:00:00. > :00:13.Welcome to BBC Points West, with so it's goodbye from me
:00:14. > :00:18.Welcome to BBC Points West, with Alex Lovell and David Garmston. Our
:00:19. > :00:21.main story tonight: The care worker who abused his
:00:22. > :00:24.trust. Colin Stokes raped three vulnerable women inside thehr own
:00:25. > :00:28.homes. Today, he's been jailed for 14 years. It is probably ond of the
:00:29. > :00:31.most serious offences you h`ve to deal with, probably only second to
:00:32. > :00:35.murder when you consider thd impact on victims and the families of
:00:36. > :00:36.victims. A criminal records check revealed suspicions but the police
:00:37. > :00:47.and social services didn't `ct. Our other headlines tonight:
:00:48. > :00:50.The game's afoot. Bristol Rovers are on the move after Sainsbury's wins
:00:51. > :00:55.the battle to redevelop thehr old stadium.
:00:56. > :00:59.Farewell to Tony Benn, as the Queen agrees his coffin can be given the
:01:00. > :01:03.same privilege as Mrs Thatcher's. And Drink Up Ye Cider for Flood
:01:04. > :01:11.Relief ` the Wurzels stage ` concert tonight for charity.
:01:12. > :01:16.A care worker has been jaildd for 14 years after raping three vulnerable
:01:17. > :01:26.women he should have been looking after. Colin Stokes was branded
:01:27. > :01:29.dangerous by the judge todax after what were described as remorseless
:01:30. > :01:32.attacks. Further distress was caused to the
:01:33. > :01:35.victims' families after it was revealed that Stokes had bedn
:01:36. > :01:38.investigated some years before, for a sexual offence at the samd home,
:01:39. > :01:40.but no further action was t`ken Our Gloucestershire reporter, Steve
:01:41. > :01:44.Knibbs was in court. This bedroom should have bedn the
:01:45. > :01:49.safe haven for a vulnerable adult living in the home. But inshde,
:01:50. > :01:55.Colin Stokes abused his ulthmate position of trust and raped her He
:01:56. > :01:59.also targetted two other wolen. None of the victims could communhcate
:02:00. > :02:04.properly. It was his ploy to keep his terrible secret safe. Assault
:02:05. > :02:11.that were branded in court today as disability hate crimes. Through my
:02:12. > :02:14.dealings with him, I have not seen any sense of remorse in him and I
:02:15. > :02:17.think it is going to be difficult for anybody to understand why he
:02:18. > :02:20.would do what he did to such vulnerable individuals. Colhn Stokes
:02:21. > :02:23.was arrested when a whistle`blower who worked at the home raisdd
:02:24. > :02:27.concerns and called police. But the challenge for detectives was how
:02:28. > :02:30.they were going to get the victims to tell them what happened. The
:02:31. > :02:33.crucial breakthrough came whth the use of intermediaries who spent time
:02:34. > :02:36.with the victims, building tp relationships and confidencd with
:02:37. > :02:39.them. And for those who had no verbal communication at all, special
:02:40. > :02:43.sign boards were used to get the evidence police needed. The original
:02:44. > :02:50.boards that they had didn't deal with things have a sexual n`ture, or
:02:51. > :02:54.emotions, so the police quite rightly realised this quite early on
:02:55. > :02:57.and got a special intermedi`ry in who had a better board, who could
:02:58. > :03:03.ensure that the communication from the victim was such that both the
:03:04. > :03:06.physical aspects of the ass`ult could be described, but also the
:03:07. > :03:10.emotional aspects of the assault could be described. As Colin Stokes
:03:11. > :03:14.starts a long jail sentence, we can now reveal that he was arrested back
:03:15. > :03:17.in 2007 for sexual activity with a mentally ill woman at the s`me home.
:03:18. > :03:21.The CPS decided there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute and hd was
:03:22. > :03:23.released without charge. And it appears it was because the crucial
:03:24. > :03:30.work of intermediaries wasn't recognised seven years ago. The
:03:31. > :03:34.police and the CPS at that time didn't really understand how
:03:35. > :03:39.important and how beneficial intermediaries could be in
:03:40. > :03:45.ascertaining evidence from victims of sexual assault. We did not
:03:46. > :03:50.consider the offence such at the time that we could bring it to court
:03:51. > :03:53.and there would be a realistic aspect conviction. All I can say is
:03:54. > :03:56.that if that complaint was brought to us now, we would look at it
:03:57. > :03:59.considerably differently. So despite his arrest and council inspdctions
:04:00. > :04:02.of the home where Stokes worked were opportunities missed to prevent
:04:03. > :04:05.him raping his three victims? The council have today launched a
:04:06. > :04:11.Serious Case Review to find out but admit they can't prevent soleone
:04:12. > :04:15.determined to offend in the future. Are you convinced now that ` case
:04:16. > :04:20.such as: Stones could never happen again in the county? That is exactly
:04:21. > :04:27.the question we are going to answer the Serious Case Review. `` such as
:04:28. > :04:33.Colin Stokes. Could we be doing things differently? There wdre so is
:04:34. > :04:36.this risk of lone person with poor motivation and criminal intdnt of
:04:37. > :04:41.perpetrating these things, so all you can do is the most you can do to
:04:42. > :04:43.minimise this risk. Police now have a specialist team to investhgate
:04:44. > :04:54.crimes against vulnerable adults in the county. And Colin Stokes is
:04:55. > :04:58.still of interest to them. We have been back over the incident in 007
:04:59. > :05:02.and are not currently investigating that but we would be very interested
:05:03. > :05:05.to hear from anyone who has any information about Stokes,
:05:06. > :05:13.particularly his working in care home settings. Relatives broke down
:05:14. > :05:17.as the details against Colin Stokes were read out. The details `re
:05:18. > :05:20.frankly too upsetting to report but the judge told Stokes that what he
:05:21. > :05:24.did was cruel and depraved `nd he breached the trust of the vhctims
:05:25. > :05:28.who were every bit as vulnerable as little children. As Colin Stokes was
:05:29. > :05:37.jailed, one of the relatives shouted from the public gallery, "rot in
:05:38. > :05:40.hell" . Colin Stokes not only devastated the
:05:41. > :05:42.lives of his victims, but their families too. Before today's
:05:43. > :05:46.sentencing, relatives were hnvited to read victim impact statelents to
:05:47. > :05:57.the court. Powerful testimony of the pain and suffering Stokes h`s
:05:58. > :06:00.caused. The mother and sistdr of two of his victims have spoken to Points
:06:01. > :06:02.West. We've disguised their voices, to protect the identity of the
:06:03. > :06:06.victims. Anger spills over as Colin Stokes is
:06:07. > :06:12.taken from court. For the vhctims' families, an emotional day. Sitting
:06:13. > :06:13.in court just feet away frol the man who raped their vulnerable
:06:14. > :06:18.relatives. It wasn't until he said guilty that
:06:19. > :06:22.it did hit me like a tonne of bricks. The emotion that ran through
:06:23. > :06:28.me was horrendous. No one should have to feel that. And to sht there
:06:29. > :06:31.and you can hear your mum and dad crying, it's not something that you
:06:32. > :06:36.should have to hear in your life. It was awful.
:06:37. > :06:40.Just appalling what has happened to us and what has happened to our
:06:41. > :06:45.little girl. He has still got a life. He is still being fed and
:06:46. > :06:49.watered and our lives go on. Just unbearable lives.
:06:50. > :06:52.For the relatives, who, in good faith, entrusted their loved ones to
:06:53. > :07:00.Stokes' care, feelings of gtilt and anxiety.
:07:01. > :07:05.The guilt of putting her thdre will never, ever go away. It is really
:07:06. > :07:09.unbearable to carry on with life sometimes. I just wish I cotld go
:07:10. > :07:13.and bring her home. I wish H could do it myself, really. If I could, I
:07:14. > :07:18.would put her somewhere and look after her on my own. My sister is
:07:19. > :07:22.still young, to think she h`s got the rest of her life in card, you
:07:23. > :07:26.then have to think, you havd the trust all of these people again and
:07:27. > :07:30.we are never never going to know, you will always have that doubt in
:07:31. > :07:32.the back of your mind. Is something going to happen again?
:07:33. > :07:36.And there are more unanswerdd questions. The families say they
:07:37. > :07:42.raised concerns, but nothing was done.
:07:43. > :07:47.I used to make phone calls `ll the time. You know, I had concerns. And
:07:48. > :07:51.my social worker used to sax, "Let sleeping dogs lie, don't rock the
:07:52. > :07:53.boat." You don't want to he`r things like that where my daughter was
:07:54. > :07:57.concerned. The people who have been de`ling
:07:58. > :08:00.with it all, I think they nded to be investigated into why it's gone
:08:01. > :08:03.wrong. They have not checked that house properly at all. Therd have
:08:04. > :08:07.been so many things that have happened in that house sincd my
:08:08. > :08:12.sister has been there, that have been reported, and they havd not
:08:13. > :08:17.done anything about it. And now this has happened. So they should be
:08:18. > :08:20.ashamed of themselves. Dr Noelle Blackman is the Chief
:08:21. > :08:22.Executive of the charity Respond, who support people with learning
:08:23. > :08:31.disabilities who have experhenced abuse or trauma. Thank you for
:08:32. > :08:35.joining us tonight. How are the victims and their families dver
:08:36. > :08:38.going to get over this? I rdally hope they are offered some really
:08:39. > :08:43.good emotional support, somd counselling, both families `nd their
:08:44. > :08:47.daughters as well. That will go some way towards it, but it is going to
:08:48. > :08:51.be very hard for them to put trust in services again. You heard what
:08:52. > :08:55.the relatives said about thdir concerns about the inspection regime
:08:56. > :09:04.and regulation of homes likd this. Do you share those worries? Do. I
:09:05. > :09:07.think the CQC are beginning to take some steps towards thinking about
:09:08. > :09:11.this. One of the things thex are doing that I think is reallx
:09:12. > :09:15.positive is they are working for more closely with people with
:09:16. > :09:19.learning fifth disabilities and their families and what we heard
:09:20. > :09:23.really clear was those families had many complaints about that home and
:09:24. > :09:27.they were not listened to, they were not taken seriously, and falilies
:09:28. > :09:31.are the best litmus paper about whether a service is safe or good
:09:32. > :09:34.enough. One of the safeguards is supposed to be the criminal records
:09:35. > :09:38.checks that workers had to go through. But if nobody acts on the
:09:39. > :09:44.information that is received, what is the point of them? Absolttely.
:09:45. > :09:47.Well before we had the crimhnal records check, we had lists which
:09:48. > :09:52.were a little bit safer, in some ways. They were not so good for the
:09:53. > :10:00.workers, they were things that brought up human rides... What are
:10:01. > :10:04.they? If there had been concerns, like there were with Colin Stokes,
:10:05. > :10:08.he would have been on such ` list. Employers would have seen that. In
:10:09. > :10:12.this case, I don't know if ht would have worked, because he was working
:10:13. > :10:15.at his home when it happened and they chose to ignore that and
:10:16. > :10:20.allowed him to work on his own, at night, with vulnerable women, which
:10:21. > :10:23.is unforgivable. One of the extraordinary things that h`s come
:10:24. > :10:27.out of the cases the work that has gone in to get the evidence out of
:10:28. > :10:31.those people who had been abused. What do you think about? It is
:10:32. > :10:36.really heartening to hear stch good work from the police and CPS. There
:10:37. > :10:39.are far too many cases that come to us at Respond were nowhere near such
:10:40. > :10:42.good work is done and I'm rdally glad to hear they used
:10:43. > :10:46.intermediaries. There are some really good resources out there
:10:47. > :10:51.they probably were using solething called talking mats, there `re good
:10:52. > :10:54.picture books about supporthng victims, called the books bdyond
:10:55. > :11:00.words, and more and more police and Crown Prosecution Service mdmbers
:11:01. > :11:03.need to know it is possible to get ready good evidence if you take your
:11:04. > :11:06.time and you do it sensitivdly coming using good resources. Doctor
:11:07. > :11:10.Blackman, thank you very much for joining us.
:11:11. > :11:13.Bristol Rovers hope to start work on their new ?40 million staditm this
:11:14. > :11:17.summer, after a high court judge ruled they can sell their ctrrent
:11:18. > :11:20.home to Sainsbury's. The judicial review dismissed claims by ` local
:11:21. > :11:24.campaign group that the council had failed to fully consider thd impact
:11:25. > :11:32.on local shops. Alistair Durden reports.
:11:33. > :11:38.The costly legal fight ending with their best result of the se`son A
:11:39. > :11:40.High Court judge today told Bristol Rovers they could sell their
:11:41. > :11:46.Memorial Stadium home to Sainsbury's. After a six`month delay
:11:47. > :11:49.to this scheme, today, Mistdr Justice Higginbotham delivered his
:11:50. > :11:54.verdict in less than a minute via a video link from Birmingham, with
:11:55. > :11:58.three keywords. Judicial review dismissed. Absolutely delighted I
:11:59. > :12:03.think it vindicates our poshtion. We have always felt we had a strong
:12:04. > :12:06.case and the judge has provdd that. The merits of their case, wd were
:12:07. > :12:11.never very comfortable with, and along the way, prices have gone up,
:12:12. > :12:16.at least ?1 million on the build cost, let alone what we havd had to
:12:17. > :12:19.spend on legal fees. The judge disagreed with local campaigners,
:12:20. > :12:25.who claimed Bristol City Cotncil had played down the economic impact of
:12:26. > :12:28.the supermarket on local businesses. In a statement this afternoon,
:12:29. > :12:32.campaigners said they were profoundly disappointed and would
:12:33. > :12:37.review the details of the jtdgement, before deciding what to do next
:12:38. > :12:43.They have one week to lodge an appeal. The council says it will try
:12:44. > :12:46.to recover some of its legal costs from them, but admitted the taxpayer
:12:47. > :12:52.will end up footing the bill of around ?20,000. One local MP who
:12:53. > :12:57.packed the stadium and the supermarket says today's decision is
:12:58. > :13:00.important for the city as a whole. If it hadn't gone through, people
:13:01. > :13:04.would say, don't go to Bristol, nothing ever happens. We have shown
:13:05. > :13:09.the country and indeed the world that stuff can and does happen in
:13:10. > :13:12.Bristol. It is brilliant usd. So what happens next? Bristol Rovers
:13:13. > :13:17.say contracts for the staditm should be signed within the next fdw weeks.
:13:18. > :13:20.The diggers would move in over the summer to start work. And the first
:13:21. > :13:30.game at the new stadium would be played in August 2015. Work can turn
:13:31. > :13:37.to changing the Memorial St`dium into a supermarket as Bristol Rovers
:13:38. > :13:39.look for a new home. Coming up a little later in the
:13:40. > :13:47.programme: Meet the Chancellor's new drinking
:13:48. > :13:53.buddies. George, thanks for the duty`free. Join us later on on
:13:54. > :13:56.points West. Somerset's most famous cider
:13:57. > :14:05.drinkers tell us why they'rd raising money for the county's Flood Relief
:14:06. > :14:07.fund. That will be a bit of fun later on.
:14:08. > :14:10.An investigation has begun hn Bristol after two Asian womdn
:14:11. > :14:14.reported that they were rachally abused and one of them punched in an
:14:15. > :14:17.assault by three white women inside a shop.
:14:18. > :14:20.Avon and Somerset police sax that racist incidents such as thhs are on
:14:21. > :14:30.the increase. We should warn you that some of the language used in
:14:31. > :14:34.Steve Brodie's report is gr`phic. The attack took place here hnside
:14:35. > :14:37.the shop in Bedminster. One woman, a nursery nurse, had just been served,
:14:38. > :14:40.when she heard her cousin bding verbally abused by women in the
:14:41. > :14:44.queue behind her. They said, "You immigrant, move out of the pueue.
:14:45. > :14:49.You're always pushing in." @nd then they said, "lackey, go back to your
:14:50. > :14:54.own country." But when she went to intervene, words turned to blows.
:14:55. > :14:58.She did walk off, but she ddcided to come back and punch me thred times,
:14:59. > :15:02.on my face, neck and shoulddr. She has left me in a state wherd I can't
:15:03. > :15:07.go back to work, I can't le`ve the house. I'm scared. I walk ott and I
:15:08. > :15:11.just look behind, thinking that someone is going to come and attack
:15:12. > :15:15.me. Her cousin was equally shocked. She punched her and then just pushed
:15:16. > :15:18.her like that, and punched. Then she walked out. Then after a cotple of
:15:19. > :15:23.seconds, she walked right b`ck in punched her again in the face. The
:15:24. > :15:26.head of hate crime has told me that this was a violent racial attack
:15:27. > :15:30.and, as such, is completely unacceptable and will be thoroughly
:15:31. > :15:33.investigated. This isn't a common offence. Bristol is a safe `nd
:15:34. > :15:37.tremendously diverse city. We do know that hate crime is not reported
:15:38. > :15:42.as fully as it should be and we would ask people who are victims of
:15:43. > :15:53.hate crime to come to us and tell us what has happened, but it is not a
:15:54. > :15:56.common offence. Obviously, this doesn't happen in our store, it has
:15:57. > :16:00.never happened before in our store. A racial attack is going to be taken
:16:01. > :16:04.very, very seriously and we just hope the perpetrator is brotght to
:16:05. > :16:10.justice. The investigation hs being supported by a stand against racism
:16:11. > :16:13.and inequality, which says that racially motivated crime, especially
:16:14. > :16:15.in Bristol, is higher than this time last year. Obviously really
:16:16. > :16:18.upsetting to hear that another very serious assault has happened on
:16:19. > :16:22.members of our community who are just going about their day`to`day
:16:23. > :16:25.business. I would like to s`y I am shocked. I am not shocked, really,
:16:26. > :16:29.because obviously, we are gdtting the sort of reports into SARI on a
:16:30. > :16:32.day`to`day basis, this sort of hostility happening to membdrs of
:16:33. > :16:35.our community. And Avon and Somerset police said that in the 12 lonths
:16:36. > :16:40.from April 2013, hate crime has gone up by 15%. But they also put the
:16:41. > :16:43.increase down to better working relations with organisations like
:16:44. > :16:47.SARI. Both victims cannot understand why two women born and bred in
:16:48. > :16:54.Bristol can attract such vicious abuse, just because they we`r
:16:55. > :16:59.different clothes. Meanwhild, the police say they have active leads in
:17:00. > :17:02.their hunt for the attackers. Two more people have been arrested
:17:03. > :17:04.by detectives investigating the killing of a Bristol teenagdr.
:17:05. > :17:11.19`year`old Nicholas Robinson was stabbed outside his flat earlier
:17:12. > :17:14.this month. A 43`year`old woman and 50`year`old man have been arrested
:17:15. > :17:18.in Bristol today on suspicion of assisting an offender. Two other
:17:19. > :17:22.people, arrested on the samd charge yesterday, have been releasdd on
:17:23. > :17:25.bail. Detectives in Bath investig`ting the
:17:26. > :17:30.murder of Melanie Hall have issued a fresh appeal for a car which they
:17:31. > :17:34.say is important to their inquiry. On BBC Crimewatch last night they
:17:35. > :17:37.said they wanted to talk to anyone who had owned, or had inforlation
:17:38. > :17:49.about, a white VW Golf GTi hardtop during the summer of 1996. Lelanie
:17:50. > :17:52.was last seen alive in that year. Her remains were found in 2009.
:17:53. > :17:56.A special session of Parlialent has heard tributes to the former Bristol
:17:57. > :17:59.MP Tony Benn today. Members of all the main parties shared thehr
:18:00. > :18:02.memories of the Labour veteran, who died last week aged 88. Meanwhile,
:18:03. > :18:09.it's been confirmed his fundral will take place next Thursday. Ldt's join
:18:10. > :18:16.our political editor Paul B`rltrop, who's at Westminster. So wh`t was
:18:17. > :18:21.the mood like? Well, it was sombre, but never sad. At times, it was
:18:22. > :18:25.celebratory. There were a lot of MPs who wanted to pay tribute to Tony
:18:26. > :18:31.Benn. The session was due to last a one`hour, it went on for thd better
:18:32. > :18:35.part two hours. The chamber, to serving Bristol MPs who had worked
:18:36. > :18:40.alongside Tony Benn back in the early years, and sitting close by
:18:41. > :18:46.them, Hilary Benn, the son of Tony. He recollected his father's 33 years
:18:47. > :18:51.as an MP Felicity and how it was interrupted when he inheritdd his
:18:52. > :18:56.own father's title so he cotld change the law and renounce his
:18:57. > :19:00.peerage to resume his duties as MP. His fight to stay in the Colmons, I
:19:01. > :19:04.think, had a marked and profound effect on his life. It was why he
:19:05. > :19:07.was so determined to support others in their struggles, to bring an end
:19:08. > :19:12.to apartheid, the death pen`lty in support of the miners, as wd have
:19:13. > :19:15.heard, and to campaign for peace. Because it was war that had taken
:19:16. > :19:26.from him his beloved elder brother Michael. Obviously passionate words
:19:27. > :19:30.from his son and other Labotr supporters, but Tony Benn dhvided
:19:31. > :19:36.opinion. What did other people in different parts of the housd have to
:19:37. > :19:40.say? Yes, he was a divisive figure, but not at least within his own
:19:41. > :19:44.party, but today was not of the day the criticism and across thd
:19:45. > :19:47.chamber, MPs of all persuashons were keen to pay tribute. Nick Clegg the
:19:48. > :19:51.Deputy Prime Minister, opendd the whole session and there was a
:19:52. > :19:55.tribute paid to him by the leader of the house, Andrew Lansley. Tony Benn
:19:56. > :19:59.himself said the most important thing in life is to encourage. If
:20:00. > :20:04.anybody asked me what I would like on my gravestone, I would lhke,
:20:05. > :20:08."Tony Benn, he encouraged us" , that would be all I need. He can rest in
:20:09. > :20:13.peace in the knowledge that he did, indeed, encourage generations of his
:20:14. > :20:19.fellow commoners. And we know a little bit more about his ftneral
:20:20. > :20:23.now, don't we? Yes, it is going to take place in a week's time, insane
:20:24. > :20:30.Margarets Church, just across the road from where I'm to you, and the
:20:31. > :20:38.cop and will be brought herd and down into the crypt below `` in
:20:39. > :20:44.Saint Margaret's church. It will be a last chance for people here to pay
:20:45. > :20:48.their last respects to Tony Benn. Now, will you be running, swimming
:20:49. > :20:50.or cycling this weekend to raise money for Sport Relief? Plenty of
:20:51. > :20:53.people will be. Among the charities in the west that
:20:54. > :20:57.have benefitted from the money raised in previous years is Bath
:20:58. > :21:00.Gateway Out And About. It hdlps people with a range of diffdrent
:21:01. > :21:04.needs and as Matthew Pick found out, it's led by a dynamic indivhdual.
:21:05. > :21:07.Run, run, run, Luke. Come on. Come on. Becky Morgan is one of those
:21:08. > :21:14.people with endless energy `nd enthusiasm. Don't you come near us.
:21:15. > :21:20.Go away. Wahey! She leads Bath Gatew`y Out
:21:21. > :21:24.And About, a charity that hdlps people with a range of needs. She is
:21:25. > :21:29.a mother hen, a shepherd without a crook, and nothing, not even a TV
:21:30. > :21:34.interview, gets in her way. Why did you get involved with this?
:21:35. > :21:37.I just love it, it is magic. I just love seeing them all coming out on a
:21:38. > :21:44.Monday evening, doing something positive. I need to go and check on
:21:45. > :21:48.him, he has fallen over. Hold on. Thankfully, it was only a btmp.
:21:49. > :21:52.Sport Relief has given the group ?5,000, which helps to pay some of
:21:53. > :21:58.Becky's wages and the activhties that gets this lot of the sofa.
:21:59. > :22:02.Tonight, it is rugby fun, whth stars from the Rec, but it is abott so
:22:03. > :22:07.much more. I have enjoyed playing the tag rugby, running one dnd to
:22:08. > :22:11.the other end. We just go ott for meals and swimming and I just like
:22:12. > :22:16.to hang out with my friends, which is good fun. What would you say to
:22:17. > :22:19.anyone who is thinking about doing the running, the swimming or the
:22:20. > :22:21.cycling this weekend and haven't made up their minds yet? Sorry, I
:22:22. > :22:24.will just... BLOWS WHISTLE.
:22:25. > :22:26.I would say these kind of events change people's lives, they make
:22:27. > :22:34.people smile when they weren't smiling before and if you c`n do
:22:35. > :22:38.that to one person, it is worth it. You can find details of how you can
:22:39. > :22:42.enter the Sport Relief Games near you by logging onto the BBC website.
:22:43. > :22:53.This lot would certainly encourage you to take part.
:22:54. > :22:58.Don't they just encourage you? Brilliant.
:22:59. > :23:02.Absolutely. People affected by the winter floods which have left large
:23:03. > :23:05.parts of the Somerset Levels under water have seen offers of hdlp from
:23:06. > :23:08.across the world. So it's not surprising that one of the county's
:23:09. > :23:13.most famous exports has also stepped forward to help.
:23:14. > :23:16.The Wurzels are performing ` benefit gig in Bridgwater this evenhng to
:23:17. > :23:20.raise money for the flood rdlief effort. Our reporter Julia Causton
:23:21. > :23:25.has been to meet some of thd band ahead of tonight's show.
:23:26. > :23:34.Pete Budd and Sedge Moor have joined me ahead of gig in Bridgwatdr this
:23:35. > :23:39.evening. `` head of the. Sedge, what made you want to get involvdd with
:23:40. > :23:44.the Flood Relief efforts? Wd saw the things that were happening on TV and
:23:45. > :23:50.it was just fairly, kind of, upsetting, really and I just felt we
:23:51. > :23:55.should get involved somehow. And hopefully, make a bit of a
:23:56. > :24:00.difference, really. Pete, how did it make you feel, seeing how Somerset
:24:01. > :24:04.was suffering? Well, Somersdt is our favourite county, obviously, because
:24:05. > :24:07.we sing about it all the tile and we work in Somerset most of thd time
:24:08. > :24:11.and the thought of it, when you are married and you have a home and you
:24:12. > :24:15.have spent thousands of pounds on getting your hands together and
:24:16. > :24:20.overnight, the water comes `nd takes that away... But it didn't stop
:24:21. > :24:25.there, because they have to clear it all up now and it is a very hard
:24:26. > :24:30.task. And what about the wax people have rallied round and helpdd with
:24:31. > :24:33.the relief effort? Fantastic. I saw on the news the other day how the
:24:34. > :24:36.farmers in the other parts of the country were bringing hay down for
:24:37. > :24:41.the cattle and using their own diesel and tractors, from all over.
:24:42. > :24:45.Young farmers all involved hn it. It goes to show, we are a farmhng
:24:46. > :24:51.community and you can't beat a farmer, there is no better live than
:24:52. > :24:55.living on a farm. Finally, ` bit of good news for the Somerset cider
:24:56. > :25:01.making community, the duty was frozen again. How does that make you
:25:02. > :25:05.feel as cider fans? He has done it again, Mr Cameron, thank yot very
:25:06. > :25:09.much, sir. We will all be vdry pleased with you in the West
:25:10. > :25:17.Country, believing. On that note, Pete and Sedge, let's say cheers and
:25:18. > :25:26.drink up our cider. Let's trinket. All the best to you.
:25:27. > :25:31.Cheers, my lovelies. Well done to the Wurzels. Now, Ian is having a
:25:32. > :25:33.lie down tonight. He is.
:25:34. > :25:37.Georgina Burnett has our we`ther forecast this evening.
:25:38. > :25:41.Good evening. Well, some ch`ngeable weather around for many of ts today
:25:42. > :25:45.with some bright spells, but also, a bit of a damp end to the dax. The
:25:46. > :25:48.good news is, though, that dastern parts are now seeing the back of
:25:49. > :25:50.that rain. Temperatures reached around 13 degrees Celsius this
:25:51. > :25:53.afternoon, but tomorrow, a lixture of sunshine and blustery showers,
:25:54. > :25:57.really, but turning a littld sour come the evening. Let's just take a
:25:58. > :26:00.look at that band of rain that pushed its way down from thd
:26:01. > :26:04.north`west earlier on, bringing with it around 10mm of rainfall through
:26:05. > :26:08.the Mendips, but that reallx was the exception as opposed to the rule. We
:26:09. > :26:11.can just see it moving off to the south`east there. Behind it, much
:26:12. > :26:15.colder conditions, so likelx to have clear skies tonight. A little bit of
:26:16. > :26:19.a cloud, but mainly clear, so it will feel quite chilly as wdll. It
:26:20. > :26:22.is likely we will have frost in more rural parts, away from the coast,
:26:23. > :26:25.away from the towns, with temperatures close to freezhng in
:26:26. > :26:28.some parts but, across the board, we're looking at lows of two or
:26:29. > :26:31.three Celsius. The winds drop slightly as well, but they pick up
:26:32. > :26:34.again tomorrow, and we have that south`westerly wind, bringing with
:26:35. > :26:39.it some blustery showers as well. As is the nature of showers, not all of
:26:40. > :26:42.us will see those and there is a fair amount of brightness around
:26:43. > :26:45.tomorrow as well. As we head towards the evening, that is when it becomes
:26:46. > :26:48.a little problematic. We have another band of rain pushing
:26:49. > :26:52.through, an extended period for many of us, three or four hours, but it
:26:53. > :26:55.is the heavy bursts within that bringing with them hail and thunder,
:26:56. > :26:58.that you are really likely to notice. In the afternoon, wd are
:26:59. > :27:01.looking at temperatures reaching about ten, perhaps 11 degreds
:27:02. > :27:04.Celsius, but a bit below th`t elsewhere, so quite a drop from
:27:05. > :27:08.today's highs. And the weekdnd is going to look like a very dhfferent
:27:09. > :27:11.beast to last weekend. Saturday really a mixture of sunshind and
:27:12. > :27:14.showers, quite a cold night on Saturday night. And on Sund`y, a
:27:15. > :27:18.fairly frosty start to the day, some showers still lurking but not as
:27:19. > :27:21.many as on Saturday. And thdn on Monday, we have just got a
:27:22. > :27:25.short`lived ridge of high pressure that is going to give us a crisp,
:27:26. > :27:29.wintry day. It becomes wet hn the middle of the week, but milder
:27:30. > :27:34.towards the end of the week. But certainly cover up those daffodils
:27:35. > :27:41.over the next few nights. Thank you, Georgina. Cover tp your
:27:42. > :27:45.daffodils. I will indeed. We are back `t ten,
:27:46. > :27:47.the whole team returns tomorrow Goodbye for now.