:00:10. > :00:12.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today with Nick Owen and Suzanne Virdee.
:00:12. > :00:19.The headlines tonight: Unemployment in the region up again, there are
:00:19. > :00:22.10,000 more out of work than last month. We are having above average
:00:22. > :00:25.rises in unemployment and youth unemployment.
:00:25. > :00:31.Anger over plans to close 12 police stations overnight across the West
:00:31. > :00:34.Midlands. The bobby on the beat give security and peace of mind,
:00:34. > :00:37.and that is what police stations open does.
:00:37. > :00:39.Hundreds of passengers stranded on the way home from India as an
:00:39. > :00:42.airline's hit by cash problems.. And how the authorities changed
:00:42. > :00:52.their minds, so Matthew can live with his family now his home's been
:00:52. > :01:01.
:01:01. > :01:04.Good evening, welcome to Wednesday's programme. Tonight,
:01:04. > :01:08.unemployment in the region rises again. It's now equivalent to the
:01:08. > :01:11.entire population of Stoke-on-Trent being out of work. The new figures
:01:11. > :01:14.show that a total of 234,000 people are jobless in the West Midlands.
:01:14. > :01:17.That's up by 10,000 on the previous total, meaning that 8.9% of the
:01:17. > :01:20.working population here is currently out of work - higher than
:01:20. > :01:22.the national average. Today's figures also show more than 50,000
:01:22. > :01:32.young people are claiming jobseeker's allowance. Cath Mackie
:01:32. > :01:37.
:01:37. > :01:40.She's 22, was unemployed for a year and has just got a job. On a day of
:01:40. > :01:46.economic gloom, Jenna Webster is one of the lucky ones, having
:01:46. > :01:56.suffered countless rejections. couldn't find work and I absolutely
:01:56. > :01:59.hated it. I sent CVs to everywhere that needed people to work there. I
:01:59. > :02:03.applied with telephone interviews and heard nothing back. Jenna's one
:02:03. > :02:05.of 30 people taken on by the Accord Housing Group at a new factory in
:02:05. > :02:08.Walsall making timber framed homes for social housing projects. Her
:02:08. > :02:10.success has added to a slight fall in the numbers of 18-24-year-olds
:02:10. > :02:20.in the West Midlands claiming jobseeker's allowance from 54,000
:02:20. > :02:23.to 53,000. The competition for jobs is intense.
:02:23. > :02:29.When they held a recruitment open day here at the Beechdale factory
:02:29. > :02:33.people were queuing round the block. In all, 180 applied for work.
:02:33. > :02:37.did not surprise me that we have had their industrial structural
:02:37. > :02:40.decline over many decades so there is a very high level of
:02:40. > :02:43.unemployment amongst traditional breadwinners. So where will future
:02:43. > :02:46.employment come from? An ambitious commitment was made today of
:02:46. > :02:51.100,000 jobs in the region's private sector by 2020, fronted by
:02:51. > :02:55.Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership. One of the
:02:55. > :02:59.things we are doing is really using our world connections to look at
:02:59. > :03:03.how we can create opportunities for Birmingham businesses in the new
:03:03. > :03:07.world economy and help us move forward, away from the problems
:03:07. > :03:09.that Europe has at the moment. Hopes of more work would be
:03:09. > :03:16.welcomed here. At Walsall's job centre, many were making their
:03:16. > :03:21.regular visit. I have been working since I was 18, got a good CV, a
:03:21. > :03:26.lot of good career history and there is nothing out there. You
:03:26. > :03:31.have been 21 and out of work for how long? Three years. In and out
:03:31. > :03:34.of work for years. What is it like? Horrible, no money. For we have got
:03:34. > :03:40.to do is to get through to people that if you're not skilled, frankly
:03:40. > :03:43.you have got a real problem and that is the key to the West
:03:43. > :03:45.Midlands employment success. And for some, at least there are
:03:45. > :03:48.positive headlines. Jaguar Land Rover's taking on 1,000 extra
:03:48. > :03:51.people in the next few months. Monarch Airlines are hiring 200
:03:51. > :03:53.more staff at Birmingham Airport, while Poundland based near Walsall
:03:53. > :04:03.are hiring 2,000 people nationwide for Christmas. So more jobs are
:04:03. > :04:03.
:04:03. > :04:09.being created but just not as many Our business correspondent Peter
:04:09. > :04:11.Plisner joins us now. We've had more than 1,000 jobs created at
:04:11. > :04:16.Jaguar Land Rover and Birmingham Airport but unemployment is still
:04:16. > :04:20.rising, why is that? The simply fact is that more jobs are being
:04:20. > :04:22.lost than are created at the moment. But there are some new jobs out
:04:22. > :04:28.there. The latest figures show that manufacturing jobs have increased
:04:28. > :04:36.by 5% equal to around 15,000 jobs across the West Midlands. But
:04:36. > :04:38.there's a lot of people seeking work. It's been estimated that on
:04:38. > :04:43.average, there are around seven applicants chasing each vacancy.
:04:43. > :04:46.Often there are a lot more than that. You've been looking at the
:04:46. > :04:50.detail behind the figures, is there any better news there? Every month
:04:50. > :04:58.we see a whole raft of statistics published, many of which never see
:04:58. > :05:01.the light of day. Some interest facts from today's release show
:05:01. > :05:04.that between March and June this year, 111,000 public sector workers
:05:04. > :05:07.lost their jobs across the UK but during the same period only 41,000
:05:07. > :05:10.private sector jobs were created. Bad news for the Government which
:05:10. > :05:20.had hoped the private sector would re-employ those losing their jobs
:05:20. > :05:22.
:05:22. > :05:24.in the public sector. What everyone will want to know is this - is
:05:24. > :05:27.there any suggestion we're through the worst or is unemployment likely
:05:27. > :05:30.to continue rising? The straight answer is most expect unemployment
:05:30. > :05:33.to continue to get worse. More public sector jobs will be lost and
:05:33. > :05:36.there are still no real signs of strong recovery. Only today, the
:05:36. > :05:42.Bank of England said the UK's economic outlook has worsened and
:05:42. > :05:45.the economy could stagnate until the middle of next year.
:05:45. > :05:47.There's growing unease this evening over plans to close a dozen police
:05:47. > :05:54.stations overnight. West Midlands Police say they're hoping to save
:05:54. > :05:57.�2 million by reducing station opening hours. But just 48 hours
:05:57. > :06:00.into a two-week consultation period, there's increasing criticism at the
:06:00. > :06:06.information available to the public. Joan Cummins joins us now from West
:06:06. > :06:11.Midlands Police Headquarters in Birmingham. What more can you tell
:06:11. > :06:14.us? You will remember that West Midlands Police have got to save
:06:14. > :06:18.�126 million so they really have to pull in their belts. The way they
:06:18. > :06:23.said they would do this is by restructuring. This is one of the
:06:23. > :06:26.first schemes we have heard which will involve closing police
:06:26. > :06:28.stations overnight. There was horror in the summer when
:06:28. > :06:32.Handsworth Police Station in Birmingham was targeted by rioters.
:06:32. > :06:34.Now it's found itself on a list of 12 police stations across the
:06:34. > :06:44.region that have been earmarked for reduced opening hours - basically
:06:44. > :06:49.closed overnight. We absolutely know that when people are in
:06:49. > :06:56.trouble, they want to go to a police station and when there are
:06:56. > :07:01.changes, there will still be things that can summon us out. If this was
:07:01. > :07:04.to go ahead, it would mean that there were 11 police stations open
:07:04. > :07:11.24 hours a day within 12 miles of anybody living within the region.
:07:11. > :07:14.They also say that neither West Mercia Bob or Warwickshire has any
:07:14. > :07:17.24/7 police stations and they should say -- they say that
:07:17. > :07:22.Staffordshire only has one. The controversy over this document has
:07:22. > :07:27.arisen because the police authorities and self have not seen
:07:27. > :07:32.the plan that the police want to impose. I recognise the police have
:07:32. > :07:36.a responsibility to consult in broad terms. My concern is the
:07:36. > :07:39.detail of the letter that is in the public domain is not shared with
:07:39. > :07:42.the police authority in advance. Over the last two years, the
:07:42. > :07:49.opening hours of Quinton Police Station were gradually reduced
:07:49. > :07:55.until it was finally closed in September. The fate many fear it
:07:55. > :07:59.will be repeated elsewhere. Police stations built up in the mind of
:07:59. > :08:03.people served by the police, their security. It is like a safety
:08:03. > :08:07.blanket. Father Seamus Hetherington is
:08:07. > :08:13.disappointed at cuts to the police. As a resident of Quinton he was
:08:13. > :08:16.burgled three times in as many weeks while he slept. The one thing
:08:16. > :08:21.I think they should not have cut back on his police because it means
:08:21. > :08:26.people are less protected and they have to be more on their guard
:08:26. > :08:30.especially for a old people and they realise that there is no
:08:30. > :08:33.protection on the street for them. The force say they do want feedback
:08:33. > :08:40.but with a reduced budget, they're simply trying to stay as effective
:08:40. > :08:45.and efficient as possible. Many of the shire forces have been
:08:45. > :08:49.down this road and people watching this will save they do not have a
:08:49. > :08:53.police station but as one person told me today, this is the second
:08:53. > :08:58.city, it is a major city and it does need coverage. West Midlands
:08:58. > :09:03.police say that they do want to hear the public's feedback on this
:09:03. > :09:06.decision and they are hoping to implement it in January but the
:09:06. > :09:11.police authority said they want to know more details before they are
:09:11. > :09:13.prepared to agree with these Staff at BBC Birmingham have been
:09:13. > :09:17.demonstrating against plans to close factual programmes and cut
:09:17. > :09:20.radio departments at the Mailbox. The proposals are part of the BBC's
:09:20. > :09:23.aim to make 20% savings from its budget over the next five years. If
:09:23. > :09:31.the plans go through, it will mean shows such as Countryfile and Coast
:09:31. > :09:33.will be moved to Bristol next year. Two of our biggest local
:09:33. > :09:37.authorities have revealed this afternoon that their spending cuts
:09:37. > :09:39.will have to go even deeper than they'd originally thought. Stoke-
:09:39. > :09:44.on-Trent and Shropshire councils have both missed the targets set
:09:44. > :09:53.out under the Government's funding formula. Our political editor
:09:53. > :09:57.Patrick Burns joins us now from the newsroom. What's gone wrong? Rather
:09:57. > :10:00.than saying what has gone wrong, it shows how difficult it is to budget
:10:00. > :10:03.for large unitary authorities like Stoke and Shropshire which offer
:10:03. > :10:07.the full range of local services, they are large and complex
:10:07. > :10:12.organisations and budgeting for them is frankly anything but exact
:10:12. > :10:17.science. The leader of Shropshire Council blames the higher-than-
:10:17. > :10:20.expected inflation figures and of course there are the extra costs
:10:20. > :10:24.associated with the settlement that was agreed with the unions over the
:10:24. > :10:28.revised terms and conditions of their workforce. You will recall
:10:28. > :10:35.this was the subject of a long, drawn-out campaign of strikes and
:10:35. > :10:41.other industrial action earlier in the year. But to confirm the exact
:10:41. > :10:46.figures, Shropshire has to find an extra �9.5 million of savings to
:10:46. > :10:51.hit an overall target of �85.5 million. And then step they had set
:10:51. > :10:58.themselves a target of �36 million of savings, and have to find an
:10:58. > :11:02.What will they cut now? Shropshire say they will not make hundreds of
:11:02. > :11:07.people redundant and they will go as far as they possibly can to
:11:07. > :11:12.protect and preserve all essential frontline services and they are
:11:12. > :11:15.talking about restructuring, greater co-operation with local
:11:15. > :11:21.authorities and with outside organisations and both councils say
:11:21. > :11:25.the measures will bring their budgets on course. To thank you.
:11:25. > :11:32.There's more on that on BBC Radio Shropshire tomorrow morning. The
:11:32. > :11:36.leader of the Council and the leader of Labour group will be on
:11:36. > :11:38.there. Later in tonight's programme,
:11:38. > :11:41.bouncing into town - you can see the world's best trampolinists in
:11:41. > :11:44.Birmingham this week. Hundreds of passengers who've
:11:44. > :11:47.travelled to India have been left stranded by their airline. The
:11:47. > :11:51.Austrian airline Comtel Air began cheap flights from Birmingham
:11:51. > :11:56.Airport to Amritsar via Vienna just last month. The airline found its
:11:56. > :11:58.weekend service so popular it began Friday flights as well. But
:11:58. > :12:01.passengers coming back to Birmingham have experienced
:12:01. > :12:11.problems with some asked to hand over cash in Vienna after the
:12:11. > :12:12.
:12:12. > :12:15.airline said it couldn't fund the last leg home. Our reporter Giles
:12:15. > :12:24.Latcham joins us now from Birmingham Airport. What do we know
:12:24. > :12:29.about Comtel? The service was successful but they have run into
:12:29. > :12:31.many difficulties. Many tickets were bought, we went down to
:12:31. > :12:35.Smethwick today and they were besieged, police had to be called
:12:36. > :12:39.to keep the peace. The phone was ringing permanently, not a problem
:12:39. > :12:48.of the travel agents, they were dealing with the aftermath. A
:12:48. > :12:52.succession of customers not very happy a -- at all. We spoke to
:12:52. > :12:55.people who said the company and the airline has run out of cash and you
:12:55. > :13:01.have to stamp out of your own pocket if you want to get to
:13:01. > :13:06.Birmingham. How many people are stranded abroad then? It seems that
:13:06. > :13:10.at this stage there are about 600 and we wonder if that there may be
:13:10. > :13:14.more than that, many are elderly and have a medical conditions, many
:13:14. > :13:18.need to get home and run businesses, so a lot of stress everywhere. A
:13:18. > :13:22.lot of attempts to contact Comtel Air have failed. We have been in
:13:22. > :13:25.touch with the airport and they say they have no jurisdiction because
:13:25. > :13:29.Comtel Air are Austrian and they cannot stop them operating flights,
:13:29. > :13:33.they are deeply concerned for the passengers and their relatives and
:13:33. > :13:37.they are investigating as a matter of agency. The Foreign Office are
:13:37. > :13:41.familiar with the situation and so they are providing consular support
:13:41. > :13:44.to their stranded in India but they say at this stage, the best advice
:13:45. > :13:51.probably is to get in touch with your travel agent or tour operator.
:13:51. > :13:54.You saw the pictures in Smethwick, it is not an easy matter.
:13:54. > :13:57.A 49-year-old man has been remanded in custody charged with the kidnap
:13:57. > :13:59.and sexual assault of a 10-year-old boy in Oldbury. Michael Jackson,
:13:59. > :14:03.from Oldbury, appeared before Warley magistrates following the
:14:03. > :14:05.alleged kidnapping on Sunday morning. He is also charged with
:14:05. > :14:12.child abduction in connection with a separate allegation involving a
:14:12. > :14:15.11-year-old girl back in September. A van driver's been describing how
:14:15. > :14:19.two brothers, killed during the August riots, helped him the night
:14:19. > :14:23.before they died. He'd been attacked and robbed and needed to
:14:23. > :14:27.get to hospital. Shahzad Ali and Abdul Musavir were killed by a car
:14:27. > :14:30.in Winson Green in Birmingham the following day. The brothers' family
:14:30. > :14:34.have also been speaking about their grief and how proud they are of
:14:34. > :14:38.them. Our special correspondent, Peter Wilson reports.
:14:38. > :14:44.Three months ago the country held its breath as three young men were
:14:44. > :14:48.killed during the August riots. Haroon Jahan, Shahzad Ali and Abdul
:14:48. > :14:50.Musavir died while protecting businesses in Winson Green. Their
:14:50. > :15:00.deaths, instead of sparking violence in Birmingham, saw peace
:15:00. > :15:02.
:15:02. > :15:08.Summer has faded and so have the flowers but the men who died here
:15:08. > :15:11.will always be remembered. How a man how has come forward that two
:15:11. > :15:18.brothers, Shahzad Ali and Abdul Musavir, came to his rescue when he
:15:18. > :15:24.was injured during the riots. A van driver has now told the family how
:15:24. > :15:30.both brothers aided him the day before they died. They took me to
:15:30. > :15:38.the police station and then the police called the ambulance.
:15:38. > :15:44.van had been stolen and he'd been dragged out and beaten. My face was
:15:44. > :15:50.leading and Abdul Musavir helped me wash my face. This week he met the
:15:50. > :15:54.older brother for the first time. It was nice to see him coming to
:15:54. > :16:04.the car-wash and saying thanks. Knowing that my brothers went to
:16:04. > :16:05.
:16:05. > :16:11.that extent in the late night after hours was good. To lose one son is
:16:11. > :16:15.hard, Ghazanfar Ali's family have lost two. We have had lots of help
:16:15. > :16:20.from the communities, we have had prayers in the mosques, churches,
:16:20. > :16:26.gurdwaras. Their prayers are helping us come through this.
:16:26. > :16:34.is hope ahead. There is hope ahead. Shahzad Ali's wife was pregnant
:16:34. > :16:39.when he died. It is depressing that the child will never get to know
:16:39. > :16:45.his uncle or father but I said to my sister in law, we will always be
:16:45. > :16:52.here for Hugh. The brothers grew up together and also worked together.
:16:52. > :16:56.And you can read more detail about that on the BBC Birmingham website.
:16:56. > :16:59.A severely disabled man who's had to live away from his family for a
:16:59. > :17:01.year, has at last been allowed to return home. A row over funding for
:17:01. > :17:04.specialist care meant Matthew Leadbitter had to stay in
:17:04. > :17:09.residential care, 30 miles away from his parents who've looked
:17:09. > :17:12.after him all his life. More now from Bob Hockenhull.
:17:12. > :17:15.Back at last in the only home he's shared with his parents all his 34
:17:15. > :17:23.years. Matthew Leadbitter has the life-limiting condition Duchenne
:17:23. > :17:26.muscular dystrophy. But this was Matthew when we filmed him in May
:17:26. > :17:33.in residential care 30 miles away from his home in Bedworth near
:17:33. > :17:38.Coventry, desperate to come home. don't like it really, I would like
:17:39. > :17:44.to go home. That is where I need to be, I think. Now after a year, he
:17:44. > :17:50.has got his wish. I want to be home with my family, really. I feel a
:17:50. > :17:54.lot better here mentally. It was a very, very long time to be a wave.
:17:54. > :18:01.You can't imagine. A year does not sound very long but when it is your
:18:01. > :18:04.own son away from it all that time, it is wrenching. Matthew developed
:18:04. > :18:07.pneumonia last November. He needed a tracheotomy to help him breathe.
:18:07. > :18:17.It meant he needed specialist care at home. But his parents were told
:18:17. > :18:19.
:18:19. > :18:26.it wasn't available. It has been tough for Matthew not been at home
:18:26. > :18:29.but tough for his parents as well have coughed up 10,000 miles --
:18:29. > :18:32.clocked up 10,000 miles to visit him.
:18:32. > :18:36.They have won a carer of the year award as the campaign has resulted
:18:36. > :18:42.in NHS Warwickshire providing the specialist care needed. But they
:18:42. > :18:46.say they know people in other areas who have struggled for the funding.
:18:47. > :18:50.There must be a postcode lottery, different Primary Care Trust
:18:50. > :18:54.allocating how they spend their Budge. But the Primary Care Trust
:18:54. > :18:59.insist Matthew would have been treated the same wherever he lived.
:18:59. > :19:03.There is no postcode lottery. We work within a department of health
:19:03. > :19:08.framework which has eradicated that. We had to get the package of care
:19:08. > :19:18.correct and make sure it was safe. Whatever the arguments, at least
:19:18. > :19:21.Matthew is now back with his parents that he loves.
:19:21. > :19:23.We're joined from London now by the chief Executive of the Muscular
:19:23. > :19:26.Dystrophy Campaign, Robert Meadowcroft. Thanks for joining us.
:19:26. > :19:33.The PCT denies this was originally a case of postcode lottery, what do
:19:33. > :19:37.you say? We are firstly really pleased that Matthew is back home.
:19:37. > :19:41.On the postcode lottery thing, we are all aware that 30 miles away
:19:41. > :19:45.another man in a similar condition who had the same operation returned
:19:45. > :19:50.home to his parents and did not have a year away in expensive care
:19:50. > :19:54.so on the evidence, there appears to be a postcode lottery.
:19:54. > :19:59.difficult is it for your campaign at the moment was but we face real
:19:59. > :20:04.pressures. We do not get any grant or funding. Our support for
:20:04. > :20:08.families like the Leadbitters, eight times as many cases so
:20:08. > :20:11.resources are stretched and rely on our supporters to support us
:20:11. > :20:15.through this. At the same time you have to be mindful that charities
:20:15. > :20:18.have to make the difficult decision between varying debilitating
:20:18. > :20:22.conditions, they cannot please everyone? Yes indeed, these are
:20:22. > :20:27.difficult times indeed but specialist care saves lives and
:20:27. > :20:32.money as well. Here's a case where a man wanted to go home to his
:20:32. > :20:42.parents to provide a support package and it must be better all-
:20:42. > :20:44.
:20:44. > :20:47.round including financially. Of all the Olympic sports coming to
:20:47. > :20:51.Britain next year, trampolining is one of the crowd pullers. And this
:20:51. > :20:53.week some of our top gymnasts have the chance to secure their place at
:20:53. > :20:56.London 2012. The World Trampoline Championships start tomorrow, at
:20:56. > :20:58.the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. Ian Winter's been to
:20:58. > :21:01.watch today's final practice session.
:21:01. > :21:08.If your kids fancy a trampoline for Christmas, this is where they might
:21:08. > :21:13.end up. We are the British trampoline team and we love
:21:13. > :21:16.Birmingham! So watch and learn from the very best in the business. Over
:21:16. > :21:20.there, that's Kat on the mat. And she's about to leap 30 feet in the
:21:20. > :21:27.air to show you exactly what it takes to become the world number
:21:27. > :21:30.one. I have always feared that if somebody told you how high that is,
:21:31. > :21:33.you would think about it too much so I just get on and jump.
:21:34. > :21:39.Over the next four days, Kat is competing alongside more than 600
:21:39. > :21:42.of the world's finest trampoline gymnasts. I am Emily Smith from
:21:42. > :21:52.Canada. This week, Birmingham is the focal
:21:52. > :21:52.
:21:52. > :22:02.point of their trampoline dream. 47 nations from Algeria to Uzbekistan.
:22:02. > :22:05.
:22:05. > :22:08.Hopefully this will encourage people to visit Birmingham in the
:22:08. > :22:16.future so it is important to get that her a bath.
:22:16. > :22:21.Cygnet made its trampolining debut for the Olympics. -- trampolining
:22:21. > :22:24.was debuted in Sydney. These girls have been doing fantastic. We have
:22:24. > :22:29.had different goals in the top eight in all the World Cups this
:22:29. > :22:31.year so it could be any one of us who goes to the games it makes it
:22:31. > :22:34.exciting for us. And when the World Championships
:22:34. > :22:44.end on Sunday, 1,200 juniors will bounce into Birmingham next week.
:22:44. > :22:49.
:22:49. > :22:53.British trampolining is clearly on That is slightly impressive, do not
:22:53. > :22:57.try that on your garden trampoline. A school says help from BBC
:22:57. > :23:00.Children In Need has proved to be vital in allowing it to continue
:23:00. > :23:03.its work educating children who need extra help to learn. In the
:23:03. > :23:06.past year the charity has given more than �2 million to good causes
:23:06. > :23:09.in this region. As Joanne Malin reports, some of that money is
:23:09. > :23:11.being used to help children, who might otherwise drop out of school,
:23:11. > :23:19.stay in education. Some of the pupils from Mount
:23:19. > :23:25.Gilbert School in Telford on an summer activities course. The idea
:23:25. > :23:29.is to build relationships, positive relationships with staff and that
:23:29. > :23:32.has a knock-on effect when they go back to school in September.
:23:32. > :23:35.Mount Gilbert is a secondary school for pupils with behaviourial and
:23:35. > :23:38.emotional difficulties from across Shropshire. These problems mean
:23:38. > :23:46.mainstream school are out of the question and most holiday schemes
:23:46. > :23:50.are inappropriate too. In the last three years, we have not had to
:23:50. > :23:56.worry about looking elsewhere for funding, we have been able to say
:23:56. > :23:58.the money is there. And then we have booked activities. About 46 of
:23:58. > :24:01.the students here... 14-year-old Tom, my guide today,
:24:01. > :24:03.used to hate school, but he's really flourished since he's been
:24:04. > :24:13.at Mount Gilbert and he loved the holiday activities funded by
:24:14. > :24:15.
:24:15. > :24:18.Children In Need too. It was fun. I have never known a better
:24:18. > :24:21.experience in a boat. Staff at Mount Gilbert are trying hard to
:24:21. > :24:24.teach some of the hardest children to educate and with the money from
:24:24. > :24:34.Children In Need that teaching can continue during the long school
:24:34. > :24:39.holidays. For Children In Need to donate the weeks they have donated
:24:39. > :24:44.to the school for Thomas, that has made a big difference in his life
:24:44. > :24:50.because he is able to go out and chat with other children during the
:24:50. > :25:00.summer. What I say to anybody that donates his thank you. It is the
:25:00. > :25:01.
:25:01. > :25:04.Great stuff. Money does really go to good causes.
:25:04. > :25:07.And Joanne will be presenting BBC Children In Need night from this
:25:07. > :25:10.region this Friday, here on BBC One. There're all sorts of fundraising
:25:10. > :25:12.going on this week, including this. Last night hundreds of you joined
:25:13. > :25:15.in with a special sing-along screening of the film Grease, at
:25:15. > :25:22.cinemas in Shrewsbury, Birmingham and Cheltenham. The night was
:25:22. > :25:25.hosted by BBC Local Radio. And if you're raising money for
:25:25. > :25:35.Pudsey, then please tell us all about it. You can send us details
:25:35. > :25:44.
:25:44. > :25:48.Not long before we are lifted out into the sunshine and tomorrow will
:25:48. > :25:52.be a turning point. It is looking good for Children In Need and the
:25:52. > :25:56.weekend is not bad either. Before that, the small matter of getting
:25:56. > :26:01.through some rain working its way in from the West. It will we
:26:01. > :26:06.headiest in the west of the region but you can see as it moves
:26:06. > :26:14.eastward, it weakened significantly. You may not get any at all in the
:26:14. > :26:18.east of the region tonight. We will be left with mist in its wake
:26:18. > :26:25.because of the underlying moisture but it is also quite mild with the
:26:25. > :26:28.cloud and the rain, temperatures a minimum of seven degrees. By the
:26:28. > :26:32.time those in the West wake up tomorrow morning, some glorious
:26:32. > :26:36.sunshine will be there. That will dig into eastern parts through the
:26:36. > :26:42.morning and into the afternoon soap really a cracking day for November.
:26:42. > :26:46.Temperatures between 11-13 Celsius in sunspot so quite mild for the
:26:46. > :26:49.time of year. That is a combination of the sunshine but also the south-
:26:49. > :26:53.westerly winds dragging in drier air and helping to break up the
:26:53. > :26:57.cloud. Tomorrow night we have got the cloud thickening again from the
:26:57. > :27:00.West, that will be ahead of another band of rain which will friends
:27:01. > :27:06.into western parts but getting their further than Birmingham. That
:27:06. > :27:08.dies away by Friday morning, a bit grey to start with but it will be
:27:08. > :27:15.dry for the day and the sunshine breaking through during the
:27:15. > :27:19.afternoon. And the weekend also A look at tonight's main headlines:
:27:19. > :27:22.A record number of young people are out of work raising fears of a lost
:27:22. > :27:29.generation. And here in the Midlands the number of people out
:27:29. > :27:32.of work rose by 10,000 to 234,000. That's all from us this evening,