

teenagers, including one who was only 13-years-old at the time,

threatened the shopkeeper of the Spring Road newsagents in Sholing

with a gun. The judge said the robbery was so serious he was

willing to lift a ban preventing the boys being named. All five will

be detained for 18 months. The families of two severely

disabled adults have won a landmark legal battle over attempts by the

Isle of Wight Council to make cuts to its social care budget. A High

Court judge today ruled that changes which affected who could

claim financial help were unlawful. The council says it will not appeal

the decision. Nancy Jackson reports. The Isle of Wight Council needs to

save �1.6 million on adult social care. It decided to reassess the

708 people on the island who receive social care funding from

the council so that the most vulnerable were protected. 47

people were identified as needing additional help, but 32 people had

their service reduced. The carers of two of those people went to

court to argue that the process had not been carried out properly.

The Isle of Wight moved from meeting the needs of every but it

has defied as having substantial needs to only meeting those where

they defined it as being able to keep them safe and that time. We

argued successfully that that is contrary to government guidance.

Today, the judge agreed with their case, saying the consultation

process used to inform the councillors had not been carried

out properly. The council says it does not want to waste any more

money on legal action and will go back to the previous system of

assessing eligibility for funding. We will read and study this lengthy

judgment carefully to ensure that we do the right thing, that is the

main aim, to do the right thing. The decision will help safeguard

adult social care services on the Isle of Wight and be welcomed by

the National Autistic Society. Shoppers escaped harm in Dorchester

this morning after a lorry reversed into scaffolding on High West

Street. The metal framework became wedged to the back of the lorry,

blocking the road outside the Medusa apothecary shop. The mangled

scaffolding had to be dismantled before the road could reopen.

Could the rail ticket soon become redundant? Trials of the next

generation of train ticket got under way in Sussex today. No more

pieces of paper, this smartcard technology does away with all that.

Soon it will become the normal way to pay for public transport

throughout the country. Here is our transport correspondent Paul

Clifton. Within a year or two, calves like

this will be replacing all paper tickets on the railway. And,

outside London, this is the first. The transport minister came to mark

the occasion. It is different from London's Oyster card, which is must

-- which is much simpler. Department for Transport is

committed to having the majority of journeys in England usable with

smart card technology by the end of 2014. Brighton and Lewes were

chosen for the trial because there is a range of business and leisure

travellers, season-ticket holders and occasional passengers. In time,

our ticket should be the same one that you can use on local buses in

Brighton and Crawley so people will not have to carry lots of cards.

The technology that we are using is such that it can be used for a

number of operators in time, but it is early days and first step.

could mean the end of staffed ticket of this is because these

smart cards can be recharged at machines. Being able to ensure that

if you tickets do not go through the barrier, that should never

happen again. It should speed up the process and be a good idea.

with airlines, before long paper tickets will become a thing of the

past. Everybody will use these to buy their train tickets and their

bus tickets. Beyond that, these will eventually be buried with your

credit card inside your mobile phone.

Still to come in this evening's South Today, Reham has the promise

of better weather this weekend. It has been dull and damp as well

as dreary all week, but I have some This time next week, the bear will

be back and we will be live at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.

In the last of our films showing where your money goes, Reham Khan

went to Boscombe in Bournemouth to meet a fiddle orchestra who have

been funded by Children In Need. I am here in Boscombe, considered

to be a deprived and run-down area of Bournemouth, but I am here to

meet a group of young people who, thanks to BBC Children In Need, are

not causing a nuisance at all. Rather, they are making sweet music

Music can be used as an amazing tour for supporting people. We do

work where the brink groups of young people together, some may be

from challenging services -- challenging backgrounds, some may

not get an opportunity to learn or take on these activities otherwise,

and those young people have the opportunity to work with the most

fantastic musicians and music leaders, primarily Jack Maguire.

Jack is brilliant and eccentric and crazy. He believes in every child,

just totally encourages them to fill their potential. Jack is quite

I feel so proud of them, I feel very personally and lated. They are

great kids, you ask them to do something and they do it. The

achievement target is to have a go, that is it, and by opening up that,

the children then have confidence, and by having a go and finding they

achieve more than if you put pressure on them. BBC Children In

Need has been fantastic in providing just over �11,000 over

the course of three years, which enables us to plan from year to

year to have some security and to be ambitious with the aims and the

goals of the organisation and for the young people themselves to sail

someone has invested in them, in their journey, through the project.

We have had fantastic results with some of the children. One of our

members went on to gain a scholarship to a score, and we ran

a scholarship scheme as part of the orchestra so we can help

individuals make progress and pursue a dream. My fingers get all

muddled up, but the more you play it, the more used to you get.

has just been absolutely amazing, it has changed our lives, to be

honest, completely. Thank you, Children In Need!

Children In Need next Friday, coming around fast.

For this year's Children In Need, we set our reporters an Apprentice-

style challenge. They spent a weekend on a business task that

stretched their skills as well as their patience, as you will see.

Your task is to create a purred sea bear fiend ice-cream and then sell

it across the South. There is a major spanner in the work. A little

bit of tension. It is not really ideal ice-cream weather. I am so

nervous! That team, from day one, Two down, 498 to go.

I am a tough on them, I can tell you, and you will find out what

happens next week. What are idle sporting credentials?

I was a modern Kent athlete in a former life!

The road to Wembley begins in earnest tomorrow, and it is a

massive weekend for little-known AFC Totton. They are among a

handful of our non-League sides through to the first round of the

FA cup. But it is a really big deal for them as it is the first time

they have got this far. Andrew Giddings went to see how they are

shaping up. Talked to Penny AFC Totton fan

about a match to remember and this would feature highly, the final of

the FA Vase in 2007. Four years later they are about to debut in

the first round of the FA Cup prop up. It proves a point, and

hopefully we can push on. It is a winnable game. They are in the

Northern League, 5th position. We are at the top of the sudden

premiere. There has been a buzz around the ground this week but not

just because of their success in the Southern Premier League.

Tomorrow, they will play in the first track of the FA Cup, hosting

fellow non-League side Bradford Park Avenue. We have had reports

that they are a good side, so we have to give it everything we have

got on Saturday. Hopefully we will have a large crowd, which -- which

will push the lads on. I think we can do it. Their opponents may not

sound like the stuff dreams are made of but this is the most

coveted round for semi-professional side. Deep down I wanted Charlton

away or Sheffield United, but we have a good chance of getting to

the second round, which would be fantastic. We are living the dream,

a few lads have never been to this round, so we are just entering it.

The club celebrates its centenary this season so a win tomorrow would

make this an anniversary to remember.

Good luck to them. Don't forget that BBC Radio Solent

will have live commentary on that match, among others, on Saturday

from 3pm. And good luck also to Basingstoke Town, who have reached

the first round after an absence of five years. They are taking 150

fans to Griffin Park, where they will take on League One side

Brentford. They have got strengths, they are a

few leagues Abydos, so by all intents and purposes they are

strong favourites -- above boss. But upsets have happened, and there

is no saying what could happen in the FA Cup.

Salisbury City are the only other non-League team through from the

South, they take on Arlesey Town. Elsewhere, Bournemouth host

Gillingham, Aldershot travel to Maidenhead and Crawley Town are at

Bury. In rugby, London Irish will be

hoping to repeat last year's strong start to their Heineken Cup

campaign when they welcome Edinburgh to the Madejski Stadium

on Saturday. They will be without England full-back Delon Armitage,

who was ruled out of the first two rounds earlier in the week after

picking up a five-week suspension for a dangerous tackle on Bath's

Tom Biggs. Becoming an Olympic swimmer takes

hours of dedication and practice. But it is ten-year-old Charlotte

Blake's dream, and she puts 100% in at her Brighton club in order to

pursue it. But she is doing it at the same time as caring for her

disabled mother, and her older sister, who has autism. That is why

she has won a national award for being Young Swimmer Of The Year.

John Young reports. At an age when most children are

watching their parents run around them, Charlotte Blake is doing

housework, helping with the evening meal, and helping her mother who

has severe problems getting about. Her older sister also needs help as

she has autism, and there is this, her passion. She only took it up

recently. Is she committed? trained five times a week, Monday

morning, Tuesday and Wednesday morning, Thursday evening, Friday

evening and Saturday morning. week, she got her reward, being

declared Young Swimmer Of The Year at a national ceremony. The

organisers arranged for their winners to mingle in the water with

a Olympic swimming stars. I will try to get picked for nationals and

if I get that I will try to see if I can swim in the Olympics. I am so

proud of her, life did not turn out how I expected it to, but she gets

me out of bed in the morning and gives me something to really focus

on. Charlotte clearly knows what she is focusing on once she has

taken care of her family, and it is all squeezed in around what most

ten-year-olds do most days, too. And as you settle down for your tea

tonight, spare a thought for two Hampshire men who are battling

through changing weather fronts in a race across the Atlantic.

Hampshire-based Alex Thomson and his partner Guillermo Altadill are

currently 43 miles off the lead in the Transat race. It may sound like

a lot, but with the wind due to veer round tonight that could all

change. Elsewhere, Mike Golding and Bruno Dubois, on board Gamesa, are

some way off the leading pair in a close battle for third.

Had it ever marathon on the cease. One you are talking about that,

another sporting story for years. We are going to return to

Remembrance Day and bring you pictures of one serving soldier who

has come up with a unique way of marking today's occasion.

Samantha Toop set herself the challenge of running one kilometre

for every British soldier who has died in Afghanistan.

It took her a week, and she ran 385 kilometres in all. That is 239

miles for you who work in old money. And today she finished her epic

journey in Bournemouth. I wasn't sure that I was actually

able to do this, so I am really pleased I have managed to do it,

but I don't think there was a doubt in my mind because to fall short of

not honouring 385 soldiers would be horrific. They have given them

everything, so I have put everything in to this.

A lovely lady, congratulations to her. 385 kilometres is a long way,

brilliant. So, many, many people getting

involved in the Poppy Appeal in their own special ways. But how

have children been getting involved today?

In Horsham, a primary school stopped its classes so all 210

pupils could attend a memorial service. And in Southampton,

children have been helping to fundraise for the city's brand new

memorial, which we saw earlier. Danielle Glavin takes up the story.

It is so familiar to us and past generations, but so new to these

children. St Mary's Primary School in Horsham stopped classes this

morning so that pupils could experience a memorial service.

I liked the trumpet a lot, it was quite cool to see the people from

the army. The people who fought in the war, most of them were

volunteers. Do you think they were very brave? Yes. Who have you come

to remember? The people who fought in the war. What do you think of

those people? I think they were quite brave. Afterwards they

studied apparent. We are the dead, shot days ago... -- steadied

apparent. Their teachers say it is important to remember the past,

which was echoed by people in the pop-up poppy shop in town. It is

important for them to see what we are doing at a mandate, it will go

with them for the rest of their lives. -- at a young age.

Southampton, pupils unveiled the city's new memorial, and it is

thanks to them it is here. They have to raise the money to pay the

bill. They were presented our country and they fought for us. --

represented our play and trip. is important to remember people who

have given their lives for our que trip. It is very important to us

that they did this -- for our country. This new memorial ensures

that the names of the fallen lid on indies Young Minds. -- live on in

Someone has written in to ask you, what is mild? I just think about

cheese! We are talking about mature weather tonight.

Herbie and Hazel, waiting for the sun at Hamworthy Park. Aren't we

It has been cloudy once again and there is rain on the way spreading

to all parts this evening and overnight, and it will be mild and

cloudy, mild meaning not a cute or severe, not a cold night ahead.

Some heavy bursts of rain this evening and overnight but it will

fizzle out past midnight as it eases eastwards, behind it a legacy

of cloud, so grey and dull conditions for eastern fringes of

our patch. Temperatures by dawn, 12-13 Celsius, above average for

the time of year. The best chance of seeing the brightening up

process tomorrow morning will be in the Far West, and we should see

some decent spells of brightness, even some sunshine by the afternoon.

A high temperature of 16 Celsius in any sunshine, very mild, and a

lighter wind, so it will feel pleasant if you are out and about.

Eastern areas will struggle with the cloud and with the temperatures.

Into the evening, the same front travels northwards, increasing the

cloud and bringing the odd spot of rain, but not too much. A murky

start on Sunday, but the brightening up process will begin

fairly quickly because we had a freshening suddenly breeze which

will break up the cloud nicely. For Remembrance Sunday, for the parades,

a high of 14 Celsius and the winds, up although fresh, but in the

sunshine not feeling too unpleasant. On Monday, the theme changes a

little bit. It is not going to be as breezy as Sunday, but the

headache remains in predicting the cloud breaking up, so through

Monday I expect there will be some decent sunshine and on Tuesday I

think similar, cloudy at first, slowly brightening up, so the best

bet is for the highest temperatures on Saturday, brighter on Sunday,

settled but cooler by the beginning If you are a fan of local history,

make sure you join Bruce Parker for a brand new series starting this

weekend on BBC Radio Solent. From aviation to brewing, cruise liners

to railways, Bruce will be celebrating the rich history of

Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight. Bruce Parker's Magical