14/11/2013 BBC Points West

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

The freak accident that killed a toddler. Sophia died after becoming

entangled in the cord from a window blind. New regulations come into

force next year. Bath Rugby unveil their plans for a

new look at the Rec, but will it cause a ruck among the locals?

Honoured at last. The unsung heroes of World War II receive their

medals. And full of hope for the future How

Children In Need helped a girl who was diagnosed with HIV when she was

only ten. It's been described as every

parent's "absolute nightmare", the death of a toddler strangled by the

cord of a window blind. The words are those of the assistant coroner

in Gloucestershire at an inquest which heard Sophia Parslow had been

left alone for only a matter of minutes before tragedy struck.

A happy, typically inquisitive, baby child who'd often climb a chair to

look out a window at her home in Tirley. An inquest heard that

brought the 17`month`old within inches of the looped cord of a

window blind. On the morning of the 27th of June Sophia was watching her

favourite TV programme dressed in her pyjamas. Another went upstairs

to get her clothes and said she was out of the room for no more than

four minutes. She said she panicked when she came down to find her

daughter suspended by the neck and tangled in the looped cord of a

blind. Sophia was unconscious and had vomited. She tried to revive her

for ten minutes. Sophia's parents were too upset to attend today's

inquest. They spoke to Points West earlier this year about their

campaign to have blinds with looped cords banned. We do not have Sophia

any more. We do not have anything else to do apart from freight from

heart and make sure that no other child is taken away. `` fight for

her. This safety film tells parents how

to make blinds safe. Looped cords have led to 30 deaths in the last 15

years, mostly of children under 36 months who don't have the strength

to untangle themselves. You can have breakaways, so you would have to of

these on the blind and with any weight they come apart. New safety

regulations are coming in next year ensuring cords are able to break or

are tied up. The advice at this shop, get blinds fitted

professionally. The solutions are out there and there are many people

who will willingly provide advice on what you can do to keep children

safe. RoSPA advises against using looped cord blinds altogether,

saying they can kill quickly and quietly.

A woman from Cheltenham has died while paragliding in Tenerife.

Carolyn Dewdney, who was 53 and worked at Cheltenham General

Hospital, was flying in a mountainous area in the south of the

island when, it's believed, she suffered a heart attack. She was on

a week`long paragliding holiday with her husband and other members of a

hang gliding club. The Citizen's Advice Bureau says it

helps more than six million people every year across the UK. But in

Bath there are plans to change their advice services, open the contract

out to tender and reduce the budget by more than 50% from next year The

council says it must make savings and the advice will still be

available elsewhere. But those who use it say it will mean the most

vulnerable have nowhere to go for help.

When Peter Rogers was diagnosed with a long term illness, he needed to

know what help was out there. Without the Citizen's Advice Bureau

here in Bath he says he wouldn't have known which way to turn. I

needed help and you are often not in a mental states to be able to deal

with these complicated things yourself so the citizens advice

bureau has been brilliant from that point of view. The Citizen's Advice

service is made up of 338 bureaux, each its own charity, across the

United Kingdom. The aim to give advice to anyone who needs it. In

Bath, the service is bought from them by the council on behalf of the

taxpayer, with a budget of ?408 000 a year. But from next year the

council plans to replace it and offer a new contract to the best

bidder to provide a reduced service to those most in need. The new

contract will still be a good contract but with a reduced figure.

That is a significant reduction but we recognise that there is

flexibility within the system so we are rationalising we can make the

saving and still provide the service to all our residents. Those running

the service disagree and they are launching an online petition forcing

the full council to debate the issue. We are in a time that is

unprecedented in terms of household budgets and pressure so people will

need to be guided through the maze of that, that is what we do. The

council will talk through the changes tonight but with ?30 million

in savings to make it says it can only afford to help those most in

need. You're watching your local news from

the BBC, thanks for joining us. There's still plenty more to come.

We'll meet someone who's earned an award for promoting women on the

comedy circuit. You may have seen some lively

headlines about all manner of extreme weather coming our way next

week, how much truth is there in that? I will tell you later.

A year ago this week police forces across the country went through a

major shake`up with the introduction of elected police and crime

commissioners. They took over the purse`strings, and were meant to

hold the police to account. But has anyone noticed the difference? And

are they value for money? We asked people in the West if they could

name theirs. Do you know who your Police and Crime Commissioner is?

No. No idea. If I said his name was Martin Searle, have you heard of

him? No. No idea. Yes. I have no idea. Maybe a woman? No, sorry.

They've not make much on an impression on people here, but are

they doing a good job behind the scenes?

On a raid for stolen goods here in Knowle. Chief Constable Nick Gargan

and crime commissioner Sue Mountstevens are getting hands on.

Commissioners decide where the money goes and set crime policy. Officers

in Bristol have been working hard to increase the number of burglaries

that we saw. It is a great way of reducing burglaries to catch the

people responsible. The commissioner has set out her priorities as

tackling sexual and domestic violence and anti`social behaviour.

Her force must deliver even as the government cuts funding, so will she

put up the police share of the council tax? We have narrowed it

down to three choices. We can either freeze it, which has been done for

the past three years, we can increase it up to 2%, or we can go

for 10%. 10% would mean a referendum. A referendum could cost

us ?1 million. Would you be happy to pay more in council tax for the

police? I think there is enough money there. I would be for it, yes.

I do not think we should have to pay more. The Wiltshire crime

commissioner says he has no intention of going above the 2% cap.

But despite the cuts the force was one of the first in the country to

lift its recruiting ban. The policing element of the rates bill

is ?157. If we put it up 2% it will be an extra ?3 per year and I think

people in Wiltshire would understand the value continuing front line

policing. We cannot take any more cuts. It is Cliff edge. The

Commissioner has not decided whether to ask people to pay more for

policing. ?1.4 million cheaper as a result of six weeks work in place.

It is a bit of a game changer. It is the point when people realise the

Commissioner carries the can and signs the checks. But are they

themselves good value for money In Gloucestershire, the office of the

PCC is ?2,000 cheaper. But in Avon the cost is ?200,000 more than the

old police authority. Meanwhile in Wiltshire the office costs just

?2,000 more. But commissioners were never really about the money, they

were about accountability, an issue I will be exploring tomorrow.

There was a lot of opposition to the introduction of elected PCCs,

including from the former Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Tim

Brain who joins us from his home in Gloucestershire tonight. Have the

one you over? I am afraid not. The evidence from your poll is that they

have not made the kind of impact that the government promised they

would. The election principle was going to solve the problem of a

broken relationship between the police and the public. It is very

doubtful that relationship was never broken to the degree it needed help,

but it is clear that they have not made that kind of bridge and it is a

legacy of that very low turnout at last year's collection. There was a

big bust up when the Police and Crime Commissioner started in Avon

and Somerset, she has now appointed a new person. What should the

relationship delay between the Chief Constable and the Commissioner? It

has to be professional and the Chief Constable should not be afraid to

make demands of the Commissioner and to do so publicly if necessary. My

concern is the Chief Constable will become more subordinate overtime.

The closer a Chief Constable and Commissioner work together, the more

difficult it will be to change should the Commissioner it posted at

the election. We are going to see a closer but more political

relationship between some PCC 's and their chief constables. If a new

Commissioner comes in and asks the constable to crack down on

burglaries, will the constable roll his eyes? I think chief constables

are close to what has to be done and therefore they do not really require

being told by commissioners. What commissioners should do in theory is

be attuned to what the public want. Whether that really amounts to a

political choice, we have to see in individual cases. I really think

that unfortunately even very good Police and Crime Commissioner's

struggle to get round their patch, some of the patches are very big

indeed, a lot of people live in them and it is every old test for one

individual to be able to consult with all of the public in their

area. Bath Rugby club has unveiled the

first images of its planned new arena at The Recreation Ground.

People living close to the Rec saw the architect's drawings for the

first time this morning in a private meeting. Will the changes impressed

the city's civic leaders? But Bath Rugby's unique location has

become a blessing and a curse. So bringing the ground up to date needs

careful negotiation. Invited residents got their first chance to

react at a meeting this morning Those looking out for the city's

other historic buildings thought it a good idea too, but still await the

detail. In particular, what colour is that large roof area going to

be? It is clear it will be very exciting when a match is taking

place, but how will those buildings sit on the recreation ground when

there is not a match taking place? The club aims to increase its

capacity from 12,000`16,000. I think embarrassed is a good way of putting

it. It is a fantastic location with compromised facilities. Premiership

Rugby do a survey and we come bottom of the league every year. Huge

potential, massive support in this area and people think, it is sold

out, I will not bother. It is self`limiting. The club still faces

opposition from three different fronts. A dispute over an ancient

covenant, the decision to allow the club to swap land at its training

ground for more of the Rec and an application to list it as a town and

village green. People in the city today also had strong views on the

plans. Over my dead body. I live just along there and that is going

to obstruct my view. There has to be changed. It is so slow to accept

change most of the time and sometimes change needs to happen.

Bass has proven that it can add new architecture to the Georgian town.

After hearing people's views, the club hopes to submit plans to the

council before the end of the year. Traders at Gloucester's indoor

market have been told by the City Council they may have to move out.

Discussions are underway about whether the site could be taken over

by a national retailer. The market has been on the site in Eastgate

Shopping Centre for over 40 years. The local branch of the Federation

of Small Businesses says traders should be allowed to stay.

It's been a 70`year wait, but today veterans of the Second World War

finally received their campaign medals. Two men were part of Bomber

Command, two in the Arctic convoy to Russia, and all took the opportunity

to remember fallen colleagues. The largest convoy ever taken to

Russia. Winston Churchill called it the worst journey in the world, they

sailed through freezing temperatures and ice under constant threat of

attack. More than 3000 men died in the Arctic convoys escorting

essential supplies to Russia during the Second World War. I have

collected these medals. Raymond Watkinson served on these ships and

today he was awarded the Arctic Star. His colleague also remembers

his missing colleagues. We served with them. We know what they were

like. All the men who died. He was joined by two men who served with

Bomber Command, that year 's squadron sent on bombing missions

over Europe. Over 50,000 of them were killed. When you joined the

squadron, you were told or informed in a very nice man that it is not

wise to make strong friends with other crews, stay with your own true

if you can because the loading of morale mean that you do not come

back. You only had three weeks life expectancy. These men defied the

odds to survive. Today they finally received their medals, overwhelmed

by the memories of those who did not make it home.

We salute them. It's nearly here. Yes, tomorrow is

Children in Need, and throughout the week on Points West we've been

looking at how your donations are used to help young people in our

area. Tonight we have a letter written by a young woman from

Bristol. She wrote to Children in Need to explain how Bristol charity

The Children's HIV Association, or CHIVA, has helped her to come to

terms with living with HIV. I am 20 years old and a first year

university students reading psychology at Imperial College

London. To hopefully be qualified as a mental health doctor. My mum said,

the world is my oyster. I guess she is right. I never used to think so,

but that is where my story begins. I was told I had HIV and started

taking medication at the age of ten. I never really understood what this

meant apart from that my body could not fight on its own and needed the

medication to help it. I watched a couple of videos of how the

medication was important and that was it. My life changed forever The

more I understood what was going on in my body or I started to resent

the fact and ask questions like why would God let this happen to me

Does this mean I cannot have a family? What would my friends make

of it? Everyone has questions when they are afraid of reality. My

questions were a reason to hide I was terrified. Amidst all the

changes of growing up, the children's HIV Association supported

me and helped me and other people in the same situation as me and

suddenly I did not feel alone any more. I went to retreats, or

overnight stays and camps built just for us. That was special and still

is. I met brave young souls who shine with amazing stories and

talents. Sharing the same passion for a brighter future and an

unlimited access to the world. Disclosure is one of the hardest

things to do. You have to make sure you trust and love the person you're

going to tell. For me, telling my best friend was a graphic and play

hard. The words could not come out, but she made everything OK because

she said she had thought something was wrong because she had seen me

taking my medication. After a conversation, that was it, she does

not treat me any different. That is the best bet. I am still me and

nothing has changed and nothing will ever change full having HIV does not

define who you are as a person. It does not control you or you should

not let it. HIV is part of you, you are not part of it. If you could see

me, you would not see HIV, you would just see me. I am from Bristol and

that is part of my story. There is still lots more to be written.

Nothing is stopping me from driving and being what I know I can be. ``

thriving. It is a very moving letter.

If you'd like to find out more about CHIVA and how they help young people

with HIV, you can visit their website at chiva.org.uk. Don't

forget tomorrow we will have a special Children in Need programme

from Bath. We'll be at the Roman Baths, with Pudsey of course. And

we'll have a full round`up of some of the wild and wonderful things

you've been doing to raise money. Don't miss it. Bath Rugby Arctic a

part as well, we have a quire, drummers.

A writer from Bristol is up for an award in London tonight for

championing the cause of female comedians. Jane Duffas decided she

was sick of watching only male comics and decided to do something

about it. She now stages all`female comedy nights here in the West

Country and tonight is promoting a show at the Colston Hall.

Are you having a laugh? I will be later. From very humble beginnings,

we now have a potentially award`winning production company

because it is a regular feature of the West Country comedy circuit

They started with the first gig in May last year and have been to the

Royal festival hall and at the Colston Hall tonight. We can meet

the person who is the inspiration. What was the moment when you thought

you needed one of these? It was about two years ago and I was at the

Cheltenham literature festival and it was just the two women sat on the

stage with a bottle of wine chatting away and it was so funny. And I

thought, why do you not get to see female comedians? I looked at the

listings and realise there were no women on the bills. I thought, I am

going to do this myself. It started off with a one off night in May last

year which was supposed to be a point proving exercise and now we're

having the 22nd sure. Are these shows really needed or is the idea

that women comedians become so successful you do yourself out of a

job? That would be fantastic. I would love to just put on comedy

nights but at the moment I am afraid they are still needed. You have been

involved almost from the beginning. It is one of the complaints that

women are just not funny? I do not know where this comes from. We are

hell alias. You often do shores and then you have a great show at them

one time there was this man on crutches and he made this huge

effort to hobble over to me and he said, normally women are not funny

but you are good. If people see a male comedian who is not good, they

think, he is not funny and they are surprised. You are fighting against

the assumption that women are not funny. Tonight in London gene is up

for an award to see whether as a female entrepreneurs she can take

the company to new heights. What is the fastest food you can eat? Scorn.

`` Scone. Ian was talking about lively

headlines. It is one of those things we have

been seeing in the newspapers when they take a half truth about the

weather and then extrapolated. And you probably quite rightly start to

wonder where the truth starts. It is the case we are going to see a cold

start developing next week. This is nothing unusual for the late stage

of November. Watch this blue line which marks a cold front ushering in

this cold Auerbach. Particularly on Monday and into Tuesday.

Temperatures will drop accordingly and we will start to add on the

likelihood of ice, snow, that cannot be ruled out anywhere. This is the

response the temperatures will have as we run through those days. You

can see the decline over the days. With all of that in mind, as we head

into tomorrow, some of you will be up to a cold start but it will be a

beautiful day generally speaking. We have lost the showers that we had in

some areas through the afternoon, the winds will start to drop out as

well as we had through the course of the night. Clear skies for a

decidedly chilly night. We may even get down below that. There will be a

number of you waking up to some frost around, but it will be added

great start. It continues hour by hour. Not as much wind`chill.

Do not forget that our Children in Need reports are on the website Bye

for now.