:00:04. > :00:06.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today, with Nick Owen and Suzanne Virdee.
:00:06. > :00:10.The headlines tonight: Computer hackers signed up by
:00:10. > :00:13.defence chiefs to fight crime in cyberspace. People really need to
:00:13. > :00:17.be a lot more aware of what they're doing with information and what
:00:17. > :00:21.they're putting out on the web. Jail for the car-clampers who
:00:21. > :00:24.conned motorists out of half a million pounds. They caused a lot
:00:24. > :00:27.of misery, much like drug dealers, and I think they got off very
:00:27. > :00:32.lightly with their sentences. Beleaguered emergency services urge
:00:32. > :00:35.people to think twice before calling 999 or going to A&E.
:00:35. > :00:45.And why pupils from 100 schools are taking it in turns to canoe along
:00:45. > :00:51.
:00:52. > :00:56.Good evening and welcome to Tuesday's Midlands Today, from the
:00:56. > :00:59.BBC. Tonight, the computer hackers being employed to fight cyber crime.
:00:59. > :01:02.They're working in a so-called dirty lab, the first of its kind in
:01:03. > :01:07.the country, which has been set up at the request of the Government
:01:07. > :01:10.and its listening service, GCHQ. Their job is to infect computer
:01:10. > :01:14.systems in a controlled environment to find out how better to protect
:01:14. > :01:19.the public. The growing internet crimewave is costing the country an
:01:19. > :01:22.estimated �27 billion a year. In this exclusive report, Cath Mackie
:01:22. > :01:27.examines how cyber crime, once a work of fiction, is now a dangerous
:01:27. > :01:37.reality. Sherlock Holmes, face-to-face with
:01:37. > :01:42.his nemesis and arch cyber criminal Moriarty. I can open any door
:01:42. > :01:48.anywhere with a few tiny lines of computer code. No such thing as a
:01:48. > :01:52.private bank account now. I own secrecy! Moriarty's boast is part
:01:52. > :01:55.of the BBC drama, but the threat he portrays is a reality. And this is
:01:56. > :02:03.the place where fiction meets fact. Malvern in Worcestershire where, 75
:02:03. > :02:10.years ago, scientists invented radar to fight the Nazis. But in
:02:10. > :02:15.the 21st century, we have a new battle. And in this room in Malvern
:02:15. > :02:19.Science Park they are fighting the cyber war. This is the frontline. A
:02:19. > :02:21.dirty lab, the first of its kind in the country. So-called ethical
:02:21. > :02:26.hackers like Ruari Douglas break into computer systems to work out
:02:26. > :02:34.how businesses can be better protected. So, legally you hatch
:02:34. > :02:39.into systems? Yes. How easy is it? It depends. It can be as simple as
:02:39. > :02:42.three lines of code. That is very shocking? It is. The first time I
:02:42. > :02:45.came across it, I was gobsmacked. Six cyber security firms from
:02:45. > :02:48.Worcestershire and Herefordshire have joined forces to build the lab
:02:48. > :02:54.at the request of the Government and its listening service, GCHQ, in
:02:54. > :02:59.Cheltenham. We can make it look like your office or the Office of
:02:59. > :03:04.somebody else with the image of your service. -- server. We can
:03:04. > :03:06.then attacked it as a hostile agency might do, or a hacker.
:03:07. > :03:09.fear is that not enough small businesses in particular take the
:03:09. > :03:13.threat of cyber crime seriously, or believe they're immune. The
:03:13. > :03:16.statistics refute that belief. The Government estimates cyber crime is
:03:16. > :03:20.costing the UK �27 billion a year in lost revenue, while two thirds
:03:20. > :03:27.of businesses that fall victim to hackers go bust in the same year.
:03:27. > :03:33.So how do you find the hackers prepared to work for the good guys?
:03:33. > :03:39.On our website, you have to do a fairly simple hack but we won't
:03:39. > :03:43.talk to you unless you do that. If you do that, we give you a unique
:03:44. > :03:49.reference number and it is, give us a clue that you have the right Thai
:03:49. > :03:54.mindset. Is it tempting to go to the dockside? No. But can you
:03:54. > :03:59.understand why people do? Yes. It is a world of the permission freely
:03:59. > :04:04.available that people think is a cure but isn't. -- world of
:04:04. > :04:08.information. People need to be very aware of the have the measure and
:04:08. > :04:11.they are putting out there on to the web. The dirty lab consolidates
:04:11. > :04:15.Malvern's place at the centre of a growing cyber valley - an area of
:04:15. > :04:18.expertise in online security. Their job will be to stay one step ahead
:04:18. > :04:20.of the cyber criminals. Joining us now from our Westminster
:04:20. > :04:24.studio is the MP for West Worcestershire, Harriet Baldwin.
:04:24. > :04:34.How important is it for an area like Malvern to be chosen as the
:04:34. > :04:35.
:04:35. > :04:41.location for this lab? Of course, it was Winston Churchill back in
:04:42. > :04:46.the Second World War who moved the Ministry of Defence secret service
:04:46. > :04:52.to Malvern. Many of these firms specialise in a side of defence and
:04:52. > :04:56.it is a great location to be located. -- specialise in cyber
:04:56. > :04:58.defence. We have these brilliant brains who know a lot about cyber
:04:58. > :05:06.security. But these small businesses aren't exactly created
:05:06. > :05:10.thousands of jobs? It is a growth area and I think it is very
:05:10. > :05:14.exciting to see both the Government is spending a lot of money in this
:05:14. > :05:17.area, but as your report highlighted, it is also small
:05:17. > :05:21.businesses needing to protect themselves more and more in terms
:05:21. > :05:26.of the business they do online. It is estimated that two-thirds of
:05:26. > :05:30.those businesses hacked go out of business. If you have an online
:05:30. > :05:34.platform and you don't think you are at risk, then you really need
:05:34. > :05:38.to have another good, long hard look at that. Do you think we are
:05:39. > :05:43.behind? I think we are at the cutting edge. What you have seen
:05:43. > :05:47.there shows how the area is leading the way in this and I think it is
:05:47. > :05:51.something we will see grow very rapidly. And we need to be at the
:05:51. > :05:57.cutting edge because if you are not, the bad guys are! Thank you very
:05:58. > :06:01.much. And you can hear more about the
:06:01. > :06:03.work at this special cyber lab and what it means for the area on BBC
:06:03. > :06:07.Hereford and Worcester from 7am tomorrow morning.
:06:07. > :06:17.Still to come this evening... Shame! Shame on you! Protesters
:06:17. > :06:17.
:06:17. > :06:21.tackle farming delegates over Five members of a rogue car-
:06:21. > :06:24.clamping company have been jailed. The judge at Worcester Crown Court
:06:24. > :06:27.said they'd milked the public out of at least �500,000. The court was
:06:27. > :06:29.told that the scam targeted vulnerable motorists across the
:06:29. > :06:34.Midlands, from Nuneaton to Cheltenham, and became a licence to
:06:34. > :06:39.print money. The problem was first uncovered during an investigation
:06:39. > :06:41.by BBC Inside Out in the Midlands, as Joan Cummins reports.
:06:41. > :06:46.Redditch-based Midlands Parking Contracts was investigated on a
:06:46. > :06:48.number of occassions by the BBC's Inside Out programme. Between 2006
:06:48. > :06:55.and 2009, the operators developed an unsympathetic and aggressive
:06:55. > :07:01.approach to vulnerable motorists. Often obscuring signage, they'd
:07:01. > :07:04.wait for someone to park, clamp them and demand a �125 release fee.
:07:04. > :07:14.Then they'd demand a cancellation fee for the tow truck of another
:07:14. > :07:16.
:07:16. > :07:20.�175. Total amount - �300 in cash to the clampers. Worcester Crown
:07:20. > :07:25.Court heard how legitimate campaign businesses are regarded as a
:07:25. > :07:32.necessary evil, just like the taxman, however, in this case, GCHQ
:07:32. > :07:35.started to milk the public, ripping off motorists for cash. -- n c p
:07:35. > :07:38.started to melt the public. Hundreds of motorists complained to
:07:38. > :07:41.police and Trading Standards about their treatment at the hands of MCP.
:07:41. > :07:45.Helen Mays' experience was typical. The money was snatched from my hand,
:07:45. > :07:51.thumbed through and counted on the bonnet. Very rude, very aggressive
:07:51. > :07:54.and very intimidating. You know, I was just traumatised. Andrew
:07:54. > :07:57.Minshull was the main man of the operation. His then partner, Debbie
:07:57. > :08:00.Worton, used an alias to fob off motorists when they tried to
:08:00. > :08:02.complain. Simon Barry was the firm's negotitaor and Christopher
:08:02. > :08:08.Cartwright and Faisal Qadeer were the frontline operatives who
:08:08. > :08:12.targeted the vulnerable. Some people have had to walk out because
:08:12. > :08:19.they still feel very aggrieved at how they were treated and how
:08:20. > :08:26.things turned out for them. And they do feel that they were "as if
:08:26. > :08:30.somebody had put on a mask and rob them". They are one step down from
:08:30. > :08:34.drug dealers. That is my view. They cause misery in their own way, as
:08:34. > :08:36.drug dealers to. All the defendents pleaded guility to conspiracy to
:08:36. > :08:39.defraud and received prison sentences of between 12 and 32
:08:39. > :08:41.months each. This case has highlighed calls for a change in
:08:41. > :08:47.the law on legislating clampers. shouldn't be allowed. Most cities
:08:47. > :08:50.have their own traffic wardens. It should be done properly through
:08:50. > :08:54.those people and not this hugely extortionate way of dealing with
:08:54. > :08:57.this issue. A sixth man will be sentenced within the next few weeks,
:08:57. > :09:01.whilst all those convicted face paying thousands of pounds back
:09:01. > :09:04.under the proceeds of crime. The son of a teacher who was killed
:09:04. > :09:07.in a coach crash in France has thanked people for their kind
:09:07. > :09:09.tributes. Peter Rippington died after the bus carrying pupils from
:09:09. > :09:14.Alvechurch Middle School in Worcestershire crashed as it
:09:14. > :09:17.returned from a skiing trip. In a statement, Max Rippington also said
:09:17. > :09:20.he was delighted to be reunited with his mother and sister, who
:09:20. > :09:25.survived the accident. The coach driver, 47-year-old Derek Thompson,
:09:25. > :09:29.has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
:09:29. > :09:31.Police have been given another 36 hours to question a man being held
:09:31. > :09:36.on suspicion of murdering the retired Worcestershire teacher
:09:36. > :09:40.Betty Yates. She was found dead at her cottage near Bewdley last month.
:09:40. > :09:43.47-year-old Stephen Farrow was arrested on Friday. He's also being
:09:43. > :09:46.questioned in connection with the murder of the Reverend John
:09:46. > :09:50.Suddards, who was found stabbed at his vicarage in Thornbury in
:09:50. > :09:53.Gloucestershire last week. Angry scenes at the National
:09:53. > :09:56.Farmers' Union meeting in Birmingham today, as delegates were
:09:56. > :10:00.confronted by protesters against plans for a badger cull here in the
:10:00. > :10:03.Midlands. Farmers say the move is essential to control the spread of
:10:03. > :10:05.bovine TB, a disease that now costs millions of pounds a year to
:10:05. > :10:12.control, as our environment correspondent, David Gregory,
:10:12. > :10:22.reports. Pro-badger, anti-cull and very
:10:22. > :10:22.
:10:23. > :10:28.angry. We are here to make the Government listen to the majority
:10:28. > :10:33.of people who want an alternative to culling. There are one of our
:10:33. > :10:38.best-loved animals and we think it's wrong to just shoot them.
:10:38. > :10:46.do you hope to achieve here today? Well, to alert the public to this
:10:46. > :10:48.outrageous action that is proposed by the union. Inside the conference,
:10:48. > :10:52.NFU President Peter Kendall welcomed the decision to go ahead
:10:52. > :10:55.with a cull. Meriden MP and DEFRA minister Caroline Spelman told the
:10:55. > :11:02.1,100 farmers in the audience they need to keep explaining why the
:11:02. > :11:09.cull is necessary. Just the other side of the motorway, literally
:11:09. > :11:13.every other farm is shut down with TB at the moment, which has massive
:11:13. > :11:16.logistical and financial implications. There is a lot of
:11:16. > :11:21.pressure on both sides of the argument. You have to take tough
:11:21. > :11:27.decisions and now is the time to do that. That decision is the right
:11:27. > :11:31.one, which is to get an eradication plan, which includes controlling
:11:31. > :11:34.badgers and the disuse of cattle. There was much else for farmers and
:11:34. > :11:39.politicians to discuss today at the conference, but the badger cull
:11:39. > :11:44.remains an important issue for many outside this hall. There on legal
:11:44. > :11:49.challenge is underway but if the Wes goes ahead this autumn, it will
:11:49. > :11:53.take place this year and every four years. Neither side of the debate
:11:53. > :11:58.sees much room for compromise. And David joins us now from the NFU
:11:58. > :12:04.Conference at the ICC. Was it just about the badger cull today, David?
:12:04. > :12:10.No. There was plenty going on, and with us to talk about it is Peter
:12:10. > :12:14.Kendall. Drought was a big issue coming up? Yes. It is one of those
:12:14. > :12:20.issues that, in spite of the farming industry being positive
:12:20. > :12:24.about, we need water to grow our crops. We are looking to the
:12:24. > :12:28.Government to make sure they prioritise farming and the drought
:12:28. > :12:33.is a good example to show that you can make some policies to make sure
:12:33. > :12:37.farmers have priorities for water when there is no rain. But we also
:12:37. > :12:41.have to invest on the long term. Because this is going to get worse.
:12:41. > :12:47.So we won the farmers to work with government to make sure they have a
:12:47. > :12:52.better supply of affordable food. - - so we want. And what about the
:12:52. > :12:55.red tape in farming? We are trying to dig through the proposals. It is
:12:55. > :12:58.very good of government to say they're going to reduce the
:12:58. > :13:02.regulatory burden on small businesses but it is a very
:13:02. > :13:09.different to make a -- difficult to make a real difference to farmers.
:13:10. > :13:19.We all farmers -- we want farmers to be able to farm rather than sit
:13:19. > :13:23.in officers -- offices and do paperwork. So, you hear it here
:13:23. > :13:26.first. They want to be farming, not filling in paper.
:13:26. > :13:28.Every ambulance and fast-response vehicle available has been on the
:13:28. > :13:31.road today as West Midlands Ambulance Service fought to cope
:13:31. > :13:35.with a third more calls than would be expected on typical day in
:13:35. > :13:38.February. The job has been made harder, with some ambulances stuck
:13:38. > :13:41.outside Accident and Emergency departments for up to three hours.
:13:41. > :13:44.The delays in getting to the next 999 call could put patients' lives
:13:44. > :13:48.at risk. Here's our health correspondent, Michele Paduano.
:13:48. > :13:50.Everything was out on the road today, dealing with emergency calls.
:13:50. > :13:57.There's normally an increase following cold weather but this has
:13:57. > :14:02.gone on for longer than usual. just concerned. Very, very busy at
:14:02. > :14:07.the moment, so I haven't shaved! Are very busy and tired! The red on
:14:07. > :14:11.this board shows that they can't meet demand. We say it every time,
:14:11. > :14:15.but genuinely now, the system is under huge pressure and we are
:14:15. > :14:20.asking people to make sure that before they dial 999, it is a life-
:14:20. > :14:24.threatening emergency. There has long been a problem with getting
:14:24. > :14:30.ambulances out of hospital quickly. Many have been waiting for more
:14:30. > :14:39.than an hour. Coventry is the worst, with one ambulance being stuck
:14:39. > :14:42.outside for three hours. That was because one paramedic was left at
:14:42. > :14:45.University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire to deal with a number
:14:45. > :14:50.of patients. 12 ambulances were delayed for an hour. We have two
:14:50. > :14:54.managers working at that particular site and what we have tried to do
:14:54. > :14:58.is work with our ambulance crews as they have come in, to try to
:14:58. > :15:01.support the crews, but also working with the executive team at the
:15:01. > :15:05.hospital. The Trust accepted that ambulances had to wait longer than
:15:05. > :15:08.it would like. But it said that it was working with West Midlands
:15:08. > :15:11.Ambulance Service to address this and no patients were put at risk.
:15:11. > :15:14.In Stoke-on-Trent, they took in more patients but turn-around times
:15:14. > :15:20.were quicker. Even here, ambulances eventually were diverted to other
:15:20. > :15:25.hospitals. Coming up later, are Stoke City
:15:25. > :15:28.heading for a Valencia victory? Potters fans prepare to head out to
:15:28. > :15:31.sunny Spain for their Europa League match.
:15:31. > :15:34.And it might be football they're heading to Spain for, but if it was
:15:34. > :15:44.the weather they were after, they needn't have bothered because it
:15:44. > :15:47.could soon be just as warm back Thousands of blood cancer patients
:15:47. > :15:52.could be saved if pioneering drugs developed and tested in the West
:15:52. > :15:56.Midlands were available on the NHS. That's the message at the heart of
:15:56. > :16:00.a new appeal being run by BBC WM to fund research nurses who would give
:16:00. > :16:03.these drugs to patients on a trial basis. Our reporter Joanne Writtle
:16:03. > :16:13.is in Victoria Square in Birmingham now, where the launch is being
:16:13. > :16:14.
:16:14. > :16:22.promoted. Tell us more, Joanne. town hall behind me is illuminated
:16:22. > :16:25.blood red to highlight the theme to help blood cancer patients. It is
:16:25. > :16:30.called Red Alert Appeal and the radio station is backing the
:16:30. > :16:34.leukaemia charity, based at the hospital in Birmingham. Currently
:16:34. > :16:37.there are 7,000 adults and the West Midlands with leukaemia and I have
:16:37. > :16:40.been speaking to one of them. Kris Griffin, from Kidderminster,
:16:40. > :16:43.wondered if he would survive four years ago when he was diagnosed
:16:43. > :16:47.with chronic myeloid leukaemia. Now he has a five-month-old son and is
:16:47. > :16:53.in remission. He's backing the appeal to fund research nurses in
:16:53. > :16:59.West Midlands hospitals. I don't think anybody would be as bold to
:16:59. > :17:04.save his, but this is about a cure for cancer. If we can cure
:17:04. > :17:09.leukaemia and fires ways into this to reverse it, there is no reason
:17:09. > :17:13.we couldn't use the research methods on other forms of cancer.
:17:13. > :17:16.These guys are pioneers. They are absolutely amazing. They are
:17:16. > :17:19.keeping people alive and we must not ever forget that. Research
:17:19. > :17:21.nurses trial new drugs on blood cancer patients. Successful
:17:21. > :17:25.clinical trials mean ground- breaking medication could
:17:25. > :17:28.eventually be available on the NHS. And that led to a new world record
:17:28. > :17:31.in Birmingham's Victoria Square this afternoon for the most people
:17:31. > :17:40.dressed as nurses in one place. 201 of them, including WM presenter
:17:40. > :17:46.Joanne Malin, who started the Red Alert Appeal live on air. People
:17:46. > :17:49.came out of offices, they put on nurses' uniforms, they launched Red
:17:49. > :17:53.Alert Appeal with us and we are record-breakers! Cure Leukaemia
:17:53. > :17:57.patron and Michelin-starred chef Glynn Purnell also dressed up.
:17:57. > :18:00.think a when this is the thing that has been missing with leukaemia and
:18:00. > :18:05.now we are doing this, it will bring more awareness and we can
:18:05. > :18:09.start using some of these advanced drugs that are available, so it is
:18:09. > :18:14.so positive. Kris Griffin says he's lucky. But if his anti-cancer drugs
:18:14. > :18:20.stop working, he could have to rely on clinical trials.
:18:20. > :18:28.I am joined now by Professor John Caldwell, a blood cancer specialist
:18:28. > :18:31.and pioneer of Cure Leukaemia. What do the nurses do? Not only do they
:18:31. > :18:35.deliver a potentially life-saving therapy, but they become the friend
:18:35. > :18:40.and counsellor and advocate for these patients at this most
:18:40. > :18:45.difficult and challenging time in their lives. Who of the drugs aimed
:18:45. > :18:55.at? We are extending potentially curative treatments to patients who
:18:55. > :18:56.
:18:56. > :18:59.had exhausted standard NHS care. And we are able to offer to them
:18:59. > :19:03.treatments that made either cure or significantly prolong their lives,
:19:03. > :19:08.when previously they had no chance of this. How successful do you
:19:08. > :19:13.think this will be? We have seen one before responses for treatments
:19:13. > :19:17.that have gone on to become standard means of care in the NHS.
:19:17. > :19:23.But we can accelerate access to these life-saving therapies for
:19:23. > :19:28.patients are in our region. Thank you. In a nutshell, a �1 donation
:19:28. > :19:31.acquits to �10 worth of drugs. And if you want to help BBC WM's
:19:31. > :19:41.Red Alert Appeal for Cure Leukaemia, you can go to the website and
:19:41. > :19:44.
:19:44. > :19:47.Dan's here now, with the sport. Football, and Birmingham City can
:19:47. > :19:51.climb up to third place in the Championship if they win at
:19:51. > :19:54.Barnsley tonight. The teams drew 1- 1 when they met in September thanks
:19:54. > :19:58.to a late equaliser from Chris Burke. Tonight's game was postponed
:19:58. > :20:00.ten days ago because of a frozen pitch at Barnsley. But the
:20:00. > :20:10.Birmingham manager Chris Hughton says they're used to playing catch-
:20:10. > :20:11.
:20:11. > :20:15.Stoke City have won their appeal against Rory Delap's red card,
:20:15. > :20:19.picked up during Sunday's FA Cup tie against Crawley. That means his
:20:19. > :20:22.three-match ban has been cancelled. Tomorrow, Stoke fly out to Valencia
:20:22. > :20:27.for the second leg of their Europa League match, and they could be
:20:27. > :20:32.joined in Spain by up to 5,000 travelling fans. Ian Winter has
:20:32. > :20:35.been to meet three of them. Viva Espana! Never before have
:20:36. > :20:44.Stoke City fans been able to sing "this year we're off to sunny
:20:44. > :20:48.Spain"... Until now. So far, they've ticked off Turkey. And Tel
:20:48. > :20:58.Aviv. They've crossed off Kiev. And now, it's time to say "hola" to
:20:58. > :21:11.
:21:11. > :21:13.Football commenator Nigel Johnson is the voice of BBC Radio Stoke.
:21:13. > :21:17.Journalist Angela Smith lives in the Canaries and often flies 2,000
:21:17. > :21:20.miles from Tenerife to support the Potters. But they didn't get a
:21:20. > :21:29.dazzling seaview of the sun-soaked Mediterranean from this tapas bar.
:21:29. > :21:34.Because Hector Garcia's is on the High Street in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
:21:34. > :21:39.Valencia are an outstanding football team. They gave our team a
:21:39. > :21:43.lesson last week. Stoke have to meet that. Hand on heart, it will
:21:43. > :21:48.be difficult, but I am not going to write them off. They think they can
:21:48. > :21:56.do it and I think the 5,000 Stoke fans that will be there Loring them
:21:56. > :22:06.on also believe they can do it. -- roaring them on. OK, so Valencia
:22:06. > :22:06.
:22:06. > :22:10.has 320 sunny days a year. I can't believe how much interest it has
:22:10. > :22:14.generated. It seems there will be thousands of Stoke fans going there
:22:14. > :22:21.and I hope we can turn them over. If they have never been before,
:22:21. > :22:25.they are in for a treat. This is probably my favourite Spanish city.
:22:25. > :22:29.But only 50 of their fans made the trip last week. The weather in
:22:29. > :22:39.Stoke isn't quite as good. But 5,000 Potters will enjoy a good old
:22:39. > :22:42.
:22:42. > :22:46.sing-song in Spain on Thursday They are having fun! Good luck to
:22:46. > :22:50.them on Thursday. Now, Dan what's the latest on a new
:22:50. > :22:52.Wolves manager? Well, it's still unclear who's taking over. The
:22:52. > :22:56.Reading manager Brian McDermott is reported to have been in
:22:56. > :23:01.Wolverhampton this week. But some claim he's just after a new deal at
:23:01. > :23:04.Reading. Gus Poyet at Brighton was also linked to the job this week
:23:04. > :23:09.but Wolves have dismissed that claim. But the former Birmingham
:23:09. > :23:12.City boss, Steve Bruce, is still among the bookmakers' favourites.
:23:12. > :23:21.Wolves want the new manager in place by the weekend, so we should
:23:21. > :23:25.Hundreds of schoolchildren will be taking to canals and rivers through
:23:25. > :23:27.the region in canoes as part of a relay event. It's been organised as
:23:27. > :23:31.part of Get Set, the London 2012 Olympics education programme for
:23:31. > :23:35.schools. The relay starts on Thursday, and our reporter Amy
:23:35. > :23:38.Harris went to see how the training was coming along.
:23:38. > :23:40.Paddle practice on the River Avon. These are among hundreds of
:23:41. > :23:48.schoolchildren taking part in a four-month relay through Midlands
:23:48. > :23:54.waterways in these bell boats, a twin canoe. But it's a journey that
:23:55. > :23:57.begins much further afield. The relay route starts 300 miles away
:23:57. > :24:04.in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, and ends here in Evesham, a journey
:24:04. > :24:07.spanning seven counties and involving a lot of muscle power.
:24:07. > :24:14.And that's why these pupils from the Vale of Evesham Special Needs
:24:14. > :24:20.School are training hard. In just a few hours, they're kicking the
:24:20. > :24:25.relay off near Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympics.
:24:25. > :24:30.I am feeling absolutely excited and I am really looking forward to it.
:24:30. > :24:34.Very good exercise for building your muscles. And I really like it
:24:34. > :24:38.because it is really good fun. looking forward to it and it will
:24:38. > :24:41.be a fantastic day out for us. relay has been organised by their
:24:41. > :24:45.teacher, Andy Train, as part of Get Set - the London 2012 education
:24:45. > :24:48.scheme. And Andy knows a thing or two about the Olympics. He's
:24:48. > :24:53.competed in five in sprint-canoeing, and was once the best in the world
:24:53. > :24:55.in marathon canoeing. The symbolism behind the journey is the fact that
:24:55. > :24:59.we're bringing the values of the Paralympics and the Olympics from
:24:59. > :25:09.their homes back to Worcestershire, and by doing that we can talk to
:25:09. > :25:09.
:25:09. > :25:12.the children of Worcestershire about friendship and determination.
:25:13. > :25:15.More than 100 schools are taking part in the relay. Andy hopes it
:25:15. > :25:25.will make Midlands pupils feel involved with the Olympic Games and
:25:25. > :25:29.
:25:29. > :25:39.bring London 2012 a lot closer to They looked like they were having
:25:39. > :25:40.
:25:40. > :25:45.fun! We need to know what the Thank you. Temperatures will be
:25:45. > :25:51.rising bit by bit, when, by Thursday, they will hopefully reach
:25:51. > :25:55.their maximum. The magic number is 16 degrees Celsius. Better than
:25:55. > :25:59.most temperatures across mainland Europe, and just about on a par
:25:59. > :26:06.with Spain. That will be great for those Stoke City fans heading that
:26:07. > :26:11.way for the match. Even Spain could be cooler with a coastal breeze. A
:26:11. > :26:16.change in the weather over the next 36 hours and tonight is really
:26:16. > :26:21.quite quiet. Cloudy but also very mild. Temperatures tonight a
:26:21. > :26:26.matching daytime temperatures for this time of year, solos of around
:26:26. > :26:30.five to a degree Celsius. The cloud will continue to thicken through
:26:30. > :26:35.the night. The breeze will be picking up as well, so by the time
:26:35. > :26:39.we get to tomorrow morning, quite a blustery start. Cloudy but dry,
:26:39. > :26:44.with a bit of sunshine located to the south of the region, but then
:26:44. > :26:50.we see this morning in from the North, says some fairly heavy rain
:26:50. > :26:56.up towards Staffordshire. Although temperatures up to 10, 13 degrees,
:26:56. > :27:00.which is very good for the time of year, we are looking at gusts of
:27:00. > :27:06.wind of 40 miles an hour. That will take the edge off those valleys.
:27:06. > :27:12.Then we have this transition of the rain clearing away. By Thursday cob
:27:12. > :27:19.we are looking at highs of 16 degrees and dry and sunny!
:27:19. > :27:21.A look at tonight's main headlines: Nearly ten years of austerity - the
:27:21. > :27:24.price Greeks will pay for the latest eurozone bail out.
:27:24. > :27:31.And computer hackers have been signed up by defence chiefs to
:27:31. > :27:36.fight crime in cyber space. That is about it for now. But