:00:10. > :00:15.Good evening and welcome to BBC Points West. Our headlines tonight:
:00:15. > :00:20.A dangerous stretch of the M5. A man died here six years ago, but
:00:20. > :00:25.it's too risky to carry out safety work. Crushed commuters and
:00:26. > :00:29.flattened wallets - complaints as rail fares go up. Home for
:00:29. > :00:37.Christmas morning for the first time in five years - the young man
:00:37. > :00:43.paralysed by meningitis. He has carers, but this year he is hoping
:00:43. > :00:49.that he will be hem with his family and friends and able to wake up on
:00:49. > :00:57.Christmas Day in the family home. And could this be the oldest
:00:57. > :01:00.Christmas tree in Britain, 74 years and still going strong. First
:01:00. > :01:03.tonight, a new safety barrier on the M5 where a man fell to his
:01:03. > :01:07.death six years ago can't be installed, because the Highways
:01:07. > :01:10.Agency claims it would be too risky to put up and maintain. Cecil Grant
:01:10. > :01:15.fell after working at the top of an embankment near the motorway at
:01:15. > :01:17.Clevedon. A coroner recommended building a new barrier to prevent
:01:17. > :01:27.similar accidents from happening again, but that's unlikely to
:01:27. > :01:29.
:01:29. > :01:36.happen, as Dickon Hooper reports. He was always a happy-go-lucky guy,
:01:36. > :01:42.smiling from always. Aaron has fond memories of his dad. He has just
:01:42. > :01:50.turned 19 and is facing another Christmas without him. Six years on,
:01:50. > :01:57.the family says Cecil Grant's death was in vain. He died here. Mr Grant
:01:57. > :02:01.fell 16 foot to to his death in 2006. He had been work on the
:02:01. > :02:07.embankment by the side of the motorway late at night. The coroner
:02:07. > :02:12.said he wanted to see a new barrier built. Because he argued, otherwise
:02:12. > :02:18.a similar accident was likely to happen again. And we have learned
:02:18. > :02:24.that Mr Grant's fall here wasn't the first. It was the one thing
:02:24. > :02:27.myself and the children felt a bit of closure with, that this part of
:02:27. > :02:33.the motorway was going to be made safe and that's not happened.
:02:33. > :02:37.does that make you feel? All of us, me and the children, feel
:02:37. > :02:42.devastated. It was the one thing that could help us move on. That's
:02:42. > :02:46.not happened. New warning signs are in place. And the highways agency
:02:46. > :02:52.did review safety here. However, no new barrier has been put up,
:02:52. > :02:58.because the risk to workers of instaling and maintaining it was
:02:58. > :03:02.greater than any safety benefits. Cruel irony for Karen, who knows
:03:02. > :03:08.about the risks to motorway workers and anyone else who finds
:03:08. > :03:12.themselves on that part of the road. A mother broke down there, with
:03:12. > :03:16.children, you would get your children to safety and lift them
:03:16. > :03:22.over that barrier. Something needs to be put in place to stop anyone,
:03:22. > :03:27.children, adults, falling down the side. Especially when it is dark.
:03:27. > :03:31.The carer in who recommended the barrier has -- coroner who
:03:31. > :03:37.recommended the barrier has since died and with him perhaps the
:03:37. > :03:39.chance of ever getting it built. Police are continuing to
:03:39. > :03:42.investigate a company director from Somerset, who sold so-called bomb-
:03:42. > :03:45.detectors to 20 countries, including Iraq. Jim McCormick, of
:03:45. > :03:47.Wincanton-based ATSC Ltd - seen on the right of this picture - was
:03:47. > :03:49.arrested in January last year on suspicion of fraud by
:03:49. > :03:56.misrepresentation after a BBC investigation found that his
:03:56. > :04:02.handheld devices couldn't possibly work. He has now been re-bailed by
:04:02. > :04:05.police until a date next January, while enquiries continue. The
:04:05. > :04:07.Government's been asked to make sure those who lost out when the
:04:07. > :04:14.Swindon-based Christmas savings firm Farepak collapsed get their
:04:14. > :04:17.money back. Today in the Commons, MPs were told victims still haven't
:04:17. > :04:25.received any compensation. Farepak went into administration five years
:04:25. > :04:28.ago, owing �5 million to more than 120,000 people across the UK.
:04:28. > :04:31.Another price hike was announced today, this one on the railways.
:04:31. > :04:34.Ticket prices will go up by just under 6% next year on every ticket
:04:34. > :04:42.sold in the West Country. Why, and what will it mean for commuters
:04:42. > :04:47.here? A question for our business correspondent, Dave Harvey. Well
:04:47. > :04:55.the biggest price hikes are for commuters. Kemble to London,
:04:55. > :05:01.hundreds do it each day. Next year it will cost them another �422. A
:05:02. > :05:07.trip from Taunton to Penzance that will go up three quid to �53. Even
:05:07. > :05:13.short journeys like Westbury to Swindon will rise, only by 70 pence,
:05:13. > :05:19.but as they sai, every little hurts. I go to university in Portsmouth
:05:19. > :05:23.and it is already �50 to get home. I won't be able to get home.
:05:23. > :05:31.Everything else is going up. It is another thing and you think where
:05:31. > :05:36.is it being spent? That is the problem that many people have.
:05:36. > :05:41.We're just adding to the profits. So why are all these fares going
:05:41. > :05:47.up? Here is your answer - overcrowded trains, late trains,
:05:47. > :05:53.the company say if you want to sit down, glide on Superfast new trains,
:05:53. > :05:59.they need investment and passengers must pay for it. We're governed by
:05:59. > :06:03.Government policy. That is to swap the burden of payment from the
:06:03. > :06:08.taxpayer on to the fare payer. It is a Government decision and we're
:06:08. > :06:15.happy to implement that for them. Here are the numbers that tell the
:06:15. > :06:19.story. 6% - that is what fares will go up by. Now 4% - that is what the
:06:19. > :06:25.Bank of England expects inflation to be by the spring. Yes train
:06:25. > :06:30.tickets will be going up more than other prices. But here is the
:06:30. > :06:36.killer. 0.5% that is the average pay rise people have had in the
:06:36. > :06:42.west of England this year. You're watching BBC Points West, with just
:06:42. > :06:47.a few days left until Christmas. We've plenty still to come between
:06:47. > :06:55.now and 7. Famous for the Mona Lisa, some of Leonardo da Vinci's works
:06:55. > :07:05.are on their way to Bristol. And we are in Bath with the newest
:07:05. > :07:05.
:07:06. > :07:09.reporter. We have been looking at how to do theatre make up. A 23-
:07:09. > :07:17.year-old from Stroud will wake up in his own home on Christmas Day
:07:17. > :07:19.for the first time in four years, after he was paralysed. Jonathan
:07:19. > :07:23.Brough caught meningitis while training to become a ski instructor
:07:23. > :07:26.in Canada. Since then he's had to live in a care home in Cheltenham,
:07:26. > :07:33.as his own home couldn't meet his needs. But he's determined to get
:07:33. > :07:43.his life back on track. Chris James has been to meet him. Jonathan was
:07:43. > :07:43.
:07:43. > :07:46.at the peak O'his career. Brough was at the peak of his career. Fit,
:07:46. > :07:49.healthy and winning awards for sports around the world. But just a
:07:49. > :07:53.day after this photo was taken in Canada, he felt unwell, and
:07:53. > :07:57.suddenly collapsed. When he woke up, he was paralysed from his neck down.
:07:57. > :08:03.I didn't know anything about what happened. I heard about what
:08:03. > :08:10.happened. But I had no idea. I woke up and in a blink of an eye it had
:08:10. > :08:17.changed. I spent ten day at first with no mouth movement or anything.
:08:17. > :08:20.Just having to blink for yes and no. So it was really frightening.
:08:20. > :08:23.2007, Jonathan's been unable to spend Christmas at home. His house
:08:23. > :08:28.in Stroud is unsuitable for his level of care. Instead he's either
:08:28. > :08:31.been in hospital or here at Leonard Cheshire Home in Cheltenham. But
:08:31. > :08:35.after being awarded a grant from the Meningitis Trust and a lot of
:08:35. > :08:44.DIY from Dad, his dream of waking up in his old bed again, is finally
:08:44. > :08:49.coming true. It's going to be so amazing to get back home again.
:08:49. > :08:53.Christmas is massive, just spending it with my family. Because we
:08:53. > :09:01.always have a good time. Every day in this country, 20 people catch
:09:01. > :09:06.meningitis. Two die. Jonathan was lucky. Meningitis is the
:09:06. > :09:16.inflammation of brain lining and can be caused by bacteria or
:09:16. > :09:19.viruses. Bacteria can, about 10% of people can die. Four years on,
:09:19. > :09:22.Jonathan's getting on with his life, thanks to huge support from his
:09:22. > :09:24.dedicated carers and family. He's just started a media degree at
:09:24. > :09:27.Plymouth University and has a passion for photography. He's
:09:27. > :09:37.determined the illness won't hold him back. And for that he knows
:09:37. > :09:38.
:09:38. > :09:41.he'll need courage and commitment. Visiting hours have been restricted
:09:42. > :09:46.at Weston General Hospital to help minimise an outbreak of the winter
:09:46. > :09:51.vomiting bug, Norovirus. Four wards have reduced access and visiting
:09:51. > :09:58.times have been cut back to an hour on all eleven wards. The Trust
:09:58. > :10:00.hopes to be able to lift the restrictions in time for Christmas.
:10:00. > :10:04.In football, former captain and caretaker manager Stuart Campbell
:10:04. > :10:08.is to leave Bristol Rovers. The player became involved in a very
:10:08. > :10:11.public and bitter row with the club over his contract two months ago.
:10:11. > :10:14.But this afternoon a statement was issued saying both sides had come
:10:14. > :10:19.to an agreement which means Campbell is now free to talk to
:10:19. > :10:22.other clubs. Ambitious plans for Cheltenham Town Football Club to
:10:22. > :10:28.build a new stadium on land at the town's famous racecourse have been
:10:28. > :10:31.shelved. The club currently plays at Whaddon Road. The racecourse say
:10:31. > :10:34.they could accommodate a new stadium, but after lengthy talks
:10:34. > :10:39.the club announced this morning that the costs of such a move would
:10:39. > :10:42.be prohibitive. A steam dredger which helped transform Gloucester
:10:42. > :10:49.and Sharpness docks into major shipping ports is to be repaired,
:10:49. > :10:54.after receiving a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. SND Number 4
:10:54. > :10:58.is the oldest steam dredger left in Europe. �43,000 will now be spent
:10:58. > :11:04.so visitors can once again enjoy her as a working exhibit. Sarah
:11:04. > :11:14.Jane Bungay has the story. At 86 years old, this old lady is in need
:11:14. > :11:15.
:11:15. > :11:22.of some TLC. This is our workshop, where we all go and play. In the
:11:22. > :11:24.engine room... A dedicated team of volunteers is now beginning the
:11:25. > :11:27.painstaking work of getting this dredger working again so the public
:11:27. > :11:32.can enjoy and learn about her history. The children love it and
:11:32. > :11:36.when it whistles and bang and the thing they like is blowing the
:11:36. > :11:41.steam whistles. I have six schools coming to see this engine working.
:11:41. > :11:46.That is wonderful to impart our knowledge, at our age, on to the
:11:46. > :11:51.next generation. This is what the team is aiming for - these pictures
:11:52. > :11:57.show how she would have looked during her working life. The
:11:57. > :12:03.buckets pick up the mud and silt. There would have been no ships into
:12:03. > :12:08.Gloucester without the dredger. Because all docks suffer a silting
:12:08. > :12:14.problem, with this mud. We owe the life of the docks to the dredger.
:12:14. > :12:19.We're so proud that this grand old lady hopefully now will keep going
:12:19. > :12:23.for another umpteen years. It is not just mud and silt that the
:12:23. > :12:32.dredger has picked up, has found some unusual objects. Thrie safes
:12:32. > :12:38.for instance stolen from Cheltenham. A 500 pound bomb and a 28 pound jar
:12:38. > :12:43.of pickled onions. Steam attracts people, specially men. They love to
:12:43. > :12:47.see something working with steam and when Ken works it and blows the
:12:48. > :12:52.whistle, you can see the men in the docks, their eyes light I and they
:12:52. > :12:56.come over. It is hoped the dredger will go on display again as a work
:12:56. > :13:04.exhibit at the museum in Gloucester in April. A chance for the public
:13:04. > :13:07.to witness an important piece of industrial heritage. The work of
:13:07. > :13:16.Leonardo da Vinci - the genius whose paintings include the Mona
:13:16. > :13:19.Lisa - is to go on show at the City Museum in Bristol next year.
:13:19. > :13:23.Unfortunately, the Mona Lisa, the lady with mysterious smile, is
:13:23. > :13:26.staying at the Louvre in Paris. But a number of da Vinci's drawings
:13:26. > :13:29.belong to the Royal Collection and the Queen has agreed to put them on
:13:29. > :13:39.display in Bristol as part of her Jubilee celebrations. James
:13:39. > :13:44.
:13:44. > :13:54.Hassam's been to Windsor Castle for There are drawings of amazing
:13:54. > :13:56.
:13:56. > :14:02.detail. Breathtaking clarity.
:14:02. > :14:06.The work of a true master. Leonardo was such a multi-faceted
:14:06. > :14:12.genius and so many of his activities were known through his
:14:13. > :14:18.drawings. Through these you can see study of botany, anatomy, maps,
:14:18. > :14:23.landscapes, engineering, some of his fantastic designs for
:14:23. > :14:27.engineering. We are managing to cover a great deal of his activity.
:14:27. > :14:32.That activity was remarkable covering art, science and almost
:14:32. > :14:40.everything in between. Da Vinci is best known for the Mona
:14:40. > :14:47.Lisa. The Last Supper. Vitruvian Man. But it is a small selection of
:14:47. > :14:51.smaller drawings going on show. Remember this? The last time there
:14:51. > :14:56.was such excitement about art on display in Bristol, it was over
:14:56. > :15:01.something very different. When people queued for hours to get into
:15:01. > :15:05.the Banksy exhibition. And this is where the pictures will be on
:15:06. > :15:09.display in Bristol next year. In this space at the city's Museum and
:15:09. > :15:12.Art Gallery that is currently home to an exhibition of wildlife
:15:12. > :15:16.photography. To make something of that for the
:15:16. > :15:20.public is challenging. The works are not due here for more
:15:20. > :15:25.than three months, but they are already generating a buzz.
:15:25. > :15:29.I think because Leonardo da Vinci is such a well-known name, people
:15:29. > :15:34.who do not necessarily come to art galleries will want to come and see
:15:34. > :15:41.these particular works of art. They certainly did for Banksy. You
:15:41. > :15:46.will find that in March if there is the same demand for Da Vinci.
:15:46. > :15:49.I have no doubt. Christmas will soon be upon us, you
:15:49. > :15:53.don't need to be a genius to know that and with Christmas, comes
:15:54. > :15:58.panto. This here in Bath, Dick Whittington
:15:58. > :16:03.has come to town and Jules Hyam is there for us tonight.
:16:03. > :16:07.Good evening. Hi there. You can sit there are
:16:07. > :16:13.plenty of people arriving. Naomi Wilkins is playing Dick Whittington
:16:13. > :16:20.tonight. Very good she is, too. She might be playing the lead but she
:16:20. > :16:25.is not the staff. Tonight is this young staff. Points West's newest
:16:25. > :16:29.reporter. That is right, it takes a lot to
:16:30. > :16:33.look good in a panto. Earlier today we went behind the scenes to find
:16:33. > :16:38.out. Hello, my name is George and I have
:16:38. > :16:44.been doing a project about make-up. Today I have been here to learn
:16:44. > :16:53.more about stage make-up, in we go. The first person we will see is
:16:53. > :16:57.Chris, the director. Hello, how are you? Very nice to
:16:57. > :17:03.meet you. What I have done so far is put on what I call a pancake
:17:03. > :17:10.which is a base. It hides all the wrinkles. Next thing I will do is
:17:10. > :17:20.give myself some cheeks. Do you see how I am making the cheap stand out.
:17:20. > :17:21.
:17:21. > :17:26.It is a bit like a Dali or a clown. What is missing? -- a bowl.
:17:26. > :17:36.Eyebrows. We have left Chris to get ready and have come to see a baddie
:17:36. > :17:39.
:17:39. > :17:43.in work. My fault -- I am the king. Do you use eyeliner? Had what I
:17:43. > :17:48.like to use his water-based. It is like children's face paint that you
:17:48. > :17:54.would find in a party. I find it washes off easier than stage make-
:17:54. > :18:01.He looked scary. Now it is time to see someone nice.
:18:01. > :18:06.This is Naomi. I am playing Dick Whittington, did you know that? Any
:18:06. > :18:11.questions for me? What is it like? It is different because I am not
:18:11. > :18:17.used to playing a boy. It is really fun because I get to hang out with
:18:17. > :18:21.Abbey the cat all the time. She is my new best friend. How does she do
:18:21. > :18:26.that? I put the white around my face and the black with a sponge
:18:26. > :18:34.and then I adore the little bits of detail like my eyebrows all the way
:18:34. > :18:41.round. Does it come of? It comes off a lot quicker than it does to
:18:41. > :18:48.put on. Catt looked amazing, but look at this! This is what it looks
:18:48. > :18:54.like when I am finished. Lucerne, Ladies and Gentlemen, go I think we
:18:54. > :18:58.would like to say in a very Happy Christmas to you all and come and
:18:58. > :19:04.see us at the Bath Theatre Royal for Dick Whittington.
:19:04. > :19:10.That looked amazing. What was that like? It was really good. I enjoyed
:19:10. > :19:14.the experience. What is your interest in make-up? We all had to
:19:14. > :19:19.choose a theme, a project to do our theme about and I chose make-up
:19:19. > :19:28.because I found it interesting and I knew a lot about it. And you got
:19:28. > :19:31.an award, didn't you? Yes. I got known as the week at my school.
:19:31. > :19:38.Highlighting thinking that you wrote to the theatre to find out
:19:38. > :19:43.more? Yes, I wrote to three different places. Piat, the Bristol
:19:43. > :19:52.Hippodrome and I only got a reply from here. Have you learned much?
:19:52. > :19:59.learnt a lot. My fault there is full. Thank you very much. Wasn't
:19:59. > :20:04.she brilliant. Really very good. She was so good. She is so
:20:04. > :20:10.confident, we have learnt a bit as well.
:20:10. > :20:14.Blind line that is the future. I use that all the time.
:20:14. > :20:19.If you have just bought a Christmas tree or are a little late, consider
:20:19. > :20:25.this, one couple in Somerset have been using the same tree for the
:20:25. > :20:35.last 74 years. Derek and sable Parr Cup reckoned
:20:35. > :20:38.
:20:38. > :20:43.their artificial tree is the oldest Tis the season to be buying
:20:43. > :20:48.Christmas trees. Unless, of course, you are Sybil and Derek Parker. In
:20:48. > :20:54.which case you just bring down from a lot present artificial trade you
:20:54. > :21:00.have had the 74 years. Yes, this could well be the oldest Christmas
:21:00. > :21:05.tree in Britain bought by Derek's mom from Walworth in 1937. Used
:21:05. > :21:11.every year since. My mother bought it when I was
:21:11. > :21:18.three months old. She bought it in Walworth for seven and 6p. We have
:21:18. > :21:24.had it ever since. I gather it has survived house moves. Seven
:21:24. > :21:30.altogether. Remarkable to think this was the
:21:30. > :21:35.year of King George the 6th Coronation, the year Wallis Simpson
:21:35. > :21:40.married Edward when life was simple. And when, according to the history
:21:40. > :21:44.books, you could feed a family for just �1.
:21:44. > :21:50.Of course there is little Christmas-tree has also survived a
:21:50. > :21:57.World War. So, what is a secret? Put it in a dustbin bag in the loft.
:21:57. > :22:04.That is the secret, just that? Don't fold it up just keep it as it
:22:04. > :22:10.is light and all. Some of the decorations are original? Are yes.
:22:10. > :22:17.She is original. She is going strong. These still ring. Sir,
:22:17. > :22:22.There it is, at 74, Britain's oldest Christmas tree. Unless, of
:22:22. > :22:27.course, you know differently. Those decorations are pretty are
:22:27. > :22:31.old. If you have an older one, I suspect you have.
:22:31. > :22:35.This time yesterday we were enjoying the Christmas pop video
:22:35. > :22:38.put together by the Community College in Bristol. Little did we
:22:38. > :22:43.know there were similar goings-on in Dorset.
:22:43. > :22:53.Staff at Gillingham primary told us how they called on helicopter
:22:53. > :22:53.
:22:53. > :24:26.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 93 seconds
:24:26. > :24:32.pilots to Brighton at the end of Brilliant. They were so sweet.
:24:32. > :24:36.Brilliant. They were so sweet. Shall we move on to the weather?
:24:36. > :24:41.Good evening. We can put away the winter woolies for the next few
:24:41. > :24:44.days because it certainly is going to get milder as we head towards
:24:45. > :24:51.the Christmas weekend. Here is our Atlantic front heading towards us.
:24:51. > :24:55.It will give as wet weather. It is a warm front so we will see mild
:24:55. > :25:01.air behind it. Tomorrow is a much milder picture with temperatures
:25:01. > :25:07.reaching 13 degrees. It is still going to be a cloudy picture. Not
:25:07. > :25:11.too much in the way of brightness. Tonight we will see that front
:25:11. > :25:19.Porsche in over the next couple of hours. Then move its way eastward
:25:20. > :25:26.towards Wiltshire. By dawn, it should be a mostly dry picture.
:25:26. > :25:30.Heavy bursts of rain at times, but spots over the next couple of hours.
:25:30. > :25:36.Temperatures rising behind this fund so by the end of the night we
:25:36. > :25:41.are looking at six or seven Celsius. No chance of a frost. It will not
:25:41. > :25:47.be cold enough for one. Into Wednesday, and over can start to
:25:47. > :25:53.the day. Plenty of cloud around and thick enough in places to give us
:25:53. > :25:55.patchy light rain and drizzle. The best of the brightness tomorrow
:25:55. > :26:04.will be other parts of Gloucestershire and eastern parts
:26:04. > :26:09.of Wiltshire. High is of 12 or 13 Celsius tomorrow. A very mild for
:26:09. > :26:13.this time of year. A good few degrees above what we would expect
:26:13. > :26:18.in late December. Keeping that breeze as well. That was Wednesday
:26:18. > :26:25.then. Not much whether to talk of on Wednesday night. Pretty overcast
:26:25. > :26:32.with cloud around. Lows of 10 or 11 Celsius. Keeping the north-westerly
:26:32. > :26:38.breeze as well. Thursday a similar picture. Plenty of cloud. The best
:26:38. > :26:42.of the breaks in the cloud will be parts of Wiltshire. A little
:26:42. > :26:47.sunshine into afternoon and mild temperatures. Our next front is
:26:47. > :26:53.heading our way on Friday. It will get wet through mid-morning and
:26:53. > :26:56.then turn bright as the front moves eastward in the afternoon. A little
:26:56. > :27:04.bite us on Friday afternoon, but a wet morning. A cold front that it
:27:04. > :27:07.will bring us call air behind it. By Saturday, we are looking at so
:27:07. > :27:13.call macro picture. Christmas weekend will be dry, mild with a
:27:13. > :27:16.little bit of sunshine. If you are little bit of sunshine. If you are
:27:16. > :27:21.looking out for Santa, I think you will see him.
:27:21. > :27:29.We have some e-mails about the Christmas tree. One from Nigel
:27:29. > :27:34.saying his tree is 83. And Hillary with an 81 year-old tree.