23/12/2015 BBC Wales Today

That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me,

Tonight's headlines: Police divers and sniffer dogs deployed to search

the River Tawe as efforts are stepped up to find missing

Using information we have received from Jordan's family and friends,

we have widened that search to an area

where we now Jordan used to frequent, particularly

when he used to come home from a night out in the city centre.

It was along this path Jordan was last seen and police

Suzanne's son became violent after she adopted him,

Concern that it's difficult for families to get support.

More people could be forced to have so called paupers funerals,

according to undertakers as Powys Council looks to increase

It's the site of the old Maerdy colliery in the Rhondda,

now plans for it to become a National Planetarium for Wales.

The lifeboat volunteers who saved these boys from their flooded home

make good on a promise made on the night of the rescue.

I was scared and I was thinking that they wouldn't rescue us

and then it would come to the top and we would have to swim out.

Police say Jordan Miers who went missing after a night out

in Swansea on Saturday night, was last seen heading

towards a footpath running alongside the River Tawe.

Efforts have been stepped up today to try to find the 21-year-old.

Our reporter Ben Price has been following developments and he joins

It's now the fourth night since Jordan Miers was last seen

walking across this bridge over the River Tawe as he made

There's been a hive of activity for many hours here today as search

teams including divers, sniffer dogs and the police

helicopter have played their part but it appears tonight that police

are still no closer to finding the young man.

An anxious and worrying time for those watching on today as more

police specialists were deployed to carry out a search of the River

Tawe. Since Sunday afternoon, our mile stretch of the river have been

searched. Jordan Miers was last seen walking past the size of a store and

then shortly afterwards at the junction of cheaper rate. It is

understood he was followed by another person for a short distance

and they saw him waking his way onto the footpath along the river. The

witness was concerned due to the intoxicated manner of Jordan. That

gave them cause for concern for them and following them because they were

concerned about his safety first up a team of police divers have been

searching this stretch of the River Tawe for most of the morning. It

wasn't far from year that Jordan Myers was last seen to that the ten

o'clock on Saturday night. It's believed he was planning to walk

home, just a couple of miles up the road to Bonymaen but he didn't make

it back and there are still very few clues as to what has happened. The

university graduate and a youth coach at a local football club,

those who know him best have described Jordan as a popular and

then assuming young man. His disappearance they say is completely

out of character. He is described as being of a 6-foot tall and Saturday

night he was wearing light blue jeans, light blue shirt and a

burgundy jumper. Friends of his family have also joined officers and

searches have taken place near the river and in the wider area. We

continue to search in the short-term Rabbi David to make sure we have

covered each of the areas we need to. Obviously, we add appealing for

information for further sightings of him and on that evening which would

allow us to concentrate our search under the areas. For those who know

Jordan best it is an extremely difficult time. As the hours go by

the concerned for his well-being continues to grow.

Still a lot of uncertainty as to the whereabouts

of Jordan Miers tonight but the police are likely

to continue searching near to the river tomorrow

although as we heard they're still appealing for witnesses

which might lead them to extend their investigation elsewhere.

The number of families asking for help following adoption

That's according to figures seen by BBC Wales.

Around 400 children were adopted in the last year and with more

people coming forward to adopt there are concerns it's too

difficult to access services like counselling.

Suzanne worked with children in care.

When she adopted seven-year-old Stephen, not his real name,

she thought she knew what to expect.

But struggling to reconcile the new change in his life,

I would get kicked and punched and head-butted and all

I kind of felt I was living in domestic violence.

And yet, if I'd been living in this situation with a partner

I wouldn't have stayed in that situation.

But I wasn't going to walk out on Stephen.

So I was stuck in there, stuck in that situation.

Like some older children placed for adoption,

Stephen had significant issues of abuse and neglect.

Suzanne realised he needed therapy and with the relationship

at the point of breaking down, she asked the local authority

A lot of other adoptive parents I know

say they find the same thing, they feel they have got to battle.

I sat in meetings where managers were

saying, therapy had been identified as necessary but it wasn't doing

Things like that. It made it hard.

Help can be wide-ranging but often involves providing financial

Adoption UK who run a helpline service, say around 70% of the calls

they receive are about adoption support.

BBC Wales has seen figures which show the number of children

From 348 in 2012-13, to 393 in 2014-15.

So too are the numbers of families asking for help.

Most requests are granted but the new adoption service

for Wales would like it to be easier to access.

Given cases are generally closed at the point of adoption I asked

if it might be better to have ongoing

I don't believe so because I don't think that allows

adoptive families to achieve the sort of normality that I think

We need to make sure that access for people coming

back into the system after the couple of years is simple

and straightforward and I know it isn't

at the moment, and that is something we are about to review.

There is a fine balance between helping and not

But two years on, the right support has worked wonders

When I tell him I love him he quite often goes,

When I tell him he's lush he's like, yes,

It's really nice to see that confidence building,

he's starting to feel that sense of security which is really lovely.

Suzanne there telling her story to Abigail Neal.

Police say a man whose remains were found in forestry

in Conwy County died in suspicious circumstances and suffered

The remains, which were found near Cerrigydrudion in November

are believed to have been there for several years and belonged

A man and a woman have been airlifted to hospital with serious

A High Court judge will look the decision to cut free transport

to Ysgol Brynhyfryd in rural Denbighshire after a successful

The council stopped paying for taxis to take pupils living 12 miles

from the school to a bus pick up point but parents say the route

to the bus stop is too dangerous to walk.

They've been granted permission for a full judicial review

More people in Powys could end up needing a so-called pauper's funeral

because burials will be too expensive.

That's the warning from local undertakers as the council prepares

to increase its charges by 65% on the 1st of January.

The authority says it has no other option as it tries to raise money

This cemetery in Newtown is one of 19 council run

At the moment the local authority charges a little over ?1,000

That includes registration, excavation and burial rights fees

as well as the cost of erecting a headstone.

On the 1st of January, that total cost will increase

to more than ?1700 and there will be a new extra charge of ?400

Geraint Peate works as an undertaking the Welshpool area.

He is worried about the council's decision and warns it

I'm sure there are lots of families I look after who find it very

It might turn around and bite Powys on the backside

because if a family can't afford to pay for the funeral then

Powys Council as the local authority are expected and duty-bound to deal

The local authority says it has to increase fees for its bereavement

services to help it make savings of ?27 million

The council says it has no other option.

I understand why Powys County Council are bringing forward these

charges because they are under great financial pressure especially

But what we're seeing is a big hike of 65% from the 1st of January.

What I'm particularly concerned about is that the council isn't

The council insists it won't be making a profit.

Meanwhile, the Welsh local Government Association

said the current economic climate means discretionary council services

are under severe pressure and local authorities across Wales are having

to prioritise and transform services.

For some, like Powys, that means reviewing fees to put

them on a more sustainable financial footing.

A National Planetarium and Observatory for Wales could be

built on the former site of Maerdy colliery in the Rhondda.

Experts say the area benefits from its proximity

to the Brecon Beacons which has designated Dark Skies status.

If it goes ahead it could create more than sixty jobs and attract

In a community whose focus used to be deep underground,

On the site of the former Maerdy colliery, by 2019

there could be a planetarium three times the size of Britain's

We've also got the natural bowl with the colliery site

which protects it from the light pollution in the valley.

Maerdy is close to the internationally recognised dark

That has enabled Allan Trow to take pictures

He believes a Maerdy planetarium could attract up to 400,000

We've got a mobile planetarium which can seat up

One of the largest planetarium is in Wales at the moment.

This one here will be able to seat 350.

It will be considerably larger than anything else in the UK

and in fact it is about the largest in Europe.

In 1985, miners marched back into the colliery

But within five years, it was closed.

Former miners agree a national planetarium

I used to work about the pit. I miss it so much. It would be a good

thing. One of the best job I ever had. What do you think about putting

a planetarium there? Yes. It will be wonderful. What an opportunity for a

little place like this, brilliant. It will inspire so many young

children. Any project is likely to be a private -public and ship. The

council who owned the land will assess its viability after a

feasibility study beginning soon. I think the jobs this could bring to

Maerdy will be positive. But also it would bring a new lease of life to

an old coal mine area which has been looking 25 years for the future. It

is to be the dark stuff underground that used to be important but now

with the possibility of a planetarium, it could be the dark

skies above that could bring prosperity back to this former pit

village. The dramatic rescue of two boys

from their flooded home in Cumbria but Welsh volunteers had to make

a special promise to persuade I will bring you to night's sport as

we look forward to the all-important festive rugby derbies.

It's been 30 years since the last case of polio was reported

But one charity estimates that 12,000 people here could still be

suffering from the after effects of the illness.

Post-polio syndrome can cause symptoms to return decades

Lining up for the polio vaccine in the 1960s.

The viral infection caused shrinking of muscles,

It's barely ever seen in the UK any more

But for some who contracted it, there are problems in later life.

I contracted polio when I was three years of age.

I can remember the pain, I can remember my father

Coral Williams from Cwmbran has post-polio syndrome,

muscle pain in her legs, exhaustion and trouble

Diagnosed in 1984, she uses a wheelchair but the condition

still causes issues like a fall she had last week.

This leg sometimes doesn't want to work.

This is what caused my fall and I fell into the bathroom.

There are people out there, not only people, but doctors

as well, they are not finding out about people who have had polio

and what they suffer now at a later date.

If you've never heard of the condition you are not alone.

A recent survey suggested 93% of people didn't know

about post-polio syndrome, so earlier this year Coral's

daughter, Angela, used money from the Big Lottery fund to host

an awareness raising session with politicians.

We need to turn round and say right, they have these stack

of symptoms, we need to put them together,

we need to see what can we do to make their lives easier.

This is Coral at the Polio Games, an event hosted by the British Polio

Fellowship to allow those affected to compete at dominos,

It's also a kind of support group but both Coral and Angela say it's

worrying how quickly people can deteriorate

between one year's competition and the next without the right

She still lives an independent life but the Polio Fellowship

estimate up to 12,000 other people could develop similar

They hope if more people know about this little

understood condition, more might receive appropriate

Lifeboat volunteers from north Wales, who saved two little boys

from their flooded bungalow in the middle of the night,

have been back to give them a very special Christmas present.

Five-year-old Sebastian and his three-year-old brother Jacob

were trapped on their bunk beds, too scared to move, as water poured

through their grandparents home at the height of the floods in Cumbria.

But the rescuers managed to get them to safety by promising to give

It's the early hours of the 6th of December,

the rescuers have battled their way through fast flowing water

It is too dangerous to use a boat, a local

farmer has ferried the rescuers on his tractor.

They have to get the family out two at a time with their rescue sled.

Just to let you know, the rescue sled is by the front door.

Sebastian and Jacob were staying with their grandparents

where the floods came, engulfing the bungalow.

They had been stranded there for 12 hours.

The family had been using torches to signal for help while standing

on kitchen worktops to escape the rising flood water.

The boys were terrified and took refuge on top of their bunk beds

The lifeboat volunteers only managed to persuade them to leave

by promising to give them their helmets

And we've got one for you there, young man.

Today the promise was honoured and just in time for

Foor of the rescuers that morning were from Welsh lifeboat

Vince and Martin Jones, Guy Williams and Elisa.

They met the family again at their home in Lancashire.

It was an opportunity to relive the adventure.

They wouldn't rescue us and then it would come to the top and then

I can only swim five metres with no armbands.

They were talking about airlifting and going

Sebastian was upset. "Mummy, save me".

I was powerless in not being able to help them.

Obviously very young but very brave boys.

Yes, at first they didn't want to come with us nut once one

of the lads promised them helmets and a ride

in the tractor they were happy to come.

For the kids, the very best of presents then.

This should be a Christmas to remember all round.

Let's get tonight's sport now, here's Iwan.

Football and ice hockey to come but we'll start with rugby

as the festive period will be providing us with its annual serving

The Blues have signed the Ulster number eight Nick Williams.

They sit in the bottom half of the Pro12 down

The Scarlets on the other hand are top of the table before

He is nearly 19 stone and known for his powerful play Falstaff. A new

signing, Nick Williams, the 282-year-old New Zealander will

bring his strength and experience to the blue side from next season. Here

is another one who may be on his way to the Alice Park, Matthew Morgan

will be leaving Bristol. -- the Arms Park. The worst region will be

without both Williams and Morgan for the coming derbies, they welcome the

skull on New Year's Day but first, it is the Dragons. I think the Blues

are much improved. Their confidence will have grown. Very similar to

ourselves. They have performed well. They are well coached, you can see

that in the way they play. We know what to expect, to be a derby, it'll

be a tough game. We will win by three points. I think form can often

go out the window and we will see what happens on the 27. The Newport

Gwent Dragons will go on to face the ospreys on New Year's Day. With

three of the regions bunched in the bottom half of the pro 12, the

Christmas results could change things dramatically. Looking back at

the history books, ospreys have lost as three of their last ten festive

derbies against the Scarlets. With the Llanelli -based region sitting

at the top of the table they go into the Boxing Day crunch match with

confidence. We're sitting in a good position. We have to play well and

maintain that position for as long as we can. The guys are looking

forward to it, they know it is a big game. Because of the occasion,

because they are our neighbours, the rivalry, we need to make sure we

don't have a missed opportunity. The wavefront training pitches, the

players have been spreading some festive cheer. Visiting children at

various hospitals. It is a crucial period in the big calendar but some

things are even more important. Onto football and Alan Curtis

says he's happy to carry on as Swansea City caretaker manager

"for as long as it takes" and that "there's no real news" on the club's

search for a new boss. He's set to be in charge

for Swansea's Christmas fixtures against West Brom and Crystal Palace

following the sacking of Garry Monk. And with just one win in 13 league

games, he's confident they can turn I spoke to the chairman

briefly in the week. It's really this ongoing scenario

that they are still out I'm repeating myself,

it's important they find Probably the one thing working

with the players again closer, You see them on the

daily basis, we know Cardiff Devils are at the top

of Ice Hockey's Elite League and according to the coach,

his squad believe they can be crowned Champions and win

it for the first time. The Devils have travelled to Belfast

and a win there this evening will take them into Christmas

five points clear. They are just below

us in the standings We want to take a lot of momentum

into this Christmas period with five We just spring boarded off last

year's challenge cup victory and we've hit the ground

running this year. We've got a great group and were

going in the right direction. A paralysed stunt cyclist

who set out to raise ?7,000 Not much festive cheer

in the forecast. A few heavy showers but some blue

sky for a change as well. This picture taken by Laura in

Barry. There were even one or two rainbows

like this one in Bala. But the weather remains

very, very changeable. This swirl of cloud named storm Eva

by the Irish Met Office is heading towards the north west of Britain

tonight and that's going to bring another spell of wet

and windy weather. So tonight the wind will strengthen

with gales developing. And later in the night a cold front

will bring a spell of heavy rain. So for Christmas Eve,

a wet and windy start Then it will brighten-up with

a mixture of sunshine and showers. A few heavy showers likely

and on high ground cold enough for a little snow for example

on the Brecon Beacons. Top temperatures between 8 and 11

Celsius. For Christmas Eve

night, a few showers. So conditions not too bad for Santa

as he travels around Wales. The chart for Christmas Day show

another low pressure moving in from the Atlantic

towards Ireland. So on Christmas Day,

the north will start dry and bright More rain will spread

from the south. The wind picking-up again as well

and after a chilly start it Boxing Day will continue

mild and breezy. Further outbreaks

of rain and drizzle. The north at risk from more heavy

rain that could well lead So worth keeping a close eye

on the forecast over the next few days, especially if you're

travelling with more wet and windy Sunday into Monday may become dry

but not for long and there's no sign So no sign of a White Christmas this

year, but we do wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a very

Happy New Year. I'll be back with the evening news

a bit later than usual at 11.15pm. We leave you now with some season's

greetings from us all # We wish you a Merry

Chri-i-i-i-i-i-stmas