:00:00. > :00:00.Good evening, I'm Charlie McArdle. is
:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to BBC Channel Islands. These are Monday's headlines.
:00:07. > :00:17.A four month wait for an MRI scan, unless you can afford to go private.
:00:18. > :00:24.extra investment in the staff to run the scanners, I don't see how we can
:00:25. > :00:25.reduce the public waiting list any time soon.
:00:26. > :00:28.Tooth decay in decline - a new approach is delivering great
:00:29. > :00:30.Holiday hotspot - Jersey's been attracting visitors
:00:31. > :00:42.And we've got a bit of a change underway in the lead up to
:00:43. > :00:48.Christmas. I will have the full details later on in the programme.
:00:49. > :00:50.People in Jersey are waiting on average 16 weeks
:00:51. > :00:56.That's compared to two in England, and six in Guernsey.
:00:57. > :00:58.The figures - released to the BBC in a Freedom
:00:59. > :01:01.of Information request - also show there's only
:01:02. > :01:06.one scanner in Jersey, despite repeated promises
:01:07. > :01:12.This is a common procedure in hospitals.
:01:13. > :01:14.MRI scanners like this are used to examine almost every
:01:15. > :01:19.They can detect a big variety of conditions
:01:20. > :01:23.Deputy Jackie Hilton is worried how long the wait
:01:24. > :01:30.At the moment, I've been told that the second scanner is not
:01:31. > :01:37.going to work alongside the original one, so when we have the new scanner
:01:38. > :01:39.we will only have one scanner in position.
:01:40. > :01:42.The old scanner will be used occasionally as backup.
:01:43. > :01:45.So that was disappointing as I don't see, without extra investment
:01:46. > :01:49.in the staff to run the scanners, I don't see how we can reduce
:01:50. > :01:53.the public waiting list any time soon.
:01:54. > :01:58.And that waiting list is currently 16 weeks long,
:01:59. > :02:04.unless you want to pay to go private.
:02:05. > :02:06.Jersey's health department has promised the new hospital
:02:07. > :02:14.will have two scanners, but that's eight years away.
:02:15. > :02:18.The director of Jersey Hospital says a replacement scanner should work.
:02:19. > :02:20.16 weeks is a longer wait than we would like.
:02:21. > :02:23.We do our best all the time to move people around,
:02:24. > :02:27.of that scanner and to try and bring those waits down.
:02:28. > :02:30.There is nothing that we can do before we get the new replacement
:02:31. > :02:32.scanner in place that gives us anymore capacity other
:02:33. > :02:34.than minimise the downtime for maintenance, but obviously that
:02:35. > :02:38.We do have the opportunity to send people off-island for specialist
:02:39. > :02:42.The replacement scanner was due to be installed
:02:43. > :02:44.by the end of the year, but that's been delayed
:02:45. > :02:48.So the message seems to be - if you're worried,
:02:49. > :02:54.and you can afford it, you might be best to pay.
:02:55. > :02:57.Meanwhile, Jersey's hospital cancelled five operations
:02:58. > :03:01.today as it's now back up to a red alert status.
:03:02. > :03:04.There are currently fewer than five beds available.
:03:05. > :03:08.The health department says higher than normal emergency admissions,
:03:09. > :03:10.winter flu and staff sickness are putting pressure
:03:11. > :03:19.The number of four to five-year-olds with tooth decay has
:03:20. > :03:21.dropped to its lowest level ever in Guernsey.
:03:22. > :03:23.Latest figures show that 14 in every 100
:03:24. > :03:34.Mike Wilkins reports on the measures taken to punish plaque.
:03:35. > :03:37.Not a sound many young people want to hear,
:03:38. > :03:40.but now fewer children are having to receive treatment
:03:41. > :03:44.In the last five years there's been a significant drop in tooth decay
:03:45. > :03:49.Five years ago, almost a fifth had evidence of dental decay.
:03:50. > :04:04.Dental nurses are better trained and the head of the children's dental
:04:05. > :04:09.service says new departments are delivering encouraging results.
:04:10. > :04:13.We're working very closely now with education. We work with the
:04:14. > :04:17.dieticians, other health professionals and we also about
:04:18. > :04:21.three years ago having won a bursary, we introduced
:04:22. > :04:23.tooth-brushing any charity based preschools.
:04:24. > :04:26.Whilst tooth decay is falling, sugary drinks and poor brushing mean
:04:27. > :04:28.that of those with bad teeth, on average at least three
:04:29. > :04:31.Guernsey's Director of Public Health says tooth decay
:04:32. > :04:41.Some of the drinks are linked to obesity, nutritionally they are
:04:42. > :04:49.useless, such as Coca-Cola and fizzy drinks. They are a particular
:04:50. > :04:52.problems with tooth decay and tooth decay associated with a lot of pain
:04:53. > :04:54.and problems potentially for children. A lot of this is also
:04:55. > :04:54.preventable. The advice is to not give children
:04:55. > :04:57.sugary drinks and for them to see their dentist every
:04:58. > :04:59.six months and to brush Jersey's Treasury Minister has
:05:00. > :05:04.been questioned over Concerns over the drop
:05:05. > :05:09.in students going to university because of the costs involved has
:05:10. > :05:12.prompted a review by They want to hear from students
:05:13. > :05:18.and parents to come up with alternative ways on how
:05:19. > :05:20.the island can help with student financing,
:05:21. > :05:23.as they say today's meeting highlights the lack of work done
:05:24. > :05:35.by the ministers involved. The work in between the two
:05:36. > :05:41.departments education and Treasury was of concern and that is not that
:05:42. > :05:44.options that could have been considered from a Treasury
:05:45. > :05:46.perspective looking out for university students really hadn't
:05:47. > :05:50.been done and therefore at the panel will continue to gather evidence. We
:05:51. > :05:54.want to hear from the public and hear their views on how they feel
:05:55. > :05:55.student financing should happen on the island.
:05:56. > :05:57.Jersey was a holiday hotspot for Neanderthals -
:05:58. > :05:58.that's according to new findings by archaeologists.
:05:59. > :06:01.Research led by the University of Southampton has unveiled that
:06:02. > :06:07.a cave along the island's south coast was a must-see tourist
:06:08. > :06:11.destination from at least 180,000 years ago.
:06:12. > :06:14.Well, to find out what attracted our ancestors to our shores,
:06:15. > :06:17.I spoke to Dr Andrew Shaw from the University
:06:18. > :06:27.Although the world around the Neanderthals and around Jersey was
:06:28. > :06:32.changing dramatically over the time they were occupying the site, you
:06:33. > :06:35.have the consistency of a place which offered protection and shelter
:06:36. > :06:39.and views over a wide landscape in the area which is now drowned by the
:06:40. > :06:44.sea. What would Jersey have looked like then to those people who were
:06:45. > :06:51.visiting? It would have changed over time. It would have been a wooded
:06:52. > :06:56.landscape, a landscape over to words perceived is now. It would've been a
:06:57. > :07:00.rolling grassland, called climate, very few trees with woolly mammoth
:07:01. > :07:04.and woolly rhino roaming the landscape. How do we know this
:07:05. > :07:08.wasn't a permanent base instead of the home instead of going away and
:07:09. > :07:11.coming back again? We can see how people were using both the site
:07:12. > :07:15.itself and its wider landscape. From that we can see people were only
:07:16. > :07:19.there for a short period of time but where repeatedly visiting the site,
:07:20. > :07:22.going and coming to the site, it being there for a short period and
:07:23. > :07:28.going away again and then coming back again. Back to the tools, what
:07:29. > :07:31.was about them that you knew they weren't per minute there? Frequently
:07:32. > :07:35.they were making their stone tools out of Flint and Flint isn't
:07:36. > :07:39.available in Jersey itself. It comes from sources now under the seat,
:07:40. > :07:43.halfway towards Guernsey, we can see people were visiting those locations
:07:44. > :07:45.to get the Flint, carrying Bertelsmann and working them at the
:07:46. > :07:48.site and then moving away again to get more raw materials to roam
:07:49. > :07:50.around that landscape. He invented the envelope
:07:51. > :07:52.folding machine, printed the first perforated stamps,
:07:53. > :07:55.and was instrumental in the mass manufacture
:07:56. > :07:58.of the modern deck of cards. Now Guernseyman, Thomas de la
:07:59. > :08:01.Rue has been honoured with a blue plaque,
:08:02. > :08:04.marking his place of birth. His name is set in stone
:08:05. > :08:10.in the heart of St Peter Port, but how many islanders really know
:08:11. > :08:27.who Thomas de la Rue was? Thomas de la Rue behind you, do you
:08:28. > :08:33.know who he was? No idea. I've no idea who years, no. Was he in Big
:08:34. > :08:40.Brother? No clue. I have no idea who he was. I think he invented printed
:08:41. > :08:45.banknotes. He was a printer. He was a printer. Do you know any more?
:08:46. > :08:46.Gray you've got a pub. I don't how much he uses it.
:08:47. > :08:51.A blue plague in Forest Shores marking where the house
:08:52. > :08:54.We're putting up, more or less, one a year.
:08:55. > :08:57.Individually, they serve as reminders of that particular
:08:58. > :08:59.person, but collectively now, we're getting a nice
:09:00. > :09:03.story about the famous Guernsey people of the past.
:09:04. > :09:13.Thomas de la Rue left Guernsey in 1816, but his legacy continues.
:09:14. > :09:15.We still believe in innovation and entrepreneurialism
:09:16. > :09:20.We're the world's largest printer of commercial bank notes.
:09:21. > :09:22.We're the world's largest commercial printer of passports.
:09:23. > :09:24.And just recently we celebrated 200 years of formation.
:09:25. > :09:27.The name Thomas de la Rue may have been more associated
:09:28. > :09:29.with this pub than printing, but it's hoped this blue plaque
:09:30. > :09:41.will remind people just how much this visionary Guernseyman achieved.
:09:42. > :09:43.Well, there's been three days of disruption for travellers
:09:44. > :09:46.with a thick blanket of fog covering the islands.
:09:47. > :09:50.Bee, I hope you have good news for those who are hoping to head off
:09:51. > :10:03.I do. I think we can see that low cloud and mist clearing. It would be
:10:04. > :10:08.plain sailing. We will see the wind is picking up. Many of us have seen
:10:09. > :10:12.scenes like this today. It feels like forever since some of us have
:10:13. > :10:16.seen some sunshine. As we go through the week, there will be some change.
:10:17. > :10:20.The winds will start to pick up and we will see some rain at times.
:10:21. > :10:28.Hopefully that stubborn mist and fog should start to clear. For tomorrow,
:10:29. > :10:31.through daylight hours, it should be dry and we've got this weather front
:10:32. > :10:33.out to the west. That will bring a spell of rain overnight and into
:10:34. > :10:37.Wednesday. Wednesday looks like a wet day. You can expect a lot of
:10:38. > :10:43.cloud, outbreaks of rain, some of which could be quite heavy. For
:10:44. > :10:47.Thursday, largely dry day, with some sunshine. We've had a lot of cloud
:10:48. > :10:51.today. Some rain are starting to patients over the last few hours, it
:10:52. > :10:55.will turn rather damp overnight tonight, it's a mist and low cloud
:10:56. > :11:01.persisting. Yet again another grey murky night. In terms other
:11:02. > :11:06.temperatures, nothing too worrying. Frost free anywhere between four and
:11:07. > :11:09.8 degrees. More hopeful of seeing sunshine tomorrow compared with
:11:10. > :11:14.today, some of that mist and low cloud should start to break up. It
:11:15. > :11:17.will be largely dry to the day, some sunshine breaking through into the
:11:18. > :11:20.afternoon and then during the early evening we get those winds picking
:11:21. > :11:29.up with that weather front starting to push on. Here are your times of
:11:30. > :11:34.high water. In terms other surfing, we've got fairly clean conditions, a
:11:35. > :11:39.bit more of a weighed down towards Jersey compared with further north.
:11:40. > :11:43.The winds will be a southerly, four or five. We will have those stubborn
:11:44. > :11:48.mist and fog patches but they will start to lift as we go through the
:11:49. > :11:52.day. If it be changed on the way as we head towards Christmas. Tomorrow,
:11:53. > :11:56.the last of the really foggy and misty days. Some of that will start
:11:57. > :11:59.to lift and break-up as we head to the afternoon. A wet and windy day
:12:00. > :12:03.on Wednesday. More sunshine as we head towards the end of the week but
:12:04. > :12:09.the winds will start to pick up. No of anything wintry though.
:12:10. > :12:17.You're up to date with the news from the Channel islands.
:12:18. > :12:21.It's all aboard the polar express. Victoria is live somewhere very
:12:22. > :12:26.extraordinary. and we can join her now from a very
:12:27. > :12:43.appropriate location. It is very chilly but then it would
:12:44. > :12:50.be in the North Pole, in the heart of Devon. Tonight we are going to
:12:51. > :12:56.give you a real Polar Express experience, I am even armed with my
:12:57. > :13:00.hot chocolate. On Friday I asked you if you have ever seen the film.
:13:01. > :13:06.Don't worry if you have not because tonight we will give you a real
:13:07. > :13:11.experience of the Polar Express and at the same time, launching our very
:13:12. > :13:16.own Spotlight express which will be a week-long series of Christmas
:13:17. > :13:20.trains and stories driving you on a journey throughout the region,
:13:21. > :13:26.hearing from different people about various Christmas traditions. I hope
:13:27. > :13:32.he will stay with us as the excitement builds because they are
:13:33. > :13:36.only six more sleeps before Christmas. I have seen with my own
:13:37. > :13:42.eyes Father Christmas and the elves who have been busy shipping
:13:43. > :13:48.Christmas presents across the world. Do stay with us for the Polar
:13:49. > :13:52.Express which is packed with very excited children and their parents
:13:53. > :13:57.and another person who managed to get a ticket was our very own Andrea
:13:58. > :14:02.who went on a journey that no one will ever forget.
:14:03. > :14:26.It's an action-packed journey, all the way to the North Pole.
:14:27. > :14:29.And it's not just the children having fun.
:14:30. > :14:39.A change of pace to drink that hot chocolate and eat their cookies
:14:40. > :14:42.and while they do it, the story of the Polar
:14:43. > :14:59.We've arrived and the elves and Santa take a break
:15:00. > :15:20.I've got some special elves that deal with that.
:15:21. > :15:28.Santa says hello and the children, well, just look at their faces.
:15:29. > :15:32.# Jingle bells, jingle bells # Jingle all the way.
:15:33. > :15:35.On the way back from the North Pole, there's loads more fun.
:15:36. > :15:44.# Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.
:15:45. > :15:50.# Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.
:15:51. > :15:57.# Oh what fun it is to ride on a one-horse open sleigh.
:15:58. > :16:01.Father Christmas was here to visit and he gave us a bell.
:16:02. > :16:05.I think he's the real Father Christmas.
:16:06. > :16:10.Just to see Father Christmas, to ask for what they want for Christmas,
:16:11. > :16:14.We have a nice collection of them on the tree now.
:16:15. > :16:18.Felt a bit silly in the car on the way up in our pyjamas,
:16:19. > :16:25.It was lovely to see you singing and dancing,
:16:26. > :16:38.The team are so energetic and so friendly and welcoming.
:16:39. > :16:41.It's a real party mood on the train, it's lovely.
:16:42. > :16:48.# We wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
:16:49. > :16:50.By the time the Polar Express arrives at its final
:16:51. > :16:53.destination in Okehampton, there is no-one on board
:16:54. > :17:19.Never mind the children, I am equally as excited as we wave off
:17:20. > :17:25.the Polar Express. We have managed to keep hold of some of the
:17:26. > :17:33.characters. You are from Exeter. Is this the first year you have done
:17:34. > :17:41.it? Yes. What is it like being on board the Polar Express? Really fun.
:17:42. > :17:50.How many times have you seen the film? About a million. Two of the
:17:51. > :17:57.shafts. Is this the first year you have done it? This is the fourth
:17:58. > :18:04.year. It is a great way to see the season in. Everyone enjoying the hot
:18:05. > :18:11.chocolate? One of my favourite scenes in the film. We try to do the
:18:12. > :18:21.backflips but we just jumped on the chairs. It does seem really good
:18:22. > :18:26.fun. Is there a baddie in this film? I own this train, I am the king of
:18:27. > :18:36.the Polar Express, the king of the North Pole! I have never seen Father
:18:37. > :18:49.Christmas. Seeing is believing. The conductor here in charge of the
:18:50. > :18:58.train. We have a schedule to keep. What does that say? Are there any
:18:59. > :19:04.nonbelievers on the train? If there are, they get thrown off. It is on
:19:05. > :19:12.time. We have a schedule to keep here. Thank you so much. We don't
:19:13. > :19:16.have to be here to get into the Christmas spirit. Making your own
:19:17. > :19:20.cards and singing carols can fill you with festive fun and a group of
:19:21. > :19:26.children in Plymouth have been doing just that.
:19:27. > :19:33.Christmas can sometimes be a very lonely time for the old today. These
:19:34. > :19:48.children are on a special mission to bring joy.
:19:49. > :20:05.It was wonderful. Their little voices and the expressions on their
:20:06. > :20:12.faces. They were lovely. I think they enjoyed it as much as I did. It
:20:13. > :20:16.is good making people happy at Christmas that don't usually have
:20:17. > :20:20.Christmas together with their family. The children handed out
:20:21. > :20:32.their home-made Christmas cards to everyone. Thank you very much. I
:20:33. > :20:42.drew one with two snowman on. I could cry so easily. They are
:20:43. > :20:47.perfect. The way they have drawn, not silly things I have seen before
:20:48. > :20:55.and like I draw myself. Mission accomplished, Joy delivered. Have
:20:56. > :21:03.you done all of your Christmas shopping yet? Song feel it is
:21:04. > :21:08.getting all to commercial these days. What happened to soap on a
:21:09. > :21:12.rope and that simple pair of pants that you used to get from your
:21:13. > :21:18.grandma? John has been looking back through the archives and finding out
:21:19. > :21:20.about Christmas presents. People's aspirations used to be a little more
:21:21. > :21:30.colourful. They never had it so good in the
:21:31. > :21:41.1950s. As the 60s swung in, people wanted more. I want a jaguar. A
:21:42. > :21:44.Mercedes-Benz. These days people expect to be bowled over at
:21:45. > :21:56.Christmas and are prepared to splash out. About a ground probably. I have
:21:57. > :22:01.three children. Back in the day, folks went wild. How much money do
:22:02. > :22:12.you reckon to spend at Christmas time? ?10. To be fair, ?10 is worth
:22:13. > :22:19.over 150 quid in today's money says it is easy to see how the Christmas
:22:20. > :22:25.budget can balloon. Things that they want, they cost hundreds of pounds
:22:26. > :22:35.and when you put in a few board games, nice things, you are there.
:22:36. > :22:41.Time to reset those Christmas values, something they hankered for
:22:42. > :22:46.52 years ago. I suppose that in England today, it is an opportunity
:22:47. > :22:56.when the world is at its dimmest of making whoopee. The real meaning of
:22:57. > :23:00.Christmas has been forgotten about. Sometimes the story of the Nativity
:23:01. > :23:03.has been lost as well. Many would say amen to that and perhaps we
:23:04. > :23:13.should all be thankful for what we have got. What would you like? Good
:23:14. > :23:18.health? Nothing else? Christmas presents, Polar Express, we have
:23:19. > :23:22.singers here as well. And beware that this evening has been really,
:23:23. > :23:27.really chilly. It feels like the North Pole here.
:23:28. > :23:46.Well, you are at the North Pole. I am much further south. We seem to
:23:47. > :23:51.have lost David. He is a little bit further south at Okehampton station
:23:52. > :23:57.where the Polar Express set off earlier on. It comes along the rails
:23:58. > :24:03.through the light and ends up here at the North Pole and the children
:24:04. > :24:08.are treated to a Christmas extravaganza. We will hear more of
:24:09. > :24:13.the carol singers, but, Justin, you would love it here. It looks very
:24:14. > :24:21.festive. Let's see the weather is going to be like. It looks like we
:24:22. > :24:27.have a change on the way as we had through this week. It will be rather
:24:28. > :24:33.cloudy with a lot of mist and fog but we will see some rain starting
:24:34. > :24:39.to push in. The satellite picture shows we have a lot of cloud across
:24:40. > :24:44.the south-west, some might rain and that cloud. The temperature is
:24:45. > :24:49.getting to know tonight. We have various weather fronts out towards
:24:50. > :24:56.the West. By tomorrow, we have one to watch out for. It. The cry, some
:24:57. > :25:02.of the card will lift and then rain is spreading in in the afternoon.
:25:03. > :25:09.The winds will pick up as well and was the end of the week, things do
:25:10. > :25:16.start to settle down. We have a lot of cloud out there, most and we have
:25:17. > :25:22.had some rain but the bulk of it is clearing towards the east. It will
:25:23. > :25:28.be done overnight, a lot of mist and low cloud. With that cloud it does
:25:29. > :25:32.mean temperatures are not too low. It should be frost free,
:25:33. > :25:37.temperatures of three or 4 degrees. A grey, damp start tomorrow. One or
:25:38. > :25:43.two places further east will see some spells of sunshine. Many of us
:25:44. > :25:49.keeping that fairly solid layer of cloud. Not as mild as today, highs
:25:50. > :25:55.of around eight or 9 degrees. For the Isles of Scilly we will see a
:25:56. > :26:02.lot of cloud, some early drizzle and it will stay rather misty. Here are
:26:03. > :26:06.your times of high water. In terms of our certain conditions, fairly
:26:07. > :26:11.clean conditions. Here we will see five or six foot along the north
:26:12. > :26:16.coast. The winds will become suddenly through the day. Some
:26:17. > :26:22.drizzle at times and the visibility of all the good occasionally poor.
:26:23. > :26:28.It does look like we will see a change through the week. Tomorrow we
:26:29. > :26:33.will keep that low cloud but it. To shift as we had through the day.
:26:34. > :26:38.Wednesday will look unsettled with strong winds and rain at times.
:26:39. > :26:43.Thursday largely dry with some sunshine. Friday the winds picked up
:26:44. > :26:50.with some rain spreading in. Rather blustery as we head towards
:26:51. > :26:57.Christmas. Jim, a local folk singer is here this evening with the North
:26:58. > :27:04.Dartmoor quire. But from us here at the Polar Express, we all believe,
:27:05. > :27:49.the team here at Spotlight. Thank you for joining us. Enjoy the music.
:27:50. > :27:52.Ben dropping a frozen turkey on Mum's foot.
:27:53. > :27:54.Put me down! No, we talked about this.
:27:55. > :27:56.Taser him! That is a video game, isn't it?
:27:57. > :28:02.I'm going to need at least another 15 years to recover from children.
:28:03. > :28:26.This is all nonsense - it's highly entertaining, nonetheless it's...
:28:27. > :28:29.I'm starting this new job, I'm taking over a really tough school.
:28:30. > :28:32.Where is it? You're not going down south...?
:28:33. > :28:35.Huddersfield? I know. That's like the dark side of the moon.
:28:36. > :28:45.You do know that this house is haunted?
:28:46. > :28:49.This is all nonsense - it's highly entertaining, nonetheless it's...