24/11/2011 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story tonight:

Struggling to heat her home - Wales has some of the areas worst-hit by

Also tonight: The body of Lance Corporal Richard

Scanlon is flown home from Afghanistan.

Recording a snapshot of life 25 years ago, how the BBC's social

experiment is inspiring a new generation.

Offering a warm welcome to Chinese visitors - but will plans for a

holiday resort translate into reality?

And the 105-year-old who proving you're never too old for a bit of

exercise. -- -- Hillier's. I think anything like that, when you

realise it is what you need. Good evening. More than 400,000

families in Wales are struggling to meet the cost of heating their

homes. With fuel bills rising more than 21% since last year, new

figures show that four out of the top five areas in the UK suffering

fuel poverty are here in Wales. Merthyr, Blaenau Gwent, Neath Port

Talbot and Caerphilly are the worst affected. But many customers may be

able to get help and could be missing out on hundreds of pounds

towards their bills. For Margaret Tookey from Tonyrefail,

staying warm is a costly affair. She suffers from osteoarthritis - a

condition worsened by the cold - yet she's struggling to meet the

heating bill for her flat. She's a prepayment customer and �20 of her

�67 a week benefit is spent on energy costs. Hundred and it has

got to the stage where it is on for an hour in the afternoon and maybe

an hour in the night, because I am afraid to use it. I keep checking

my meter to see what is in there, what is left. I'm just afraid to

use it. It can become depressing. I did get depressed. Wandering and

worrying. About how to keep on, and the only way is to keep extra

clothes on. Today, a new campaign was launched to help people like

Margaret. The message is simple - don't turn your house into an igloo

because you can't afford to heat it. There may be help at hand - up to

�250 in the form of discounts and rebates. The helpline is about

giving advice to people who are in fuel poverty, making them aware of

any grants they may be entitled to in terms of keeping their house for

more keeping the bills down, and making sure that vulnerable people

are aware of their rights and what they are entitled to from the

energy company and from the Government and local council.

in Wales, we have more households struggling with high energy costs

than in any other part of Britain. In the worst affected areas -

Merthyr, Blaenau Gwent, Neath Port Talbot and Caerphilly - more than a

quarter of households are in so- called fuel-poverty. A household is

said to be in fuel poverty if they spend more than 10% of their income

on energy. Here in Wales, where incomes are below the UK average,

we spend proportionally more of our income had heating our homes.

Coupled with the fact that we also had an older, less fuel-efficient

housing stock, it is easy to see why, in some Valley areas in

particular, fuel poverty is a daily reality. The average energy bill in

Wales has risen by 21% since last autumn. Currently, people in the

North Wales area - which also includes Cheshire and Merseyside -

pay �1,285 a year for a dual-fuel bill.

In South Wales, that figure is slightly higher - at �1,298 -as

different suppliers charge different prices. Over 50% of

people in Wales are worried about paying their fuel bills this winter,

and the number of people being plunged into fuel poverty has

increased substantially after the recent price rises we have seen,

and we estimate this has pushed another 90,000 into fuel poverty,

bringing the total to 420,000 households, that is one in three.

It's hoped the Home Heat Helpline will encourage people to claim what

they are entitled to. And help people like Margaret stay warm in

their homes. Earlier, I spoke to Christine

McGourty, Director of Energy UK, which represents the main six

energy companies, and I asked her whether energy companies have

neglected their customers at the expense of profit. Well, the

companies spend over �100 million trying to reach the people who need

help most. What they can't and don't know is the circumstances of

every individual customer, so if you have lost your job for example,

your energy company simply won't know that, so we are urging people

to make sure that they don't they said. You can call your supplier or

the helpline number, but there is more than that, there is real help.

You can save �250 by taking up things like insulation, there is

grants and rebates, all of these things are available, and the

companies have to spend around �1 billion over the next four years

providing these help -- this help to the vulnerable people, whether

it is the elderly, people on benefits, there is a whole range of

people who would qualify and we are urging them to pick up the phone.

Many customers feel they need help understanding the bells, and

particularly the tariffs, they are very confusing -- the bills. This

is something the regulator has picked up on. I think the companies

have taken that on board and there have been a whole range of

initiatives over the last few months where they are looking

carefully at whether they have too many Tariffs and they need to be

explained better, and I think things are changing and over the

next year you will see a lot of improvements said how easy it is to

understand them. We are really keen for people to look at what they can

do, may be changing to paying by direct debit, for example, instead

of writing a cheque. There are little ways you can make a

difference and save money and we are urging people to lie the call a

company or call a helpline and get advice. The energy companies are

behind the helpline, what is the motivation? Is it because they feel

under pressure? The companies take their responsibilities seriously.

Energy is not a luxury product, we know we need electricity and gas to

keep their homes warm, keep the standard of living and keep the

economy going, so they take their responsibilities seriously and they

are keen to help those who are most vulnerable, especially at this time

of the year. They provide free insulation, help with getting

energy efficient boilers and with grants and rebates, they do provide

that. Will we want to increase awareness

of it and make sure the right people are getting the help they

need -- we want to. Christine McGourty, thank you very much.

To get advice, you can call the Home Heat Helpline number which is

0800 336699. The body of a Welsh soldier killed

in Afghanistan has been flown back to Britain. 31-year-old lance-

corporal Richard Scanlon and was on patrol last week when his armoured

vehicle hit a roadside bomb. He was among four servicemen who were

returned home today. Four families of four servicemen

killed in less than a week. Waiting in the town of Carterton in

Oxfordshire for a homecoming ceremony they never wanted. Among

those returning at Brize Norton, Lance Corporal Richard Scanlon of

the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards. In his second stint in the army,

Richard Scanlon was caught in an explosion in Helmand, just days

after his 31st birthday. His mother, father, stepfather and two sisters

said he had a great love for his family His colleagues said he had a

Today, loved ones came together for a last, silent goodbye. The rituals

of respect and remembrance are the same, but the names are different.

Now the families will be left to Two people from Swansea have been

arrested in connection with a tyre fire that burned for three weeks on

an industrial estate in the city during the summer. A 64-year-old

man and a 58-year-old woman were arrested in a joint operation by

police and officers from Environment Agency Wales yesterday.

It's alleged around 5,000 tonnes of tyre waste was illegally dumped at

a warehouse in Fforestfach. The pair have been released on police

bail. An investigation has been launched

after a pedestrian was injured in a collision with a police car in

Cardiff. The 67-year-old female was taken to hospital with a head

injury following the incident on Newport Road in Rumney yesterday

afternoon. South Wales Police say its referred the case to the

Independent Police Complaints Commission.

BBC Wales has learnt this year's National Eisteddfod at Wrexham made

a loss. The actual figure hasn't been confirmed but it's thought it

could run to tens of thousands of pounds. Last year's festival in

Blaenau Gwent also lost money, but the three before that made a profit.

A fully bilingual record of debates in the Welsh Assembly will be

reintroduced. The record of proceedings will be translated into

Welsh using a computer programme, then proof-read. Welsh translations

of English proceedings in the Senedd were dropped from the

official record in September last year. But the Assembly Commission,

which handles day-to-day business, said they would be reintroduced in

January. Plans to build a �50 million

holiday village in Carmarthenshire aimed at Chinese tourists have been

unveiled. The company behind it has earmarked 22 acres in the village

of Llanfynydd, near Llandeilo, to build a large hotel, 80 holiday

homes and a swimming pool. Kate Morgan reports.

Acres of unspoilt views in the Towy Valley. An attractive spot for

visitors. But to lure the wealthiest international tourists,

this is what one Chinese company thinks the area needs. A luxury

holiday village, costing �50 million. Complete with a 100-room

hotel, 80 holiday homes and a swimming pool. For Janet Watkins,

who's lived and worked on her farm here for 30 years, hearing about

the plans has been upsetting. happy at all. It's not going to fit

in with this area at all, we are a little village and I believe on the

website after seeing this, but the developers quoted it as a lovely

rural area. This is going to be a big development, bigger than the

village itself, and not one of the properties are in keeping with the

area. The 10 behind the is the last remaining debt of a stately home --

but town. Under plans, it would become as large hotel, but such

plans are not new to the area, with log cabin is and the Senate is

attracting gas -- guests to the area, but many have concerns that

such a development is out of kilter with such a rural area. Maxhard,

the company behind the proposals, says it's selected this site

because it's such a beautiful rural area. They'll market it at mainly

Chinese visitors. And as they spend more than �180 million visiting the

UK, experts here can see why it'll be good for business. There is

scope for it. You can Cup -- quote one or two examples of businesses

that haven't done as well unfortunately, but I could quote a

dozen other businesses that are doing exceptionally well and in

moving and targeting that particular side of the market.

development will also create around 70 jobs. For some, it's a chance to

boost Carmarthen's economy. I very much welcome the interest, to have

an intended investment are of such a figure is nothing to be sneezed

at. In that context, I welcome it, but nothing at this stage... I do

have concerns that most people in Carmarthenshire would. For now,

it's very early days. The proposals haven't even been considered by the

council's planning committee yet. But the people in Llanfynydd say

they'll fight to protect their Still to come on the programme:

Revisiting 1986, the project that recorded everyday life across Wales

gets a new lease of life. The Welsh Government is being urged

to lobby to keep a tax break that's led to a boom in the brewing

industry here. The number of breweries in Wales, has doubled in

just a decade to almost 50. That's mainly because of a cut in the beer

duty paid by small brewers which big companies argue amounts to

unfair competition. This is where the mortar is mixed

with the water. This is where we get the sugar which will be turned

into alcohol in the fermenter faults -- for men tos. This micro-

brewery is one of dozens that have sprung up in Wales and the last 10

years. It is a traditional craft, rooted in its commune at sea for.

There is a beautiful smile, a heady sweetness, and it is so easy to be

romantic about a business like this. It is a business, and there is a

bottom line, and key to it his duty. Alcohol tax. On a barrel like this,

a big brewer would pay �30 duty. A small one, just 15. Now, some of

the big brewers are fighting back. They say it is unfair competition.

Small brewers want the cuts defended. It is very difficult --

critical for the survival of the smaller brewers to enable them to

expand and as they expand, they will pay more duty, as they get

bigger. Certainly, we need to campaign for that because that is

absolutely crucial. Speak to a pub landlord and they will tell you

that competitive pricing has been one reason they have been so quick

to put microbe beers on the pump. This is experts say there is

another side to this growing boom as well. Trucks. Often in rural

community is. When they set up, in rural communities, they are the

glue that holds the communities together. They provide sustainable

jobs, not jobs because of a grant which might run out. Hopefully,

these jobs will be here for a long time. You get people coming in that

are on holiday and they like to try the local ales but you also get

local people coming in specifically for a local ale that we may have

for one month and traded at the following month. It is great to

have a lot of tries and competitive nurse. In Conway, a new departure

for the micro-brewery. Four have clubs together to open a pub, a

showcase for the products, they say. For now, business is good. Packer

the brewery, they getting ready for Christmas with special ales. It

will be a busy time, they had. This can be a cut-throat business and

the competition is starting to take note.

A Senior Welsh Labour member of the House of Lords has attacked the UK

Government for having "massively failed" in making sure taxpayers'

money for the 2012 London Olympics is spent fairly across the country.

Lord Anderson of Swansea said Wales was at the bottom table in terms of

contracts awarded by the Olympic Delivery Authority and that it had

been largely neglected. The over all conclusion must surely

be there is a major missed opportunity and it is now too late

to address it. How can I begin to persuade businessman, the public in

Wales, that the government might have in short they have a fair

slice of the cake. Tonight, the UK Government said it's committed to

ensuring the Olympic and Paralympic Games benefit the whole of the UK.

The Heritage Lottery fund has awarded �2 million to help repair

the Old Town Hall building in Merthyr Tydfil. Plans have been put

forward to transform the Grade II listed building into a new cultural

and creative industries centre for the town. The 113-year-old building

has been derelict for the last decade. The Welsh Government

pledged �4 million towards the project earlier this year.

Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers has started talks with the

club about signing new long-term contract. Rodgers, who took the

Swans into the Premier League in his first season, is currently on a

one-year rolling contract but chairman Huw Jenkins would like to

tie him down to a longer-term deal. We spoke about it a few months ago

and again last week and we will talk again today. Like I say, I

love working here as the Swansea City manager. It's the perfect

place for me to be and I couldn't think of anywhere else I would like

to be in the world which would give me the Sir Gus faction of working

here in this club. -- which would give me the satisfaction.

Can you remember what you were doing 25 years ago? Well, back in

1986, one million children across Wales and the UK were taking part

in the BBC's Domesday Project. The idea was to record a snapshot of

everyday life in your local area, a kind of time capsule for future

generations. The project came to an end 25 years ago this week but it's

since been relaunched, allowing a new generation of Welsh children to

go back to the 80s. 1986. Prince Andrew and Sarah

Ferguson tied the knot. British Leyland cars changed their name to

Rover. And the UK and France announced plans to build the

Channel Tunnel. Meanwhile, school children across the country, like

these in Swansea, were taking part in one of the most ambitious

projects the BBC had ever undertaken. The idea was to find

out everything about the area where you lived and then put all that

information into a huge computer database. It was called the

Domesday Project. At the time, Steven Parry was a pupil at

Oakfield Junior School in Cwmbran. This road he's standing next to was

being built in 1986. And as part of the Domesday Project, he spoke to

the farmer who owned the land that the road was cutting through and

asked him what he thought of the changes. What will life be like

after the road is built? I am not looking forward to it because it

was a quiet place. I remember we were learning we were going to put

all of this stuff on to an electronic database, a bit like

when the idea of putting it in the biscuit tin and burying it in the

garden, but this was a bit more of a social version of that. The idea

behind the Domesday Project was simple enough - to chronicle life

in 1980's Britain. But the technology the school children had

to use was pretty basic and the finished product ended up on

expensive and unwieldy laserdisks like these. Of course, back in 1986

the internet was still a few years off. But now, after a year of

extracting, copying and indexing all that data, the BBC has finally

made the contents of the Domesday Project available on the web. And

that's given a whole new generation of children the chance to explore

Welsh life 25 years ago. It also means they can now update it. These

pupils at Evenlode Primary School in the Vale of Glamorgan have made

a film for the Domesday Project about how their town and their

lives have changed. Yes, the houses have changed quite a lot. And I

think the shops because there is more estate agents now. They used

to be sweet shops and stuff. This month, the BBC handed all the data

from the Domesday Project to the UK's National Archives in Surrey,

where it'll be stored and preserved. A social history of Wales in an

electronic time capsule. Someone with a few tales of her own

is Ida Lawrence, who's proving you're never too old to keep fit,

at the age of 105. She lives in Buckley in Flintshire and she's

just started going to exercise classes.

If you thought getting older meant slowing down, putting your feet up

and relaxing, wait till you meet Ida Lawrence. She was born in 1906,

just ten years after the first modern Olympic Games, and is going

for the gold medal in Low Impact Functional Training. Or, to put it

another way, simple, pain-free exercise. It smiles on your faces!

But it's nothing new to the centenarian. I am a farmer's

daughter so why have done a lot of work in the farm and, so, that was

the sort of thing that you did. I mean, if it was necessary I

ploughed. And things like that. These classes at a community centre

in Mynydd Isa aim to prove that even gentle movement can give you a

lift. Just do what you can. Some people think, I cannot do that, it

is too much. But if you make the effort, do what you can, you then,

hopefully, get better and do more. I Paul backwards and forwards, and

I am not very tall, so it is easy to go down! It is easier to go down

and pick things up. Age Concern says Ida has obviously lived a

healthy and active life but everybody can follow her example.

Lots of people need to get the message it is never too late to

start to do some of these things that we know will make a difference

for your age, more physical activity, giving up smoking,

moderating alcohol intake, and you could also lead to be 105 for of

stop Ida Lawrence is now relaxing with some light refreshments.

hopes to be an inspiration for other older people to show that

just because you of getting on, you don't have to stop getting fit.

Somebody else who is in good shape Ida is fitter than me! I need to do

a bit more walking and lose a few pounds. Anyway, it's been mild and

breezy today. Gales in the NW with gusts over 60mph in Snowdonia.

There is also a risk of some flooding this evening on the west

coast of Anglesey. The Lleyn Peninsula and in Barmouth due to

the combination of strong onshore winds and high tides. If you want

more information, check out the Environment Agency's website. The

reason for the wind and rain is a deep area of low pressure which is

pushing a cold front towards us. So this evening some drizzle then a

spell of rain. This will be followed by dry weather and clear

skies. The wind easing as the rain clears and turning colder.

Temperatures by the end of the night and dropping to four. So

tomorrow morning a fresh but dry start in the south. Similar story

too for Mid Wales and the north. Fine and dry with clear skies.

Feeling colder. Temperatures in Carmarthen around nine. So, much

brighter tomorrow but not completely dry. Cloud and a few

showers will spread across the country later in the morning and

during the afternoon. Followed by dry weather and clearer skies. Top

temperatures nine to 12 Celsius with a chilly westerly wind. In

Blaina Gwent tomorrow, a fine start. Sunny for a time but cloudier in

the afternoon with a few showers. Tomorrow evening dry and cold.

Clear for a time but clouding over during the night. As for the

weekend, Saturday cloudier and milder. Breezy too with fresh to

strong winds. A few spots of drizzle. Gales in the North West. A

light rain in Snowdonia otherwise dry. On Sunday, light rain first

thing will clear. Becoming dry. Bright and breezy. Some sunshine

and chilly. Next week, unsettled. By the way, The Bracken Trust are

having a Christmas Fayre tomorrow in Llandrindod Wells. Chilly but

sunny. While Ysgol Gymraeg Pwll Coch in Cardiff are holding a

Christmas Fayre on Saturday. It should be dry. Our picture tonight

is from Kez Price. Sunset at Strumble Head Lighthouse. A lovely

part of the country. Wet and windy this evening but much brighter and

Now, every year in December we show a selection of your children's

festive pictures and we want to do the same this year. The address to

send them is Derek's Pictures, Wales Today, BBC Wales, Cardiff CF5

So it's time to get busy with crayons and the glitter as well!

Are you going to draw me something this year?

I had better get started! And a reminder of our top stories

tonight: Famous and hounded, more A-list

celebrities speak out about their treatment at the hands of the press.

JK Rowling says journalists camped outside her home.

A row has broken out between the unions and UK Government after

ministers claimed next week's strike by public sector workers

could cost half a billion pounds and lead to job losses. Union

leaders have hit back saying it is fantasy economics. The industrial

action is over public sector pension reform.

More than 400,000 families in Wales are struggling to meet the cost of

heating their homes. With fuel bills rising more than 21% since

last year, new figures show that four out of the top five areas in

the UK suffering fuel poverty are here in Wales.

Before we go, a reminder, if you've got a story you think we should