:00:00. > 3:59:59Cabinet minister Tony Benn who's died aged 88. That's all from the
:00:00. > :00:07.Welcome to BBC Points West with BBC News at Six so
:00:08. > :00:11.Welcome to BBC Points West with David Garmston and Imogen Sdllers.
:00:12. > :00:14.Our main story tonight. The death of Bristol's most controversial MP
:00:15. > :00:24.Tony Benn represented the chty for 30 years ` we have his final
:00:25. > :00:33.thoughts from his last interview. When I die, people will say, Tony
:00:34. > :00:37.Benn encouraged us. As a book of condolence is opened in the city he
:00:38. > :00:44.loved, we have reaction across the political divide.
:00:45. > :00:48.Our other headlines tonight. The man robbed of his life by a crudl
:00:49. > :00:53.disease, but he's won his fhght for other patients to be given `ccess to
:00:54. > :00:58.untested drugs. A thrilling end to the Cheltenham Festival, but local
:00:59. > :01:10.trainers trot off without a winner. And after Grommit, meet Hor`ce, the
:01:11. > :01:14.new poster boy for road safdty. One of the giant figures in west country
:01:15. > :01:19.politics ` Tony Benn is being mourned tonight. He was an LP for
:01:20. > :01:21.half a century, 33 of them hn a Bristol constituency.
:01:22. > :01:25.Tony Benn made an indelible mark on politics ` and on the city. Today
:01:26. > :01:31.there were tributes from political friends and foes alike.
:01:32. > :01:35.At the union headquarters that bears his name flowers were laid, while at
:01:36. > :01:37.City Hall a book of condolence was opened. Here's our political editor
:01:38. > :01:41.Paul Barltrop. He already has his place carved in
:01:42. > :01:45.Bristol's history. In City Hall today one of the first to p`y her
:01:46. > :01:59.respects was MP Dawn Primarolo. You She'd worked for Tony Benn. Tony
:02:00. > :02:03.imprinted on this city and on politics that actually, it hs about
:02:04. > :02:10.two people and about taking people with you and understanding their
:02:11. > :02:15.lives. And I think they still is a better place because of him. He
:02:16. > :02:20.inspired a generation to believe that it could make a differdnce
:02:21. > :02:23.Outside the union headquartdrs which bears his name, flowers had been
:02:24. > :02:29.laid. Tony Benn's links with the unions had remained strong dven as
:02:30. > :02:33.he distanced himself from hhs party. His compassion and his humanity
:02:34. > :02:38.deeply touched me. He was a political motivator for me `nd
:02:39. > :02:44.what's inspired me was his capacity to organise. He was a wonderful
:02:45. > :02:47.human being and that is what I will remember him for. A passion`te
:02:48. > :02:50.advocate of street`level politics, Tony Benn was well`known in the
:02:51. > :02:57.city. Many who disagreed profoundly with his views nevertheless deeply
:02:58. > :03:01.respected his abilities. As a politician, Jubal never get everyone
:03:02. > :03:10.to agree with you, but you can aim to have everyone respect yot. On the
:03:11. > :03:13.doorsteps in Bristol, Conservative supporters still say there `re proud
:03:14. > :03:17.of Tony Benn's connection whth Bristol. Tony Benn wrote extensively
:03:18. > :03:20.` and has been much written about. Historians talk of a man who could
:03:21. > :03:30.stimulate both devotion and division. I think that kind of
:03:31. > :03:36.politician with such a sensd of direction, such a sense of purpose,
:03:37. > :03:40.such energy, such charisma, is remarkably unusual. We have moved to
:03:41. > :03:46.an era of Alyssa Gold readership that focuses on image and use, so is
:03:47. > :03:50.a sense that we will simply not see this sort of politician agahn. The
:03:51. > :03:59.political debate over Bristol's longest`serving MP will go on and
:04:00. > :04:04.on. Tony Benn would have approved. Tony Benn forged his political
:04:05. > :04:07.career as an MP in Bristol. As a minister in the Labour
:04:08. > :04:10.governments of the sixties `nd seventies he was famous as `
:04:11. > :04:13.passionate socialist who ch`mpioned workers' rights. He kept Concorde
:04:14. > :04:18.flying, and safeguarded thotsands of jobs.
:04:19. > :04:21.I met Mr Benn last autumn for what turned out to be one his final
:04:22. > :04:29.interviews before ill health took its toll.
:04:30. > :04:33.You have changed the constitution of this country by your own power. A
:04:34. > :04:36.left wing firebrand. Once hhs enemies called him the most
:04:37. > :04:40.dangerous man in Britain. A smoker and tea drinker on an epic scale `
:04:41. > :04:45.old age mellowed him ` but Tony Benn was a peace with himself and
:04:46. > :04:53.socialism. General, I think I have moved to the left. A lot of people
:04:54. > :04:56.start of left wing and end tp on the right, but I have done it the other
:04:57. > :05:02.way round. He was probably the most controversial MP the city h`s ever
:05:03. > :05:10.seen. I represented the citx and came to learn to love it, so that is
:05:11. > :05:13.my interested in is to them. Public school and deeply privileged `
:05:14. > :05:19.Anthony Wedgewood Benn was dlected in Bristol in 1950 and dedicated
:05:20. > :05:22.himself to the working class. And while this country remains riddled
:05:23. > :05:27.with the class divisions we now have and tied to old`fashioned
:05:28. > :05:31.conventions, there is reallx no hope for it. But when his father died,
:05:32. > :05:35.this champion of the poor bdcame a Lord and for a time was disbarred
:05:36. > :05:39.from the House of Commons while he fought to get rid of his title. This
:05:40. > :05:43.is the period beginning with the first strike, which we all hope to
:05:44. > :05:48.see take place in the next few weeks. As a minister he backed
:05:49. > :05:51.Concorde ` a supersonic toy for the rich. If that was a contradhction,
:05:52. > :06:00.Mr Benn had no problem with it, because it meant jobs for Fhlton.
:06:01. > :06:03.But his attempts to lead Labour tore the party apart. In 1983, hd helped
:06:04. > :06:06.draft a radical election manifesto nicknamed the longest suicide note
:06:07. > :06:12.in history. And that combindd with boundary changes, ended the Bristol
:06:13. > :06:25.stage of his long political career. I met him last autumn in a sheltered
:06:26. > :06:29.flat in west London. He had just finlished his final diaries and he
:06:30. > :06:34.read me a moving passage. I do think I am coming to the end of mx life. I
:06:35. > :06:40.am not ill, I am just winding down. I have not lost my interest in life,
:06:41. > :06:44.but I just think my body is wearing itself out. He confided that he
:06:45. > :06:48.loved life and would rather like to live 100, but we both knew that he
:06:49. > :06:52.wouldn't. Dismissed as naivd by his critics, he ended his days confident
:06:53. > :06:57.of his views and hopeful th`t his values will live on. I would like to
:06:58. > :07:07.be remembered for what I have done. The important thing is to encourage
:07:08. > :07:14.people, and if when I die, people say, Tony Benn, he encouragdd us,
:07:15. > :07:20.then that is the greatest possible tribute I could have. Tony Benn
:07:21. > :07:26.thank you very much. And yot can see my full interview with Tony Benn on
:07:27. > :07:30.our Facebook page. It was the final day of the
:07:31. > :07:33.Cheltenham Festival, in a wdek which will have brought ?50 million into
:07:34. > :07:37.the local community. No loc`l winners though in the Gold Cup. Ali
:07:38. > :07:46.Durden has been there for us all week and joins us now.
:07:47. > :07:54.It was one of the greatest finishes and for a long time, it looks as
:07:55. > :07:59.though the Somerset trainer Paul Nicholls would get his fourth
:08:00. > :08:02.success in this famous race, but it was Lord Windermere who had the
:08:03. > :08:10.strongest legs, coming from last place to first with a heart stopping
:08:11. > :08:20.finish. He was almost there, heading up the famous hill to the whnning
:08:21. > :08:27.post. At Paul Nicholls' stables they were shouting him home. But
:08:28. > :08:41.with the line in sight, he ran out of steam, having to settle for
:08:42. > :08:47.fourth. For the third Gold cup in a row, the giant bolster on the left
:08:48. > :08:54.here finished in the top fotr, an impressive achievement for David
:08:55. > :08:59.Bridgwater's small stables. I thought we were going to win and
:09:00. > :09:06.then in the end Lord Winderlere was stronger. It is just unforttnate
:09:07. > :09:11.that the two Irish horses fhnished in front of us. It proved to be a
:09:12. > :09:16.tricky deed for the Paul Nicholls camp. Earlier his top jockex was
:09:17. > :09:21.injured in a freak accident. I just spoke to him, he has broken his leg,
:09:22. > :09:26.his knee and his elbow, so he's being operated on tomorrow. I don't
:09:27. > :09:38.know how severe his injuries were, he was in good spirits. Unbdlievable
:09:39. > :09:44.luck. Just half an hour earlier his only success of the festival. But
:09:45. > :09:50.the day belonged to the unddrdog and Lord Windermere. After years of
:09:51. > :09:57.favourites dominating the bhg race, this results brought a little of the
:09:58. > :10:00.romance back to the Old Cup. That was one of five winners for the
:10:01. > :10:06.Irish trained horses, but it was Great Britain who won that
:10:07. > :10:11.particular contest, 15 reasons to 12. As far as the battle of the book
:10:12. > :10:16.is against the punters, I'll let you know who is on top of that one when
:10:17. > :10:20.you join me later. And we'll be back with Ali later for
:10:21. > :10:26.an expert assessment of this year's festival.
:10:27. > :10:37.Typical, the one year I draw the haven from the opposite swedpstake
:10:38. > :10:42.and the outsider wins. Ian will also have all your weekend weathdr.
:10:43. > :10:51.I will have all the details later in the programme.
:10:52. > :10:54.Patients with serious and tdrminal illnesses could have access to
:10:55. > :10:58.ground`breaking drugs beford they're fully licensed, thanks in p`rt to a
:10:59. > :11:01.campaign by a Gloucestershire man. Les Halpin died from motor neurone
:11:02. > :11:05.disease last year. But he'd fought for the right for patients to have
:11:06. > :11:10.early access to new medicathon in the hope it could offer a l`st
:11:11. > :11:13.chance of life. Today the Government agreed to
:11:14. > :11:17.change the rules. Here's our Gloucestershire reporter, Steve
:11:18. > :11:20.Knibbs. After contracting motor neurone
:11:21. > :11:23.disease in 2011, Les Halpin dedicated his life to campahgning
:11:24. > :11:30.for patients to try new, untested drugs earlier in clinical trials. He
:11:31. > :11:40.told me last year that for people with a terminal illness there was a
:11:41. > :11:44.chance the drugs just might work. "This is obviously one wherd it s
:11:45. > :11:48.very clear you've got a lot of risk but it's makes you more cle`r headed
:11:49. > :11:52.realising that if one outcole is "do nothing and die" then why not take
:11:53. > :12:11.some action which may very luckily save me or slow things down.
:12:12. > :12:17.Les sadly died in September but his campaign carried on ` and today s
:12:18. > :12:20.news is very close to what he wanted to achieve. The Early Access to
:12:21. > :12:23.Medicines scheme ` which st`rts next month in England ` will allow some
:12:24. > :12:30.innovative drugs to be used before they are fully licensed. Wh`t's
:12:31. > :12:33.patients want is sometimes to be able to try medicines which may not
:12:34. > :12:38.be clinically proven to be effective, but are clinically safe.
:12:39. > :12:43.This means we are streamlinhng the process so those medicines can be
:12:44. > :12:47.used earlier, particularly hf they have earlier promise, so thdy can
:12:48. > :12:51.bring hope to patients. Les Halpin's campaign was taken up in Parliament
:12:52. > :12:54.by his local MP who believes his determination was key today's
:12:55. > :13:02.annoucement. It is a victorx for the patients, a victory for the
:13:03. > :13:05.clinicians and a bitterly for the drugs companies, because it will be
:13:06. > :13:16.able to get the drugs onto the market quicker. In a statemdnt Les
:13:17. > :13:19.Halpin's widow Claire said today that he would have welcomed what she
:13:20. > :13:22.described as a significant step forward to ensure those pathents in
:13:23. > :13:24.desperate need have the opportunity to access treatments they could not
:13:25. > :13:28.in the past. Some good news for drivers hn
:13:29. > :13:31.Somerset tonight. The main road linking Taunton and Glastonbury `
:13:32. > :13:34.which has been closed because of flooding since the end of Ddcember `
:13:35. > :13:38.has finally re`opened. Therd is still a small amount of watdr on the
:13:39. > :13:45.carriageway so for the time being temporary traffic lights will
:13:46. > :13:48.control the traffic. A haul`ge company in Burrowbridge says the
:13:49. > :13:51.ten`week closure has cost them around ?2,000 a week in extra fuel
:13:52. > :13:54.for their lorries. The minor injuries unit at Linehead
:13:55. > :13:57.Hospital is to be closed ovdrnight ` possibly until the end of Atgust.
:13:58. > :14:01.Hospital managers say it's because of a shortage of trained st`ff. But
:14:02. > :14:05.it will mean that patients needing treatment after 11 at night will
:14:06. > :14:08.have to make a 40 minute jotrney to Musgrove Park Hospital in T`unton.
:14:09. > :14:17.One local doctor has critichsed the decision, saying the communhty was
:14:18. > :14:19.not consulted. Train operator First Great Western
:14:20. > :14:23.has secured agreement to increase the number of standard seats, by
:14:24. > :14:26.removing some in first class. The deal will create almost 3,000 more
:14:27. > :14:29.standard class seats a day for customers on high speed trahns. The
:14:30. > :14:35.work, funded by the Departmdnt for Transport, shoud be completdd by
:14:36. > :14:39.next summer. Bristol City host Swindon Town in
:14:40. > :14:42.League One tomorrow, and it's a special fixture for one of the men
:14:43. > :14:46.in charge. Swindon boss Mark Cooper will be making his return to Ashton
:14:47. > :14:49.Gate after starting his carder with City. His side were 3`2 winners when
:14:50. > :14:53.the local rivals last met at the County Ground, but the teams have
:14:54. > :15:02.seen a reversal of form in recent weeks. Here's Zoe Gough.
:15:03. > :15:05.It was as much a case of spot your team mate as the ball...at Bristol
:15:06. > :15:08.City's training ground. But after three wins in a row... City's
:15:09. > :15:15.players are certainly enjoyhng themselves. Everyone is buzzing
:15:16. > :15:20.after the last three games picked up nine points, so it is a gre`t
:15:21. > :15:24.feeling. While conditions wdre similar for Swindon ` on thd pitch
:15:25. > :15:27.they've hit a rocky patch. No victory since early Februarx, and a
:15:28. > :15:30.heavy 4`1 midweek defeat to Wolves. Making Mark Cooper's return to
:15:31. > :15:38.Ashton Gate all the more important for the former City apprenthce. I am
:15:39. > :15:42.looking forward to going back, it will bring back a lot of melories
:15:43. > :15:47.for me, because I can watch the event I have a lot of friends
:15:48. > :15:50.there, so I am looking forw`rd to going back and going back as manager
:15:51. > :15:57.of Swindon and hopefully getting a result. In 98 meetings of the teams,
:15:58. > :16:02.Bristol City have recorded the most wins. But the last game saw Swindon
:16:03. > :16:06.beat City 3`2 in September. Swindon were also 1`nil victors in the
:16:07. > :16:12.Carling Cup back in 2011. Btt City's recent form has given them
:16:13. > :16:21.confidence. I have experienced quite a few derbies, I know about that. It
:16:22. > :16:25.is OK, it doesn't faze me, H am looking forward to it. With just six
:16:26. > :16:29.points separating the teams in League One. Neither side want to
:16:30. > :16:39.lose sight of the right end of the table. Zoe Gough, BBC Points West.
:16:40. > :16:41.There are some important gales for our other football teams thhs
:16:42. > :16:45.weekend. In the Championship Yeovil Town can climb out of the rdlegation
:16:46. > :16:54.zone with a win at Harry Redknapp's Queens Park Rangers. And in League
:16:55. > :16:58.Two, mid`table Cheltenham are at home to Torquay who are bottom of
:16:59. > :17:05.the football league, while Bristol Rovers are away to Hartlepool.
:17:06. > :17:09.Live firing has resumed on the MoD's training site on Salisbury Plain. It
:17:10. > :17:12.was halted last week after `n explosive shell landed in a field
:17:13. > :17:15.near Devizes, several miles from its intended target. An investigation
:17:16. > :17:18.has found the wrong charge was used in the gun. An MoD spokesman said
:17:19. > :17:21.this was probably human error, and may result in disciplinary `ction.
:17:22. > :17:27.No`one was injured, but a l`rge crater was left in a field.
:17:28. > :17:30.A reward's been offered for the return of a bronze war memorial
:17:31. > :17:33.which was stolen from a Wiltshire village. The three`foot statue was
:17:34. > :17:41.created in 1917 for Wingfield near Trowbridge to honour the war dead,
:17:42. > :17:45.but was taken last month. Now ? ,000 has been offered as an incentive for
:17:46. > :17:49.its return. Efforts are being stepped up to
:17:50. > :18:00.protect one of the region's most historic sites. Tarr Steps on
:18:01. > :18:04.Exmoor, which are reputed to date back around 3,000 years, were washed
:18:05. > :18:07.away by the swollen river following torrential rain 15 months ago. Now
:18:08. > :18:29.riverside trees which could be washed downstream into the stones
:18:30. > :18:32.are being removed. They'll start the big clear`up at
:18:33. > :18:36.Prestbury Park now, at the dnd of another festival week. Among the
:18:37. > :18:42.last to leave is Ali Durden ` let's go back to him now for his final
:18:43. > :18:50.thoughts. How has the festival been for you?
:18:51. > :18:55.It has been a wonderful week, terrific racing. I think evdryone
:18:56. > :19:02.will have gone home having had fabulous afternoons. I bet the
:19:03. > :19:10.result today was a good restlt for the bookies. Yes, it was sole time
:19:11. > :19:16.ago that we got such a good result. What a fantastic race it was. This
:19:17. > :19:21.is how we attract new blood, new punters for the sport. The worst
:19:22. > :19:39.moment was single bed. Close shave for you. Ian, the chief
:19:40. > :19:47.executive, has joined us. Changing times, work is about to start on
:19:48. > :19:52.your new grandstand. Yes, what is there today will start disappearing
:19:53. > :19:57.tomorrow. Next year, it will have the main structure of the ndw
:19:58. > :20:04.grandstand in place and the ground`floor bar will also be able
:20:05. > :20:11.to be used by the public. Whll we see an increase in attendance? I
:20:12. > :20:19.think it can creep up, we'd like to see Wednesday and Thursday build`up
:20:20. > :20:34.by a few thousand, but Gold Cup Wilmots Co`op by much. It w`s an
:20:35. > :20:44.unbelievably memorable Gold Cup What was the biggest bet yot had?
:20:45. > :20:48.Did anyone go really big? No, not anything really big. Interestingly,
:20:49. > :20:57.a million bets were placed online with us. It was a wreck it hs
:20:58. > :21:12.entered for us. A captivating weekend. A lot of money won and
:21:13. > :21:16.lost. Remember this chap? Tufty ` a
:21:17. > :21:25.friendly face to help teach children about road safety. Then there was
:21:26. > :21:29.the Green Cross Code man ` `nd the Hedgehog family` but for a few years
:21:30. > :21:31.now ` there hasn't been an equivalent modern character.
:21:32. > :21:35.But now ` Aardman have teamdd up with the RAC to create one ` Horace
:21:36. > :21:39.is his name ` and youngsters are being asked to use him and their own
:21:40. > :21:50.characters to make animated films about being safe on the roads `
:21:51. > :21:58.here's Jules Hyam. He is funny. His eyes, you cannot blink. He hs quite
:21:59. > :22:07.sweet, he was quite amusing. And he is lovely.
:22:08. > :22:15.This class are making a fill of the hoping to win the competition. You
:22:16. > :22:22.can see it at the moment, bdcause of all the characters, but it says be
:22:23. > :22:36.safe, look, listen, which is a very important message. So let's see what
:22:37. > :22:40.they've come up with ` it's their first ever animated film ` `nd
:22:41. > :22:54.they've only had two hours to make and film the characters. So here
:22:55. > :23:14.goes ` with a big Hollywood build`up.
:23:15. > :23:19.You can see they have taken the safety theme to heart ` the film has
:23:20. > :23:27.its surreal moments, but thd message is clear to see. Fairfield's film is
:23:28. > :23:29.the first of what could well be thousands of Horace inspired
:23:30. > :23:44.animations ` each one themed around road safety. The bar, ladies and
:23:45. > :23:48.gentlemen, has been set rather high ` well done to the film teal `
:23:49. > :23:49.cheerio from them ` and frol Horace ` and from me.
:23:50. > :24:11.Now the weather forecast. One thing that has certainlx
:24:12. > :24:22.happened of late is the bredze has picked up, so that has been keeping
:24:23. > :24:27.the fog at bay. Saturday will be the better day in terms of sunshine
:24:28. > :24:30.because there will be more cloud on Sunday, but both days will remain
:24:31. > :24:38.dry and they will be compar`tively mild. I am not going to run through
:24:39. > :24:47.all the trouble to write in terms of detail, other than to say there will
:24:48. > :24:51.be reviewable amounts of cloud. Some of you will benefit from a good deal
:24:52. > :24:55.of sunshine from time to tile and as we had through towards Sund`y,
:24:56. > :25:02.although there will still bd brighter spells and it good deal of
:25:03. > :25:09.cloud, the cloud will tend to increase as we head towards the
:25:10. > :25:16.afternoon, but it will remahn dry. Tonight, we would bother with the
:25:17. > :25:31.details. There is no fog to worry about or any frost. It would be as
:25:32. > :25:35.Chile as it has been. There will be variable amounts of cloud, sometimes
:25:36. > :25:43.it will be fairly extensive, but not on the scale but some of yot have
:25:44. > :25:48.been saying. It will be a breezy day, but I don't think that will
:25:49. > :25:59.take the shine off things in terms of temperatures, which should reach
:26:00. > :26:04.up to ten, 11, 12, 13, 14 Cdlsius. It should feel warm in thosd
:26:05. > :26:10.conditions out of the breezd. Sunday, brighter spells in the
:26:11. > :26:17.morning, but gradually the cloud will increase. Temperatures should
:26:18. > :26:28.stay up to around 12 degrees Celsius. Some changes later in the
:26:29. > :26:33.week, but not profoundly for us The weather was lovely in Strasbourg
:26:34. > :26:37.this week, we were there filming for a special going out on Sund`y.
:26:38. > :26:43.We'll leave you with some moments from the life of Tony Benn, who s
:26:44. > :26:47.died at the age of 88. Whether you agreed with him or not ` it really
:26:48. > :26:56.is the end of a political era. From all of us here, good night. With his
:26:57. > :27:04.hands out and his eyes open, socialism, they said. Not a shred of
:27:05. > :27:13.democracy in these reforms. You do not cross a picket line. Thd whole
:27:14. > :27:18.of Whitehall things Concordd should be cancelled. Then I did another
:27:19. > :27:25.meeting in Bristol and took the shop stewards to Downing Street. Very,
:27:26. > :27:30.very important, because it was one of the first campaigns of this kind
:27:31. > :27:35.in Britain. You realised how immensely radical beware and I think
:27:36. > :27:43.socialism has a great deal to offer. I think the future belongs to
:27:44. > :27:47.socialism. I was in the House of Commons that introduced the National
:27:48. > :27:50.Health Service bill. I am jtst winding down now. I