28/10/2013 Inside Out South West

The search for wealth beneath the waves, but will be his Cornish

waters be mounted by undersea mining? How do you dig up AT

football pitches worth of sea bed and not create a plume?

Poetry in motion. Simon Armitage on a coast path Odyssey. You meet

people. I wrote the song and it's about having Tourette's. And the

story of Nick and Spencer, finding friendship and therapy for there to

rets. We all know about Cornwall's long

history of mining underground, but now attention is turning to under

the sea. Developers believe there are riches out there which could

create jobs and bring in investment, but could a new ten rush damage a

precious environment? The clear waters off the north coast

of Cornwall. Popular with divers from all over the country. 30

different species of sharks. There is an amazing variety of marine

life. The visibility is the primary thing we have going for us. It's

been compared to the red Sea. We have visibility up to 30 metres

sometimes. But campaigners fear these crystal`clear waters could

soon be muddied by a proposal to dig up the sea bed. They are going to a

depth of two metres for five square kilometres. This boat is looking for

evidence of tin in St Ives Bay. Marine Minerals Limited, MML, is

collecting core samples from the sea bed. The cores are taken to the

Wheal Jane laboratory for analysis. The man in charge of the operation

is Mike Proudfoot. This is the Marine mine tailings that have been

accumulated in the past and they extend all the way through the

sample to this point. This is the material we are interested in. The

tin Mike is looking for lies a few hundred metres off one of the most

beautiful stretches of Cornwall's coastline, between St Ives and

Perranporth. But how did it get there? In the 19th century, this

area was full of mind, but back then, there were few if any

environmental controls so all the waste would be washed down the

hillside, along the valley and down to see. There have been previous

attempts to recover this tin, the last one led by Mike Proudfoot in

the 1980s. The acid test on any project is how it feels, and this is

an extremely good project. That operation failed when the tin price

crashed in 1985. But Mike says things are different now. In the

80s, if you had asked me what we do with Tim,

80s, if you had asked me what we do high`tech mineral. It is something

that is becoming scarce and the prices rising. Mike says his new

operation, if it gets the go`ahead, could provide work for 100 people

for at least ten years. We are talking about ?3 million a year in

wages alone to the people that will be working on this project. These

are not jobs that once the project is established will be taken to rear

`` to Vietnam, this is Cornwall and it has to be done here. MML plans to

use up to three crawlers similar to this one. Tin`bearing sand dug from

the sea bed will be sucked up to a ship on the surface. After primary

processing on board, most material will be returned to the trench

behind the crawler. To give you some idea of what could be going on under

the waves, we have recruited Simon, a willing volunteer.

This is how deep marine minerals are planning to go. Except, their

crawler will dig a trench wider than this. It will go back and forwards

over an area of seven football pitches every month, and over the

ten year life of the project, that is how deep marine minerals are

planning to go. Except, their crawler will dig a trench wider than

this. It will go back and forwards over an area of seven football

pitches every month, and over the ten year life of the project, that's

equivalent to Fishermen from St Ives believe that extraction of tin from

the sea bed will create a plume of cloudy water that will have a

serious impact upon their ability to catch fish. We remember that South

West water put a sewer pipe down and the whole bay turned red overnight.

The scale that marine minerals are talking about would be massive, so

the whole they could completely turn red. Because most of the boats you

see here are fishermen, how will the fish sedum looks? Mike Proudfoot

insists that fishermen have nothing to worry about. When `` there won't

be a plume. The sand is course. We are putting it onto the vessel and

piping it back to the sea bed into the trench that we have dog, so it

will not wash away somewhere else. MML also claims that damage to any

life forms found on or in the sea bed will be minimal. This is a

relatively barren area in terms of the amount of life in it. Because it

is mobile sound, there is nothing growing on it. I'm travelling out to

one of the areas MML hopes to exploit. Marine scientist Steve

Widdicombe is on board with me. His underwater camera shows an

apparently lifeless sea bed. Very coarse, clean sand with kelp

material. But a sample grab tells a different story. If I dig into it,

it seems very course and lifeless. But there are a few large organisms

here, but the greatest concern is the animals you can't see. Just

because it seems there is no life here does not necessarily mean there

isn't. What questions have got to be asked if you are going to dig up

five square kilometres of this stuff? We need to understand how

long it will take for the microbe organisms to recover from that

change or impact. It could be that recovery happens quickly, it could

happen slowly. But at the moment, I did think we have the information to

make any predictions. Back in the lab. We can see worms moving about.

We can see a very small anthropoid. All these animals live within the

sand grains, looking for this other material here. You need to think

about this sediment here we are looking at. It's a microbial

generator of nutrients which is very important in coastal zones to fuel

productivity. MML acknowledge that there will be an impact on the

benthos, the community of small organisms within the sea bed, but

they claim most of it will survive. We are doing parallel trenches,

leaving blank areas in between that can allow the sea bed to recover by

migration of species. These are very complex systems and processes. You

can't be sure of that at this stage. I can't say to you that 100% of life

will survive, but it will be very high, according to our advisers. MML

is spending ?500,000 on an Impact Assessment for the Marine Management

Organisation. If the MMO grants the licence it requires, the company

could be recovering tin here as early as 2015.

The beauty of the South West has moved many a man to verse, including

one of the UKs most popular and admired poets. But Simon Armitage

wasn't content with a quick visit here. He sought inspiration the hard

way. Poet Simon Armitage has embarked on

a 265`mile walk of the South West coastpath. He'll be writing a new

book about it. We get into place at four o'clock,

five o'clock, filthy, sweaty and tired and have to have a quick scrub

and then jump out. And read some poems. Simon's bartering poetry

readings for food, shelter and companions on the walk. The profit

that I am looking for was in the experience, and something to write

about. And meeting people and talking sharing with them. Simon

never knows who is going to turn up. First to arrive in Newquay was Colin

Inglis who has come all the way from Germany just to meet him. I thought

it would be a good way to get to know him. Along with Cornelius,

there was Peter, today's guide, Charles, a lecturer from Falmouth,

today, they planned to walk 17 miles. Leaving Newquay, they cross

strait which is only possible at low tide. A lobster goes into a bar, and

the bouncer says get out. The lobster turns round and says, what

is the problem? Walking the sand and bare feet,

wearing his shoes on his hands. He will carry his weight into the

water, setting out for Atlantis on the point of departure. What tends

to happen is you get round the headline and you can see your walk

all lined up in front of you. Stretched out along the coast. And

you say, that it is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.

Some those at last night's Reading have offered the group refreshments

at their home in Holywell Bay, if they can find it. In a roundabout

way. I'm not sure that it actually is. What happens on the journey like

this, you meet people who have lots of good will, people interested in

poetry, people interested in walking. And they tend to be the

good people and the interesting people.

It is always worth getting down on the beach. That is what I imagined

the whole war would be like, just striding along golden sands. `` the

whole walk. It is very interesting, walking along the Strand line,

looking at what had washed up and I think I probably do my best writing

when I am writing about that interaction between nature and

civilisation. It is a testament to being along that beach.

Good evening. You are leaving the house by the back door. There was

still time. You promised not to be late, not to go far.

Each day rings different weather and different walkers. As Simon

approaches lands end, both have changed. `` Land's End. Dusk walks

its fingers up the knuckles of your spine. The child, too big for court.

How did it get so this is not the finishing point for

me. This is only a transit area. I am looking out into that missed and

wind and that terrible sea wondering what that is going to be like on the

boat to the silly cars tomorrow. `` the Scilly Isles. Tresco Island.

Simon Wright during spring tides which Mike make it possible to cross

the other islands on foot if he can see where he's going. The weather,

the specific meteorological term for today's weather is rubbish. It is

supposed to be clearing up. There is a microclimate here, everywhere I

have been in the world has said it is the last day and it is a walk

out into the mist. Maybe that is fitting. With the tide coming in

fast, no one is quite sure of the best laced across. `` place to

cross. Maybe in that direction and then across to the boat yard, that

looks like the best bet, to be honest. After lots of advice, Simon

goes his own way. It was really exhilarating. You get down on the

water level and you cannot see where you are going. You can see the sand

underneath. It is tantalising. I now want to go to the end, to have a

look at Samson, in the mist. But this is where Simon's journey has to

end. I am going to be able to get to

Samson today. That seems very appropriate, really,

with an misty, foggy finish. I have had enough of the walking. It is

arduous, day in, day out. I'm not the sort of person who could do an

assault he says music is his medication.

Nick Tatham from Dorset has Tourette's, but his recent

appearance on ITV talent show helped raise awareness of a misunderstood

condition So, we thought we would give Nick "the voice" to explain

more! # He walks up to the man on the street. # Sir, can you help me?

My name is Nick Tatham, and you might remember me from The Voice,

back in the Spring. Sadly, I didn't get through. But,

what I did do was raise awareness about Tourette's. A syndrome I have,

which causes the body to make voluntary noises and movements

called tics. And it seems like I'm not the only one who wants to talk

about Tourette's. Thank you. When I saw Nick on The Voice, I thought,

well, I thought that he was amazing. Spencer is eight years old and was

diagnosed with Tourette's a year ago. I do quite a lot of swear words

and it's basically, F`ing, , with a W word. BLEEP! BLEEP! I stick my

fingers up, which is basically... You're all BLEEP`ing BLEEP`ers out

there! Sorry. I don't know what to do. And it can make you feel so

embarrassed, sometimes. I'm travelling from my home town in

Dorset to meet Spencer in Oxford and share my experiences of living with

Tourette's. I think that he can tell me a bit about how to handle tics

and I think that would be good advice for me.

Being on The Voice wasn't the first time I'd been on TV. This was me at

home near Shaftesbury on Inside Out, back in 2005. I was 21 and really

struggling with a condition that I have now learned to live with.

This is bizarre. I'm just thinking what I'm going to say.

I was also taking medication, and lots of it. Part of my daily

routine. Now, music's my medicine, and I don't take any pills.

Tourette's typically starts in childhood and, for about half of

children, it continues into adulthood. Good lad. Spencer lives

with his mum, dad and little brother. I've come to meet them all

and maybe even sing, if they're not careful! Hi! Hey, buddy, you all

right? How's it going, OK? Good, good. Over 300,000 people across the

country deal with Tourette's everyday. Although Spencer was

diagnosed just 12 months ago, he's had the symptoms for two years. Look

at that, Wa`ay! Spencer's Tourette's started pretty

much overnight, and was a real shock for the family. The end one is

definitely out of tune. He just started making snorting noises. He

was like, what's that noise? He said, I don't know. I don't know

when I'm making the noise. And then, it just seemed to be from that

moment on. He just was doing these things. Almost, almost. It's not

really a nice feeling. When you can't really stop doing stuff, at

first, you just think, why am I doing this? So, I've got a song in

here called Different. When I was your age, I wrote this song, about

having Tourette's. My tics started when I was 11. My main one being

facial spasms. It's not known exactly why Spencer swears when he

tics. And # I may be different but I'm still alive... He tics quite a

lot and calls quite a lot. I don't like it, seeing people's

faces. It feels like I'm being mean to them but I'm not. I find it hard

to explain myself, and it's just hard. It appears that this little

boy is actually pretty naughty, for saying a swear word, when in fact,

it's quite obvious, once you get to know him, and you get to know what

he's doing, it's quite obvious that, actually, that was a tic. If # I

know that I'm different! There you go. What do you think of that? Is

that all right, do you like that? Spencer's form of Tourette's. Is

rare. 90% of people with the syndrome don't have swearing tics.

What happened with the dinner lady? I swore BLEEP! In her face. And she

said, excuse me? And I said I have a problem, I have tics, and she went,

oh, and... And she told my teacher. It's really difficult, like, hearing

this, because it takes me back to my childhood, and that makes me get a

bit of a knot in my stomach, to be honest. But, no, he's a brave little

kid, and, you know, I'm very impressed. BLEEP! Did you get them

out here? One of the things Spencer finds difficult is going out in

public. Is it by Easter, is it? Today, I'm joining him and his dad

on a trip into town. So, have you got any advice for me and Hayley,

for parents? To try and improve what we can do, for Spencer. Just be

there for him as much as possible. That's all I can say. If you grin

and bear it and now, but it will, my parents would do the same thing, it

does get easier. I was prescribed loads of pills when I was in my

teens but the medication didn't suit me. Eventually, I got help at Great

Ormond Street Hospital. Which is where Spencer will be going, too. He

has literally just been referred, so I don't know how long that's going

to take. I highly, highly recommend it. I promise, it does get easier.

It does. A few weeks later, Spencer and his family are off to London for

their first appointment at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

BLEEP off! I've been waiting for this day for a long time. And, since

I got diagnosed. Train journeys like this are

especially difficult for Spencer. He really struggles to hold in his

tics. HE SNORTS. Do you know, I just had a

tic? Because it's packed. Yeah. HE MUMBLES INDISTINCTLY.

BLEEP! No. That was exactly what I didn't want to do. BLEEP!

Jump. I don't need the jump. It's taken the family months to be

referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital. Spencer's consultant is Dr

Tara Murphy. Tourette's is a neurological condition, so it's a

brain`based condition and, how you tend to explain to families to think

about it is, it's a bit like the brain having a hiccup, so something

that I can't help, swearing, gestures and words, and and more

common in boys than girls, and they tend to come and go, and wax and

wane over time. There is no miracle cure, but the good news is,

Spencer's been signed onto an eight`week group therapy course.

It's been two years of hard work, and that two years has now paid

dividends, with all the hard work we put in. And the help that we can get

now from Great Ormond Street isn't just a short`term thing, but in two,

three, four years' time, as Spencer gets older, and things change, the

help will still be there, so I think that gives us great peace of mind. I

feel my future's going to be quite good, since the referral, since

they've seen me. I think it would have been worse if they hadn't had

seen me. BLEEP! BLEEP! I've no particular BLEEP! BLEEP! Spencer is,

in my opinion the most wonderful little boy in the world and I love

him to bits. We've gone on a journey with him and we're going to carry on

with that journey the best we can. And that's all from this week's

Inside Out South West. We're taking a short break but will be back in

the New Year with more stories and investigations from where you live.

So, see you then. Hello, I'm Riz Lateef with your

90-second update. Four people are dead after the worst UK storm for

years. Hurricane-force conditions left almost half a million homes

without power. In some areas wind speeds reached up to 99

miles-per-hour. The weather caused travel chaos for many. Rail and road

services were disrupted because of fallen trees, while over a hundred

flights had to be cancelled at Heathrow. Get the latest updates on

BBC Local Radio. On trial over the phone-hacking

affair. Two former News of the World editors, Rebekah Brooks and Andy

Coulson. Both deny being involved in accessing voicemails.

The NHS in England must handle complaints better. That's according