16/12/2013 Spotlight

arrives on Friday. Can't wait! That's all from

Urgent inspections are carried out after serious concerns about

standards of care at this home. Good evening. One member of staff who

wants to remain anonymous says the vulnerable residents deserve better.

I would not send my mother to go and spend her last days there. That says

it all. The desperate need for housing in the South West. One

charity says the number of people asking for help has doubled in one

year. We visit the street that has become a living advent calendar.

Urgent inspections have been carried out a care home amid claims that

inadequate staffing has affected the way vulnerable residents are looked

after. One member of staff has told Spotlight she wouldn't let her own

mother be cared for at the home. A letter to the Care Quality

Commission, which was also sent to our Health Correspondent, says many

residents don't get baths or showers and some are left for hours in

soiled pads because there aren't enough carers. Sally Mountjoy has

this exclusive report. This centre looks after around 40 older

residents, most of whom need help with basic care. According to an

anonymous letter, there are not enough carers to do the job properly

or safely. Among the concerns listed are that many residents do not

receive a bath or shower, repositioning to help reduce the

risk of pressure sores is not done regularly, Bales go unanswered and

toileting rarely happens. This member of staff as not to be

identified. It makes you feel bad. You're not able to provide what they

need and it is what they should have, because they are in a place

where they should be cared for. I would not send my mother to go and

spend her last days there. The letter went to the care quality

commission who sent inspectors to assess the home and speak to the

owners. There are full report will not be published until the New Year.

Cornwall Council have made urgent inspections. The councillor who was

sent a copy of the anonymous letter says it is vital to ensure that

vulnerable people are getting safe care. I have asked for a report from

them so that we can identify the complaint and if they are valid, we

will deal with them so that we can assure the public of the quality of

our care homes. Two years ago, they reported a catalogue of failings at

the home but said the necessary changes were made. The latest claims

concern problems which have developed in recent weeks. New

owners took over the care centre in October. A spokesperson told us that

if there were any compliance issues arising at any of their homes they

would work in partnership with the CQC and the council to solve them.

In October, add missions were suspended at another home owned by

the same group. Relatives had complained. The watchdog said that

people's dignity was not always respected and is not always enough

experienced staff to meet needs. The home drew up an action plan. On the

latest allegations about the other home, Cornwall Council said they

would closely monitor the situation to ensure that expected standards of

care were maintained and that any concerns `` Michael any concerned

relatives should contact the council. A charity in Cornwall says

the number of people asking it for help with housing has doubled in a

year. Chy Lowen is a project run by Chapter one, which helps people who

say they can't get help from traditional sources such as the

local authority. Cornwall Council says it's doing all it can to help

ease the problem, but that there are no easy solutions. Tamsin Melville

reports. This woman knows she is one of the lucky ones, a few years ago

she was stuck in a cramped flat. Now she is living in a new place and is

studying law. The property I am in now is more than sufficient for my

family. It is not damp, it is lovely. I am really happy. I feel

safe and secure. It is a long lease. I did not have to try and find a

deposit. I am so much happier now. She was helped by Chy Lowen, a

project which takes on the responsibility for letting private

properties to tenants struggling with deposits or credit checks. It

is people who cannot go down the private sector route, are not

vulnerable enough for the Council, and those are the people who are

caught in that gap, but do make very good tenants. Debbie says they have

seen a sharp rise in people asking for help, with up to 30 new

approaches a week. The need for more affordable housing is a widely

acknowledged problem. We are aiming to deliver 4000 homes in the next

four years and that will only scratch the surface. We are looking

at all sorts of ways to bring properties back into use. We are

working with landlords and trying to raise standards in the private

rental sector. At least then the homes will be quality homes. Chy

Lowen managers 170 properties across the county. A man's appeared in

court charged with the murder of a 36`year`old woman in Plymouth. Kerry

Power was found dead at a property on Tailyour Road in the Crownhill

area of the city on Saturday morning. Today, 41`year`old David

Wilder appeared before Plymouth magistrates accused of killing her.

He was remanded in custody. A former Royal Marines base in Plymouth has

been put up for sale. RM Turnchapel in Plymstock is the former home of

539 Assault Squadron, which is now based at Devonport. Operations ended

at Turnchapel earlier this year after the site was declared surplus

to military requirements. The plan to mine one of the world's biggest

tungsten deposits near Plymouth has cleared its last two major hurdles.

Environment Agency consent has been given for the mine's waste dump and

deals have been agreed on all of the local homes that have to be bought

up before mining can start. Our business correspondent Neil

Gallacher reports from Hemerdon. In recent weeks around a dozen homes in

this hamlet on the edge of Dartmoor have been evacuated. This area will

shortly start to see the first mine reopening since the early 1970s.

There have been major mineral works in this area for decades, soon the

local clay industry will be joined by a tungsten mine. A company has

been given consent for the waste dump the mine needs. They are over

the last major hurdle. We are all very excited. All we have seen for

the last 30 years is the decline of the mining industry and it is nice

to see a new mine start up. Some of the locals are not happy. Several

have talked about the stress of having to brute, even though they

have agreed purchase prices for their homes. None of them were

prepared to be interviewed. Are viable of tungsten mining here had

long been a possibility because basic planning permission was given

decades ago. There has been some support, the big hope is it will

employ local people. It is an Australian mining company, but the

senior management team have local connections. Virtually all of us are

people who have lived and worked for many years in the area. Our

expectation is the vast majority of the workforce will be from the area.

It is six years since the company revealed their intention to mine,

the downturn threatened to direct them but only slowed them. Hemerdon

has the fourth largest tungsten deposit in the world. The new mine

will be built in the New Year. A second dog has died after eating a

white substance which was first seen washed up in West Penwith two months

ago. It was identified as rancid palm oil. Council officials say its

now been washed up along the North coast of Cornwall. It's the 14th

time the substance has been reported on local beaches. The second dog

died after eating the material at Polzeath. There is a lot of evidence

which has demonstrated that this is an international problem. We have

had ports from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and France and we are really

concerned `` reports. We consider our beaches to be pristine so

anything that impacts on the beach we do not want. South West farmers

are being encouraged to invest in renewable energy schemes to cut fuel

costs on their farms as well as selling power to the National Grid.

Green energy supporters say wind and solar power should be thought of as

cash crops alongside other forms of agriculture. The move comes at a

time when subsidies for this scheme are being criticised. Ali Chitty

reports. Large`scale wind and solar farms attract fierce debate, for

many they are the energy of the future, but not many people want

them on their doorstep. Good small`scale production be the

answer? On his farm, this man has one turbine and a small solar array

providing power for his farm. He sells the excess back to the

National Grid. I use the electricity from my solar panels and my wind

turbine before it goes into the National Grid. What I produce is the

equivalent of something between 30 and 40 houses average consumption. I

turn it in, use it myself and have a free electric car. It is not bad.

The other advantage is they do not take any of the land out of

production. Normally this field is full of sheep, but they are up at

the other end today. When the weather is bad, they shelter

underneath it. Rob and remortgaged his house and received subsidies for

this game, but subsidies have been criticised. Cornwall Council says it

is important that agriculture can become as sustainable as possible.

It is important that farmers are sustainable, agriculture is an

important industry, one of our biggest industries and we need to

make sure that they are competitive. If they have got

renewable energy, that keeps costs down. At this restaurant, a lunch

was hosted were all lunch had been provided by former is investing in

renewables. We are talking about small`scale investments. There is a

specific view about covering the energy needs of the farm itself.

There may be some excess Power to export to the grid, that is a bonus.

In terms of keeping businesses sustainable, farmers need all the

help they can get. With big projects like the Atlantic Array of the

table, small`scale projects could be the future. Now you'll remember

during the Olympics there was a lot of talk about the legacy the games

would leave. Well, one thing to have come out of London 2012 is the sport

of handball. Yes, it's one of the most popular sports in Europe and it

could be taking off in Devon. Now, the hunt's on to find enough

under`16s to form the county's very first handball team. Our North Devon

reporter Andrea Ormsby has the story. He grew up playing handball

in France. His coaching skills are much needed because here, handball

is something you get a penalty for in football. It is inclusive, it is

a team sport, it is everything I like in a sport. It is great. At the

moment we are attacking this way. The blues have the ball. Very

quickly, they are moving back down the pitch. We want to get handball

to be a commonly played sport. At the moment, we are trying to get

people to find out about it and try it and then we will hopefully set up

competitions. It might be little known, but handball is massive in

Europe, with 19 million players and more than 150,000 teams. It is the

second most played team sport for men and the second for women and

these children love it. It is fun. You can pass it around, you can

shoot, it makes you feel nice. You can get to score. I enjoy doing

sport, but this is really good, you get to be a team player and you get

to have fun passing and trying to score goals. So far there is only

one handball club in the South West and an organisation set up last year

is trying to change that. The goal is to have Devon's very first under

16 's team ready to compete in the national schools Championships next

year. Onto the rest of the sport and Ruta Meilutyte has continued her

golden form in the pool, hasn't she, Dave? Exeter Chiefs are virtually

out of rugby's European Cup after going down 32`20 at holders Toulon.

They were outscored by four tries to two, although they led 7`5 with Don

Armand's excellent score in the first half, the South African's

first for the Chiefs. But the French side went on to strengthen their

grip at the top of Pool Two with Jonny Wilkinson dashing in to

complete Toulon's scoring. Only Plymouth Argyle suffered defeat out

of the South West Football League teams this weekend. John Sheridan's

return to his former club Chesterfield ended in a 2`0 loss.

But the rest came out unbeaten. Here's how the managers and fans

reacted. It was a tired affair, both teams tried to the game. They knew a

win would have been the better results. We are disappointed. We

felt we had some good situations. Our goalkeeper made a couple of good

saves. Keeper did not have make saves. `` their keeper. What a

terrific goal! He is going forward again. A chance here. It is our

second goal for Exeter city! Then a sharps! At a horrific goal! `` a

brilliant goal. The goals we give away were a joke. It give us a

mountain to climb. I thought we dominated the first half. It is

about scoring goals. We had a penalty, if he had scored, the game

would have been different. Everyone says how good the team is. We have

not put points on the table. That was the aim. Today, I thought we

were excellent against one of the best teams in the league. Plymouth

College swimmer Ruta Meilutyte has added two more gold medals to take

her haul this year to 14. The 16`year`old Olympic and World

champion set a new European short`course Championship record,

pipping her great rival Yuliya Efimova of Russia. Ruta won a total

of three medals in Denmark, including two golds and a silver, to

end a phenomenal year for the Lithuanian who lives, trains and

studies in Plymouth. Finally, kite racing's European Champion, Olly

Bridge from Exmouth, came second at the inaugural Oceanic Championships

at Fremantle in Australia. He was runner`up to the World champion,

Florian Gruber of Germany. 16`year`old Bridge pressurised

Gruber all week, winning two races in the regatta and more than ?2,000

in prize money. That looks tremendous! A group of volunteers is

planning to restart a centuries old industry along the Somerset

coastline ` oyster farming. The group in the village of Porlock,

near Minehead have already received grants of ?17,000 for a pilot

project using oysters from Falmouth. Our Somerset Correspondent Clinton

Rogers has the story. In this area is where the old fish traps and

tidal ponds used to be. Out there somewhere beneath the sea there are

apparently still the remnants of the oyster farms of Porlock Wear. In the

day, they produced a delicacy renowned across the country. The

best tasting oysters anywhere, or so they claimed. The oyster industry

here disappeared about 80 years ago. In a few years time we will have an

industry here. Now a voluntary organisation dedicated to

encouraging economic growth, wants to restart the industry. To create

new jobs in an area where such things are almost as rare as

oysters. We are one of the oldest communities in the country ``

country. It is difficult for young people with families to find good

employment so that they can stay here. Is this the answer? We think

it is. ?17,000 has been given to fund a pilot project. Initially,

young oysters will be brought in from other fisheries, like here in

Falmouth, and then they will be cultivated in Porlock. It will be an

important test to see if the waters here can still sustain oysters.

Eventually, if everything works out fine, we will have hundreds of

oysters. It will be quite good in the local pubs. The trial will last

one year at if it is successful, then this bay will once again see

commercial oyster production, but what makes this project unique is

that if and when it makes money, that money will be reinvested into

another community project. Always with the aim of growing new jobs.

Now do you have an advent calendar? Well, what if your whole street

became an advent calendar? That's what they've done in Ashburton in

South Devon. Neighbours in St Lawrence Lane have dressed up their

windows to help with the countdown to Christmas. Johnny Rutherford has

been to have a look. Just off one of the main streets and Ashburton is St

Lawrence Lane. In May look like an average street, but something the

residents are doing is causing excitement `` it may look like. The

whole street has been transformed into what local residents are

calling a living calendar. I sent about 35 letters and about 28 people

replied wanting to be apart of it. I had to turn a few people down. It

has been amazing, really lovely. Each day is a surprise. I am number

18 and the box has come down from the attic and I think flashing

lights are essential. We are nervous. It has become competitive.

It is lovely. We had a little boy coming home from school and he was

very excited because he had found 11 and you could hear him jumping up

and down with excitement. It made it all worthwhile for us. I want to see

the next one. I want to see the man leading the elephants. I like how

they used everything they can think of. I like the nativity scenes.

Which house will display tomorrow's window? That secret stays with the

cat. More of a wet Christmas rather than

a white Christmas. Some rain with us for tonight, the week ahead is

looking rather unsettled. Some strong winds at times, especially

for the middle part of the week. For today, we had cloud coming up from

the south, it has kept things mild, but we have some weather fronts

bringing rain for tonight. Some heavy downpours for a time. Tomorrow

could be the best day of the week in terms of a dry and bright day. By

the time we get to wear them stay, and other system moves in, some

gales are possible. Today we had some rain, some heavy downpours, and

some fairly cloudy conditions. If you're on the roads tonight, there

is a lot of water. Tomorrow, that rain will start to clear away and

with light winds and clearer skies, some mist and fog is likely, and

temperatures will drop down to three or four degrees. Parts of the

countryside could be lower than that. You might find some mist and

fog tomorrow, the sun should clear that away, a few showers close to

the south coast, but otherwise you are looking at a dry day with some

lighter winds temperatures reaching up to around eight or nine degrees.

For the Isles of Scilly, a fairly dry and bright day, moderate winds.

Times of high water... For the surfers, some decent waves for the

North Coast. Generally clean waves. Choppy on the south coast. The

coastal waters forecast... The week ahead continues and settles, so make

the most of the dry and bright weather tomorrow. On weapon state

there will be heavy rain arriving from the West `` Wednesday. Thursday

and Friday is still quite breezy, but a bit cooler. A few showers

could turn wintry, but on Friday it looks like we will return to more

wet and windy weather. Now, before we go this evening, as

is our tradition in the run up to Christmas, we have the first of our

Christmas Carols. This year we recorded singers and choirs from our

four counties in the Mary Harris Chapel at the University of Exeter.

Tonight we leave you with the Sterts Singers from Cornwall. Goodnight.