:00:02. > :00:07.This is East Midlands Today with Dominic Heale and me, Kylie
:00:07. > :00:14.Pentelow. Our top story tonight: just in time - a bone marrow match
:00:14. > :00:18.for Rik Basra. After months of hunting for a donor,
:00:18. > :00:22.the Leicestershire policemen will have a life-saving operation within
:00:22. > :00:27.days. Also, the soldiers are spending
:00:27. > :00:35.Christmas on patrol while their families worry back home. I will be
:00:35. > :00:41.absent. But it is something that I have got to cope with the the day.
:00:41. > :00:46.Plus, or what will the new year bring? All didn't want his work.
:00:46. > :00:50.the job counts. And I will be finding out why all
:00:50. > :01:00.these people are counting down the days till Christmas in a very
:01:00. > :01:01.
:01:02. > :01:05.Good evening and welcome to Thursday's programme. First tonight,
:01:05. > :01:08.it's the lifeline he's been praying for.
:01:08. > :01:13.A last-minute bone marrow match has been found for a Leicestershire
:01:13. > :01:17.police officer who needs a transplant to save his life.
:01:17. > :01:21.Rik Basra could have only days left to live. Tonight his family say
:01:21. > :01:30.finding a match now is the miracle they've been waiting for. Angelina
:01:30. > :01:35.Socci reports. Rik Basra was diagnosed with acute
:01:35. > :01:38.myeloid leukaemia in 2009. He went into remission, but in September,
:01:38. > :01:42.had returned. The Leicestershire police officer was told that his
:01:42. > :01:47.only chance of surviving was to have a bone marrow transplant.
:01:47. > :01:53.the moment that you find out, you realise that you need to find a
:01:53. > :01:58.match to win you find that it is not go to be that easy, despair,
:01:58. > :02:03.frustration, sometimes even anger. And I think more so because there
:02:03. > :02:07.is a process involved for somebody to be a donor, and it is steeped so
:02:07. > :02:12.simple. So it is hard to understand or someone you love could die
:02:12. > :02:16.because p But don't know about this. Desperate to find a suitable match
:02:16. > :02:21.committed up a donor session to encourage people to come forward.
:02:21. > :02:26.And after an appeal, hundred registered. Today, the news they
:02:26. > :02:33.had been waiting for. A match they had been found. It is not going to
:02:33. > :02:37.be easy. But we will remain positive and take each day as it
:02:37. > :02:41.comes and we have now got this opportunity which we will grasp
:02:41. > :02:47.with both hands, and make sure he gets through it successfully. This
:02:47. > :02:51.really is our Christmas miracle. My daughter has summed it up. Best
:02:51. > :02:53.Christmas present we have ever had. Well Angelina Socci is at the
:02:53. > :03:00.Leicester Royal Infirmary tonight, where the transplant will take
:03:00. > :03:04.place. Christmas really has come early for this family. Rik Basra
:03:04. > :03:08.has been here at the Leicester Royal Infirmary for the last week,
:03:08. > :03:14.and is now in the transplant unit. The procedure is expected to take
:03:14. > :03:17.place within 48 hours. Do we know anything about the Dover? The dough
:03:17. > :03:23.and I didn't come from the session held at Leicester a couple of weeks
:03:23. > :03:30.ago, but has come from an Asian male in Germany. -- they don't off.
:03:30. > :03:36.Earlier, the Anthony Nolan Trust praised the efforts of the family.
:03:36. > :03:42.Hopefully, the success of this campaign will mean that we can take
:03:42. > :03:48.that to other areas within the UK, and really develop relationships
:03:48. > :03:51.and build awareness within, particularly Asian communities, to
:03:51. > :03:57.build the numbers on the register, so more people like Rik Basra can
:03:57. > :04:01.get that fabulous news. For Rik Basra and his family, this is a
:04:01. > :04:05.dream come true, but they realise that this is just the start of a
:04:05. > :04:07.long journey ahead. Thank you. You're watching East Midlands Today.
:04:07. > :04:12.Later in the programme - Christmases past versus Christmases
:04:12. > :04:14.present? Your fond memories of festivities in the '40s and '50s.
:04:14. > :04:24.And Sally's got the weather, including the latest Christmas snow
:04:24. > :04:24.
:04:24. > :04:30.updates. # The weather outside his frightful
:04:30. > :04:40.to Mark Roe. # With only three sleeps to go, it
:04:40. > :04:42.
:04:42. > :04:46.Hundreds of soldiers from the East Midlands are spending their first
:04:47. > :04:49.Christmas on the front line in Afghanistan. They're with the
:04:49. > :04:53.Mercian Regiment's second battalion - defending one of the most
:04:53. > :04:56.dangerous parts of Helmand Province. It's a worrying time for their
:04:56. > :05:01.families back home. But one mother's helping to inject a sense
:05:01. > :05:11.of Yuletide normality - she's sent a Christmas tree to Afghanistan.
:05:11. > :05:11.
:05:11. > :05:19.Our Social Affairs Correspondent Jeremy Ball has the details.
:05:19. > :05:23.Hay, mum and dad... A letter that means so much. It is going to be a
:05:23. > :05:30.tough Christmas for the Hadleighs here in Derby, because the eldest
:05:30. > :05:36.son is serving in Afghanistan. sit in a parcel with a Christmas
:05:36. > :05:40.tree, some decorations, he has received it. I will be upset, but
:05:40. > :05:43.it is something I've got to cope with for the day. Danny is at this
:05:43. > :05:47.remote outpost in Helmand province, where they are getting into the
:05:47. > :05:52.festive spirit, but the work will not stop on Christmas Day, because
:05:52. > :05:57.the Taliban could take advantage if they stayed inside their base.
:05:57. > :06:02.are on patrol in the ground, they are constantly watching us, and
:06:02. > :06:07.they pick the right moment and the right time to have a pot shot at us.
:06:07. > :06:13.But we have a watch team on the roof. It makes you realise how
:06:13. > :06:18.close they are to it. Danny's brother knows what he's up against,
:06:18. > :06:22.because he served in Afghanistan last year. I worry more, because he
:06:22. > :06:26.is my little brother, I have always been looking out for him. You think
:06:26. > :06:31.about what he's going through, his next step, Andy were panicking all
:06:31. > :06:37.the time. It is step -- scary to know how close he is do everything
:06:37. > :06:41.that is going off. And how dangerous it is out there. I didn't
:06:41. > :06:46.realise that he was right in the centre of it. I am really proud of
:06:46. > :06:50.him. He is brave, strong and he would do his job well. They are
:06:50. > :06:54.counting down the days until Danny comes home on leave, but Christmas
:06:54. > :06:59.won't be the same this year. Jeremy Ball has joined us in the
:06:59. > :07:05.studio. He is one of hundreds of soldiers in Helmand. What are they
:07:05. > :07:10.actually doing? A lot of them are projecting a new bomb-proof road.
:07:10. > :07:17.This road goes right through hostile territory, and connects up
:07:17. > :07:22.to �9, roughly as far apart as Nottingham and Leicester. --
:07:22. > :07:25.connect up to main pounds. This is helping of the Afghan government
:07:25. > :07:32.keeps things open for business, which is why the soldiers are such
:07:32. > :07:35.a target. How much action I actually seen? It has been pretty
:07:35. > :07:39.tough in the first stage of the tour, they were exchanging fire on
:07:39. > :07:45.pretty much a daily basis. Two months on, there is more of a
:07:45. > :07:49.threat from improvised bonds. 80 of them have been seriously wounded
:07:49. > :07:52.and had to be flown home, and one of them, Matthew Haseldin, was
:07:52. > :07:55.tragically killed last month. you.
:07:55. > :08:00.Jobs are under threat at the Castle Donington-based airline BMI. The
:08:00. > :08:03.owners of British Airways plan to buy BMI for more than �170 million.
:08:03. > :08:10.The company IAG is warning jobs will be lost, if the deal to buy
:08:10. > :08:13.BMI from current owners Lufthansa goes through.
:08:13. > :08:17.The partner of a missing man from Grantham is pleading for him to
:08:17. > :08:21.come home for Christmas. 46-year- old Stuart Taylor was last seen on
:08:21. > :08:25.the 13th December in Market Harborough in Leicestershire. He
:08:25. > :08:29.was reported missing a short time later. His family and the police
:08:29. > :08:33.are getting more concerned for his safety.
:08:33. > :08:36.People can now apply for the first new jobs to be created by the
:08:36. > :08:40.planned extension of the Nottingham tram network. Two lines are to be
:08:40. > :08:43.built next year, extending the tram to Clifton and Chilwell. Nottingham
:08:43. > :08:49.City Council says 70 people will be recruited for a range of jobs
:08:49. > :08:52.including receptionists, researchers and engineers.
:08:52. > :08:57.It's very nearly the end of the year and one story has dominated
:08:57. > :09:02.our headlines. And everyone else's. Yes, the economy. Over the last
:09:02. > :09:05.year we've followed the region's cuts, crunches and crises.
:09:05. > :09:12.Mike O'Sullivan's been looking at how the East Midlands economy fared
:09:12. > :09:16.in 2011. And what might be in store for 2012.
:09:16. > :09:21.Need a man from Leicester who says he is not fussy about the job he
:09:21. > :09:27.does. Dylan has been unemployed since Jean. Around the time things
:09:28. > :09:33.began to slide in our economy. can take a factory job, security
:09:33. > :09:38.job, which is why I have just completed a job in that. In -- any
:09:38. > :09:43.job that comes I am willing to take that. I am not saying I have to get
:09:43. > :09:46.a job in an office. It is a mixed picture in the jobs market. Will
:09:46. > :09:51.the number of people claiming jobseeker's Allowance has gone up
:09:51. > :09:55.in our region by 12% in a year, figures show there are more private
:09:55. > :10:01.sector jobs around. The public sector has shrunk to help cut the
:10:01. > :10:06.national deficit. 16,000 jobs gone in a year. But the private sector
:10:06. > :10:11.is creating jobs, up by 42,000 in a year, although it is not clear how
:10:11. > :10:15.many of those are part-time. So how has the economy of the East
:10:15. > :10:20.Midlands shaped up over the last year? This chart shows some
:10:20. > :10:24.indicators. The East Midlands climbed after the recession in 2010
:10:24. > :10:32.and seemed to be doing OK for the first six months are up 2011, but
:10:32. > :10:37.the pace of things has slowed down. This is what comes out, showing a
:10:37. > :10:42.downward trend at the end of the year. This firm in Nottingham share
:10:42. > :10:48.is rising the export waver. Supplying a low carbon injured
:10:48. > :10:54.penology to Sweden and the USA. Part of the trend in which experts
:10:54. > :11:03.-- exports are. The company now wants to start training -- trading
:11:03. > :11:06.with Brazil. Fearon legislative barriers, they are the right
:11:06. > :11:14.partners, it is cutting edge into different languages, long distances
:11:14. > :11:18.to travel. And there are surprising stories in the domestic market. At
:11:18. > :11:24.this engineering firm in Ilkeston, it is claimed at the lack of
:11:24. > :11:27.conference to attend work abroad means more orders for work at home.
:11:27. > :11:31.People haven't got confidence to take their money somewhere else
:11:31. > :11:36.abroad, so people have brought the business back into England, so they
:11:36. > :11:39.can see where the parts are being made. This business leader told me
:11:39. > :11:45.she is keen to focus on the positives, but said the euro-zone
:11:45. > :11:50.debt crisis is a dark cloud looming ahead. Business confidence is
:11:50. > :11:54.fairly weak, but as we move into 2012, we hope to see some changes
:11:55. > :12:03.in this. I think we also need to focus on the positives. A but Dylan
:12:03. > :12:07.is taking things one day at a time. I really want to work, and on a
:12:07. > :12:13.daily basis I look for job. region has climbed out of economic
:12:13. > :12:16.slowdowns before. Now it is going to have to do it again.
:12:16. > :12:21.The car maker Toyota, which has a plant in Derbyshire, is predicting
:12:21. > :12:24.a 20 per cent increase in global sales next year. The company
:12:24. > :12:30.produces cars at its base in Burnaston. It's forecasting sales
:12:30. > :12:37.of almost 8.5 million vehicles in 2012. Toyota hopes to recover from
:12:37. > :12:39.losses caused by natural disasters in Japan and Thailand.
:12:39. > :12:43.A coach driver from Nottinghamshire has been charged with drink driving
:12:43. > :12:46.after a crash damaged eight cars earlier this year. Paul Shields,
:12:46. > :12:51.who's 47 and from Mansfield, is accused of causing the collision at
:12:51. > :13:01.Worthing in West Sussex in June. He's due before magistrates next
:13:01. > :13:02.
:13:02. > :13:06.They �6 million refurbishment of East Midlands trains was completed
:13:06. > :13:11.today, 11 weeks ahead of schedule. The Meridian fleet has been given
:13:11. > :13:15.up -- and updated look, including new seats, carpets and a larger
:13:15. > :13:18.luggage space. Talking about travel and such
:13:18. > :13:23.things, the Christmas tempo is quickening and if you are not yet
:13:23. > :13:26.organised, time is running out. You could just forget about the
:13:26. > :13:29.whole thing, get on a plane and fly off.
:13:29. > :13:37.Despite the financial squeeze, passenger numbers are up at East
:13:37. > :13:40.Midlands Airport this Christmas. You could say that this flies in
:13:40. > :13:44.the face of the grim economic times. Despite everything else pointing
:13:44. > :13:50.down, passenger numbers at East Midlands airport are up at this
:13:50. > :13:55.time last year. This is her 4th Christmas abroad. We just love it,
:13:55. > :14:03.sitting in the sun on Christmas Day. You cannot be it. How can you
:14:03. > :14:08.afford it? Have a word with my husband. You can either sit back
:14:08. > :14:13.and think about all of the difficulties or and you can just
:14:13. > :14:19.enjoy yourself. Top vested destinations this year
:14:19. > :14:22.include Tenerife, Alicante, Dublin and Belfast. Today is is seen as
:14:22. > :14:26.the start of the Christmas getaway, with more than 8,000 passengers
:14:26. > :14:32.travelling through the airport. Between now and the beginning of
:14:32. > :14:34.January, the 80,000 people are expected to be on the move, with
:14:34. > :14:42.January second set to be the busiest day with around 10,000
:14:42. > :14:47.passengers travelling through here. We are around 2.5% up on last year.
:14:47. > :14:51.People are really determined to get away this year. It has been a grim
:14:51. > :14:55.here economy wise. Even on Christmas Day itself,
:14:55. > :14:58.flights will be coming in and out from the likes of Malaga and
:14:58. > :15:06.Barbados. The odds are that we will not be getting a white Christmas,
:15:06. > :15:11.where these travellers are heading to, there will not be snow.
:15:11. > :15:14.They are getting away from it all, but we can have just as much
:15:14. > :15:18.Christmas fun at home. This next but can, anyway.
:15:18. > :15:22.They are a group of neighbours who decided to make an advent calendar,
:15:22. > :15:30.but they went one better than the traditional version and the what
:15:30. > :15:35.beggar. These houses in six streets. It has become a daily delight this
:15:35. > :15:42.month for people living in this area of Derby. Going to see what it
:15:42. > :15:47.chant and will be revealed this morning. Which one do you like?
:15:47. > :15:52.Residence in the six streets airier have gone together to make their
:15:52. > :15:56.homes into a giant advent calendar. One or sometimes two houses Peddy
:15:56. > :16:00.unveiling their displays in their windows. There has been a buzz
:16:00. > :16:04.about it. The local nursery have walked the children up to look at
:16:04. > :16:14.the windows in the morning. It has been great fun to see how different
:16:14. > :16:18.
:16:18. > :16:24.they all are. Me and my sister made an angel. I like the sparkly dress.
:16:24. > :16:28.I wanted something to sort of attach Santa to the house. I have
:16:28. > :16:32.gone for something quite glitzy and well let. Summing to let him know
:16:32. > :16:36.that we are here and that he does not forget the family. There is a
:16:36. > :16:42.lot of Christmas spirit in the area. It is a bit of fun and to make
:16:42. > :16:47.people laugh. We have a Penguin a winter Wonderland. We made it all
:16:47. > :16:51.ourselves with recyclable materials. Everybody met when we were giving
:16:51. > :16:54.out the numbers to decide who was getting which stays, and we had a
:16:54. > :16:58.glass of wine while we did that. People have been very secretive
:16:58. > :17:04.about what they were doing and not telling other people, it has worked
:17:04. > :17:08.very well. Injury advent tradition, there are only two more windows to
:17:08. > :17:18.reveal, what will they bring? On Christmas Day, the teddy bears will
:17:18. > :17:22.wake up and open their presents. We love that idea. I want to do
:17:22. > :17:31.that in my street next year. It is one of those weird ideas that
:17:32. > :17:36.actually works. Time for the sport. They say good things come in small
:17:36. > :17:39.packages, and cricketer James Taylor is a case in point.
:17:39. > :17:43.Nottinghamshire officially welcomes the diminutive batsman to Trent
:17:43. > :17:49.Bridge today after his move across the border from Leicestershire. He
:17:49. > :17:59.has been tipped as a fancied favourite for next season.
:17:59. > :18:01.
:18:01. > :18:05.James Taylor was loved by the Leicestershire fans, but like his
:18:05. > :18:09.predecessor, he has left to join Nottinghamshire in pursuit of
:18:09. > :18:12.international cricket. It is a great opportunity for me to face
:18:12. > :18:17.the best bowlers in the country and the First Division, and show
:18:17. > :18:21.selectors what I can do at the top level. He was born in Nottingham,
:18:21. > :18:25.but played for Leicestershire when he was still doing A-levels. He
:18:25. > :18:32.became the youngest player to score 1,000 runs for the county in one
:18:32. > :18:36.season. He currently plays in one rung below Test cricket. I'd just
:18:36. > :18:39.got off a plane a couple of days of war from India, and straight back
:18:39. > :18:44.to Bangladesh, a quick stop for Christmas in England and straight
:18:44. > :18:50.back out there. James is a terrific signing and a wonderful batsman. He
:18:50. > :18:58.will be a great addition to a squat. His father was a jockey, and at
:18:58. > :19:02.five feet 5, James is one of the smallest players in cricket.
:19:02. > :19:07.suppose I have a lot of scampering allow up -- around the wicket. A
:19:07. > :19:12.lot of unusual shots to expect. When I am required to, I could hit
:19:12. > :19:16.the ball out of the park. Want to football, and Derby
:19:16. > :19:21.County's Chris Riggott is leaving the club by mutual consent. He
:19:21. > :19:24.rejoins the Brahms after a long lay-off through injury, but has not
:19:24. > :19:27.played for the first team so far and has decided to move on.
:19:27. > :19:31.It is the time of year when you look back over the past 12 months
:19:31. > :19:36.and see what you would like to do differently. As ever in sport,
:19:36. > :19:41.there have been plenty of highs and lows. Here are our review of how
:19:41. > :19:45.our football clubs have fared. -- here is a review.
:19:45. > :19:50.No doubt where the most turmoil has been, Nottingham Forest fight their
:19:50. > :19:55.way into the top six, but lost the play-off semi-final. Then they lost
:19:55. > :19:59.their manager, too. Billy Davies finally lost his job after months
:19:59. > :20:08.of conflict with the club's board. His replacement had a shocking
:20:08. > :20:13.thing, looking like a fish out of water. He lasted 112 days. So did
:20:13. > :20:19.Steve Coppell, his arrival paid instant dividend. Right now he has
:20:19. > :20:24.a side which plays well but cannot score.
:20:24. > :20:28.Derby County, by comparison, I'd be very model of stability. So much so
:20:28. > :20:32.that this season is in mirroring the last. A brilliant beginning of
:20:32. > :20:36.followed by a slide. They kept their head above the relegation
:20:37. > :20:41.places earlier this year, they kept their manager and brought in a new
:20:41. > :20:46.signings in the summer. The result was the best start to a season in
:20:46. > :20:52.over a century. Followed by a terrible run of defeats. All they
:20:52. > :20:57.want for Christmas is an end to injury.
:20:57. > :21:03.It is never dull at Leicester City, with a target of the top two, the
:21:03. > :21:09.club's Forest Hunt on the money tap. And who it flowed. Signing after
:21:09. > :21:17.signing arrived. The results have a resolutely failed to match the
:21:17. > :21:25.ambition. With its not quite clicking, SenEricsson is on his way.
:21:26. > :21:29.What happens text here if promotion does not?
:21:29. > :21:33.As for Notts County, they are still enjoying the fruits of last year's
:21:33. > :21:38.rescue mission from the man who sounds like a warrior, Mad Dog and
:21:38. > :21:42.Martin Allen. Sting against the odds was one thing, carrying County
:21:43. > :21:46.into the League 1 top six was quite another. Staying in touch with the
:21:46. > :21:50.promotion race is tough, but a whole calendar year in the division
:21:50. > :21:57.is perhaps more than we might have expected.
:21:57. > :22:01.Next for our clubs, who knows? Every year, every club has a story.
:22:01. > :22:05.Yes indeed, and finally big night tonight, it is the BBC Sports
:22:05. > :22:09.personality of the Year award. Leicester cyclists Lucy Garner has
:22:09. > :22:13.made it to the final three for the Junior Sports personality after she
:22:13. > :22:19.became junior road race champion of this summer. Derby's Steve Pate and
:22:19. > :22:23.will be at the award show, too. He won the East Midland's unsung hero
:22:23. > :22:32.war for his 25 years working at a gem with youngsters, specialising
:22:32. > :22:37.in some more wrestling. It is at 8pm tonight on BBC1.
:22:37. > :22:40.Thank you. There is always one Christmas that
:22:40. > :22:45.you will never forget, a memorable present, a dinner cooked to
:22:45. > :22:50.perfection or maybe Nana having won too many sherries.
:22:50. > :22:53.But where they've really all better than they are today? Our
:22:53. > :22:59.correspondent has been along to meet a group from the 50 Plus Club
:22:59. > :23:03.in Derby to hear their memories of Christmases past.
:23:03. > :23:07.He used to be got in the morning, and who would be the first one to
:23:07. > :23:15.rush downstairs? I was basically frightened of Father Christmas
:23:15. > :23:21.coming into the house. We would all go to Mass. We used to go to the
:23:21. > :23:29.church for a carol service. That sort of thing. We used to go to
:23:29. > :23:34.church on Christmas morning. Derby, will be had, like most towns,
:23:34. > :23:39.departmental stores rose wedded to a grotto or on a boat to see Father
:23:39. > :23:48.Christmas, and I truly thought that you travel the long way. It was
:23:48. > :23:52.absolutely amazing. Every Christmas morning be used to have a pork pie.
:23:52. > :23:58.It had lashings of, torsos on it. It was more tomato sauce than it
:23:58. > :24:07.was pork-pie. Turkey was a novelty. They'd used to be just a rooster, a
:24:07. > :24:17.cockerel. You could get a turkey if you could afford it. I can remember
:24:17. > :24:22.seeing my grandmother and my and doing that. I remember going into
:24:22. > :24:27.the living room with a big roaring fire. We had this Christmas tree
:24:27. > :24:30.and be put these paper garlands on, because that was all we had. And we
:24:30. > :24:35.lead candles and my dad went to the fire with the long piece of paper
:24:35. > :24:42.and let its and went to the candle on the tree and set the whole thing
:24:42. > :24:50.on fire. That was the end of that. We did not have a television then.
:24:50. > :24:57.You were lucky if you had a radio. We had a little TV. It was not on
:24:57. > :25:03.all day, was it? It was very simple, you had a piano, probably and
:25:03. > :25:13.neighbours would come in and we would all sing and have carols.
:25:13. > :25:13.
:25:13. > :25:17.had a good time, a really good time. Don was just telling me about one
:25:17. > :25:26.of his memories come, come on, share.
:25:26. > :25:29.Too many drinks and my uncle almost dropped his trousers.
:25:29. > :25:34.Unlike you teased earlier, with your lovely singing.
:25:34. > :25:36.I can tell you are so genuine when you make that remark. I have heard
:25:36. > :25:41.you make that remark. I have heard of listening the waistband, but
:25:41. > :25:45.your uncle to get too far. We have had a really lovely day across the
:25:45. > :25:50.East Midlands, some really nice sunny spells. It has been mild,
:25:50. > :25:56.with most places into double figures. Surprisingly mild for the
:25:56. > :26:01.time of year. Through the evening, we will stay mild. A lot of cloud
:26:01. > :26:11.building up. It is coming ahead of a cold front. The wet look to
:26:11. > :26:13.
:26:13. > :26:17.tomorrow. I thought I would share this sunrise. A gorgeous shot.
:26:17. > :26:21.If we take a closer look, here is that cold front that is working its
:26:21. > :26:26.way towards us. Heading towards the Atlantic and working its way
:26:26. > :26:31.towards us during the course of the night. Tomorrow, ahead of that, we
:26:31. > :26:35.will see that cloud increasing. One or two clear spells. As the cloud
:26:35. > :26:40.staff to increase to the evening and overnight and thickens up. We
:26:40. > :26:47.will see one or two drizzly spots, but it will mainly stayed dry. Many
:26:47. > :26:52.places will stay in double figures. Was of eight or nine degrees. We
:26:52. > :26:56.will start mild tomorrow. Cloudy and drizzle, and then there comes
:26:56. > :27:01.this cold front working its way and from the north-west. The middle
:27:01. > :27:05.portion of the day will be heavy, persistent rain. Strong winds
:27:05. > :27:10.accompanying that train. As we go into the afternoon it will clear,
:27:10. > :27:16.but cold air will feed in. There will be one or to show any
:27:16. > :27:23.outbreaks into the afternoon. We could see some sleet and snow mixed
:27:23. > :27:28.in. Then into Friday night, and very cold with good, clear skies.
:27:28. > :27:33.Frosty as well. The frosty but lovely and sunny start to Christmas
:27:33. > :27:36.Eve. On Christmas Day, a cloudy and when the affair, but mainly drive.