:00:02. > :00:05.Hello, this week I'm in Bungay in Suffolk, and this is what we got
:00:05. > :00:11.coming up on tonight's Inside Out. We reveal the research that could
:00:12. > :00:14.help one of Britain's rarest mammals to avoid extinction.
:00:14. > :00:17.If they have come from the reintroduction programme, then
:00:17. > :00:23.that's really exciting because it's a measure of the success of the
:00:23. > :00:25.programme. Despite promises that banks will
:00:25. > :00:34.lend billions to small businesses, we investigate why companies are
:00:34. > :00:38.still being let down by their banks. And the man who is still making
:00:38. > :00:48.masterpieces, despite being blind. They're our three surprising
:00:48. > :00:59.
:00:59. > :01:02.stories from where we live, on Hello, welcome to Bungay in Suffolk.
:01:02. > :01:05.Later in the programme I'm going to be meeting an incredible man, who
:01:05. > :01:08.despite losing his sight, has made some amazing works of art. But
:01:08. > :01:13.first, we're looking into new research which could help save one
:01:13. > :01:17.of our rarest mammals - the dormouse. It only grows to about
:01:17. > :01:20.two inches long, it sleeps all day, and it can weigh as little as two
:01:20. > :01:23.pound coins. And over recent years, it has been under threat - but new
:01:23. > :01:30.research being carried out right here in Suffolk means the species
:01:30. > :01:34.could now survive. Richard Daniel explains.
:01:34. > :01:37.If you go down to the woods today you're probably more likely to see
:01:37. > :01:42.a bear having a picnic than a dormouse.
:01:42. > :01:47.And that's not just because they're so rare. It's also because during
:01:47. > :01:51.the daytime they're usually tucked up in their nests, fast asleep.
:01:51. > :01:55.But the dormouse is not sleeping easy these days. Once widespread
:01:55. > :01:59.over much of Britain, its range has shrunk over the last century, and
:01:59. > :02:03.is now mainly found in southern England and Wales. Fortunately,
:02:03. > :02:08.here in Bonny Wood in Suffolk they are thriving - and if we can find
:02:08. > :02:11.out why, it could help secure their survival.
:02:11. > :02:16.So how many dormice do you reckon you've got in this wood?
:02:16. > :02:20.Well, we really don't know, and it goes up and down. In spring we find
:02:20. > :02:25.very few, maybe one or two animals. In the autumn, we sometimes get up
:02:25. > :02:28.to about 30 animals. But actually what we have to do is take it on a
:02:28. > :02:30.year on year process, and we believe the population here is
:02:30. > :02:33.increasing. But the discovery of dormice in
:02:33. > :02:37.Bonny Wood has caused confusion in wildlife circles, because no-one
:02:37. > :02:44.knows how they got here. More than a decade ago, no dormice
:02:44. > :02:51.were found here at all. Then a captive-bred population were
:02:51. > :02:56.released into Priestley Wood a few hundred yards away. The question is,
:02:56. > :02:59.have they now spread from Priestley to here in Bonny Wood?
:02:59. > :03:02.We're going to lift it out Dormice like using nest boxes for
:03:02. > :03:10.breeding, so the Suffolk Wildlife Trust put them up in Bonny Wood to
:03:10. > :03:14.tempt them in. Shall we see if we've got one?
:03:14. > :03:18.Right, we're going to lift the lid now What an enormous nest! Is that
:03:18. > :03:23.typical? Yes, that's a beautiful dormouse nest. And the dome-shaped
:03:23. > :03:26.bit there - is that grass? that's actually bark. It's stripped
:03:26. > :03:30.from plants like honeysuckle. It's very distinctive, there's no other
:03:30. > :03:37.small mammal that does that. So, is there a dormouse in here? Well -
:03:37. > :03:41.let's have a look. Oh, there we are. Long, long tail, big, big eyes.
:03:41. > :03:45.because they're nocturnal. And they've got lovely big whiskers as
:03:45. > :03:49.well. I'm going to have a look now to see whether we've got anyone
:03:49. > :03:52.else in there Oh, I can feel babies. Yep, so she's definitely a mum.
:03:52. > :03:54.many babies do they typically have? About four or five.
:03:54. > :03:59.Dormouse numbers have crashed nationally, partly due to
:03:59. > :04:09.fragmentation of woodlands and loss of hedgerows. But here in Bonny
:04:09. > :04:10.
:04:10. > :04:13.they are up - from about six animals in 2005, to around 30 today.
:04:13. > :04:15.Nida Al-Fulaij is from the People's Trust for Endangered Species, which
:04:15. > :04:19.re-introduced the dormice into Priestley Wood. She's come to Bonny
:04:19. > :04:22.to help investigate the mystery of how they got here.
:04:22. > :04:28.Right, so we're just coming out of Bonny Wood now and then here across
:04:28. > :04:31.the is Priestley Wood. So you can see they're really close by but
:04:31. > :04:37.they're two distinct woodlands, and they're just connected by this
:04:37. > :04:41.hedgerow here that runs along that edge of the field. Now here's the
:04:41. > :04:44.thing though - we know that there are dormice in Bonny Wood, so have
:04:44. > :04:47.they made their way across from Priestley Wood along this hedgerow
:04:47. > :04:51.into Bonny Wood? The key thing about a hedgerow is that it has to
:04:51. > :04:54.be in good condition for a dormouse to use it, for a dormouse to travel
:04:54. > :04:57.along it and use it as a highway between woodlands. So is this
:04:57. > :05:00.hedgerow suitable for dormice? you can see honeysuckle here you
:05:00. > :05:03.can see hawthorn, hazel, field maple - so there's a great variety
:05:03. > :05:06.of food here for dormice to feed on throughout the year. So can we
:05:06. > :05:14.definitely say that dormice are crossing from one wood to the other,
:05:14. > :05:17.via this hedge? We can't say for sure conclusively - we know that we
:05:17. > :05:20.put dormice in Priestley Wood and we know now there are dormice in
:05:20. > :05:27.Bonny Wood, but we can't say for sure what the actual origin of
:05:27. > :05:30.these animals are. If they can prove the dormice have
:05:30. > :05:32.moved from one wood to the other, that could have major implications
:05:32. > :05:36.on work being done to help dormice re-colonise our countryside.
:05:36. > :05:44.So, how can we tell for sure where the dormice here in Bonny Wood came
:05:44. > :05:47.from? Well, the team at the Suffolk Wildlife Trust are trying something
:05:47. > :05:55.completely new. Right, what I'm going to do is just
:05:55. > :05:58.take a little fur clip So Simone, what are you doing? It looks as if
:05:58. > :06:02.you're about to give this little one a haircut. Well, we're going to
:06:02. > :06:06.take the hair sample, and we're also going to take a cheek swab as
:06:06. > :06:09.well From the dormouse? From the dormouse. And they are going to
:06:09. > :06:12.analyse the DNA in this sample, and the other samples that we're
:06:12. > :06:16.collecting, to see whether the DNA from this wood is very similar to
:06:16. > :06:22.that from Priestley Wood. whether there's inter-breeding
:06:22. > :06:27.going on. That's right - I mean, you'd expect the DNA to be quite
:06:27. > :06:31.similar between the two populations, if in fact they are related. So why
:06:31. > :06:35.is it so important to know this - to know where these dormice have
:06:35. > :06:38.come from? Well, if they have come from the reintroduction programme,
:06:38. > :06:40.and they've managed to come over several hundred metres into this
:06:40. > :06:46.woodland, then that's really exciting because it's a measure of
:06:47. > :06:51.the success of the programme. That dormice, once put into new
:06:51. > :06:54.woodlands, have the ability to colonise out into new areas.
:06:54. > :07:01.There we go, that worked beautifully - so into the tubeand
:07:01. > :07:04.we've got the sample. In the last 20 years there have
:07:04. > :07:10.been 17 reintroductions of dormice, with breeding centres using captive
:07:10. > :07:13.animals to boost the wild population.
:07:13. > :07:22.Well, these animals we are breeding for reintroduction back into the
:07:22. > :07:28.wild. Oh, look, there's some of our babies For next year's release, and
:07:28. > :07:31.we're hoping they're going to go back to a site in Warwickshire.
:07:31. > :07:38.Preparing young dormice for the wild involves a huge amount of work
:07:38. > :07:41.and patience. Which is why the more that can be found out about
:07:41. > :07:44.reintroductions such as Priestley, the better chance they'll have.
:07:44. > :07:47.the results of the DNA analysis will be really important, because
:07:47. > :07:49.they'll show how far the dormice are spreading once they've been
:07:49. > :07:53.reintroduced, and whether they're actually mixing with other wild
:07:53. > :07:55.populations of dormice. It's time to get some answers.
:07:55. > :07:57.Simone and I have come to Manchester Metropolitan University,
:07:57. > :08:00.where scientists have been analysing the DNA taken from
:08:00. > :08:06.animals in Bonny Wood, and comparing it to the DNA of the
:08:06. > :08:09.reintroduced population in Priestley.
:08:09. > :08:11.It's still early days on the results, but there's ecological
:08:11. > :08:13.evidence that there's both breeding and movement between the two
:08:13. > :08:16.populations, and essentially this confirms that individuals from one
:08:16. > :08:20.population are moving and breeding with individuals in the other one,
:08:20. > :08:28.making offspring. There's been interbreeding between the
:08:28. > :08:31.population in Priestley Wood and Bonny Wood - they're mixing? Yes,
:08:31. > :08:34.that's right, because they share genetic material - definitely the
:08:34. > :08:38.evidence we have so far is consistent with that. So Ed, what
:08:38. > :08:46.you can't say is that all the dormice in Bonny Wood came from
:08:46. > :08:50.Priestley Wood? No, we can't say that, no definitely not. Now Simone,
:08:50. > :08:53.what do you make of that? Well, it gives me the confidence to feel
:08:53. > :08:56.that if you put animals back into the wild from a captive-bred
:08:56. > :08:59.population, that they CAN move out from that site, and move across
:08:59. > :09:02.hedgerows and get into new woodlands, and that is going to
:09:02. > :09:10.make their whole population much more secure for the future.
:09:10. > :09:15.hugely encouraging for you, this? Very exciting.
:09:15. > :09:19.So, are dormice safe now? Well, I think in this group of woodlands
:09:19. > :09:24.that we've been studying, that they do have a more secure future, I'm
:09:24. > :09:26.really optimistic about that. But I am worried about some of the other
:09:26. > :09:30.sites in Suffolk where the woodlands are very small, they're
:09:30. > :09:32.very isolated - there's a lot more work that needs to be done to
:09:32. > :09:35.understand those populations, and to make sure they're better
:09:35. > :09:45.connected, so that the populations can meet up and there's an
:09:45. > :09:45.
:09:45. > :09:48.interchange of genetic material. And it's great to know that there's
:09:48. > :09:52.some work going on that could help save the dormouse. Now, if there's
:09:52. > :09:54.something you think we should be doing a story about here on Inside
:09:54. > :09:56.Out, you can send me an e-mail, david.whiteley@bbc.co.uk, or you
:09:56. > :10:06.can follow me on Twitter, @davidinsideout.
:10:06. > :10:11.
:10:11. > :10:16.Later - making pictures, without being able to see.
:10:16. > :10:20.Have you ever tried to get a bank loan? It's not straightforward. A
:10:20. > :10:22.year ago this month, the government came to a deal with the country's
:10:22. > :10:25.biggest banks, to lend small businesses more money. But
:10:25. > :10:34.thousands of companies here in the East say they still feel let down
:10:34. > :10:38.by their banks. Nick Conrad has been investigating.
:10:38. > :10:40.Kiffy Stainer-Hutchins runs a business restoring fine paintings.
:10:40. > :10:44.Based near King's Lynn, she has a world-renowned name recognised by
:10:44. > :10:47.every museum, and her company may have just secured a major contract.
:10:47. > :10:49.Despite being busy and successful, with a specialist trade, this
:10:49. > :10:57.company is experiencing very real and difficult financing issues that
:10:57. > :11:02.could jeopardise its survival. That's because it can't secure the
:11:02. > :11:06.funding it needs from its bank. The most important thing really is
:11:06. > :11:10.an overdraft facility on our business account. We have several
:11:10. > :11:13.clients who like to pay us on a 45, 60 day basis, which if you're
:11:13. > :11:22.invoicing somebody for �20,000 and you have to wait 60 days, for a
:11:22. > :11:26.small company like this it's crippling. I mean, we could be put
:11:26. > :11:28.out of business in a month if we didn't have some way of dealing
:11:28. > :11:33.with that. Kiffy feels that she's not received
:11:33. > :11:36.enough financial support from her bank, Barclays. In order to manage
:11:36. > :11:43.the new contract, worth �100,000, she'll need an overdraft - but has
:11:43. > :11:46.little faith her experience will be any different from a year ago.
:11:46. > :11:49.Last year when we tried for another overdraft to help us with a
:11:49. > :11:52.particular temporary shortfall, I was very angry then because we were
:11:52. > :11:56.turning over around about a quarter of a million pounds - I just could
:11:56. > :12:02.not understand why they were not willing to give us the money that
:12:02. > :12:07.we were asking for. Today, Kiffy and her colleague
:12:07. > :12:11.Cindy Pardoe are asking for �15,000 - and they need an answer urgently.
:12:11. > :12:15.I'd asked for 15 - they've offered us 7 to 8, which is just not going
:12:15. > :12:18.to do it cos our initial figures are going to be 16 grand. Despite
:12:18. > :12:23.the fact it's a new contract, despite the fact I've have
:12:23. > :12:26.explained - the client, they pay us on 60 days, this is our problem.
:12:26. > :12:31.And he's just Anyway, he's going to talk to the bank manager and
:12:31. > :12:34.possibly come back but that was two hours ago soI don't know. And
:12:34. > :12:38.that's actually going to cost us between 14 and 19 per cent in
:12:38. > :12:41.interest. They're not looking at new tender, so I've said it's 100
:12:41. > :12:45.grand - and I did explain if we don't get this, we can't actually
:12:45. > :12:49.go ahead with this tender. Because we can't afford it. These are our
:12:49. > :12:53.initial costs. So what did he say then? There's nothing he can do,
:12:53. > :12:56.but he's going to go back to Ian and then they'll go I guess to the
:12:56. > :12:59.credit rating people and check whether we can Well, also if we
:12:59. > :13:02.don't get this tender we're going to have to lay people off. Maybe
:13:02. > :13:06.they should know that as well. it's a bit depressing.
:13:06. > :13:09.Kiffy is not alone. Other small firms that want to grow are also
:13:09. > :13:12.struggling. A year ago the government struck a
:13:12. > :13:17.deal with the country's biggest banks to lend more money to small
:13:17. > :13:22.businesses. But 12 months on, thousands of businesses across the
:13:22. > :13:30.East feel they've been let down. Even those in a position to expand,
:13:30. > :13:32.are finding it tough to get the finance they need.
:13:32. > :13:35.Tracel, a family firm in Bedfordshire, specialises in
:13:35. > :13:37.engineering parts for the gas and aerospace industries. It also makes
:13:37. > :13:45.components for prosthetics. What's it like having a family
:13:45. > :13:49.business? Well, for the last 50 years my father has owned and run
:13:49. > :13:53.this business, and you have to be very passionate about it. All of
:13:53. > :13:57.your workers basically end up as part of the family. So it's a very
:13:57. > :14:00.good thing to be involved in - but also you've got a massive amount of
:14:00. > :14:04.commitment to everybody. But how have things changed since your dad
:14:04. > :14:08.was boss here? Well, from the point of view of the relationship with
:14:08. > :14:15.the bank, that has changed completely. In the past my father
:14:15. > :14:19.had a very, very close relationship with the bank manager. It was the
:14:19. > :14:29.local bank. Now, that's all changed - we basically don't have any
:14:29. > :14:32.
:14:32. > :14:41.Stephen says HSBC cut the amount of money it was prepared to lend and
:14:41. > :14:44.things started to go wrong. Basically we were using a fund that
:14:44. > :14:47.enabled us to finance are invoices and they changed the criteria in
:14:47. > :14:57.other words they changed the risk they were prepared to take against
:14:57. > :15:03.are customers. It was reduced about �80,000 just overnight. And what
:15:03. > :15:09.did that mean for business. It was just a massive problem. We had
:15:09. > :15:12.materials to pay for we had wages to pay. All it did was meant that
:15:12. > :15:15.we could not start new jobs. We could not get on with new orders.
:15:15. > :15:18.Steven left HSBC and thought he would try another bank, but got
:15:18. > :15:20.nowhere. His experience was not an isolated case. Inside Out has
:15:20. > :15:23.discovered that banks have contacted thousands of small
:15:23. > :15:30.businesses to renegotiate or cancel existing loans and overdrafts. Over
:15:30. > :15:33.200,000 in one year alone. Federation Of Small Businesses
:15:33. > :15:36.figures show that a third of its members looking for new loans are
:15:36. > :15:38.not securing them. Some companies like this one in Lowestoft are
:15:38. > :15:42.turning to alternative sources of finance. Based in Suffolk,
:15:42. > :15:51.Foundation East is a not for profit organisation. It can step in and
:15:51. > :15:55.lend to companies if they have been turned down by their bank. We visit
:15:55. > :16:01.the client when they apply to us. It is about looking at the business
:16:01. > :16:03.to see if it is viable. We look at how we can also help them
:16:03. > :16:09.potentially you adjust their business and good coaching, that
:16:09. > :16:12.kind of thing. We are very interested in not just lending to
:16:12. > :16:20.them but lending to them with support and making sure they have
:16:20. > :16:23.the right amount of money to help them start or grow their business.
:16:23. > :16:31.Today Valerie who looks after a number of businesses, is visiting
:16:31. > :16:34.this snooker club. Obviously, there have been some changes...
:16:34. > :16:38.Foundation East has been able to finance hundreds of thousands of
:16:38. > :16:41.pounds in loans over the last year. It was also able to offer a �50,000
:16:41. > :16:49.loan to Steven. What would have happened if you had not been able
:16:49. > :16:58.to get finance? Well, we would never have increased our turnover.
:16:58. > :17:01.We would never have invested or employ an extra 30 people. So yes,
:17:01. > :17:04.the business would have just struggled at the that current size.
:17:04. > :17:10.But Foundation East's resources can only stretch so far and ultimately
:17:10. > :17:20.lending by the banks remains crucial. Would you accept that
:17:20. > :17:22.
:17:22. > :17:26.banks have become more edgy about what they throw their money behind?
:17:26. > :17:33.The banks have lent more this year than last by significant billions.
:17:33. > :17:37.They are encouraging businesses to come... They have to lend
:17:37. > :17:47.responsibly at the same time and be sure those businesses can afford to
:17:47. > :17:52.
:17:52. > :17:54.repay the loan. Overall though the banks failed to meet the
:17:54. > :17:58.government's target to small businesses and net lending has
:17:58. > :18:01.fallen. In Kiffy's case she just wanted a fair deal. I do not see
:18:01. > :18:06.how they cannot give us an overdraft facility at a decent rate,
:18:06. > :18:13.to help us operate in a smooth away without having to jump from one
:18:13. > :18:17.month to win next -- to the next with constant anxiety. Since we
:18:17. > :18:23.have filmed, Barclay's has told the company that there will be able to
:18:23. > :18:27.end -- lend more money. Berkeley's told Inside Out that the manager
:18:27. > :18:37.would have a deeper knowledge. Berkeley's have also said they
:18:37. > :18:41.approve four out of five business applications. For Steven, he has
:18:41. > :18:43.paid his loan off to Foundation East in full. This sounds like a
:18:43. > :18:47.real missed opportunity for the banks, seeing as though your
:18:47. > :18:52.turnover has gone up. I think it is a huge missed opportunity for the
:18:52. > :18:57.banks. Our turnover has gone from �250,000 a month to �460,000 a
:18:57. > :18:59.month. HSBC told Inside Out that it tried to help Tracel through what
:18:59. > :19:02.was a difficult time for the business and the manufacturing
:19:02. > :19:05.industry and are delighted hear that the company has grown over the
:19:05. > :19:13.past two years. HSBC told us they increased their lending to UK
:19:13. > :19:17.If you are an artist or painter, one of the most important things
:19:17. > :19:27.for you is to be able to see your work. Imagine being an artist and
:19:27. > :19:27.
:19:27. > :19:31.Sargy Mann's paintings are highly prized by both critics and
:19:31. > :19:35.collectors. They can fetch tens of thousands of pounds. Fans of his
:19:35. > :19:39.work include the actor Daniel Day- Lewis. It's a remarkable
:19:39. > :19:49.achievement for a man who has spent much of his life struggling with
:19:49. > :19:52.
:19:52. > :19:56.How do you continue to paint when you cannot see? I imagine it's a
:19:56. > :20:06.simple question but I cannot imagine it's a simple answer.
:20:06. > :20:06.
:20:07. > :20:14.really, no. I've had to develop a way of doing it really. That is the
:20:14. > :20:19.picture I've just finished which has taken me about five months.
:20:19. > :20:25.What are all these bumps on it? When I started doing it, the bigger
:20:25. > :20:32.problem was the drawing because I needed to come back to the same
:20:32. > :20:35.place. Are they like a physical caught in it for you? Are they
:20:36. > :20:41.something you can touch and work out where you are the, this?
:20:41. > :20:46.Exactly so. Sargy who lives in Bungay in Suffolk has been a
:20:46. > :20:49.professional artist for 50 years. He also taught at the Camberwell
:20:49. > :20:55.School of Art in London. But when he was 36, he started getting
:20:55. > :21:04.problems with his sight. He developed cataracts in both eyes.
:21:04. > :21:09.Every time I went into the hospital, for some operation or other, headed
:21:09. > :21:13.not know whether or not it would be the end of the line. There was one
:21:13. > :21:17.time when I was in Moorfields Eye Hospital for five weeks and they
:21:17. > :21:23.did a number of operations. would be devastating for you to
:21:23. > :21:30.think of yourself, as an artist, that you were losing your side when
:21:30. > :21:40.that is what you love doing. Yes... Obviously, it wasn't ideal but I
:21:40. > :21:42.
:21:42. > :21:44.was able... I carried on. What the world looked like was different and
:21:44. > :21:53.therefore my subject changed and what I could see when I was
:21:53. > :22:00.painting was a bit different and so my technique, or style, or whatever
:22:00. > :22:03.you want to say, changed as well. Despite several operations though
:22:03. > :22:06.Sargy's eyesight got progressively worse, until six years ago he
:22:06. > :22:15.finally went completely blind. That might have been the end for most
:22:15. > :22:20.people. But not for Sargy. I just thought, well, what if I do
:22:20. > :22:25.something from memory? I thought about this for a while and I
:22:25. > :22:31.thought, here goes. I put some blue one to my brush and then onto the
:22:31. > :22:41.canvas. Had an extraordinary sensation. I saw in my head a
:22:41. > :22:48.sensational Blue. I cannot... It was not what I would have seen if I
:22:48. > :22:57.could see but it was definitely, just doing that on the canvas,
:22:57. > :23:07.going like that, I saw a blue. It was completely weird. The same with
:23:07. > :23:19.
:23:19. > :23:27.Can you take me to your studio? Sure. I'll let you lead on. How do
:23:27. > :23:36.you navigate your way to the studio? Is it a well beaten path?
:23:36. > :23:43.Yes. If I've gone to collect the post and I walked back, sometimes I
:23:43. > :23:48.take the curve around wrong and headed towards the river! I have
:23:48. > :23:54.actually fallen in the river -- I've not actually fallen in the
:23:54. > :24:04.river but there is always a first time. Is this a new technique?
:24:04. > :24:05.
:24:05. > :24:08.a refinement. Since becoming blind Sargy has
:24:08. > :24:11.developed a complicated looking measuring system which he uses to
:24:11. > :24:17.mark out the image he's going to paint. He often uses his wife
:24:17. > :24:21.Francis as a model. You're not only measuring where the objects are but
:24:21. > :24:27.where the light might be on the painting. On to the canvas, it's
:24:27. > :24:37.not an object, it is a shape of cover. -- colour. And what -- and
:24:37. > :24:40.measuring whether Aceh should be. After carrying out his measurements
:24:40. > :24:44.Sargy uses blobs of blutack to mark out the outline of the picture. The
:24:44. > :24:47.bluetack acts as a reference point. Sargy uses it to feel where the
:24:47. > :24:57.paint should go. But it's not that easy and doesn't always work first
:24:57. > :25:00.
:25:00. > :25:09.time. Now that was a mistake, you see. I've put you off. Does this
:25:09. > :25:18.happen quite a bit? Is there a lot of trial and error? Yes, it happens
:25:18. > :25:22.all the time. I don't mind because it bring use EU to the place where
:25:22. > :25:31.you almost capable. It has been such a struggle to get to the point
:25:31. > :25:36.way you can put paint on canvas. think that the Shia problems of
:25:36. > :25:46.making the painting may mean that the tide arrive at something which
:25:46. > :25:50.
:25:50. > :25:54.has more authority. But how does a blind artist choose the colours to
:25:54. > :25:56.use? Well, Sargy keeps his paint set out in a strict colour order.
:25:56. > :26:01.And then of course there's the problem of mixing paints together.
:26:01. > :26:11.How does that work? Well, to start with I have a pretty good idea of
:26:11. > :26:13.
:26:13. > :26:16.what happens. Later on, I start to need my wife to help me mix colours.
:26:16. > :26:24.Despite the obvious difficulties in being a blind painter, Sargy has
:26:24. > :26:31.found one unexpected benefit. been painting comers like I
:26:31. > :26:40.remember them. -- colours. I knew what Brown was like, I had a sense
:26:40. > :26:44.of what the garden looked like. Then I thought I don't want to
:26:44. > :26:52.paint this brown chair again. The chair was fine but the brown was
:26:52. > :26:56.not. I went to the cupboard to get a white dust sheet and I thought,
:26:56. > :27:00.he cannot see it anyway, what are you putting that dust sheet on for?
:27:00. > :27:08.You can paint the check any colour you like. Imagine it's a different
:27:08. > :27:15.colour. That was a breakthrough and that was what led me to, in these
:27:15. > :27:18.pictures, think of colour in a different way. The actual process
:27:18. > :27:22.of painting obviously takes much longer when you can't see. It's not
:27:22. > :27:26.unusual for Sargy to spend weeks or even months working on a project.
:27:26. > :27:31.But it's obviously worth it as his work is highly regarded by critics.
:27:31. > :27:41.I am what I am. I am a painter. I don't know if I'm any good. Time
:27:41. > :27:49.
:27:49. > :27:55.will decide that. But it is what I And here it is, the finished
:27:55. > :27:59.article. How long has it taken you to compete this painting?
:27:59. > :28:09.probably worked on it over a period of six months. Are you pleased with
:28:09. > :28:16.the outcome? I think I am, yes. I like the original idea. The yellow,
:28:16. > :28:21.grey and white... It is absurd because I cannot see it but if it
:28:21. > :28:26.is how I think it is, it has worked out well. Great to catch up with
:28:26. > :28:32.you again and to see the painting finished. Thanks very much. If you
:28:32. > :28:36.want to see more of his work, go to his website. That is it for this
:28:36. > :28:43.week, I hope you can join us next week.
:28:43. > :28:48.His England still a country of animal lovers? I get so upset at
:28:48. > :28:51.the little I can do. I cannot save everything.