22/01/2014 BBC Oxford News

Sunday. Make the most of Saturday because Sunday looks pretty

This is South Today from Exford. Claims more disabled should be

working. Falkland war veteran Simon Weston backs the government's aims

at an event encouraging employers to take on disabled workers. Tonight

the charity has the has helped more than 200 people, most of them

homeless to rebuild their lives. Freedom of movement. For a woman who

Brock her back in childbirth ten years ago.

Good evening. More disabled people should be working, according to the

Government. Today the Minister for Disabled People has been in Swindon,

at an event aimed at encouraging businesses to take on more workers

with a disability. There are 118,000 disabled people of working age in

the area. Out of those, 62,000 are working, that is almost 53%. But

some charities say tough ability tests are forcing some people to

look for work when they are not up to it P Like thousands of people in

our region, Chris works in construction. Despite having

learning disabilities getting a job has been just what he needed. It is

something his mum is right behind. Very important for him as a person.

To keep him busy and give him something to do an aim for in life.

It gives him a purpose. Of almost 120,000 people of working age in the

area, just over half work. The Falkland war veteran Simon Weston, a

guest speaker after the disable conference in Swindon, says that

number can and should rise. Employers have to look at disabled

people and see them as an asset, not something negative, or something

that should be ignored, because they can fulfil most job roles, give them

a chance. The Government has made big and unpopular changes to the

benefit system recently but it insists it is not doing it without

good reason. I spend a billion a week, on disability and sick

benefit, a billion a week. If that can be reduced that is fantastic, if

we can have people go back to work, not only do they get the confidence

they become taxpayers themselves. So as the Government tries to rebuild

the UK economy, it will be hoping its moves to get more disAin abled

people disabled people like Tom into work will pay off. Peter Turville is

from Oxfordshire Welfare Rights. I asked him what he thought of events

like the one in Swindon. We would support vents like this, but it is

important both the advice to the disabled person and to the employer

is tailored to the needs of the individual, both the disabled person

and the employer. It is important they understand the complexities of

the benefit system and how taking work could impact on the disable's

person's benefit. If they can't sustain the job or they can't do the

required number of hours, they can find the benefits are stopped

without warning. Have you seen an increase in the

number of disabled people looking for work since the benefit changes

were brought? Yes, because of the number of people found fit for work,

many of those people find they need to claim Job Seekers Allowance

instead. Nationally, four out of ten appeals are successful and we are

successful in nine out of ten appeals because decisions by the DWP

are so bad. Where do you think the assessment is going wrong, in terms

of who needs benefits and who doesn't? The assessment process

doesn't gather relevant information, particularly medical information,

that allows the person to be filleted into the relevant benefit

rule, and that is what we do. We get the evidence the DWP could have

gathered in the first place. Thank you.

Next tonight, two men have been arrested following the death of a

woman in Buckingham. Police were called to a property in Addington

Road last night by paramedics, a 24`year`old woman was taken to

hospital, where she died. Police say her death is unexplained. A

postmortem examination will be carried out tomorrow.

Thames Valley Police will have to find an extra ?2 million worth of

savings in the next financial year. It is after the Government grant

which provides most of the force's funding was cut by almost twice as

enough as expected. The additional cuts come on top of

?10 million worth of savings it planned to make in 2014.

It shouldn't mean anything at all, not for the next two years, I very

much hope after that we will have this sorted out. But it is only one

four police forces that have taken very considerable cuts and it has

not cut the front line so far. Seven people have been sentenced to

a total of 52 years in jail. For supplying Class A drugs. The gang,

including four from Milton Keynes pleaded guilty after a series of

raids where police seized large quantities of high grade cocaine,

thousands of pounds in cash and a handgun, with ammunition.

Opponents of the HS2 high speed rail route have failed in their last

legal challenge to the Government scheme. The Supreme Court has

rejected their claim that the Government is cutting corners, with

no time to exam tin environmental impact. The alliance claim the

Government was in breach of European environmental law, and says it will

make a complaint to the European Commission.

The number of times Thames Valley Police are called out to find people

with dementia has gone up by more than 60% in the last three years. In

2013, they were involved in more than 360 searches, often working

with charities like Neighbourhood Return.

Age UK says the numbers will continue to rise, but there are a

number of community schemes to train people in how to handle dementia

patients. Charities in Oxford say training for homeless people will

suffer, if they lose funding from Oxfordshire County Council. In our

second look this week at the problem of homelessness in the city, we

focus on attempts to give people education and skills. Adina Campbell

has been finding out why charities say that is at risk. Aroom noing

working day for Alan, he is taking in the latest batch of recycling.

But seven months ago, he found himself without a job, and out on

the streets. A marital break up left him homeless and contemplating

suicide. . This time last year I was in a bit of a dark spot in my life.

To such an extent I planned my own death and living on the street, it

was quite a shock to the system. I realised that it is a different way

of life. It is a different lifestyle. But Alan has landed on

his feet, working full`time in this centre, which helps vulnerable

people into work or training, and temporary housing. Round 200 people

received help from Aspire and more than a third were living in hostels.

Many of their trainees end up with full or par time jobs or doing a

training course. But Aspire could see almost a 40% reduction in its

funding next year. That is because of potential

knock`on effects from the County Council's spending cuts. If you try

and change life tiles the worst tinge you can do is sitting round.

You need to be getting out. Otherwise you spend a lot of time in

your own head and that can be dangerous. The County Council told

us: Hostels like this one would also be

at risk of losing some of its cash f the cuts go ahead. As well as

accommodation Simon House provides careers advice. Trisha ended up

homeless after losing her job Particularly for women, they are so

vulnerable out on the streets, that, it essential to have place,

particularly like this. A final decision on the County Council

budget cuts is expected next month. A ten`year`old girl from Oxford who

was told she might never walk has achieved her dream of riding a bide.

Judith Stickings who has cerebral palsy started fund`raising for a

specialist trike last year. Learning to ride a bike is a

milestone for most children but for Judith it feels like a miracle. Her

parents were told she might never walk, then she took her first steps

aged three. Now, she has got her own bike. Seeing her as a normal

ten`year`old girl with her first bike and happy, and feeling, even

though we have to be with her and walking behind her, she is feeling

independent, confident. It is exciting to see her so happy, and

enjoying it so much and making such strides already. Judith suffered

complication at birth which left her with cerebral palsy and

developmental issue, she is one of round 400 children born with the

condition in the UK. It took Judith nearly five months to raise the

money for her bike, these specialist trikes cost round ?1500. But since

it is arrived in November, she has been wried riding it every weekend.

The bikes can improve balance and build muscle but there are social

benefits, like being able to play with friends or cycle to school.

Gillian says it shows what can be done with determination. She is

hoping Judith's new found pedal`power might mean she learns to

ride by herself. A man from Witney has come second in

the world's toughest rowing race. Henry Brett and three friends had

barely any experience hen they took on the Talisker Whisky Atlantic

Challenge rowing more than 3,000 nautical miles. It took them 48

days. And that is all from us for now.

Still to come in this evening's South Today: The woman who broke her

back in childbirth finds a new lease of life suspended by ribbons.

Sophie Bosley, from Midhurst, has an extremely rare blood cancer called

Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia. She's been encouraging other young people

at Chichester College to sign up to the bone marrow register Our

reporter, James Ingham, went along to meet her.

Sophie Bosley was in the middle of GCSEs when she was diagnosed with a

rare form of leukaemia. Two years later, she is still being treated

with chemotherapy, but has managed to continue a relatively normal

life. It was a big shock. We were all

devastated ` it put a big problem in the works. There wasn't really

anything worse we could have imagined. It put me out of place

with everything going on around me, because at that time I had exams

going on. I missed two of them, and was going to have to come back. It

was hell, basically. Sophie will need a bone marrow

transplant ` potential matches have been found, but she's very aware of

the difficulty some people have of finding a donor. This is why she's

involved in this big push to get people signed up to a register.

My tutor mentioned it in college, and said it something she's a part

of. I thought I'd give it a go. It's worthwhile. It's an opportunity

to help someone out that a lot less fortunate than you.

People in my class seemed to be into it, and it seemed like the right

thing to do. Most of the students here are around

Sophie's age, so her story has really struck a chord. And it's

these young people that it's so important is to get on the register.

Sophie's story highlights just how important it is for people to come

forward and register. Currently, we are only finding matches for half of

the patients coming to us. Our mission is to be able to find

matches for all patients. Only around one in 1000 people on

the bone marrow register ever get a call to donate. That would mean

going through a simple procedure. But the more potential donors there

are, the greater the chance a lifelike Sophie's could be saved.

Residents at a sheltered housing estate in West Sussex are angry

they're being charged ?40,000 for fire safety improvements they say

are not necessary. But the company which runs the housing complex

disagrees, and says there's a legal requirement for the work.

Sean Killick reports. Residents at the Glebe are inspecting a new fire

alarm system, they say they don't want and can't afford. Owners of the

23 leasehold flats were told by management company Anchor the new

alarm system, costing a total of ?23,000, was needed to meet fire

regulations. They were also told their front doors need replacing to

meet regulations, costing another ?20,000. But the Residents

Association chairman says they were told by anchor's own surveyor that

the work is not legally required. The residents are angry.

They are absolutely incensed and furious that their hard earned

funds, in what is called a sinking fund ` money we have put by for work

that needs to be done ` is being taken for work that doesn't need to

be done. The residents say they would be happy with ordinary smoke

detectors. There is no necessity. The fire brigade have told us that a

simple alarm would do. It would cost around ?200 for all six blocks. This

is going to cost a small fortune. Ankara told us that the safety of

our residents is paramount. That's why the

but residents are calling for the work to be halted, and for an urgent

meeting with Angkor. A woman from Newbury, who got involved in aerial

performances in the run up to the Paralympic Games in 2012, says she

wants to leave a legacy that will help other disabled people. Once a

professional dancer ` Mel Stevens broke her back ten years ago ` she

then discovered that hanging upside down not only helped her physical

state but spurred her on mentally too. Now her dream is to open a

space where special equipment could allow other disabled people to feel

alive again. Dani Sinha reports. Mel Stevens has had many twists and

turns in her life ` at 29 she broke her lower back whilst giving birth,

leaving her with no sensation in both legs and chronic pain. It was

only when she was asked to get involved in aerial displays in the

run up to the Paralympic Games, that she realised the benefits of

suspending herself in the air. The minute I hang, my spine

decompresses. I haven't needed to medicate since I got out of the

harnesses and did my first try on trapeze. Practicing here at an

aerial fitness studio in Newbury, Mel is able to feel free again ` but

this is the space, which Mel wants to transform into a specialised

studio for people with disabilities ` she hopes it will be a fully

functioning by Easter. Guiding her on her journey is coach and former

Cirque de Soleil performer, Serenity Smith Fortune. Arnesses and did my

first try on trapeze. For anyone who has any challenges with supporting

their weight with their legs, they need to get more fitness, more upper

body strength, so they can be healthier and fitter. And happier

too ` there are a lot of endorphins that go through you when you get to

swing around. I'm dancing, I'm flying. My disability is not who I

am. Mel's friend Lyndsay performed in

the opening and closing paralympic ceremonies but hasn't been able to

practice her sport since then. She's hoping to benefit from a new space.

Keeping her feet off the ground ` Mel is able to reach heights she

never thought were possible. It looks amazing, doesn't it? It

looks so simple, but it's really tough.

Southampton Football Club have appointed Gareth Rogers as Interim

Chief Executive, with immediate effect. Rogers has been Saints'

Chief Financial Officer since March 2011. He's been appointed

temporarily by owner Katharina Liebherr, following the departure of

Executive chairman Nicola Cortese last week. As we reported earlier

this week, former Blackburn chairman John Williams is still a leading

contender to fill the chief executive role on a long`term basis.

Oxford United are out of the FA Cup, after losing their third round

replay to Charlton. Chris Wilder's side went down by three goals to nil

at the Kassam Stadium. Charlton go on to meet Huddersfield in the

fourth round. Meanwhile, MK Dons lost at

struggling Crewe in League One. The Dons were already one goal down when

they were awarded a penalty for handball. Shaun Williams' effort was

brilliantly saved. Crewe wrapped up the win in the second half. MK sit

tenth, eight points off the play`offs.

There will be no speedway on the Isle of Wight in the 2014 season,

after the Island's club decided to suspend their racing licence this

year. The Islanders' shareholders voted to step down from the coming

National League campaign, due to ongoing financial issues. The club

need to raise 30 thousand pounds for a mandatory new safety fence at the

Smallbrook Stadium. But with still more than half of that money to

find, the Islanders have taken the decision not to race this season.

Perhaps you need to kill something to let people know that it has gone.

Perhaps in five years, it might come back and we might see crowds like we

used to. There are just over two weeks to go

until the Winter Olympics get underway in Sochi in Russia, and

today more members of Team GB were announced ` including four athletes

from the South. Among them is a skier going to her fourth Games, a

bobsleigher who's made a switch from an entirely different sport, and a

debutant, competing in the new Olympic event of snowboard

slope`style. Jo Kent reports. Slope style is all about big tricks,

and Southampton's Billie Morgan carries big British medal hopes.

When you can pull off a jump like this, you can see why. He is thought

to be the first snowboarder to complete this triple rodeo jump,

consisting of three full flips in the air. He suffered a knee injury

last year, but was back in action this month in Colorado. He was the

top qualifier, but unfortunately the finals were cancelled. This week,

he's at the X games in Aspen, hoping to show that he is on top for Sochi.

Meanwhile, Andrew Musgrave, who was born in Poole, will represent

Britain in cross`country skiing. Fresh from a win at the Norwegian

national championships. The course in Lillehammer was pretty

similar to the course in Sochi ` so it's long, big hills, pretty hard

for a sprint course. That's what I've been training for this year,

and it seems like it's paying off well.

Winter Olympics veteran Chemmy Alcott proved that she is still

Britain's best, despite being dogged by injury. She broke her leg for a

third time in August, and hasn't competed on the World Cup circuit

this season, after her comeback race was cancelled last weekend. Sochi

will be the Hove skier's fourth games.

And Craig Pickering from Milton Keynes will become one of only a

handful of British athletes to compete in both summer and winter

Olympic Games, after swapping sprinting for bobsleigh.

It has been a tough couple of years ` I stopped athletics because I

needed a back operation. I thought my career was finished, but I just

kept plugging away and here I am going to my second games. I'm really

happy. In selection, Craig has proved he is

as good on the bobsleigh track as the running track. An athlete

determined to get a second chance at Olympic success.

We are getting into the feel of the Winter Olympics.

And now for the weather. There are weather warnings in the

next few days. We are keeping a close eye on the situation. There

will be some dry periods. We have a day of rain, a day of scattered

spells. The afternoon was predominantly dry,

a few showers to speak of. Tonight is mainly dry, with one or two

showers. There is a chance of a frost in the countryside.

Temperatures will fall away to three or four. Perhaps, down to one out in

the countryside. Pretty chilly tomorrow morning. There will be a

band of showers from the West, which could be on the heavy side.

Following that, one or two showers, but few or far between otherwise.

Highs of six or eight. A fresh field to things. Through tomorrow nights,

the risk of showers, but most places will be dry before this band of rain

starts creeping in. That's what we are keeping a close eye on. That was

the weather warnings from The Met office is in place for. Chilly

temperatures to starts tomorrow night, but warming up slightly

through the early hours. We are expecting a wet day on Friday. There

is a yellow weather warning in place. We could see an inch of rain

fall. Friday will see brisk south`westerly winds, and bands of

rain moving in from the west lingering for much of the day. At

rain only clears after dark on Friday. We are looking at some

showers tomorrow, but they are few and far between through the

afternoon. Weather warnings in place for Friday and Sunday. It's later on

on Sunday that the rain will push in. Maybe some gales along the south

coast. Thursday and Saturday are the days where we will see some

sunshine. We all have hopes and fears

for the future