16/03/2012 BBC Points West

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

A big upset at Cheltenham, as Kauto Star is pulled out of the Gold Cup.

We're not going to make any rush decision. He's a tremendous horse.

Ruby's done well for him today, and that's what I asked him to do.

tonight, a proud turnout - Warminster waves farewell to the

troops heading to the war zone where seven of their colleagues

were killed. And could he be a winner 24 years after his Olympic

disaster? We go training with Eddie Good evening. The final day of the

Cheltenham festival was one of triumph and disappointment for the

West, as a new Gold Cup winner was crowned. Jonjo O'Neill, so

successful as a jockey, was today's winning trainer. But Kauto Star

couldn't make it round the course. David Passmore was there to watch

the drama unfold. Drama aplenty, twists and turns

throughout this festival, particularly today. Synchronised

won the top prize in the sport. Jonjo O'Neill said he did not think

his horse would overturn the two big favourites. He trains about 10

miles from here. We will be reporting from the pub opposite the

stables later. But first, to the story of the day, which saw so many

of Kauto Star's fans arriving hoping for a fairy tale.

All day the talk had been of Kauto Star. Kauto Star, all away. Could

he defy these years and win her third gold Cup? He looked fit as

ever as he headed out for or what will almost certainly be the last

race of his career. Jockey Ruby Walsh said he felt something was

wrong as Kauto Star stretched at the 7th. People Tim up after the

8th. -- he called him up. Synchronise went on to win. Trained

by Jonjo O'Neill. Just to get it right on the day was fantastic. He

wasn't right for a while. He just happened to be coming right at the

last 10 days. The last week we were getting more confident. He was like

a flower ready to bloom. He bloomed on the day. Synchronised, ridden by

A P McCoy, went on to win, while Kauto Star walk back. I would not

have run him unless he had gone through all the tests. You still

cannot replicate the pressure of arrays. Ruby did exactly right. He

knows it. He did exactly the right thing. Be it was so sad when there

were coming over the last fence and Kauto Star was walking up year. I

could have cried. At least he is back safe. Hopefully, a long

retirement. In a way I was pleased he was safe. It was disappointing

but at the end of the day it is a phenomenal horse. I want to wish

him all the very best. As one great career appears to be over this

evening, another champion has been crowned.

Trainers work for many years to prepare a champion. Those we live

near the stables get attached to the animals. When success comes,

celebrations and Sue. We report from the pub close to Jonjo

O'Neill's stables. The Plough Inn, inextricably linked

with Jonjo O'Neill training yard. It is just across the road. Racing

on through -- runs through the DNA here. Jonjo O'Neill puts a lot of

work into these horses. To have that comment -- come back to the

Cotswolds, great. Thrillers to base. I am delighted to be here. --

thrilled to bits. Really good for the pub had really good for the

area. How much did you have on Synchronised? �10 each way. Some

very happy people. Craig, what does it mean having Synchronised as a

local winner? It is fantastic. Next to the Grand National, win the Gold

Cup, it's fabulous. How do you think Jonjo will be feeling?

will be in top form. All the staff were watching it. They were so

delighted. All that hard work has paid off. Celebrations to write?

would say definitely! Do you think Jonjo were being? He will be on his

way home. Hopefully he will call in Bikey did after the Grand National.

As Synchronised settles into his stables, he was surely hear the

celebrations for his famous win I am now joined by the managing

director here, Edward Gillespie. Terrific win for John Joe?

Wonderful. He just trains up the road. I have known him for 30 years.

On top of the Grand National, to win the Gold Cup, the emotion was

all over the place. I feel so pleased for him and his family.

Contrasting emotions for the Paul Nicholls camp? Such his horse

racing. The applause the crowd gave him when he pulled up and came back

in... They will take their time. We may yet see him again. A terrific

career? Yes, he has brought a whole generation to the sport. You can

see people in scarves, people in the chorus. Perhaps we will see

more of him. Five fatalities on the opening days. What action would you

be taking? There will be individually looked at by the

authorities to see if there is a any link it. It is difficult for

people to understand and take. We have to buy into that. Hopefully we

can move forward. Can you do anything? You have moved fences in

the past? We work very closely with the trainers, the veteran -- the

Becks etc. We work to make sure the sport is as safe as possible.

have record figures for today? had 70,000 for the first time. We

had just under 70,000 in 2004. Wonderful conditions. Everybody

enjoyed themselves. Hopefully they will eventually get home safely.

few people seem to be taken quite a long time to get out of here. It

has been another amazing four days. A roller-coaster ride. For another

year, back to you guys. 400 soldiers from 3rd Battalion,

the Yorkshire Regiment, have taken part in a farewell parade through

Warminster this morning, as they prepare for a tour of duty in

Afghanistan. It's just over a week since five members from the

regiment, along with a soldier from the 1st Battalion, the Duke of

Lancaster's Regiment, were killed in an explosion during a routine

Barely any standing room to spare. Seemingly the whole town of

Warminster was here to wave on troops from the Yorkshire Regiment

as they prepare for Afghanistan. For the schools here, this is a

chance to support the people they see on their streets every single

day. They waved flags and cheered them past. It is amazing. Everybody

has turned out for them. The support the town has shown is

fantastic. You just hope and pray they come back safe and sound.

was 10 days ago that a bomb buried by the roadside in Afghanistan

killed the most British soldiers in one blast since the war began there

a decade ago. The amount of people who came to watch today shows you

that this is a town with unusually close ties to its military.

Everyone you speak to, Egan knows somebody who works in the barracks

or is part of a military family. This is a nervous time for the

loved ones staying behind. I was worried before. Now this is

happening, it is even more worrying. Prince Andrew came to support the

service. Not of remembrance but a pre-deployment parade. The people

here are hoping all these soldiers return home when their tour ends

next year. We look forward to seeing them all back home. You're

watching BBC Points West. Still to come, a full weather forecast for

the weekend. And The Eagle gets in Four more people have today

admitted mistreating or neglecting vulnerable adults at the

Winterbourne View hospital near Bristol. Three former support

workers appeared at Bristol Crown Court this morning. Graham Doyle

admitted ill treating the same patient seven times. Danny Brake,

on the left, pleaded guilty to two counts of mistreatment, as did

Jason Gardiner. A former nurse at the hospital, Sookalingum Appoo,

admitted neglecting one patient on three occasions. There will be

another hearing for the four remaining defendants after Easter.

Health experts in Swindon say the number of people being admitted to

hospital having taking so-called legal highs, is reaching worrying

levels. In five months last year, they had nearly 50 cases of people

being hospitalised, suffering the after-effects of substance abuse.

Stuart Tinworth reports. They are just a mouse click away,

available on the internet and on street corners. Today we did not

have to look far to find people who had bad experiences on an legal

highs. It makes you feel as if you're in a completely different

world. It messed me up. I was up for four days. To buy the 4th day I

was seeing things. Little things. I have done it a couple of times.

is thought the products, often cut with harmful substances, are being

bought bought and sold in the town. The first case was seen at the

Great Western Hospital in August. By December, the hospital had seen

48. Now staff say they are seeing on average three people a week.

Their come in with a jerky thrashing, arms and legs. They can

start having muscle breakdown. That can cause liver failure, kidney

failure. In some cases patients have died. The Government have

cracked down on illegal substances. But it is a cat-and-mouse game.

Dealers respond by simply tweaking formulas to get around the law.

Legal do not mean legal and they do not mean safe. We are getting more

information through. We have got an absolute commitment because of the

harm this causes to ensure that availability is stamped out within

Swindon. That is a message police hope will get through before legal

Deaf people are being denied fair access to health services according

to a doctor from Bath. In a report published today in the medical

journal, The Lancet, Dr Andrew Alexander from the Royal United

Hospital says people's experiences can be distressing, and at worst,

Just imagine what it is like to be profoundly deaf. This is going to

be your experience of most conversations.

MUTE SOUND. Now even if you can lip read, you're likely to only have

interpreted a third of that. So just imagine the difficulties of

coming somewhere like the hospital to have an important medical

discussion. Graham MacLellen from Corsham is one of 70,000 people in

the country registered as profoundly deaf from birth. Here at

the RUH the in Bath, the hospital has arranged a British sign

language interpreter for him. But you might be surprised to know that

many hospitals and GPs in the country still don't offer the same

level of service for deaf people. How difficult is it coming and what

hospital situation or talking to the GP. It can be a big problem for

deaf people, because they can't get an interpreter they might be put

off visiting their GP for several weeks, and their health can become

much worse. Dr Alexander, a consultant at the RUH, knows the

difficulties only too well. One of his daughters is profoundly deaf.

He has done much to improve the situation locally. 250 staff have

now had basic sign language training at the RUH, and an online

interpreter can be accessed in emergencies. But he's co-authored

the report in the Lancet to give a wake up call to the health

profession as a whole. 30% of deaf patients actually avoid going to

see their GP because of the difficulties involved in making the

appointment. And even once they have fixed the appointment, the

poor communication in the consultation. Graham is one of the

lucky few to access the service - the next step is to make it happen

everywhere in the country. Press freedom is the subject of a

debate in Bristol tonight. Christopher Jefferies will be on

the panel. It is happening in the city centre. They will be

discussing potential changes in the light of the Leveson Inquiry.

Listening to it, Lord Hunt. I have come to listen and to learn. I have

been charged with setting up and new regulatory structure, which

seeks to combine a freedom of the press and responsibility, and

acting in the public interest. We have to learn from what has

happened in the past and move forward. We will have a report from

the debate in the late news. It's the Budget next week, and the

queue of people asking for more government help is growing. With

more people than ever out of work, and many firms still struggling to

make money, what can the Chancellor do to help? With the first of a

series of special reports, here's our Business Correspondent Dave

Harvey. The Chancellor's famous red box.

Inside we may find a tax cut for petrol and diesel. Something for

pensioners? May be a sweetener for small businesses. The one thing

that would make everything -- everybody a little richer is that

magic economically medicine to get the economy moving again. The

Government has cut its own spending dramatically. Some say it is

hurting too much. I have been to Somerset to meet a woman called up

in the cuts. -- caught up. This is a small market town full of

families. Somerset County Council are cutting 1500 jobs. It will

affect the local economy. Benitez one of those 1500 people. She is

not after sympathy. She argues the cuts have a wider impact. People's

pockets are empty. They are not going to the local shops. There is

no money to spend. It has affected everyone. Energy prices, petrol

prices... It has really affected us. Like thousands of others laid off

by the Government, and Dita has set up on her own. I decided I would

become a dance teacher and I have opened a local dance school. There

is no help. The Government says there is help, that they will help

small businesses like mine. I cannot find that kind of help.

There isn't any. I understand it is very difficult out there. There are

no handouts. There is no help from the Government for this kind of

enterprise. I'll just stick at it and do it by myself. How many like

her or around their? In the south- west, 6000 private jobs were

created last year in three months. In the same quarter, 37,000 jobs

were closed in the public-sector. In other words, six people laid off

and looking for work for every person who sets up the wrong

business. You can see a special debate on Monday evening at five

past 11. Sport, and away from the Cheltenham

festival football's promotion and relegation issues are starting to

take shape. All the weekend's fixtures are coming across the

screen now. Bristol City, who are just above the Championship

relegation zone after their defeat to Cardiff, are away to bottom club

Portsmouth. City's last away win was down on the south coast -

against leaders Southampton - three months ago. And in rugby there's a

weekend off for Gloucester and Bath, but Bristol play their first home

game in the Championship playoffs. They're top of their group after

comfortably winning their opening match against Doncaster. But coach

Liam Middleton believes Sunday's game against London Welsh will be a

considerable step up in quality. A dog in Somerset who fell 30 feet

down a mine shaft and was missing for nine days has been reunited

with her owner. Pepper was chasing a rabbit when she fell down the

hole on a walk in Sandford. Despite searches taking place every day,

the colllie was nowhere to be seen. A team from the Four Paws Rescue

charity in Wales finally located the dog after they heard faint

barking in a nearby wood. Pepper survived by drinking water from the

bottom of the shaft. They should call him lucky. It's 24 years since

he plummeted to fame in the Calgary Olympics. But now Eddie the Eagle

Edwards has won the hearts of a whole new generation with his

spectacular performance as Austin Powers in Let's Dance for Sport

Relief. He made it through the heats, and tomorrow night will be

taking to the stage for the live final. With just 24 hours till the

dance off, Imogen Sellers went up to the Elstree studios where Eddie

was polishing off his routine in This is where the magic happens,

behind these raid doors of the George Lucas stage at Elstree. It

is here that the final of Plett stands for Sport Relief will be

filmed on Saturday night. -- Let's Dance for Sport Relief. Eddie the

Eagle Edwards is in the final. I'm here to find out how his last-

minute rehearsals are going. Compared to plummeting down the

mountain at one round and six mph, a dance routine should be a breeze.

But this is clearly very hard work. That is because Eddie the Eagle put

his heart and soul into everything he does. That is probably why it is

hard not to love him. Eddie is absolutely amazing to work with. He

is a gentleman, patient, hard working. He lost to sweat. He has

been lovely. Everyone loves him. I am so glad he has got to the finals.

He with the countdown on to Saturday night's final, Eddie and

his choreographer and making sure he is stepped perfect. I want to

make it better if I can. I am relying on Richard and Ali to

pinpoint different things. Now I know more or less the routine, it

is getting the mannerisms and the quirkiness and working on that. I

think it can be better. In trying to get it even better for the final.

With a career that has ranged from Olympic ski jumping to building and

plastering, and studying for a law degree, any hopes his new-found

talent for Danns could lead to other things. I have never refused

a job yet. I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the future.

I think we will see one stages of the country, Eddie! He sailed

through the heats. And as his days as an Olympic competitor may have

earned him the title of our greatest ever loser, will Saturday-

night finally turn him into a champion? We may yet see the Eagle

fly. I think he is absolutely brilliant. He is a nice bloke. I've

told him of those moves myself. He has got more rhythm and U! It would

It has been a very difficult week for gardeners with the dry weather,

and for a weather forecasters. Difficult to pinpoint where we are

going to get the breaks in the cloud. Today there were none. A

very grey day. Quite chilly. It is all going to change for the weekend.

We have got high pressure pushing to the east. That is allowing these

weather fronts to push and from the West. At changing fortunes over the

weekend. Some wet weather and as well. Lots of sunshine. Also, some

showers. For tonight, that is where we will start to see the changes.

It will be cloudy and try for the first part of the night. Rain over

the hills of Wales overnight. Tonight, the last of the mire at

night. Temperatures ranging from between seven degrees to 11. I grey

and drizzly start. We start to say goodbye to that front in the

morning. Behind that, we will see the perfect April day. Lots of

sunshine and showers. The showers hit-and-miss. The lots of sunshine

around. Feeling slightly fresher. 12 degrees. Saturday night will

feel really quite cold. Clearing skies. Some showers. Temperatures

dropping to between one and three Celsius in the towns and cities.

Elsewhere, we will see a touch of frost in rural spot. First Sunday,

Mother's Day, more of the same sort of story. Sunshine and showers.

Sunday night looking very cold. One degree only in the towns and cities.

We are going to seek a widespread We are going to seek a widespread

frost. Well that's just about it from us, as another year's

Cheltenham Festival comes to a close. It's been a week filled with

drama, incident, and local victories in most of the biggest

races - although not always the horse you might have wanted or