02/12/2011 Spotlight

Abuse allegations - staff are suspended at a day centre for

vulnerable adults. Good evening and welcome to

Spotlight. We will hear from the council which

runs the centre in Penzance. Also tonight: To pray or not to

pray - A legal challenge to prayers being said at council meetings that

could affect the whole country. Getting their town back - Dartmouth

18 months on from a devastating fire. We have watched our friends

and neighbours go through hell, but it feels like we are turning the

corner now with the road opening. Our lives will get back to normal

one day, which will be great. An investigation is underway after

allegations of possible abuse at a day centre for people with learning

disabilities in Cornwall. A number of staff at the John Daniel Centre

in Penzance have been suspended. Eleanor Parkinson reports.

Describes how adults with learning to can spend their day on site or

go on activities of sight. Today the council revealed it has

suspended a number of staff amid allegations of abuse. The council

would not be drawn on what these allegations concerned or how many

people were involved. And number of concerns have been brought our

attention and money gets information that he does - - that

is of concern, it is important that we act quickly. It is a big shock

for the people suspended and for the people who use the service and

their families. We made it clear to everybody that when Mrs then

somebody, it is a neutral act, which means that we do not accept

the allegations are valid or proven. It helps us to do an investigation

in a well organised and there way. Mencap said the news was worrying,

but said they believed the council had responded well. They have been

decisive, suspended the staff awaiting investigation. They have

gathered some of the best people from the other centres and got them

going down there to support people. Cornwall council say they can

predict how long this investigation will take, but they do say they

want to keep the service going. To this end they had drafted in a

number of additional staff to keep the centre open.

Cornwall Council has issued a telephone number for anyone

directly involved who has concerns. The number is: 01208 251300.

A row over whether or not a council has the right to say prayers at its

meetings has been taken to the High Court. A Bideford Town Councillor

says he felt forced to stand down because he doesn't want to say

prayers. Now his complaint has been taken up by the National Secular

Society, which claims prayers at meetings are unlawful. In a moment

we'll hear from the Bishop of Exeter, who is giving his support

to Bideford Town Council, but, first, here's our North Devon

reporter, Andrea Ormsby. Here is where it all started, with

Clive. Clive is from a long line of non-believers. Until recently he

was a town councillor, but now she has stood down in protest over

prayer has been said before meetings. Not merely a protest, but

they could not stand for an aperitif for other people were not

prepared to stand because of the prayers. Local government is for

everybody and recounts allowed the Canterbury tail to wag the

democracy dog. He is being backed by the National secular Society. It

says a number of councillors were unhappy. Under those circumstances

it seems quite bloody minded of the Council to continue to do it and

not respect other people's views. They are not there as a religious

organisation. Councillors are perfectly free to pray before or

after meetings, in their home or in a place of worship. We're not

impinging on the right to worship. When you ask people in this country,

70 % of them choose to call themselves Christians. I think most

people will be disturbed about the legal action that tries to force

people not to pray. But Clive says that is not what this is about. He

has no problem with people following their faith, but all in

the right place. I absolutely support people's right to go to

church and I would defend that absolutely. Please can bring it

into the council chamber. Although the case has been heard today, it

is thought the judgment won't come out for some months.

Earlier I spoke to The Bishop of Exeter, the Right Reverend Michael

Langrish. I put it to him that councils are not religious bodies,

so why did he believe prayers should be said before meetings?

council is a parliament in miniature and our parliamentary

system is based on the Queen in Parliament under God. For centuries

prayers are said in the House of Lords. Those who don't wish to say

prayers can come in later. I genuinely secular society is a

plural society, one that has based of people with beliefs were with

none. My understanding is that the knack - - National secular Society

wants to impose a uniform conformity on everyone and exclude

religious expression from the public's beer and push it into the

private closet. It could be argued that you wish to impose a

uniformity on the council meeting by prayers remaining. Somebody not

wanted to be involved has to give up to leave. It is perfectly

possible to adjust the running order of a council meeting. In a

House of Lords and House of Commons, prayers are said, there is a pause

and goes to did not wish to be present come in and take their

seats at that point. That kind of procedure does make space for

everyone and imposes nothing on anyone. What will be wrong with the

period of silence at the start of the meetings of those who wish to

break could do so sign of meat and those who just wished to reflect on

the meeting can also do that? our busy life, I am all in favour

of times are silent, and it could well be that as part of the rhythm

of prayers in a series of council meetings, sometimes a period of

silence may be absolutely appropriate. There will be

occasions when there will be any to pray for guidance for particular

issues, a particular local issue that it is right to articulate in a

prayer. No one is forced to add to their agreements with the words

that are being said. When you're with the sun the programme, I note

the up to buy Exeter camp continues outside the cathedral. What sort of

dialogue are you having with the protesters? We're having a lot of

dialogue. We have regular contact each day and it was goods earlier

this week to sit down - - one of the members of the church sitting

down and discussing the parables of Jesus! They are people who have no

problems with religion in the public sphere. Presumably you would

rather they weren't there. I have already said to them I would rather

they were not, and the reason is I do agree fundamentally with the

issues they are racing and my concern is, it is happening now in

this conversation, the story becomes their presence rather than

the real issue, with just about greater fairness in our economic

system and banking system, reform of a banking system, and the

sustainability of her economic structures. That is what we need to

be talking about, rather than people sleeping on to the green.

We've had a number of emails about this story. Heather says: I'm in

favour of praying before or after a meeting. What harm can it do? Sue

says: Religion, Christian or otherwise, should play no role in

council meetings at any level. It has no relevance in this day and

age. Doreen has emailed to say: Britain is still a Christian

country and if the House of Commons observe a short prayer before the

session begins, surely it is OK for Councils to do the same.

Peter says: So, the secular people say that prayers at council

meetings offend their human rights. What about the human rights of

Christians and other faiths? Reg says: As an atheist, I fail to see

why a non-believer cannot absent themselves or simply fail to

participate in prayers. Those are a selection of emails

which reflect that most of the people who have been in touch today

don't have a problem with prayers at the meeting.

University College Plymouth, Marjons, is to waive fees for some

poorer students. This will allow the college to compete for extra

students under new Government rules. It will offer students from low

income households a mixture of bursaries and fee reductions. The

full fees will remain at �7,800 per year.

Residents living in parts of Exeter are worried that uncollected bin

bags will become a health hazard. Rubbish collections were one of the

services disrupted by this week's strike by public sector workers.

Exeter City Council is advising residents to take their rubbish

back onto their property until the next scheduled collection.

Conservationists are concerned at Government plans to make it more

difficult for environmental regulations to hold up business

developments. The moves were announced in the Chancellor's

Autumn Statement this week. Our Political Editor, Martyn Oates, is

here to tell us more. There is always so much detail

contained in budgets and statements that it takes a few days to get

through it all. This is what George Osborne had his say. We need to go

further to remove the lengthy delays and high costs of the

current system with new time limits and applications in new

responsibilities for statutory consul Tees. We will make sure that

the gold plating of European Union rules on things like habitats are

not placing ridiculous costs on British business. Planning laws

need reform. Well, the government insists it is fully committed to

protecting the wildlife and environment, but what it considers

their heavy-handed implementation of these rules that it wants to

change. It can't change the substance of the regulations, but

conservation groups like the RSPB said implementation is just fine

and it is necessary to protect the habitat themselves. The Chancellor

mentioned planning reform and there already is a much bigger argument

raging over the Government's plan to reform the planning system, but

it is but in the same terms, really, because the government is saying

that we respect the countryside but we need more homes and growth. The

National Trust is saying if you change the law in the way you're

saying you will, the growth in homes will come at the expense of

the environment. Coming up: Olympic medallist Mary

King talks exclusively about her hopes for the 2012 Games.

Plus: Some of the earliest film of surfing in Britain - we will have

the full story of this incredible 1929 footage.

Seeing themselves again - a day of reminiscing at an exhibition of old

18 months ago Dartmouth was the scene of a huge fire which

destroyed an important part of its historic centre, but, as John

Henderson reports, repairs to the listed buildings are about to reach

an important milestone. In May last year, a huge fire

ripped through the heart of Dartmouth. Incredibly, no one was

hurt, but the damage was severe. Listed buildings, some dating back

to the 16th century, runes. The town's historic Tudor Centre is

making a comeback. Some of the scaffolding has come down,

revealing the progress of builders who have been hard at it for months.

It is good for the town to see it coming back together. Also, being

at local myself, they can see a local lad, me, bringing it back

together. On Monday, Fairfax place well reopened to traffic. The late

stage in the return to normality. We have watched our friends and

neighbours go through hell. But it feels like we're turning a corner

now with the road opening, it feels positive than the beginning of the

end. Our lives are going to get back to normal, which will be

great! There is still much to do. This building is don't buy this man.

Progress has been slow. The one thing you learn owning a listed

building, you actually don't own it. You just look after it and pick up

the bills. Everybody else has issued saying how it is good to be

restored. If the various conservation bodies remain happy,

this scaffolding will soon be down with a shop and flat behind the

original Prasad. The fire may have cost millions, but these are

buildings of more than financial value.

Time for the sport, and we talk to a legend this evening, and it's not

It is the second round of the FA Cup this weekend and Yeovil Town

tonight visit Highbury. No, not Arsenal's old stadium, but Highbury

Avenue, the home of joint Conference leaders Fleetwood Town.

The Glovers last week picked up their first League win in more than

two months and manager Terry Skiverton is ready for an equally

tough ordeal at the ambitious non- league club. Torquay United are the

underdogs at Sheffield United tomorrow and will need to be on top

form defensively if they are to continue their Cup run.

The main thing is money-making. If we can get a good cup run going, we

can make some money to help us get a few players to help us with the

league campaign. That is the main issue, to see if we can make a few

pounds. Exeter Chiefs are hoping last

week's stirring comeback at Sale Sharks will help them beat

Worcester Warriors at Sandy Park in rugby's Premiership. The Chiefs lie

fifth in the standings with Worcester next to the bottom, but

only five points separate the teams so a win for Rob Baxter's side will

keep their rivals at arm's length. They are in the same position as us.

They had a terrific win last weekend and I'm sure they are not

going to rest underperformance. They will be keen to come up here

and back it up. The Cornish Pirates are out to

steady the ship against London Scottish in Penzance this Sunday.

After back to back Championship defeats, the Pirates have dropped

to fifth and need to restore order quickly in the 2.00pm kick-off at

Myles Dorrian makes his debut at fly-half after signing on loan from

Exeter. Peter Drewett's second game in charge of Plymouth Albion

couldn't be tougher at fourth placed Rotherham Titans tomorrow.

Tongan centre Keni Fisilau makes The South West's Olympic legend

Mary King has been talking exclusively to Spotlight ahead of

her sixth appearance at an Olympiad, which, all being well, should be

next year in London. Mary, from Salcombe Regis in East Devon, has

been taking time out at the region's equine fair. This

afternoon, Janine Jansen caught up with her.

Well, this is shopping heaven for horse lovers. You can find anything

to do with horses here. If you can't afford to spend much money,

you can always come and watch the experts. One of them is five times

Olympic rider, Mary King. What are we going to see you doing this

weekend. I am going to be bringing two horses for the demonstrations,

and my doctor is going to be writing a young horse. I will be

riding one of my four top horses. We have got the retirement of one

of my old Olympic courses, King Solomon. You have had a great year,

but horses have their ups and downs. He had that terrible fall. I had a

tumble across country with Imperial Cavalier. It is the first time I

ever had fallen with him. We went on and still managed to bring back

bronze from that championship. In fact, I was then able to ride him

at a later events because of my event being cut short. It helped me

then When they HSBC Classic title, and most wonderful prize.

celebrated your 50th birthday this year. What is next year? It has got

to be that rather important event in London! I have been fortunate

enough to ride at five Olympics, but would love to try to get to my

sick and make a record. The World Sailing Championships are

starting in the Australian city of Perth this weekend. Exmouth pair

Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes are among those competing in their 49er

yacht. This is key for the sailors who are yet to secure a place in

the GB team to compete in Portland next summer. The one exception is

Ben Ainslie, who learned to sail in Cornwall. He was the first British

sailor to qualify for the 2012 Olympics.

Finally, Plymouth Raiders try to become the first team to beat

Leicester Riders in the BBL at the Pavilions on Sunday afternoon.

Leicester are third in the table and unbeaten so far. The Raiders,

one place and four points behind them, hope guard Michael Ojo is

back to full fitness. Have you finished? I think so!

An exhibition of old photographs from an extensive collection in

Cornwall has been giving people a chance to see how much has changed

and how much has stayed the same. Pictures of places and well-known

local personalities have been bringing back memories for people

in St Ives. The collection has become an important historic record

and, as Matt Pengelly reports, the search is on for more photos to add

to the archive. On offer on - - in some nice today,

tea, kick and history. Archives and historical societies around the

south-west, the volunteers who run this club are very proud of their

collection. Once a month they make a selection of their images, and

put on a show of St Ives it then and now it to showcase the work and

attract donations. It is terribly important that photographs don't

get thrown away. We can digitise them. It means we can show them to

children in schools, because it is important that they know how the

town has developed. To look at what children used to look at 100 years

ago, for example, and the things they did, the close they wore.

professional archivists also brought along some material. It is

great for us to work with local archives, to meet the community and

see what's is out there, whether people had interest and photographs

or diaries. We will collect anything that relates to Cornwall

history. Even if you don't think it is so starkly that interesting, for

us there is the chance that it will be. This was for a junior plumber

and Shirley Beck working at the pottery in Penzance in the 1960s,

and this is them today. Just don't call them part of history! To find

a word would be so difficult. It is something for everybody's future.

For the children who don't even know we exist will be so pleased

when they get older to know that something like this are still here

for them. We often get people in saying that we did not think you

would want them, or we have thrown a lot away. But is such a shame

because we could do such a lot with them. Rare footage has emerged of

the first attempts by surfers to stand up on their boards off

Newquay more than 80 years ago. The film, which was recorded by four

friends who travelled from London to Cornwall for weekends at the

beach, had been in a loft in Cambridgeshire for decades. It has

now been released by the Museum of British Surfing, as Andrew Plant

reports. We used to so much into the sea,

and when a good whiff came, we used to live flat's and the way it would

push us right onto the beach. Riding a home-made board of balsa

wood, this film captures for young friends of the coast of Cornwall.

Filmed in 1929 as they made their first attempts at stand-up surfing.

At that time, riding the waves meant a short boards and lying flat

to the water, until the group's online use real of Australian

surfers and were inspired to try a new style. This is the earliest

known footage of surfers standing up in the UK. When we swam out and

the waves came, we tried to stand on it like they did in Australia.

Mind you, eventually, after practice, we managed to do Yeats

and to stand up on the board. the group's board was stolen, and

their trips to Newquay stopped by the outbreak of war. The fragile

footage was found lying in an attic covered in dust and passed to the

Museum of British surfing. They called the discovery and national

treasure and plan to exhibit the full footage next year.

That is amazing. A film from the surfboard is absolutely fantastic

Good evening. There is some wet weather coming in now across a good

part of the south-west. Some of the rain is turning out to be quite

heavy tonight and tomorrow morning. It will be called over the weekend

tomorrow, down to 10 degrees on Sunday, it may be seven degrees by

Monday. We had this big lump of cloud out in the Atlantic. It

stretches right across the Atlantic. It is the same weather fronts that

will bring us some wet weather for tonight, tomorrow and Sunday. This

is this evening. The weather front will spill its way southwards

giving outbreaks of rain. It may clear for a time, but it will come

back during the course of Sunday. We may get away with some dry

weather, but cloudy come if it moves further south. Here is the

picture now. We have had a lot of wet weather in the south-west. At

first light this morning our cameraman was on Dartmoor and he

caught a spectacular sunrise. Frost on the grass. I have to scrape the

windscreen of my car. The cloud has been steadily coming in and by the

afternoon their cloud has continued to stream across the south-west

blotting out the sunshine. Now it is cloudy, the rain is here and

that will continue across most of the South West denied. The high

ground will seek the lion's share of the really heavy rain. Winds

will be from the West, strong to gale-force, so a blustery, wet

night. Temperatures could dog - - temperatures could dip as low a six

degrees. Tomorrow morning, some rain around, but it will gradually

Peter Wright end any chance of brightness will be limited to the

far north of Devon and into part of Somerset or Dorset. It will become

in the drive for most of us, with the exception being West Cornwall

and the Channel Islands. A little bit cooler than we have seen

recently. On the Isles of Scilly it will be blustery and the rain will

come and go. Cloudy conditions for much of the day. Times of high

Sunday is going to be damp. Colder on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday