:00:14. > :00:18.Good evening and welcome to BBC Points West.
:00:18. > :00:21.If funeral held with full military honours.
:00:21. > :00:25.Hundreds pay their respects to a West Country soldier who died in
:00:25. > :00:30.Afghanistan. From water parks to football
:00:30. > :00:36.stadiums. The things we did not know our local councils owned.
:00:36. > :00:43.Shock for the gardener whose plant swallowed a whole bird.
:00:43. > :00:53.And... Swindon on song for the start of the new season as their
:00:53. > :00:54.
:00:54. > :00:59.Welcome to the programme. Hundreds of people turned out for
:00:59. > :01:03.the funeral of a West Country soldier who died in Afghanistan.
:01:03. > :01:07.Corporal Mark Palin of a 1st Battalion The Rifles there was on
:01:07. > :01:11.patrol clearing up improvised explosive devices when he was
:01:11. > :01:13.killed. He is the third casualty for the
:01:13. > :01:18.Gloucestershire base to regiment said they began their tour of duty
:01:18. > :01:21.in April. His wife was pregnant with their second child when he
:01:21. > :01:26.died. They are streets around St Andrews
:01:26. > :01:31.Church in Plymouth fell silent today. Hundreds gathered for the
:01:31. > :01:35.funeral of Corporal Mark Palin. He was killed weeks after starting his
:01:35. > :01:41.tour of duty in Afghanistan. The service was held with full military
:01:41. > :01:47.honours. Corporal Mark Palin was a battalion personality through and
:01:47. > :01:52.through. He died leading from the front. He was fearlessly brave,
:01:52. > :01:57.hugely respected by his riflemen and greatly relied on by his
:01:57. > :02:03.commanders. A more selfless man you could never meet and we will all
:02:03. > :02:08.miss him dearly. The 32-year-old was married with a young son. The
:02:08. > :02:13.family say he was looking forward to the birth of his daughter.
:02:13. > :02:18.Officers have described him as a brave and committed. Corporal Mark
:02:18. > :02:24.Palin is the 377th soldier -- British soldier to die in
:02:24. > :02:27.Afghanistan. The family have held a private burial service.
:02:28. > :02:33.The widow of a royal Marine it killed and Afghanistan has
:02:33. > :02:38.criticised the inquest system as unnecessarily traumatic. The
:02:38. > :02:43.corporal was described as the very best of his generation, he was 26
:02:43. > :02:47.when he died last year. An inquest was today opened and adjourned in
:02:47. > :02:50.Exeter after the coroner said further evidence needed to be
:02:50. > :02:56.gathered. This corporal has been described by
:02:56. > :03:02.his wife as a proud man. Proud to be a royal Marine, husband and
:03:02. > :03:06.father. Today, members of his unit from that day on May 26th last year
:03:06. > :03:12.gave evidence here at the inquest today talking about what happened.
:03:12. > :03:17.They spoke about the searches they carried out on that day looking for
:03:17. > :03:22.a Taliban activities. They spoke about the foot patrol which led to
:03:22. > :03:32.his death. This book about the fact he may have stepped on a pressure
:03:32. > :03:38.
:03:38. > :03:45.plate. It's his wife spoke to us earlier today about the inquest and
:03:45. > :03:48.about the pressures it has put on the family. I am immensely proud of
:03:48. > :03:54.Stephen's professionalism, leadership skills and his sense of
:03:54. > :03:59.duty towards his men. It is without doubt that his actions saved lives.
:03:59. > :04:03.I will continue to draw on my own experience as a war widow of to a
:04:03. > :04:07.campaign to promote changes to the inquest system and insure these
:04:07. > :04:14.processes are less traumatic for bereaved families of service
:04:14. > :04:19.personnel killed in action. It has been a traumatic time, but this
:04:19. > :04:23.inquest has now been adjourned until a future date so that further
:04:23. > :04:28.evidence can be assessed. Police have reinvestigating the
:04:28. > :04:32.murder of the will to a fitness trainer Donovan Van Lill say they
:04:32. > :04:37.have had more than 3,000 hits on their website and Facebook page
:04:37. > :04:41.after releasing CCTV images. The 29-year-old went missing in March
:04:41. > :04:45.last year and his body has never been found. Earlier this year a
:04:45. > :04:48.friend of his was clear of his murder.
:04:48. > :04:52.Days after the end of 40th Bristol Harbour Festival it has been
:04:52. > :04:57.revealed that half the organising team is being made redundant. The
:04:57. > :05:04.council is facing budget cuts and has struggled to find a sponsor
:05:04. > :05:09.since EDF Energy pulled out. In the next month, 10 of the 20 staff
:05:09. > :05:14.employed have been told they will lose their jobs.
:05:14. > :05:18.Money is clearly at a premium for councils at the moment. No surprise
:05:18. > :05:23.today that the Government has suggested local authorities look at
:05:23. > :05:27.what assets they own and consider selling them rather than cutting
:05:27. > :05:32.services. What do they have on their books?
:05:32. > :05:39.Did you know that Bristol City Council owns at least 20 cafes and
:05:39. > :05:43.restaurants, a nightclub and 25 pubs? It also owns this, the
:05:43. > :05:48.Primark buildings. In Bath, at the council owned three hotels
:05:48. > :05:54.including the Empire and a cinema. In Swindon the local authority is
:05:54. > :05:59.the owner of April club and nearly 100 shops. It is from there that we
:05:59. > :06:04.report. A very pretty piece of council
:06:05. > :06:09.real-estate in Swindon. Imagine how much Coate Water Country Park would
:06:09. > :06:14.be worth it to a private developer? In Nice a row of lakeside houses
:06:14. > :06:20.perhaps, and a sell off that would put millions into the council
:06:20. > :06:26.coffers. An idea that many find unthinkable. They cannot do that
:06:27. > :06:31.to! We came here as kids. It is a nice area for people to come to.
:06:31. > :06:36.Coate Water Country Park is not about to be sold off. But this man
:06:36. > :06:44.is ordering councils to take a hard look at all of their assets. He has
:06:45. > :06:50.even printed lists of them for us to read. We want to get better
:06:50. > :06:57.value out of property. To get Jawid use out of property and to insure
:06:58. > :07:01.that property is not left neglected, abandoned and forgotten.
:07:01. > :07:06.Historically, the Swindon is asset rich because the council took over
:07:06. > :07:11.a lot of old railway land. They limit what they sell and promise to
:07:11. > :07:15.keep a firmer grip on their most valuable items. We own up large
:07:15. > :07:22.chunks of the freehold on the town centre enabling us to be a major
:07:22. > :07:27.player in the way regeneration is carried forward. There is strength
:07:27. > :07:33.in having assets, strategically placed. And all those pool clubs,
:07:33. > :07:38.Neil salons and betting shops they only pay rent, increasing council
:07:38. > :07:43.income. Before the recession, Swindon did sell of �200 million
:07:43. > :07:47.worth of assets to pay for a new library and schools. That is not
:07:48. > :07:52.going to happen when stock markets are wobbling. If there were a panic
:07:52. > :07:57.sale, selling of lots of property, when everything has picked up in
:07:57. > :08:00.five years' time that they will need it back for. Selling off
:08:00. > :08:05.assets to boost income remain a tricky that -- balancing act for
:08:05. > :08:10.councils. The sell-off of council owned farms in the West is also
:08:10. > :08:14.proving controversial. Tenant farmers object but money raised
:08:14. > :08:20.could pay for better internet links for everyone living in the
:08:20. > :08:23.countryside. It is the start of the weekend and
:08:23. > :08:29.you are watching your regional news programmes.
:08:29. > :08:35.Stay with us, there is more to bring you, including: Find out why
:08:35. > :08:39.these horses are so happy to be free.
:08:39. > :08:49.And with the new football season less than 24 hours away, we check
:08:49. > :08:50.
:08:50. > :08:54.out the prospects for all our clubs. Stay tuned for that. First, a Royal
:08:54. > :08:58.Naval Commander based in Bristol has been jailed after being found
:08:58. > :09:01.guilty of fraud after falsely claiming �53,000 to send his
:09:02. > :09:06.children to boarding school. Commander Anthony Gray worked at
:09:06. > :09:11.the MoD in Abbey Wood, he was not entitled to the money as he had
:09:11. > :09:14.separated from his wife and was no longer considered the prime carer.
:09:14. > :09:18.He was dismissed from the service and told to repay the amount in
:09:18. > :09:22.full. The former Bristol City player has
:09:22. > :09:26.appeared in court accused of conspiring to burgle 19 houses.
:09:26. > :09:30.Andrew Llewellyn who works as a postman for Royal Mail played
:09:31. > :09:33.right-back for the club during the mid-eighties. It is alleged he
:09:33. > :09:37.leaked information about empty homes in Weston-super-Mare to his
:09:37. > :09:42.companions. A former soldier based in Tidworth
:09:42. > :09:46.has been jailed for seven months for money laundering. Arlando Small
:09:46. > :09:51.had claimed that thousands of pints police found in his car were his
:09:51. > :09:57.own savings. Forensic tests proved otherwise. It is suspected they
:09:57. > :10:01.were being used in a drugs dealer. It was the early hours of one
:10:01. > :10:06.Sunday morning in November when police followed the Arlando Small
:10:06. > :10:11.here. When they searched his car, they found bags under the passenger
:10:11. > :10:15.seat containing over �22,000 in cash. He originally said it was not
:10:15. > :10:20.his money, but informal interviews he claimed it was his life savings.
:10:20. > :10:26.His money from his are the salary, proceeds from a car sale and work
:10:26. > :10:31.as a DJ. Forensic teams find the cash was highly contaminated with
:10:31. > :10:33.heroin making it clear it was from a drugs dealer. When detectives
:10:33. > :10:40.have done to Commander Anthony Gray's finances, they found his
:10:40. > :10:44.claims did not add up. Arlando Small claimed it was all his money
:10:44. > :10:50.from the bank. At the same time he was constantly overdrawn. Things
:10:50. > :10:55.did not make any sense. The money seized by police will now be given
:10:55. > :10:59.away to local drugs charities. We will work with our partner agencies
:10:59. > :11:03.to establish the best way it can go to support the families, partners
:11:03. > :11:08.and children of drug addicts that we work with. The overall intention
:11:08. > :11:14.is to get people off drugs. Arlando Small was decorated for his army
:11:14. > :11:20.service and served two Tours in Iraq. Tonight he is starting a
:11:20. > :11:26.seven month prison sentence. It is believed to have only
:11:26. > :11:31.happened once before and that was in Germany. Now it has happened in
:11:31. > :11:41.Somerset. A carnivorous plant has captured and eaten a bird. The
:11:41. > :11:43.
:11:43. > :11:48.discovery was made by a prize- Imagine you're a blue tit. Once you
:11:48. > :11:52.brought home dinner, you go out to stretch your wings. You find
:11:52. > :12:01.yourself applying through this Somerset garden and you come across
:12:01. > :12:06.this. It is called a monkey Cup picture. It is common in countries
:12:06. > :12:12.in South Asia. It preys on insects and attracts them with a sweet,
:12:12. > :12:17.sticky fluid secreted at the top of these cups. The reason this plant
:12:17. > :12:21.is interesting is that last week it developed an appetite for something
:12:21. > :12:26.more substantial. That something was our hapless
:12:26. > :12:33.feathered friend. Ending up as breakfast, lunch and dinner for
:12:33. > :12:39.this carnivorous plant. It has only ever been recorded once. That was
:12:39. > :12:45.in Germany. Nigel knows a fair bit about plants. You do not create a
:12:45. > :12:50.garden like this by being an amateur. When he realised what his
:12:50. > :12:58.plant had been munching, he was stunned. Never have they been found,
:12:58. > :13:03.even in the wild, they have never found remains of birds. He has
:13:03. > :13:08.found other animals, mice and similar, but never a bird. This
:13:08. > :13:14.corner of Somerset is cider country. Apples and pears way down most of
:13:14. > :13:24.these branches. But a warning to any passing birds. Some of these
:13:24. > :13:26.
:13:26. > :13:32.An amazing story. They're called that because when they feel with
:13:32. > :13:36.rainwater monkeys drink from the plant. They don't want to lean in
:13:36. > :13:42.it too far. If you want to see more pictures, go to the BBC Bristol
:13:42. > :13:45.website. Very interesting. For the true supporter it's a key date in
:13:45. > :13:49.the diary as the new football league season kicks off tomorrow.
:13:49. > :13:52.All week we've been looking at the prospects for our sides. Tonight we
:13:52. > :13:55.hear from new Swindon boss Paolo di Canio and get the latest on Bristol
:13:55. > :13:57.City. David Passmore has been discussing the possibilities and
:13:57. > :14:07.prospects City boss Keith Millen and our football expert Geoff
:14:07. > :14:10.
:14:10. > :14:14.Twentyman at Ashton Gate. Let battle commence at Bristol City
:14:14. > :14:19.the scars are healed and Keith Millen has had a pre-season to
:14:19. > :14:24.mould the squad. Expectations are high as the prospect of Premier
:14:24. > :14:27.League football hover. Exciting times up and down the country. The
:14:27. > :14:33.every club in the country think it will be in their season. It will
:14:33. > :14:39.not be for everyone but it is indefinable and intoxicating, ready
:14:39. > :14:45.for action, crucial to be off to a good start. We get off to a good
:14:45. > :14:50.start? We are prepared, the players are fit, we have done the
:14:50. > :14:56.preparation. It is a big challenge, a tough league. I am sending him
:14:56. > :15:01.out ready. Plenty more in a moment, you have had plenty of experience
:15:01. > :15:11.in management but one man who is new is in charge at Swindon, the
:15:11. > :15:20.
:15:20. > :15:26.Italian legend but how will he cope Paolo Di Canio! Paolo Di Canio!
:15:26. > :15:30.has an aura about him. The world is talking about Swindon. Adored by
:15:30. > :15:36.the Swindon fans, the appointment has been a PR masterstroke. As a
:15:36. > :15:46.player he was a massive talent although sometimes a volatile. The
:15:46. > :15:48.
:15:48. > :15:55.manager is an unknown quantity. Passion, fire, hot-blooded but I
:15:55. > :16:04.have a big responsibility to think about my players. I think we have a
:16:04. > :16:10.big chance of the league, I will do my best. The intensity is still
:16:10. > :16:17.there. And so is the charisma. This time last week he was a guest on a
:16:17. > :16:21.radio phone-in taking calls with supporters. I feel like a student.
:16:21. > :16:25.I have two lots of to the teacher. It has a chance to show off a
:16:25. > :16:34.playful side as he joked about why his wife and family have not move
:16:34. > :16:39.to England. I don't want to here, my dishwasher doesn't work because
:16:39. > :16:44.she would get angry. But he has brought with him and Italian
:16:44. > :16:48.backroom staff and put together an international squad. Begging the
:16:48. > :16:57.question what language do they speak in the dressing room? Only
:16:57. > :17:05.English. So when the manager shouts, in English or Italian? Sometimes in
:17:05. > :17:09.Italian but we need to listen because he is a good coach. He only
:17:09. > :17:16.plays in veterans matches now but can he get the Premier League magic
:17:16. > :17:19.to rub off on a lead to players? am happy to know I have helped the
:17:20. > :17:26.players achieve their ambitions. With their quality and intelligence
:17:26. > :17:35.they can play the way we want and we can win the league. Would you
:17:35. > :17:40.like to be a Premier League manager? Maybe. You start as the
:17:40. > :17:47.manager, step-by-step with your team, Swindon against Man United.
:17:47. > :17:54.Swindon against Arsenal, that is the dream. Pleasure to meet you. So,
:17:54. > :17:58.quite a character. Any memories of him? Yes, I played at Sheffield
:17:58. > :18:02.Wednesday in the FA Cup. He is very emotional, very passionate about
:18:02. > :18:09.football. He had an argument with the linesman or referee and got
:18:09. > :18:15.sent off. He will be passionate about the game. It will be
:18:15. > :18:20.interesting to see how he copes. Two matters here, have you signed
:18:20. > :18:28.enough players over summer? Yes, I am happy with the players, I delete
:18:28. > :18:34.may be another centre-half, but I am happy with the squad. We do need
:18:34. > :18:39.to move players out. As far as the squad looking forward tomorrow, we
:18:39. > :18:44.are ready. Plenty of competition for places. It is a tough division,
:18:44. > :18:49.all these teams come down from the Premier League, they get parachute
:18:49. > :18:54.payments, three from the year before. It gives you a disadvantage
:18:54. > :18:59.financially. Yes, and when you hear about the wages and contracts we
:18:59. > :19:06.cannot compete. There are some good players at the club already. The
:19:06. > :19:11.ones we have brought in have made it better. A lot stronger and the
:19:11. > :19:15.work-rate and team spirit we have can go a long way. Nicky is here
:19:15. > :19:22.but has not signed a new deal, is a good he is still here or
:19:22. > :19:26.disruptive? It is good he is still here and he is happy. There are
:19:26. > :19:33.negotiations going on at the moment and hopefully they will get a
:19:33. > :19:38.result. His focus is on us doing well and scoring goals. I am happy.
:19:38. > :19:42.Some big names in the league, do you have the strength in depth to
:19:42. > :19:49.challenge Leeds and the like? when you look at the forward line,
:19:49. > :19:53.as strong as anyone. We have players they can create goals. The
:19:53. > :19:57.only thing that needs strengthening is the back four. We are looking to
:19:57. > :20:02.do that. In the meantime, I have confidence and belief in the
:20:02. > :20:07.players. We are looking for to the challenge. It is a big challenge
:20:07. > :20:11.because of the size of the club's we're playing. Prediction time, how
:20:11. > :20:20.will he do this season, will they be in the play-offs? They could
:20:20. > :20:24.aged towards it. They will progress under Keith. If they can score
:20:24. > :20:30.plenty of goals and stay injury- free, there were too many injuries
:20:30. > :20:36.last year. They could push for the last top-six finish. It is a tough
:20:36. > :20:42.division. It is the 5th best division in Europe. Looking briefly
:20:42. > :20:49.at the other clubs, Swindon? They can go back up, it is the great
:20:49. > :20:57.unknown with Paolo Di Canio. It could bomber badly, there will be
:20:57. > :21:03.no middle ground. They will do well. Rovers? They have enough experience,
:21:03. > :21:11.50 new players, they will gel. Yeovil Town, second best side in
:21:11. > :21:19.the region? Yes, they will progress. Quietly signed more than 10 players.
:21:19. > :21:24.They will beat mid-table in League One. And Cheltenham. A good effort
:21:24. > :21:29.at Cheltenham if they can get mid- table. There will be an improvement
:21:29. > :21:35.and that is what it is about, getting better year-on-year.
:21:35. > :21:39.will hold due to account Comer May. Local radio will bring new coverage
:21:39. > :21:45.of your team's. You can see all the goals on the sports pages of the
:21:45. > :21:48.BBC website. Our thanks to David. A A small
:21:48. > :21:52.corner of South Gloucestershire echoed with cheers today for an 88
:21:52. > :21:55.year old paper boy. Stanley White has been delivering papers for this
:21:55. > :21:58.newsagents for 25 years, and they decided to give him a special
:21:58. > :22:04.trophy to mark the anniversary. He took three days off work when he
:22:04. > :22:08.lost his wife - but hasn't missed a shift in a quarter of a century.
:22:08. > :22:11.It was something for me to do rather than stay at home doing
:22:11. > :22:19.nothing because that is the worst thing you can do. To finish work
:22:19. > :22:25.and not do anything at all. There are times since I lost my wife, in
:22:25. > :22:32.the evenings, they seem to go on a long time but if you have something
:22:32. > :22:36.to do... When you wake up in the morning, the Lord is giving you
:22:36. > :22:41.another day to do something. I'm doing something which I think is
:22:41. > :22:45.worthwhile. That is the spirit. Lovely to meet you, Stanley. The
:22:45. > :22:49.sun is shining, schools out and lots of us are looking forward to a
:22:49. > :22:53.holiday. But we're not the only ones who enjoy a rest. Wiltshire's
:22:53. > :22:56.most famous Shire Horses started their annual summer holiday today.
:22:56. > :23:02.The Wadworth Horses celebrated with hundreds of spectators at the Raven
:23:02. > :23:06.pub near Devizes, as Lizzie Way reports.
:23:06. > :23:10.With the pub in sight Prince, Monty and Max knew it was very nearly
:23:10. > :23:14.holiday time. Their break away starts with a pint, they've been
:23:14. > :23:19.pulling the stuff all year and now they get to enjoy it. Much to the
:23:19. > :23:22.delight of their fans. For more than 100 years the brewery in
:23:22. > :23:26.Devizes has been employing shire horses to deliver beers to local
:23:26. > :23:30.pubs. They are some of the last remaining working shires left in
:23:30. > :23:38.the brewing industry in the whole country. But today it was time to
:23:38. > :23:44.kick up their hooves and play, they've earned it. They will
:23:44. > :23:49.deliver within a three-mile radius of the pubs in Devizes. And if they
:23:49. > :23:55.have not done enough movement they would have some exercise and then
:23:55. > :24:02.the afternoon it to relax, if that is the best word, and recover. It
:24:02. > :24:06.is a fairly long day. They are in traffic. Each of the horses weighs
:24:06. > :24:09.a ton. They put off returns. Hundreds gathered to watch them,
:24:09. > :24:11.locals and visitors Now, just before we have a look at the
:24:11. > :24:16.weather - Taunton Flower Show opened its gates today. From
:24:16. > :24:22.central Scotland, it is absolutely amazing seeing them like this
:24:22. > :24:27.getting together. It is a gorgeous day. We saw the horses. They were
:24:27. > :24:35.set free and it was wonderful. is lovely to see them so free, not
:24:35. > :24:41.in the stables. I liked when the horses were drinking a beer.
:24:41. > :24:50.horses have been coming to the fields for years. For so many of us,
:24:50. > :25:00.the holiday is two weeks long before back to work.
:25:00. > :25:01.
:25:01. > :25:05.They can sink a pint. Let's look at We have had some lovely sunny
:25:05. > :25:11.spells today, there will be more on offer this weekend. A few showers
:25:11. > :25:16.in the mix as well. Tonight, clear spells overhead, cloud bubbling up
:25:17. > :25:20.through the early hours of tomorrow morning. A largely dry night,
:25:20. > :25:27.perhaps the exception in the far north of the region with one or two
:25:27. > :25:33.showers but it looks staying dry it with lows of 12 or 13 degrees.
:25:33. > :25:38.Feeling a little cooler and fresher than recently. Tomorrow, some price
:25:38. > :25:43.guys first thing, the shell was creeping in from the West. The
:25:43. > :25:47.potential to be on the heavy side. Temperatures in the sunshine
:25:47. > :25:54.peaking at 19 or 20 degrees. There will be some sunny breaks but
:25:54. > :25:57.showers around as well. Many of us will see wet weather tomorrow. The
:25:57. > :26:01.showers inland die out in the evening to ride but lingering for
:26:01. > :26:11.the Bristol Channel. Coastal areas could see more wet weather tomorrow
:26:11. > :26:17.night. We stick with 11-13 as the low, another fresh night. Sunday,
:26:17. > :26:23.you can see this blue waiting in the wings working towards us,
:26:23. > :26:29.organised showers, some persistent rain at times. Possibly one or two
:26:29. > :26:33.rumbles of thunder, maybe some hail. Heavy downpours to be had but there
:26:33. > :26:41.will be bright intervals in between so not a complete washout through
:26:41. > :26:46.the day on Sunday. Sunny intervals, some showers tomorrow, heavier
:26:46. > :26:54.showers on the way for Sunday, Monday some light and scattered
:26:54. > :26:56.showers with a nice sunny intervals. By Tuesday, we see a ridge of high
:26:56. > :27:01.pressure right thing and there were keep things settled with dry
:27:01. > :27:09.weather on the way. Thank you. That is about it from us.
:27:09. > :27:15.I will be back at 8pm and 10pm. More of your photographs of you and