:00:06. > :00:10.Hello from Henstridge Airfield, home of the Dorset and Somerset Air
:00:10. > :00:13.Ambulance. Tonight: Local air ambulance
:00:13. > :00:19.services like this could be under threat from a new national
:00:19. > :00:24.children's air ambulance service. If funds drop for local air
:00:24. > :00:28.ambulances, it could curtail their flying. People could die if the air
:00:28. > :00:30.ambulance isn't flying. Also tonight: We meet a woman
:00:30. > :00:40.trying to get disaffected youngsters in South Bristol back on
:00:40. > :00:41.
:00:41. > :00:46.track. I truly believe that God loves every single individual on
:00:46. > :00:53.this estate and it is my job to show them that they are loved.
:00:53. > :00:59.And we tell the remarkable story of the last plane built at Filton.
:01:00. > :01:09.is trying, isn't it? It has never run before. It is remain male!
:01:09. > :01:13.I'm Alastair McKee and this is In our first film tonight, we're
:01:13. > :01:17.looking into a charity promising to save lives. The Children's Air
:01:17. > :01:20.Ambulance was set up six years ago, but as yet hasn't managed to fly a
:01:20. > :01:23.single child anywhere. And, as Matthew Hill has been finding out,
:01:23. > :01:33.the charity has sparked an almighty row among existing air ambulance
:01:33. > :01:39.
:01:39. > :01:42.They're called the Angels of the sky. And it's not hard to see why.
:01:42. > :01:47.Air ambulances like this one are run by charities. And, as charities,
:01:47. > :01:53.they depend entirely on donations to save lives.
:01:53. > :01:56.Each region has its own air ambulance service. They're distinct
:01:56. > :02:01.and separate from each other. There are 16 different services covering
:02:01. > :02:06.their own distinct parts of the country. Each of these services
:02:06. > :02:09.raise money in their own patch. But now there's a charity that says
:02:09. > :02:15.it wants to start a new service - a national helicopter dedicated to
:02:15. > :02:17.transporting sick children between hospitals.
:02:17. > :02:22.It's not playing by the same unwritten fundraising rules
:02:22. > :02:27.everyone else. And there are fears this could impact on existing air
:02:27. > :02:34.ambulance services. If funds curtail their flying,
:02:34. > :02:40.people could die. This new children's service has
:02:40. > :02:42.cost nearly �2m but so far not a single child has been transported.
:02:42. > :02:47.There are questions over its motives and how it's spending
:02:47. > :02:53.donations. But its backers believe in its future.
:02:53. > :02:55.If the public get behind this then it's worth every penny.
:02:55. > :03:00.But how realistic is their vision to create a national children's
:03:00. > :03:10.helicopter service? And what cost will it have on other air
:03:10. > :03:22.
:03:22. > :03:25.It's a Sunday afternoon in January and the crew of the Dorset and
:03:25. > :03:31.Somerset Air Ambulance are on their way to an accident. It's a
:03:31. > :03:36.suspected head injury. This is to protect your neck in case you have
:03:36. > :03:38.done any damage we can't see. Are you comfy?
:03:38. > :03:41.The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance flies 700 missions a year.
:03:41. > :03:46.It wouldn't be possible without money collected in places like this
:03:46. > :03:56.garage in Wellington in Somerset. Bill Siveright is the charity's
:03:56. > :03:56.
:03:56. > :04:00.Chief Executive. Hollow, I have come to change your box. Here is
:04:00. > :04:04.the new one. But lately there's been a new collection box here and
:04:04. > :04:08.it's causing confusion. My concern is the people who hold
:04:08. > :04:14.the boxes don't really understand. You don't know about this one. This
:04:14. > :04:17.one is based in Coventry. The owner of this box operates two
:04:17. > :04:19.emergency helicopter services for people living in the Midlands, but
:04:19. > :04:21.wants to start a new national service dedicated to transferring
:04:21. > :04:30.children between hospitals.They plan to offer this retrieval
:04:30. > :04:33.service by using one helicopter to cover the entire country.
:04:33. > :04:42.But what's not clear is that some of the money raised in pots like
:04:42. > :04:52.these actually goes on running their other services as well. It is
:04:52. > :04:55.
:04:55. > :04:58.not yet saving lives nationwide. And that's causing concern locally.
:04:58. > :05:00.It's presenting itself as a nationwide service now when, in
:05:00. > :05:03.fact, only the Children's Air Ambulance part of that organisation
:05:03. > :05:13.actually has a nationwide role. The other two are still regional air
:05:13. > :05:16.
:05:16. > :05:20.ambulances just like ours. I would argue that it is impractical to
:05:20. > :05:26.expect one aircraft to work nationwide. The will is not the
:05:26. > :05:36.only person to have concerns. We spoke to several former volunteers
:05:36. > :05:41.
:05:41. > :05:44.and employees of the company. Opera parish is one of them.
:05:44. > :05:48.Why did you leave? Because I was really very, very
:05:48. > :05:55.unhappy with the way in which the charity was moving. It was no
:05:55. > :05:57.longer a charity. It had become a hard-nosed business. You saw the
:05:57. > :05:59.development of officers, the recruitment of more and more senior
:05:59. > :06:01.people. What do you mean?
:06:01. > :06:04.The balance was swaying tremendously in favour of the
:06:04. > :06:06.upkeep of the charity: salaries, cars, the recruitment of more and
:06:06. > :06:09.more senior personnel. One of those senior personnel was
:06:10. > :06:11.the head of PR and was paid through a public relations company called
:06:11. > :06:14.Loquendi. Did you know about Loquendi?
:06:14. > :06:17.Yes I'd heard of Loquendi because Andy, the CEO of the Air Ambulance
:06:17. > :06:23.was married to the director of Loquendi. And Loquendi, I know,
:06:23. > :06:25.organised events that benefitted the air ambulance.
:06:25. > :06:27.Barbara also says Loquendi helped book celebrities for charity events
:06:27. > :06:32.and that they were paid for their appearances.
:06:32. > :06:35.What's wrong with celebrity endorsement if it brings in money?
:06:35. > :06:45.It depends on how it's promoted, whether it's perceived that
:06:45. > :06:47.
:06:47. > :06:50.somebody's appearing free of charge. What element is charged, what
:06:50. > :06:52.profit is made from the event. The charity's spending on
:06:52. > :07:02.celebrities, it seems, was not only confined to fundraising events.
:07:02. > :07:03.
:07:03. > :07:07.Barbara also told me she remembers a staff get-together.
:07:07. > :07:10.It was in this Village Hall in Dunchurch, in Rugby. Anton Du Beke
:07:10. > :07:12.and Erin Boag from BBC's Strictly Come Dancing were invited to give
:07:12. > :07:15.dancing lessons to the staff. It was organised by the chief
:07:15. > :07:17.executive Andy Williamson.She claims it cost the charity several
:07:18. > :07:22.thousand pounds. Barbara also says some staff were paid performance-
:07:22. > :07:30.related bonuses. She herself received �3,500 - something she now
:07:30. > :07:35.regrets. According to their latest accounts, Andy Williamson, the Air
:07:35. > :07:44.Ambulance's chief executive, is paid between �110 and �119,000. I
:07:44. > :07:50.think it's time to meet the man. I've come to Coventry Airport. It's
:07:50. > :07:54.home of The Air Ambulance Service and where he's based. Why did you
:07:54. > :07:57.choose the name 'The Air Ambulance Service'?
:07:57. > :08:04.Well, the Air Ambulance Service is a good reflection of what we are
:08:04. > :08:07.actually doing. But on your collection boxes it's
:08:07. > :08:11."The Air Ambulance" - people think of that as being a national charity
:08:11. > :08:13.when it's not really. No I don't think they do. I think
:08:13. > :08:18.there is no confusion what so ever between different charities. All
:08:18. > :08:24.the information is freely available. Is it appropriate for your charity
:08:24. > :08:29.to have paid Loquendi for services when it's director is your wife?
:08:29. > :08:32.It's not any kind of conflict. We are looking at whatever services
:08:32. > :08:35.that we need to provide for our staff, for our organisation because
:08:35. > :08:40.in the end we have to deliver very substantial sums to deliver patient
:08:40. > :08:46.care. Did you have any hand in her
:08:46. > :08:49.appointment? Who did it then?
:08:49. > :08:51.We have a board of trustees that ensure that all our processes and
:08:51. > :08:54.all our governance is absolutely correct
:08:54. > :08:58.So you think your wife is the best person for that job?
:08:58. > :09:08.Well, absolutely. You paid Strictly Come Dancing
:09:08. > :09:23.
:09:23. > :09:28.Everything is about the patients. However many staff we have, we need
:09:28. > :09:34.to keep them motivated, we need to keep them focused on delivering
:09:34. > :09:39.their role that ensures that we deliver that patient care. This
:09:39. > :09:45.helicopter will cost �2 million a year to operate. In the last month,
:09:45. > :09:50.it has transported four Medical teams. So far, it hasn't
:09:50. > :09:57.transferred a single child. Mr Williamson's charity isn't the only
:09:57. > :10:03.one looking at the air transfer service for Sick children. The NHS
:10:03. > :10:09.has commissioned a report on how it can be achieved. We have obtained a
:10:09. > :10:15.leaked copy. This draft report recommends a network of different
:10:15. > :10:19.providers, including regional air ambulance. Looking at the report,
:10:19. > :10:23.it is apparent a single helicopter ambulance based in Coventry may not
:10:23. > :10:29.be able to meet the emergency response times for all parts of the
:10:29. > :10:38.country. Even if it could, less than a quarter of our hospitals
:10:38. > :10:43.have a helipad for it to land on. The arguments continue about the
:10:43. > :10:47.way it is using its helicopter to raise money and how that is
:10:47. > :10:53.impacting on local services. Isn't this just that you are feeling
:10:53. > :10:57.threatened by another charity that could be a competitor? In Dorset
:10:57. > :11:03.and Somerset, there are lots of big charities. I don't feel threatened
:11:04. > :11:08.by any of them. The donors know what they are giving to. They are
:11:08. > :11:15.giving to the air ambulance service and we are Dorset and Somerset air
:11:15. > :11:20.ambulance. You can understand the confusion. If the opportunity to
:11:20. > :11:26.raise funds for the local Air Ambulance ADI midgets -- are
:11:26. > :11:32.diminished through lack of funds, there is a way that you could
:11:33. > :11:39.jeopardise people's lives. Later in the programme, One man's dream to
:11:39. > :11:47.build his own Spitfire. The pot is bare. Everything I own it was in
:11:47. > :11:53.that spit fire. -- Spitfire. They are more than a million people in
:11:53. > :11:59.England who aren't in education, employment or training. Figures
:11:59. > :12:04.show one in 516-24-year-olds did have a college place for a job. We
:12:04. > :12:08.have been too hot cliff, one of the city's poorest areas of Bristol,
:12:08. > :12:16.meeting a woman who is helping getting disaffected youngsters back
:12:16. > :12:25.on track. This is Terry Williams and this is
:12:25. > :12:29.the football team she runs as part of her charity. The Hartcliffe
:12:29. > :12:36.Saints is our football team. We train the once a Wycombe we are in
:12:36. > :12:42.the Bristol Churches League. The boy's arm -- the boys I work with
:12:42. > :12:49.orange -- the boys that I work with the haven't worked. Dan Williams is
:12:49. > :12:53.the team captain. He is 20 now and has never had a proper job. Zoe is
:12:53. > :13:02.no football fan but wants to teach them about commitment. Training
:13:02. > :13:09.We come out on a night like this because it gives them something to
:13:09. > :13:15.do and it is a really good activity that they love. They -- their love
:13:15. > :13:22.for it excels my heat for it. is giving up more of her spare time
:13:22. > :13:27.to give these guys a chance. With the help of her housemates and
:13:27. > :13:35.fellow volunteers, so Wii has turned her home in heart cliff into
:13:35. > :13:40.a part-time youth club for Dan and seemed to dislike him.
:13:40. > :13:46.For the older boys, we have an open-door policy. If the back door
:13:46. > :13:51.is unlocked, they are allowed in. If it is locked, they tend to only
:13:51. > :13:56.knock on the front door or the front window. If it is an emergency,
:13:56. > :14:02.the main factor for us in the house is that we are motivated by our
:14:02. > :14:07.faith. I truly believe that God loves every single person and
:14:07. > :14:13.individual on this estate. It is my job to show them that they are
:14:13. > :14:21.loved. I grew up in Hartcliffe and I guess, for me, it is home. That
:14:21. > :14:26.is part of my medication -- motivation. My mum was a drug
:14:26. > :14:32.addict when she was a teenager and then got pregnant with me. When I
:14:32. > :14:37.was a baby, she became a Christian. For her, she went on to be a mature
:14:37. > :14:44.student and got a degree in economics and computers. It brought
:14:44. > :14:53.me up with different expectations. Expectations that Zoe is trying to
:14:53. > :14:58.pass on to dam and his friend, Chris. The boys are signing on at
:14:58. > :15:04.the moment and we are trying to get them some apprenticeship forms to
:15:04. > :15:09.complete so they can apply for some staff. Dan lives with his mum and
:15:09. > :15:19.gets �50 a week in benefits. He needs to list the few
:15:19. > :15:27.
:15:27. > :15:32.qualifications he has on the form. It is about hanging around with my
:15:32. > :15:36.mates but the downside is not having a job. He started to come
:15:36. > :15:43.here three years ago. From the outside it looks like progress has
:15:43. > :15:47.been slow. At the time he was in trouble with the police. It was
:15:47. > :15:52.pretty crazy. In the last six months to a year, we have started
:15:52. > :15:56.applying for jobs and support him on that level. Two years ago, that
:15:56. > :16:02.wouldn't have been a possibility because there was no point in doing
:16:02. > :16:05.that. He wouldn't have been able to hold down a job. Zoe has been
:16:05. > :16:15.trying to arrange work-experience for him at a local after-school
:16:15. > :16:23.
:16:23. > :16:28.club for the last five years -- Zoe meets with the boys to go for a
:16:28. > :16:34.run. It is part of a routine to keep them out of trouble. While
:16:34. > :16:44.they jog, she makes a meal for everyone. Anywhere between five and
:16:44. > :16:56.
:16:56. > :17:00.15 boys might show up to eat. They Nice jacket, mate. Boys, come on.
:17:00. > :17:06.Food is really important. It is sociable. Lots of them wouldn't
:17:06. > :17:13.have eaten with their families most of the week. It is just an idea of
:17:13. > :17:18.being sociable and doing her family things together.
:17:18. > :17:23.The more you mess around, the more you eat into your time.
:17:23. > :17:27.Thursday night training is a key part of Zoe's tried to teach boys
:17:27. > :17:34.about discipline. For oddball is not a right, it is a
:17:34. > :17:39.reward. The boys have to learn that reward. I am pretty strict. For
:17:39. > :17:44.every swear word that they say in my presence, or if they called
:17:44. > :17:51.Gerda -- if they call girls words, they have to do press-ups. If they
:17:51. > :17:54.are in trouble with police they get banned from matches.
:17:55. > :17:59.On Sundays, it so we are Thames's This big popular church on the
:17:59. > :18:04.other side of Bristol. Sometimes a few of the football team come as
:18:04. > :18:08.well. This evening, they are helping it
:18:08. > :18:13.was so weak serve refreshments between services. Most of the
:18:13. > :18:19.funding for so we's charity comes from church donations. So, what is
:18:19. > :18:27.more important to have? Getting Dan -- getting that into work or
:18:27. > :18:31.church? If they want to come to church, that is up to them. Some do
:18:31. > :18:38.and some don't. I will still write 1000 applications with them, no
:18:39. > :18:45.question. Pam has decided to join the church and he has been baptised.
:18:45. > :18:49.In it was my own decision what I did. All of my mates might make
:18:49. > :18:55.silly little jokes. Before I got baptised I would get drunk all the
:18:55. > :19:01.time, but I don't do that anymore. Becoming a Christian may have
:19:01. > :19:06.improved Dan's behaviour, but his time management still needs work.
:19:06. > :19:12.Than it was supposed to meet me here this afternoon to go and do
:19:12. > :19:17.some work experience, but as life is chaotic for lots of the boys, he
:19:17. > :19:22.forgot and bought a football ticket to see Bristol City. It is a missed
:19:22. > :19:31.opportunity for him to beast his confidence and build self-esteem.
:19:31. > :19:37.That is where my frustration is. Despite the setback, so we is not
:19:37. > :19:41.about to give up. Saturday I thought we have not had a team
:19:41. > :19:46.photo this season. Most of them would say I am more
:19:46. > :19:50.harsh than their parents, but I think that is what family is. Being
:19:50. > :20:00.there through the thick and thin and the rubbish and when they are
:20:00. > :20:01.
:20:01. > :20:05.naughty and when they are great. The team is, Jack, Johnny, will.
:20:06. > :20:11.On 21st December last year, up Bristol's Filton airport closed its
:20:11. > :20:16.runway after 100 years in business. Racing to beat that deadline, one
:20:16. > :20:21.man was putting finishing touches to a refurbishment that had taken
:20:21. > :20:30.13 years. In our final film, David Stafford tells the remarkable story
:20:30. > :20:34.of the last plane built at Feltham. This is how it all began, for his
:20:34. > :20:39.40th birthday, Martin Phillips was given a rivet just like one of
:20:39. > :20:45.these. I was presented with a large carton
:20:45. > :20:49.and it was filled with polystyrene and in the middle of it was a
:20:49. > :20:54.solitary refer it. I thought they were laughing at me so I thought I
:20:54. > :21:00.would have the ultimate lath and present them with a Spitfire. Over
:21:00. > :21:06.the next 30 years, he arranged bits around the rivet to make a Spitfire.
:21:06. > :21:12.Not bad for a man who normally makes plastic aeroplanes.
:21:12. > :21:18.He painted over it, but I know where it is. It is that big Rivett.
:21:18. > :21:23.That started it all. If it is a foggy November afternoon in Bristol,
:21:23. > :21:29.a big day for John Hart, who has overseen the assembly of the spit
:21:29. > :21:33.fire. Today is the day we bring it outside and hopefully it will run.
:21:33. > :21:38.There are a million things that could go wrong, but I'm sure it
:21:38. > :21:43.will be fine. There are hundreds of joints and although we have
:21:43. > :21:50.pressure tested them, the engine will do the ultimate test.
:21:50. > :21:55.The mighty Merlin engine has been silent for more than half-a-century.
:21:55. > :22:01.I am feeling a bit funny at the moment. Nothing can go wrong. The
:22:01. > :22:08.first flight is just weeks away, at the day the airport shuts up shop.
:22:08. > :22:13.Fingers crossed this is it. Probably �800,000 worth. A lot of
:22:13. > :22:20.meat fuel will be running around. We don't know what will happen. It
:22:20. > :22:27.is quite exciting. Unlike thousands of other Spitfires, this one never
:22:27. > :22:37.flew over wartime Europe. Instead, it saw service in South Africa.
:22:37. > :22:38.
:22:38. > :22:43.is trying it, isn't it. It is running now! Keep it going!
:22:43. > :22:48.spark that lit Martin's passion was a love of and pride in British
:22:48. > :22:58.engineering, but back when this all started, he had one big question on
:22:58. > :22:59.
:22:59. > :23:04.his mind. I thought, well, I will just go and buy a spit fire. I
:23:04. > :23:10.wondered then, how the hell do you buy a spit fire? He tried the
:23:10. > :23:15.internet, no luck, Yellow Pages, drew a blank. He began to think his
:23:15. > :23:22.search was entirely futile, but then in Worthing he found a man who
:23:22. > :23:32.had a lot of equipment in his back garden. Negotiations ensued, a sum
:23:32. > :23:39.
:23:39. > :23:47.of �70,000 changed hands, Martin It gives me a lot of the original
:23:48. > :23:55.parts and doughty facts. I am intending to find as many original
:23:55. > :24:05.parts as I can. This is what makes a Spitfire Singh. This is the
:24:05. > :24:07.
:24:07. > :24:10.actual engine that came with the project. This is the information.
:24:10. > :24:18.One of this bit Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service's wings was
:24:18. > :24:28.found in a hedgerow where it had crashed during the war. -- first
:24:28. > :24:29.
:24:29. > :24:35.spit Nottinghamshire Fire and Nobody talks about the end cost. We
:24:35. > :24:45.dream of �550,000. Luckily, Martin owns a plant hire business and
:24:45. > :24:46.
:24:46. > :24:55.today he is shifting one wing into And so began the more than a decade
:24:55. > :25:02.of stripping, building and testing. Some components had to be specially
:25:02. > :25:06.made about 70% are original parts. Here we have the real pit. Four of
:25:06. > :25:16.sheep's wool, horse hair in the back. Can't believe that somebody
:25:16. > :25:19.
:25:19. > :25:24.canopy ready to go. Martin has to satisfy the Civil Aviation
:25:24. > :25:34.Authority, that every part is correct and documented, especially
:25:34. > :25:37.
:25:37. > :25:47.those rivets. That rivet there, 30 today amateur. -- total diameter.
:25:47. > :25:52.
:25:52. > :26:02.18th December last year. The world's largest passenger plane is
:26:02. > :26:04.
:26:04. > :26:10.making his last flight out. In two days' time, the airport will shut
:26:10. > :26:16.for good. Martin's little sweetheart has a curious twist of
:26:16. > :26:21.history and will be the last plane to be built here. Will this one fly
:26:22. > :26:28.today? It is a silly question but what is the emotion like? I am
:26:28. > :26:36.running on adrenalin now. I might have a tear or two. How much is it
:26:36. > :26:43.costing? The pot is bare. Everything I own is in it. Now that
:26:43. > :26:52.lucky man has to fly the thing. For the first time in decades, it will
:26:52. > :27:00.be airborne. It is in safe hands. have flown several in the past few
:27:00. > :27:10.years. This is the most iconic and perfect spit fire. It looks right
:27:10. > :27:20.and has a good history behind it. This is it. The moment Martin has
:27:20. > :27:25.
:27:25. > :27:35.dreamed of for 13 years. To everyone offer a certain age and
:27:35. > :27:56.
:27:56. > :28:06.younger, it is lump in her throat What was the best bit? Bill saying,
:28:06. > :28:10.
:28:10. > :28:18."Martin, what a fantastic Air aeroplane." what a milestone.
:28:18. > :28:24.iconic bit of British history. it, do it. Keep our British
:28:24. > :28:34.heritage alive. That is about it for this week. You can always keep
:28:34. > :28:37.
:28:37. > :28:41.in touch with what we are up to on Next week, why did it take more
:28:41. > :28:46.than seven years for this man's child abuse crimes to come to