09/12/2011 BBC Wales Today

Hello, and welcome to Wales Today. Tonight's headlines: Miriam Beard

is jailed for almost three years for swindling �50,000 from a

charity helping some of our poorest communities. When she was presented

with overwhelming evidence, she began to blame others and did not

Also tonight: Special readings at mosques across Newport amid fears

extremists are trying to recruit their worshippers.

Helping patients cope with cancer. A new �3 million centre offering

counselling and support. It is nice, just for a few hours, to be around

people who completely understand what I'm going through.

It's not often workers have brave conditions like this.

In tonight's sport, meet our last contender in the running for this

year Sports Personality of the Year. And we look ahead to the weekend's

football, as Cardiff City's boss is named manager of the month.

Good evening. She fraudulently claimed �50,000, meant for deprived

families, for herself and her family. The former head of the

Communities First charity in Plas Madoc near Wrexham, Miriam Beard,

has been jailed for two years and eight months. The judge said she'd

committed repeated acts of dishonesty to obtain money intended

for people in genuine need. Matthew Richards reports.

There's plenty to smile about now. This is one of the weekly 'Tea and

Toast' mornings at Plas Madoc Communities First, where residents

can share their stories and find support. But between 2003 and 2009,

it was where Miriam Beard exploited her post for financial gain. Using

Communities First money, she bought a caravan at a holiday park near

Rhyl to be used by Plas Madoc residents. But she simultaneously

claimed �18,000 to rent it. That money went to Mrs Beard's son,

Darrell Kelly, who was given a 12 month suspended sentence today. She

paid �25,000 into her father's bank account, saying he would provide

drama and cookery courses for youngsters. But this was a lie

invented by Miriam Beard to take the money herself. Detectives say

her dishonesty continued during interviews. I got the impression

that she thought she could talker way out of the situation. When

faced with overwhelming evidence and facts, she began to be mothers

and did not take responsibility. During the first interview, she

disclosed that she had a first class honours degree in sociology

from Manchester University but when we did a quick inquiry, she did not.

But staff at Communities First say even at the height of her

fraudulent activity, the charity was working hard to offer

opportunities like jobs and childcare facilities to vulnerable

people. Things have been difficult in the past because of what

happened but we have always kept project going. The projects we do

our with the community in mind. It is about them telling us what they

need to say. Nickie Griffiths has been coming to the centre for

almost four years. She believes that the misbehaviour of one woman

shouldn't reflect badly on the rest of the staff. She was the spanner

in the works but the services the people here provide absolutely

fantastic. They provide everything from children to adults and is

fantastic. For me, if it is because one person and not everybody is the

same. Miriam Beard was taken ill during a recent court appearance,

claiming she had swallowed tablets. She was discharged and assessed for

mental health issues. The judges said this was a cynical or,

sustained and baddies of Trust. You were supposed to be promoting the

interests of people living in one of the most deprived parts of Wales

but instead, you were taking money which ought to have been applied to

the benefits of others. The Communities First scheme, which

Miriam Beard worked for, was set up by the Welsh Government to help the

most deprived areas of the country. The scheme is about to celebrate

its tenth anniversary. But questions have been raised over how

effective Communities First has been in helping those in need as

Carl Roberts reports. The local government minister is on

a tour of these changing rooms in Cardiff. You have done a lot of

work here. A community group here have had support from committee's

first to give community something to be proud of. Things have changed

here and things are changing for Communities First as it approaches

its tenor affair -- 10th anniversary. It is aiming to

improve the living conditions of people in the poorest areas of

Wales. We are refreshing what we done in the past. We have had a

huge amount of consultation and we are looking at how we can enhance

the scheme. A committee questioned last year whether the money spent

on the scheme had delivered and value for money. One of its

architects says success is difficult to measure. It took

regeneration to get into this situation and it will take a

generation to get out of it. You should be able to see some signs up

to 10 years and we have seen some positive signs. In Llanelli, money

and support from the local community's first partnership is

helping to train volunteers who will then be able to advise and

support local people on dealing with debt and benefit related

problems. The project has helped almost 500 people tackle over �2

million worth of debt. It has given experience to a 100 volunteers as

well. Julie Robinson is employed to help clients back into work. The

kind of work the government wants Communities First to do. She was

actually helped by Communities First itself. I was homeless. The

breakdown of my manic -- Manage ment that me and my children did

not have anywhere to live. Through Communities First, I got some

confidence back and neck people and made connections and volunteer to

with my current employer. current Welsh government is

committed to the scheme for the next four years and has a lot of

political capital and cash invested in it. There will be celebrations

as Communities First breaches its 10th anniversary but perhaps the

big test of its success is if it's still around in another 10 years'

time. The funeral of Wales manager Gary

Speed has been held today in his hometown of Hawarden in Flintshire.

Only family and close friends were invited. A public memorial service

will take place in the new year for fans to pay their last respects.

The former Leeds and Newcastle midfielder was found dead at his

home in Cheshire last month. The head of the Welsh exam board,

the WJEC, will appear in front of MPs next week, following claims

that some teachers were given advice on specific exam topics. A

special session of the Education Select Committee will hear from all

four exam boards as part of an investigation into allegations made

in the Daily Telegraph. Police stations could close in

North Wales to reduce the number of job losses. North Wales Police are

consulting on how to cut costs and say it's a choice between people

and property. They're asking for the public's view on how stations

and other buildings are used. A 74-year-old man has admitted he

snapped under the pressure of caring for his wife who had

Alzheimer's and strangled her. Shirley Rumbold was found dead at

her home in Prestatyn in June. Today, her "devoted" husband was

given a suspended sentence. Elin Gwilym reports.

Described by the judge as a devoted husband, Keith Rumbold arriving in

court today to admit that manslaughter of his wife. They had

been together nearly 50 years but Shirley Rumbold was diagnosed with

Alzheimer's four years ago. He became the sole carer at their home

in Prestatyn, refusing offers of help from outside agencies in fear

his wife was after going to a psychiatric unit. The court heard

how on that morning in June Keith Rumbold snapped. He had made

repeated attempts to get his wife dressed, a process which could take

hours. She threw her cardigan across the room and he put his

hands on her neck and strangled her. The judge accepted what happens

here on that morning was not planned in any way and that Keith

Rumbold realised the enormity of what he had done. Today, Mr Keith

Rumbold has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and the family except

that verdict and sentencing. Our condolences go out to Shirley

Rumbold's family in this difficult time. The family would like to say

that Shirley Rumbold was a loving and caring mother and was adored by

all her grandchildren. Keith Rumbold work -- walked free from

court having been given a 51 week sentence suspended for two matches.

Having already served the equivalent of a 12 month sentence,

the judge said he would not be sending Keith Rumbold back to

prison. He concluded this was a tragic case of a man at the end of

his tether who were given his wife four years of continued devotion.

Mosques across Newport held special readings today to try to tackle

radicalism. It follows concerns from some leaders within the Muslim

community who believe people with extremist views are trying to

recruit their worshippers. Kate Morgan reports.

Anyone who doesn't respect his elder and be kind to young ones is

not one of us. A strong message from the Muslim community in

Newport. They say there's no room for extremism here. But as we

filmed, the tension was clear. It's exactly this kind of outburst the

city's seven mosques want to avoid. We don't want to encourage people

like that because the Koran does not allow it. We have two books in

Islam and if it is not according to them, then we don't allow this.

scheme comes just weeks after two teenagers from Cardiff were

arrested in Kenya. The father of one of the pair claimed at the time

that his 18-year-old son had been "brainwashed" into believing he was

going to fight a holy war in neighbouring Somalia. In Newport,

the Immans want to stop fundamentalism at the earliest

stage. As the hundred Muslims left the mosque after Friday prayers,

they were each handed one of these. In it, it explains how the Koran

rejects extremism, and that behaviour simply won't be tolerated

here.And with the help of the city's council and Gwent Police,

the Muslim community here are hoping its zero tolerance attitude

to extremism is heard not just across the city, but the whole of

Wales. They have helped produce this leaflet so that they don't

want to be involved with any minority groups and they want their

children to stay away from it. the help of the city's council and

Gwent police, the community is hoping its zero-tolerance attitude

is heard not just across the city but the whole of Wales.

Still ahead: The final contender for this year's BBC Wales Sports

Personality of the Year and a reminder of how you can vote.

And Swansea City say the goals will come, as they prepare for visitors

Thousands of cancer patients and their families from across South

West and Mid Wales will have new access to advice and counselling

with the opening of specialist centre in Swansea. Maggie's, which

is based at Singleton Hospital, cost �3 million. Here's Kate Scott

Williams. A grand opening for a grand

building, heralding a new era of cancer support in South West Wales.

Across the region, there are 3,000 new cases of cancer a year. Now,

people from as far as Aberystwyth to Carmarthen to Bridgend can come

and use the centre, which is the first of its kind in Wales. Mark

Haskins was diagnosed with bowel cancer four years ago and has

already benefited from Maggie's. is just nice to come here and leave

your worries at home. It is just nice, just for a couple of hours,

to be around people who completely understand what I'm going through.

We hardly ever talk what we've been through ourselves. The design

features in the building make this centre feel a million miles away

from a hospital ward and that is the idea. Both are built on the

same site but the information and support given here complements the

treatments provided at the hospital. Patients like Jean come to Maggie's

for counselling. But it also offers relaxation therapies and even

financial advice. We offer a whole range of activities. Anything from

having a cup of tea and sitting around the kitchen table to

chatting with others in a similar situation. We imply healthcare

professionals and psychologists so we all have a background in caring

for people affected by cancer diagnosis. Footballer John Hartson

knows all about battling cancer. He was diagnosed with testicular

cancer two years ago. Today, he donated �20,000 from his own

charity to the centre. These centres are for the emotional side

of it. The side that a lot of people struggle to cope with.

People that have a young family and children and just the whole

emotional roller-coaster of coming into contact with cancer. You are

up, you are down, you are any real place most of the time. This is the

tenth Maggie's centre across the UK. It's been made possible thanks to

the fundraising efforts of people across the region and �1.5 million

from the Welsh Government. And while a chat and a cuppa might not

mean much to most people, for those going through this difficult time,

being a world away from a hospital Over the past couple of days strong

winds and high waves have battered many towns and villages along the

coast of the UK, leaving tens of thousands of homes without power.

But despite the stormy weather, people living in one village in

Cardigan Bay have reason to feel better protected this winter. Work

on a �13 million coastal defence scheme, including two artificial

reefs off the coast of Borth, is drawing to a close. Here's Cemlyn

Davies. For the past year or so, the coast

off the village of Borth has been a building site as two artificial

reefs take shape in Cardigan Bay. In front of us we have the South

Reef and it is more-or-less complete on this side. It is

breaking the waves a up before it gets to the shore. But it hasn't

been easy working 300 metres offshore. On certain days the waves

are too high to have machines out here. One of the most important

things is health and safety. Some days it is a challenge when they

just can't get out there. Much of the material was sourced locally

but 40,000 tonnes of rock had to be imported from Norway. Welsh

boulders just aren't big enough. On a windy day like today, you can see

how high the waves can get. If we just pan to the right, you can also

see the impact this grief is already having because on this side,

and look how flat the sea is. And as an added bonus, the defences are

also expected to improve surfing conditions. Borth is prone to

flooding. These pictures were filmed earlier this year just as

work was beginning on the new defences. Over many decades, they

have been times when it has been real storm conditions when people

have been washed out through the front door onto the street. Anthony

Morris' house backs onto the beach. He says the scheme has already

proved its worth. We have experienced two sets of heavy tides,

strong winds and big seas. Had with the new defence not been there,

they would have come into people's backyards. Work on Borth's reef is

due to be completed early in the New Year. Local residents hope it

will act as a great barrier for the next 50 years.

It's the economic storm that will be in the spotlight next week. As

we approach Christmas, families up and down the country are finding

that times are still tough. Here's Jamie with more details.

We are living through the worst economic crisis of our times.

Unemployment is high, families are struggling with the spiralling cost

of food and fuel. Next week on BBC Wales, we will be assessing what it

means on the High Street and what it means for those who hold high

office. We're keen to hear how you're

coping in the run up to Christmas. You can e-mail us at

[email protected], contact us on Twitter via the address on

screen or phone our audience line Good evening. Swansea City hope to

put a bit of daylight between themselves and the lower reaches of

the Premier League tomorrow when they host Fulham. Despite last

weekend's defeat at struggling Blackburn, manager Brendan Rodgers

says his side are still playing well. In the Championship, Cardiff

City are away at Millwall, where they'll hope to continue the

winning streak that's seen Malky Mackay named manager of the month.

No team likes to concede four goals, especially when you have made a

habit of keeping clean sheets. 4th but Swansea boss, Brendan Rodgers,

says the result last weekend does not reflect their overall

performance. Poor defending of corners and free-kicks was their

downfall at Blackburn but that should be helped by the return of

one of their centre-backs. Swansea enjoyed more than two-thirds of

possession and that gives Brendan Rodgers confidence heading into

tomorrow's match against Fulham. were disappointed as a whole

because of the control we had of the game. The players have been

brilliant this week in training and we move forward. We know it is

going to be tough. They had an excellent result against Liverpool

in the week. They have good players with a lot of experience. But we

see every home game as an opportunity to get three points.

Cardiff City are the form side in the Championship. They are on a 10

match unbeaten run which has seen them climb to third and reach the

semi-finals of the Carling Cup. That has earned Malky Mackay the

manager of the Month award. Tomorrow they go to Millwall of.

They will be without Stephen McPhail. He has missed large parts

of the last three seasons through injury and illness. He is currently

in remission from a stage when lymphoma. He will set up the next

few games. -- sit out the next few games. He is a fine man and someone

I have got an awful lot of time for. Great mental 10th in terms of what

he has been through and I was delighted to get him back in the

squad. -- mental strength. This is an ongoing situation and it is

something we know about and we monitor it. It is first-round FA

Trophy action for Wrexham while Newport County entertain Forest

Green. Rugby, and back to European action

this weekend. Here's a look at the weekend fixtures. The Scarlets and

Ospreys play tomorrow, the Dragons in the Amlin Challenge Cup on

Sunday, But all eyes are on tonight and the Blues' Heineken Cup clash

against Edinburgh. Centre Jamie Roberts says it's the region's most

important game of the season. The Blues are hoping to put a record

defeat at the hands of Leinster in the Pro12 behind them as their

Wales players return. There is no game of more magnitude

to try and put things right. This next fortnight in the Heineken Cup

is probably the most important for a night of our season and we need

to make sure we are on the money on Friday night against a very good

Edinburgh team. The Wales netball team is back in

action tonight for the first time since finishing 9th in the World

Championships. They begin a three match series against Scotland in

Aberdeen over the weekend. Their co-captain says it's the start of a

new era and an exciting time for Welsh netball.

We have got a lot of work to do and there is a lot of potential in our

squad. We are looking forward to the Games this year with a

potential future gains already so that they can qualify for the

Commonwealth Games. We are aiming for a top five or top-four finish

in our next world championships so I know we will be there in four

years and putting our stamp on the world.

On Monday, the winner of this year's BBC Cymru Wales Sports

Personality of the Year will be announced. This year, all five

contenders are World Champions in their sport and, tonight, we take a

closer look at Paralympian Nathan Stephens.

Few sports people reach the very top in one sport but for Nathan

Stephens each sport he takes on it is a challenge to reach the very

top. In 2011, Nathan Stephens struck gold in the javelin have run

previously conquered the discus and the shot. The had barely started

when he won gold in the javelin event in the world championships in

New Zealand. To make it even better, he also broke the world record at

the end of the summer. He is one of our top hopes for Paralympic glory.

Who would bet against him? To vote for your favourite sports

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 45 seconds

Not long yet to vote. The winner will be unveiled on Monday. I'll be

live at the Liberty Stadium ahead of the ceremony, bringing you all

the build up. The weekend weather now. Behnaz is

It is probably going to be the coldest night so far this winter so

you will not be surprised to hear there is going to be a frosty and

icy night ahead. A few showers across the north and west this more

-- at the moment. The perfect recipe for Frost to form and

temperatures dipping down to around-three degrees Celsius. It

could get much lower than that in rural spots. A ridge of high

pressure building in tomorrow so a fairly settled day but notice this

weather front in the Atlantic. That is going to bring more unsettled

conditions tomorrow evening. Tomorrow morning, a cold winter's

morning but it will look beautiful with lots of sunshine. By the

afternoon, we will see more cloud spreading in from the West with a

top temperature of around seven degrees Celsius. The perfect

conditions tomorrow to pop along to the Christmas produce sale near

Haverfordwest. You will need to wrap up warm. Tomorrow evening, the

rain comes in from the West. It will be windy as well. A very wet

and windy night to come. The temperatures will recover compared

with tonight, ranging from 1-6 degrees Celsius. Sunday-morning

will be wet and windy. By the afternoon, a few showers behind the

rain. Perhaps some brighter spells across the North. But temperatures

will recover again. Looking good for tomorrow, a messy day on Sunday

and then it is looking like a fine start on Monday but by Monday

evening it is looking Stormy again. That is the forecast.

Here's today's lovely Christmas pictures. The first is from Lisa

Cadi Lewis aged ten from Pumsaint. The next is by Lewis Rogers. He's

aged six and he's from Llanfoist. And finally a picture from Abbie

It's coming up to seven o'clock. The main news again:

David Cameron has defended his decision to veto a deal to

stabilise the euro. But critics say he's left Britain out in the cold.

23 members of the EU agreed to start work on a new treaty of their

own. I said before coming to Brussels

that if I could not get adequate safeguards for Britain in a new

European treaty I would not agree to it. What is on offer is not in

Britain's interests so why did not agree to it.