21/02/2014 BBC Oxford News

Thousands of protest to remain in Thousands of protest to remain in

Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford. In tonight's programme:

A nurse is cautioned for making sexual comments to a student. It

happened in the plastic surgery department at the Stoke Mandeville

Hospital in 2010. Also coming up: A lifeline for the

last Oxfordshire carers' group which was facing closure. The South and

Vale Carers Centre has been given a helping hand from another charity.

He's the teenager from Didcot who's back to family life on the farm

after becoming the youngest person to row across the Atlantic.

And later on: We take a look at all the action on the water for one of

the the world's top sailing competitions.

First tonight, a plastic surgery nurse has been handed a three`year

caution after admitting making sexual comments towards a student he

was working with at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. The Nursing and Midwifery

Council panel decided his ability to practise had been impaired following

what happened. Earlier, I asked our reporter, Stuart Tinworth, what

happened in this case. The comments relate to when Perry

John Boss worked as a nurse in the plastic surgery department at Stoke

Mandeville Hospital in 2010. He'd started mentoring student nurses in

the late 80s. At an earlier hearing, he was facing six charges, two of

which he admitted. One comment, which he admitted to making to one

of the nurses under his supervision, we can't report due to its graphic

nature. The hearing was told when the student reported it to her line

manager, HE told her she shouldn't be offended because it was the sort

of thing that would often be said to students. The Nursing and Midwifery

Council accepted that there was a culture at Stoke Mandeville Hospital

of inappropriate language, including sexual innuendo, swearing and

name`calling. What has the hospital had to say? Well, Perry John Boss

hasn't worked there since 2012. In a statement, Buckinghamshire NHS

health care Trust has told us the Trust takes all allegations of this

nature extremely seriously, adding it refers concerns to the Nursing

Midwifery Council where appropriate and assists in any subsequent

processes. He's been handed this three`year caution order which will

be searchable on his record for that time. And is he still working now?

He is, and his current employers have described him as exemplary. The

panel on the hearing also acknowledged he had shown remorse

for his actions, had apologised to the nurse and was unlikely to repeat

his previous behaviour. A fatal crash on the A34 in

Oxfordshire has been referred to the independent police watchdog after

officers slowed traffic to remove a dead badger. Police were removing

the animal from the southbound carriageway near Marcham at around

3am, but as they did that, a lorry crashed with another vehicle. The

driver was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital but later died of

his injuries. The road was closed for nine hours.

A second man, charged over the murder of a teenager from Oxford,

has appeared in court. 17`year`old Connor Tremble was stabbed at his

home last Thursday and died in hospital at the weekend. Grant

Clemens, from Moreton`in`Marsh, has been charged with helping an

offender and is now being held in custody. A 20`year`old man from

Banbury, accused of killing the teenager, is also being kept in

custody. A charity that helps hundreds of

carers across the region has been saved from closure, thanks to a

report by us. The South and Vale Carers Centre was going to shut but

another local charity saw our report at the end of last year and got in

touch to help. Today was the start of their new partnership.

For Melanie, the carers Centre has been a lifeline. She has two sons

with autism. When her first application was rejected, they

helped her appeal. They have provided respite breaks for her and

care cover for her sons. It's made a huge difference to my life, having

that support, knowing it has been there, knowing it is reliable

because at the end of the day, most carers tend to prioritise their

needs after the needs of the people they care for. Last year we reported

the carers Centre couldn't find the money to carry on. Another charity

Shaw `` saw our coverage and got in touch to help. I went to our senior

management team and we thought it would be a good idea to see if there

was something we could do to help. Today they voted to work together.

We always hoped a miracle would happen. The publicity was so good

because it alerted other people around to the fact we needed help to

keep going. The new partnership should mean carers in the region

will continue to get much`needed support for many years to come.

While many of us are still coping with flooding, water companies in

our region are continuing to prepare for future drought to safeguard

water supplies for the future. Thames Water is building a huge

underground storage reservoir in Reading. A new reservoir in

Oxfordshire is still on the cards despite plans for one near Abingdon

being blocked by the government. Nikki Mitchell reports.

Tonnes of earth has been moved to make way for the concrete tank

that's starting to take shape here. This enormous chamber will be filled

with clean, treated water that's ready to drink so there's no room

for mistakes. The tanks will be sealed and then covered over. We're

building it with new modern construction techniques, pouring the

walls and the floors with concrete bought on to the site, but then

we're building the support columns and roof with pre`fabricated

sections. It makes it a lot safer, means there's less concrete coming

into the site and it's put together like Lego pieces. The whole

reservoir will be cleaned out, sanitised, filled with treated

drinking water, tested. There's stringent water quality tests before

we can put that water into the supply that can get to people's

taps. There's already a reservoir hidden under the grass on this site

in Earley. It was built in the late 1970s and holds enough water to fill

more than ten Olympic size swimming pools. These new storage tanks will

hold enough water to fill another five Olympic swimming pools. But

despite the huge scale of the development here, the water that

will fill these tanks is just a drop in the ocean compared to what's

needed to cope with the increase in population and changes in climate.

Three years ago, the government put a stop to Thames Water's plans for a

new super`sized reservoir in South Oxfordshire. It would have been the

biggest to be built in the UK in decades. But a smaller one here is

still a possibility if the company proves it's necessary. We've got

millions of extra people coming into London and the South East over the

next 5`10 years. Somehow, we need to meet that demand. We're looking at

reducing our own leakage and working with our customers to reduce their

demand. It could be with a new reservoir maybe in the Oxfordshire

area and the size would need to be determined. But it is also a

catchment transfer, so we are moving water from the River Severn, the

Midlands and maybe even further north. So this is actually quite

small`scale, although not everyone agrees. It's really high, that's the

only problem. When people are standing on top, they're going to be

able look into our gardens, so bang goes our privacy. There's been one

or two hiccups, but we need to drink water and any problems have been

resolved. If all goes to plan, people living in this area will be

drinking water straight from this tank by the end of the year.

The road by Sonning Bridge could be raised to try and stop problems

caused by flooding. The major commuter route across the River

Thames has been shut for weeks. Heavy duty blocks have now been put

across the road because it's too dangerous to use and drivers have

been ignoring the closure signs but the barriers have caused strong

reactions. If you go steady, in the middle, you can get over. I don't

know how I have got to get to Woodley now. They blocked off last

time but not like that. Loads of cars are coming through even when it

is closed. We can't get out that were torn out.

He's achieved his dream of becoming the youngest person to row across

the Atlantic but an Oxfordshire teenager says he's already planning

his next challenge. Now that Eion Hartwright is back on dry land, life

is returning to normal for the 17`year`old who's working on the

family farm near Didcot. Victoria Cook reports.

It might look a bit like a rowing boat but this wouldn't get very far

on the ocean. Owen Hartwright is back home now and he's helping to

run the family farm. It's been three weeks since Eoin returned from

smashing the world record, the youngest person to row the Atlantic.

It's an incredible achievement but it's taken its toll. Loading hay

bales is a nightmare because I so weak. It really affects your body. I

got back to England and couldn't face stares. It was a nightmare. But

I have ended up getting upstairs. Eoin spent 43 days with his uncle

and two team mates rowing the astonishing 3,000`mile journey. His

family and friends were there at the finish line to cheer him on. Not

only has he achieved so much at such a young age, but he's raised more

than ?10,000 for the children's hospice Helen Douglas House. For

his proud mum, it's been a stressful time. I have been very stressed,

very scared, haven't slept, but if he did another one, it would be a

totally different kettle of fish. So has the exhaustion and pain of

thousands of miles of rowing put him off? No, not at all.

That's all from me for the moment. I'll have a full

and any problems have been resolved. If all goes to plan, people living

in this area will be drinking water straight from this tank by the end

of the year. Lots more coming up on Friday's

South Today, so stay with us as we tell you how honey could be the

answer to treat infections after surgery. A new scheme is being

trialled in Winchester. A Worthing postmistress fears she'll

be forced into bankruptcy by plans to move counters out of small shops

and into national stores. Unless small retailers can meet demand for

longer opening hours and an increase in profit, then post counters will

be removed. Yvonne Larguesays this will leave her with no other option

but to close. Lewis Coombes reports. How are you today?

Yvonne Largue has been a postmistress in Worthing for seven

years. She runs a small shop where you can buy your bread and milk and

send a parcel. But she says new plans to restructure and modernise

the post office service will force her to close and that could mean

bankruptcy. Seven years, I have heard this post office. I spent an

absolute fortune getting it ready to the spec and everything else. And

?8,000 for the franchise as well. Now it looks like they can just, you

know, pull it away from you. The Post Office wants to relocate

services from small shops that don't make much money to bigger national

chains. It will mean more counters like this inside a WHSmith or

supermarket. This programme is necessary because the post office

losses continue to increase. The move is proposed here could

potentially offer benefits to consumers in a way of longer opening

hours, for example. A petition to keep this shop open shows a level of

support in the community. She'll be hoping the Post Office is listening.

A lot of people will be devastated if they caused. The town is quite

away from you, especially for older people. It is convenient, otherwise

you have to get a bus into town. As far as I am concerned, that means I

will be closed down. And that... Well, it does not bear thinking

about. The Windmill Theatre in

Littlehampton will reopen today. The cinema closed last February, but

locals have successfully campaigned to get it up and running again. In

December, a deal was agreed for a mobile cinema operator to screen

films. The first movie shown will be 12 Years A Slave. We put it on

toast, added to your gut and use it for beauty products. But honey has a

long tradition as a healing agent. Honey has been tested in the Royal

Hampshire Hospital in Wiltshire and shows it has cut infections in a

variety of wins. As you will see, it has been tested in Africa as a cheap

and accessible treatment for some distressing injuries. It is a simple

low`cost treatment that could cut infection rates by 6%.

Honey has been known to treat wins for thousands of years. The way it

has been processed means it is entirely novel product. In an age

where we await globally about antibiotic resistance, to have a

product that kills microbes by a different mechanism is a very

exciting thing. The conclusion of the study showed that 2% of 186

women developed an infection after having the honey applied to secede

in stitches. The honey has been taken to more tropical climes. The

honey is easily transported and just gets running in the heat. The honey

has been used more successfully in Africa to treat burns and

infections. Jill Brooks has just come back from Uganda and Ethiopia

to pioneer the new treatment, where she slopped... Swapped the weak

bleach they were using and used honey instead. Please stop them

using the weak bleach and used honey on the wings. It claimed them up and

it promoted healing. The honey does not kill healthy tissue. Some are

unsure about the product. Some scepticism at first because people

were unused. The wounds more extreme over there because people do not go

for treatment until the wounds really bad. The whole business to

start beginning clinical trials. `` the hope is now to start.

A new centre for people with breast cancer is opening in Hampshire. It

will help women and men deal with the emotional and physical effects

of the disease. The Haven, which is run by a charity, has just taken

over an empty building in Titchfield, from where our Health

Correspondent David Fenton reports. It will take 12 months and ?1

million to turn this listed building into something like this. A centre

for women and men with breast cancer. They could be doing yoga,

they could be doing a number of different touch therapies, not

particularly of this room but in some other rooms where they have

acupuncture to help with side effects from drugs they will be

under for cancer. The charity behind this specialises in the emotional

and psychological problems that women with breast cancer often face.

Claire Morgan was diagnosed seven years ago. She was treated and got

better but then she had lost all of her self`confidence. I did not know

which way to go or who to go to for help. The Haven, it is all there.

Once the Naas reassured me she was going to help me, automatically, I

had that well`being. I thought, thank goodness. It was a huge relief

for me. Many of the patients who come here will be referred by local

hospitals. It has got a great reputation for providing care for

women suffering from breast cancer. It provides emotional, psychological

and physical support and is a vital service. It is hoped the new centre

will open next year. Onto the weekend's sport now, and

Reading return to the Madejski Stadium tomorrow hoping for another

win to boost their promotion push. Ahead of the game against Blackburn

Rovers, I have been to see manager Nigel Adkins, who has kept his

players' focus on the field while events off the field with the club

up for sale continue to make the headlines.

Momentum and consistency seem to be key to the revival in the field.

Nigel Adkins has fielded the same team for the last seven games. Of

the lads in the team, we have momentum and they are working hard

and there is competition for places. They are working hard, knowing that

the consistency of their performances is important or someone

will be waiting in the wings to take their place. Last week's when kept

in six on the table, but the manner of the team spirit. It is good to

have it on card, but enhances the momentum we have got to go away to a

team that when the Premier League this last season. The team tipped to

be in the top two. To go there and win the game in a manner we have

done, it is four points we have taken from QPR this season. All this

while Madejski searches for our buyer for the club. So today has

been told proposals by would`be investors has been put to the club

in recent months. Could this filter into the football side? I do not

think so. The football club is together and everyone is working

hard. The manager knows all too much how well the team could perform in a

last part of the season. He saw his club win the league title two

seasons ago. Many in the camp using that as inspiration.

East Preston and Sholing both aim for places in the quarter finals of

the FA Vase this weekend. Meanwhile, Havant and Waterlooville

and Gosport play the return leg of their FA Trophy semifinal. The score

is level at 1`1 after Monday's first leg. The winners play Cambridge or

Grimsby at Wembley next month. In the Premier League, Southampton

will do their best to show fans their season isn't over when they

travel to West Ham in the Premier League after last week's exit from

the FA Cup. In the Championship, aside from Reading's game with

Blackburn, Bournemouth are at Derby. Brighton have two games in three

days starting with the visit of Wigan.

In League One, MK Dons and Swindon are on the road.

In League Two, Oxford go to Morecambe and Portsmouth are at

Scunthorpe. All the games are live on BBC local radio and the Football

League Show has all the goals tomorrow night.

One of the world's top sailing competitions is underway. The

Extreme Sailing Series is more high profile than ever. And as these

pictures from today in Singapore show you, the action on the water

can be dramatic. This was the Oman air boat crashing into Realstone in

today's action. Lymington's Sir Ben Ainslie has put

together a new team, including another Olympian from the South, as

Katy Austin reports. He is a four`time Olympic champion

but Sir Ben Ainslie is still hungry for victory. This year, his sights

are set on winning the Extreme Sailing Series. We have to learn to

sail with one another and these boats and this race, so it is a huge

amount to take on board in a short period of time. 40 foot boards are

largely identical and with the action taking place just offshore,

collisions and tight races are guaranteed. We probably will not

even in a tight situation, so that was my mistake. Like I said, at

least we note how wide the boat is. Sir Ben Ainslie is joined by two

others on the boat. Peter Wilson `` Pippa Wilson is also on the board.

It is an exciting week. They finished fifth, but there is a long

way to go. The racing in Singapore continues. The eighth and final act

of the series does not happen until Australia in December.

A lot of attention on the Extreme Sailing Series this year. We will

follow at every step of the way here.

Next week on South Today, we begin a series of films taking an in`depth

look at how the First World War changed the lives of people on the

home front. In partnership with Imperial War Museums, we'll delve

into life in the South of Britain as war raged on the continent. Here's a

taster of what's to come. Black powder substitutes for cordite

here for safety reasons. It is going to go big leap of the imagination.

This could be potentially dangerous. Countless soldiers suffered lasting

long`term effects from exposure to gas. It was what done in the front

line that proved the turning point for the Allied troops. He was

fighting the war in the laboratory. Young men were listing risking their

lives. They could be in no man's land where they could stay for 24

hours. The aim was to get there as soon as possible but they would be

under fire very often. If you had a wound that was not life`threatening,

you would get off the front line and that was the best you could hope

for. Conscientious objectors, hundreds of men who refuse to fight

fraud into jail. Conditions were very bad. Some of the objectors in

Winchester start of their own secret newspaper. It was made on toilet

paper on which I got the material. It was vital to map the area behind

enemy lines and aeroplanes provided the answer. The pictures they took

off roads, fields and trenches gave the map`makers a whole new

perspective. These people were pioneers and hugely inventive and

had great creativity. At the end of the day, they put their lives on the

line. We hope you chin and for that series

next week. `` tune in. We start on Monday with a special

report by the BBC's former chief news correspondent Kate Adie, who

has covered numerous wars herself during her career. She looks at a

factory in the South, built on the orders of Winston Churchill, and how

schoolchildren and conkers helped to keep it and Britain's war effort

going. You can find films and articles covering all aspects of

World War One on the BBC's website. The address is on screen. And on

Monday, BBC local radio begins a series of reports looking at life on

the home front. Tune into your station at 8.15 on Monday morning to

hear the first of those. Sarah Farmer is here as we look at the

weather. It was love this morning. I pulled back the curtains, bright

blue sky and sunshine, glorious. Such a joy, yes.

One or two showers. Never seen so many rainbow photographs in our

inbox. They will be on our Facebook page soon.

We have a selection of pictures for you today.

It was a keen wind this morning along the Meon Shore. Len and

Lorraine Lambeth sent that one in, thank you.

If you look closely, you can see a beautiful double rainbow over Witney

in Oxfordshire, after a heavy rain shower this afternoon. You can see

that on the far right of the screen. Stephen Goodchild captured that

lovely scene. And a hint of spring from Ian

Lauder. Lovely colours in the sunshine at Rustington, West Sussex.

sunshine at Rustington, West We do have a fume or showers to come

this evening. It looks like most of those will fade away. One or two

went along the coast and we could see the odd heavy burst, perhaps

with hailstones in funding as well. Through the course of the night,

though showers fading away. The skies were clear particularly

inland. Here, we could see a touch of frost. Temperatures in towns and

cities 23`4 Celsius. Coastal areas in the Isle of Wight and eastwards

perhaps seeing showers lingering into tomorrow morning. For most,

tomorrow morning should be a nice day. The odd shower here or there

but most of seeing sunny spells. Perhaps bright as we head into the

afternoon and then very quiet joy that cloud thickens. `` and then

very gradually. Temperatures of 9`10, the breeze picking up as well.

It is courtesy of this low`pressure working its way in from the Atlantic

quite steadily through the course of the weekend. You can see the isobars

narrowing and that means we will see winds picking up, gusting on Sunday

at perhaps 60 mph on the course. Tomorrow night, that cloud will

thicken. Perhaps if youth spits `` perhaps some spits in sports.

Temperatures in little milder. Sunday, generally a dry day, perhaps

dampness coming and going. That rain band Rob Howley arise in the

afternoon`evening period. `` properly arrives. We could have more

problems on saturated ground. Here is your summary for the coming days.

Saturday is a decent rate. Sunny spells and winds picking up on the

afternoon. Cloudy skies with a band of rain arriving later on Sunday.

Then it looks like one or two blustery showers as we work our way

into the new working week. It looks like a bit of everything,

really. Whatever you do, try and stay dry over the weekend. Enjoy it.

We will be back on Monday at 6:30pm. Late news tonight 10:25pm. Goodbye.