:00:14. > :00:19.Hello and welcome to BBC Points West. The headlines.
:00:19. > :00:22.Tough choices to save jobs. Ambulance crews in Somerset asked
:00:22. > :00:27.to consider pay cuts to stop redundancies.
:00:27. > :00:31.A moving tribute. The girlfriend of a man shot dead after St Paul's
:00:31. > :00:35.carnival goes on TV to help find his killer.
:00:35. > :00:40.The Bath woman held hostage a 13 years ago thanks the billionaire
:00:40. > :00:46.Chelsea boss after learning he paid her ransom. I thought, the best
:00:46. > :00:51.thing that could happen is if an oligarch could put up the money!
:00:51. > :00:58.And then it happened. And we investigate whether boar are
:00:58. > :01:02.driving some locals wild in the Forest of Dean. -- why the boar.
:01:02. > :01:07.Good evening. Ambulance crews in Somerset are being asked if they
:01:07. > :01:12.are prepared to take a cut to salaries, work without pay or lose
:01:13. > :01:17.annual leave to try and save jobs. It is because of south-west and
:01:17. > :01:24.Alonso is facing a shortfall in its budget of �4 million. Unions have
:01:24. > :01:28.attacked the trust's move, calling it unacceptable.
:01:28. > :01:33.South-west ambulance, which serves people in Somerset, is the latest
:01:33. > :01:37.organisation to publicly struggle with the effects of cutbacks. With
:01:37. > :01:42.its budget reduced by the government, the trust needs to save
:01:42. > :01:46.�4 million a year and staff are being asked to make tough choices.
:01:46. > :01:53.In a letter, the Trust has asked employees if they would be prepared
:01:53. > :01:59.to work an extra hour a week for no extra pay, take a 1% pay cut, lose
:01:59. > :02:03.up to three days of annual leave or work one day a year for free.
:02:03. > :02:07.letter sent out to staff, we have made a number of suggestions, but
:02:07. > :02:16.this is about listening and engaging with the staff to hear
:02:16. > :02:20.their views, not presenting a have been made. But unions say the
:02:20. > :02:23.proposals are completely unpalatable. Engaging with staff to
:02:23. > :02:27.find out ways in which they can save money is the right thing to do,
:02:27. > :02:32.but they have asked staff if they can sacrifice their terms and
:02:32. > :02:35.conditions at a time when we have a two year pay freeze and are looking
:02:35. > :02:40.at paying more for our contributions and working for
:02:40. > :02:45.longer. It seems other staff in the West, working for the neighbouring
:02:45. > :02:50.Great Western Ambulance, may soon be facing a similar situation.
:02:50. > :02:54.These proposed changes in working practices could ultimately apply to
:02:54. > :02:58.paramedics working here in Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, as
:02:58. > :03:03.the Great Western Ambulance service plans to merge with a south-west
:03:03. > :03:07.ambulance, because it has such a poor record in meeting targets and
:03:07. > :03:11.is the smallest trust in the country. In a statement, Great
:03:11. > :03:19.Western Ambulance say they are still separate organisations and
:03:19. > :03:22.any talk of changing terms and conditions is speculation.
:03:22. > :03:27.Elsewhere in the public sector, cutbacks are beginning to bite.
:03:27. > :03:31.More than 100 jobs are to go at Swindon Borough Council. Today, it
:03:31. > :03:35.became one of first local authorities to set out how it will
:03:35. > :03:41.balance the books next year. It says frontline services are being
:03:41. > :03:47.protected, but critics say the vulnerable people will be affected.
:03:47. > :03:52.Another year, another round of cuts. This year, it is �14 million to be
:03:52. > :03:56.saved in Swindon. 100 jobs are going. There will be fears that
:03:56. > :04:01.local people will lose out. But what will be the result -- has been
:04:01. > :04:05.the result of cuts in the past? A year ago, the council announced
:04:05. > :04:10.this gym would shut. A group of disabled users campaigned in vain
:04:10. > :04:15.to keep it open. I don't want it to shut because I use it. Quite a few
:04:15. > :04:19.others use it. Today, Denise Webb, who has multiple sclerosis, has to
:04:19. > :04:25.travel a bit further for exercise classes. The council moved the
:04:25. > :04:31.specialist equipment to the edge of town. Some gym users no longer come.
:04:31. > :04:36.It is so awkward to get up. The gym itself is good. We all enjoy it.
:04:36. > :04:41.Everybody gets on. It is like a big happy family. On the warpath in
:04:41. > :04:45.Swindon are Labour. Today, the Shadow Home Secretary visited to
:04:45. > :04:49.find out about the impact of spending cuts. The important thing
:04:49. > :04:53.is to get the economy growing, and then you get the resources for
:04:53. > :04:58.services, like local government and the police. If you don't, that puts
:04:58. > :05:04.everything at risk. Services to the elderly and the vulnerable are
:05:04. > :05:08.being cut, not completely, but piecemeal, back and back.
:05:08. > :05:13.Conservatives, who run the council, are not apologetic. They reckon
:05:13. > :05:17.they have done better than most at protecting services. We seem to be
:05:17. > :05:21.able to do it thus far, but I will not run away from the challenges of
:05:21. > :05:26.the future. In the early days, there was some inefficiency and
:05:26. > :05:30.waste. That has largely gone. Our back-office costs are some of the
:05:30. > :05:35.lowest in the country. There is room to keep finding this level of
:05:35. > :05:40.savings, but it is reducing. Thus far, we have predicted frontline
:05:41. > :05:45.services, but I can't predict the future. At least the staff at the
:05:45. > :05:50.gym appear save, but many other council employees may lose their
:05:50. > :05:55.jobs in the coming months. There was some brighter Financial
:05:55. > :05:59.News in Bristol today. The City is to get �18 million in government
:05:59. > :06:04.money to address the chronic shortage of primary school places.
:06:04. > :06:08.It will go towards paying for more classrooms. Bristol City Council is
:06:08. > :06:12.considering building new schools with the money. Despite the
:06:12. > :06:17.constraints on public spending, and they are severe, we have allocated
:06:17. > :06:23.huge extra sums of money, �1.3 billion, to ensuring there are
:06:23. > :06:26.sufficient places. It is for local authorities to marshal these
:06:26. > :06:31.resources to make sure there are sufficient places for pupils next
:06:31. > :06:34.year. Bristol City Council has to find at
:06:34. > :06:40.least 3000 extra primary school places in the next four years to
:06:40. > :06:44.cope with a population boom. A woman has paid tribute to her 21-
:06:44. > :06:49.year-old boyfriend, who were shot dead after the St Paul's Carnival.
:06:49. > :06:52.Police say Rico Gordon was and is it so -- an innocent bystander when
:06:52. > :06:57.he was killed in Stapleton Road in July. Tonight, Crimewatch will
:06:57. > :07:03.appeal for more information about his death.
:07:03. > :07:12.It was in the early hours of July this year when gunfire erupted in
:07:12. > :07:16.Easton. Rico! The police say that Rico Gordon was
:07:16. > :07:22.an innocent bystander. He was on the phone to his girlfriend when he
:07:22. > :07:28.was gunned down outside the Coach House pub in Stapleton Road.
:07:28. > :07:32.thought maybe he dropped his phone. I heard, like, a kind of bang, but
:07:32. > :07:36.it could have been the phone for a wonderful. He was speaking and then
:07:36. > :07:42.it was kind of like, you know, you can't finish a sentence, then it
:07:42. > :07:44.cut out. She says Rico was the kindest of people. He was the first
:07:44. > :07:49.person I thought about in the morning, the first person I would
:07:49. > :07:53.speak to, the last person when I went to bed. He would make you
:07:53. > :07:57.smile if you were feeling sad. Police are still looking for the
:07:57. > :08:01.murder weapons and say these are the type which were used in the
:08:01. > :08:05.shooting, and they could be hidden in Bristol. Detectives want to
:08:05. > :08:09.speak to these three people linked to a dark coloured Vauxhall Agila,
:08:09. > :08:14.parked by the bottom of the steps by a bridge on Stapleton Road at
:08:14. > :08:18.the time of the shooting. It is a continuing request that, if anybody
:08:18. > :08:22.has any ideas about people who may be involved, and then maybe
:08:22. > :08:27.witnesses, please come forward because, the more information we
:08:27. > :08:32.get, the more likely we are to solve the case. Earlier this summer,
:08:32. > :08:39.I spoke to Rico's mother when she came to Bristol to lay flowers just
:08:39. > :08:49.yards from where he was shot. hard to describe. Just heartbroken,
:08:49. > :08:52.
:08:52. > :08:57.really. It is hard, very hard. It is hard. The whole family,
:08:57. > :09:04.everybody... It is very hard. We still haven't really got to terms
:09:04. > :09:07.with it, you know? We miss him so much. Detectives say they still
:09:08. > :09:14.need so -- still need more information and the investigation
:09:14. > :09:17.continues. Of course, Crimewatch is on at 9pm
:09:17. > :09:22.on BBC One. You are watching your regional news
:09:22. > :09:25.programme, BBC Points West on this miserable Thursday evening. Let's
:09:25. > :09:30.hope the weather is looking a bit better for the firework displays
:09:30. > :09:35.being planned for the weekend. Ian we have the forecast shortly.
:09:35. > :09:39.Before that, plenty more, including...
:09:39. > :09:43.I am live at Bristol's biggest business dinner. In a couple of
:09:43. > :09:48.hours, the people will be hearing from one of the country's top
:09:48. > :09:52.industry experts. Find out about the band from Bath
:09:52. > :10:02.who have made it onto Radio 2. Chris Evans is a fan, but they are
:10:02. > :10:05.
:10:05. > :10:08.First, a woman who was held hostage by armed rebels in Chechnya has
:10:08. > :10:12.publicly thanked the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich
:10:12. > :10:17.following the news that he paid a ransom to free her. Camilla Carr,
:10:17. > :10:21.from Bath, and her husband Jon James, from Gloucestershire, had
:10:21. > :10:25.been in the Chechen capital Grozny for three months when they were
:10:25. > :10:29.abducted by rebels. 13 years after they were released, the Chelsea
:10:29. > :10:33.football club owner has claimed he had a big hand in their rescue.
:10:33. > :10:37.James Hassam has been talking to Camilla Carr. The report contains
:10:37. > :10:42.flash photography. I don't think there is ever a point
:10:43. > :10:46.way can say, I am healed from this, but that is part of the journey of
:10:46. > :10:53.life. It is not the only drama I have been through. You have to work
:10:53. > :10:57.with it. It is a remarkable outlook from a remarkable woman. It is 13
:10:58. > :11:04.years since Camilla Carr and Jon James came home and back to their
:11:04. > :11:11.lives in Bath. Tired, week, but still smiling after a long,
:11:11. > :11:16.terrifying experience. It is good to be back! For an agonising 14
:11:16. > :11:20.months, this video was all their family saw of the couple. They had
:11:21. > :11:25.been abducted from this children's centre in the Chechen capital three
:11:25. > :11:30.months after they arrived, and held hostage by violent rebel fighters.
:11:30. > :11:34.Now, after years of not knowing, more details have come to light
:11:34. > :11:38.about their release. It has emerged this week the Russian billionaire
:11:38. > :11:43.and owner of Chelsea Football Club Roman Abramovich paid the ransom
:11:43. > :11:50.that led to Camilla and Jon being freed. Honestly, we would not be
:11:50. > :11:55.here if he wasn't involved. It was a slim window of opportunity that
:11:55. > :11:59.we came out of, really. Strangely, a few months before that, when we
:11:59. > :12:04.were in captivity, I talked about this. I thought, the best thing
:12:04. > :12:09.that could happen is if an oligarch could put up the money to release
:12:09. > :12:14.us, and then it happens. The couple have never returned to Chechnya,
:12:14. > :12:20.fearing for their safety if they did. But, looking back, Camilla
:12:20. > :12:26.feels no anger, no bitterness. very keen on exploring why and how
:12:26. > :12:33.I can deal with it, and so it comes from that place of understanding
:12:33. > :12:37.where those crimes came from. A lot of it was war trauma. Camilla says
:12:37. > :12:43.she has no plans to meet Roman Abramovich. She and Jon have moved
:12:43. > :12:50.on and now live in Devon, but she is grateful and intrigued by the
:12:50. > :12:54.extraordinary ending to this extraordinary story.
:12:54. > :12:59.The government can't just wait for economic growth to come along. It
:12:59. > :13:02.must take action. That is the challenge laid down by one of the
:13:02. > :13:06.country's top industry leaders, who is making a speech in Bristol
:13:06. > :13:11.tonight. Business people are gathering to hear him, and Dave
:13:11. > :13:14.Harvey is amongst them. I guess, with the eurozone teetering on the
:13:15. > :13:22.edge, they will not be short of a few talking points on the economy
:13:22. > :13:27.Not sure if they are serving kebabs, but Greece is certainly on the menu
:13:27. > :13:30.here tonight. This is the annual dinner of the CBI. Until recently
:13:30. > :13:34.it was a bit of a night out for executives and entrepreneurs. In
:13:34. > :13:37.the last few years it's got a bit more serious, as you can imagine.
:13:37. > :13:40.Along with Greece, growth is the other big headache. We got a bit of
:13:40. > :13:43.encouragement on Tuesday, with numbers showing UK PLC had grown
:13:43. > :13:46.just a tiny bit, but everyone agrees we need to make a whole lot
:13:46. > :13:56.more and speculate a whole lot less. And today, as it happens, Bristol
:13:56. > :14:13.
:14:13. > :14:22.Using a spark igniter, open it up and like the torch. 11:30am this
:14:22. > :14:27.morning. Advanced welding. Get rid of the smoke. We are at the city of
:14:27. > :14:37.Bristol College where nearly 2,000 apprentices learn welding, car
:14:37. > :14:40.
:14:40. > :14:46.maintenance and other technical skills. EU take any skills you can
:14:46. > :14:50.get and hopefully there will be a job at the end of it. -- you take.
:14:50. > :14:55.If we are to manufacture more, we need to train more. We have
:14:55. > :15:02.announced a new development today for this site, which will have a
:15:02. > :15:09.complete makeover. John Taylor college has just announced a �20
:15:09. > :15:15.million facelift. Just next stop they will be built -- just next
:15:16. > :15:25.door there will build a technical college. People are retiring, so we
:15:26. > :15:27.
:15:27. > :15:33.need to train young people so these professions can continue. Bristol's
:15:33. > :15:43.new science park was awash with entrepreneurs. There was some eye-
:15:43. > :15:47.
:15:47. > :15:51.catching technology. We can inject digital content. Look at that!.
:15:51. > :15:55.There are lots of different applications for the technology,
:15:55. > :16:00.everything from marketing to industry. Made in Bristol by the
:16:00. > :16:03.team of 10 and typical of the digital innovation in the city.
:16:03. > :16:10.These are the modern manufacturers and it is this kind of business
:16:10. > :16:14.that will lift us out of the mire. We are no longer old fashioned. We
:16:14. > :16:24.do make staff. We make high-end high-technology stuff. The other
:16:24. > :16:25.
:16:25. > :16:30.thing we make his ideas. We are fantastically good at that as a
:16:30. > :16:34.country. The city enough to get us out of this economic gloom? Oh I
:16:35. > :16:38.think you underestimate the talent of the British people. We will get
:16:38. > :16:48.out of this economic gloom on the back of the people who are in this
:16:48. > :16:51.
:16:51. > :16:56.room. Let's see if the optimism and is shared by the leader of the CBI.
:16:56. > :17:03.Are you optimistic? British business can do great things in the
:17:03. > :17:09.south-west, if we are in control of our own destiny. If the eurozone
:17:09. > :17:17.crisis is sorted out, there will be investment and jobs. I thought
:17:17. > :17:22.breeze would come up. How important is what is going on in Greece
:17:22. > :17:27.affecting what is happening in Gloucester. It is hugely important.
:17:27. > :17:31.Businesses are not investing, they are sitting on their hands. However,
:17:31. > :17:37.unlike consumers, it has got money to spend, but not the confidence to
:17:37. > :17:41.spend it. Political risk in Berlin and Athens is the main reason they
:17:41. > :17:46.are holding back. Get that sorted and the British economy can get
:17:47. > :17:51.back on a grid pattern. We have mentioned growth. We have lots of
:17:51. > :17:55.good stuff with technology and apprenticeships and manufacturing.
:17:55. > :17:59.Are they getting enough support from the government? I am looking
:17:59. > :18:05.forward to what the Chancellor has to say at the end of the month when
:18:05. > :18:10.he does his Autumn Statement. It is like a mini budget. He needs to
:18:10. > :18:16.seep up his growth plan. He needs to invest in infrastructure, skills,
:18:16. > :18:20.housing growth. People will say has he got the money? The answer is he
:18:20. > :18:23.hasn't. I am not looking for government money, but money from
:18:24. > :18:29.the walls that government set and the way they influence markets.
:18:29. > :18:34.They can get the private sector to invest, so the money back
:18:34. > :18:40.businesses have, the government need to encourage them to spend at.
:18:40. > :18:44.Thank you. Back to the studio. Some people living in the Forest of
:18:44. > :18:47.Dean say they feel under seige from the wild boar living in their midst.
:18:47. > :18:51.The animals are descended from ones that were either dumped or released
:18:51. > :18:56.from farms. They dig up gardens and walkways and have been known to
:18:56. > :19:02.attack dogs and even people. But while some call for an increase in
:19:02. > :19:06.culling, others say they should be protected.
:19:06. > :19:11.Wild boar, roaming the Forest of Dean as they did centuries ago.
:19:11. > :19:15.They look like an exotic addition to our countryside, but are they?
:19:15. > :19:18.People living with them say they're dangerous. Martyn Williams took
:19:18. > :19:28.these photos near his house. He used to love the boar, until one
:19:28. > :19:29.
:19:29. > :19:37.went for him. Suddenly came this massive boar and I knew it was
:19:37. > :19:40.going to charge at me. I was about 50 yards away and I managed to get
:19:40. > :19:48.inside the five-bar gate in time. I do to think what would have
:19:48. > :19:53.happened if it got me. It frightened me. The little prig
:19:53. > :20:03.looks -- piglet look pretty, but when they get bigger, they can kill
:20:03. > :20:04.
:20:04. > :20:07.you. It's easy to see where the boar
:20:07. > :20:10.have been. They dig up earth rooting around for food and can
:20:10. > :20:11.destroy a well kept garden. They are being managed by the Forestry
:20:11. > :20:14.Commission after government recomendations that they be
:20:14. > :20:17.controlled, not eradicated. 150 have been culled this year alone.
:20:17. > :20:20.This is our 4th year and each year at the Karl has increased. It
:20:20. > :20:25.doubles year on year. Whether that is slowing it and that is all it is
:20:25. > :20:28.doing, or it is lagging behind the spiralling population is hard to
:20:28. > :20:31.know for certain. Not everyone's against the boar.
:20:31. > :20:41.It's claimed they bring in tourists and as living animals should be
:20:41. > :20:46.protected. Across the Forest of Dean today we have seen evidence of
:20:46. > :20:51.boar damage. They could be watching us right now. I have also spoken to
:20:51. > :21:01.be friends of the boar who say the increase in numbers is down to
:21:01. > :21:09.
:21:09. > :21:12.cunning and hunting. The boar are reproducing to replace those cold.
:21:12. > :21:15.-- culture. This week the Forestry Commission's
:21:15. > :21:17.begun trying to get an accurate count of boar numbers. That could
:21:17. > :21:21.determine if their strategy's working or if something needs to
:21:21. > :21:25.change. Now to make the Radio 2 playlist
:21:25. > :21:29.you have got be good. To receive praise from Chris Evans you have
:21:29. > :21:32.got be very good. So when an unsigned band from Bath were played
:21:32. > :21:37.not once, but three times thanks to audience demand, it was a massive
:21:37. > :21:40.achievement. But here's the really staggering bit - the members of 5
:21:40. > :21:50.Second Rule are all aged between 11 and 13-years-old. Lizzie Way is
:21:50. > :21:52.
:21:52. > :21:58.with them now to find out more. Before I introduce you to the band,
:21:58. > :22:02.let me give you some background. Chris Evans on his breakfast show
:22:02. > :22:08.invites young people to call in and tell him what they have been doing
:22:08. > :22:16.for the first time. James here tell Chris Evans he was putting down his
:22:16. > :22:26.first track. Chris Evans asked for it to be sent to him. The oldest is
:22:26. > :22:29.
:22:29. > :22:33.13, the 11th -- the youngest is 11. It is amazing. It sounds like a
:22:33. > :22:43.rough cut from an established band and then you find that there is an
:22:43. > :23:09.
:23:09. > :23:19.11-year-old involve. Let us hear Let me introduce you to them. We
:23:19. > :23:21.
:23:21. > :23:25.have got Alastair on drums. I and James. I'm the lead singer. James,
:23:25. > :23:32.you are 11. How did it feel to listen to yourself on Radio 2?
:23:32. > :23:35.is great because not many groups get the chance to be played on big
:23:35. > :23:41.radio stations like Radio 2. What are the plans for the future
:23:41. > :23:47.because you have got a Children in Need single coming out?
:23:47. > :23:51.Singapore has been released on iTunes and there is information on
:23:51. > :23:56.our website. What other plans for the future? We have to be
:23:56. > :24:04.successful and produce some records and CDs and hopefully get signed.
:24:04. > :24:14.Let us hair a little bit more from then, live and exclusive, it is 5
:24:14. > :24:50.
:24:50. > :24:57.I am staggered at how good they are. It is their first television
:24:57. > :25:02.appearance, but it will not be their last.
:25:02. > :25:07.Let us find out what the weather is looking like. Many of you may be
:25:07. > :25:17.planning a firework display, or to go to one. Let us find out what is
:25:17. > :25:19.
:25:19. > :25:29.in store. I think it would be a case of
:25:29. > :25:33.
:25:33. > :25:38.dodging showers again. We received this picture earlier. The rainfall
:25:38. > :25:42.radar shows how some of the showers have been tracking across the West
:25:42. > :25:50.Country. There is a way of developing on a fund which will
:25:50. > :25:54.influence some eastern part. We are looking southwards for further
:25:54. > :26:04.developments will come in in the second half of the night. There are
:26:04. > :26:08.
:26:08. > :26:18.a few showers at the moment, but as the night continues they will
:26:18. > :26:28.become heavier. The Met Office has issued a yellow alert for part of
:26:28. > :26:37.
:26:37. > :26:42.Devon, Dorset and South Devon. Temperature wise, quite mild with
:26:42. > :26:48.highs of 13 degrees. Tomorrow we will start on the same theme. Heavy
:26:48. > :26:58.showers, particularly in the south of the region. They could be some
:26:58. > :27:02.
:27:02. > :27:06.hail and thunder. For the carnival at Bridgewater and the fireworks,
:27:06. > :27:11.there could be some periodic wet weather around. It will diminish
:27:12. > :27:21.with each passing hour. Slowly, it will get better. Not everywhere
:27:22. > :27:28.
:27:28. > :27:33.will seek the showers -- will see the showers tomorrow.