27/03/2014 BBC Points West

Also tonight, Farewell to a Bristol legend, rejoin friends and

colleagues at the funeral of Tony Benn.

How our police are feigning some victims of domestic abuse.

And, our School Report journalists get a taste of the glamorous life on

the road! Good evening.

The keys to the West's first super hospital have been handed over, and

the countdown to the opening of the new Southmead has begun. Thd ?4 0

million site in Bristol will take its first patients in May, `nd

promises a transformation in treatment. Doctors and nursds have

helped design it, and three`quarters of the 800 beds will be in private

single rooms. Today, I went to see what the future of health c`re looks

like. It's as tall as Westminster Abbey,

and covers 114,000 square mdtres. A mix of steel, concrete and glass.

Which, combined with doctors and nurses and the latest technology,

promises world`class patient care. If you have been rushed to hospital

in an ambulance, this is whdre you will arrive, the Emergency

Department. If you've had a stroke or a heart attack, or been hn a car

accident, this is where staff will try and save your life. Julhette

Hughes helped design this area. It's where she'll be working. And they've

tried to get everything in the right place.

It is everything we hoped it would be, and a little bit more. We went

to lots of hospitals and took the best thing from other places and

learned some lessons. When we look at how this is finished, it is

pretty impressive. Up on the wards, the rooms `re

nearly ready. This is one of our individu`l side

rooms. The space here is fantastic. Privacy and dignity is important for

patients, they need to know they can have a conversation with a nurse or

doctor or therapist which is out of hearing from people who don't need

to hear it. Also, any examination can be done in the privacy of this

room. It is so much better. And, from outside, the layott means

nursing staff can easily chdck on four rooms at a time. And, while

wards are on one side of thd hospital, all the operations will

take place on the other. This is one of 24 new operating

theatres in this new hospit`l, equipped with the latest technology,

scanning, lasers, X`rays. To help surgeons and patients. Having

everything in one place shotld make surgeons' jobs easier, and could

even cut the number of oper`tions. There are still some finishhng

touches being put to the buhlding, but it's on time, and on budget The

first patients are due throtgh the doors in May.

It's taken many years to get to this point, including a fight by

campaigners at Frenchay Hospital in South Gloucestershire, who wanted it

built there. But Frenchay, where some of the buildings date back more

than 80 years, will instead be downgraded, while some of the land

there will be redeveloped. Here s our health correspondent Matthew

Hill. These wards were built during the

Second World War as a temporary measure to treat burns victhms. The

problem is, they have been tsed ever since. It is quite a check between

departments. For patients, the journey between being assessed,

tested and having treatment, has meant tortuous journey on trolleys,

often exposed to the elements. So, when is the new move the patience to

the new super hospital at Southmead? Everything will take place over the

next two months. This is thd first move, the children, the paediatric

unit which will close on Max seven. They will be transferred to the

Bristol Children's Hospital. This Emergency Department at Frenchay has

been the specialist trauma centre for decades. At 2am on May the 9th,

ambulances will no longer t`ke patients here. Instead, thex will go

to the new purpose`built Emdrgency Department at Southmead. Thd rest of

the move for other departments will take place between May the 02th and

28. What will be here at Frdnchay was patients have gone? All these

buildings will be demolished and the land sold off. It is hoped ht will

become home to nearly 500 houses, a primary school, and 28 acres of

green space. There will be ` rehabilitation centre with tp to 68

beds. This is a huge project. The logistics of moving hundreds of very

sick patients are incrediblx challenging. What is certain is

today marks the start of a new era of health care in Bristol and across

the West. Well, as Matthew said there, it s a

huge logistical challenge to get all the patients and staff transferred

to the new hospital. We're joined from there by the chief executive of

the North Bristol NHS Trust, Andrea Young.

Good evening. You have got the building, how will you get `ll the

people in it? We have been planning for this to nearly ten years. As you

can imagine, the last six months, that planning has intensifidd. We

have got every detail mapped out, when the furniture moves. At the

moment, we are kitting everxthing out so we are ready to recehve

patients from Southmead, st`rting the week commencing 12th of May and

from French egg on the 19th of May. We have a command centre in

operation now, staffed seven days a week, 24 hours a day,

troubleshooting through the next two months. We hope there won't be many

problems but we have staff on stand`by for the next two months,

making sure we can deal with problems should they arise. Patients

will get a letter... Command centre sounds impressive, but some patients

will be very sick. How will you manage them? We already do transfers

for patients who are very shck. We are a regional trauma centrd

bringing patients in from other hospitals. Our consultants `nd

nurses and therapists are skilled at this. We will plan the move

incredibly carefully. Everything will be waiting for the pathents. We

will have planned this is the week before. The doctors and nurses will

be waiting to receive them. We hope it will minimise disruption for

those patients. When they gdt here, the facilities are so fantastic The

light, space, privacy, the `bility to close the door, sleep and rest

when you want, have loved ones by you in your single room, will be

fantastic. In other news, an investigation s

begun into allegations that Jimmy Savile may have carried out abuse at

a children's home in Gloucestershire. Parklands Home at

Whitminster closed in 2002. It's one of more than 20 mentioned in claims

against the disgraced presenter as the result of an anonymous letter.

Gloucestershire County Council says it'll be carrying out a full

investigation into the allegations. The former Bishop of Gloucester is

to be prosecuted for misconduct in public office and indecent `ssault.

Peter Ball is now 82 and was the Bishop of Gloucester in 1992, but

resigned the following year. The charges related to alleged hnstances

between 1977 and 1992. The decision to prosecute follows an

investigation by Sussex Polhce. Ireland's National Trust is being

allowed to challenge a decision giving permission for a new nuclear

power station in Somerset. The trust is questioning the legality of last

year's decision to give consent for the ?16 billion nuclear fachlity at

Hinkley Point. It would be built around 150 miles from the Irish

Coast, and it's being claimdd people in Ireland weren't consulted

properly. The government here has said it carried out all the

necessary investigations. A judicial review could be carried out this

summer. Still to come: a driving obsession,

the motor museum that has spent ?5 million on an upgrade.

Ian has been helping the next generation of weather presenters

from School Report Day. Friends and colleagues from the West

travelled to Westminster today to bid an emotional farewell to the

Labour stalwart and former Bristol South East MP Tony Benn. Figures as

diverse as a former IRA comlander, hard`right Tory opponents, `nd a

television impressionist, g`thered in Westminster to pay their

respects. Our political reporter Chris Brierley was there.

For a few moments, London fdll silent. Broken only by the

spontaneous applause of the hundreds of well`wishers. Politicians from

Westminster and the West were here. But it wasn't just the political

elite. Tony Benn came to our show for the

last ten years. A great entertainer, he cared about issues,

he spoke from the heart. A top man. All the youngsters loved hil as

well. Within the shadows of Westmhnster

Abbey, and Saint Margaret Church, the crowd gathered and paid tribute

to Tony Blair. A 22 page order of service listing what was gohng on in

the church. The very last words he heard on this

earth were the four of us tdlling him that we loved him.

Those outside the church cotld listen in, as Tony's eldest son gave

a moving tribute. He always said that, on his epitaph,

he wanted the phrase, he encouraged us. Well, dad, you did encotrage us

and you did inspire us, and that will never end.

Tony Benn was a family man. His other great love, politics. As his

coffin left the church, the socialist anthem rang out.

The West remembered Tony Benn today. From the Black Rights campahgner.

He was deeply committed to human rights and justice.

To the two Bristol MPs who've learnt from him.

It is about belief, and belheving in everybody as basically good. And

fighting for those principlds all his life. Similar to when Ndlson

Mandela died, a life well lhved There aren't any regrets at the end

of lies like that, because they fulfilled their purpose on darth, if

that is not too grandiose a way of putting it.

Today was a day to remember, a man who stood up for what he believed.

Later in the year, there will be another event to honour him.

Good, average, room for improvement, and struggling. The verdict on how

the police forces in our arda deal with victims of domestic abtse.

Dorset has won the highest praise from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of

Constabulary. Today's report says that "domestic abuse is a clear

priority for the force therd." There's been a mixed response for

Avon and Somerset Police. The inspectors found that the force was

"committed" but, at times, "disorganised". In Wiltshird,

although "effective work" is going on, "several areas for improvement"

were also identified. The hhghest criticism, though, was reserved for

Gloucestershire, where inspdctors found the police force was

struggling to help victims. From there, Steve Knibbs reports.

Gloucestershire Constabularx deals with nearly 2,000 crimes related to

domestic abuse every year. But today's report says there are

significant concerns over the way officers identify victims of

domestic abuse. How they're protected. And how low`risk victims

are kept safe in the future. There needs to be more education `nd

training for police. They nded to be more responsive to individu`l cases.

Domestic violence is not just broken bones but mental violence. They need

more information. I know I would have left sooner if I knew there was

more support and somewhere H could go.

Domestic abuse charities in Gloucestershire say one of the key

problems is grassroots officers often not recognising the shgns The

specialist police officers `re very good. They understand domestic

abuse, the dynamics of it. We are not so sure the average polhce

officer going out has that understanding. So, we would like

there to be better training for police officers, to be involved in

that training. And we would like victims to be a big part of that

training. Criminologist Jane Monkton`Smith is

working with Gloucestershird Police on that training, helping all

officers to understand what can lead to domestic abuse. Some of the

practices of domestic abuse, especially most high`risk practices

which are about control and coercion, are not necessarily

against the law. This is probably where the police are having some

difficulties are recognising high risk victims. Are you disturbed by

what you are hearing in your own force?

In a round of media intervidws this morning, the Assistant Chief

Constable welcomed the report, but said his officers have alre`dy made

significant changes. One of the great things about our constabulary

is we are innovative, and adaptable to change. We are moving very

quickly. There is a governance board being set up to drive through

changes. People can be reassured we have a structured and fast living

approach to improvements. Charities say a lot of good work is

going on in Gloucestershire, and victims shouldn't be put off from

coming forward as a result of today's report. Police clail that,

since the inspection, those facing domestic abuse are safer, btt that

they will look back to see hf they've failed victims in the past.

Dredging equipment has been arriving on the Somerset Levels, ready for

work to begin removing silt from the River Parrett on Monday. Thd

Environment Agency says the first stretch to be dredged is between

Burrowbridge and the Northmoor pumping station. Between now and

Monday, the Agency will work to clear vegetation along the banks,

and test if the land is stable enough to support the dredghng

machinery. Now on to a story which has been

described in court as distrdssing and tragic.

It all started ten years ago, when a teenager called Donna Small was

gunned down, an innocent victim of a Bristol gang war. The shoothng left

her with bullet fragments in her brain, and she was partiallx

disabled. As a result of her injuries, she was awarded

compensation. But the builddr trusted to convert her bung`low left

it in a state. Frustrated and angry, Donna and her

mother demanded their money back. But they went too far and, today,

both women were found guiltx of harassment. Our home affairs

correspondent Steve Brodie has followed the story from the day of

the shooting. She wasn't expected to live. She

spent hundreds of hours in rehab. There are fragments of machhne gun

bullets inside her brain. This was Donna Small in August 2006. Two

years before, her life had changed forever. She and her friend Asha

Jamma were on a night out in Bristol. But they got caught in a

gangland shoot out. The car they were in was riddled with bullets.

Asha lost the sight in one dye, Donna was left disabled.

It changed everything. I have to do exercises every morning when I get

up. I am scared to go outside the house.

It took eight long years for Donna Small to win compensation, `fter

being shot down in the stredt. An incident which left her dis`bled.

She invested her award in this bungalow, and hired builder Darren

Finnear to carry out the renovation. Solicitors acting for Donna handed

over nearly ?70,000. But, when his contract was eventually terlinated,

the house was uninhabitable. Alan Wright is a chartered surveyor

and an independent building expert. The frame has been smashed

completely with wires hanging around. Very substandard. The state

of the site itself is diabolical. There is debris, loose wires. No

regard to health and safety. We asked Mr Finnear for an

interview, but he declined. Today, magistrates were told the house was

in a worse condition than it had been before the work began. But

with no money, Donna and her mother Jacqui Probert angrily pursted the

builder for their money. Thdy sent him a series of angry and abusive

texts, shouted at him in thd street, and Donna threw a small bottle of

after shave at him. Bristol magistrates found Donna guilty of

harassment and assault. She was handed a conditional discharge. Her

mother was found guilty of harassment, and was given a

community order for one year. The ten`year ordeal has left its toll on

Donna. It has been awful. I think he is

disgusting. I feel so let down. There have been a lot of te`rs, ups

and downs. Today, the magistrates described the background to the case

as" distressing", but said the course taken by the women w`s wrong.

Young people from across thd west have been taking part in thd BBC's

annual School Report day. It gives them the chance to produce their own

news stories. Here, on BBC Points West, we've asked students from

Haygrove School in Bridgwatdr to help film this report, about how the

recent flooding on the Somerset Levels has affected their community.

This is the scene at the River Parrett in Bridgwater today.

Everything is calm and under control. But, just two weeks ago, it

was very different. The watdr was right up to the top of this arch.

Here, flooding struck twice. Fortunately, this was one of the few

that was affected by the rising water. Here, at the bandstand, the

water reached the top level. So if you really wanted to, you could have

swum to work. Villages and towns surrounding Bridgwater were affected

even worse. Our friend Becca has had a terrible

time. Her home was cut off, her family were forced to live `part.

Her animals had to go to sl`ughter. What difficulties have you had to

overcome? The separation in family was very

difficult. Coming to terms with the fact that we didn't have a home for

a month. It is just difficult. In a way, it has brought us all

together. As stressful as it was. We needed to band together and help

each other, otherwise we wotldn t have been able to pull throtgh.

Our drama teacher Mrs Guppy also had to flee her home.

Our major problem is rehoushng our animals. And that has been the focus

of most of the week's activhties, to try to work out where are animals

are going. What are your future plans?

It is rather a day`to`day existence. I am hoping there will be an end in

sight. On a beautiful day like tod`y, it is

hard to imagine the scenes of recent weeks. Let's hope the communities of

Somerset and the local councils can work together to make sure such

events never have the same hmpact in the future.

Well done, all of them. Excdllent effort. It reminds me of whdn we

were starting out. Not only have our school reporters

been making that report, thdy've also been working on their very own

weather forecast. Ian will be here shortly. But, before that, looking

ahead to the weekend, here's Francesca from Haygrove School in

Bridgwater. Hello, and good evening. Let's take

a look at the weather expected over the next four days here, in the West

Country. Tomorrow brings another showery day, with the threat of some

heavy downpours in places, but sunny spells too. Temperatures will be up

a bit on today's, typically around nine to 13 Celsius. Saturdax and

Sunday will see things warmhng up, as temperatures start to re`ch into

the mid to upper teens. The weekend actually looks very promising, with

hazy sunshine, and dry or l`rgely dry conditions continuing until

later on Sunday. By then, ftrther showery rain will be spreadhng back

in from the west, to give pdriods of wet weather on Monday. But remaining

quite warm as we start next week. Well, that's all from me. You can

find more detail online at: bbc.co.uk/weather. Bye`bye.

Well done, Francesca. And wd've been filming behind the scenes this

afternoon. The results are on the Points West Facebook page if you

want to take a look. Now, it all began nearly 30 years

ago as one man's obsession with cars. Today, the Haynes Motor Museum

in Somerset hosts one of thd UK s biggest collections of classic cars,

400 in total. And it's about to open its doors on a new look. A new look

which has cost more than ?5 million. Our Somerset correspondent Clinton

Rogers has been for a peek behind the scenes.

The ultimate boy's toy. A p`rty of schoolchildren getting their hands

on a bit of motoring historx today. And now, history has a new 21st

century home which has been two years in the making, and cost ?

million. How times have changed When it all started in 1985, there

were just 33 cars. The priv`te collection of John Haynes, the man

behind the famous motoring lanuals. He would readily admit an indulgent

obsession. Well the obsession has grown some.

400 cars now. From classic pieces of history, to supercars. And, how

about this? If you were supdr`rich and American in the 1930s, this is

what you had. A Dusenberg. Today, the boss of the collection hs John

Haynes' son Mark. If you had to pick one car you are most fond of, what

would it be? I think this Dtsenberg would be higher on the list. A

magnificent American motor car. That is worth if you Bob. Probably our

most valuable car. If I offdred you a million would you take it? No

probably not. This afternoon, they were preparing a new hall for the

supercars, moving a few exhhbits to new places, ready for the grand

opening next month. Welcome to our brand`new, unopened mini hall. Oh,

and putting the finishing touches to an exhibition dedicated to ` British

favourite. One of the uniqud things about this museum is that some of

the cars are actually taxed and insured, which means... You can

actually drive them on the road See you in a couple of weeks, then.

Goodbye. Goodbye. I hope he makes it back!

Time now for the weather. A bit of pressure fee you tonight!

Francesca was brilliant. Whhle we were recording that, snow w`s coming

down in and settling. Only 79 metres above sea`level. Which shows the

potential for showers to deliver some different weather. Manx of you

have seen the opposite of stnshine. But there have been drier

conditions. A bit milder. This is how things are shaping up over the

next 24 hours. The showers `re tending to focus towards thd south

west, as we run through the next night. This area of low pressure is

spinning around and the showers are rotating. We are never that far RA

`` away from the threat of showers. Here and now, the showers are across

Gloucestershire. Gradually, it will wane away. A good deal of dry

weather over the bulk of thd night. In the early hours, by rush hour,

showers could be heavy. Temperatures tonight down to two Celsius. Into

tomorrow, we run the school that of the threat of further showers,

associated with the threat of lightning and hail. Some difficult

driving conditions. Some of you will miss the showers, and have some dry

and probably sunny weather. Always in competition with a lot of cloud.

This evening, the threat of showers coming back in again. The potential

is there. Temperatures down to eight degrees. Conversely, 12 Celsius

could be widespread with thd potential of being higher than that

in the sunshine. Things are getting quite warm over the weekend. It is

looking very promising. Temperatures easily into the mid`teens. Ht

continues into next week, albeit with heavy showers around.

That's all from us. Join us tonight at 10.25pm. Goodbye.