12/08/2014 BBC Channel Islands News

very much. That's all from the BBC News at Six. Goodbye from me.

Guernsey's government draws up a short list

of companies that could take over and run the island's bus service.

And ripped from the wall ` a plaque put up to commemorate 70 years

It makes me feel very sad and angry that this has happened.

A 79`year`old Jersey man has told how he was given electric shocks

and had darts thrown at him when in a children's home in the 1940s.

Gifford Aubin was giving evidence at the Jersey Care Inquiry today.

He said the Jersey Home for Boys, which is now known as Haut de la

Well, six years ago, when the scale of abuse

in the care system first emerged, Mr Gifford spoke to the BBC.

Christina Ghidoni takes up his story.

That is me there and that is my brother.

As allegations of abuse at Haut de la Garenne hit the

headlines, former resident Gifford Aubin told a BBC reporter about the

abuse he had suffered there, usually at the hands of the older boys.

They did all sorts of things like putting wires on your legs, and they

had a generator which they turn very handle to pass electricity to you.

They threw darts at you, real darts. Today, Gifford took to

the witness stand at the Jersey Care Mr Aubin was giving evidence

at the independent inquiry here He started

by telling how he was taken away in a car when he was about six with

his brother and sister, and taken to He said he didn't know why he was

being taken away from his family. He spent ten years at the children's

home and described it like a prison. Mr Aubin told the inquiry today

that he was caned by staff for He said there were about 150 boys

at the home and only three staff members, and life was hell there,

but he couldn't complain through When asked what he wanted out

of the Inquiry, he said to make sure that nothing

like that would happen again. Six years ago he told the BBC

the same thing. This time he's hoping

authorities listen. It is something which should never

have happened. Sometimes you feel that you have been put there, and

you feel responsible. You probably shouldn't feel like that.

Well, after Mr Giffard's evidence, a woman who spent time in the

Jersey Home for Girls ` also in the 1940s ` told the panel her story.

Christina joined me a moment ago to explain.

78`year`old Violet Renouf spoke to the inquiry this afternoon.

She'd never spoken publicly about her experiences there before.

She went to the Jersey Home for Girls when she was six`years`old.

She described being locked in isolation

for three weeks there after her ration book went missing and how she

She had to parade around the dining room after wetting her bed with

Mrs Renouf said life was very, very hard there

Another abuse victim is due to give evidence to the inquiry this week,

via video link from Wales on Thursday.

Guernsey Police has released an image of a man captured on CCTV

in the High Street in the early hours of Monday.

Martin Martin jewellers was burgled at about 4.50am,

and police are appealing for anyone who saw this man to come forward.

A 22`year`old man from England has been arrested

on suspicion of burglary and remains in police custody for questioning.

Jersey's unemployment is at its lowest level

The number of people registered looking for

work last month was 1,570, according to figures from the States.

The last time it was this low was in December 2011.

All Channel Island customers texting UK mobile phones on the 02 network

Currently messages are being sent multiple times `

with one man in the UK getting the same text from Jersey 60 times.

The fault is in the UK, with a company called Telefonica,

through which Channel Island texts are routed.

People will not be charged for the extra messages.

A short list of companies who could potentially

run Guernsey's bus service in future has now been drawn up.

More than ten operators expressed an interest in taking on the

And having assessed those initial bids, the Environment Department's

now moved onto the next stage of picking who gets the job.

But over the years Guernsey's buses have changed a lot.

The current bus contract's expiring next year `

But what we now know is that more than ten companies have expressed an

And having looked at those initial bids ? the Environment Department

has now decided which of those companies can officially tender.

Each will make a case for what they can offer,

including looking at the size and type of buses they'd use in future,

The States will decide who gets the job, but the local bus user's

The experience we had a previous consultations is that our advice was

taken six months later. The new environment board is more consuls

and more interested in getting it right first time, rather than having

to patch things up. I would say we are interested in being consulted

and listened to. The earliest the new service

will start is next April. And with the States still hoping to

make the buses free, it really will signal another big change

in the history of the Guernsey bus The Chinese ambassador to the UK

says there's lots of opportunities for Jersey to work

more closely with his country. His Excellency Liu Xiaoming is in

the island this week, meeting with States members and representatives

from the finance industry. Today he was given a tour of

Jersey Dairy, where he proposes a round table discussion to improve

Jersey`Chinese relations. Jay it can offer a lot, so I'm

offering this round table event. It can be hosted by a Chief Minister.

It will introduce the opportunities that we can offer to Chinese

businesses. Guernsey Police is investigating

an act of vandalism that has A plaque put up to commemorate

the 70th anniversary of the D`day landings has been ripped

from the wall. It was to mark the sacrifice of

a Canadian pilot who died when his plane was shot down over St Peter

Port while destroying German radar. Just over two months ago,

the Queen's representative, the Lieutenant Governor,

unveiled this plaque to honour a Canadian pilot who died whilst

trying to knock out a German radar The Freya radar station at

Fort George was of significant importance, covering

west of the Normandy beaches. At half past eight in the morning,

Flight Lieutenant John Saville led his flight of Typhoons

on a successful attack on this installation, but the 34`year`old

was hit by German anti`aircraft fire making a second run at the target,

and he died when his aircraft And today a fallen memorial

for a fallen hero. His plaque has gone,

allegedly ripped off the wall by a group of people who had been seen

jumping off the wall into the sea. This man died the same way thousands

did to give us what we have, the freedom to jump off this wall as the

youngsters were doing into the sea. To have been examples of vandalism

here. This has been damaged and it needs to be replaced. Why do such a

man this bit of vandalism? `` mindless. This man died doing good

for the island and for Britain. It is very sad, it makes me feel very

sad and very angry that this has happened.

There's talk of installing CCTV to prevent future incidents.

But for now the authorities are appealing for anyone with

It's unclear when the new plaque will be installed to once again mark

the ultimate sacrifice made by one man for Guernsey's freedom.

Tomorrow sees the start of Guernsey's West Show `

but for the first time in 30years, there'll be no Grand Pageant.

The Pageant has islanders parading in traditional Guernsey dress `

and has long been considered the centrepiece

Organisers say they just didn't have the resources this time `

What will the weather be like? It was tipping down outside before I

came into the studio. What has happened to our summer? We will get

a bit of respite tomorrow. Perhaps the showers are more isolated but we

still have that wind. It has knocked the temperatures down. It is a brisk

westerly wind tomorrow, so it's like a change in direction. Some sunshine

but a scattering of showers. The culprit for all of this unsettled

weather seems like it is miles away from us, but it is dominating the

weather, not just words but as far south as Spain and Portugal. It is

that of wind there. It stretches all the way down past us, even as far as

the North African coast. These winds of cold winds, bringing in the risk

of showers bow tonight and tomorrow. This is the middle of the day

tomorrow. A great rush of showers turning up on part of the channel.

Those showers will be frequent again, but they'll be isolated

overnight tonight. For most of us it is largely dry. There is a risk of a

shower in the small hours of the morning. Temperatures down to 14

Celsius. Tomorrow, expect to see the showers in the morning but it will

be dry later on. We can't rule out the possibility of an afternoon

shower spoiling the day, maybe just one or two of them. 18 Celsius is

the best we can do with the temperatures. We have a

north`westerly breeze coming in. Showers and generally good

visibility. Here are the times of high water.

A somewhat dry day on Friday, and certainly drier on the weekend. We

lose the strength of that wind, so feeling warmer as we nudge toward

Saturday and Sunday. Back to you. I want to get on the beach now. We

will have more later. That is it for now.

And fancy that ` the woman taking dressing up to a whole new level.

There are fears that one of Britain's rarest creatures could

Until now, the River Allen in Dorset has provided a secure habitat for

But now it's become victim to a type of plague,

and the Environment Agency wants anglers to help save it.

No stone left unturned, as the Environment Agency

and Dorset Wildlife Trust scour the River Allen for

The species is under threat in part of the river near Wimborne,

after the crayfish plague was discovered here.

This morning's search revealed two dead crayfish.

The fact that we have the plague here is a real blow.

It is such a precious little river, full of fantastic wildlife.

To have the native crayfish here was the icing on the cake,

It is not known how the disease came to be in the River Allen.

It could have come across on a non`native species of crayfish,

Or it may have come across on a piece

What we need to do is try to ensure we are not spreading it

So we need to follow the Check Clean Dry Normal code, ensuring that any

wellies or equipment taken to the river are clean, so free of plant

For river users, it is a reminder of the And Liz' Code. You have to hand

your equipment up after use and allow it to the bone dry before you

use it again. That their future on this stretch of the river does not

look promising, the project aims to preserve the endangered species.

The South West's three Football League teams all target a place in

Yeovil Town have to recover from their opening`day defeat as they

Exeter City aim for an upset at St James' Park against Championship

side Bournemouth, with Plymouth Argyle aiming to do

the same at Home Park against Leyton Orient from League One.

There's full coverage on BBC Radio Devon and BBC Somerset.

In the Conference, Torquay United attempt to get off the mark by

Every year on Spotlight in the run up to Christmas, we feature

the famous garland created to decorate the great hall at Cotehele

The seasonal garland is created by volunteers and made up of flowers

The colour and variety of blooms vary each year according

Gardeners and volunteers are already hard at work at the gardens in

South East Cornwall collecting this year's flowers.

Tiffany Truscott has been to find out more.

Volunteers have been picking and bunching them since May.

There are these finny pieces of greenery down the stem

and we have to take them off because they could not if we left them on.

The garland will be over 60 feet long when it is created

in the great hall in November, and last year 42,000 flowers were used.

It was a fantastic year of growing last year.

At this stage, we are about 16,000, so we have a good amount

so I'm confident we will have a good display.

Whether we want 42,000 or not I do not know.

Volunteers and staff will continue to pick the flowers every day

for the next couple of months to make sure they have

Today we have brought some of the bunched flowers up here.

They are in bunches of 20 so that is how we know that we have

They are drying and take six weeks to dry.

So we can just find a space to hang them up.

Having seen the cutting, bunching and drying process of all

the flowers, you will be able to see the great hall here transformed

into a glorious, colourful display at the end of the year, similar to

It is just around the corner! No, it isn't! Christmas is a long

time away! A syndicate of 25 work colleagues

from Bodmin are sharing a Lotto jackpot of nearly

?1.5 million. The winners work at the

council`run They each get a share

of almost ?60,000, CHEERING

A wedding, a new roof, a holiday are just a few things the members of

this syndicate are planning with their winnings, but many of them did

not quite believed they had won the jackpot.

Disbelief, really. It took a while to sink in, because Rena Barnes is a

bit of a joke. So most of the calls on Saturday night were about whether

she was actually winding us up or not. I was on my phone and my phone

was shaking and I just could not check so I was feeling quite sick

until I actually got it confirmed. The 25 people who shared almost ?1.5

million or work at the Cornwall Equipment Loan Store store, to

labelling `` delivering specialist equipment for patients who have been

discharged from hospital. They have been playing the syndicate for five

years. You going to give up work now? Not quite! We have been telling

everyone. Lots of people are talking about buying new cars. I'm just

paying off lots of debt and helping family out. Other people are helping

family and going on holidays. I need a new roof for a barn conversion we

are doing, so I might stretch to that. With just shy of ?60,000 each,

the jackpot will buy them considerably more than their last

win. You cannot get much for ?4 96. A 28`year`old woman from Teignmouth

has given away all her clothes as part of

a charity challenge to wear nothing She started in July and so far

Eve Hazelton has worn They include going to the gym in

a cheerleader's outfit and walking John Henderson has been to see

what she was wearing today. You would expect birds at the

seafront. Seagulls, naturally, not necessarily a parrot. But that is

today's chosen outfit for even Hazelton. Every day for 12 months,

she will be taking a walk on the wild side. Some of the outfits make

it harder than others. This one is quite eye`catching, so it does make

me feel quite self`conscious. I'm not going to lie, it's quite

difficult. Her fancy year started on the 1st of July and she has already

warned some eye`catching costumes. I have been a space for men, which was

an probably one of the hottest days of the years, which was not fun. ``

a space woman. I was a cheerleader to go to the gym. I was dressed as a

schoolgirl the other day when I did my grocery shopping. What sort of a

reaction have you had? Initially people are confused, think I am a

bit crazy, and then some people pluck up the courage to ask what I'm

doing. When I tell them they are really supportive. Now I am a

crocodile. I bought this outfit on Dartmoor the other day. The film

company worker is hoping to make ?20,000 for a breast cancer charity.

In 43 days she has already raised ?4000 and she is not shirking her

challenge, recently going through security at Gatwick Airport as

wonder woman. I was really worried about going through customs but they

were fine and they were jolly about it. Only another 322 days to go in

fancy dress. Looking good. I have got some money!

A fabulous idea. What was John, a shark? I think so.

He's always dressing like that! It is nowhere near November the 5th

but it is fireworks night in Plymouth for thousands of people.

They will watch the sky light up as three teams tried to prove they have

the best display. Another three teams then compete tomorrow but

before it all goes up in smoke our reporter is amongst the explosives

tonight. Good evening. Yes, worrying, isn't

it? 1500 kilos of explosives. But look, two hold fire extinguishers

appear so we are perfectly safe commission will of course there are

more safety precautions. Andy is here. It is very technological now,

isn't it? It is perfectly safe. We have been plugging in all these

fireworks since 7am. All of these wires are connected to a firework

that go into a computer. It is not connected, but you can turn on the

fire... Me? Yes. Whatever happens now is out of my control. The fire

button is eliminated and that is what we will press tonight. Listen,

how do you practice? That is what I have always wondered. There is no

practising. There is an awful lot of work back in the studios and the

offices of these companies who tell the computer when they want to see

the fireworks. The computer calculates the time it needs to

launch at firework beforehand so some of the area once need launching

three or four seconds before so that everything is synchronised. A quick

word with Kevin, one of the organisers. We will seize on 3D

fireworks tonight? Yes, in the first show tonight you will see that. Does

that mean coming across as well? Know, everybody is perfidy safe. Is

this what towns on the coast have to do now to bring in visitors, these

big scale events? Yes, it is entertainment and it is a perfect

venue. It brings revenue to the city. Good luck. We have been

absolutely drenched in rain. That is why we have the plastic and the foil

on top of the fireworks, but it will not affect the display. It might

affect the visitors, gathering over there. They are huddling under the

citadel. Don't touch that button! You had me

worried! Still a few hours to go. They have had some rain there this

evening. Hopefully that would spoil things too much.

We have had some showers in Plymouth today but I think tonight for the

fireworks apart from blustery wind it is a largely dry evening. The

wind is a real challenge for those organisers and for the displays.

Tomorrow it is slightly less windy but the wind will not be liked by

any stretch of the imagination. area giving us a cooler feel this

week is away on the coast of Scotland but it is giving its

influence right across Britain and we have a keen westerly wind tonight

coinciding with some pretty high spring tides. Some of the highest

this evening. So we have warnings from the Environment Agency of the

risk of coastal flooding. For North Devon, North Somerset coasts and the

North Cornwall coast overnight and also at Thirsk tomorrow morning. The

rain bands swirling around Scotland are still giving some heavy bands of

rain. For as they will become more isolated. It will become mainly dry.

The showers are tending to fade away. Temperatures will probably be

as low as single figures in a few places. For tomorrow, a much better

start to the day. The exception to that will be the more western parts

of Cornwall, where perhaps first thing in the morning we will see a

scattering of showers but by the afternoon, some sunshine. So can

head to what we saw today, where here we had a fairly cloudy sky, it

is a much better day all in all. It did not stop this ferry from running

and the showers came and went swiftly because the wind has been

strong today. But sheltered parts of the eastern side of Devon and the

southeastern coast of Cornwall will probably get the best of the weather

tomorrow because here we have some shelter from the strength of wind.

The wind changes direction tomorrow. It becomes a bit more of a westerly.

For the Isles of Scilly, a few showers in the morning and then

becoming mainly dry. The showers clearing out of the way. Some

sunshine in the afternoon. Times of high water.

A pretty high tide again tomorrow. The surf has been pretty lively on

the North coast today and it will probably be the same tomorrow.

Gradually easing as we get towards the weekend.

The wind uses a bit in the afternoon. As we head towards the

weekend, more showers arriving on Thursday and then briefly a breach

of high pressure heading our way as we move towards the weekend. So it

does get drier. Good luck if you are a pet owner in

the Plymouth area tonight. But if you are off to the fireworks, have a

lovely time and may the MUSIC: "It Don't Mean A Thing"

by Duke Ellington celebrating the music of Count Basie

and Duke Ellington. We've got factory boys and butchers'

apprentices and office clerks Don't stop moving!

If you go back you'll die!