:00:03. > :00:05.With exactly a year to go until the London Olympics, welcome to
:00:05. > :00:10.Midlands Today with me, Nick Owen, in Birmingham.
:00:10. > :00:12.And me, Mary Rhodes, in Coventry. The headlines tonight: It's not
:00:12. > :00:16.just about London - Coventry prepares to host England's first
:00:16. > :00:24.Olympic action. A bonanza for business as they
:00:24. > :00:28.scoop half a billion pounds worth of Olympic contracts. It's amazing,
:00:29. > :00:34.not just for the company, but it puts Coventry on the map as well.
:00:34. > :00:38.We're also live in London for a tour around the Olympic Park.
:00:38. > :00:41.of the venues look amazing. Just to think, all of the greatest athletes
:00:41. > :00:44.in the world will be together in one place.
:00:44. > :00:46.And, in other news, a Birmingham nursery worker who raped a child
:00:46. > :00:56.and admitted 45 other sexual offences against children has been
:00:56. > :01:00.Good evening, welcome to Wednesday's Midlands Today from the
:01:00. > :01:04.BBC. A year from now the Olympic Games will have already begun here
:01:04. > :01:09.in the Midlands. The region has the honour of hosting England's first
:01:09. > :01:11.event of the 2012 games. Coventry is the venue - it's staging 12
:01:11. > :01:16.football matches, three of them kicking off before the opening
:01:16. > :01:20.ceremony. Of course, London is the Olympic city, but the Games aren't
:01:20. > :01:23.just about the capital. As well as football in Coventry, Birmingham
:01:23. > :01:26.will play host to some of the biggest athletics stars on the
:01:26. > :01:30.planet - with track and field athletes from the United States and
:01:31. > :01:33.Jamaica based in the city. The Olympic torch, made by a Coventry
:01:34. > :01:36.company, will be paraded through the streets of our towns and cities
:01:36. > :01:41.with stops in Stoke-on-Trent, Worcester and Cheltenham as well as
:01:41. > :01:45.Birmingham and Coventry. And it's to our Olympic Games venue in
:01:45. > :01:50.Coventry that we cross now to Mary Rhodes.
:01:50. > :01:54.Thanks, Nick. I'm at the Ricoh Arena - the home of Coventry City
:01:54. > :02:00.Football Club. During the Games it will be renamed The City of
:02:00. > :02:03.Coventry Stadium, when it'll host 12 matches. More about that later.
:02:03. > :02:07.First though, the big economic boost being provided for the region
:02:07. > :02:12.by the games. Hundreds of firms here have won contracts worth more
:02:12. > :02:15.than half a billion pounds. Our Business Correspondent, Peter
:02:15. > :02:17.Plisner looks at the benefits the games will bring to business in
:02:18. > :02:27.this region and he's gained exclusive access to the Coventry
:02:28. > :02:32.
:02:32. > :02:36.factory where the Olympic torch is being made. That is the actual
:02:36. > :02:40.torture. Although we haven't put the badge on, but that is what you
:02:40. > :02:43.have got in your hand, basic rate. It's the industrial equivalent of
:02:43. > :02:50.winning Olympic gold, and Coventry based Premier Group beat off stiff
:02:50. > :02:54.competition to win the torch contract. It is fantastic. It's a
:02:54. > :02:57.very prestigious job and we are over the moon. Not surprisingly,
:02:57. > :03:02.workers are proud too - winning the torch contract also means more job
:03:02. > :03:06.security. It's amazing, not just for the company, but it puts
:03:07. > :03:10.Coventry on the map as well. shows the standard of work man that
:03:10. > :03:12.we have got here, really. Midlands companies are no stranger
:03:12. > :03:20.to high profile Olympic contracts. Last year it emerged that the
:03:20. > :03:24.London 2012 games mascots had been designed by a firm in Telford. Now
:03:24. > :03:28.meet the official Olympic teddy bear again, been made out this the
:03:28. > :03:30.famous factory in Ironbridge. It's Britain's last remaining
:03:30. > :03:34.traditional bear maker. Now it's won the right to produce thousands
:03:34. > :03:42.of Olympic bears - being based on a design from 1948, the last time the
:03:42. > :03:46.games were staged in London. This is the material we used to make the
:03:46. > :03:50.teddy bears. This, in particular is the mohair that be used for the
:03:50. > :03:54.official Olympic teddy-bear. We were in discussion for some time
:03:54. > :03:59.and became to agreement and I'm pretty sure they were very keen to
:03:59. > :04:03.have somebody making a teddy bear in this country as opposed to
:04:03. > :04:06.handing the contract to a mass producer offshore. It all adds up
:04:06. > :04:14.to a big bonanza for the Midlands. Already �515 million worth of
:04:14. > :04:17.contracts have been won by just over 300 firms. There are
:04:17. > :04:22.predictions that even more money could come to the region because of
:04:22. > :04:26.increased levels of tourism during and after the Olympic Games. Places
:04:26. > :04:28.like Stratford upon-Avon looks set to become major beneficiaries.
:04:28. > :04:30.Stratford's already one of the region's top tourist hotpots,
:04:30. > :04:37.attracting almost five million visitors every year. And next year,
:04:37. > :04:41.that number's expected to grow. They will come and spend money in
:04:41. > :04:45.the towns and surrounding areas and they will spend money on our
:04:45. > :04:48.businesses and maybe they will visit the theatre, because the
:04:48. > :04:51.Royal Shakespeare Company at special events on. But while some
:04:51. > :04:54.are looking forward to making money from the Olympics - others are
:04:54. > :04:57.worried that the opposite might happen. A recent survey suggested
:04:57. > :04:59.that more than 40% of companies here are concerned about too many
:04:59. > :05:03.staff taking time off during the Olympics. Amongst them, even the
:05:03. > :05:11.company that carried out the survey. But here, bosses have come up with
:05:11. > :05:16.a novel solution. We are cutting back on the load that people will
:05:16. > :05:20.have to do during the Games, we will spread the work around other
:05:20. > :05:23.officers. We do have certain rooms set aside to watch events and asked
:05:23. > :05:26.people to make a contribution to charity while they do so. $WHITE
:05:26. > :05:29.With just a year to go before the Olympics begins, it's good to know
:05:29. > :05:36.that Midlands firms are not only prepared, but have also played a
:05:36. > :05:41.major role in helping to deliver the Games too.
:05:41. > :05:46.That is a look at the spin-off businesses around the region. Peter
:05:46. > :05:50.is here now with me. It seems that businesses are feeling very good
:05:50. > :05:55.here, how do we compare with other regions outside London as far as
:05:55. > :06:00.the Olympic goes? Better than most, this is the biggest demand won by
:06:00. > :06:03.any region outside London and the south-east. Midlands firms are
:06:03. > :06:08.supplying security fencing, bathroom sings, bicycles, sweat
:06:08. > :06:13.shirts, information signs and doors. Although the construction side is
:06:13. > :06:16.complete, there are more contracts available with things like
:06:16. > :06:19.management services to stage the games and even after the Games,
:06:19. > :06:24.there will be contracts up for grabs as some of that could come to
:06:24. > :06:29.the Midlands. Thank you. This isn't just a venue for Olympic football,
:06:29. > :06:34.it is a business in its own right. I am joined by the chief executive
:06:34. > :06:39.of the arena. How is the stadium faring in terms of a venue? This
:06:39. > :06:43.hot subject of tickets, are you expecting it to be packs for all of
:06:43. > :06:47.the 12 games? Yes, we are very excited, this is a great
:06:47. > :06:51.opportunity, and we are second only to Wembley in terms of ticket sales.
:06:51. > :06:56.How much capacity is left? People are frustrated they could not get
:06:56. > :07:02.tickets, is there an opportunity to get seats in the stadium? Very much
:07:02. > :07:05.so, go to the London 2012 website for tickets and we have got lots of
:07:05. > :07:09.opportunities for the Coventry and Warwickshire Olympic experience.
:07:10. > :07:13.Can they come directly to you for tickets? Not quite yet, but in the
:07:13. > :07:18.next couple of weeks we will be selling hospitality tickets on our
:07:18. > :07:22.website, but until then, you need to go to the London 2012 website.
:07:22. > :07:26.Does the legacy of the game's just apply to what happens in London or
:07:26. > :07:30.can you transfer it to what happens in Coventry as well? Without
:07:30. > :07:35.question, the economic impact will be significant and for me, one of
:07:35. > :07:40.the major issues is about hospitality and leisure and tourism
:07:40. > :07:43.based business. We will have 250,000 people coming to watch: Be
:07:43. > :07:51.given Syrian Coventry and it is very important that businesses
:07:51. > :07:55.across the area expand from this. - - coming to watch Olympic events
:07:55. > :07:59.here in commentary. I'll be back later in the programme
:07:59. > :08:03.with a look at Olympic preparations here in Coventry, but for now it's
:08:03. > :08:06.back to Nick in the studio. A nursery nurse worker has been
:08:06. > :08:09.jailed for life for the rape of a toddler and a string of sexual
:08:09. > :08:12.offences against children. The judge described 21-year-old Paul
:08:12. > :08:16.Wilson as dangerous and depraved. He abused the toddler in a toilet
:08:16. > :08:19.at the nursery and coerced girls as young as 12 into performing sex
:08:19. > :08:23.acts over the internet. Giles Latcham was in court.
:08:23. > :08:26.Paul Wilson - highly deviant said the judge, highly manipulative. At
:08:26. > :08:32.this nursery near his home in Nechells in Birmingham he twice
:08:32. > :08:35.filmed himself on his phone raping a toddler in his care. Online on
:08:35. > :08:42.web cameras, using a smokescreen of false identities he coerced girls
:08:42. > :08:45.aged 12 to 15 into performing sexual acts alone and with others.
:08:45. > :08:54.He recorded them and then blackmailed them into doing it
:08:54. > :08:58.again. He has victimised and in a calculated way, targeted the most
:08:58. > :09:03.vulnerable people in society and he has held them to ransom and
:09:03. > :09:10.blackmailed them in terms of committing offences for his own
:09:10. > :09:14.perversion and sexual gratification. The judge told Wilson he was a
:09:14. > :09:19.dangerous and depraved paedophile. You have humiliated, corrupted and
:09:19. > :09:22.defiled, she said. You have caused unknown harm to all of your victims.
:09:22. > :09:24.She expressed incredulity that Wilson had been allowed to continue
:09:25. > :09:27.working at the nursery after staff raised concerns about his behaviour.
:09:28. > :09:30.One of them complained direct to Ofsted who said they were sorry
:09:30. > :09:33.their investigations did not bring to light what was happening sooner.
:09:33. > :09:42.Birmingham's child safety board is now conducting an inquiry of its
:09:42. > :09:45.own. Wilson, who pleaded guilty, will serve a minimum of 15 years.
:09:45. > :09:49.Too many elderly patients are dying - particularly of pneumonia - at
:09:49. > :09:52.New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton. That's the finding of the Care
:09:52. > :09:55.Quality Commission, which will meet hospital managers within the next
:09:55. > :10:00.fortnight. The hospital's had higher than usual death rates for
:10:00. > :10:04.nearly ten years. Here's our Health Correspondent, Michele Paduano.
:10:04. > :10:07.Terry Gittos loved to paint. At 82, he was still active, but he fell
:10:07. > :10:16.and was admitted to New Cross hospital in Wolverhampton. He
:10:16. > :10:20.didn't come out. It broke my heart. It has ruined by life and left me
:10:20. > :10:23.with nothing. I have nothing and no reason to live now. A family friend
:10:23. > :10:31.emailed me in April before he died, distraught that his weight had
:10:31. > :10:36.dropped to seven stone in six weeks. The deterioration was so rapid. He
:10:36. > :10:40.went from an actor gentleman to a bag of Bones. I could not
:10:40. > :10:44.understand how somebody who is supposed to be been cared for, to
:10:44. > :10:49.me, it looks like total neglect. New Cross Hospital had already
:10:49. > :10:54.triggered the Care Quality Commission's alert system. Just
:10:54. > :10:59.days before Terry died, the CTC Cayman, concerned about care and
:10:59. > :11:02.welfare, and the number of complaints. -- before the Care
:11:02. > :11:06.Quality Commission came in. There would be an inquiry to thrash out
:11:06. > :11:09.what went on. The hospital does have one of the best records in the
:11:09. > :11:12.country for MRSA. Its chief executive accepts mistakes are made,
:11:12. > :11:16.but doesn't believe the hospital has a problem. I showed him the
:11:16. > :11:20.email from Mrs Timmins. I don't think we have a problem. And that
:11:20. > :11:25.is why have asked the Care Quality Commission to come and have a look,
:11:25. > :11:28.and just before this interview, I actually looked at the indicators
:11:28. > :11:36.of were the risk rate of every hospital has carried out, and we
:11:36. > :11:41.are by no means in the red. Statistics experts disagree.
:11:41. > :11:46.Wolverhampton has had a ratio that has been above the national average
:11:46. > :11:49.for about a decade. If you add all of the figures together over that
:11:49. > :11:56.decade, they are significantly high. It's vital to discover whether
:11:56. > :12:00.others suffered like Mr Gittos. Still to come tonight, Ben Rich
:12:00. > :12:04.with all the details on the weather. Yes, we've been treated to yet
:12:04. > :12:07.another fine, dry, and pleasantly warm day. So how long can this
:12:07. > :12:14.spell of settled summer weather continue? I'll have the full
:12:14. > :12:21.forecast for the rest of the week, later in the programme.
:12:21. > :12:24.Welcome back to the Ricoh Arena. In a year it will be renamed the City
:12:24. > :12:28.of Coventry Stadium for the duration of the Games. The first of
:12:28. > :12:32.the 12 matches will kick off on Monday 25th July, two days before
:12:32. > :12:37.the opening ceremony in London. And it's to London we cross now and our
:12:37. > :12:46.reporter Ben Godfrey who's overlooking the Olympic Stadium. So
:12:46. > :12:49.Ben what do you think of it? The scale, the size, it's just
:12:49. > :12:54.magnificent, really. I'll get out of the way as every good tour
:12:54. > :12:58.guides to do and led to see the Olympic Stadium in all its glory.
:12:58. > :13:03.80,000 people will witness the opening ceremony in one year's time.
:13:03. > :13:07.This is one of six venues that has now been completed. The aquatic
:13:07. > :13:12.centre is the latest one. The run aground, real contrast. A tour
:13:12. > :13:16.group from the West Midlands came here a few weeks ago, and we had
:13:16. > :13:23.but four. Some of them will be watching the 2012 Olympics from the
:13:23. > :13:26.comfort of their land, others will be desperate to compete. -- the
:13:26. > :13:29.comfort of their lounge. While construction teams are
:13:29. > :13:36.working against the clock, this tour group of athletes took a break
:13:36. > :13:40.from training for a glimpse of what might be. Among them, James Burden,
:13:40. > :13:42.a guest of BBC Coventry and Warwickshire. At the age of 19, the
:13:42. > :13:46.butterflyer from Bedworth is one of our youngest Olympic swimming
:13:46. > :13:51.hopefuls. He could be here at the Aquatics Centre. It looks amazing.
:13:51. > :13:54.All of the venues that amazing. Just to think of all the greatest
:13:54. > :13:57.athletes in the world been together run one place, there is nothing
:13:57. > :13:59.better. The Olympic Park is taking shape. From every angle, the
:13:59. > :14:07.buildings impress. Everywhere too, construction workers are trying to
:14:07. > :14:10.meet deadlines. This venue has just finished on Friday. BBC local radio
:14:10. > :14:14.has been following our Olympic hopefuls - BBC WM is with Hannah
:14:14. > :14:22.Powell, who at the age of 11 began lifting weights, and now at the age
:14:22. > :14:28.of 18, could make the GB weightlifting team. My family are
:14:28. > :14:33.really proud. At the moment I am just looking at qualifying. This
:14:33. > :14:36.election period, when you qualify, a to Z of their hands. To see the
:14:36. > :14:43.true scale of the site, Rachel Hughes opted for a birds eye view.
:14:43. > :14:47.A guest of BBC Radio Stoke, Rachel's a member of her local WI.
:14:47. > :14:51.How excited I knew about the Olympic Games? I didn't tell the
:14:51. > :14:55.members that I was coming today in case they all wanted to,! There so
:14:55. > :14:58.much activity! You can see what the stadium will look like when it's
:14:58. > :15:03.finished. So what about legacy - a former Wolverhampton schoolgirl
:15:03. > :15:09.wanted to make a point. Tessa Sanderson, her sixth and final
:15:09. > :15:12.throw! It winds its way out. A lovely long series. Not as far as
:15:12. > :15:17.her first. Tessa Sanderson won Javelin Gold in 1984 and now trains
:15:17. > :15:21.youngsters to capture the Olympic spirit. The youngsters that time
:15:21. > :15:26.working with, creating a pathway for them through Sport and in
:15:26. > :15:29.learning, that they are getting more active. It is helping them to
:15:29. > :15:32.find jobs at the end of the day. whether you're an athlete, a
:15:32. > :15:39.spectator with elusive tickets or in your favourite armchair at home,
:15:39. > :15:42.it's difficult to escape some Olympic excitement.
:15:42. > :15:51.So the excitement is building. You were on that guided tour Ben. What
:15:51. > :15:55.were your impressions of the Olympic Park? Huge in scale.
:15:55. > :16:00.Incredibly enticing. Let me show you the contrast of landscapes we
:16:00. > :16:06.have got here. If you look over here, this area was known as stinky
:16:06. > :16:10.Strangford, a land involved in toxic and contaminated land. Now,
:16:10. > :16:15.there is an Olympic Park with cleaning buildings. It is all about
:16:15. > :16:20.the legacy. There are dissenting voices saying the cost of �9
:16:20. > :16:25.billion to fund it all is maybe excessive at a time of national
:16:25. > :16:29.austerity. But it was pretty austere in 1948 when the Games were
:16:29. > :16:39.last in London. But the people I have spoken to date have said this
:16:39. > :16:44.
:16:44. > :16:49.is extremely exciting. This will be a special event. Is there still
:16:49. > :16:55.some scepticism, cynicism, do you think? If there is any, certainly,
:16:55. > :16:59.the organisers, the likes of Lord Coe and former Olympians are here
:16:59. > :17:04.to install the virtues of these games and say this is not just for
:17:04. > :17:07.London 2012, it is for the entire country. Lord Coe was saying today,
:17:07. > :17:13.look in the West Midlands, Birmingham hosting training
:17:13. > :17:18.activities, all of the heritage, people that are going to volunteer.
:17:18. > :17:22.Those that will see the torch going through the region. He says this is
:17:22. > :17:26.absolutely the time to be excited about it. From the Olympic Stadium,
:17:26. > :17:28.back to you in Coventry. Thanks Ben. As well as hosting
:17:28. > :17:31.Olympic football and making those 8,000 Olympic torches, Coventry is
:17:31. > :17:39.also the inspiration for one of the most ambitious elements of the
:17:39. > :17:44.Cultural Olympiad. The arts festival which runs alongside the
:17:44. > :17:49.games. Godiva Awakes is a 10 metre high puppet, which will be powered
:17:49. > :17:52.by a team of cyclists down to London. I went to see how
:17:52. > :18:00.preparations for that have been going, as well as what the Games
:18:00. > :18:05.will mean for the City of Coventry. 36 metres of silk, hundreds of
:18:05. > :18:09.screen prints and thousands of stitches. They'll all make up the
:18:09. > :18:13.intricate coat for a ten metre high Lady Godiva. The delicately
:18:13. > :18:16.engineered skeleton will look something like this. The robed
:18:16. > :18:20.puppet will be propelled by a team of cyclists down to London as part
:18:21. > :18:23.of the cultural Olympiad. Julia O'Connell and her team of five
:18:24. > :18:32.artists at Coventry University are designing the coat - to reflect the
:18:32. > :18:37.heritage of the West Midlands. idea was that I want to feature all
:18:37. > :18:41.of the stories, it is almost like this used code, a huge book
:18:41. > :18:44.featuring stories and testimonies and all over the code could be
:18:44. > :18:50.abolished and embroidered with people's stories and the ideas from
:18:50. > :18:54.the industries in the region. is that in your hand? This is to
:18:54. > :19:01.show you, when I was first doing the design, I thought, oh, I only
:19:01. > :19:05.work on a small-scale, and I made a little prototype. Soup from the
:19:05. > :19:11.Meaney prettied tied to a more realistic size. The idea is that
:19:11. > :19:15.she will have robbed Stan hands so she can move to a seven-day journey,
:19:15. > :19:19.but she will be wearing a six-metre version, which, in case you're
:19:19. > :19:22.wondering, is his size 54! While Lady Godiva gets a new frock - the
:19:22. > :19:25.more traditionally naked version oversees some of the redevelopment
:19:25. > :19:32.work in the City Centre. Tom Clift is part of the City Council's
:19:32. > :19:37.Olympic team. Apart from a brand new square, what else are the
:19:37. > :19:42.people of Coventry getting from the Olympic? There are 12 games of
:19:42. > :19:44.football, the torch relay will be coming here on first July 1920 12,
:19:44. > :19:49.businesses are winning contracts. Lots happening for people to get
:19:49. > :19:54.involved in. There is still some cynicism that it is all happening
:19:54. > :19:59.in London, why should we care in the Midlands and in Coventry? How
:19:59. > :20:03.do you convince them? London is the host city, but Coventry has taken
:20:03. > :20:10.part in the biggest events in the world, but to be one hour from
:20:10. > :20:15.London, why go to London, go and see 2012 in the West Midlands.
:20:15. > :20:18.big screen is up and running, let's go and have a look. You can watch
:20:18. > :20:22.all of the different sports at the time of the Games. You can interact
:20:22. > :20:26.live with the screen on a daily basis and we hope to have a number
:20:26. > :20:31.of different events to stage their own different experiences. But all
:20:31. > :20:35.this doesn't come cheap - at �7m is it value for money? I would say
:20:35. > :20:39.that the Olympics are leaving us with a legacy. Much of what we were
:20:39. > :20:43.doing is already planned. We are not spending any new money that
:20:43. > :20:46.hasn't already been set aside for improvements. We're not taking any
:20:46. > :20:50.money at a fresh budgets to pay for the Olympic improvements. But it
:20:50. > :20:56.remains to be seen whether that legacy lives on as long as the
:20:56. > :21:00.famous woman of Coventry from the Middle Ages.
:21:00. > :21:04.I have moved inside now at the Arena, and as we saw in my report,
:21:04. > :21:08.the Olympics is not just about sport, it is about arts and culture,
:21:08. > :21:14.and these dancers are all to do with the West Midlands commitment
:21:14. > :21:20.to culture and arts. I am delighted that the chairman of West Midlands
:21:20. > :21:25.2012 was with me. But as they are tightening? It is not just about
:21:25. > :21:29.sport, the colourful programme has been extensive. These guys are from
:21:29. > :21:33.the University of Warwick Arts Centre and in the West Midlands be
:21:34. > :21:38.have a project called Dancing for the Games, and lots of people have
:21:38. > :21:43.interpreted the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games to dance. It
:21:43. > :21:47.is all about getting more people to get their moment. Getting there
:21:47. > :21:51.moment, what does that mean to ordinary people, Mia mortals like
:21:51. > :21:55.myself? You have competed in three Olympics, what will it mean to the
:21:55. > :22:00.people of the West Midlands? the people in the schools, the
:22:00. > :22:03.children, the majority in the West Midlands, they're doing a project
:22:03. > :22:06.in curriculum time where they are looking at the values of the
:22:06. > :22:10.Olympics and the Paralympic Games and looking at how the history, the
:22:10. > :22:14.signs, the mathematics of the Olympic Games is relevant in the
:22:15. > :22:19.community. Their businesses winning contracts. There is a project
:22:19. > :22:24.called community gains tried to get as many communities in the West
:22:24. > :22:28.Midlands to interpret the gains in whatever way is for them. It is
:22:28. > :22:33.like an Olympic street party. There is clearly true sport, we are
:22:33. > :22:36.encouraging people to become more involved in sport. Over 500,000
:22:36. > :22:40.people have taken part in the cultural side of it and many of
:22:40. > :22:43.those have never done culture before, if you know what I mean.
:22:43. > :22:48.You have 10 seconds to tell people why they should care about the
:22:48. > :22:55.Olympics! Because it will be a wonderful moment in the history of
:22:55. > :23:00.the area, not just because of football in Coventry and to make -
:23:00. > :23:02.and America, it is everything! is it for me, we're back to the
:23:02. > :23:05.studio. So we've learnt about Coventry's
:23:05. > :23:08.important role in the Olympics next year and we've found out how the
:23:08. > :23:11.whole region's likely to benefit from the first Games in the UK
:23:11. > :23:15.since 1948. Let's see how other parts of the Midlands are gearing
:23:15. > :23:18.up, as Ian Winter takes a sporting look around the region.
:23:18. > :23:21.Rolling back the years in Handsworth Park. I'll never forget
:23:21. > :23:25.the summer of '92. Watching Jane Sixsmith standing proudly on the
:23:25. > :23:32.podium in Barcelona. And the good news is, almost 20 years later,
:23:33. > :23:35.we've hardly changed a bit. Jane, fondly known as Jasper by her
:23:35. > :23:40.teammates, was the Sutton Coldfield striker whose goals helped Britain
:23:40. > :23:44.to win bronze. This morning, that same Olympic medal sparkled in the
:23:44. > :23:47.Birmingham sunshine. Whilst our hockey hero prepared to tackle 12
:23:47. > :23:53.different sports in one day to celebrate one year to go before
:23:54. > :23:57.London 2012. Emily and because of everyone competing for Great
:23:57. > :24:00.Britain because they know it would be a fantastic event on home soil.
:24:00. > :24:03.But before the serious stuff starts next July, Jane's having a bit of
:24:03. > :24:07.fun, to encourage all of us to do more exercise. Whether it's 20
:24:07. > :24:10.minutes of table tennis... Followed by 20 minutes of badminton... It's
:24:10. > :24:14.hoped that one of the legacies of London 2012 will see more people
:24:14. > :24:17.simply having a go. And you don't have to be an Olympic athlete to
:24:17. > :24:25.step out onto the dance mat and increase the fitness of cities like
:24:25. > :24:35.Birmingham. Life is moving at a more leisurely pace today, the
:24:35. > :24:36.
:24:37. > :24:41.modern Olympic games were here back in 1820, and the newly bits could
:24:41. > :24:45.attract people to the Tannen the next five months. It is great all
:24:45. > :24:49.of the links back to the Olympic Games and the modern Olympic Games.
:24:49. > :24:53.It is a great opportunity for us to show what the place is all about.
:24:53. > :24:59.It is everything for me. I will watch the opening ceremony from
:24:59. > :25:03.beginning to end. And in Stoke-on- Trent, well done to everyone,
:25:03. > :25:07.running 159 miles for charity, the exact distance between the
:25:07. > :25:11.Potteries and the Olympic Park. Today, London 2012 suddenly feels
:25:11. > :25:19.much closer to home. And a warm, dry day it's been for
:25:19. > :25:27.it all too. More of the same please, Yes, some more to come, Nick.
:25:27. > :25:32.Weather like this would be nice in a year's time. The rest of this
:25:32. > :25:38.week is looking quite pleasant staying dry and mild. A lot of
:25:38. > :25:42.cloud today. It would keep a lot of cloud tonight as well. One word to
:25:42. > :25:47.clear spells. A Myers night with temperatures no lower than 12 or 13
:25:47. > :25:54.degrees Celsius in most places. Tomorrow, this is how it looks and
:25:54. > :25:57.a big picture. High pressure in charge. This weather front, will
:25:57. > :26:01.reach us later in the day, but because it is squeezed by a high
:26:01. > :26:05.pressure, not bringing much in the wake of rain at all. A dry start
:26:05. > :26:09.tomorrow with a lot of sunshine first thing. The cloud will thicken
:26:09. > :26:14.up as we go through into the afternoon. Particularly in western
:26:14. > :26:21.parts of the region, Shropshire and Staffordshire. One day tomorrow
:26:21. > :26:24.with highs of 24 degrees Celsius, 75 Fahrenheit. This little bit of
:26:24. > :26:26.rain up in the north-west, that is the weather front I was talking
:26:26. > :26:34.about and that will move to the south-east as we go through
:26:34. > :26:41.tomorrow night. Into Friday, cloudy and Stam start, but once that
:26:41. > :26:46.disappears, and nice day with clear conditions. 19, 20 Celsius. A sneak
:26:46. > :26:50.peek at the weekend, and looking good. Mainly fine and dry with
:26:50. > :26:53.sunshine at times. Rising temperatures by Sunday and up to 24
:26:53. > :26:55.Celsius. Thank you.
:26:55. > :27:00.Thank you. The main headline today, it's one
:27:00. > :27:04.year to go until the start of the Olympics. Before we go, of final
:27:04. > :27:08.word from Mary in Coventry, can these Olympics live up to
:27:08. > :27:12.expectations? We have both been lucky enough to
:27:12. > :27:15.cover Olympics in the past. You will know what it is like anywhere
:27:15. > :27:19.their working at it. You cannot help but be caught up in the
:27:20. > :27:22.atmosphere. Difficult to imagine at the moment that the stadium and
:27:22. > :27:26.five months time will be packed and there is something different about
:27:26. > :27:31.football at the Olympics than just coming to were bigger fixtures. And