15/11/2011 Spotlight


15/11/2011

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The �400,000 fuel bill - the haulier furious with government

:00:08.:00:18.

plans to increase the duty further. I don't really know where it is

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going to end. I do not see where they are trying to row because they

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just keep pushing it up. Why do not see what they are going to gain out

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of bed. Good evening. Some of our local MPs

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have joined a backlash against the Government. We will have the latest.

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Also tonight... On a cliff edge - the homeowners calling for urgent

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action to save their properties. Looking at the rate of erosion it

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can be in the next 20 years. This could be in the ocean.

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And surf's up and the "ruffer" the better for this salty seadog.

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The owner of a small haulage company in Devon says he's furious

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at continuing fuel rises that now mean half of all his costs go on

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fuel. Julian Webber from Okehampton says his diesel bill has risen to

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�400,000 a year. Today, MPs have been debating the rising cost of

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fuel in response to an online petition signed by more than

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100,000 people. Four South West MPs have joined calls for the

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government to do more to bring fuel prices down. In a moment we will

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hear from our political editor but first, this report.

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Next time you curse when you fill up your car, think of Julian Webber

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from Okehampton. His fuel bill for his haulage company is �8,000 a

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week, �400,000 a year. I fun -- I run articulated lorries. We are

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always running at maximum wait. It is usually about 4.5 miles to the

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gallant ranging to 7.5 miles to the gallon, for the ones off to South

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Wales. Julian says over the past few years fuel prices have gone up

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by 40%. He said, that means half of his running costs go on fuel. He

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says he is even considering jacking it in. I used to really enjoy this

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but now, it is just harder and harder. It has crossed my mind. I

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have talked to my wife about it. I never thought I would say it.

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went to Penzance to meet Martin Smith. He used to work as a night

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porter. Every time he went to work, the 80 miles to cost 10 �11. He had

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to give it up. I wanted to work and I enjoyed the job and enjoyed the

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journey. The situation was that it put 5,000 miles on the car in four

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months and the cost of fuel was getting to a situation that I could

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not do it. Some environmental campaigners argue high fuel tax is

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a good thing as it discourages car use. This happened here at the Post

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Office. We have actually stopped driving into Penzance because it is

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not worth the cost. We pay an average of an extra �5, maybe even

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�15 surcharge on deliveries that we get. Everywhere you turn, rising

:03:25.:03:33.

fuel prices are having a massive impact on our lives.

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Our political editor has been watching the debate today. A lot of

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Conservative MPs signed a motion criticising the government?

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Slightly reminiscent of the rebellion over Europe a few weeks

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ago with similar numbers of MPs. This is a much less a serious

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challenge to the government. What we have ended up with is quite a

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polite request to the government to look at more to keep prices down.

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The petition was making much more radical demands. Cutting the

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planned duty increases next year and putting pressure on oil

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companies to hand down cheaper oil prices. The Conservative MPs in the

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house that they have been echoing the government and saying, if we

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start with the fuel escalator, it would be even higher. They are

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probably saying, we would not have increase VAT, which has driven

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prices up further. How is the government responding? Unlike the

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European referendum debate, there are no attempt to force MPs into

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the government line. The government pointed out in a different beat

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inflation only increase until next year but they make no bones by the

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fact -- about the fact that fuel duty is an important source of

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revenue at a time when they need money badly.

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In another political story today, the Conservative MP for West Dorset

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has been told he must ensure that he keeps personal information

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secure or face formal enforcement action by the Information

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Commissioner. Oliver Letwin was forced to apologise after a tabloid

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newspaper photographed him throwing away documents in a park bin.

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He had earlier been cleared of throwing away classified documents

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but has been found to have breached data protection law might? He threw

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away sensitive personal data, including information relating to a

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constituent. He had had -- has had to sign a document promising not to

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do it again. I have apologised to my constituents and undertaken to

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make sure things are securely disposed of in future.

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concerned were you that you acted illegally? The Information

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Commissioner required that I signed an undertaking had I have done so.

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He has got very number say, as you can see.

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The owners of a butcher's shop in Dorset, which is the oldest family

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owned business in the county, say customers are changing their

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spending habits as inflation continues to erode people's

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spending power. Although the rate has fallen slightly today, it is

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still higher than the rise in most people's wages. As Hamish Marshall

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reports, customers are opting for cheaper cuts of meat and making

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fewer shopping journeys. They have lost count of how many of

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their ancestors have run this, the oldest family business in Britain

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since it began in Bridport in 1535. The price of meat has risen since

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then, but especially in the last 12 months, when the cost of everything

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has gone up. People are going for a cheaper cuts of meat. We have got

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lots of them good value things like faggots and sausages are not

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expensive for the amount of goodness in them. Times are

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especially tough for people whose pension rises are not keeping pace.

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Electric and fuel, that is what is doing it. The groceries and the

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meat has gone up, everything, electric, water, everything.

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have less money than we did this time last year. That means it is

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difficult not just for us but for the people trying to sell us Brits.

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They are having to come up with new ways to get us through the door.

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For many traders who are already on a tight margin, every customer is

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crucial, as people make tough decisions. If I am looking at

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things in a shop I will look at the prices rather than just pick it up.

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I look for cheaper brands now. can buy cheaper stuff and look out

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for special offers and by less. Less waste, but also, you are not

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getting the expensive things. one knows whether today's slight

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drop in inflation is a turning point. Residents were having to

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find out if a scheme will be approved to protect their

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properties. The council has decided to look at

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different options to solve the problem.

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It is not hard to work out where these gardens above these cliffs

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will end up. The Jurassic Coast line regularly crumbles into the

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sea. The owners of these houses accept that. It is the rate of

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erosion that they think is a man- made programme -- problem. It is

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not natural. We have Rock Island. They are causing unnatural erosion.

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Three or four metres a year is not uncommon recently. The tree behind

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me is probably the next one to go. There is a large fault line opening

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around it. There was one for years or so beyond it, almost as big, but

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ended up on the beach. I am worried about people being killed. Not

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necessarily falling over the cliff, but people in the summer that lie

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on the beach. There are signs on the beach might you could be killed

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by falling rocks, but people largely ignore them. The home

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owners in the area around a Cliff Road have spent thousands of pounds

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putting together a planning application. They wanted to pilot

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boulders at the bottom of the cliffs to stop the waves pounding

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them. They have withdrawn the application as the council said

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they are willing to discuss a solution with all concerned.

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Everybody in Sidmouth and the local area has got a stake in this to

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preserve what is here. The planning committee was poised to reject the

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application because this area is designated as a World Heritage Site.

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In a statement, macho England East Devon district council says it

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will get all interested parties together to find an outcome in the

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best interests of Sidmouth overall. South West conservationists say

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they are dismayed the government is to delay the introduction of a

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network of marine conservation zones. DEFRA has told Spotlight

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there is good initial evidence for between 20 and 30 sites around the

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country, but it still wants to gather further information.

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The South West's spectacular marine habitats have been a battleground

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between conservationists and fishermen over the last few years.

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A consultation exercise, conducted the by a group called Finding

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Century, asked people how best to protect our seas. They suggested

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eight network of marine conservation zones and special

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conservation zones. The government says even more robust evidence is

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needed. It is so vital that we get this right and that we are not

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going to do something that can be challenged in court or a can

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adversely affect people in the south-west. Any delay to the

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creation of a network of marine conservation zones is frustrating

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for local Wildlife trusts, who have campaigned for more controls at sea.

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What the government is saying is, you have given as these

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recommendations, but we want to take more time to gather more

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evidence. They have not said what evidence or how much. At the end of

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the day we will not know whether a single site gets conserved. South

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West fishermen have welcomed the announcement. The designation of

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areas has to be based on science. The fishing industry has been

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operating for the past 100 or more years round here and the marine

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environment is notably the best in Europe. We must be doing something

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responsible. The RSPB says it is concerned only a fraction of the

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original sites will go forward for initial designation but the

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government says it is committed to You're watching Spotlight from the

:12:55.:12:57.

BBC. Thank you for joining us, coming up later:

:12:57.:13:01.

Where does the money you raise for Children in Need go? We meet the

:13:01.:13:03.

mothers and babies being given a better chance in life.

:13:03.:13:06.

And already on course to raise thousands, the Royal Marines on

:13:06.:13:08.

Mission Commando. For people suffering from kidney

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failure, the procedure of dialysis can be time consuming and tough

:13:10.:13:15.

going. But for almost 200 patients a new purpose-built dialysis unit

:13:15.:13:19.

is going to make a real difference to their lives. The unit, which has

:13:19.:13:22.

been moved out of Derriford Hospital, has cost �1.5 million and

:13:22.:13:27.

is four times bigger. Spotlight's Amy Cole, has been to meet some of

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the people who are already benefiting.

:13:37.:13:43.

Every week, three times a week, this woman has dialysis. It has

:13:43.:13:49.

been her way of play for over four years. Recently, a life has

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improved due to a recent, purposely built unit. There is a sense of

:13:58.:14:01.

camaraderie here, as he is surrounded by the patients, many of

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whom have become our friends, all have been going through the same

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thing. I prefer this unit to the ones I used to go to, because the

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other ones I used to go to were individual units. This one is one

:14:16.:14:19.

Holbeck one and you see everything that is going on and I love it.

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They make it so comfortable that it does not take long to do what we

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have to do. The time goes so quickly. These patients no longer

:14:30.:14:35.

have to go to the hospital for treatment. It has taken a will for

:14:35.:14:40.

plummet to offer what Exeter has had for some time. Up until this

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point, Plymouth was the only unit in the said West not providing

:14:46.:14:53.

would become a satellite dialysis service. Our trust was very

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receptive to the idea and I think it promotes the concept of a

:14:57.:15:03.

patient centred service. More than 180 kidney failure patients will

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access the unit every year. For each person, this service is a

:15:08.:15:18.
:15:18.:15:18.

lifeline. I am 78. There are a lot of people a lot younger than me

:15:18.:15:22.

than are will stop I do not have that opportunity, because my heart

:15:22.:15:31.

will not take it. So dialysis it is. With a generous amount of gratitude

:15:31.:15:36.

and optimism. Only three days to go until

:15:36.:15:39.

Children in Need 2011, and all this week we are looking at how the

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money you raise makes a difference to the lives of underprivileged

:15:42.:15:45.

children in the region. North Devon is one of the largest and most

:15:46.:15:48.

deprived rural areas in the UK with high unemployment and low average

:15:49.:15:53.

earnings, spanning generations. Wings South West is helping young

:15:54.:15:56.

people to break that cycle and improve their prospects. Kerry is

:15:56.:15:59.

one of the project leaders working with Astrid, Jamie and Zoe. This is

:16:00.:16:09.
:16:10.:16:13.

I did not have a very good start to life, I did not start -- finish

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school. It did not have any qualifications. I think there is a

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huge need in this at because it is deprived. There is a high at --

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percentage of young people with no aspirations. It is almost as if

:16:30.:16:35.

they want to give up. It is very tough for them. There are no jobs.

:16:35.:16:40.

That is the other a hard part of it, no jobs that young people can step

:16:40.:16:48.

into. The do mathematics and English and the give us an

:16:48.:16:54.

opportunity to get some GCSEs. It made you feel good. I am achieving

:16:54.:16:58.

something, I am doing something, not just sitting around at home

:16:58.:17:05.

watching television. I think it is such a shame that they are getting

:17:05.:17:09.

the benefits and it is sad because I feel that a lot of the parents

:17:09.:17:14.

that I work with have a lot to offer to society. This place makes

:17:14.:17:19.

a difference because my child learns how to play with other

:17:19.:17:24.

children his age. We have only been coming a couple of weeks and I have

:17:24.:17:27.

seen a big difference in him a lightly. He is starting to

:17:27.:17:32.

understand that he needs to share things and he he is not fighting.

:17:32.:17:42.
:17:42.:17:45.

He has learned a lot since we have I want to be a good role model for

:17:45.:17:52.

him. Hopefully he will learn in school. I want him to be a good

:17:52.:18:00.

child and go to school and do well. I am a single mother. I have hardly

:18:00.:18:03.

any qualifications. That I can achieve what I want to achieve,

:18:03.:18:07.

then he will learn that no matter what is thrown in his way in life,

:18:07.:18:14.

then he could possibly call it there and achieved what he can. --

:18:14.:18:18.

goal out there. It makes us and for that people give us this

:18:18.:18:22.

opportunity because they know that money is short in this climate so

:18:22.:18:26.

it is nice that it is still funded and still available for everybody.

:18:26.:18:32.

I would like to say to people to dig deep so that a lot of other

:18:32.:18:35.

groups and a lot of other children have the same opportunity that we

:18:35.:18:45.
:18:45.:18:47.

Every penny you raise goes to Children in Need. On the night, I'm

:18:47.:18:50.

at the Eden project in Cornwall for this year's Party for Pudsey, where

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there will be live music, ice skating and a lantern parade. Entry

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to the site is free from 6pm. We hope to see lots of you there.

:19:01.:19:07.

And, of course, the fundraising has already started. Today, six

:19:07.:19:09.

commandos have set themselves a physical challenge that's never

:19:09.:19:13.

been done before. The team of five Royal Marines and one Army Commando

:19:13.:19:16.

will set out to complete four commando tests, normally done over

:19:16.:19:20.

seven days, in just 24 hours. They hope to raise more than �10,000 for

:19:20.:19:23.

charities including Children In Need. Our defence reporter Scott

:19:23.:19:33.
:19:33.:19:37.

Bingham went to see them set off. Final preparations. It is so well

:19:37.:19:42.

for! Every royal marine must pass these four Tests before he can earn

:19:42.:19:47.

his green beret. They are tough enough as it stands, but that is

:19:47.:19:54.

not really challenging enough for these guys. Normally you do want

:19:54.:19:58.

yesterday over seven days, with a gap between before you do the 30

:19:58.:20:02.

mile. We're going to do it in 24 hours. It has never been done

:20:02.:20:10.

before, has it? Know. Confident? Yes. They will carry more than �30

:20:10.:20:17.

of debt. The men, all instructors, will aim to do two circuit in under

:20:17.:20:26.

30 minutes. It seems that they have every right to be confident.

:20:26.:20:35.

that 11 minutes? That was good. First London, three more to goal.

:20:35.:20:44.

Nice and easy, try and refuel as the goal, debt or cells ready. --

:20:44.:20:51.

get ourselves ready. We next catch up with him for 0.5 miles away on

:20:51.:20:56.

the infamous endurance course. 72 minutes to go round their two-mile

:20:56.:21:01.

route peppered with obstacles, including the notorious sheep dip.

:21:01.:21:06.

Just 4.5 miles now, back to the base then followed by a nine-mile

:21:06.:21:10.

speed march tonight and a 30 mile route march tomorrow. They should

:21:10.:21:14.

be well into that speed march by now, but the toughest test comes

:21:14.:21:24.
:21:24.:21:25.

tomorrow. We will catch up with them again then.

:21:25.:21:28.

A 2-year-old Labrador from Cornwall and her owner are attracting

:21:28.:21:32.

attention after a film of the dog was posted on the internet. Mango

:21:32.:21:35.

does all the usual doggy things, such as fetching a ball, but she

:21:35.:21:40.

also enjoys catching a wave. So far, more than 3,000 people have

:21:40.:21:45.

watched dog and owner riding the waves near Newquay. David George

:21:45.:21:55.
:21:55.:21:56.

has been to see them. Mango's video starts gently not

:21:57.:22:01.

what a bit of body boarding in a rock pool. Easy when she gets the

:22:01.:22:11.

hang of it. Later in the film, they get into the big surf. The waves

:22:11.:22:17.

are looking good. Mangle is a working labrador, and as on the

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been surfing essence of the spring. It all started when she fought her

:22:20.:22:24.

owners into the sea. We both paddled out and we turned around

:22:24.:22:30.

and the dog had followed us. She seemed pretty happy. I put her on a

:22:30.:22:35.

board and she wrote back in. From that point, I realised we had a

:22:35.:22:39.

surfing dog. But the surfing dog was not doing any interviews today,

:22:39.:22:44.

so can we be sure that this is not all made up? In the interests of

:22:44.:22:48.

accurate reporting double be challenged dog and owner to hit the

:22:48.:22:55.

waves in front of a BBC Spotlight camera, to see she can really do it.

:22:55.:23:04.

She waits, that is what she does. All, yes. She can really do it.

:23:04.:23:13.

Well done. It was good then. -- good fun. It is not perfect

:23:13.:23:23.
:23:23.:23:39.

We have had some fine weather today. We have even had some sunshine.

:23:39.:23:43.

Unfortunately, things are changing for tomorrow. It will be cloudy

:23:43.:23:50.

with some patchy rain. Earlier today, there was plenty of fine

:23:50.:23:55.

weather around. We start with Dartmoor and a cameraman was up on

:23:55.:24:05.
:24:05.:24:08.

the moor. Some very pleasant conditions and it is nice to see

:24:08.:24:16.

the sunshine again after a cloudy day yesterday. Another camera man

:24:16.:24:24.

was enjoying some quieter weather, a gentle breeze and some sunshine.

:24:24.:24:28.

Lovely weather today and the temperatures have been healthy. We

:24:28.:24:33.

have a lot of cloud coming in from the Atlantic in the next 24 hours.

:24:33.:24:38.

It is this stripe of cloud here that will come in. It will be slow

:24:38.:24:42.

moving and the reason for that is that we still have that EDL of high

:24:42.:24:45.

pressure over Norway, which is just holding things in the Atlantic at

:24:45.:24:53.

the moment. It will weaken over the next 24 hours. By the time getting

:24:53.:24:58.

thirsty, that will have moved away, but I knew ADL of low pressure

:24:58.:25:01.

leads to further and pigs have been towards the end of the day on

:25:01.:25:05.

Friday. Even that at the moment is a little uncertain, because the

:25:05.:25:09.

high pressure is there, just a little bit weaker to the east of

:25:09.:25:12.

the British Isles. Overnight tonight, are still some holes in

:25:12.:25:17.

that weather, but that Clyde will rapidly return overnight, to give

:25:17.:25:21.

us cloudy conditions by the end of the night. Some clear skies to

:25:21.:25:25.

allow a few of the stars, then later it will cloud over. It will

:25:25.:25:33.

turn misty on the high ground also. Temperatures down to as low a seven

:25:33.:25:43.

or eight Celsius. It will start to warm up as the Clyde. It arrives.

:25:43.:25:47.

If there is any Britons it will tomorrow, it will be in eastern

:25:47.:25:50.

parts of Dorset and Somerset, because we'll see some patchy rain

:25:50.:25:54.

come in. By the end of the afternoon into the early evening it

:25:54.:25:58.

will be across a good part of Devon. Perhaps some of that rain will

:25:58.:26:08.

arrive in Somerset and Dorset as well. For the Isles of Scilly,

:26:08.:26:18.
:26:18.:26:35.

expect that rain to be in quite a For all those sufferers, --

:26:35.:26:45.
:26:45.:26:50.

surfers: first there is the marine forecast.

:26:50.:26:55.

That brings us to Thursday's forecast. Expect to see a bright,

:26:55.:26:58.

dry day after some early rain clears out of the way. For good

:26:58.:27:03.

part of the day it will be dry on Friday, but was leaving for

:27:03.:27:06.

Children In Need, there is a possibility of showers, especially

:27:06.:27:15.

late in the evening. It will be Just before we go, we want to

:27:16.:27:18.

remind you that tomorrow, 700 servicemen and women from Task

:27:18.:27:21.

Force Helmand will parade through Exeter and then attend a service of

:27:21.:27:24.

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