03/04/2012 BBC Points West

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

The boy paralysed within 48 hours. He's struck down by a rare illness

but his recovery is astonishing his doctors. Get off my land! Farmers

on the alert for fuel thieves as the price of diesel rockets.

Her Majesty's Pleasure - a letter from the Queen to the west country

army doctor trekking for his fellow wounded soldiers.

And one day it might be a real one - the children being encouraged to

Good evening. Doctors in Bath say they've been amazed by the recovery

of a Bristol teenager who was struck down by a virus and

paralysed. 16 year old Martin Graham thought he just had a cold

but within 48 hours he was in intensive care at the RUH battling

Guillain Barre syndrome. His family made a video diary recording the

whole journey. Sarah-Jane Bungay has been to meet them.

From a fit, strong rugby playing teenager to an intensive care

patient barely able to control his movements, the illness which struck

down Martin Graham was aggressive in its progress, distressing in its

nature. I could only move my neck so I was trying to move my hands

and legs and couldn't - the worse thought was paralysis for the rest

of my life. So that was very very very scary.

Martin was given a tracheotomy to help his breathing - a host of

medical professionals helped to reassure him that feeling would

return to his limbs and gradually improvement came - each small

movement a milestone for this 16 year old. Martin's got a very

strong mental attitude to all this. He's been very positive throughout

and strong. He's got a brilliant sense of humour which I believe has

really helped his as well. He's recovered so quickly that we

believe a lot of it is how he's coped mentally. I figured that if

you let yourself get down it does you no good so you always have to

keep your spirits high others you'll do yourself harm so I always

tried to have a good laugh. after weeks of not being able to

eat himself - sausage and chips from the hospital trolley never

tasted so good. That was the first time I ate food properly and that

tasted glorious. Three months ago this teenager

wasn't able to breathe or talk for himself. It has been a dramatic

transformation from an illness which isn't widely talked about but

one which can cause so much harm. Well, one of the doctors who looked

after Martin was Dr Tim Cook - a consultant anaesthetist at the RUH.

He joins us now. This is a scary thing, tell us

about this syndrome. It is scary but it is very rare. It is a non

infective condition. It is a neurological condition whereby the

immune system attacks the patient's own nerves. The affected become in

a way, attacking your own nerves and to it means the nerds do not

function correctly. Generally what happens is the information from the

brain does not get to the muscles. But he thought he had a cold.

had a classic presentation which was some tingling in his feet going

up his legs but soon after that and rapidly ascending paralysis from

his legs moving up to his pelvis, up his arms and sometimes it

affects the face. Incredibly frightening. What is the treatment?

Keep the patient safe. Martin was brought rapidly to the intensive

care unit because his breathing was difficult. And he needed to be

anaesthetised and put on a ventilator. It is great to see him

making a good recovery. What is the prospect of full recovery? Most

patients make a full recovery and Martin, although we have not seen

him in Bath for a while, he is in Frenchay, it has been fantastic.

It's a team approach. Much of the work was done by nurses and physios.

We are delighted to see his progress and he is an inspiration.

It is so nice to have a good news story. Thank you for coming in. A A

nine-year-old girl from Dorset has suffered a fractured skull in a

skiing accident in Austria after losing control and smashing into a

ski hut. India Furness from Cerne A-bus crashed through a safety net

and wooden fence before being catapulted through the window of

the disused cabin. She was airlifted to hospital in a coma,

but has since regained consciousness. Doctors say a helmet

probably saved her life. Eighteen farms in the West have now

tested positive for the Schmallenberg virus which causes

birth defects and miscarriages in livestock. The government has just

published its latest figures and has confirmed that all farms

affected are Sheep farms. The virus is thought to be spread by midges.

Across the country it's been found in nearly 240 farms.

The spiralling cost of fuel has led to a sharp rise in thefts of

heating oil in parts of the region. Worst hit are farmers who often

store thousands of pounds worth of fuel in their isolated outbuildings.

The cost of theft claims has risen more than 150% according to the

insurer NFU Mutual. Scott Ellis joins us now from a farm in

Gloucestershire which has been targeted by thieves.

Yes, heating oil a commonly stolen item in the countryside. In

Gloucestershire last year 70 incidents, up from 50 for three

years ago. On this farm, fairly typical, the heating oil is kept in

a large plastic containers, they were filled up last year and

immediately they were drained of the oil by thieves. There was

�2,000 worth. The farmer joins me. It really inconvenienced you.

inconvenience. I went into the holiday cottage, I found the boiler

was not working and the maintenance staff came quickly and said they

could not find anything wrong with the boiler but the tank was empty

of fuel. So, it affected your business. A total inconvenience.

How did they steal the fuel? have been told they apparently got

into the top and put a hole in, it is only plastic, a hosepipe to a

pump and drawing it off that way. They must have had a large tank.

They store them in a transit vehicle which I suppose you could

get 2000 litres in there. Let's talk to a form security consultant.

What can you do because a lock doesn't help. It is a difficult

situation, if they do put a lock, the chances are they will break the

tank so you have to lose the fuel. It is not just farmers the news

these. It is very difficult but the best thing to do is slow them up

and spotlight them. Good lighting, make sure the cabling is height so

they cannot cut it and CCTV, it's not always the answer but you must

do what you can. It is not just heating oil. Farms all over the

country are losing diesel and it is causing problems. We all pay in the

long run. We have heard from the police say the theft of diesel from

lorries and farm vehicles is increasing in the last month they

had five incidents in a street, Froome, Evercreech and also �800 of

diesel was taken from three lorries. Secure your vehicles and report

suspicious behaviour. Thank you very much indeed. Well,

you're watching BBC Points West this Tuesday evening, and the

weather is definitely on the turn. We've plenty still to come between

now and seven. With a trip to Sudeley Castle where David Starkey

can tell us more about Henry VIII's last wife Katherine Parr. And no

chance of catching their breath - we meet some synchronized Olympic

hopefuls. Government plans for new laws to

allow our emails, texts and web use to be monitored by intelligence

agencies have been criticised by the conservative MP for Somerset

North East Jacob Rees Mogg. The plans would see GCHQ in Cheltenham

being given access to our communications as they're happening.

And despite the home secretary insisting "ordinary people" would

have nothing to fear, Jacob Rees Mogg says only criminal suspects

should be targeted. I am concerned powers are being extended when the

government came into office promising to restore civil

liberties and to protect us from the encroachment of the state under

the last Labour government. Mr Rees Mogg says he's worried his

government could end up breaking an election pledge by intruding on

people's privacy. Bristol Airport says strike action

by French traffic controllers is disrupting some flights. Passengers

are being told to expect delays to planes heading to France, Spain and

Portugal. One flight to Toulouse and another to Limoges have been

cancelled. Passengers are being advised to check the status of

their flights with their airlines. A west country farm which tries to

give inner city children a taste of the great outdoors welcomed a royal

visitor today. The Duchess of Cornwall went to Jamie's Farm at

Box to see how an insight into farming has opened the eyes of

young people from some of Britain's more deprived areas. Luke Hanrahan

reports. For this 15-year-old today was

different. The Londoner has met these animals at Jamie's farm

before but never Paul Teague. It was rather different for the

duchess. It is hardly Highgrove. This farm provides inner-city

youngsters with a change of scenery. In the countryside there is more

opportunities including horse whispering. Making friends with a

horse and all sorts of things. is interesting and quiet in the

countryside. It is not like London with cars everywhere. When you go

to sleep, it is really nice and you get more sleep. More sleep but it

can also be hard work. The duchess knows all about that. Keeping

chickens at home in Gloucestershire. She was keen to find out how

Jamie's father is helping transform the lives of children from some of

the toughest places in Britain. is apprehensive when the bus

arrives and the children come out in the tracksuits and looking quite

tough. It's amazing to see the softening it happens quickly when

the children come from the urban environments. I go into the schools

and visit where children live and they are tough urban environments.

Getting to grips with the animals on the farm is proving a success

for many of the teenagers. With her fondness of the countryside, this

project certainly has her seal of A museum boasting one of Britain's

best Bronze Age collections has been saved from closure after

receiving �370,000 of lottery money. The Wiltshire Heritage Museum in

Devizes feared it would have to close its doors. But museum bosses

say this lottery funding will allow them to build a new gallery

showcasing their Bronze Age artefacts.

The Queen has sent a good luck message to a group of soldiers who

are trying to become the first injured servicemen to scale Everest,

the world's highest mountain. Among them is Captain Francis Atkinson

from Wiltshire who was injured in Afghanistan in 2010. You may

remember, we first met him a couple of weeks ago. Before the news about

the Queen's message came in, I asked Captain Atkinson to fill us

in on the journey so far. Since arriving in Kathmandu we

sorted out our equipment, and we spent a couple of days there and

then flew to an airfield on the side of a Himalayan cliff. It is

there that we began our trip to Everest Base Camp. It is about a 10

day trek and we are four days into it right now. How is everybody

coping? Presumably, you are now starting to feel the effects of the

altitude? That's right. At about 3,500 metres people began to

develop altitude sickness problems such as headaches and nausea. As a

group of soldiers we have been quite fortunate. Only a couple of

members of our group have had mild headaches. We have had a couple of

rest days to help us to adapt to the high altitude, and we will

carry on on a way tomorrow. What is the next stage? We hope to reach

base camp in about five - six days. That just depends on the dip -- the

weather, and how everyone is feeling. There is no real rush to

get that the limit. How are the conditions there at the moment? Do

they look favourable? We have had bright sunshine, but it has been

snowing today and thankfully it has been a rest day so we have not got

too wet. We will lead to know how they get on.

Well, just as we start to see a few showers, it's time to talk about

the start of the cricket season. And Gloucestershire's cricketers

believe they can defy the critics who say they'll struggle this

summer. Last season's leading wicket-taker and their highest run-

scorer both had to leave during the winter because of financial cut-

backs. But, as Alistair Durden reports, the club is hoping their

young squad can exceed expectations. If they looked fresh faced, it's

because they are. Gloucestershire's squad is smaller in size and

younger in years. The club are putting their faith in their

academy graduates this year. Finances dictating long-serving

high-earners like Jon Lewis and Chris Taylor had to move on. It is

hard to replace 28 years of experience, no doubt about it. It

means you have got to surge under every stone, and you have got to

back your own. In our Academy, we believe we have been successful in

producing cricketers over the last years, but you don't know that

until you start playing. The club's stalled redevelopment plans have

left a hole in the finances - lucrative international matches

won't return unless improvements are made. The red dotted line here

shows the original line. We have adopted by a fraud. -- dropped it

by a floor. They've now scaled down the height of the apartment block

they want to build and resubmitted the application last week. But the

delay meant borrowing �400,000 from the council to keep the project

alive. We have spent a lot of money and we have additional ex parte --

costs, but it is not a cause for members to be worried. But it's not

stopped the wage bill being trimmed. So now promising youngsters have to

be become proven performers. There will be a few tough days, no doubt,

but we are looking to push promotion, so I think it could be a

team that will grow together for the future. It may not happen in

the first season, but in two or three seasons it could be a really

strong team and one to look at four. And, by that time, the club hopes

its ground will also have been transformed.

In football, Swindon has the chance to go five points clear at the top

of League Two when they take on Barnet tonight. They beat them 4-0

when the sides met at the County Ground back in September. They then

knocked them out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy to reach the final. So

a win tonight would give them a commanding lead at the top of the

table and with a game in hand. It's a combination of art,

athleticism and timing. Synchronized swimming requires

strength and skill in the water - but it also demands a huge amount

of dedication and discipline. One Olympic hopeful who's prepared to

give it everything she's got, day in and day out, is Bath's Anya

Tarasiuk, and our cameras have been following her through a typical

training day. They live to a strict routine,

doing almost everything together at the same time. And yet from Bath

and has to win partner Katie are both hoping to make the Olympic

swimming team. Their training days start with a rigorous workout.

arms are burning when you get towards the end, so you need a lot

of motivation to keep going. If you don't like coming back like this...

Them, it is into the water for four hours. It is the choreography time,

making up some artistic moves. A lot of it was arm changes. The egg

beater is the movement with our legs. I have got sore legs and a

sore neck. They don't do the routines just once. Try again!

rehearse again, and again, and it is every bit as energy-sapping as

it looks. Recovery time and nutrition are just as important as

training itself. Going for gold means dedicating all of your time

to your dream. I was 16 when I got selected to be a part of the team.

A lot of the girls were over 18, so they did actually get the chance to

do A-levels at their own schools, in their own home towns. I have got

a whole life ahead of me which I can go back to studying and doing

whatever after the Olympics. days a week, full-time day in and

night, all for the chance to make that final squad and compete in an

Olympic pool. Tony McCoy and Ruby Walsh- big

names in racing, but both of them are Irish. Today the champion

trainer Paul Nicholls tried to change all that by inspiring a few

British youngsters into becoming jockeys. Around a hundred children

took part in a pony racing taster day at Cheltenham Racecourse. And

Experiencing the thrill of the gallop for the very first time.

Even on wooden horses, it's exciting. It hurt my legs a lot,

and it took a bit of getting used to. It is quite fun. I have never

done anything like it before. real thing is a growing sport -

hundreds of races like these now take place every year. The

organisers hope it will mirror the success in Ireland where pony

racing is well established. More than 100 British graduates have now

become jockeys. Gloucestershire's Willy Twiston-Davies is one who

started that way. It taught me a lot, really. It taught me about

Starting, race-day procedures, everything about racing - the

styles and positions and when you are supposed to be doing things. A

lot of my friends are now jockeys as well. Days like this really help

and there are loads of guys coming through. Those who might follow in

his footsteps even got to try out jockey's silks for size. And of

course you also need to know how to fall off safely. But, do they fancy

giving proper racing a go? I would like to be a jockey when I am older

because you get to go round the whole race course and everyone is

watching you and they bet money on you when you go fast, and you tried

at lots of different horses and ponies. If I was racing, I would be

quite scared. I am really excited about pony racing, but I need a

better horse. What do you want to do when you are older? Has any of

this make you want to be a jockey? No, my expectation is to be a High

Court judge. A bit of work still to be done then, but a day of thrills

and excitement for all young horse enthusiasts.

I am inspired and I wasn't even there!

Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived - the fate of

Henry VIII's numerous wives. And the last wife that he had was

Katherine Parr who's buried at Sudeley Castle. This summer the

historian David Starkey is giving lectures at the castle to mark 500

years since her birth. And Eleanor Sudeley Castle - a home fit for

Queen. And, for one year only, it was. In the early 16th Century,

Katherine Parr lived in this castle and walked in these gardens. But

who was she really? One famous historian has made it his business

to find out. Catherine is the Queen who survived. She is the last wife,

and we tend to think of her as the woman who comes from nowhere. She

is not. In many ways, she is the most interesting, the most exciting,

the best educated and the cleverest of Henry's wives. She comes here

because of her last husband, who is the kind of hot start of the Tudor

court, a man called Thomas Seymour. She had been in love with him

before she married Henry. She believes that God tells her to

marry Henry. The moment Henley is dead, she does what she wanted to

do all along and marries Thomas Seymour. This is his house. But her

story doesn't end well. Seymore betrayed her, their only child died

and, not long after, so did she. And it was here, in Sudeley

castle's chapel, that Katherine's body was laid to rest. Now they've

chosen the place where she died to talk about the life that she lived.

Not just the wife of a king but a strong, bright and potent light in

I love hearing David Starkey talking about it. He really does

bring it to life, and gives it so The change is on. We have been

talking about it changing this week, and right now it has begun. It is

raining, and it has rained for many across the region today. More to

come. We have been talking about the lack of rain, but we have got

some over the next 24 hours. It still won't make much of a dent on

to the dry ground. March was one of the warmest and driest since

records began at the Met Office in 1910. We had acres of some time

with highs of 21 Celsius. Last Wednesday was when they hit 21

Celsius. Tomorrow could not be a more different picture with raw

winds and a fair few wintery showers. Tomorrow will look and

feel like a January day. It started nicely today, or dry and bright

with decent amounts of sunshine, and tender just held up well. Then

the showers began to push in from the West, bumping into cold air. We

had some hail here and there. I have not had any reports of sleet

and snow on higher ground, but no sooner we did hit higher ground

then it would have melted very quickly. Most places did see those

showers as just that, showers. We are now keeping a close eye on the

progression of a system coming down from the North of England. There is

a warm front and a cold front mixed together, bringing further bad

weather, and further cold air over the next few days as that a

direction changes and those wins swing in from the north-east. That

is really what will cause the winter we feel over the next couple

of days. For the rest of tonight, a continuation of the weather that I

am enjoying now upon the roof. The showers continued. They could be

wintery here and there the higher you grow. -- dove. The winds will

intensify overnight. A cold night with many rural spots not getting

much above freezing. Tomorrow sees a cold start from the word go. The

wind will make its presence felt. It is a north-easterly wind which

is never good news. The winter chill will be significant tomorrow.

That will make the air temperature feel even colder than six or seven

and it will feel more like three or four in a few areas. It really is a

January day all round, and even when we get between us in those

showers it will not settle on that warm ground. Tomorrow night will be

the coldest of the week with further showers just about anywhere.

Thursday is a drier picture, but we keep those north-easterly winds so

it will be a cold day. Warming up in time for Good Friday and Easter

Saturday, but still a nagging breeze over a dry weekend.