30/04/2014 BBC Wales Today

rain. A

Welcome to Wales Today. Tonight, protecting Wales from extreme

weather. Last winter storms caused havoc across the country - a report

says more work and money is needed to strengthen our defences.

Two years ago, all local authorities in Natural Resources Wales were

spending many that we need to travel. -- funding that we need to

treble. A decision has been made that he

will not come today. The UKIP leader Nigel Farage cancels

his walk around Swansea city centre amid what the party call security

concerns. The council that's banned

e-cigarettes in all its buildings - from libraries to leisure centres.

Surf's up - but nowhere near the coast. Plans for the UK's first

inland wave park in the Conwy Valley get the go ahead.

I am not drinking at the moment for health reasons but I will take a

small whiskey. And dying but still drinking - the

new film marking the final chapter in life of Dylan Thomas, a hundred

years after his birth. I feel its heart is in the right

place as a film. I hope that people in Wales feel that we've given him a

faithful presentation. Good evening. More needs to be done

to improve our flood defences - and the money spent maintaining them

should be trebled. That's according to a major report looking at the

devastating winter storms along our coastline. Natural Resources Wales

also say communities need to become more self sufficient and resilient

in future. Here's our Environment Correspondent Iolo ap Dafydd.

The storms last winter hammered the Welsh coastline and we can expect

more extreme weather in the future according to natural results as

Wales and its advice is for sustained investment, that it needs

to spend three times as much as it does at the moment to maintain the

existing defences. They were spending ?45 million a year on flood

defences. That needs to travel in 25 years' time so we are spending ?125

million a year. This is significant when it meant finances are very

tight. ?12 million has been spent on this wall in Newport. It was

completed in 2012 and providing planning approval is granted next

year, a bigger scheme will be built on the opposite side. Schemes like

these could be crucial when you consider around January the 3rd, the

stream and tide almost came over the embankment. Had the water been ten

or 15 centimetres higher, a few hundred homes could have potentially

been flitted across this area of Newport. Last December, some areas

were severely flooded after the sea walls were breached. Natural

Resources Wales want communities like this to become more

self-sufficient in dealing with flooding. The impact of the storms

is clear. Four months later, work is still going on to repair the

defences. The report says more flood warnings are needed but homeowners

need to take more responsibility as well. I don't think that the

authorities can take all of the responsibility but I think at a time

like this, when we know we had serious flooding, they should be

given some help, some advice and maybe some instruction on how to

protect their properties. There are mechanisms I can put in place to

prevent the water coming in. It is not completely foolproof but it will

help a bit. There is no certainty we can prevent flooding all over the

place and if there has to be some selected areas given up to the sea,

to the coast and so on, you have to understand why this is the case.

Since the storms, the worst government has allocated over ?10

million. It will need time to consider the 47 recommendations

before deciding which ones to accept. Iolo, is the government

likely to accept the central message here - that it will have to spend an

awful lot of money to address the problem?

There are six priority areas among the 47 recommendations and

investment and having a sustainable investment in terms of defences just

to hold what we have for the next 25 years is actually quite a big

problem. If they have to increase that in terms of new offences, you

can see why potentially, it was referred to in the report that the

annual spending of 45 or ?50 million will have to triple and add to that

the tricky business of how to deal with communities to make them more

resilient and as we heard again, does that mean some areas will be

protected? On the other hand, there will be streets and houses and

villages where it will be too expensive. Very hard decisions, if

not for this government, then definitely the next government.

Thank you. The Leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage,

was forced to cancel a walk around Swansea city centre earlier due to

security concerns. A number of protestors had gathered before he

was due to arrive to officially launch the party's manifesto ahead

of the European elections. Our political editor Nick Servini is at

the Liberty Stadium, where the party is holding a rally, Nick?

Lucy, Nigel Farage is due to speak within the hour. Protesters have

gathered. It was something of a bizarre day. There has been huge

interest in this visit today, particularly the walk around the

streets of Swansea, something he prides himself on, dropping in for a

pint in a pub and meeting punters. Cancelled because of security

concerns. When I caught up with him, a central claim is that UKIP in

Wales is gaining as much traction and support as it is in England.

There wasn't much of a welcome for Nigel Farage here today. This is one

of a number of protests in Swansea. That is why our language is so rich

and people like you are not welcome in Swansea... Among them something

of a media circus for the man who is campaigning has turned into a

one-man road show. Today he announced he would not be fighting a

by-election in Nottinghamshire after intense speculation. He was due to

formally launches manifesto for the European elections as it looks to

retain one of its MEPs for Wales next month. In the end, the

gathering was for nothing. As far as I'm aware, the decision has been

made that he will not come today. It was due to be a campaign launched

like no other. Nigel Farage was due to pop into one of the pubs and

there were crowds waiting for him. We have just found out he has

cancelled the trip into the city centre because of security concerns.

Instead, Nigel Farage headed for the city Stadium, where he said he had

pulled out because of protesters intent on violence. In the relative

calm inside, he outlined policies to withdraw the UK from the EU and gave

one of his central claims that Wales is becoming increasingly Eurosceptic

despite receiving billions of pounds of aid from the EU. EU money is used

in a deliberate political attempt to make people think it is wonderful.

The fact is, we have been a big loser. One of the reasons

post-industrial Wales receives money from the European Union is so many

of its industries have been closing down and if you look at the

industrial policy and the energy odyssey that the EU puts in place,

you will see high energy prices and overregulation are doing that to

Wales and the rest of our nation. This was a visit that never fully

delivered. UKIP will be hoping the thing doesn't happen in the European

elections. The Prime Minister has paid tribute

to five service personnel who were killed in a helicopter crash in

Afghanistan last weekend. Among them were Captain Tom Clarke from

Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan and Lance Corporal Oliver Thomas,

from Brecon. These tragic deaths remind us of the

continued sacrifice of our Armed Forces and I know that our deepest

sympathies are with their families at this very difficult time.

Ambulance targets to reach 65% of life-threatening incidents in eight

minutes have been missed again. In March, the figure was 55% - better

than the previous month. The Welsh government says it expects changes

to the way ambulance services are organised, to improve performance.

Bridgend Council says it will look for alternatives to a pay freeze in

order to save money. Unions are unhappy at a proposal to offer pay

rises for only the lowest paid - while other Welsh Councils are

proposing rises for all staff. Bridgend Council says the freeze

would've saved a million pounds to help protect jobs and services.

They've been seen as an alternative to lighting up, but e-cigarettes are

set to be banned in all council buildings in Caerphilly, including

leisure centres and libraries. It's one of the first councils in Wales

to tell both its workers and the public that they can't use the

devices on their property. From Caerphilly Rhodri Lewis reports.

The rise of the e-cigarette has been astonishing. More than two million

people now use them across the UK - that figure's trebled in two years.

But Caerphilly council says the time has now come for them to go the way

But Caerphilly council says the time of normal cigarettes and be banned

inside its buildings. In the interest of continuity a long time

ago we and ordinary cigarettes and we now feel the time is right to ban

e-cigarettes to enable our staff to give up smoking completely. The band

will also be enforced in all other council buildings in the borough,

including libraries, leisure centres and community centres where the

workforce and the public will be asked not to use the devices.

The decision got a mixed reaction in Caerphilly this afternoon.

Disgusting. It is only a paper. We only just got used to people not

smoking in public spaces and now everyone has these he cigarettes, I

think they should ban them. -- e-cigarettes.

But one leading expert says e-cigarettes may actually be the

most effective way of helping people quit smoking.

You don't question whether somebody is using that and thinking they are

smoking. OK, it's not dangerous to be near someone who is using them,

there is really no evidence and very little reason to believe that it is

going to normalise smoking again so what is the problem?

The Welsh government is still considering its own ban across the

country, the only part of the UK to do so. The new rules in Caerphilly

will be introduced within weeks. Still to come: She's their most

famous customer - the Queen visits a factory near Caerphilly that

supplies the Royal household with Christmas crackers on the final day

of the royal tour. A leading charity has told BBC Wales

that patients who are dying - and their families - need more

opportunities to have their say about the standards of care. Marie

Curie says the current system of measuring their experiences is too

limited. It wants to see an annual survey of bereaved families

introduced here. But not everybody agrees as our Health Correspondent

Owain Clarke explains. Sinews none of us want to

hear-discovering that somebody we love is dying. In 2011, Mark found

out his mother had incurable pancreatic cancer. It meant their

home in Port Talbot had to become somewhere she could be cared for.

They were provisions made for a hospital bed to be brought down

stairs because they said at some stage, your mum isn't going to be

able to walk up the stairs to use the bathroom. You tend not to think

about that. At some point, we had 16 nurses a day in the house. Two days

before Christmas, Joan died and the house fell silent. They become like

family members. You see these nurses more than your extended family. When

that activity stops, it's quite weird. Overall, he is grateful for

his mother's Cabot believes others could benefit from follow-up visits

from nurses after the death but how easy is it to give feedback like

that? Today a leading charity argues a survey that's been available in

Wales since 2009 has been to limitations -- to limited because it

only takes into account teams of specialists. Marie Curie Cancer Care

wants to see Wales in the late England and introduce an annual

survey that collect the opinions of thousands of bereaved families. At a

time when resources need to be fused ever more effectively and

efficiently, you've got to be looking at ways of finding out what

works for people, what they appreciate and then concentrate your

resources. But one of the most imminent end of

life doctors in the country isn't convinced. The English system is

simply a snapshot. It asks the views of the brief but not the patient and

let's not forget, it didn't pick up midst of a chat. Are at their

weaknesses with the Welsh system? We are trying to hear the voice of the

patients. We are getting it from specialist palliative care and

feeding back to teams, reinforcing good behaviour and where we are

aware of a problem, we are able to act on it immediately. The worst

governments insists listening -- the Welsh government insists listening

to those like Mark who have lost loved ones is crucial.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have finished their two-day tour of

Wales by visiting Caerphilly and the Vale of Glamorgan. They opened a new

printing press at a factory in Hengoed, before visiting Atlantic

College in Llantwit Major. Paul Heaney reports.

A warm Welsh welcome for two familiar faces. Schoolchildren from

Hengoed waited patiently to see the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. I

enjoyed seeing the Queen because I never would have thought the Queen

would come to a place like this. Zebre I seen her down in Caerphilly

about 60 years ago when I was 16 and I'm older now so it's nice to see

her again. This factory invested ?8 million on new printing presses to

make wrapping paper and Christmas crackers. The Royal household is one

of their customers and the investment safeguarded 400 jobs. The

machinery officially opened today by their most famous customer. This is

just the latest visit in a series of trips to successful Welsh companies

by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh doing their two-day stay

in Wales. The couple are said to want to support those companies

investing in the future, especially in areas that have been economic

elite disadvantaged in the past. Another focal welcome in the Vale of

Glamorgan. Students from over 90 countries at Atlantic College

describe the work they do to challenge international conflict and

improve women's rights aboard. -- abroad. The trip was designed to

encourage success in business and the classroom.

A new surfing centre at the site of a former aluminium plant in the

Conwy Valley has been given the go-ahead. The facility, described as

the first of its kind in Europe open to the public, will allow surfers to

ride artificially created waves on a massive man-made lake.

It might not rival Hawaii or California but the Welsh coast is a

popular destination for surfers. Soon they'll be able to enjoy bigger

waves a few miles inland too. This former factory site in the small

village of Dolgarrog will be transformed into what's described as

a world class attraction. Like this park in Spain the appeal is in

generating perfect waves all day long, all year round.

The technology is brand-new and unlike anything else that is

currently on the market. Its benefit is that it will produce a wave which

is of consistent height and shape for virtually the full length of the

lagoon. The body of water is 300 metres long and 130 metres wide.

Veronica Carpenter, her husband, sister and son were all once

employed at the aluminium plant which was a major employer here for

a century until it closed in 2007. She, like many, wants the site to

live again but with certain conditions. I think it will be a

good thing for the village, providing that local people will be

able to afford to use the facilities that they are coming to have and

also to be employed, you know, on a part-time or full-time basis for

local people as well. This will be submerged as part of

the giant lake and it could be up and running by next year. Seven

years after the aluminium plant closed, this area could soon be

riding the crest of a wave. Let's get tonight's sport.

We start with an agonising defeat for Wales' Dominic Dale at the World

Snooker Championships. Trailing 11-5 overnight against Barry Hawkins,

Dale won seven frames in a row to lead 12-11 and be one away from his

first World semifinal. But Hawkins rallied and eventually edged through

by 13 frames to 12. So close. We've hosted the Rugby World Cup,

the Ashes and the Ryder Cup but what chance of European Championship

football matches being played in Wales? Well, the Welsh FA are

bidding to stage four games in the 2020 tournament. ?10 million have

also been offered, which could include building a second terminal

at Cardiff Airport. It is a glossy video for a polished

bid from a team with experience of bringing major events to Wales.

Cardiff-a vibrant capital. The people who helped bring the Ryder

Cup here and the Ashes have also been trying to persuade UEFA to hold

four games during the Twenty20 Championships. The football

Association for Wales picked a powerful team from politics, sport

and business. The Welsh government is putting in ?10 million and save

the event would generate ten times as much for the Welsh economy. A

chunk will be spent on improving transport links and a potential make

over for Cardiff airport. The fact we own it means we can have more

influence about what happens there. There is talk of a second temporary

terminal and working with Bristol airport.

The Millennium Stadium is the most important part of the bid but other

things also have to impress the bosses. The Welsh FA have had to

submit detailed proposals about logistics, transport, accommodation,

training facilities and even mobile technology here in the stadium. On

the pitch, Wales have had the better of Scotland in recent months and may

need to beat them again to win the bid. Scotland and the Republic of

Ireland are also hoping to become one of 13 venue cities. There could

be at least two of the four that are selected.

If when we get the final, there could be three or four. The lobbying

will continue until the final announcement in September and there

is an ideal opportunity to make the case for Wales in August, when

Cardiff hosts the UEFA super cup. Glamorgan drew their latest

championship match at Leicestershire.

As celebrations take place to mark the centenary of Dylan Thomas's

birth, it's the poet's last few days of life that are the focus of a

major new BBC drama. A Poet In New York follows Dylan's final visit to

the city where he eventually died, aged just 39. The actor Tom

Hollander plays him, and he's been speaking to our Arts and Media

Correspondent, Huw Thomas. As I was young and easy and the

apple boughs, about the looting house and happy as the grass was

greener. The programme shows the final days

of Dylan Thomas, impressing an American audience while his body is

crippled with illness and alcohol. Unfortunately, I'm not drinking at

the moment for health reasons but yes please, I will take a small

whiskey. Despite being set in New York, the film was made without

leaving Wales. Cardiff's new theatre is among the

holdings to 44 American landmarks but there was a detail that had to

be exactly right. I mostly listened to his voice, that

was the main thing. Because I thought he had a very particular

sort of voice and I thought if I can do it, I will be all right.

On location. Some of the places Dylan Thomas knew best. It has the

blessing of the family and release gripped by a Welsh writer, Andrew

Davies. For those American scenes, a trick of the eye and the camera but

it was simple details that was harder to replicate -cigarettes that

could only be lit with the help of special effects. We had to get

smoking right and there is a Welsh government ban on smoking in any

films so the process was extremely painstaking but we got through it.

And expensive. It was.

You wouldn't think a smoking budget could be so high. Steam comes

screaming out of her navel... Genius! Two more, please. It's all

right, I will drink them both. I hope that people in Wales will feel

like we have given him a faithful presentation.

It would be awful if people thought it was ill judged. I feel its heart

is in the right place as a film, I hope. People of Wales, I hope you

like it. Time held me green and dying, though I sang in my chains

like the sea... At a preview screening, Dylan

like the sea... hoped it would introduce more people

to his work and prompt more questions about why he died so

young. A Poet In New York is on BBC One

Wales tonight at 9:00pm. What about the weather?

We're still on course for a dry bank holiday weekend but before then

we've got some rain and heavy showers to deal with in the next 24

hours. In fact the Met Office has issued a warning of heavy rain for

parts of south and east Wales and Powys tomorrow afternoon with a risk

of surface water flooding. This evening patchy rain will move

northeast. Followed by showers overnight. Some of these heavy.

Turning misty with hill fog. Lowest temperatures eight to ten Celsius so

a fairly mild night. Here's the picture for eight in the morning.

Not a great start to May. Plenty of cloud. Showers or longer spells of

rain. Quite wet in places. More showers brewing up through the day.

Heavy downpours in places too with thunder but not everywhere.

Pembrokeshire may be lucky and get away with a dry afternoon and

brighten-up with a little sunshine. Friday is a better day in prospect.

Just the odd shower. Plenty of cloud with a few bright or sunny

intervals. Friday night into Saturday will turn cold with a

fairly widespread ground frost. So gardeners take note. Saturday's

chart shows high pressure over the UK and that means dry weather.

Saturday then a nice day. Dry with sunny spells. Some cloud as well.

Sunday probably more cloud than sunshine but much of the country

dry. Just the odd spot of light rain or drizzle perhaps in the far

northwest. Monday dry and warmer. So some decent weather for the bank

holiday weekend. I can't promise wall to wall sunshine but generally

dry. The nights chilly with a risk of ground frost but feeling pleasant

enough when the sun is out with mainly light winds.

From all of