13/09/2011 BBC Wales Today

A two year old boy is in intensive care tonight after being found in

Our other headlines tonight: Steel makers Tata, one of the country's

biggest employers, tell this programme of their serious concerns

for our economy. They make food and drink cans here

at Trostre and employ hundreds of people, and will stop production

for a week. The it is called learning through

play: The Foundation Phase gets a good report, but some schools and

teachers could do better. The million pounds promise to help

first time buyers get on the property ladder.

It is where Gary Sobers made sporting history. Will Swansea

Good evening. A two-year-old boy is in intensive care tonight after

being found in a fountain outside Cardiff City Hall. Police say the

boy had been recovered from the pop -- water by members of the public.

Paramedics had to resuscitate him. Tomos Dafydd has the latest. What

more can you tell us? It is merely four hours since the alarm was

first raised at 2:45pm. In the last few moments I have spoken to the

man who rescued the boy. He did not want to be interviewed on camera

but told me he was walking past and saw the boy motionless and face

down in the water. He jumped in and dragged him from the water and

treated him at the scene. Paramedics then arrived and he was

taken to the University Hospital of Wales along with his family, and

tonight he is in intensive care. This all happened in the heart of

Cardiff city centre, a stone's throw from the Millennium Stadium,

and just near by Cardiff City Hall, where there was a conference

happening, and delegates rushed out from the conference to see what

happened. They told me what they saw earlier this afternoon. I came

out and there was a man who I think had pulled out a little boy it from

the water, and two people were giving him CPR, probably for about

four or five minutes, then someone took over and swapped and they were

then doing CPR again for another three or four minutes, then the

police turned up and got everyone to move back. I was just having a

conversation on my mobile in the lobby, and I heard sirens going and

a lot of commotion. Someone came running out with a defibrillator,

and there was such commotion, they all came running out and I asked

what was going on and is said a body of a child had been found in a

fountain. I was in the exhibition hall when I heard a load of police

cars coming up so I came out to ask what was going on and as I came out,

they were carrying a little boy's body from the pond into the

ambulance. I have been there all afternoon, Jamie, and I would say

the water is around two or three feet deep, and there are

unconfirmed reports tonight that the family of the boy were around -

- at a nearby police station at the time reporting the boy missing.

These reports are unconfirmed. It is worth reporting that police say

there are no suspicious circumstances relating to this case.

Investigations are ongoing and the boy it remains in intensive care

tonight. Thank you. We may return to you if there are further

developments. It is one of Wales's biggest

employers with around 7500 staff, but Tata Steel has told us tonight

it is seriously concerned about our economy. The company says it is

halting production for a week at its Trostre tinplate works at her

nephew next month. Nick Servini is there. -- at Llanelli. The twists

and turns of the steel industry in Wales are always important. It

still employs thousands of people. Hundreds work of this part behind

me but there are two things up work today. For complex reasons there

has been a drop in demand for tinplate and packaging, the kind of

thing made here -- tinplate its packaging. As a result, this plant

is making adjustments. More broadly, a spokesman for Tata has told me

that the company has serious concerns about the bottom line for

all its plants, not just here but right across Wales. Tata is calling

it a pause in production at the Trostre tinplate works. There will

be no job losses or lay-offs but a significant drop in demand means

that next month there will be no production for one week. Everyone

here is aware of the fall in business. The workforce is

disappointed that there will be a stop week, but we realise that with

fluctuations in the market, the company needs to do what it needs

to do to get by. I don't think we are too bothered. If it needs to be

done it needs to be done. Trostre is the last tinplate works in the

UK. The its core products are sold to tinned food manufacturers like

Heinz. The problem now is an oversupply and stock rooms being

full. Faced with a market like this, union officials have broadly

supported the measure. Everyone is disappointed, but as we said we are

flexible workforce here, and my mum does understand the pressures. We

are pretty and the -- we are pretty upbeat. -- My members understand

the pressure. We know we have a future here, but we are just taking

a week out. Also today, Tata gave the serious warning about the

market conditions for its other plants across Wales. A spokesman at

Port Talbot said the indicators were very worrying, and the company

had been weathering a prolonged storms. These conditions are being

experienced by many in the industry. Demand is not strong. Manufacturing

is not very strong. The key demand markets and construction is the

driver of still demand and are still very weak in Europe and the

USA as well. -- steel demand. Automotive has had negative growth

recently as well. There are reasons an economy which will affect

steelworks. But there have been positive signs for steel. Sales of

high-value vehicles in the car industry are said to be encouraging,

and as a result the Ford engine plant in Bridgend is performing

well. But construction levels are still low with a housing survey out

today for Wales from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors

finding that the market remains subdued. The weak recovery is

causing concern for many, and it appears the steel industry is no

exception. The other thing to say, Jamie, is that as we found in the

recession, the important thing about the steel industry is that it

acts as such a good barometer for what is happening in the rest of

the economy. So much of the steel made, less so in this part but

perhaps in places like Port Talbot, ends up in such a diverse range of

goods that we all buy on the High Street. One final point macro is

that Tata was pretty critical about the UK government's environmental

regulations but it brought in in the spring, saying they could harm

the company. This is the first time in Wales at least that it has

spoken so openly about the concerns it has for the general state of the

economic recovery. We will talk again and a few moments, Nick, but

we are hearing concerns from big business, but small Welsh

businesses will meet today with some of the UK's big banks. They

have been accused of preventing companies from growing by failing

to lend to them. Jenny Rees reports. Thousands of planes fly in and out

of the UK every year and they rely on an army of engineers to keep

them running. As well as this firm in Cardiff, which is developing a

test it is exporting around the world to test for tiny bugs that

make a home in fuel, clogging up filters and potentially grounding

planes. Edward Hill set up this company nearly 30 years ago and has

picked up a number of awards over the years, but even globally

successful firms need help from banks. Much of the effort directed

to helping companies is directed to helping companies obtain loans.

Successful companies have just as many issues with banking, for

example, exporting companies have issues with exchange rates from

foreign currency and interest on deposits they have to make in

foreign currency. Not much of this has been addressed either by the

government or by the banks. Today he was able to put those concerns

directly to the country's five largest banks. I want to challenge

your comment on why businesses offered abysmal rates on long-term

loans. It concerns me because it smacks of businesses hoarding cash

and keeping it readily available because they are concerned. What we

need to do as a group of business advisers is question why they are

doing it. We need people to come in early with ideas and challenges so

we can work with them to create solutions. It is still a factor.

Many people will share an idea or a challenge long before they will

think about coming to the bank manager for advice. This company

has a good relationship with their bank manager, but the boss is under

no illusion that that could change if they were not doing so well.

think this type of publicity for the banks his lip service. They

will only loan money to businesses who can pay it back, and why

shouldn't they? From Fine Foods to scientific research and development,

firms across Wales are being told work on their relationship with

their bank manager. -- told to work. Small firms trying to get money

from the banks and Tata Steel behind you, their concerns about

the economy, some up if you will, the mood of Welsh business for us

tonight. I think with these two stories tonight, we have touched on

the two biggest issues facing businesses across Wales. There is

the issue of consumer confidence, and the jury is still very much out

on that, and then for small and medium-sized companies, the crucial

relationship with the bank manager, and the stand-off is still existing.

The company say the banks are not supporting them and the banks are

responding by saying that demand is not there for loans. I would say

that there is certainly a trend emerging, and the challenge is huge

multinational company faces in an operation like this is very similar

to the kind of challenge someone would face running a small shop

nearby in Llanelli. Companies are paying much more for their raw-

material so with huge increases in energy costs and other raw

materials, and yet they cannot necessarily pass on that cost to

the customers and the public. As a result, their profit margins are

being squeezed. We do not really know yet what impact that is all

having on the state of the general recovery. We could get some

indication tomorrow with the latest unemployment figures released them.

Thank you Newport City Council has denied been ordered to pay more

than �160,000 after a disabled man died after becoming tangled in a

mechanical hoist. Michael Powell suffocated using the equipment to

get into bed at home in 2008. The council pleaded guilty to breaching

health and safety laws. Newcastle City -- Newport City

Council is sorry for what happened and we accept responsibility. Since

his sad death in January 2008 we have changed our practice as a

result of the lessons learned. Following this tragedy -- tragic

incident, the council took immediate accent -- action to

prevent it happening again. former New Royal Marine from

Newport is fighting for his life in a Thai hospital tonight following a

road accident. Steven Thomas is in a coma after coming off a scooter

on the island of Phuket. He has gone -- had operations to repair

broken jaw and cheekbone. His mother and stepfather are at his

bedside. The latest sport and weather before

7pm, and the biker from Powys who's set a new world record for crossing

the length of the Americas, and liked it so much he did it all

�1 million to help first-time And the helping hand onto the

property ladder comes from the county council. The authority is

offering to act as a guarantor so that mortgage lenders accept a

smaller deposit from house buyers. It's the first scheme of its kind

in Wales. 37-year-old Gareth Jones, from

Llansannan near Abergele, is looking for a home to call his own.

He is training to be a teacher, and is living with his parents while he

waits for the housing market to become more appealing to first-time

buyers. There are very few mortgages being

given to first-time buyers, and it is hard to get a mortgage. I think

you need to save, save, save, above anything else. But what you save at

the moment won't necessarily get too much interest anyway.

Help could be at hand from Conwy Council, which wants to adopt a

scheme already running in parts of England and Scotland: to put up a

guarantee so first-time buyers only to pay a 5% deposit rather than 25%.

Most mortgage lenders will only give a loan of 75%. The council

will now step in and guarantee they will repay any extra if the buyer

defaults. They would then be entitled to a further loan.

Uncertainty is never good for the economy. It will help. It is not a

magic wand, it is relatively small. But anything we can do to stimulate

the housing market is of benefit, rather than doing nothing.

million will sit in the council's bank account, earning interest.

Mortgage lenders will be able to bill the council if customers

risk is low. Estate agents think it will have wider benefits as well.

If we can get the chain moving, it gives work to other people,

builders, painters and decorators. So the whole community will benefit

from having first-time buyers in the market. It will get everything

moving, then the money will start coming back into the area.

The hunt for the perfect property is rarely easy for newcomers. But,

with the council sharing the financial risks, it could become

simpler. A school strike is looming. The

Welsh teacher's union UCAC has voted to hold a one day walk out

over cuts to public sector pensions. They made the decision to hold the

ballot back in May, and over 3,000 members voted nearly 90% in favour

of the action. The strike will take place on October 5th.

Sticking with education, a good report today for the Foundation

Phase. This is the new teaching method where young children learn

through play. Inspectors said most five and six years olds were

"achieving well" under the new system. But they warned a minority

of schools still don't understand the Foundation Phase, and some

teaching staff aren't convinced. Rhodri Lewis reports.

The 30-strong reception class at Ysgol Iolo Morganwg near Cowbridge

this afternoon. Some of them inside, others outside. That's what the

Foundation Phase is all about. Conventional teaching methods take

a back seat. The children are meant to be learning through doing things

for themselves. The children come in with anything on a day. Somebody

brought in leaves, so we talked about autumn. So you are ready to

go with the child's initiative. Every charge between three and

seven at a church or local authority school in Wales is now

taking part in the Foundation Phase. It is expensive with one member of

staff for eight pupils. Ministers believe this investment will pay

off in the years to come. The report from Estyn looked at schools

all over Wales. It found the Foundation Phase was having a

positive impact in most of them, and that children were achieving

well. It said boys in particular were benefiting from more active

learning, including being outdoors. But it also found a minority of

schools didn't yet understand what the Foundation Phase was meant to

be, and that some teachers didn't rate its educational value. There

were a minority of schools who were not fully understanding the

Foundation Phase philosophy. And therefore there wasn't that

appropriate balance between practitioners earn lead and charred

initiated learning. This isn't a play curriculum, it is essentially

children learn by activities, new skills by doing different

activities. That is directed by a trained adults who explains and

developed their skills by doing something. Though this report is

largely positive, it only provides a snapshot of what's going on.

Critics and supporters of the Foundation Phase will have to wait

until later this academic year for a fuller account of whether or not

this new way of learning is a success.

It's where cricketer Gary Sobers made history, and Swansea famously

beat the Wallabies. St Helens in Swansea, one of our

most famous sporting landmarks, could make way for housing. The

ground is one of 500 potential sites earmarked for development in

the city. St Helen's, 1968, and one of the

greatest cricketing moments of all time. Gary Sobers smashing six

sixes, and guaranteeing his place in the record books. Alan Jones was

fielding that day. More than 40 years on, he says he doesn't want

to see the ground go. When I hear that Swansea Council

are thinking of selling St Helen's, it breaks my heart. And it will

break the heart, I am sure, of many Glamorgan supporters from the west,

who love to come to St Helen's to watch Glamorgan play. If that

ground is not there anymore for first-class cricket, it will be a

sad day for Glamorgan supporters from this area. The ground, owned

by Swansea Council, is one of several hundred sites being

considered for new housing, shops and schools. The council says plans

are at an early stage, and work to develop sites will not start for

another four years. No decision has been made about the future of St

Helen's. For those who played here, the ground holds special memories.

It is the place where Welsh champions humbled world champions,

with Swansea beating Australia in front of a packed stadium in 1992.

We have already lost the Scarlets' ground. And to lose St Helen's

would be a big blow as well. There was something about St Helen's, for

a person from the Swansea Valley it was special. Something made it

different from the other grounds in the world. Whatever the weather,

the ground was always good. That was something special. There was

some disappointment that Swansea's sporting heritage could disappear.

People in the area have until the end of the month to have their say

about the plans. Athletics World Champion Dai Greene

was given a hero's welcome, as he returned to his training base in

Bath today. Hundreds of students and fellow athletes turned up to

watch a ceremony in his honour at the University sports village,

where he'll now focus on preparing for next year's London Olympics.

And the environment is very professional. Everyone is training

to be the best they can. It is a great atmosphere.

Rugby, and Wales coach Warren Gatland says he won't make too many

changes for the next match in the World Cup against Samoa. Today, the

squad trained at their base on the shores of Lake Taupo, in

preparation for Sunday's game in Hamilton. Prop Gethin Jenkins and

fly-half Stephen Jones both took part, and should be in contention

for selection this weekend. If he's picked, Jones will become Wales'

most capped international. At the moment, I am trying to

concentrate on getting back on the pitch.

If I am lucky to get on the pitch and selected, I will be delighted.

And it will be a great achievement. But it is a long way off at the

moment. Cricket, and Dave two of the experimental match at

Canterbury, Glamorgan move on to 113 for two. Rain stopped play for

the moment. The day's action could continue until 9pm. A motorcyclist

from Powys who recently set a world record, travelling the length of

the Americas twice, has been talking about his experience. Nick

Sanders completed his journey from Alaska to Argentina and back again

in less than 50 days. The adventurer, who has previously

travelled the world, filmed much of his journey, and he's shared the

footage with BBC Wales. Cemlyn Davies went to meet him at his home

near Machynlleth. With only two wheels and the trans-

Alaskan pipeline for company, Nick Sanders sets off on his record

setting adventure. The 50,000 mile journey took him through 13

different countries. Twice. The 53 year old had to contend with

temperatures ranging from 46 degrees centigrade, to below

freezing, as he crossed the Atacama desert and the Andes. It is

freezing cold. I have been up all night. Away from home for weeks.

And, it is hard. Sometimes, it really hurts. And yet, the

wonderful thing about motor biking is it is just brilliant. Nick often

rode for 22 hours a day, stopping only to eat and sleep on his bike.

He finally completed the journey in just under 46 days. Back home in

Abercegir, Nick's already busy writing a book and preparing a DVD

of his journey. I liked the warmer areas, it is

easier to ride a bike. I was looking forward to the Atacama

desert. I know Peru almost better than I know parts of Wales. The

hard bits were in the south and north. South Patagonia, the plateau.

It was difficult. Sheets of ice across the road. Nick, originally

from Manchester, has already travelled around the world seven

times. So what's next for the adventurer? There is always another

journey. No more record-breaking journeys for me. I have plans to

stay more in the area, my children live here. They are Welsh-speaking.

I find it a fantastic place to settle for the rest of my life.

a man who's spent his life travelling the world for a living,

that may be the greatest adventure After a stormy few days, some

respite in the forecast? We've have seen the worst of the

gales for the time being. The wind will ease over the next couple of

days. Falling light on Thursday. So less windy today, but the wind

still strong on some coasts and hills. Up to force 7 on the Lleyn

Peninsula. A gust of 50mph at Capel Curig in Snowdonia. There's been a

few showers around today. Some heavy rain in Mid and South Wales

this morning, followed by brighter skies and some sunshine. Tonight, a

few showers. Tomorrow's chart shows low pressure over Scandinavia.

That's the remains of Hurricane Katia. Closer to home, the wind

lighter with a weak front moving south. Tomorrow morning: dry in the

south. Some bright skies and sunshine in Swansea, Cardiff and

Newport. Dry and bright in Powys and the north east. The north west

is cloudier, with the odd light shower. Most of the country, dry

tomorrow. The best of the sunshine in the south and east. Cloudier in

Snowdonia, with a little rain in the far north later in the

afternoon. Top temperatures, 15 to 18 Celsius. The Tour Of Britain

Cycle Race is well under way. Tomorrow, it's Welshpool to

Caerphilly. Good news, it will be dry, with lighter winds. Thursday

is the best day of the week. Most places dry. Some sunshine and light

winds. Friday may start dry. But rain and showers are on the way.

The weekend is unsettled. Very breezy with sunny intervals and

blustery showers. A few of you braved the leftovers of Hurricane

Katia yesterday. John Mason from Machynlleth took this photo in

Aberystwyth. Mike Davies from Neath ventured into the Brecon Beacons to

see Scwd yr Eira waterfall. And this by Barri Elford. A huge wave

crashing into the Coney Harbour in Porthcawl. You can see more of your

stormy photos in my blog on our An aid to Munro year-old boy is in

intensive care after being found in a fountain outside Cardiff City

Hall. Members of the public tried to revive him before paramedics

took him to the University Hospital of Wales where his family are with