02/05/2014 BBC Wales Today

Hello and welcome to Wales Today. Tonight's top stories: Two teenage

girls are arrested at Cwmcarn High School on suspicion of conspiracy to

commit murder. Veronica Teal was verbally abused at

a Mid Wales home. Her family express their deep frustration over the

investigation into her care. They said it was exceptionally poor

practice and what happened should never have happened.

Four men from Newport go on trial accused of three attempted revenge

killings last year. It's down to the wire for Cardiff

City. Defeat this weekend could spell the end for their hopes for

Premier League survival. Tonight, we're in Laugharne,

celebrating their most famous resident 100 years since his birth.

We will be hearing from one of Dylan Thomas' best-known fans who read his

poetry in the White House. My own belief is that he was the best poet

of the last century. Two schoolgirls have been arrested

on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder following an incident at a

school in Caerphilly county. Gwent Police said the teenagers, aged 14

and 15, were arrested at Cwmcarn High School yesterday following

concerns about their behaviour. Caroline Evans reports.

Police were called to the high school yesterday just before noon

following concerns about the behaviour of two pupils. They

arrested a 15-year-old girl from Newbridge and a 14-year-old girl

from Risca. Police say no one was hurt but the two girls were arrested

on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. The 15-year-old girl was

asked -- also arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill and

possession of a bladed article on school premises. According to the

NASUWT teaching union, it was other pupils who first raised their

concerns. Today the school issued a letter saying. There was no risk to

any staff or learner. It goes on to say Cwmcarn High is a caring and

safe environment, committed to everyone's safety. Caerphilly

Council has also issued a statement saying the incident was swiftly

dealt with by staff and Gwent Police. Support is now in place for

both pupils and staff. All appropriate steps were taken to

respond effectively to the situation. Gwent Police say the two

girls were released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Last night on Wales Today, we brought you an exclusive report on

the poor treatment of Veronica Teal at the Bethshan Nursing Home in

Newtown. Today, her family were given details of a Social Services

report into her care. But they say they've been left 'outraged' and

'disappointed' by its conclusions. Here's India Pollock.

Alone and scared. This is how 73 old Veronica Teal was found after the

family installed a camera in her room.

They were concerned that her -- at how upset she seemed after being in

the home for only a few days. Today the family met with social services

to hear the outcome of an investigation into her abuse at the

home. Every complaint we have put in they have upheld. They said it was

exceptionally poor practice. She cried but she is angry. She can't

understand why we've had this meeting to do with a report. Social

services says she can only have a copy of the reported she requested

in a letter that they say they will continue to support the family. We

are monitored by CCTV in everyday life. But should it be used to

protect us while we are at our most vulnerable? Some say it's a careful

balance between dignity and protection. I think there are some

big questions which need to be answered before any of this comes

into play and that would be who can do the footage? I would suggest it

should only be family or management or maybe the Inspectorate bodies.

How often would the footage be viewed? How would it be stored?

There are nicotine will spend three months at the home and it is closely

connected with the evangelical hope church. They see the issues have

been addressed with staff training and one member of staff has been

disciplined. The elderly deserve the very highest of compassionate care

and when it breaks down we must be ruthless about it. I'd really do

think I should read the social services support. Almost 600,000

people are over the age of 65 in Wales and over 12,000 of them live

in care homes. One care home is already considering installing CCTV

cameras in home. For Veronica Teal, that camera was essential in

exposing the poor case she severed. Well, a little earlier I spoke to

Mario Kreft, the chair of Care Forum Wales, the body which represents

nursing homes here. I began by asking him what he thought about

Veronica Teal's treatment. We are very shocked and disappointed but I

would say it is not a bad home. What we want to do is to support it. We

want to support the manager and the trustees of the charity to insure

this sort of thing doesn't happen again. What is going wrong? How can

you ensure you get the best and most compassionate staff particularly

when pay levels in this sector are very low? It is very challenging. We

have a wonderful sector. There are thousands of hard-working and

dedicated people but you are going to have times where people fall

below that own standards and sometimes you have people who

probably should not be in the sector. The real issue is how we are

going to make this a profession and ensure people are attracted in and

as you say, the whole remuneration package is part of that and that's

why we need to commission for equality. What is the best way to

insure that residents get the best was about care? There is a

suggestion the UK government will implement mandatory care. Is that

something the Welsh Government could do? The Welsh Government is already

on course with a lot of its thinking. The new bill is very much

pulling a lot of this together. Training has to be at the heart. You

have to get people with the right skills and those skills are not

necessarily going to be on pieces of paper, they are going to be about

compassion and kindness and dedication. Then you give those

people that support. What we need in Wales in the future are tens of

thousands of new social care workers so we have to pull together to

ensure we can have the best workforce available.

Mario Kreft from Care Forum Wales, speaking to me a little earlier.

Serious concerns have been raised over the increase in the number of

complaints by hospital patients about the way they're treated.

Figures obtained by Plaid Cymru show that between 2009 and 2010, and 2012

and 2013, complaints soared by 40%. A Welsh Government spokesman says

most people say they're happy with their care and the rise shows people

are engaged with the service. Four men from Newport have appeared

in court accused of an attempted "revenge" killing. Lewis Bridge,

Brogan Hooper, Gary Rabjohns and Ryan Battersby are accused of

shooting three people in a car last September. Jordan Davies has more.

An attempted revenge killing in the middle of a Newport Street. This is

what was left of the car allegedly rammed off the road by a jeep

carrying four men from the city. It is claimed they then shot twice at

the three people inside. The jury heard how CCTV captured the cheap

following the car out of the nearby housing estate then ramming it

possibly twice on the main road. It caused it to crash into the side of

this pub not far from Newport city centre. The gun and cheap have never

been found. Lewis Bridge, Brogan Hooper, Gary Rabjohns and Ryan

Battersby are all charged with three counts of conspiracy to murder. In

court today the prosecution said the deliberate ramming, to the discharge

of two rounds, showed a clear intention to kill those inside the

car. The court heard the attempted killings were a revenge attack as

days before one of the defendants Brogan Hooper had been robbed of

money and strokes by two of the victims. All four men deny all the

charges and the case continues. Firefighters across Wales walked out

this afternoon in a continuing row over pensions. It's part of a series

of strikes with action on Saturday and Sunday. The UK Government says

it's offering firefighters one of the most generous public sector

pension schemes. The restaurant run by the chef

Stephen Terry has been cleared of sexual discrimination against a

trainee pastry chef. Chloe Maisey, seen here in the middle, made 21

allegations about staff at The Hardwick outside Abergavenny,

including claims she was shut in a freezer. But the employment tribunal

in Cardiff dismissed the case, saying she was very much involved in

the banter. Speaking afterwards Mr Terry said, it's been difficult.

This has been a very hard time for myself and my family. The kitchen is

a tough place to work. It is a family.

Still to come: A tense weekend for Cardiff City fans. The club admit

they need a miracle to avoid relegation.

And join me in Laugharne, the town that Dylan Thomas made his home and

which is wholly -- holding a weekend of celebrations to mark the

centenary of his birth. The Labour leader Ed Miliband has

focused on what he calls a cost of living crisis during a visit to the

centre of Cardiff ahead of the European elections. As well as

greeting party supporters, he also faced protestors calling for an

inquiry into problems in the Welsh NHS. Our Political Editor, Nick

Servini, was there. It has been the most high-profile

event so far in the build-up to the European elections as party

activists greeted Ed Miliband. He is the first of the main Westminster

party leaders to come to Wales as the campaign gathers momentum. But

there was also a snort -- small number of protesters which made sure

it turned into more of a pre-election sprint than a stroll

through the streets. Among the shoppers on a Friday morning, in the

centre of Cardiff, we have the man who would be King. So much about

politics is about momentum and if Labour gets a strong showing in the

European elections it's a big step in his efforts to get to number ten.

In his short visit Ed Miliband witnessed it all from light-hearted

gladhanding to a serious message from campaigners who say there are

major failings in the Welsh NHS that he should wake up and smell the

coffee and push for a full enquiry. They did during the visit he told me

the biggest issue on the doorstep was the cost of living. The problem

you've got is that the best way of dealing with the cost of living

crisis is to create more jobs and that is exactly what is happening at

the moment. The reality for many people in work is that they are

finding their work is insecure, they are low paid and the issues are not

in doubt with by the UK government in Westminster. That is why Labour

is campaigning on the cost of living. There are lots more hands to

shake and campaigning to be done yet and the European elections are still

three weeks away. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have

launched their campaign for the European elections. They say one

Welsh job in ten depends on trade with the EU. The parties hoping to

win its first-ever Welsh seat in the European Parliament.

In Llandrindod Wells and they have an eye for detail. The company makes

luxury designs for anything from sports cars to furniture. They say a

lot of their trade depends on Britain's thing in the EU. It's a

message the Lib Dems are keen to take up. We are setting out our

stall and inviting people to stand up against that tide of Euro

scepticism and say, no, that's not what Britain is about. That's not

what Wales is about. We are happy with a Wales secure in Britain and

in Europe. The Liberal Democrats don't have a Welsh MEP and the polls

suggest it will be difficult for them to make a breakthrough. But the

party is hoping for a good showing to give it a much-needed confidence

boost ahead of next year 's general election. The political landscape

has been changing. This European election campaign has been fought

over European issues on whether Wales in Britain are better off in

all better off out. The challenge for the Liberal Democrats is to make

the pro-European case and turn it into votes on polling day in three

weeks' time. Time for sport now, and another

tense weekend for Cardiff City fans. Ashleigh's here to tell us more.

Good evening. Cardiff City admit they need a miracle to avoid

relegation, as they prepare for their penultimate match of the

season. The Bluebirds are bottom of the table, but they could climb out

of the relegation zone by beating Newcastle tomorrow. And the stakes

are very high indeed, with millions of pounds riding on the result.

There's one thing you can say about Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, he knows all

about footballing miracles. It is a clear head and it's in the net! He

has won the European cup for Manchester United! Now, as Cardiff

manager, he needs someone to be a hero, as he was in the 1999

Champions League final. From this position, it's going to take

something completely extraordinary to stay up. Their defeat at

relegation rivals Sunderland last weekend was a massive set-back,

leaving them rooted to the bottom of the table with two games left. They

must win at Newcastle, but they also need favours from others to sneak

out of the bottom three before their final game against title-chasing

Chelsea back at the Cardiff City Stadium. Just imagine how this place

will be next weekend if we got something to play for. That has got

to be one of the main things. Let's give ourselves a chance by beating

Newcastle. Relegation would be huge blow in every way, not least

financially. This season, even by finishing bottom of the Premier

League, they're guaranteed at least ?60 million from latest TV deal. But

in the second-tier Championship, income from TV is a tiny fraction of

that. Cardiff would still get so-called parachute payments from

the Premier League to cushion the blow. But they'd only be guaranteed

an income of ?23 million next season, and lesser sums for three

years after that. They will have to be a reduction in the wage bill to

make it financially viable at championship level. Very few

championship clubs make any money. So three points tomorrow could be

worth tens of millions of pounds. And they say it's only a game.

With their Premier League status secure, the pressure is off Swansea

City ahead of tomorrow's visit of Southampton. Interim head coach

Garry Monk says he has had preliminary discussions with the

club's chairman about his future. Before the end of the season I think

there is a board meeting planned way they will discuss things and make a

decision before the end of the season.

Rugby and there's a Welsh derby in the Pro12 this evening. The Dragons

are the visitors to Parc y Scarlets. A win for the home side will

guarantee a spot in the new elite European competition, the Champions

Cup, for next season. You can see all the action on Scrum V Live over

on BBC Two Wales from 7.00pm. And it could be a big weekend for

fans of Aberystwyth Town football club too. A win tomorrow in the

Welsh Cup final would see the club lift the trophy for the first time

in 114 years. Lucy. People are gathering in Laugharne

for a festival celebrating the life and work of Dylan Thomas, who was

born 100 years ago. The town inspired one of his most famous

works, Under Milk Wood, and events are taking place around the castle

all weekend. Our arts and media correspondent, Huw Thomas, is there.

Dylan Thomas called Laugharne a black magical bedlam by the sea and

it is an inspirational place not least because of the beautiful

terrain in this part of Wales but also Dylan Thomas found in terms of

the people who live there, the characters which inspired all of

those people in Under Milk Wood. A play that remains popular to this

day and play which has inspired even more work in honour of Dylan Thomas

in this his centenary year. The National Theatre Wales have launched

a new production in the town this morning and it takes a sideways look

at Dylan Thomas and the characters of Under Milk Wood and brings them

to life once again on the streets of Laugharne.

It is the town that Dylan Thomas called home and whose characters

gave him the material for his most famous work, and an awkward. Today

his play was reimagined. National Theatre Wales producing its own

version of the fictional town and its quirky inhabitants. Laugharne

influenced Dylan Thomas hugely. The people and the estuary and the

characters. So the show is exploring the underbelly of Laugharne. If he

was alive today he could still write Under Milk Wood. The characters are

very much alive and here today. very much alive

Among the locals watching today were assembled remembered watching Dylan

Thomas walk the same streets. 1947. I'm married and came down to look

after uncle John and he used to go every day to Crosshouse and he would

be drinking with Dylan Thomas. When they were drinking together, all the

all stories came out. That's right. He used to call him tom cat. Blind

Captain cat, he is all the morning of the town. Who said a letter to Mr

Ogmore Pritchard? Now it is Tom Jones' turn to be capped and cat in

a film which will be shown on BBC on Monday. The town will stay on the

airwaves over the next few days with the BBC's Festival broadcasting and

number of programmes from here over the weekend.

The radio Festival has had a very special contribution from one of

Dylan Thomas' best-known fans, former American president Jimmy

Carter and he has been speaking about how we first came to love

Dylan Thomas' work. I was in my warehouse with no customers one day

and I was reading a book of poetry and I happened to read a poem

casually and I got to the last line and I was shocked and I read it

again and I began -- became infatuated with the poem. After

that, I even made my three sons memorise the poem so we could all

see it together. After then I studied Dylan Thomas and I got all

his books. I have 50 or 60 books by Dylan Thomas. I intend to come back

to Laugharne to visited because I like Wales. He was the best poet of

the last century. So that production finished for today and it will start

again tomorrow and one of those who has been involved is Annie Hardy, a

local resident. Tell me up bit about what you were doing. Primarily, we

were cool women and we sang our way into the bus shed. Later on we were

part of the cortege which took Dylan Thomas' funeral down to the

churchyard. We heard about Captain cat and you have got Captain cat

with you. This was part of the production today. He is one of the

knitted characters which appeared all around the town. All members of

the cast of Under Milk Wood. I am joined as well by John, the manager

of rounds Hotel and co-creator of that play. How important was it for

you to give the people here are production they could get involved

with? It was vitally important. There are some new things going on

this year but this was his adoptive homes so they can here and try and

get everyone involved from the schoolchildren to local craftsmen,

it was important. What do you think Dylan Thomas would make of this? You

could write Under Milk Wood to win a weekend. The characters are still

here. Laugharne has not changed for many years. There has never been

much tourism or an industrial revolution so people have evolved in

their own way. He would serve the -- certainly recognise the town. Good

luck with the rest of the performances across the weekend.

It's been a lovely day today here. How is the rest of the weekend

looking? It is looking mixture right across

Wales. Mostly dry and settled but some cloud and some sun and some

spots of rain. This evening, most of Wales staged Friday. The odd spot of

drizzle but another clear skies, a risk of frost in rope OS. Less cold

along the West Coast. A warm front will push in from the Atlantic later

in the day so tomorrow after a chilly start it will be largely dry

with sunny spells through the morning. Further east it should

remain generally try but cloud will thicken from the West with a little

rain arriving late in the day. Cloud will thicken for much of Wales

tomorrow night with patchy mist and a few spots of drizzle. Any rain

will tend to be light and fizzle out overnight. Sunday, a few spots of

rain especially in the north-west but otherwise often cloudy with the

best of any brightness in the south-east. Bank holiday Monday

morning looks dry and also probably the warmest day of the weekend. Some

rain making its way in from the west later in the day. That is thanks to

this low-pressure system guiding France in from the Atlantic later on

Monday. This will push away the high pressure that has been keeping

things settled out to Eastern Europe. Some fine weather this

bicolour Day weekend but generally drier and more settled the further

east you are. Cloudy in the West with some rain. Signs it could break

with some wet and windy weather next week.

The main news from the BBC. Max Clifford is beginning an eight-year

jail sentence for a string of Ian -- indecent assaults against young

girls and women in the 1970s and 80s. The judge said his position

meant both he and his victims had thought he was untouchable.

Two schoolgirls have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy --

conspiracy to commit murder following an incident income Khan

high schools. -- come Khan high school. It's understood a teacher

may have been the intended target. And that is Wales Today. We'll have

a quick update at 8.00pm and more news at 10.25pm. For now though,

from all of us on the programme, enjoy your evening.