:00:10. > :00:18.Welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines: and prepared and slow to
:00:18. > :00:24.respond. Criticism of the police after the Birmingham riots. There
:00:24. > :00:33.was in position to -- insufficient rind trade police officers.
:00:33. > :00:37.famous old family company is saved. The strength of demand and the
:00:37. > :00:42.global reach of the business is an attractive deal. The toughest
:00:42. > :00:49.trading conditions in 40 years, the battle for survival on our high
:00:49. > :00:59.streets. And Staffordshire's because and bishops padding up as
:00:59. > :01:04.
:01:04. > :01:08.they play to keep hold of one of Good evening and welcome to
:01:08. > :01:12.Monday's Midlands Today from the BBC. Tonight, could or should
:01:13. > :01:18.police have reacted more quickly during the Birmingham riots. Claims
:01:18. > :01:22.are being made by its residents in Handsworth, saying police were
:01:23. > :01:26.unprepared for the riots and slow to respond. It is part of evidence
:01:26. > :01:32.to a committee of MPs investigating. West Midlands Police have defended
:01:32. > :01:35.their tactics and said they will be publishing their own findings into
:01:35. > :01:41.the policing of the riots on a Thursday.
:01:41. > :01:46.Back to its vibrant and bustling self, Handsworth's famous Soho Road
:01:46. > :01:50.shows few of the scars. But rioting was a fierce here, looting
:01:50. > :01:55.sustained, and the way the police handled it is still a bone of
:01:55. > :01:59.contention. They were caught out. Half the police looked like they
:01:59. > :02:04.were scared. You cannot suddenly go, there is a load of cobblers to deal
:02:04. > :02:10.with it. You just do not know where it is going to break out. -- a load
:02:10. > :02:17.of coppers. A fortnight ago, at a conference, traders and community
:02:17. > :02:21.do workers discussed the trouble in Handsworth. Their evidence has been
:02:21. > :02:26.put into a document. The riots caught the police on the hob, it
:02:26. > :02:33.says. The police failed to engage with members of the local community,
:02:33. > :02:36.leaving them by and large to defend their own premises. It says that
:02:36. > :02:41.officers should have been at the incident in Winson Green where
:02:41. > :02:45.three men were run over and died. They had insufficient resources to
:02:45. > :02:51.deal with the incidence in the city centre and when the riot police
:02:51. > :02:55.were asked to divert their attention to the Soho Road in
:02:55. > :03:00.Handsworth, much of the damage had already been done. There were
:03:00. > :03:09.insufficient officers. Kernail Singh was at a council read a
:03:09. > :03:15.biased sale -- session today. When the riot started, he called the
:03:15. > :03:20.police to his shop but they did not come. I am not blaming but I know
:03:20. > :03:24.it was a very hard time for everybody. And a jeweller who took
:03:24. > :03:29.part in last month's conference is in no rush to criticise police.
:03:29. > :03:31.They could have been so representation -- some
:03:31. > :03:36.representation on Soho Road to allow some response, but hindsight
:03:36. > :03:41.is a wonderful thing. For the Government, the Tyneside involves
:03:41. > :03:46.the learning of lessons. Majesty's constabulary have been
:03:46. > :03:50.asked to look at what happened so that lessons can be learned for the
:03:50. > :03:55.future to deal with disorder. comment from the police today. They
:03:55. > :04:00.will present their own report into the handling of the riots to MPs
:04:00. > :04:02.later this week. Up to 900 people are expected
:04:02. > :04:09.better public debate about the riots in Birmingham Town Hall
:04:09. > :04:15.tonight. It is hosted by BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Our
:04:15. > :04:19.correspondent is there now. With the Straits -- streets quiet for a
:04:19. > :04:25.few weeks now, his is a chance to dig deeper into any lessons that
:04:25. > :04:28.can be learnt? It is certainly not quite here at Birmingham's
:04:28. > :04:33.magnificent town hall. The crowds are flocking here half an hour
:04:33. > :04:37.before the show gets under way. Back in 19 No 1 this very hall was
:04:37. > :04:42.the scene where David Lloyd George was taking part in a political
:04:42. > :04:47.debate. He had to be is smuggled out as a low full -- local police
:04:47. > :04:53.officer because there was a mob outside. We are not expecting
:04:53. > :04:59.tonight's debate to be quite as rioters as that. The man who is
:04:59. > :05:04.going to be in charge of the whole debate is here, from the Today
:05:04. > :05:09.programme. Will you get to the heart of what caused the riot?
:05:09. > :05:13.hope so. We are trying not to have an evening of political speeches.
:05:13. > :05:17.They have their place and people can make their points in them but
:05:17. > :05:22.this is an effort to try to get some people from community
:05:22. > :05:26.organisations, from the churches, von local government, from the
:05:26. > :05:31.police, to give their view in a very practical way, first of all
:05:31. > :05:35.from what happens and whether we need to get a handle on the detail
:05:35. > :05:39.of what happened, and then to argue bats about where the beginnings of
:05:39. > :05:44.solutions arise, and the interesting thing, I think we will
:05:44. > :05:48.all struck by the events in early August that most sensible people,
:05:48. > :05:53.whether in politics or not, said, something has happened that is
:05:53. > :05:57.bigger than normal and that is the point. As we have already said, we
:05:57. > :06:00.are hoping that lessons will be learnt and we will be bringing you
:06:00. > :06:08.the update on this debate throughout our bulletins tonight
:06:08. > :06:14.and tomorrow. Thank you. You can follow that debate online with a
:06:14. > :06:20.video coverage via the Today programme website or on Twitter.
:06:20. > :06:23.There will be full reaction and coverage on BBC WM and your local
:06:24. > :06:28.radio station tomorrow morning. Still ahead: Faster trains to
:06:28. > :06:38.London but far fewer places to buy your tickets, with plans to shut
:06:38. > :06:38.
:06:39. > :06:42.dozens of booking offices at There has been relief, joy even, in
:06:42. > :06:47.Kidderminster today, with news that the world famous carpet making
:06:47. > :06:52.company Brintons has been saved from closure. The company, which
:06:52. > :06:56.employs 700 people in the UK, had debts of �20 million. It has now
:06:56. > :07:01.been brought by an American private equity firm.
:07:02. > :07:06.Brintons Carpets have featured large in this man's life. 37 years
:07:06. > :07:11.ago he followed his father into the Kidderminster Thatcher. A lot of
:07:11. > :07:19.people have family who worked here. And suddenly it looked as if his
:07:19. > :07:26.hopes have been realised, at least for the time being, with investment
:07:26. > :07:31.from anti-American business. secures the future. It gives us a
:07:31. > :07:35.route back to profitable growth. Brintons, which began and 1783, now
:07:35. > :07:41.has factories in India, Portugal and is about to expand into China.
:07:41. > :07:47.But it was hit hard in the recession, resulting in debts of
:07:47. > :07:55.�20 million. The New Deal wipes the debts clean. Coppetts here are sent
:07:55. > :08:01.all over the world. Its company has a proud 228 year history and it
:08:01. > :08:04.hopes now it has secured its future. This woman joined the firm in the
:08:04. > :08:10.footsteps of her parents and grandparents. It is a positive
:08:10. > :08:18.thing that we have the company come in to help out. The key thing for
:08:18. > :08:23.people who work here are jobs. How safe are people's jobs? In life you
:08:23. > :08:27.cannot give guarantees. What we now have is a venture capitalist, a
:08:27. > :08:30.private equity company, and that means all our units have to remain
:08:30. > :08:35.competitive for the future. But there are no plans to change
:08:35. > :08:38.anything today. So the pressure is on, as the American bank Rollers
:08:38. > :08:45.will want to see a healthy return on their investment. But for now at
:08:45. > :08:50.least, there is a sigh of relief. Other news and a pilot who died
:08:50. > :08:53.when his light aircraft crashed on Friday afternoon has been named as
:08:53. > :08:58.52-year-old Clive Greenaway from Stratford-on-Avon. His plane came
:08:58. > :09:02.down in fields near the A1 close to Peterborough. It is thought to have
:09:02. > :09:05.hit power lines coming into land. He had taken off from Long Marston
:09:06. > :09:09.airfield in Warwickshire. A teenage girl has been sentenced
:09:09. > :09:14.to life in prison for killing a father of two from Stoke-on-Trent.
:09:14. > :09:20.Sheree Smith, 19, was found guilty of murdering Andreas Fantousi last
:09:20. > :09:24.November. He was stabbed outside his house in Tunstall. Michael
:09:24. > :09:27.Gordon, 22, was sentenced to ten years after being convicted of
:09:27. > :09:29.manslaughter. The public inquiry into the circumstances of the
:09:29. > :09:32.Stafford Hospital scandal has started again after a summer break.
:09:32. > :09:35.Today, the inquiry heard that the body organising the training of
:09:35. > :09:38.doctors at the hospital was unaware of the extent of failings which
:09:38. > :09:40.contributed to the deaths of patients. As our health
:09:40. > :09:42.correspondent Michele Paduano reports, the investigation is in
:09:42. > :09:51.its final phase, with several high- profile witnesses about to give
:09:51. > :09:54.Day 114 of the public inquiry. This time it was Dr Elizabeth Hughes,
:09:54. > :09:59.head of the West Midlands Deanery, responsible for the education of
:09:59. > :10:05.junior doctors. But it has all been said before. Poor communication,
:10:05. > :10:14.doctors scared to speak out. Lack of scrutiny. When I took up my post,
:10:14. > :10:17.I did not find any evidence of So far, perhaps the most high-
:10:17. > :10:19.ranking casualty has been Cynthia Bower. Now head of the organisation
:10:19. > :10:29.responsible for quality, she missed the seriousness of what was
:10:29. > :10:33.happening at Stafford. This inquiry should be over by the end of
:10:33. > :10:37.November but we are still to hear from senior politicians and the big
:10:37. > :10:42.hitters from the Department of Health. By crispers, some big
:10:42. > :10:45.reputations could be in tatters. -- by Christmas. And tomorrow, former
:10:45. > :10:49.Secretary of State for Health Andy Burnham gives evidence. He was
:10:49. > :10:56.hounded by Cure The NHS outside his constituency. We want every person
:10:56. > :11:01.that died in that hospital examined. And over the phone. You had no
:11:01. > :11:06.choice, Andy, you had no choice. You have ordered a secret inquiry.
:11:06. > :11:12.He appears before the inquiry that he never wanted. What did he have
:11:12. > :11:16.to prove to pass it forward for the Foundation Trust? Was he looking at
:11:16. > :11:20.serious untoward incidents, complaints, failure in patient
:11:20. > :11:23.safety? It was so obvious about hospital. Later this month, we will
:11:23. > :11:26.hear from the chief executive of the NHS, David Nicholson, who has
:11:26. > :11:34.to explain his role in the failures that led to an unknown number of
:11:34. > :11:39.Great to have you with us this evening. Still to come:
:11:39. > :11:43.Something of a warning from Shefali. Yes, look away later if you do not
:11:43. > :11:44.like rain. There is plenty of it this week and it is heading our way
:11:44. > :11:54.soon. And free food - harvesting unwanted
:11:54. > :11:56.
:11:56. > :11:59.apples and other fruit to give to A fast new rail route to London
:11:59. > :12:01.began operating today in competition with Virgin Trains.
:12:01. > :12:06.Chiltern Railways unveiled its Mainline service, which reaches the
:12:06. > :12:08.capital from Birmingham in just 90 minutes. The launch follows a
:12:08. > :12:13.multi-million-pound investment in the line. Our transport
:12:13. > :12:15.correspondent Peter Plisner was on this morning's first train.
:12:15. > :12:19.Arriving at London's Marylebone Station, a couple of minutes late
:12:19. > :12:22.but still much faster than before. After years of planning, the new
:12:22. > :12:25.service is finally on the move. Special Mainline trains feature
:12:25. > :12:35.free Wi-Fi and instead of first class, there is a business zone,
:12:35. > :12:38.and that is where we caught up with businessman Roy Ellis. I think wet
:12:38. > :12:42.Chilton scores is the fact that they are more spacious. But space
:12:42. > :12:45.was at a premium elsewhere on the train, with some preferring to sit
:12:45. > :12:51.on the floor. Nevertheless, passengers seem to like the service.
:12:51. > :12:55.I think it was needed because it was a very popular line. You can
:12:55. > :13:00.get And there was even praise from a seasoned rail travellers. It is a
:13:00. > :13:07.rather charming rich. You feel like you're on the M40 rather from the
:13:08. > :13:12.M1. In the past, Chiltern trains have offered cheaper at first but
:13:12. > :13:16.now it with the Mainline service, they can compete Faster trains come
:13:16. > :13:18.as a result of a big investment programme. There is also a much
:13:18. > :13:24.simplified fares structure but, as a result, some, like Gordon
:13:24. > :13:33.MacDonald, can no longer travel on cheaper fares. The price has gone
:13:33. > :13:38.up to lead a �50 or �75 return, which is a huge hike. Chilton admit
:13:38. > :13:44.that some people are having to pay more. Whenever you change things on
:13:44. > :13:47.a railway, there will inevitably be a small number of people who are
:13:47. > :13:50.disadvantaged but the majority of people The new service means that
:13:50. > :13:53.from today there is even more choice of both fares and trains to
:13:53. > :13:55.London throughout the day. Well, Peter joins us now from
:13:55. > :14:03.Birmingham's Moor Street. Sounds like a mixed blessing for rail
:14:03. > :14:07.travellers, Peter? It is. We have improved rail services but some
:14:07. > :14:12.people are having to pay higher fares and tonight there are even
:14:12. > :14:22.more concerns on the railways. The debt now could be told in 40 did
:14:22. > :14:23.
:14:24. > :14:29.61 ticket offices are now under threat. It all emanates from a
:14:29. > :14:34.report a few months ago into the savings for the railway and that
:14:34. > :14:38.list has emerged today as a result of that report and research done by
:14:38. > :14:42.a rail union. I emphasise that these are only proposals at the
:14:42. > :14:46.moment but you can see when this might happen, with increased use of
:14:46. > :14:51.ticket machines and the internet for train bookings. The Government
:14:51. > :14:54.has not made any comment about the publication of this list but they
:14:54. > :14:59.are due to respond some time within the next couple of months. Thank
:14:59. > :15:02.you. "It is the pit of despair," the
:15:02. > :15:05.words of one retailer today trying to navigate some of the worst
:15:05. > :15:08.trading conditions on the high street in four decades. And figures
:15:08. > :15:11.suggest the retail sector here is being hit harder than anywhere else
:15:11. > :15:16.in England. Footfall - that is the number of people going shopping -
:15:16. > :15:18.is down 6.6% and 10.5% of the shops in this region are vacant. Anxious
:15:18. > :15:24.times for retailers with 109 shopping days until Christmas,
:15:24. > :15:28.traditionally their busiest time of the year, as Ben Godfrey reports.
:15:28. > :15:32.It is the big high street survival battle. From the might of the
:15:32. > :15:36.glossy mall to the plight of the small trader. Simon Mauri lost jobs
:15:36. > :15:40.at three high street chains before deciding to go it alone. Shiny
:15:40. > :15:50.Gifts in Bromsgrove is surviving, just. Sales are down by a third so
:15:50. > :15:51.
:15:51. > :15:58.suppliers are not always paid on time. Some days I in a -- I am in a
:15:58. > :16:02.pit of despair but I have to keep friendly. People are spending less.
:16:02. > :16:05.It was as if there was a tap that switched off as soon as the
:16:05. > :16:08.Government announced August has been another traumatic month for
:16:08. > :16:12.trading. The head of the Co-op has warned of some of the worst
:16:12. > :16:18.conditions in 40 years. Shoppers are watching their wallets. It is
:16:18. > :16:23.difficult for everybody with money. We are quite careful. Not very
:16:23. > :16:24.confident at the moment. Very careful at the moment but
:16:24. > :16:28.optimistic. Today, Solihull's showpiece, the Touchwood Centre,
:16:28. > :16:38.celebrated a decade in business. Sales are up 8% year on year. The
:16:38. > :16:38.
:16:38. > :16:42.success is enticing more big-name traders. It is about developing
:16:42. > :16:46.more of an experience in store to complement retell presents and
:16:46. > :16:50.those retailers who can be as are the ones who will capitalise on the
:16:51. > :16:55.current spend and we move forward. Solihull seems to have a conveyor
:16:55. > :16:59.belt of people ready to spend money. It is one of the most affluent
:16:59. > :17:02.boroughs in the UK, but not everywhere will say the same. Back
:17:02. > :17:05.in Bromsgrove, Simon Mauri has got some elusive customers, but he is
:17:05. > :17:12.going to need many more to succeed and cover business rates of around
:17:12. > :17:18.�6,000 a year. How confident are you that this business will still
:17:18. > :17:22.be here in a year? It will be tough. I do not wanted to let this be any,
:17:22. > :17:27.this recession. A drop in tax and VAT is next on the shopping list of
:17:27. > :17:33.this independent trader. Well, I am joined now by Kevin
:17:33. > :17:37.Breese from Retail Birmingham. Thank you for coming in. Are you
:17:37. > :17:42.worried, or should we all be worried, about the number of empty
:17:42. > :17:46.shops? You are suddenly looking at one in ten shops in the UK and
:17:46. > :17:50.certainly the region. That is not too different to what it has been
:17:50. > :17:57.for a number of years and we have to remember that there will always
:17:57. > :18:00.be a churn and good retailers and not so good retailers. But that is
:18:00. > :18:06.not too different to the last couple of years and what we have to
:18:06. > :18:10.get used to is that it will be a tougher time for others. But we saw
:18:10. > :18:13.a shopkeeper in that report he was beside himself with worry, not
:18:13. > :18:22.getting people through the door like he was before the cuts so
:18:22. > :18:26.there is some correspondence between recent cuts. I think
:18:26. > :18:32.councils and bodies have to work harder. I do not think it is about
:18:32. > :18:37.a VAT decrees at all. What it is about his local Government making
:18:37. > :18:45.more abilities before the local traders. That is the single biggest
:18:45. > :18:50.problem. �6,000 in that small shop. The business rate is a massive
:18:50. > :18:56.amount of money. We have to push the Government to let that money
:18:56. > :19:00.estate in the regions. What we have to do is get it back and then use
:19:00. > :19:06.it for developing local economies. People like Birmingham retail, are
:19:06. > :19:11.you pushing for the Government to do that? We continually have a
:19:11. > :19:15.voice, working with people like British Retail Consortium. We have
:19:15. > :19:18.to help retailers across the whole of the region actually prosper, and
:19:18. > :19:23.whether that is an independent retailer or a shopping centre,
:19:23. > :19:27.everybody needs to work together. Briefly, we are hearing about the
:19:27. > :19:31.big shopping centres doing OK, people still going there,
:19:31. > :19:36.destination shopping, but do you think the humble high-street has a
:19:36. > :19:41.future, or is it dying out? It is absolutely must have. I have
:19:41. > :19:45.visited many shopping centres in the last 12 months. Birmingham is
:19:45. > :19:53.absolutely fantastic. We have to develop that more because it
:19:53. > :19:56.creates the excitement and not just cloned high streets. Thank you. On
:19:56. > :19:58.to sport and three of our rowers have made themselves favourites for
:19:58. > :20:01.Olympic gold after winning world titles over the weekend. Anna
:20:01. > :20:03.Watkins from Leek in Staffordshire triumphed in the double sculls,
:20:03. > :20:07.while there was also called for Gloucestershire's Alex Gregory in
:20:07. > :20:09.the men's four. And Zac Purchase from Tewkesbury looks a good bet to
:20:09. > :20:19.retain his Olympic crown after winning the lightweight sculls with
:20:19. > :20:22.
:20:22. > :20:30.Rugby and rugby and Worcester began life back in the Premiership with
:20:30. > :20:40.an impressive win over Sale. They were rewarded with a 17-12 win,
:20:40. > :20:41.
:20:41. > :20:44.including this try from Mark Now, a big week for clergy in
:20:44. > :20:46.Staffordshire, at least for those men of the cloth who wear
:20:46. > :20:49.cricketing whites. Bishops and reverends, ministers and lay
:20:49. > :20:52.preachers are bidding to retain the Church Times Cup, which they won
:20:52. > :20:58.last year. It is the oldest one-day cricket knockout cup competition in
:20:58. > :21:02.the world. So Ian Winter has been to meet the Lichfield Diocese team
:21:02. > :21:05.as they prepare for Thursday's cup final.
:21:05. > :21:09.In the very heart of Cannock, St Luke's Church has been a familiar
:21:09. > :21:12.landmark since 1100 AD. The Reverend Peter Hart cannot remember
:21:12. > :21:18.that far back, but he does have fond memories of his previous
:21:18. > :21:21.career as a professional footballer. But when he is not preparing for
:21:21. > :21:29.communion, the former captain of Walsall Football Club has another
:21:29. > :21:33.sporting passion. I do not talk about it a lot, to be perfectly
:21:33. > :21:39.honest, but people are interested and Maisie even surprised a little
:21:39. > :21:42.bit. -- maybe even surprised. Because the Reverend Hart is a very
:21:42. > :21:45.keen cricketer, and he is off to meet other members of the Lichfield
:21:45. > :21:55.Diocese Clergy team for their last practice match before Thursday's
:21:55. > :22:00.
:22:00. > :22:04.final. We will be doing our utmost to bring the cup back to Lichfield
:22:04. > :22:10.Diocese but again, as long as we play well as a team, we will enjoy
:22:11. > :22:19.it and we have got a chance. This restaurant has arrived just in time
:22:19. > :22:24.for the toss. He is also a Methodist superintendent and he has
:22:24. > :22:31.a good excuse for being late. doing a funeral. You would never
:22:31. > :22:36.get Andrew Strauss saying that. you would not. But you would never
:22:36. > :22:40.get in to captain this model I've! They are a very accomplished
:22:40. > :22:47.cricket team. Last year they got their name on the Church Times Cup
:22:47. > :22:52.and they are in no mood to loosen their grip on the silverware. Derek
:22:52. > :22:58.two bishops from Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury, but neither of them
:22:58. > :23:02.will be on the bench on Thursday. I understand it has not been retained
:23:02. > :23:08.for the last 20 years or so by any team, so that will be an
:23:08. > :23:14.achievement in itself. It gave a real feel-good buzz around the
:23:14. > :23:21.diocese. Do you pray before a match like this? We do not, note. But
:23:21. > :23:26.with thank God for the enjoyable game we are going to have. Do not
:23:26. > :23:30.be surprised if the game gets a mention in Sunday's sermon at St
:23:30. > :23:39.Luke's Church. Quite right, too! Let's hope it
:23:39. > :23:43.will be good weather for this. I Yes, a bit of a mish-mash of
:23:43. > :23:47.whether this week. Hopefully by the end of the week it should be
:23:47. > :23:50.warming up a little bit. It is definitely dominated by low
:23:50. > :23:58.pressure and you can see the swathes of Blue passing through and
:23:58. > :24:08.that is the rain. The wind is not - - is quite strong. One of the
:24:08. > :24:12.wetter periods this week will be tonight. This rain will be moving
:24:12. > :24:17.in by about midnight, through the early annas and you can see from
:24:17. > :24:22.the darker colour that there are quite a few in Test bus. -- the
:24:22. > :24:27.early hours. -- A few intense bursts. The wind will be
:24:28. > :24:32.strengthening as the rain heads in, so quite a wet and windy end to the
:24:32. > :24:40.night, setting us off for the day tomorrow. With in the rain moving
:24:40. > :24:46.quite quickly, by the time most of you are in -- heading into work, it
:24:47. > :24:52.will be better. Quite sunny by the afternoon. The odd shower.
:24:52. > :24:59.Temperatures rising to 17 Celsius or 18 Celsius tomorrow. It will
:24:59. > :25:04.feel cooler in the wind. Gusts of up to 35mph. For Wednesday, showers
:25:04. > :25:14.and sunshine. We have rain for Thursday, showers on Friday that
:25:14. > :25:15.
:25:15. > :25:19.temperatures will start to look up Well, of course, September is the
:25:19. > :25:22.peak time of year to pick apples, and it is a really good crop this
:25:22. > :25:25.year. Many, though, go to waste, left unpicked in suburban gardens.
:25:25. > :25:28.But a group calling itself the Urban Fruit Collective aims to end
:25:28. > :25:32.all that and it will be giving the fruit away free, as Kevin Reide has
:25:32. > :25:37.been finding out. A typical back garden in Coventry
:25:37. > :25:44.and a treat with more than enough apples to go around. -- an apple
:25:44. > :25:48.tree. Now these volunteers are harvesting them for others.
:25:48. > :25:51.next door neighbours were having their Pears picked and we saw some
:25:51. > :25:55.body in the true. They called around and saw our apples and said
:25:55. > :26:00.could they pick them if we did not use them, to give away to people
:26:00. > :26:04.who would like them. This is where they end up, added food bank in
:26:04. > :26:09.Coventry City centre. This is great. We are always looking for new
:26:09. > :26:12.sources of food and this time of year, with the harvest and fruit
:26:12. > :26:18.coming in, it is good to connect with a group willing to go out
:26:18. > :26:25.there and collect. It is developing community togetherness, saving
:26:25. > :26:30.wasted fruit and healthy vegetables as well. And helping people and
:26:30. > :26:35.sharing things out. Stopping the food going to waste. This weekend's
:26:35. > :26:39.harvest was particularly successful. From one tree alone, they were able
:26:39. > :26:44.to collect enough apples to fill seven of these boxes. For this
:26:44. > :26:49.mother and daughter, they are some of the first to benefit. She and
:26:49. > :26:55.her partner are both unemployed and reliant on food handouts. This week
:26:55. > :27:02.it relies on some of the -- it includes some of the fruit harvest.
:27:02. > :27:05.It is a good idea. It is early days yet, but with such a good harvest,
:27:05. > :27:12.help us of all ages are being drafted in. Some more willing than
:27:12. > :27:19.others. Mother has been shoving me up trees.
:27:19. > :27:22.I think she is all right! Let's take a look at the headlines. As
:27:22. > :27:25.the first free schools start the lessons, the Government insists
:27:25. > :27:29.they will not be just for the privileged few.
:27:29. > :27:36.And police were am prepared and too slow to respond to the Birmingham