24/01/2012 Spotlight

Chronically ill and isolated, a woman unable to move closer to

health services because of a lack of council housing. I have come

very close to wishing that if I didn't wake up, it wouldn't be such

a bad thing. Linda Miller says she feels stranded in her rural home.

There are calls for more to be done to help people in her situation.

Served with a notice to quit, the Occupy protesters at Exeter but --

Cathedral have been told to go immediately.

Her son was killed in a Nimrod accident, the mother who has

written about his death but is still looking for answers.

100 years on, remembering captain Robert Scott and the men who never

made it back from the South Pole. Many chronically ill people in the

south-west are unable to move out of their isolated rural homes

because there are not enough council properties available. They

Cornish community groups is housing, health and Social Services should

work more closely together to ensure sick and disabled people

have the highest priority. Nestling in the north Cornwall

countryside, this village is academic, but that is not how Linda

Miller sees it. She doesn't drive and there are only three buses a

week. Linda has chronic lung disease, arthritis and depression,

but says it is too difficult to get to hospital and living here is

making her condition worse. I don't see anybody. I'm completely

isolated. I don't see a soul from one day to the next. I have come

very close a couple of times, this winter, to wishing that if I didn't

wake up it would be such a bad thing. In remote villages, bus

services are in frequent and access can be difficult in bad weather.

There is no shop, no pub and those services and the nearest doctor's

surgery is nearly seven miles away. Linda has been waiting for a year

for the council to move her to a bigger tan closer to people she

knows. A local support group has taken BUT they said there are many

disabled and sick people in isolated areas waiting to move, he

need have not been properly assessed. They said different

agencies must work more closely together. The situation is critical.

There are many people suffering at the moment and the importance is

getting health, Social Services and housing together to assess them so

they get their housing. Cornwall Council says there are not enough

properties to satisfy demand, even for those with a house priority,

but it says the system aims to be fair and transparent in assessing

housing need and when someone highlight health and social care --

highlights a health issue, it is no doubt by a panel including health

and social care professionals. Health care professionals say those

who are sick should not languish in isolated homes. We have heard from

lender, who is very depressed about her situation. -- Linda Evans. --

Linda Miller. How common is this? It is quite common and we do a Mac

with quite different groups were this occurs. -- deal. We know the

population is ageing and also, it is a dream for some people to

retire down here. They come down on holiday as a couple and then they

are here for their retirement and as they get older and their health

deteriorates it becomes a serious issue. How do we get over this

problem? Councils said they do not have the properties available. How

do we get past that problem? work which Cornwall Council and we

work through DEFRA. We had the Advocate for rural communities down

before Christmas and we were taking him to visit people like the lady

in your report. Some of the responsibility must rest with the

community to support individuals that are there. We are working

collectively with charities. The solution does not just that with

the strategy because we cannot afford that any more as a country

and a Cardhu. It is a combination of things, it is doing things and

making sure that the services that are there join up and if there is

housing available to make sure that the most appropriate people have

access to it in the right place. That is probably going to stave --

saved on statutory funding as well. Putting people in a care home would

be even more costly. Anti-capitalist protesters camped

outside Exeter Cathedral have been served with notices telling them to

leave immediately. The Charge Authority survey will take action

to evict the dozens of demonstrators if they do not comply.

-- the church authorities say. What did these notices they? It is in

the form of eight Letter. It is very terse, just a few lines. It

reflects a loss of patience with the protesters. Nicky point of the

letter is -- the key point of the letter is that the protesters are

required to leave immediately and if they do not court action will

follow. It adds that no further notice will be given. There has

been a stand-off for a while. What is likely to happen next? It is

difficult to call. There is a tape -- game of cat and mouse going on

here. There are suggestions that the protesters will be given a week

or so to move voluntarily. That is what the cathedral hope will happen.

If they do not do so, court action will follow. What are the two sides

saying tonight? The cathedral say they regret having to do it but

they believe we can has become a focus for antisocial behaviour,

noise, mess and causing distress to local do this -- businesses and

people. The protesters said they have not decided what to do yet.

They previously said they would not leave until there were changes in

the global capitalist system. So far, there are no signs of that

happening. A secondary school in Plymouth is

planning to expand by creating a Free School for primary-school

pupils. Marine academy Plymouth says it wants to improve standards

of maths and literacy. Currently results are per in around one in

four primary schools in the city. Among the first primary Free

Schools in the region. -- it could become.

These schools are changing with the times. This is the Marine Academy,

linked to the University Plymouth - - of Plymouth. Then has a small

nursery and now it wants to open a primary. It wants to open a

seamless education and wants to improve standards for children in

the city. It gives us an impetus to ensure standards are raised. There

will be a clear emphasis on literacy and numeracy and also on

science and maths. We have to drive up our art comes in this area of

the city. -- outcomes. Plymouth are primary schools are amongst the

lowest 10 performing authorities in the country. A recent report from

the council said... In a statement today it said Ofsted graded the

majority of primary schools as good or better based on their last

inspection grade. It added, having a new Free School is a positive

factor. Free Schools are independent of look authority

control and the academy believes the freedom to create its own

curriculum will help drive up standards. We would aim to be open

to all and to Sir the local community. -- serve the local

community. Teaching unions and others are opposed to academies and

Free Schools and controversially, this school is hoping to become

both. The unions argue such schools The National Union of Teachers said

free schools are untested and that evidence from other countries

showed that standards have fallen with this type of school in place.

The academy is consulting and hopes to bed next month. They are

successful the new school will open in September next year. -- if they

are successful. Another college in Plymouth has

announced it also hopes to open one in the city. Plymouth College of

Art would call it Plymouth School of creative arts, with around 900

pupils. It says it aims to put creative thinking and innovation at

the heart of its curriculum. There has to be balancing between the

target driven activities, but result in the table positions, and

the interests of individuals for whom a conventional academic path

might not be the best thing. Campaigners went into battle today

against controversial plans for 150 new homes in the Devon countryside.

A public inquiry opened in the development, planned for 25 acres

of land between Exmouth and Lympstone. It attracted more than

600 objections. Those involved severe government is sending out

mixed messages about whether it approves of such developments.

It may not like much but this is the so-called green wedge between

the edge of the town of Exmouth and the village of Lympstone. It is

popular with dog owners and local workers. The East Devon way it runs

through the fields which are earmarked for develop --

It is our descale with the local community. It overturns most of the

planet -- planning policies laid down to have a properly managed and

orderly development. It is precious green land that none tains the

boundary of the historic village of Lympstone. East Devon District

Council has thrown out the plans twice but the decision could be

taken out of their hands. A public inquiry could give them a go-ahead.

The developer said there are hopeful of winning their appeal. --

they are. This case highlights apparent contradictions in

government policy. An Act passed loo -- an Act passed last year it

says local people should have more plate -- say, but guidelines also

issued last year said that there should also be a presumption in

favour of development as long as it is sustainable. We should do the

out come within two months. Developers say they will start work

almost immediately if the planning inspector backs them.

Campaigners against plans for a new nuclear power station in Somerset

have put their objections to the body reviewing the application. The

Stop Hinkley group have delivered a petition signed by more than 13,000

people to be Infrastructure Planning Commission. The energy

company EDF is applying to build the power station.

Power restrictions have been removed from wind turbines at

England's windfarm at Fullabrook Down near African. Noise testing

will be carried out after complaints from local residents.

In the service has been set up in Torbay to help pregnant women

experiencing mental health problems. It comes after a case review into

the death of a 10 day-old baby in Anxiety and depression are the most

common problems for recent mothers. It felt like terror, panic, I

didn't want to be left alone with my baby. Mental torture. Unless

you've experience what that like, it's very difficult to describe.

women will be screened for mental health concerns, if something is

picked up, they will be offered an assistant by the mental health team.

If they need a package of care, we will work closely with the midwife,

her GP, and partner, to create a plan, which she is at the centre of,

but covers every eventuality, to what happens if she becomes ill.

expect to see about 250 women within a year, in the last four

months, we have had 200 referrals made to last. -- made to last.

that I and treated, I don't think I'm a terrible mum, I think I have

done a good job today. The mother of a young RAF sergeant

from Somerset who died when his plane exploded over Afghanistan has

written a book about his death. Ben Knight was one of 14 men killed

when the RAF Nimrod exploded. The family had been campaigning to find

out what happened. The explosion which devastated this

plane killed off 14 people on board. The biggest loss of life is a

single incident since the Falklands -- in a single incident. This

mother has written a book about her son, and her search for the truth.

I won the people held rook -- and what the people responsible held to

account. That has not happened. rout the inquiries, she submitted

her thoughts to paper, for a self-, and for the future, his nephews and

it nieces. The proceeds of the book will go to charity, so some book

will come from the last. -- loss. An inquiry found about the Nimrods

were poorly maintained, and shouldn't have been flying. She

expresses anger, although people were blamed, nobody was held to

account. Do you hate ironing, or digging the

garden? A volunteer scheme which allows people to use their skills

to help each other out is being expanded across Cornwall. The St

Austell Time Bank has been running for two years, now the organisers

have got money from the Big Lottery Fund to expand it to towns. I hope

they are coming to mind. This woman is doing the ironing,

somebody else's dining. When this is done she will have banked an

hour in a time the bank, she can use it for anything. She says the

scheme has been helpful. This set of drawers collapsed, and stark.

Within less than 24 hours a member came, very capable, he put some

bigger screws in, now it's absolutely fine, it's a job I

couldn't have done. These new shelves were built, and painted, by

other members. It can provide an A- Z of services. There are many

different services, including gardening. I have put up doors,

shelves, pictures, cleared rubbish, made shelves, repaired things.

Everyone is equal, so one hour's work is one hour's work, whether it

is ironing or a music lesson. She is 12 hours in credit, but if

needed, an overdraft is possible. We do get people into debt, but

only in time. Once they have been known to last, then they can go

into debt. They repay the time when they are able to. The �50,000

annual grant means the scheme has expanded to other towns in Cornwall.

If you are in Bodmin, Newquay or Truro, you too can also open your

own account. Justin said if you come and do his

signing, he will come and cudgel grass! -- cut your grass.

The Steven Spielberg film War Horse has been a nominated for six Oscars,

including for best picture. It is based on the book by the Devon

author Michael Morpurgo, telling the story Of A boy whose horse is

sold and Serbs in World War I. -- and Serbs.

International women's cricket will come up to try this summer, the

England women's team will play India. It is a massive here for us.

We have the World Cup of 2020, and the 50 over World Cup next month.

It is a really big year for us all. Those games will be very important

for us. Torquay and knighted can stretch their unbeaten -- Torquay

United can stretch their unbeaten run to six games.

They play Dagenham and Redbridge tonight. They can also do Plymouth

Argyle a favour as the Daggers are only one place above them in the

table. Now in the second part of our

series about Plymouth born Captain Robert Falcon Scott we look at the

famous expedition which claimed his life almost a century ago. Scott's

bid for the pole relied on using ponies, dogs and men to haul

sledges part of the way. But by the beginning of January 1912, and

within 150 miles of the pole he chose just four men to accompany

him. The names Bowers, Evans, Oates and Wilson would be immortalised

alongside Scott's on that fateful journey.

Scott and his men have way in a race to the poll. They knew the

Norwegians led by a role -- role are Amundsen were ahead of them.

Now we finally know the whole story. The Norwegians had beaten them to

the poll, reaching eight weeks earlier. They reached it in 56 days.

Scott's reliance on man meant it to pin 78 days to to reach it. On the

return journey one man died. He fell into a crevasse, his condition

worsened and he eventually died. His death shocked the men, they

pressed on a, they're very survival depended on reaching supply depots.

The temperatures plunged, and keeping warm was crucial. Keeping

in mind, any time you exerted yourself, and sweated, that's why

it would freeze, and then when it melted again you would be dead.

food rations were inadequate for the work they were doing. They were

literally starving to death. There was another problem. They had

frostbitten feet, progress slowed. One member went out into a blizzard

saying, I'm just going outside for a moment, I may be some time. He

sacrificed himself for the rest of the team. Scott described him as an

Englishman and a gentleman. The storm of would not relent, Scott

knew their time was up. On 29th March, 1912, he wrote, if it seems

a pity, but I cannot write any more. They died just 11 miles from their

next supply depot. Their bodies were discovered some eight months

later. They were buried beneath It is 100 years on, but still an

incredible story. You can see the third and final part of our series

next week, when the talk to a modern-day polar explorer about the

modern-day polar explorer about the legacy. -- when we talk.

Time for the weather. Colder, but not as cold as the

Antarctic. Some drizzle tonight. Some fog on the hills, may be

becoming more widespread. You can see the cloud out here to the West.

That is a change, a colder weather front, it is heading towards us.

There is some cold air behind it. A risk of some wintery showers by

Thursday. At the moment, mild air, cloudy conditions. Some quite

strong winds tomorrow. Lunchtime on Thursday, that front is to be --

that front is to the east of us. A scattering of busty -- a blustery

showers. The cloud is giving us some light drizzle, continuing

eastwards. With all that cloud, we should not see too much of a fall

in temperatures, probably 8-9 degrees. I cloudy and misty day

tomorrow, very similar to today. Just a chance of some breaks

developing in the cloud, but here comes the persistent rain. That

moves into West Cornwall by the end of the afternoon. Some quite a wet

weather moving in, some strong winds as well. Temperatures

tomorrow, 10 -11 degrees, above average. Wednesday, some drizzle,

and the persistent rain later. The For the rest of us, rather choppy.

That is the coastal water forecast. The wind is from the south-west.

There is moderate, too poor, visibility. Quite a drop in the

temperatures on Thursday, windy with some scattered, blustery

showers. One or two showers over Dartmoor. Friday, a cold start,

just seven degrees the top temperature. Similar conditions on

Saturday. There is a risk of some widespread overnight frost on the