:00:03. > :00:07.Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story tonight:
:00:07. > :00:17.Struggling to heat her home - Wales has some of the areas worst-hit by
:00:17. > :00:29.
:00:29. > :00:39.Also tonight: The body of Lance Corporal Richard
:00:39. > :00:39.
:00:39. > :00:44.Scanlon is flown home from Afghanistan.
:00:44. > :00:46.Recording a snapshot of life 25 years ago, how the BBC's social
:00:46. > :00:49.experiment is inspiring a new generation.
:00:49. > :00:51.Offering a warm welcome to Chinese visitors - but will plans for a
:00:51. > :00:54.holiday resort translate into reality?
:00:54. > :01:04.And the 105-year-old who proving you're never too old for a bit of
:01:04. > :01:08.
:01:08. > :01:16.exercise. -- -- Hillier's. I think anything like that, when you
:01:16. > :01:19.realise it is what you need. Good evening. More than 400,000
:01:19. > :01:23.families in Wales are struggling to meet the cost of heating their
:01:23. > :01:27.homes. With fuel bills rising more than 21% since last year, new
:01:27. > :01:30.figures show that four out of the top five areas in the UK suffering
:01:31. > :01:34.fuel poverty are here in Wales. Merthyr, Blaenau Gwent, Neath Port
:01:35. > :01:38.Talbot and Caerphilly are the worst affected. But many customers may be
:01:38. > :01:44.able to get help and could be missing out on hundreds of pounds
:01:44. > :01:49.towards their bills. For Margaret Tookey from Tonyrefail,
:01:49. > :01:52.staying warm is a costly affair. She suffers from osteoarthritis - a
:01:52. > :01:56.condition worsened by the cold - yet she's struggling to meet the
:01:56. > :02:03.heating bill for her flat. She's a prepayment customer and �20 of her
:02:03. > :02:08.�67 a week benefit is spent on energy costs. Hundred and it has
:02:08. > :02:12.got to the stage where it is on for an hour in the afternoon and maybe
:02:12. > :02:20.an hour in the night, because I am afraid to use it. I keep checking
:02:20. > :02:29.my meter to see what is in there, what is left. I'm just afraid to
:02:29. > :02:34.use it. It can become depressing. I did get depressed. Wandering and
:02:34. > :02:37.worrying. About how to keep on, and the only way is to keep extra
:02:37. > :02:41.clothes on. Today, a new campaign was launched to help people like
:02:41. > :02:45.Margaret. The message is simple - don't turn your house into an igloo
:02:45. > :02:50.because you can't afford to heat it. There may be help at hand - up to
:02:50. > :02:54.�250 in the form of discounts and rebates. The helpline is about
:02:54. > :02:58.giving advice to people who are in fuel poverty, making them aware of
:02:58. > :03:02.any grants they may be entitled to in terms of keeping their house for
:03:02. > :03:05.more keeping the bills down, and making sure that vulnerable people
:03:05. > :03:09.are aware of their rights and what they are entitled to from the
:03:09. > :03:11.energy company and from the Government and local council.
:03:11. > :03:15.in Wales, we have more households struggling with high energy costs
:03:15. > :03:18.than in any other part of Britain. In the worst affected areas -
:03:18. > :03:24.Merthyr, Blaenau Gwent, Neath Port Talbot and Caerphilly - more than a
:03:24. > :03:28.quarter of households are in so- called fuel-poverty. A household is
:03:28. > :03:33.said to be in fuel poverty if they spend more than 10% of their income
:03:33. > :03:38.on energy. Here in Wales, where incomes are below the UK average,
:03:38. > :03:43.we spend proportionally more of our income had heating our homes.
:03:43. > :03:47.Coupled with the fact that we also had an older, less fuel-efficient
:03:48. > :03:55.housing stock, it is easy to see why, in some Valley areas in
:03:55. > :03:59.particular, fuel poverty is a daily reality. The average energy bill in
:03:59. > :04:01.Wales has risen by 21% since last autumn. Currently, people in the
:04:01. > :04:03.North Wales area - which also includes Cheshire and Merseyside -
:04:03. > :04:06.pay �1,285 a year for a dual-fuel bill.
:04:06. > :04:11.In South Wales, that figure is slightly higher - at �1,298 -as
:04:11. > :04:15.different suppliers charge different prices. Over 50% of
:04:15. > :04:18.people in Wales are worried about paying their fuel bills this winter,
:04:19. > :04:22.and the number of people being plunged into fuel poverty has
:04:22. > :04:26.increased substantially after the recent price rises we have seen,
:04:26. > :04:32.and we estimate this has pushed another 90,000 into fuel poverty,
:04:32. > :04:35.bringing the total to 420,000 households, that is one in three.
:04:35. > :04:38.It's hoped the Home Heat Helpline will encourage people to claim what
:04:38. > :04:40.they are entitled to. And help people like Margaret stay warm in
:04:40. > :04:42.their homes. Earlier, I spoke to Christine
:04:43. > :04:45.McGourty, Director of Energy UK, which represents the main six
:04:45. > :04:54.energy companies, and I asked her whether energy companies have
:04:54. > :04:58.neglected their customers at the expense of profit. Well, the
:04:58. > :05:03.companies spend over �100 million trying to reach the people who need
:05:03. > :05:07.help most. What they can't and don't know is the circumstances of
:05:07. > :05:11.every individual customer, so if you have lost your job for example,
:05:11. > :05:15.your energy company simply won't know that, so we are urging people
:05:15. > :05:21.to make sure that they don't they said. You can call your supplier or
:05:21. > :05:25.the helpline number, but there is more than that, there is real help.
:05:25. > :05:29.You can save �250 by taking up things like insulation, there is
:05:29. > :05:33.grants and rebates, all of these things are available, and the
:05:33. > :05:38.companies have to spend around �1 billion over the next four years
:05:38. > :05:41.providing these help -- this help to the vulnerable people, whether
:05:41. > :05:46.it is the elderly, people on benefits, there is a whole range of
:05:46. > :05:50.people who would qualify and we are urging them to pick up the phone.
:05:50. > :05:54.Many customers feel they need help understanding the bells, and
:05:54. > :05:58.particularly the tariffs, they are very confusing -- the bills. This
:05:58. > :06:01.is something the regulator has picked up on. I think the companies
:06:01. > :06:04.have taken that on board and there have been a whole range of
:06:04. > :06:07.initiatives over the last few months where they are looking
:06:07. > :06:11.carefully at whether they have too many Tariffs and they need to be
:06:11. > :06:15.explained better, and I think things are changing and over the
:06:15. > :06:20.next year you will see a lot of improvements said how easy it is to
:06:20. > :06:24.understand them. We are really keen for people to look at what they can
:06:24. > :06:28.do, may be changing to paying by direct debit, for example, instead
:06:28. > :06:32.of writing a cheque. There are little ways you can make a
:06:32. > :06:37.difference and save money and we are urging people to lie the call a
:06:37. > :06:41.company or call a helpline and get advice. The energy companies are
:06:41. > :06:45.behind the helpline, what is the motivation? Is it because they feel
:06:45. > :06:50.under pressure? The companies take their responsibilities seriously.
:06:50. > :06:53.Energy is not a luxury product, we know we need electricity and gas to
:06:54. > :06:58.keep their homes warm, keep the standard of living and keep the
:06:58. > :07:01.economy going, so they take their responsibilities seriously and they
:07:02. > :07:06.are keen to help those who are most vulnerable, especially at this time
:07:06. > :07:10.of the year. They provide free insulation, help with getting
:07:10. > :07:12.energy efficient boilers and with grants and rebates, they do provide
:07:12. > :07:15.that. Will we want to increase awareness
:07:15. > :07:20.of it and make sure the right people are getting the help they
:07:20. > :07:23.need -- we want to. Christine McGourty, thank you very much.
:07:23. > :07:33.To get advice, you can call the Home Heat Helpline number which is
:07:33. > :07:33.
:07:34. > :07:38.0800 336699. The body of a Welsh soldier killed
:07:38. > :07:42.in Afghanistan has been flown back to Britain. 31-year-old lance-
:07:42. > :07:48.corporal Richard Scanlon and was on patrol last week when his armoured
:07:48. > :07:58.vehicle hit a roadside bomb. He was among four servicemen who were
:07:58. > :08:02.
:08:02. > :08:05.returned home today. Four families of four servicemen
:08:05. > :08:08.killed in less than a week. Waiting in the town of Carterton in
:08:08. > :08:11.Oxfordshire for a homecoming ceremony they never wanted. Among
:08:11. > :08:16.those returning at Brize Norton, Lance Corporal Richard Scanlon of
:08:16. > :08:19.the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards. In his second stint in the army,
:08:19. > :08:23.Richard Scanlon was caught in an explosion in Helmand, just days
:08:23. > :08:26.after his 31st birthday. His mother, father, stepfather and two sisters
:08:26. > :08:36.said he had a great love for his family His colleagues said he had a
:08:36. > :08:47.
:08:47. > :08:53.Today, loved ones came together for a last, silent goodbye. The rituals
:08:53. > :09:03.of respect and remembrance are the same, but the names are different.
:09:03. > :09:12.
:09:12. > :09:14.Now the families will be left to Two people from Swansea have been
:09:14. > :09:17.arrested in connection with a tyre fire that burned for three weeks on
:09:17. > :09:20.an industrial estate in the city during the summer. A 64-year-old
:09:20. > :09:22.man and a 58-year-old woman were arrested in a joint operation by
:09:22. > :09:25.police and officers from Environment Agency Wales yesterday.
:09:25. > :09:28.It's alleged around 5,000 tonnes of tyre waste was illegally dumped at
:09:28. > :09:32.a warehouse in Fforestfach. The pair have been released on police
:09:32. > :09:35.bail. An investigation has been launched
:09:35. > :09:38.after a pedestrian was injured in a collision with a police car in
:09:38. > :09:41.Cardiff. The 67-year-old female was taken to hospital with a head
:09:41. > :09:44.injury following the incident on Newport Road in Rumney yesterday
:09:44. > :09:47.afternoon. South Wales Police say its referred the case to the
:09:47. > :09:50.Independent Police Complaints Commission.
:09:50. > :09:54.BBC Wales has learnt this year's National Eisteddfod at Wrexham made
:09:54. > :09:59.a loss. The actual figure hasn't been confirmed but it's thought it
:09:59. > :10:05.could run to tens of thousands of pounds. Last year's festival in
:10:05. > :10:08.Blaenau Gwent also lost money, but the three before that made a profit.
:10:08. > :10:14.A fully bilingual record of debates in the Welsh Assembly will be
:10:14. > :10:18.reintroduced. The record of proceedings will be translated into
:10:18. > :10:21.Welsh using a computer programme, then proof-read. Welsh translations
:10:21. > :10:23.of English proceedings in the Senedd were dropped from the
:10:23. > :10:26.official record in September last year. But the Assembly Commission,
:10:26. > :10:28.which handles day-to-day business, said they would be reintroduced in
:10:28. > :10:30.January. Plans to build a �50 million
:10:30. > :10:33.holiday village in Carmarthenshire aimed at Chinese tourists have been
:10:33. > :10:36.unveiled. The company behind it has earmarked 22 acres in the village
:10:36. > :10:40.of Llanfynydd, near Llandeilo, to build a large hotel, 80 holiday
:10:40. > :10:44.homes and a swimming pool. Kate Morgan reports.
:10:44. > :10:48.Acres of unspoilt views in the Towy Valley. An attractive spot for
:10:48. > :10:54.visitors. But to lure the wealthiest international tourists,
:10:54. > :10:59.this is what one Chinese company thinks the area needs. A luxury
:10:59. > :11:04.holiday village, costing �50 million. Complete with a 100-room
:11:04. > :11:07.hotel, 80 holiday homes and a swimming pool. For Janet Watkins,
:11:07. > :11:16.who's lived and worked on her farm here for 30 years, hearing about
:11:16. > :11:20.the plans has been upsetting. happy at all. It's not going to fit
:11:20. > :11:23.in with this area at all, we are a little village and I believe on the
:11:23. > :11:28.website after seeing this, but the developers quoted it as a lovely
:11:28. > :11:31.rural area. This is going to be a big development, bigger than the
:11:31. > :11:36.village itself, and not one of the properties are in keeping with the
:11:36. > :11:42.area. The 10 behind the is the last remaining debt of a stately home --
:11:42. > :11:47.but town. Under plans, it would become as large hotel, but such
:11:47. > :11:54.plans are not new to the area, with log cabin is and the Senate is
:11:54. > :11:59.attracting gas -- guests to the area, but many have concerns that
:11:59. > :12:02.such a development is out of kilter with such a rural area. Maxhard,
:12:02. > :12:05.the company behind the proposals, says it's selected this site
:12:05. > :12:09.because it's such a beautiful rural area. They'll market it at mainly
:12:09. > :12:13.Chinese visitors. And as they spend more than �180 million visiting the
:12:13. > :12:16.UK, experts here can see why it'll be good for business. There is
:12:16. > :12:20.scope for it. You can Cup -- quote one or two examples of businesses
:12:20. > :12:25.that haven't done as well unfortunately, but I could quote a
:12:25. > :12:29.dozen other businesses that are doing exceptionally well and in
:12:29. > :12:32.moving and targeting that particular side of the market.
:12:32. > :12:38.development will also create around 70 jobs. For some, it's a chance to
:12:38. > :12:43.boost Carmarthen's economy. I very much welcome the interest, to have
:12:43. > :12:48.an intended investment are of such a figure is nothing to be sneezed
:12:49. > :12:52.at. In that context, I welcome it, but nothing at this stage... I do
:12:52. > :12:55.have concerns that most people in Carmarthenshire would. For now,
:12:55. > :12:58.it's very early days. The proposals haven't even been considered by the
:12:58. > :13:08.council's planning committee yet. But the people in Llanfynydd say
:13:08. > :13:10.
:13:10. > :13:13.they'll fight to protect their Still to come on the programme:
:13:13. > :13:18.Revisiting 1986, the project that recorded everyday life across Wales
:13:18. > :13:21.gets a new lease of life. The Welsh Government is being urged
:13:21. > :13:25.to lobby to keep a tax break that's led to a boom in the brewing
:13:25. > :13:30.industry here. The number of breweries in Wales, has doubled in
:13:30. > :13:33.just a decade to almost 50. That's mainly because of a cut in the beer
:13:33. > :13:43.duty paid by small brewers which big companies argue amounts to
:13:43. > :13:43.
:13:43. > :13:49.unfair competition. This is where the mortar is mixed
:13:49. > :13:59.with the water. This is where we get the sugar which will be turned
:13:59. > :13:59.
:14:00. > :14:03.into alcohol in the fermenter faults -- for men tos. This micro-
:14:03. > :14:08.brewery is one of dozens that have sprung up in Wales and the last 10
:14:08. > :14:13.years. It is a traditional craft, rooted in its commune at sea for.
:14:13. > :14:17.There is a beautiful smile, a heady sweetness, and it is so easy to be
:14:17. > :14:23.romantic about a business like this. It is a business, and there is a
:14:23. > :14:29.bottom line, and key to it his duty. Alcohol tax. On a barrel like this,
:14:29. > :14:34.a big brewer would pay �30 duty. A small one, just 15. Now, some of
:14:34. > :14:40.the big brewers are fighting back. They say it is unfair competition.
:14:40. > :14:44.Small brewers want the cuts defended. It is very difficult --
:14:44. > :14:48.critical for the survival of the smaller brewers to enable them to
:14:48. > :14:53.expand and as they expand, they will pay more duty, as they get
:14:54. > :14:58.bigger. Certainly, we need to campaign for that because that is
:14:58. > :15:02.absolutely crucial. Speak to a pub landlord and they will tell you
:15:02. > :15:06.that competitive pricing has been one reason they have been so quick
:15:06. > :15:11.to put microbe beers on the pump. This is experts say there is
:15:11. > :15:18.another side to this growing boom as well. Trucks. Often in rural
:15:18. > :15:20.community is. When they set up, in rural communities, they are the
:15:20. > :15:26.glue that holds the communities together. They provide sustainable
:15:26. > :15:32.jobs, not jobs because of a grant which might run out. Hopefully,
:15:32. > :15:36.these jobs will be here for a long time. You get people coming in that
:15:36. > :15:40.are on holiday and they like to try the local ales but you also get
:15:40. > :15:44.local people coming in specifically for a local ale that we may have
:15:44. > :15:49.for one month and traded at the following month. It is great to
:15:49. > :15:55.have a lot of tries and competitive nurse. In Conway, a new departure
:15:55. > :16:00.for the micro-brewery. Four have clubs together to open a pub, a
:16:00. > :16:04.showcase for the products, they say. For now, business is good. Packer
:16:04. > :16:09.the brewery, they getting ready for Christmas with special ales. It
:16:09. > :16:12.will be a busy time, they had. This can be a cut-throat business and
:16:12. > :16:15.the competition is starting to take note.
:16:15. > :16:17.A Senior Welsh Labour member of the House of Lords has attacked the UK
:16:17. > :16:22.Government for having "massively failed" in making sure taxpayers'
:16:22. > :16:26.money for the 2012 London Olympics is spent fairly across the country.
:16:26. > :16:29.Lord Anderson of Swansea said Wales was at the bottom table in terms of
:16:29. > :16:39.contracts awarded by the Olympic Delivery Authority and that it had
:16:39. > :16:39.
:16:39. > :16:43.been largely neglected. The over all conclusion must surely
:16:43. > :16:49.be there is a major missed opportunity and it is now too late
:16:49. > :16:53.to address it. How can I begin to persuade businessman, the public in
:16:53. > :17:01.Wales, that the government might have in short they have a fair
:17:01. > :17:04.slice of the cake. Tonight, the UK Government said it's committed to
:17:04. > :17:07.ensuring the Olympic and Paralympic Games benefit the whole of the UK.
:17:07. > :17:10.The Heritage Lottery fund has awarded �2 million to help repair
:17:10. > :17:13.the Old Town Hall building in Merthyr Tydfil. Plans have been put
:17:13. > :17:15.forward to transform the Grade II listed building into a new cultural
:17:15. > :17:19.and creative industries centre for the town. The 113-year-old building
:17:19. > :17:29.has been derelict for the last decade. The Welsh Government
:17:29. > :17:33.
:17:33. > :17:35.pledged �4 million towards the project earlier this year.
:17:35. > :17:38.Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers has started talks with the
:17:38. > :17:41.club about signing new long-term contract. Rodgers, who took the
:17:41. > :17:43.Swans into the Premier League in his first season, is currently on a
:17:43. > :17:47.one-year rolling contract but chairman Huw Jenkins would like to
:17:47. > :17:52.tie him down to a longer-term deal. We spoke about it a few months ago
:17:52. > :17:56.and again last week and we will talk again today. Like I say, I
:17:56. > :17:59.love working here as the Swansea City manager. It's the perfect
:18:00. > :18:03.place for me to be and I couldn't think of anywhere else I would like
:18:04. > :18:12.to be in the world which would give me the Sir Gus faction of working
:18:12. > :18:16.here in this club. -- which would give me the satisfaction.
:18:16. > :18:19.Can you remember what you were doing 25 years ago? Well, back in
:18:19. > :18:22.1986, one million children across Wales and the UK were taking part
:18:22. > :18:25.in the BBC's Domesday Project. The idea was to record a snapshot of
:18:25. > :18:29.everyday life in your local area, a kind of time capsule for future
:18:29. > :18:31.generations. The project came to an end 25 years ago this week but it's
:18:31. > :18:35.since been relaunched, allowing a new generation of Welsh children to
:18:35. > :18:38.go back to the 80s. 1986. Prince Andrew and Sarah
:18:38. > :18:41.Ferguson tied the knot. British Leyland cars changed their name to
:18:41. > :18:45.Rover. And the UK and France announced plans to build the
:18:45. > :18:48.Channel Tunnel. Meanwhile, school children across the country, like
:18:48. > :18:54.these in Swansea, were taking part in one of the most ambitious
:18:54. > :18:58.projects the BBC had ever undertaken. The idea was to find
:18:58. > :19:00.out everything about the area where you lived and then put all that
:19:00. > :19:06.information into a huge computer database. It was called the
:19:06. > :19:09.Domesday Project. At the time, Steven Parry was a pupil at
:19:09. > :19:14.Oakfield Junior School in Cwmbran. This road he's standing next to was
:19:14. > :19:18.being built in 1986. And as part of the Domesday Project, he spoke to
:19:18. > :19:24.the farmer who owned the land that the road was cutting through and
:19:24. > :19:30.asked him what he thought of the changes. What will life be like
:19:30. > :19:33.after the road is built? I am not looking forward to it because it
:19:33. > :19:38.was a quiet place. I remember we were learning we were going to put
:19:38. > :19:41.all of this stuff on to an electronic database, a bit like
:19:41. > :19:46.when the idea of putting it in the biscuit tin and burying it in the
:19:46. > :19:48.garden, but this was a bit more of a social version of that. The idea
:19:48. > :19:51.behind the Domesday Project was simple enough - to chronicle life
:19:51. > :19:54.in 1980's Britain. But the technology the school children had
:19:54. > :19:58.to use was pretty basic and the finished product ended up on
:19:58. > :20:03.expensive and unwieldy laserdisks like these. Of course, back in 1986
:20:03. > :20:06.the internet was still a few years off. But now, after a year of
:20:06. > :20:10.extracting, copying and indexing all that data, the BBC has finally
:20:10. > :20:13.made the contents of the Domesday Project available on the web. And
:20:13. > :20:19.that's given a whole new generation of children the chance to explore
:20:19. > :20:22.Welsh life 25 years ago. It also means they can now update it. These
:20:22. > :20:25.pupils at Evenlode Primary School in the Vale of Glamorgan have made
:20:25. > :20:35.a film for the Domesday Project about how their town and their
:20:35. > :20:36.
:20:36. > :20:42.lives have changed. Yes, the houses have changed quite a lot. And I
:20:42. > :20:46.think the shops because there is more estate agents now. They used
:20:46. > :20:49.to be sweet shops and stuff. This month, the BBC handed all the data
:20:49. > :20:53.from the Domesday Project to the UK's National Archives in Surrey,
:20:53. > :20:58.where it'll be stored and preserved. A social history of Wales in an
:20:58. > :21:01.electronic time capsule. Someone with a few tales of her own
:21:01. > :21:05.is Ida Lawrence, who's proving you're never too old to keep fit,
:21:05. > :21:10.at the age of 105. She lives in Buckley in Flintshire and she's
:21:10. > :21:13.just started going to exercise classes.
:21:13. > :21:18.If you thought getting older meant slowing down, putting your feet up
:21:18. > :21:21.and relaxing, wait till you meet Ida Lawrence. She was born in 1906,
:21:21. > :21:25.just ten years after the first modern Olympic Games, and is going
:21:25. > :21:34.for the gold medal in Low Impact Functional Training. Or, to put it
:21:34. > :21:39.another way, simple, pain-free exercise. It smiles on your faces!
:21:39. > :21:45.But it's nothing new to the centenarian. I am a farmer's
:21:45. > :21:51.daughter so why have done a lot of work in the farm and, so, that was
:21:51. > :21:54.the sort of thing that you did. I mean, if it was necessary I
:21:54. > :21:58.ploughed. And things like that. These classes at a community centre
:21:58. > :22:03.in Mynydd Isa aim to prove that even gentle movement can give you a
:22:03. > :22:09.lift. Just do what you can. Some people think, I cannot do that, it
:22:09. > :22:15.is too much. But if you make the effort, do what you can, you then,
:22:15. > :22:20.hopefully, get better and do more. I Paul backwards and forwards, and
:22:20. > :22:24.I am not very tall, so it is easy to go down! It is easier to go down
:22:24. > :22:29.and pick things up. Age Concern says Ida has obviously lived a
:22:29. > :22:32.healthy and active life but everybody can follow her example.
:22:32. > :22:36.Lots of people need to get the message it is never too late to
:22:36. > :22:41.start to do some of these things that we know will make a difference
:22:41. > :22:46.for your age, more physical activity, giving up smoking,
:22:46. > :22:50.moderating alcohol intake, and you could also lead to be 105 for of
:22:50. > :22:53.stop Ida Lawrence is now relaxing with some light refreshments.
:22:53. > :23:01.hopes to be an inspiration for other older people to show that
:23:01. > :23:09.just because you of getting on, you don't have to stop getting fit.
:23:09. > :23:13.Somebody else who is in good shape Ida is fitter than me! I need to do
:23:13. > :23:22.a bit more walking and lose a few pounds. Anyway, it's been mild and
:23:22. > :23:25.breezy today. Gales in the NW with gusts over 60mph in Snowdonia.
:23:25. > :23:29.There is also a risk of some flooding this evening on the west
:23:29. > :23:38.coast of Anglesey. The Lleyn Peninsula and in Barmouth due to
:23:38. > :23:42.the combination of strong onshore winds and high tides. If you want
:23:42. > :23:46.more information, check out the Environment Agency's website. The
:23:46. > :23:49.reason for the wind and rain is a deep area of low pressure which is
:23:49. > :23:52.pushing a cold front towards us. So this evening some drizzle then a
:23:52. > :24:02.spell of rain. This will be followed by dry weather and clear
:24:02. > :24:04.
:24:04. > :24:07.skies. The wind easing as the rain clears and turning colder.
:24:07. > :24:12.Temperatures by the end of the night and dropping to four. So
:24:12. > :24:21.tomorrow morning a fresh but dry start in the south. Similar story
:24:21. > :24:31.too for Mid Wales and the north. Fine and dry with clear skies.
:24:31. > :24:31.
:24:31. > :24:34.Feeling colder. Temperatures in Carmarthen around nine. So, much
:24:34. > :24:36.brighter tomorrow but not completely dry. Cloud and a few
:24:36. > :24:39.showers will spread across the country later in the morning and
:24:39. > :24:45.during the afternoon. Followed by dry weather and clearer skies. Top
:24:45. > :24:49.temperatures nine to 12 Celsius with a chilly westerly wind. In
:24:50. > :24:54.Blaina Gwent tomorrow, a fine start. Sunny for a time but cloudier in
:24:54. > :24:58.the afternoon with a few showers. Tomorrow evening dry and cold.
:24:58. > :25:03.Clear for a time but clouding over during the night. As for the
:25:03. > :25:12.weekend, Saturday cloudier and milder. Breezy too with fresh to
:25:12. > :25:19.strong winds. A few spots of drizzle. Gales in the North West. A
:25:19. > :25:21.light rain in Snowdonia otherwise dry. On Sunday, light rain first
:25:21. > :25:27.thing will clear. Becoming dry. Bright and breezy. Some sunshine
:25:27. > :25:31.and chilly. Next week, unsettled. By the way, The Bracken Trust are
:25:31. > :25:36.having a Christmas Fayre tomorrow in Llandrindod Wells. Chilly but
:25:36. > :25:39.sunny. While Ysgol Gymraeg Pwll Coch in Cardiff are holding a
:25:39. > :25:49.Christmas Fayre on Saturday. It should be dry. Our picture tonight
:25:49. > :25:52.is from Kez Price. Sunset at Strumble Head Lighthouse. A lovely
:25:52. > :26:00.part of the country. Wet and windy this evening but much brighter and
:26:00. > :26:04.Now, every year in December we show a selection of your children's
:26:04. > :26:06.festive pictures and we want to do the same this year. The address to
:26:07. > :26:16.send them is Derek's Pictures, Wales Today, BBC Wales, Cardiff CF5
:26:17. > :26:22.
:26:22. > :26:25.So it's time to get busy with crayons and the glitter as well!
:26:25. > :26:29.Are you going to draw me something this year?
:26:29. > :26:31.I had better get started! And a reminder of our top stories
:26:31. > :26:36.tonight: Famous and hounded, more A-list
:26:36. > :26:40.celebrities speak out about their treatment at the hands of the press.
:26:40. > :26:45.JK Rowling says journalists camped outside her home.
:26:45. > :26:49.A row has broken out between the unions and UK Government after
:26:49. > :26:53.ministers claimed next week's strike by public sector workers
:26:53. > :26:58.could cost half a billion pounds and lead to job losses. Union
:26:58. > :27:00.leaders have hit back saying it is fantasy economics. The industrial
:27:00. > :27:04.action is over public sector pension reform.
:27:04. > :27:06.More than 400,000 families in Wales are struggling to meet the cost of
:27:06. > :27:10.heating their homes. With fuel bills rising more than 21% since
:27:10. > :27:17.last year, new figures show that four out of the top five areas in
:27:17. > :27:21.the UK suffering fuel poverty are here in Wales.
:27:21. > :27:31.Before we go, a reminder, if you've got a story you think we should
:27:31. > :27:34.