28/11/2011 Inside Out West Midlands

Hello. In tonight's programme, problems with public transport.

Actress Anna Karen goes back on the buses to find out who is behind the

cuts to rural services. We are on an island. We follow one man's

mission to set up a red kite feeding station in Shropshire.

And a passion for bikes. How two men with money -- with one name

made it cycling history here in the Midlands. You cannot believe

winning two medals had brought so much interest and given me the life

it did. I am Mary Rhodes and this Welcome to Baddesley Ensor, near

Nuneaton, a village in Warwickshire which once had a great bus service

which enabled Tina Mitten to get to work at Birmingham Airport. But

when the service was cut, Tina said she would have to give up her job

and four months later, she is still out of work. I am really angry

because I want to work. I loved the job I was doing at the airport...

That his all gone. The practicality of it is I have a mortgage to pay.

How do I pay my mortgage? This year, councils across the Midlands

trimmed their bus subsidies by tens of thousands of pounds. So what

effect is is having on rural communities? Actress Anna Karen,

who made her name in On The Buses, grabbed her pass and jumped on

I am at Anna. You might remember me from the television series On The

Buses. I played Olive. You stay here and attend a bus. I can't! I

am a trainee! Shut up! That was back in 1973. But now I am a senior

citizen and I have my concessionary bus pass to prove it. But it isn't

much cop now on journeys, because they have been cut. I want to find

out how that is affecting people. I am travelling around the Midlands

on this beautiful bus to find out. Hello! Nice to meet you! We do need

a bus. We're cut off. We are on an island. It is nice to have a bus

come and pick you up. You want to start looking at it and thinking

about it... I have taken some of the people I am meeting down to

Westminster, so we can tell the Government exactly what we think

about it all. Save Our buses! Save Our buses! Things haven't half

changed since On The Buses. Take the bus from Bakewell to Matlock.

Not enough people use it on Sundays for it to make money. It relies on

subsidies from the County Council. If we were looking at it

commercially, we would have to cancel it. Hundreds of routes

across the West Midlands are subsidised so they can run a so-

called unprofitable services. But what happens when the council takes

the subsidy a way? This is Joyce. She lives in Loughborough but her

daughter lives eight miles away in the village of Oscar Thorpe. She

has got to look after her granddaughter so her daughter can

go out to work. If my daughter is home from work just before 5pm, I

can get back. If she is not, have to stay the night and travel back

on the 10am bus the next morning. There is no bus after 5pm? No.

do you think they are making these bus cuts? They don't have to live

here. But I need the bus to look after my grandchildren. Last year,

Leicestershire County Council threaten to cut the bus service.

That would have meant the end of the line for the 129. For many

people, this is their lifeline, so if this goes, they have got nothing

because they don't see anybody from one data the next. This bus service

was saved but only after Joyce and her friends petitioned to the

County Council. The same cannot be said for her friends down the road.

We do not have a bus in our village at all. It is not fair. I have

lived here for 60 years. I know times have changed but we always

have buses. Buses to take children to school, take me to work and take

the shoppers. Not surprisingly, the bus service has stopped running.

are cut off. We are on an island. I go out shopping once a week.

cannot get to the shops, I feel like a prisoner. Fancy taking away

a whole village's only means of public transport! It takes the

biscuit! It is time to get back on the buses to get some answers. Who

is pulling the subsidies and why? We are going to see the man who

deals with the money for Leicester council. Come on! First, we have to

be cut some customers. First stop, Loughborough library. This is where

we are going. I am the deputy leader of Leicestershire council.

All these people have come to talk to you because they are fed up with

the buses and the council. I can look into the 153 in particular for

you. But the trouble is, we have to make over �100 million of savings

in the next few years and we are the only council that has a policy

that everybody should live within 800 metres of an Alan Lee bus

service. Can I pick up on that? On a Sunday and bank holiday, we have

no bus service, and that is to one of the most used parks and tourist

areas. It makes a mockery. It has not really been kept, has it?

just ask you, the money, where does it come from? The majority comes

from council tax payers. You will be paying 75% of whatever we spend

on buses. Only a quarter comes from the Government. You could do with

more, couldn't you? They say we a wealthy so we don't need more money.

Should we talk to central government, then? Right, or we will

have a go at them! Come on! Hurry up! This bus might be old but it

don't half shift and it is not long before we have the Government in

our sides. We are just about to come over Westminster Bridge to

meet Mr Norman Baker. Save Our buses! Save Our buses! Save Our

buses! I am not sure if the Minister for buses expected such a

crowd! They just don't realise -- you don't realise what you're doing.

Cut back, save money. What about these people? Bus companies are

legally men to be no worse-off or better off for carrying

concessionary travel. -- meant to be. Actually, they were not telling

the truth? I don't pretend they have got a good settlement. They

have less money than before. It is up to councils to make the savings.

One politician says one thing and another says something else. So who

do you believe? We have told them what we think about our buses being

cut. Let's see if it makes any different. Meanwhile, they have had

five macro months of no bus in Heather. But we have a plan. This

is it, ladies. It is and eight- seater. We can go up to 16 seats

without having a special licence to carry passengers. There is only one

problem with this. He needs volunteers to drive it and an

agency to keep it on the road. don't want this. I like getting on

a bus. It is lovely to go to the bus shelter and get on a bus.

have had this free transport for many years and they feel they have

a right to it. I am not sure about that. We have got to start looking

after ourselves. We have got used to the nanny state and now,

unfortunately, like everything, all good things come to an end and we

have to buckle down and do it ourselves. The sun might be sitting

on rural buses, but he thinks he has the answer. Maybe more people

will start setting up on their own. Sadly, that might be the only way

we can keep our buses in places like this.

If you would like to comment on that story, send me an email.

Like buses, the red kite was once a common sight. But centuries of

persecution drove them out of the Midlands and England. Now, they are

returning, and one man is fighting to make sure they stay. David

Gregory went to meet him. These are native red kites and they

nearly became extinct. They are tentatively returning, and one man

is searching Shropshire for a potential site to help them. By

establishing a red kite feeding station, which is basically a giant

bird table. We want to show people the wildlife is spectacular and

have fully as a way of introducing people into the wider world of

nature. -- and hopefully. So, why of red kites returning to the

Midlands and what is being done to make sure they stay? And what is

the impact of a returning bird of prey on the landscape and the

people who live here? They are wonderfully spectacular birds. They

are brightly colourful. Leo Smith's passion is red kite. He volunteers

for they Welsh red kite Trust. But he wants to see more of them where

he lives, in Shropshire. Nice to meet you. Shall we go for a walk?

Why have we come up to Stiperstones to look for red kites? This sort of

terrain is for their foraging area, so if somebody wants to come for a

day out in the hope of seeing a kite in Shropshire, this is a good

place as any to come. If you see a bird of prey which is an red on top

and brightly-coloured with a forked tail, that is a red kite. For the

past 30 years, people have seen red kites in the skies over Shropshire

but it was not until 2006 that they've found a pair of birds

breeding here in the county. But is more than a century since the last

breeding pair were discovered here. -- that is more. He is a big

fellow... The Welsh Kite Trust are tagging these chicks in Shropshire

as part of their effort to monitor how the red kite population is

spreading from Wales to the Midlands. Birds in Wales, because

the numbers have increased so much, we are keeping an eye on the

populations in the Midlands because they are of more interest because

that is where the role in front of a population is. And as numbers

grow, Leo wants to establish England's first ever kite feeding

station. With this vast open landscape, it is ideal for kites to

forage over. So a new feeding station over here would draw them

out of Wales and anchor the Shropshire population in Shropshire.

So how would a feeding station help? I have come to Gigrin Farm to

see a station in action. Here, they get through a quarter of a ton of

meat each week and hundreds of red They have been feeding the kite

here for 19 years. The people come for a ringside seat. Of course, the

And it is not just to read kites that are flourishing, with 20,000

visitors to the feeding station every year. Businesses in the

nearby town are doing very well out of things, too. With a massive

conservation effort and the feeding stations, kite numbers have

rocketed. And these are the native red kites, the original British

birds. Unlike elsewhere in England, where populations of European kites

have been reintroduced. The ones in the Chilterns arrived in an

aeroplane into the Chilterns, and were released into an estate, the

birds are there are the descendants of those birds. In the Chilterns,

the European quiet macros have been hitting the headlines. Went extinct

in England, now ruffling feathers, why the rate at kite is being

labelled a pest. A pest with a big appetite and big talent. Do people

want that in Shropshire? I am worried wire -- I can see what

people are worried about that, the problem is that people attract them

and feed them in their gardens. contrast, at a feeding station,

everything is controlled. It also act as a regular food source, so

kites don't end up scavenging in back gardens, or even snatching

packed lunches in playgrounds. normally operate, you have seen how

many have come in, I don't in any body has ever taken a sandwich or a

Mars bar. I honestly can't recall any situation in Wales where that

has ever occurred. I heard what happened in the Chilterns, maybe

that is a one-off. I don't think you should damn the whole

population on the activities of one bird. Back in Shropshire, Leo's

plans had hit a snag. The problem was that the roads were so narrow,

you couldn't have got a large number of vehicles to that

particular field. So it is bad for people? That is right. Exceedingly

bad for planners, anyway! But there is another, more serious potential

problem Borneo. The law in Wales is different to the law in England.

Couldn't English feeding station actually be illegal? As I am aware,

there is no licence to be provided in England, there never has been.

There is no provision for it. It is something unique to Wales.

Welsh Assembly has published some regulations, saying to people, if

you comply with these, you can set up a feeding station. Whereas

England hasn't done that, so we would have to apply for permission

for a specific site. You have been talking to people in government

about doing this? A yes, I was given advice that as long as we met

the regulations, and put in a proper application, they would come

out and inspected, and if they were happy with what they saw, we would

get the go-ahead. So legally, it is looking promising, and then, more

good news for Leo. A possible site, and even potential backing from the

National Trust. This is an area where you might be interested in

putting a feeding station? This is, we now need to go back to the

community and talk to some of the detail, because we want to get that

with the support of our neighbours and local people. Why would you

want a feeding station here? Red kite population is growing car

but slowly, we think it is held up by the feeding stations in Wales

will stop if we could pull it out here, it would fill this and te gap.

Can I borrow this? I know somebody who would like to see these plans.

By you're very welcome. These are the National Trust plans, with a

feeding station built into them. How would you feel bad breading

kites to the people? That would be wonderful, it is an ideal location,

it had fully in a few years, you would see a wonderful, blue-sky in

the middle of winter, hundreds of kites coming in to feed here.

poet once called Reg kites the living Flame in the sky, and with

Leo's help, they could return to light up the Shropshire skies for

the first time in over a century. Fabulous pictures there. So, the

eyes of the world will soon be upon us put the Olympic Games. When that

last happened, in 1948, one Midlands a cyclist became a

national hero. For many sports fans, there was only one Tommy Godwin,

but as Phil found that, that is not actually the case. -- found out.

This is the case at two Midlands man called Tommy Godwin. They

shared the same men, the same passion, and both climbed to the

pinnacle of their sport. -- shared the same name. But their lives

followed different parts. One is a celebrated athlete, a national

treasure, and the other is barely remembered. So what exactly did

these two Tommys do, and why, more than half a century on, is one hell

do the master of his sport, while the other remains a mystery? They

were born eight years apart at the beginning of the last century.

grew up in Stoke, the other in Birmingham. And although their part

would never cross, they both started out in the same way. On the

saddle of a delivery bike. Leading school at 14, I went and got a job

at the grosses, delivering groceries by bicycle. -- at the

grocer's. A obviously strengthened my legs up, pushing all that weight

around, and it just became of great importance, just riding a bike.

When I started training, people found the potential, for racing, I

was soon a member of the famous road races, and from 1938 onwards,

it was just improving all the time. London 1948, the 14th Olympiad.

cycling feet of Birmingham's Tommy Godwin soon got him noticed, and he

was selected to represent Britain at the 1948 London Olympic Games.

Memories of the old days! That is it. Absolutely. It started just

along there, and the finishing line was down there. He won bronze in

the team pursuit and unaided to the final of the 1000 metre time trial,

but the elements were against him. I was riding in the dark, had no

lights on, I was actually riding in the dark, and the officials were

working and the light of the stand, but coming round the 200 metre mark

my found out I was exactly level with the winner, and the last 200

metres in a time trial is something unbelievable. Your legs are not

going round, they are just going up and down in a straight line. To

hear the crowd cheering, when it was announced, the crowd went

absolutely mad, and I was feeling... I went to my dad, he cracked up

there. He had cried because I have won a medal. Quite amazing. In 1948,

Birmingham's Tommy Godwin was a national hero. You can't believe,

winning two bits of metal brought so much interest and giving me the

life that it has given me. But what about the other Tommy? Well, his

heroics came nine years earlier, in a challenge to write the most miles

in a year. In those 12 months, he circled the equivalent of three

times around the world. -- he cycled. He was doing over 300 miles

a day, quite regularly. That is phenomenal. I got my cake later

Howard, a work it out, that some people, as a lifetime's ambition

like to do Land's End to John o'Groats. And in 1939, permitted

the equivalent of 88 Land's End to John o'Groats rides. -- Tommy did

the equivalent. It was just inconceivable, what he did. As time

goes on, to me, it becomes all the more remarkable. Tommy rode an

incredible 75,000 miles that year. An average of 200 miles a day. And

he didn't stop there. He paddled 25,000 more, in early 1940. He had

broken the world record, but that was soon forgotten, as Britain was

Tommy had to wait for the fighting But he was in for a disappointment.

Because he had been paid to ride in 1939, he could not compete as an

amateur. And that would mean, he would never race again. He was

gutted, I mean, but he wasn't a politician, he wasn't a committee

man, he was a dour. He signed professional, and when you went

professional in those days, you didn't qualify for the Olympics.

Today, you do. Why do you think we don't know as much about him as we

should do? If he had been allowed to go for more record straight away,

with sponsorship, we would have heard more from him. If he had been

allowed to revert back to his amateur status, we would have heard

more from him. It is a combination of the few major things, that he is

the forgotten champion. Tommy put his department to one side to coach

a local amateur club. That is something Birmingham's Tommy Godwin

did, too, but at a higher level. He ran the first organised training

scheme for British cyclists, and managed Olympic and Commonwealth

teams. Tommy would go on to train a generation of top track cyclists,

run a bike shop in Birmingham and become president of Solihull

cycling club. This is my nice little room of memorabilia. What is

in here? A everything you want to know about cycling! Insured, he has

become a well-known face in British cycling, and with the Olympics in

London next year, his feats are being celebrated all over again.

have had a wonderful life. 90 years old age, still sprightly enough to

go down to the track, present prizes, and give advice. My life

has been wonderful, I'm looking forward to the 2012 Olympics, and

when I first spoke to Seb Coe, I was introduced to him, he said, "I

want you at the Olympics in 2012". I said ", I will be 91". He said,

"I don't care, your book to!" but his namesake from Stoke didn't live

to see his achievement celebrated. He died in 1975, on his way home

from a ride with friends. So it took a long time, but finally, the

City of Stoke-on-Trent... We had a get together. Scrapbooks and

everything were on show. Here we go. Tommy's world record still stands,

and is perhaps unlikely ever to be broken, but the only real

recognition he has got is a plaque at the local sports centre. For his

friends, it is a great start, but they feel he is still to get the

claim he fully deserves. stories, the equipment he was on,

it was revolutionary, cutting edge, there were five guys going for the

record, there were the weather conditions, affecting the daily

mileage, he did the record. Sure, there is a lot more they could be

done to put that straight, to remember the record and recognise

it. He may not be widely known now, but that may change. Two books are

planned about a remarkable 75,000 mile run. Perhaps then, the

forgotten Tommy Godwin will get the respect and plaudits for his more

That is it for tonight, but next week, we are moving up a gear with

an unusual programme on the battle for and against a high-speed rail.

Join me if you can. Two films from the two sides.

need a high speed, we have to think about the legacy we are going to

leave behind for our children. costs an arm and a leg, and it is