14/03/2012 BBC Points West

Good evening and welcome to BBC Points West. Our headlines tonight:

We need the rain - fears for West Country crops as the region heads

towards a drought. Drama and a serious incident at

Cheltenham on the second day of the races.

And a big royal presence to watch the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Also tonight, find out what happened when the Red Devils asked

Good evening. The South West is heading towards drought conditions,

according to the Environment Agency. They're worried that river levels

are running so low, fish may die unless we get significant rain in

the next few weeks. And farmers are worried they may be prevented from

taking water from rivers to irrigate their fields. If that

happens, they say there could be wholesale crop failures. Clinton

Rogers has the story. The slow shallow waters of the

River Tone in Somerset. Across the West Country, river levels are low

and they're getting lower. And according to those who've spent a

lifetime monitoring the weather, this is a problem that's been two

years in the making. He 1010, 2011, the driest years I have recorded in

50 years. -- 2010. We do not quite know what is going to happen. We

could get a succession of wet months. At the moment it does not

look very likely. While our reservoirs are healthier than

elsewhere in the country - and water companies say there is no

threat to domestic supplies - the exceptional dry conditions are

worrying the Environment Agency. They say that if the water table

continues to fall and rivers run much slower, the wildlife will

suffer. We are concerned that those flows will continue to be low in

spring and summer if we do not get significant rainfall. That will

impact on the fish. It will reduce flow and possibly less oxygen. Fish

could be in distress and die. Farmers and growers are equally

concerned about their livelihood. Malcolm Bere is getting ready to

plant 20 ton of potatoes. That crop will need rain in the weeks to come.

And if it doesn't come, he's worried the Environment Agency may

places restrictions on farmers irrigating their land.

I am very worried they might say that we cannot irrigate them. That

would have huge implications. We know -- we would not be able to

meet our contracts. The agency say it's up to everyone - householders

and farmers - to preserve water now, use it sparingly to head off

problems. But without help from the skies above, that alone may not be

enough. No one is pushing the panic button and just yet. But if we do

not get rain soon, it might just be -- it will not be just the growers

and farmers feeling the pain. The price of basic products like this

will rise dramatically. Well, it's the second day of the

national hunt festival at Cheltenham. 55,000 people came

through the gates today and enjoyed another exciting day's racing. A

day graced by royalty - and by high drama. Our sports editor, David

Passmore, is there for us this evening.

Good evening. It is notoriously difficult to predict anything in

racing. But nobody who saw the incident today has ever seen

anything like it before. A horse crashing through railings after

falling, injuring the jockey and a photographer. Tonight debate

continues over how well the incident was dealt with. The horse

trained by Philip Hobbs is OK. Another of his horses had to be

destroyed. In a moment, the views of Clare Balding. First, this is

how events unfolded on the second day.

Wishful Thinking has gone! The big drama came in the big race as

Wishful Thinking crashed out on the first lap. Richard Johnson was

injured in the spectacular fall as well as a photographer. On the

second lap, the leaders bypassed the fans. There was confusion.

Officials defended the action they took. The incident overshadowed a

thrilling finish and victory for Finian's Rainbow. Totti Black both

fine. Richard will not ride again today. He has had a bad bang on his

hip. The day had started with excitement of a different kind as

crowds gathered to meet the Duchess of Cornwall. It was also Ladies Day.

While it was business as normal for the hardened racegoers, for others,

the chance to put on a show. must have accessories at this time

of the year. The main thing for Cheltenham is comfortable shoes and

keep warm. And lots of pockets to put the money M! -- in. Try it on

about 50 dresses. Quite hard to get in because of all the photographers.

No money everybody ignores us. royal theme continued in the

paddock as the Princess Royal talk to her daughter. Any Wyness?

Just enjoying the racing. husband was there, too. Welsh

centre Jamie Roberts was enjoying the day. I always enjoy coming to

Cheltenham. It is so special as an event. In some ways we are lucky

that we do have had a game this weekend. For Traynor Nigel Twiston-

Davies it was back to work after the death a corner for his horses

in yesterday's race. It was very sad. He was one of the better

horses. They are all our France. We love them all. It is very sad.

David Pipe it was disappoint their as his best horse, could only

finish 4th in the third race. Away from the drama, the crowds enjoyed

a day bathed in San Symes -- sunshine. Many will be back for

more tomorrow. We have plenty of sunshine and drama today. You were

by the fence. What was your take on at? I have not seen anything more

scary than that since I was the young girl. Wishful Thinking came

crashing through the rail. The photographer had the camera smashed

into his face. That first was fined. He was caught. Very quick thinking.

Richard Johnson was on the ground screaming in agony. He will be OK.

Amazingly he has not broken anything. They put the boards

across the fence. They then moved them to the inside. They told me

afterwards that was to stop a Liz horse moving to where de Pete

Johnson was being treated. I thought it was confusing. Barry

Geraghty thought he had to jump the fence. That could have been a real

mess. It was pretty difficult to go around the fence. I do think

jockeys are travelling that fast, you have got to make it clear. And

it was not clear. Did it detract from the race? It it. You want to

see them jump the last. There wasn't much between Finian's

Rainbow and Sizing Europe at the end. It caused acute talking point.

Every runner did the same thing. Paul Nicholls is hoping with big

box tomorrow that things calm down and return to normal tomorrow?

he has only had one winner. Big box looking to extend this

extraordinary run. -- big box. He is an amazing horse. He has got a

lot to do. I hope he will win. It would be great. Thank you very much

indeed. I will be back with more from the Cheltenham Festival later.

A campaign's been launched to persuade people in Bristol to vote

in favour of an elected mayor. Senior politicians from all parties

joined business leaders who support the change. It's in preparation for

a referendum on May 3. Here's Paul Barltrop.

Two Government ministers - one present, one past - came to Bristol

to kick off the Yes campaign. One's Conservative, the other Labour, but

both think big cities need elected mayors. Almost all cities in the

world have elected mayors. Bristol wants to fall London. -- fall

London. And have a single elected politician in charge of the city.

He's critical of the city council, which has seen leadership change

frequently, partly because of the elections held almost yearly. They

enthuse about a powerful figure in post for four years. There is

nothing wrong with personality. Why shouldn't we have a personality

herein Bristol? I think you want somebody who can have an

international reputation. Someone everyone in the country knows about.

Soon after, they were addressing a room full of big personalities. The

event was arranged by business leaders who favour the change. Some

of those watching are considering whether to stand. The mayor would

take over many of the powers currently held by the Council.

People will decide in a referendum in seven weeks. If they vote yes,

the first elected mayor will be chosen in September. It is a big

political issue we will be following closely and the next few

weeks. The BBC has learned the Ministry of Defence is looking at

an option to sell off a huge part of its site at Ashchurch for

housing. The camp, near Tewkesbury, repairs and services military

vehicles and employs over 600 people. The MOD is about to launch

a consultation on plans drawn up with the local council. Business

leaders say huge job losses would be regrettable.

It would be a significant blow. I am sure it would have quite a big

impact if the site were to close down and jobs were lost. I cannot

really see how those would be easily replaced with that nature of

work. A petition's been handed in against plans to remove a Christian

cross from the window of a crematorium in Bath. The local

council wants to make the venue more accessible to other religions.

But 4,000 people have signed a petition against the plans. Bath

and North East Somerset Council says it's an operational decision

which would not normally go to public consultation.

Thousands of students across the West will be taking part in the

BBC's School Report day tomorrow. Many of them have been affected by

the Government's drive to convert schools to academies. But how do

students themselves feel about it all? Culverhay School in Bath is a

boys' school which has faced the threat of closure for two years,

but is becoming a sponsored academy in September. Here are School

Culverhay is a true local school. Most of us walk to school, which is

really unusual for a secondary school, and generations of our

families came here. Our school's been under the threat of closure

for over two years, but now we are to become a sponsored academy. But

is there a danger we might lose our identity as a local school? What

exactly is an academy? We asked some of our friends. I'm not at

that Cher. It is better than that closing. Actually it's all about

funding - at the moment the money comes from here. But soon it will

be direct from here. We will now be part of a group of schools led by

this man. This is about a school for the community it serves. When I

talked to you about respecting the tradition of the past, it was very

much with that in mind. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, uncles have

a vested interest in school. They have been a successful product.

That's his promise, but we don't have to take his word for it - what

about the schools that have already made the change? Kings Oak School,

just down the road, became an academy just last September.

Obviously it has been hard to adjust. But I think it has been for

the better. I cannot think of any bad things about an academy.

back to how it might affect us at Culverhay. Our name will change.

Our uniform will change, and we'll have girls. But there are more

serious concerns. The opportunities will probably be lower. The new

head will find himself in trouble if he does not realise that a call

that a a community school. -- corner Hay. We are becoming an

academy in September. We've heard from both sides. What we can say

for sure is that come September things are going to be different

around here. This is Sam, Luke and Tom, in Bath, reporting for BBC

News School Report at Culverhay School. That could be the last time

we say that! Good luck to the other young reporters taking part

tomorrow. Now the inventor of a very special device was in Bristol

today to show off his new product. The wasabi fire alarm has already

won the Ig Nobel Prize, which celebrates inventions which cause

you to laugh and think. The alarm, designed for the deaf, emits a

spray of Japanese Horseradish and is designed to create an eye

watering wake up call. Sabet Choudhury went along to meet the

inventor. It's the perfect partner to Sushi.

The green paste made from Japanese horseradish packing a strong

mustard-like punch. And in spray form, it's now the main component

of this new invention. A fire alarm designed for the deaf. Its inventor

is Dr Magato Imai. If the detector senses the smoke,... Ahead of the

can is pressed. -- the head. It emits the older. -- the older.

would not be much of a reporter if I did not try and this spray. Give

That is pretty strong. So with my eyes dried, I decided to take

wasabi spray to the people it was designed for. Try that. That is

strong. Horrible smell. At the moment the wasabi fire alarm is

only available in Japan and costs almost an eye-watering �400,000. --

�400. But its inventor says the prices will drop sharply when it

goes into mass production. Not being funny, but he did stink

when he came back from that! He was very brave. Football, and Yeovil

Town's winning run was halted last night, but you could excuse the

fans for not knowing the final score. Much of last night's 2-2

draw with Scunthorpe was played in thick fog at Huish Park, making

life difficult for the players, officials and the cameraman.

Do not adjust your sets - this is how Huish Park looked at kick-off

last night. The referee had decided an hour earlier the game could go

ahead. He might have felt differently half an hour in. This

is what most fans saw of Yeovil's first goal, scored by Gavin

Williams. Not a lot, unfortunately. But with the magic of television,

this is what actually happened. The spot the ball competition continued

for Scunthorpe's equaliser - at six foot four and 13 and a half stone,

John Parkin isn't normally this hard to find. Thankfully the

weather improved - Jonathan Grounds crossed for Jonathan Franks to put

Yeovil in the lead again. But they missed chances to go further in

front, and their hopes of a sixth win in seven games were dashed by

Parkin three minutes into stoppage time. If it wasn't for the fog, you

would have seen it two or unbelievable saves by their

goalkeeper. There was a lot of goalmouth incident. It was a good

match. Yeovil are up 13th - their highest position since August.

Unlike the weather, the improvement under Gary Johnson has been crystal

clear. A little bit murky down there. It

was at Cheltenham yesterday. Let's pop back there to David. He won �55

yesterday compared to my nothing in our little experiment. Any winnings

today? Modesty will prevent me from

boasting about it. Let's move on to some racing. Jockeys are

legendarily tough. Anyone who saw Richard Johns and's fall earlier

would be staggered to know that he will be riding again soon. --

Richard Johnson. It looked an absolutely horrible falls. -- fall.

Well amongst the hundreds of competitors here, there are some

remarkable individual stories. Jessica Westwood's from Somerset is

one of them. She was just 15 when she fell off her horse and suffered

a life-changing head injury. But now, she's not only back in the

saddle, but this week she'll compete in the Foxhunter Chase.

Luke Hanrahan reports. Today, Jessica at is that the

unglamorous end of Horseracing. She is pleased to be here. She is two

days away from the race of her life, which marks a remarkable comeback

from an accident that almost killed her. Serious concussion, brain

swelling. It gradually got worse. Burst my eardrums. I had to have a

year of school. I was not allowed to read, watch telly. For her

family, life suddenly took a very different tack. The fear was

permanent brain damage. The horse went crazy. She fell off onto the

road on her head. Then the horse cater. Now 20, Jessica has defied

the odds. This week she will be racing and the Foxhunter Chase at

Cheltenham, something that would have seemed impossible five years

ago. We did not think she would ever get to this level. She has

done it by determination and hard work. Jessica and her horse,

Monkerty Tunkerty, will be up against it on Friday. They are

racing against horses on by the Queen and J P McManus. D dream

about what may happen on Friday? Dream. We would throw a massive

party and the village would come. You must never get too excited. You

could get disappointed. If we come back in one piece, we will be happy.

No matter where they finish, this is a story that has already ended

in glory. Good luck t Jessica. Who should we

be looking out for tomorrow? Everyone is talking about big box

and whether the Paul Nicholls trained horse can win the hurdle

again. As David knows only too well, the favourite have not been doing

too well. I do not want -- I do not want to mention Harry Kane fly

again. He was a clear favourite and he did not win. Paul Nicholls must

be hoping that normal service is resumed tomorrow and the favourites

come home. But you just cannot tell. We shall have to wait and see. I

lost my shirt yesterday. Well, 20 quid Annie where! -- anyway.

Now it's just over a week until this year's Sport Relief campaign.

People from across the region will be running a mile for the charity.

Here is Ben Prater to tell us about his challenge.

Join me taking on the sport Relief challenge. I would do 24 different

sports in 24 hours. I will be joined by Dai Greene, the Olympic

hurdler. I will play netball. Take part in a Bristol Rovers training

session. And I will be at Gloucestershire Cricket Club. I

will also be dropping in to leisure centres elsewhere in the county.

All you have to do to support me his text me. Sport Relief get �1 to

transform the lives of vulnerable people in the UK and across the

world's poorest countries. Every penny goes to sport Relief. You

must be 16 or over and to ask for the permission of the dale pair.

Get on line for more information. - He is in good form. Excellent. A

Now let's move on to the weather. It was freezing in Cheltenham last

night. What about today? It was quite chilly. It will be

colder tonight. Let's talk about the rainfall. Patchy on Friday.

Turning heavier overnight into Saturday morning. On Saturday, some

further spells of rain. It will clear on Sunday. Next week looks

effectively dry. Getting warmer. When the plants come into leave,

that evaporates the side even quicker. John Sparks took this

microlight above the cloud deck this morning. 2000 ft up and he was

into beautiful sunshine. Gradually we started to whittle away the

cloud. It brightened quite considerably. I'm expecting a

similar story tomorrow. Some of you will see scenes more akin to this.

Every chance it could be a good deal warmer than this afternoon.

High-pressure slipping away towards the near Continent. Change taking

place on Friday. Tomorrow is another dry day. Tonight it is

going to be fog that grabs our attention once again. Somerset,

Wiltshire, the M four, they could be visibility of only 50 metres or