:00:04. > :00:14.Welcome to Wales Today. Our top Jail for the mother who left her
:00:14. > :00:24.
:00:24. > :00:27.baby home alone every day for a Our other headlines tonight:
:00:27. > :00:34.How not to sack somebody - a finance director who lost his job
:00:34. > :00:37.at a charity wins his case for Another health authority proposes
:00:37. > :00:46.changes to the services it offers - this family tells us why they're
:00:46. > :00:56.A wet summer means we could all be And five days after A-level results,
:00:56. > :00:59.
:00:59. > :01:02.every single Welsh University still Good evening. A woman from Brecon
:01:02. > :01:07.has been jailed for 15 months for leaving her baby daughter home
:01:07. > :01:12.alone every day for a week while she went out partying. Neighbours
:01:12. > :01:16.raised the alarm when they heard the 15 month old's cries. Our
:01:16. > :01:26.reporter Jordan Davies is outside Merthyr Crown Court. Jordan, what
:01:26. > :01:26.
:01:26. > :01:31.Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard how a 20 wheel -- a 20-year-old
:01:31. > :01:35.woman who can't be named for legal reasons spent the week partying
:01:35. > :01:39.with friends last Christmas and only made four fleeting visits home
:01:39. > :01:43.to make her daughter breakfast cereal and microwave meals. She
:01:43. > :01:47.then went back to her friend's flat to continue partying. The alarm was
:01:47. > :01:51.raised when the neighbours heard screams from the girl. They called
:01:51. > :01:55.the police and when officers arrived, they said it was dark,
:01:55. > :02:01.cold and in a mess. The prosecutor said that the house was filled with
:02:01. > :02:04.rubbish, had dirty clothes, empty wine bottles, beer cans and dirty
:02:04. > :02:08.nappies are strewn over the floor. The girls had been -- the girl had
:02:08. > :02:12.been on their own for 24 hours. One of the officers went into the
:02:12. > :02:16.bedroom and found the girl subdued in her crib. There was no heating
:02:16. > :02:21.and she was part be covered by a blanket. When a doctor examined the
:02:21. > :02:25.girl, he said she was bleeding because her nappy rash was so
:02:25. > :02:29.severe. What was said in court?
:02:29. > :02:32.Defending her, the lawyer said that the mother hopes to rebuild her
:02:32. > :02:36.relationship with her little girl very cloak -- very slowly when she
:02:36. > :02:39.leaves prison. The judge said, he may have gone back to the house on
:02:39. > :02:44.occasion but you neglected her for a very long time. The woman
:02:44. > :02:52.admitted neglect and broke down in tears when she was jailed for 15
:02:52. > :02:57.months. Des Mannion is from the NSPCC. Is this a one-off?
:02:57. > :03:01.Whichever way you look at it, this was a terrible case involving a
:03:01. > :03:07.parent who left a vulnerable child alone, and fed, a low without water,
:03:07. > :03:11.repeatedly. It is a rare case. These criminal prosecutions are
:03:11. > :03:16.rare but they are not unique. There have been similar prosecutions in
:03:16. > :03:20.South Wales and I am aware of them this year and across the UK. While
:03:20. > :03:25.prosecutions for neglect are rare, they are not unique. It broadens
:03:25. > :03:29.out. It needs to be broadened out into the whole context of children
:03:29. > :03:33.experiencing neglect and trying to promote an understanding of that.
:03:33. > :03:38.By the sound of it, it was the neighbours who saved the day here.
:03:38. > :03:41.Presumably, it is so easy for family, neighbours and friends to
:03:41. > :03:46.look in the other direction and ignore what is in front of them.
:03:46. > :03:50.It is easy, I guess, for people to do that but it is equally important
:03:50. > :03:54.that everybody in the community takes responsibility to protect
:03:54. > :04:00.children and in this case, it would appear that the community and
:04:00. > :04:06.neighbours did decide to intervene. Where were the caring services, the
:04:06. > :04:10.social worker, how first sitter, in all of this? -- the health visitor.
:04:10. > :04:15.At this point in time, we don't know. One would hope that a serious
:04:15. > :04:22.case review, a multi- agency review, will be taken and that would enable
:04:22. > :04:26.us to arrive at an understanding and a fuel over involvement on
:04:26. > :04:29.behalf of statutory agencies and what action they in fact took.
:04:30. > :04:32."A textbook example of how not to dismiss somebody" - that's how a
:04:32. > :04:35.judge at an employment tribunal today described the way the finance
:04:35. > :04:38.director of a defunct race relations charity was dismissed.
:04:38. > :04:41.Saquib Zia was accused of gross misconduct and sacked in February
:04:41. > :04:43.after a Welsh government audit report warned of "significant and
:04:43. > :04:53.fundamental failures" at the All Wales Ethnic Minority Association,
:04:53. > :04:58.
:04:58. > :05:03.Saquib Zia claimed he had been unfairly dismissed from his �50,000
:05:03. > :05:07.a year job as the finance director of AWEMA. Today a judge
:05:07. > :05:12.overwhelmingly backed his case. He said this was a textbook example of
:05:12. > :05:16.how not to dismiss members of staff and that it was astonishing how
:05:16. > :05:22.bosses had ignored processes and the whole process had been wholly
:05:22. > :05:26.defective. He awarded Saquib Zia over �4,000 in compensation.
:05:26. > :05:31.And I knew from the outset that I wouldn't be able to cover my cost
:05:31. > :05:38.with pursuing this tribunal but the idea was to distil my credibility
:05:38. > :05:40.and I believe I have done that. Earlier this year, the charity was
:05:40. > :05:45.wound-up after a report found serious financial failings. It was
:05:45. > :05:50.on the basis of those feelings that Saquib Zia and the chief executive
:05:50. > :05:55.of the Swansea-based charity, Naz Malik, seen here, were sacked by
:05:55. > :05:58.the charity's trustees. Naz Malik admitted using the funds from the
:05:58. > :06:03.charity to pay off his personal debts, claiming it was an advance
:06:03. > :06:07.on his expenses. The Wales Audit Office are in the process of
:06:08. > :06:10.carrying out an investigation into the relationship between AWEMA and
:06:10. > :06:14.the Welsh government, due to report in the autumn.
:06:14. > :06:17.A man has been arrested after an incident in Llandudno that left two
:06:17. > :06:20.people critically injured. Police were called to a property at Ffordd
:06:20. > :06:23.Dulyn at midday today following reports of an assault. A man and
:06:23. > :06:25.woman have been taken to hospital, both are said to be in a critical
:06:25. > :06:28.condition. An investigation is now underway.
:06:28. > :06:31.A support group for parents with babies needing intensive hospital
:06:31. > :06:35.care say they'll campaign against plans to move it from north Wales
:06:35. > :06:39.to England. The Betsi Cadwaladr health board has started a ten week
:06:39. > :06:42.consultation on widespread changes to the service it provides.
:06:42. > :06:45.Included is a plan to switch long term intensive care for babies from
:06:45. > :06:55.Glan Clwyd Hospital at Bodelwyddan and the Maelor in Wrexham to a
:06:55. > :06:55.
:06:55. > :06:59.hospital near Liverpool. Roger Pinney reports. More on that later
:06:59. > :07:02.in the programme. We may all have to pay more for the
:07:02. > :07:04.food we buy - that's the warning from farmers tonight. Welsh farmers
:07:05. > :07:08.are facing a difficult year ahead trying to cope with the
:07:08. > :07:11.consequences of the wet summer. The farmers union NFU Cymru says the
:07:11. > :07:21.unseasonal weather has devastated crops and led to an increase in the
:07:21. > :07:22.
:07:22. > :07:25.cost of producing food. Cemlyn By now, they should be a reasonable
:07:25. > :07:29.size like that one but unfortunately, that year -- this
:07:29. > :07:32.year, that is an exception to the rule. It's been a rotten few months
:07:32. > :07:34.for Teifi Davies who grows and sells vegetables on his farm in
:07:34. > :07:39.South Ceredigion. Normally this field would yield 30,000 tonnes of
:07:39. > :07:46.potatoes. With much of it now hidden under a blanket of weeds,
:07:46. > :07:51.Teifi says he'll be lucky to get a third of that from this year's crop.
:07:51. > :07:55.A lot of the spectators will be hand sorted because the they are
:07:55. > :08:02.misshapen and the sizes involved. The rotten ones will have to be
:08:02. > :08:05.picked out. It is a bit of a disaster, really. I should be lucky
:08:05. > :08:08.if I may break even with my potato crop this year.
:08:08. > :08:10.Crop farmers aren't the only ones who've been affected by the
:08:10. > :08:13.unseasonal weather. Alan James keeps sheep in the Aberystwyth area.
:08:13. > :08:21.Some of his land was affected by June's floods. He says it's been
:08:21. > :08:28.difficult to fatten up the lambs ready to be sold.
:08:28. > :08:34.We have sold some but we sell them later. Yes, you sell them two kilos
:08:35. > :08:38.less, when the price is around �4 a kilo, that is �8 less for a lamb.
:08:38. > :08:41.Of course things have been very different in other countries.
:08:41. > :08:44.Severe drought in parts of the United States have seen the price
:08:44. > :08:47.of corn rise sharply. That's pushing up the cost of animal feed
:08:47. > :08:52.for some farmers here and with others facing poor harvests,
:08:52. > :08:56.farmers unions are warning of a knock on effect on consumers.
:08:56. > :09:01.We produce food for the sake of feeding the consumer in the
:09:01. > :09:06.population. If at the end of the day, we can't do that because it
:09:06. > :09:10.costs too much or there is insufficient crop, it will impact
:09:10. > :09:12.on what the consumer pays for their food. The sun was shining on west
:09:12. > :09:16.Wales today, allowing Teifi an opportunity to assess the damage to
:09:16. > :09:25.his crop and salvage what he could. As the scale of the loss becomes
:09:25. > :09:28.clearer it seems the rest of us Much more to come before 7:00pm.
:09:28. > :09:34.Swansea's doubters are silenced after that 5-0 win at Queens Park
:09:34. > :09:37.Rangers. And some of the world's top
:09:37. > :09:45.Paralympic athletes head here for camp before the deep end of London
:09:45. > :09:47.Five days after pupils across the country received their A-level
:09:47. > :09:55.results, every Welsh university has some places available through
:09:55. > :09:58.clearing. The number of applicants to Welsh Universities was down
:09:58. > :10:06.nearly 3% from last year, and this is the first year that universities
:10:06. > :10:10.are allowed to charge up to �9,000 for tuition fees. Our Education
:10:10. > :10:15.Correspondent Gwenfair Griffith is here.
:10:15. > :10:19.What is going on here? Clearing is an ever changing picture with
:10:19. > :10:22.students securing places by the hour. But unusually, each
:10:22. > :10:24.university in Wales has places left to fill and maybe more
:10:24. > :10:28.significantly universities like Cardiff, Swansea, Aberystwyth and
:10:28. > :10:30.Bangor. Cardiff University has about 50 places left, and Swansea
:10:30. > :10:40.University has about 250 free spaces in courses including history,
:10:40. > :10:45.English, law, business and economics. These universities say
:10:45. > :10:55.they want to fill those places with high achieving spaces. Why is this
:10:55. > :10:58.happening? There could be a number of reasons.
:10:58. > :11:02.We can't ignore the fact that universities can now charge up to
:11:02. > :11:04.�9,000 tuition fees - up from around �3,500 until last year.
:11:04. > :11:10.We've seen a significant drop in university applications - nearly 3
:11:10. > :11:14.% less here in Wales. But that could be because there are fewer
:11:14. > :11:19.school leavers here. Another factor is the change in English
:11:19. > :11:22.Universities' entry system. For the first time this year, they're
:11:22. > :11:25.allowed to accept as many as they like of the highest achieving
:11:25. > :11:28.students - students who've achieved at least two As and a B - its
:11:28. > :11:38.something the sector acknowledges could affect the quality of
:11:38. > :11:41.
:11:41. > :11:43.students who come to study here in Wales. All of which means what?
:11:43. > :11:45.Financially, failing to fill places could have far-reaching effects on
:11:46. > :11:52.universities' budgets. Students are now potentially worth �9,000 each
:11:52. > :11:55.to a university's yearly budget. For example, if Swansea University
:11:55. > :11:58.still has 250 places left to fill, that could amount to up to two and
:11:58. > :12:01.a quarter million pounds a year - that's dependent on the individual
:12:01. > :12:04.course's costs. But the clearing process isn't over yet and the
:12:04. > :12:08.picture of what's happening across the border is far from clear yet so
:12:08. > :12:10.we'll have to wait and see what the picture will be for Welsh
:12:10. > :12:13.universities at the start of the autumn term.
:12:13. > :12:16.Later this week it will be GCSE students getting their results. The
:12:16. > :12:20.exams are right at the heart of our education system but do they need
:12:20. > :12:28.changing? Over the next three days on Wales Today, we're taking an in-
:12:28. > :12:31.depth look at the GCSE. Tonight we begin by asking what it's future is
:12:31. > :12:36.as the Welsh Government undertakes a review of the entire exam system.
:12:36. > :12:41.Here's our political editor, Betsan Powys.
:12:41. > :12:44.Class, let us start with some revision. The GCSE, the General
:12:44. > :12:49.Certificate of Secondary Education Kabul was introduced in Wales,
:12:49. > :12:59.England and Northern Ireland in the late 1980s. The first exam was in
:12:59. > :13:00.
:13:00. > :13:06.1988. It replaced the O-level. To the questions.
:13:06. > :13:10.Do we stick with GCSEs or do we scrap them? Do we revive the old O-
:13:10. > :13:15.levels or introduce a brand new distinctively Welsh qualification?
:13:15. > :13:19.In the process of answering those questions is a review board
:13:19. > :13:23.appointed by the Welsh government. Huw Evans was chairing the board.
:13:23. > :13:29.He sat his exams in 1967. I believe from the evidence we have
:13:29. > :13:33.looked at so far, GCSEs are a very, very strong and that you'd
:13:33. > :13:38.qualification and that has come through very strongly. I am very
:13:38. > :13:42.aware of the fact that they have been whispers and leaks from
:13:42. > :13:47.England that potentially, GCSEs could be changing and changing
:13:47. > :13:54.significantly. We have certainly not identified that kind of
:13:54. > :13:58.groundswell within Wales. However, that doesn't mean to say that GCSEs
:13:58. > :14:02.can't be improved. And also, that they can't be modified.
:14:02. > :14:06.International evidence suggests what pupils are up losing ground,
:14:06. > :14:09.falling behind in tests for reading, maths and science. Its critics say
:14:09. > :14:12.the Welsh government should concentrate on raising standards,
:14:12. > :14:16.Renate -- rather than blaming the qualifications themselves.
:14:16. > :14:20.We have concerns that we have changed for the sake of change.
:14:20. > :14:23.There Welsh government need to be clear about what we want to achieve
:14:23. > :14:27.from this review under way at the moment. We have already seen the
:14:27. > :14:30.Welsh Baccalaureate, several higher education institutions in England
:14:30. > :14:35.don't count that as a meaningful qualification.
:14:35. > :14:39.In June, the man in charge of education in England, Michael Gove,
:14:39. > :14:44.announced plans to scrap GCSEs. He said they had been in expensive
:14:44. > :14:50.mistake, replacing exams with coursework had dragged standards
:14:50. > :14:53.down. Bringing back O-level exams would set a gold standard in
:14:53. > :14:57.England. So, more questions. Should Wales go down a different path to
:14:57. > :15:02.the rest of the UK? Should qualifications in Wales diverge
:15:02. > :15:07.from those in England? If they do, how can we be sure they are
:15:07. > :15:11.nationally and internationally respected? And their faced her O-
:15:11. > :15:18.levels in 1983. A people will worry about parental
:15:18. > :15:21.response and what institutions outside Wales will think of
:15:21. > :15:26.different qualifications but what has been instructive as this review
:15:26. > :15:30.has gone on is how relaxed higher education institutions in
:15:30. > :15:33.particular are about the variety of qualifications they consider when
:15:33. > :15:37.accepting students into their institutions.
:15:37. > :15:42.The review board report back in November and then it'll be all eyes
:15:42. > :15:50.on the answers the world government provides. And to be entirely fair
:15:50. > :15:53.and open, Betsan Powys sat her O Tomorrow night we'll meet a married
:15:53. > :16:03.couple with a unique perspective on the exam system - they're head
:16:03. > :16:04.
:16:04. > :16:08.teachers on either side of the border. As I mentioned earlier, a
:16:08. > :16:12.support group for parents with babies needing intensive hospital
:16:12. > :16:17.care say they will campaign against plans to move services from North
:16:17. > :16:21.Wales to England. A year ago, John and Nicola didn't
:16:21. > :16:25.even know Glan Clwyd Hospital's special baby-care unit existed,
:16:25. > :16:28.despite having three other children. Then Molly came along with
:16:28. > :16:32.complications. She was born prematurely. It was a stressful
:16:32. > :16:36.time. The nurses and staff were really
:16:36. > :16:41.reassuring. We would go to the specialist baby unit and there was
:16:41. > :16:44.a board full of pictures and stuff of babies who had been born there
:16:44. > :16:48.and how they had come on so that was nice to see that everybody has
:16:48. > :16:51.been wonderful there. Doctors and nurses.
:16:51. > :16:55.They have become passionate advocates for the unit and now they
:16:56. > :17:01.have heard that in future, babies needing long-term incentive care
:17:01. > :17:04.will be moved to Liverpool. -- intensive care.
:17:04. > :17:10.We wouldn't have been able to travel far with having other
:17:11. > :17:16.children as well and you don't need. Why mend something if it is not
:17:16. > :17:21.broken? It doesn't fit well with me. They have got a duty and the
:17:21. > :17:24.directives of the Welsh Assembly Government mean that they'd have to
:17:24. > :17:30.provide that level of care so anything else would be a cop out
:17:30. > :17:35.and to move it to England is a bit more of a cop-out, isn't it?
:17:36. > :17:41.But it isn't just neonatal. The changes proposed by the University
:17:41. > :17:43.Health Board affect a whole range of services and in the main, they
:17:43. > :17:47.are locally-based services, the stuff people like to have on their
:17:47. > :17:52.doorsteps such as community or hospitals, minor injury units. They
:17:52. > :17:56.have already been protest meetings. This consultation will be pretty
:17:56. > :18:01.bruising process. The health board needs to save
:18:01. > :18:06.money but argues that changes will improve patient care. Doing nothing
:18:06. > :18:11.is not an option, it is claimed. We will have services spread too
:18:11. > :18:14.thinly and they are unsafe. Unsafe services are no good for anyone. If
:18:14. > :18:18.we don't change services, we would be sleepwalking into disaster,
:18:18. > :18:27.really. Campaigners like the Hewitt will
:18:27. > :18:30.take some convincing. They will make a fight of it, they say. Now
:18:30. > :18:33.stars of the cricketing world are taking part in a 160 mile bike ride
:18:33. > :18:35.in memory of former Glamorgan player Tom Maynard. Ashes winner
:18:35. > :18:38.Andrew Flintoff is among those joining Tom's Father, Matthew on
:18:38. > :18:41.the journey from Cardiff to London. They set off from the Swalec
:18:41. > :18:44.Stadium this morning and will arrive at the Oval tomorrow,
:18:44. > :18:46.shortly before a tribute match in memory of Tom. Matt Murray reports.
:18:46. > :18:49.Members from the cricketing community gathered early this
:18:49. > :18:52.morning at the Swalec Stadium. Many there to support Tom's father
:18:52. > :18:59.Matthew on this bike ride from Cardiff to London and also to
:18:59. > :19:04.remember a friend and sporting colleague.
:19:04. > :19:09.I met Tom through Matthew, his father. I played with him with
:19:09. > :19:15.England. He then moved to Surrey, where I live now. I would pop into
:19:15. > :19:18.the Oval and see him about the place. Everyone will be talking
:19:18. > :19:22.about Tom over the next few days and the impact his life had on
:19:22. > :19:25.everyone. Tom Maynard was found dead on a railway track at
:19:25. > :19:28.Wimbeldon Underground station in June. He was seen as rising star of
:19:28. > :19:32.the game. He started his career at Glamorgan while his father was
:19:32. > :19:35.still coach and later joined Surrey. Speaking just last week, Matthew
:19:35. > :19:44.Maynard explained how a trust has been set up in his son's name and
:19:44. > :19:49.memory and will help aspiring and disadvantaged cricketers.
:19:49. > :19:59.Reading the letters that have come through, people have said how much
:19:59. > :20:02.Tom had helped their child. It kind of made us think, I guess. It is
:20:02. > :20:05.something we believe he would want us to do.
:20:05. > :20:09.This bike ride from the Swalec stadium to Surrey's home ground the
:20:09. > :20:11.Oval is the first fundraising event for the trust. The cyclists left
:20:11. > :20:18.Wales this morning, crossing the old Severn Bridge, and will
:20:18. > :20:22.complete just under 100 miles to finish in Newbury tonight. Tomorrow
:20:22. > :20:28.a further 60 miles, arriving at the Oval in London for a tribute match
:20:28. > :20:33.between Surrey and Glamorgan. It has given everybody some focus,
:20:33. > :20:37.training and logistics. Matt's daughter has helped out with the
:20:37. > :20:40.website and the Low goes. This bike ride will now lead the
:20:40. > :20:43.way for many more events in Tom's memory which will benefit
:20:43. > :20:47.youngsters for years to come. Football and it was a dream start
:20:47. > :20:50.to life as Swansea City manager for Michael Laudrup. The 5-0 win at
:20:50. > :20:52.Queens Park Rangers did much to silence doubters who expect the
:20:52. > :21:00.Swans to struggle this season following the departures of manager
:21:00. > :21:05.Brendan Rodgers and Joe Allen to History was and on Swansea City's
:21:05. > :21:09.side going into their season opener at QPR. These ones haven't won at
:21:09. > :21:19.Loftus Road in 19 attempt and they hadn't won on the opening day since
:21:19. > :21:19.
:21:19. > :21:23.All that was forgotten in the space of 19 memorable minutes. New
:21:23. > :21:25.manager Michael Laudrup and his new signings, especially the double
:21:25. > :21:31.goalscorer, making an immediate impact.
:21:31. > :21:35.It is just the thing we needed to start like that. The confidence. He
:21:35. > :21:39.could already see the players in the last third of the game and
:21:39. > :21:43.their confidence is very important because I think everybody, me and
:21:43. > :21:48.the players inclusive, every player manager and club, when you start a
:21:48. > :21:53.new season, they are all a little doubtful. Where are we? That goes
:21:53. > :21:57.for all teams. The first couple of teams are very important.
:21:57. > :22:04.The scoring was rounded off by Scott Sinclair, after his refusal
:22:04. > :22:12.to sign a new contract. In the meantime, the Swans have made a �5
:22:12. > :22:16.million bid for Celtic's midfielder. The weekend kicked off with a late
:22:16. > :22:20.show from Cardiff City, Mike Hudson leaving it until extra time to see
:22:20. > :22:24.off Huddersfield. A trip to Brighton tomorrow for the Bluebird.
:22:24. > :22:27.They were brave -- they were brave and they kept going. They kept
:22:27. > :22:32.looking for that space and eventually, it came. Overall, we
:22:32. > :22:37.have got the win. We are now looking to go towards Brighton. It
:22:37. > :22:42.will be a tough game. No mistake about that. It was last year.
:22:42. > :22:47.And Newport County's impressive start to the season continues. They
:22:47. > :22:50.made it three wins against three against Lincoln. Wrexham are the
:22:50. > :22:54.13th after their draw. There just nine days to go until
:22:54. > :22:57.the Paralympics in London. Many of the Welsh competitors in the Great
:22:57. > :22:59.Britain team are currently in training camps ahead of the start
:22:59. > :23:02.of competition. And hundreds of athletes and officials from across
:23:02. > :23:07.the globe are here in Wales putting the finishing touches to their
:23:07. > :23:09.preparations as Sachin Krishnan The Paralympics have grown into a
:23:09. > :23:12.truly global sporting event and following the success of the
:23:12. > :23:18.Olympics, this year's Games in London are set to be the biggest
:23:18. > :23:21.yet. It's meant hundreds of athletes and officials basing
:23:21. > :23:24.themselves here in recent weeks. And aside from traditionally strong
:23:24. > :23:29.teams such as Australia, Wales is playing hosts to countries such as
:23:29. > :23:35.the Solomon Islands. A nation of just 700,000 people, shot putter
:23:35. > :23:42.Helen Tasaunga is their only competitor. Her team have been
:23:42. > :23:46.preparing for the games at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
:23:47. > :23:50.It is a big difference here. Back home, we don't have facilities.
:23:51. > :23:56.Sometimes we struggle to look for equipment and we are lucky if we
:23:56. > :23:59.have one. Here, it is a bonus for us to go me here. The party from
:23:59. > :24:01.the Soloman Islands are among 600 competitors and officials from
:24:01. > :24:07.around the world who have based themselves across South Wales ahead
:24:07. > :24:17.Among them are swimmers from Mexico and New Zealand who today held
:24:17. > :24:19.
:24:19. > :24:23.training sessions for young Over the last six years, we have
:24:23. > :24:27.gone out and invited the Paralympic nations to come to Wales. We have
:24:27. > :24:31.world-class facilities to offer countries. What we would like to
:24:31. > :24:33.get from this opportunity is not just for countries to see Wales as
:24:33. > :24:37.a one-stop shop before London but consider Wales as a permanent
:24:37. > :24:40.training base where they can come back before events such as the
:24:40. > :24:45.Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. One official told me that the
:24:45. > :24:49.welcome he's received in Wales could mean return trips in future.
:24:49. > :24:55.Since we have seen what the facilities and hospitality are like
:24:55. > :24:57.and the weather, I think it is a good thing for us and it is a
:24:57. > :25:00.learning curve for Fiji Paralympic as a whole.
:25:00. > :25:03.So aside from the 38 Welsh competitors aiming for medals in
:25:03. > :25:07.the Paralympic GB Team, Wales will have played a major part in the
:25:07. > :25:15.success of many more at the London Games. Let's see what the weather
:25:15. > :25:20.has in store for the start of the There is no escaping the showers
:25:20. > :25:24.tomorrow. Heavy thundery showers heading our way. Perceiving is a
:25:24. > :25:28.fine end to the day with the double sunshine in the further east of the
:25:28. > :25:31.country. Parts of Anglesey as well. More cloud for Cardigan Bay and
:25:31. > :25:36.Pembrokeshire, making its way inland in the overnight period and
:25:36. > :25:40.a few coastal showers with mist and fog patches. Overnight temperatures
:25:40. > :25:43.it remaining in double figures. Tomorrow, this weather front
:25:43. > :25:48.bringing rain with it. Some heavy showers possible but there will be
:25:48. > :25:52.some bright nurse in between as well. First thing tomorrow, at 8am,
:25:52. > :25:56.some brightness for parts of Powys but head for the West in two parts
:25:56. > :25:59.of Anglesey and the peninsula, we will see showers from the word go
:25:59. > :26:04.and also a long Cardigan Bay and Pembrokeshire. Through the morning,
:26:04. > :26:08.the showers will make their way further inland and as they do, they
:26:08. > :26:12.will intensify further. Heavy downpours possible along parts of
:26:12. > :26:17.Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay. For entry downpours could be mixed with
:26:17. > :26:21.Hale as well but brightness in between and feeling a little bit
:26:21. > :26:26.fresher than today. Into tomorrow, the showers will start to ease off
:26:26. > :26:30.and die away. In the overnight period, just a few showers but for
:26:30. > :26:35.the majority of the script will be dry and cloudy with some mist
:26:35. > :26:39.forming overnight. 16 Celsius the maximum. Breezy conditions into
:26:39. > :26:44.Wednesday. Wednesday another day of sunshine and showers. They
:26:44. > :26:51.shouldn't be as heavy as Tuesday. Highs of only 19 Celsius third --
:26:51. > :26:54.so it will feel much cooler. By Thursday, fewer showers. Longer
:26:54. > :27:00.spells of rain by Friday and that set the scene for the weekend with
:27:00. > :27:10.heavy downpours heading our way. Today's beautiful picture is of the
:27:10. > :27:10.
:27:10. > :27:15.The headlines once again: The businessman who run the high
:27:15. > :27:18.profile Polly Peck empire in the 1980s and early 90s has been found
:27:18. > :27:21.guilty of theft. The jury at the Old Bailey has
:27:21. > :27:25.reached the verdicts on three counts of stealing millions from
:27:25. > :27:27.his own companies and has yet to make up its mind on a further nine
:27:27. > :27:31.counts. We will --
:27:31. > :27:36.We'll have an update for you here at 8:00pm and I'll be back after