27/07/2011 Spotlight

Get ready to welcome the world. The countdown to the Olympics reaches a

major milestone. We are live from Weymouth. Britain could see gold on

these waters in 2012. Tonight we follow some of our best hopes come

up with one year to go. Of the water Portland prepares for a full-

scale test event. And beyond 2012, I will report from Athens on it --

whether it there are lessons for after the Games leave town. At

daily prepares to make his first official dive into the Olympic pool

-- Tom Daley. Also tonight, driven to drink and finally, despair. The

woman who cared for her ill husband escapes jail after trying to

smother him. And the dozens of dolphins spotted dancing in the

waters off Cornwall. One year from now it all begins.

The opening ceremony will be held and the sailing events will arrive

off the Dorset coast. That seaside resort down there is expected to

see its population double as people flocked to Weymouth to watch the

games. Up here overlooking Portland where the swimming events will take

place, they will see gold being one. But what we do know is that Britain

has some of the best hopes and they come from Devon. We went out on the

water with them. The National Sailing Academy is up and running

and is popular. But in one year the only sailors here will be a

Olympians. Exmouth's Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes are two of

the Olympic hopefuls getting to grips with local conditions. And

amongst the 16 strong GB sailing team will be Ben Rhodes and Stevie

Morrison. Or so they hope, as the final team selection hasn't been

made yet. Unlike some Olympic sports, in sailing there is only

one qualifying entry allowed per country in each of the 10 events.

Ben and Stevie managed Olympic selection for Beijing and were

tipped for a medal, but ended up coming ninth. But their dream of

gold hasn't faded and Stevie Morrison says these are the waters

to win it on. Today is not a fantastic advert for the place but

it is as good sailing as you find anywhere on the planet. We have a

good chance to win a medal. some of the world's best sailors

from other countries are here practising already. Will it be a

top Olympic venue? I think so. It would be nice to have at regatta in

its strong wind. Hopefully Weymouth will bring it on in 2012.

Next week a full scale test event will take place. And the National

Sailing Academy is start to look very good, as I found out earlier.

I reported from here on the day the successful bid was announced and

this is the first time I have felt the presence of 2012. I has been to

a health and safety demonstration. Rob Andrew's, is the idea to start

with a blank canvas? Absolutely. We wanted to clear the site completely

so we can then allocate the athletes all their spaces when they

start to arrive. Selling is an organised sport. Are there any

areas of concern? I think that is why we do test events, to find out

if we are ready. This event is a very functional event. Take us

through what happens? We have only allowed one entrant per country,

just at the Games. 66 nations coming. So the best athletes in the

world. I believe all the medallists will be here because they want to

test it out as much as we do. We go through all the measurement

processes and then we used the same international technical officials.

And we hope a lot of the volunteers for this event will be the same

ones coming back in 2012. And there has been a lot of controversy over

the transport package. I think with the new road from Dorchester,

everyone seems very happy. It is much better than it used to be.

are getting excited of course. But there are four seasons to go before

the Olympics. Just tell us how exciting it will be on that date?

The big thing is that it is just the enthusiasm of everybody. The

athletes. Some of them will have trained for 12 years just to get

here. It is that enthusiasm that rubs off on all of the people, from

the volunteers, two towns and cities. I think everyone will get

wrapped up into this party mode with the most phenomenal sport

going on air all different disciplines. -- in all different

disciplines. Weymouth is hoping to capitalise on

every aspect of the Games. They know it is not just 2012 but what

happens after the Olympic torch has passed on that matters. The

Government is committed to a lasting legacy. I've been to Athens,

which hosted the Olympics in 2004, to see if there are lessons Dorset

can learn from a former host. The sailing centre now. Dorset is

next to host events on water but grease already knows what life can

hold after the party moves on. Organisers admit that the future of

some of the venues was not properly thought through but are there still

reaping the rewards? And took a trip out of town. To people here

feel ripples seven years on? were hit by the Depression, and

that was it. The tourists came here and Greece was well known.

there any benefit from it? There wasn't. Even the international

Spotlight is not enough to persuade the mayor of the waterfront who

questions whether the bid should ever have been put forward. We had

expressed our objections and were against hosting the Games in Athens.

We now feel that the legacy has just divide our argument. Today

things are difficult and hosting the Olympic Games in my opinion did

not benefit our country as much as it should have done. But tracking

any upturn in the country's severely affected by the downturn

is tricky. Greece has influenced the world and been bailed out by

its neighbours. The Globe June dint as the Games returned home to

Greece. -- tuned in. And then to the clashes on the streets. Athens

is still badly bruised by the riots. Some of the protesters have not

left. There was even a debate over the extent to which the Olympics

have contributed to the current economic crisis. But if you can

factor at the problems facing the euro, what has the legacy been,

seven years on from the game's? Some venues I saw were deserted but

others are still been used. There is an operating Marina close to the

sailing centre. And even touching down here is a legacy, the city has

the Games to thank for a new airport. There are new tramlines,

new trains. Tens of millions of pounds have already been spent on

the transport network in Dorset. But Athens is now discovering

whether at the Olympics is the gift that keeps on giving. The area

close to the sailing centres or on opportunity to grow its sailing

business year on year just as Dorset does now. The hotel for the

British team stayed said that the tramline helped but it has not

become an huge resort for stock the atmosphere was terrific for the

Games. We believed it would be like that after the Olympics. But it

wasn't. Things went really downwards. Some visitors are from

the next host city and there have been gains in the market according

to this expert. But he tells me that the momentum built up is now

over. Forget the Olympics, it was lovely, history, but that is all.

So the effect on tourism has gone completely? Yes. Efforts to

capitalise on the games are still evident. But I'm told it is the

less visible benefits which means the Olympics are still delivering

here. The Olympics provides a great legacy for a country. People learn

to work in an international environment and under pressure with

time constraints. The experience of the Olympics give him the

opportunity to utilise those skills after the Olympics.

Are there lessons in all of that for Dorset and the South West?

Councillor Howard Lake from the women's and Portland council joins

us now. There is going to be a follow-up to the Olympics and we

know that because we have been planning for it. We have got our

facilities to Olympic standard. Some of those I spoke to in Athens

were concerned that their country did not get as much in terms of

long-term benefits as they hoped. Does that worry you? It did

initially because when we learned we were hosting the selling, we had

a study done which said that of the last six Olympic sites, three have

gone downhill afterwards but three have benefited. We decided we

wanted to be like Barcelona and wanted to benefit very much from

this. We want to see that benefit for decades after and to remember

that Weymouth hosted the Olympics and it is an important harbour.

People in Weymouth today were positive but also had reservations.

Do you think everyone is on your side? I think they will be. The

problem at the moment is that we are getting all the preparation

without any of that glory. But that is coming to a close, there will

soon be usable and then we get the glory next year and the publicity

to go with it. So the pain first and then again afterwards. -- there

again afterwards. Later in the programme we will see Tom Daley

diving. Back to the studio. A woman from Devon who tried to

smother her ill husband has been sentenced to a supervision order by

a judge at Exeter Crown Court. Margaret Sandercock's husband has

Parkinson's disease and the court heard caring for him had left her

feeling isolated and lonely. A health charity says not enough is

being done to help people who care for others. Our Home Affairs

Correspondent, Simon Hall, reports. For almost 30 years, Margaret

Sandercock cared for her husband, Graham. Parkinson's disease meant

he couldn't walk or feed himself. It drove her to alcoholism - until

one day she could take no more. She was found collapsed in the

graveyard of Crediton Parish Church and confessed to trying to smother

Graham. A charge of attempted murder was reduced to the offence

of putting a person in fear of violence. Today she pleaded guilty

and was given a supervision order. She would like to thank the court

for being so as sympathetic to her position. It has been a difficult

and sensitive case. The judge has made his decision accordingly,

which is appropriate for both parties. Mrs Sandercock was a

volunteer at Crediton parish church and a well-known community

fundraiser, particularly for the Royal British legion. The court

heard she felt isolated, very lonely and that her caring work was

unappreciated. There is no doubt it is an issue, as people are living

longer. And that role of caring can go on for such a long time.

Department of Health told us they "recognise the valuable

contribution carers make, and are committed to ensuring they have

access to high quality support services." This was a hearing noted

for its compassion and sensitivity. The judge and the prosecution and

defence all expressed sympathy. The judge described Parkinson's as a

cruel disease that had a draining, demanding and debilitating effect

on those who cared for the sufferers.

Earlier, I spoke to Val Buxton from Parkinson's UK. I asked her, aside

from Mrs Sandercock's case today, how common a story this was.

All too common, it really. We often hear from carers of people affected

by Parkinson's who tell us just how isolating and overwhelming their

responsibilities can be. A survey of around 3000 carers of people

affected by Parkinson's show that just one in 10 were getting the

support they needed from local services. That is a real concern.

It is likely to get even worse actually with the cuts to

government spending. A recent survey showed that in the south-

west around 80% of carers were fearful that they would get even

less support. We heard briefly from the Department of Health. They also

said there providing �400 million of additional funding to the NHS

between 2011 and 2015 to enable more carers to take breaks from

their responsibilities. So they are putting money into the system. Why

are people not benefiting? Unfortunately the evidence is that

that money is not getting into frontline services. A recent survey

of Primary Care Trusts, that the money was channelled to, said that

very few have actually passed that money on. The overwhelming evidence

was that it simply was not getting through.

The woman whose car plunged down cliffs on the North Coast of

Cornwall has been discharged from hospital today. The 56-year-old

woman spent 18 hours on the cliff face at St Agnes Head after her car

left the road. It's thought she'd become disorientated in thick fog

on Monday afternoon. She was finally rescued in a major

operation yesterday morning. The Plymouth based warship, HMS

Sutherland, which is now involved in action off Libya, has conducted

its first boarding operations. The frigate deployed a team of Royal

Marines to search a merchant vessel with a view to enforcing an arms

embargo. The ship was searched and cleared for onward passage.

The Government has announced it won't hold a public inquiry into

controversial plans for a development at Carlyon Bay. Despite

local opposition, Cornwall Council approved the plans in June, subject

to Government approval. The company behind the project, Commercial

Estates Group, says it's pleased with the decision and it would

involve local people with the scheme's progress.

Hundreds of dolphins have been spotted off the Cornish coast this

week. Wildlife experts say they're being drawn in by large amounts of

fish. They're asking dolphin watchers to enjoy the sight, but to

keep their distance. Eleanor Parkinson has more.

Normally any sum up means basking sharks. This year it is dolphins

and hundreds of them. There has been sightings of common dolphins

all along the south coast of Cornwall. This film was shot off

Penzance. Some of the parts have been 100 strong. Often there will

travelled together, up to 1000 of them. But when they get into a

coastal area the fish start to break down into smaller groups and

they do the same to feed on them. Sometimes they will come racing in.

They seem to love riding along with the catamaran. You see them

socialising together. The experts say enjoy the show, but do not get

too close and treat them with respect.

Plymouth Argyle have announced Southampton Football Club's former

finance director David Jones as the new acting chief executive at Home

Park. He will work alongside acting chairman Peter Ridsdale who is

bidding to buy the club. Jones saw Southampton through successive

relegations and administration. Today he had this message for

Argyle's unpaid staff. They will be paid in full over a

period of time. We would love to be able to pay the Mall on Day One but

whether that is possible, we do not whether that is possible, we do not

know. -- paid them all. There has been quite a contrast

from east to west and that is still there. We still have quite a lot of

cloud around. But further west we have had that glorious sunshine.

And for the rest of the week generally there is a lot more cloud

around. This was their earlier today across Dartmoor where we has

a lot of fine weather. The skies were blue with some sunshine. A lot

of that gave us some fairly high temperatures, getting up to 25, 26

degrees in a few places. The picture for the next couple of days,

we have a line of cloud approaching from the West. This will give us

some fine drizzle later on tonight. There's one at Maine weather system

just gently drifting over us. By that time we get to lunchtime on

Friday that front has almost gone but has left a legacy of cloud.

That will be stubborn to shift. The high pressure, the one that gives

us the decent weather, it comes in for the weekend which looks very

promising indeed. We have those cloudy conditions across parts of

Dorset and Somerset this evening. And cloud coming into the far west

which will bring a lot of cloud tomorrow. This was earlier today in

Torbay, the Torbay Carnival happening this evening. And the

skies where quite cloudy but that has not stopped the preparations.

The rest of East Devon also has some of that cloud now. Tonight it

will start to break up a little and at the same time the weather front

is coming in from the Atlantic bring a little fine drizzle in some

areas. Tomorrow, at misty start for most of us. But into the afternoon,

becoming largely dry although quite a lot of cloud coming in. Still a

relatively warm. Quite a humoured For the Isles of Scilly, the

sunshine breaking through later in The forecast for the way through

and including the weekend, it looks quite promising. Cloud around on

Friday, which will break up through the day to allow the sunshine to

come through. But also the possibility of some showers

developing mainly course Dorset and Somerset. But by the weekend that

area of high pressure is back which means a lovely weekend in store and

quite warm as well. Up to 25 quite warm as well. Up to 25

degrees. That's it from us in the studio

here in Plymouth, but we can now go back to Simon, who's live in

Weymouth as the countdown to the 2012 Olympics really begins.

Let's hope the weather stays good for the Olympics next year.

Let's hope so. The anticipation is warming up certainly. But the main

celebrations tonight are taking place in the Aquatic Centre in the

heart of the Olympic village in London's east end. Plymouth's very

own Olympic diver, Tom Daley, will be performing there in just a few

minutes time. He'll be the first person to plunge off the curved

concrete diving platforms there. Earlier, Claire Balding managed to

catch up with him for a chat. I am delighted that Tom Daley could

join as here. We're on the edge of the aquatic pull. And there is the

ten-metre platform. You will be diving off their tonight. Are you

nervous? I am quite nervous but I'm also so excited. It is quite a lot

of pressure to do the first official died. But it looks great

and you can just imagine the Olympic atmosphere next year.

Usually proud to be representing Great Britain and the south-west?

Definitely. The south-west has been so supportive of me. Everyone is

going to get so excited about the Olympic Games next year. It will

give everyone that extra but most. But you also have to keep on with

the basics, the boring stuff, the training. That is the most

important thing in the career of any athlete. So what is important

that I keep on training and balancing that with school work,

media, and family life. And that is why a you're going to downgrade the

school work a little bit? I will do that from January. I will do full-

time training to make sure I have enough hours in the pool. And then

do my school work in between training sessions. Do you have any

idea which died you will be before Ming? I'm not sure yet. I will have

to see which one will be good enough to look good on the cameras