:00:00. > :00:00.That is all from the BBC News at Six. Goodbye.
:00:00. > :00:07.Hello, welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: Tens of
:00:08. > :00:11.thousands mark Armistice Day across the region. Among them the last
:00:12. > :00:20.surviving widow of a serviceman from the First World War. I have done
:00:21. > :00:23.something today that I feel was worthwhile. And we'll be talking to
:00:24. > :00:26.Worcestershire veterans who've made a film about their experiences in
:00:27. > :00:30.World War Two, entitled We Did Our Bit. Also tonight: Why the Stratford
:00:31. > :00:35.MP who's admitted making a mistake with his expenses, is being urged to
:00:36. > :00:38.make a donation to charity. Five months in prison for the man
:00:39. > :00:42.who was caught red`handed trying to strangle his neighbour's cat.
:00:43. > :00:46.The Tamworth goal that beat League Two Cheltenham and fired the dream
:00:47. > :00:49.of another scintillating cup run. And the sunshine's been glorious
:00:50. > :00:53.while the rain's been intense. Throw in some frosty nights and you've got
:00:54. > :00:54.some weather worthy of attention. I'll be here with your forecast
:00:55. > :01:09.later. Good evening, on the eve of a huge
:01:10. > :01:12.commemoration that'll mark the centenary of the start of the First
:01:13. > :01:16.World War. That approaching landmark has seen a surge of respect among
:01:17. > :01:20.all generations for those who lost their lives in war. Armistice Day,
:01:21. > :01:23.as opposed to the nearest Sunday to the 11th of November, was first
:01:24. > :01:28.observed in 1919 following a suggestion by an Australian
:01:29. > :01:31.journalist. And it's remembered at 11 o'clock, as many will know,
:01:32. > :01:36.because that's the time the guns fell silent on the Western Front.
:01:37. > :01:40.The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. But a town in
:01:41. > :01:42.Warwickshire is thought to have the most continuous record of
:01:43. > :01:46.remembrance ` 92 years ` and that's where we sent our reporter Ben
:01:47. > :01:55.Sidwell for the first of two reports on tonight's Midlands Today.
:01:56. > :02:06.It is the town that will never forget.
:02:07. > :02:11.At 11 o'clock on the 11th of November, Bedworth fell silent just
:02:12. > :02:25.as it has for the last 92 years. This is what we are renowned for.
:02:26. > :02:33.Bedworth was the only one at one time that did armistice arrayed on
:02:34. > :02:37.the 11th of the 11th. Despite the appalling weather, around 3000
:02:38. > :02:43.people took to the streets to remember those who made the ultimate
:02:44. > :02:49.sacrifice. The people are lovely here and they want to remember.
:02:50. > :02:56.People, from miles around and they have been doing it every year. We
:02:57. > :03:01.are proud of it. At the National Memorial Arboretum in
:03:02. > :03:06.Staffordshire, the tributes were led by 93`year`old Dorothy Ellis, the
:03:07. > :03:14.last surviving was for widow. Her husband's story inspired the book
:03:15. > :03:19.warhorse. I have done something today that I feel was worthwhile.
:03:20. > :03:30.For Carol Valentine the town's parade has added emotion. Our son
:03:31. > :03:38.was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. They always used to tell them about
:03:39. > :03:43.the armistice parade. His regiment came to attend the parade in his
:03:44. > :03:49.memory. As the veterans marched through the town, approvals broke
:03:50. > :03:54.out among the crowd. Here those who lost their lives for their country
:03:55. > :03:58.will always be remembered. Elsewhere in the region, World War Two
:03:59. > :04:01.veterans were at the screening of a film featuring their own stories of
:04:02. > :04:04.horror and heroics. The film called We Did Our Bit is being distributed
:04:05. > :04:16.to schools, colleges and community groups. Cath Mackie reports.
:04:17. > :04:22.When your own guns firing, that shakes the ship up. For 11 minutes,
:04:23. > :04:28.the audience at The Hive in Wester were taken back to a time of courage
:04:29. > :04:34.and terror. 11 that trends from the Second World War tell their stories
:04:35. > :04:39.in the film. German planes were coming from North Africa which were
:04:40. > :04:44.still in their hands and also from Sicily. We were attacked
:04:45. > :04:56.constantly. Jack joined the Navy age 16. You could join the Navy in those
:04:57. > :05:03.days at 40. Some of them did six months training. `` 14. A lot of
:05:04. > :05:11.them were killed. Especially the ones early in the war. The noise was
:05:12. > :05:18.horrific. Bill Bowkett was part of the day on the Normandy beaches. I
:05:19. > :05:24.lay there on the beach and thought, I am 18 in a couple of days time.
:05:25. > :05:37.The film ended at 11 o'clock, a time for reflection. Some of the boys my
:05:38. > :05:42.own age got killed, got wounded and I never saw them again. A time for
:05:43. > :05:49.reflection also for today's soldiers. Jamie spent Remembrance
:05:50. > :05:55.Day in Afghanistan last year, this year he is raising money for the
:05:56. > :06:02.British Legion. We are doing it for them. It could be us one day. It is
:06:03. > :06:10.a great honour. So many people are aware of it now. 400 copies of the
:06:11. > :06:14.veterans film are now available for schools and community groups, for
:06:15. > :06:19.the stories of sacrifice to live on in the minds of future generations.
:06:20. > :06:23.Coming up later in the programme: Lifting the lid on the secrets held
:06:24. > :06:31.inside a Roman coffin found in Warwickshire.
:06:32. > :06:33.There's mounting pressure tonight on the Conservative MP for
:06:34. > :06:38.Stratford`on`Avon, Nadhim Zahawi, who's admitted mistakenly claiming
:06:39. > :06:42.nearly ?6,000 for heating bills. Mr Zahawi says he's 'mortified' by the
:06:43. > :06:45.error. He's made an unconditional apology and referred himself to the
:06:46. > :06:49.Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority who'll supervise his
:06:50. > :06:52.repayment of the money. Our political editor Patrick Burns is
:06:53. > :07:00.here with us now. It's quite complicated, Patrick. Remind us how
:07:01. > :07:07.it's unfolded. The story first broke just over a week ago when the Sunday
:07:08. > :07:14.Mirror revealed that Mr is how we's claims for energy were far higher
:07:15. > :07:18.than those of any other MP. He explained that they also referred
:07:19. > :07:23.back to you a billing period for last year and he says the sums
:07:24. > :07:28.involved were less than he had been claiming for the rant of a flat in
:07:29. > :07:33.Stratford before he bought the house in question. During the course of
:07:34. > :07:39.this past weekend as the Sunday Mirror were preparing a follow`up
:07:40. > :07:44.story, Mr Zahawi issued his unconditional apology. He said he
:07:45. > :07:49.had been mortified by the mistake to discover the bills in question had
:07:50. > :08:00.not just spin for the heating of his home but also his stables and for a
:08:01. > :08:06.mobile home. What has been the reaction in his constituency? He
:08:07. > :08:11.said he had been humbled by how many expressions of support from complete
:08:12. > :08:18.strangers. But according to Labour, they say he has lost the trust of
:08:19. > :08:21.his constituents, local Labour councillors are supporting a
:08:22. > :08:30.campaign called shame on you, Mr Zahawi, and they are urging him to
:08:31. > :08:34.donate ?10,000 to age UK. He has referred himself to the
:08:35. > :08:40.Parliamentary standards authority. Is he under investigation? The
:08:41. > :08:46.authorities say they are conducting preliminary assessments but it is
:08:47. > :08:52.bound to revive all those memories of notorious MPs expenses scandals
:08:53. > :08:56.from the not too distant past. A man's been jailed for 20 weeks for
:08:57. > :09:00.trying to kill his neighbour's cat. 53`year`old Karl Dyke tried to hang
:09:01. > :09:03.the cat in the shed at his home in Hereford. He admitted causing
:09:04. > :09:10.unnecessary suffering to an animal but denied he wanted the cat to die.
:09:11. > :09:14.Holly Lewis reports. Karl Dyke was caught red`handed
:09:15. > :09:18.trying to hang his neighbour 's cat in July this year. Mike and Tracey
:09:19. > :09:24.Lawrence were at home with their children when Tracy saw Karl Dyke
:09:25. > :09:31.carry their cat to the shed in his garden. They found him dangling the
:09:32. > :09:36.cat from a home`made noose. I was the last person he was expecting at
:09:37. > :09:42.that door and when he realised he had been caught in the act, it was
:09:43. > :09:53.just the look on his face. It was incredible. Karl Dyke had put a rope
:09:54. > :09:57.on the cat's neck. He claimed he was teaching the cat a lesson for
:09:58. > :10:01.soiling his garden but Hereford magistrates Fountain guilty of
:10:02. > :10:08.attempting to kill an animal. During sentencing, it was said the offence
:10:09. > :10:14.was so severe that only a custodial sentence would suffice. He wilfully
:10:15. > :10:20.tortured and intended to kill his neighbour 's cat. He was ordered to
:10:21. > :10:25.pay ?250 compensation to the Lawrence family, court costs and he
:10:26. > :10:32.was banned from keeping animals for five years. This case had a massive
:10:33. > :10:36.impact on the family. They were really traumatised so getting a
:10:37. > :10:46.strong sentence is a victory for them. A 20 year prison sentence, a
:10:47. > :10:55.ban on owning animals, it is good. Karl Dyke has now moved. Apart from
:10:56. > :11:02.being timid, the Lawrence cap has suffered no adverse effects from her
:11:03. > :11:06.own appeal. `` ordeal. Police officers in the West Midlands may no
:11:07. > :11:09.longer be forced to retire after 30 years service. The A19 pension
:11:10. > :11:11.regulation was controversial, with some officers retiring against their
:11:12. > :11:14.will. However, today, the chief constable has announced a review.
:11:15. > :11:17.Our reporter Giles Latcham joins us now from outside police headquarters
:11:18. > :11:24.in the centre of Birmingham, Giles, what's brought this about? This has
:11:25. > :11:30.been a difficult and painful chapter. The chief constable would
:11:31. > :11:35.say that forcing them to retire was forced upon him by the government
:11:36. > :11:40.cutting his funding by 20%, but the police are saying they met their
:11:41. > :11:48.target for savings earlier than anticipated. 559 officers have gone
:11:49. > :11:55.under this measure but another 779 have gone for a whole variety of
:11:56. > :12:02.reasons, they had seen the writing on the wall. What has been the
:12:03. > :12:09.reaction? The police officers union have welcomed the end of the scheme.
:12:10. > :12:14.They say those left behind have been put under greater workloads and
:12:15. > :12:19.stress. The police and crime commission concedes that the loss of
:12:20. > :12:25.all those officers has had an effect. The decision to lose people
:12:26. > :12:33.has meant we have lost a considerable number of experienced
:12:34. > :12:41.and capable officers. So when will a decision be made on what happens
:12:42. > :12:47.next? There will be a meeting in early December. The challenge will
:12:48. > :12:53.then be for the police to recruit 450 new officers and within that, to
:12:54. > :12:57.recruit successfully from ethnic minorities because critics say it
:12:58. > :13:11.does not represent the communities it seeks to serve. The lid has been
:13:12. > :13:13.lifted for the first time today on a coffin believed to date from Roman
:13:14. > :13:16.times. It was found by metal detectorists
:13:17. > :13:19.in a field near Atherstone in Warwickshire last month. Our cameras
:13:20. > :13:27.were there to capture the moment, as Liz Copper reports.
:13:28. > :13:32.Revealing a piece of Roman history. It is a delicate operation preparing
:13:33. > :13:38.the coffin for scientific testing. It was found by two friends using
:13:39. > :13:45.metal detectors in a field in the Warwickshire border. It is such an
:13:46. > :13:50.unusual find. There was an underlying excitement as to what
:13:51. > :13:54.this might tell us. We hope to get an insight into burial rites and
:13:55. > :14:00.customs of a child buried in the Roman period. We will get an insight
:14:01. > :14:08.into the environment of the time and we hope to be able to bring back to
:14:09. > :14:12.life this child. It will take two days to take samples for the
:14:13. > :14:18.scientist to analyse. This Coughlan may have been hidden for 1600 years
:14:19. > :14:24.but tests will reveal a staggering amount of detail. They will reveal
:14:25. > :14:31.much about closing, and drugs used in Roman Britain. The results are
:14:32. > :14:41.likely to offer new and fascinating insights into our Roman heritage.
:14:42. > :14:47.Work excavating the contents came to a stop today after experts made an
:14:48. > :14:54.unexpected find. They are uncovered a child's jet bracelet which would
:14:55. > :14:58.make the burial even rarer than over surely thought. Archaeologists now
:14:59. > :15:04.think it is more likely there are more items inside.
:15:05. > :15:07.Our top story tonight: Tens of thousands across the region fall
:15:08. > :15:13.silent on Armistice Day ` among them the last surviving widow from the
:15:14. > :15:15.First World War. Your detailed weather forecast to
:15:16. > :15:17.come shortly. Also in tonight's programme: The
:15:18. > :15:21.dream of another exhilarating cup run is on for Tamworth fans after
:15:22. > :15:25.they beat League Two side Cheltenham at the weekend.
:15:26. > :15:32.And children flocking to see and hear the acclaimed author who wrote
:15:33. > :15:36.Warhorse. If you have a story you think we
:15:37. > :15:40.should be covering on Midlands Today, we'd like to hear from you.
:15:41. > :15:42.You can call us or send an email. We are also on Facebook or you can
:15:43. > :15:55.tweet us. We're building up to a big
:15:56. > :15:59.fundraising night here at the BBC ` Children in Need is on TV, radio and
:16:00. > :16:03.online this Friday. The money raised goes to help children right across
:16:04. > :16:06.the world ` and also helps many projects here in the Midlands. It's
:16:07. > :16:09.a terrible statistic that a quarter of all young people in Britain will
:16:10. > :16:12.witness violence between adults in their own home. And that has a
:16:13. > :16:16.damaging effect on children growing up. Joan Cummins has been hearing
:16:17. > :16:27.about a scheme in Hereford which shows youngsters that domestic
:16:28. > :16:32.violence is never excusable. More than one in ten children under
:16:33. > :16:41.the age of 11 have experienced domestic abuse in the home. Studies
:16:42. > :16:45.show that often the emotional experience can leave youngsters are
:16:46. > :16:51.vulnerable. Natasha needed help years after her mother was attacked.
:16:52. > :16:56.He pushed her and she hit her head on our banister and fell to the
:16:57. > :17:04.floor. I rang an ambulance. I was scared. In Hereford and Worcester,
:17:05. > :17:10.the crush project funded by children in need has helped more than 300
:17:11. > :17:16.children this year, and recognise the warning signs of domestic abuse.
:17:17. > :17:22.Chloe says living with domestic abuse left her feeling isolated and
:17:23. > :17:28.alone. I cried a lot and I didn't talk to my friends because their
:17:29. > :17:32.families seemed normal and I thought they would not understand. It made
:17:33. > :17:46.me feel lonely and I felt down all the time. First loves and teenage
:17:47. > :17:51.relationships can also turn abusive. Every relationship needs trust, you
:17:52. > :17:57.need to have respect for each other and you need to be happy. Crush
:17:58. > :18:03.rebuild the confidence of people like Helen and Kim. It is a relief
:18:04. > :18:08.off your shoulders and you are happy once you are done. It is a long
:18:09. > :18:14.process to recover but you will be so grateful you did it. I will not
:18:15. > :18:23.get myself into anything like that again. It destroys you as a person.
:18:24. > :18:29.It is estimated that domestic abuse costs the state billions of pounds
:18:30. > :18:32.every year. Here in the Midlands, projects like Rush are helping to
:18:33. > :18:34.make a difference in children's lives.
:18:35. > :18:37.More stories of the help Children in Need is giving children in the
:18:38. > :18:40.Midlands, in the programme all this week. If you want to fundraise, or
:18:41. > :18:44.make your own donation, there's a lot more information online, on
:18:45. > :18:50.Facebook and there's even a Pudsey app. We'll be giving out a phone
:18:51. > :18:55.line later in the week. Time for sport now and plenty to get excited
:18:56. > :18:58.about in the FA Cup. Here's Dan. Tonight, in the FA Cup, Port Vale
:18:59. > :19:02.travel to Gloucestershire hoping to avoid the embarrassment of being
:19:03. > :19:04.knocked out by short wood United, the smallest club left in the
:19:05. > :19:07.competition. Three of our non`league teams are safely through, including
:19:08. > :19:16.Tamworth who've got another home draw in round two. Ian Winter
:19:17. > :19:22.reports from Staffordshire. Peach boots, electric blue boots, it
:19:23. > :19:28.is a rainbow of coloured boots as Tamworth march one step closer to
:19:29. > :19:33.the road to Wembley. Tomorrow night they are back to earth with a bump
:19:34. > :19:38.in their battle to avoid relegation from the conference. On Saturday
:19:39. > :19:42.they were on form and one goal was enough to beat Cheltenham. Scored by
:19:43. > :19:51.Nick Chadwick, on loan from Plymouth. Restore city at home in
:19:52. > :19:57.the next round. Yes. We were asking for a home side and we got that.
:19:58. > :20:09.Don't come any bigger than Bristol city. You will still be here for the
:20:10. > :20:15.Bristol city game? Yes. Hopefully the FA Cup will be a good omen for
:20:16. > :20:25.me while I am here. Tamworth are not our only non`league team through
:20:26. > :20:29.to. On Friday Elliot Durrell told us he was confident of scoring against
:20:30. > :20:46.Crawley and he kept his promise with a penalty. But they lost 2`1. Four `
:20:47. > :20:51.one was also a popular school for Kidderminster Harriers. And Craig
:20:52. > :20:59.Westcarr grabbed hold for Walsall as they beat Shrewsbury. Final word on
:21:00. > :21:14.Tamworth who kept a clean sheet on Saturday thanks to goalkeeper
:21:15. > :21:17.Cameron Belford. The talking points in the Premier
:21:18. > :21:20.League were two controversial injury time penalties. West Bromwich Albion
:21:21. > :21:23.were on course for their league first win at Chelsea in 35 years
:21:24. > :21:27.before referee Andre Marriner awarded a penalty for this challenge
:21:28. > :21:32.by Stephen Reid. It allowed Chelsea to draw 2`all. But Stoke were
:21:33. > :21:43.grateful to get a late penalty and a 3`all draw at Swansea. Referee
:21:44. > :21:47.Robert Madley spotted a handball. I'm not sure everyone saw it though.
:21:48. > :21:50.No I think most Stoke fans would agree they were a bit lucky to get
:21:51. > :21:58.the penalty and a point. As for Albion well understandably
:21:59. > :22:02.furious. No such problems for Villa and Blues this weekend. No Villa
:22:03. > :22:05.scored their first goals in seven and a half hours in beating Cardiff
:22:06. > :22:10.City 2`nil. Leandro Bacuna's spectacular free`kick ended the
:22:11. > :22:13.drought. Birmingham City got a valuable 3`1 win at Huddersfield to
:22:14. > :22:21.climb out of the Championship's bottom three. The only sour note was
:22:22. > :22:38.Kyle Bartley being sent off for his goal celebration. Slightly harsh.
:22:39. > :22:41.That was harsh! Thank you. Fewer children are reading in their
:22:42. > :22:45.own time. That's the finding from a recent report into literacy across
:22:46. > :22:48.the UK. Well this weekend, over a thousand young people gathered in
:22:49. > :22:52.Birmingham to take part in the Festival of Children's Literature.
:22:53. > :22:56.It was organised by a deputy head and a school librarian. But can
:22:57. > :23:11.events like this really make a difference? Our Arts Reporter Satnam
:23:12. > :23:16.Rana has been finding out. Music, literature and illustration
:23:17. > :23:22.inspired by the book the sword in the stone and the concert suite that
:23:23. > :23:26.accompanies it. These young bookworms are part of the Federation
:23:27. > :23:32.of children's book groups which promotes reading and this was one of
:23:33. > :23:38.many workshops. Reading is part of everyday life and if you cannot
:23:39. > :23:46.read, it is something that is really key to how life works. It has helped
:23:47. > :23:53.me boost my confidence. Reading comes up in everyday life and opens
:23:54. > :23:56.your mind into different stories. The National literacy trust reported
:23:57. > :24:01.that one in five children are embarrassed to be seen with a book
:24:02. > :24:09.so can a festival like this make a difference? I can give you evidence
:24:10. > :24:14.from headteachers who say getting young people to meet the author, go
:24:15. > :24:22.back to school and do further works on the books. Author I've got more
:24:23. > :24:28.poco is there to bring his new book to life. He is passionate about
:24:29. > :24:34.children's literacy. You cannot expect children to grow up with a
:24:35. > :24:38.love of literacy if the temples of literature are being closed down in
:24:39. > :24:44.your community. It is a mixed message so that needs to be stopped,
:24:45. > :24:48.you need to follow the example of the Brummies. As books here are
:24:49. > :24:56.brought to life here, it is thought children will follow through with an
:24:57. > :25:00.enthusiasm for reading. I got drenched again this morning. I
:25:01. > :25:06.should listen to the weather forecast. You really should but with
:25:07. > :25:12.it being quite changeable, it is worth keeping a brolly just in case.
:25:13. > :25:17.A lot milder today which probably made the rain more bearable but by
:25:18. > :25:24.tomorrow, it will turn a lot colder and with that, we will see mixture
:25:25. > :25:31.of dry and wet weather. More detail on to that ` this was the warm front
:25:32. > :25:36.that gave us the rain this morning but this will be the cold front that
:25:37. > :25:40.keeps that rain coming tonight and introduces colder conditions
:25:41. > :25:45.tomorrow. High pressure will dip in and out this week and that will give
:25:46. > :25:50.us calmer conditions for the night. It will not be until Wednesday
:25:51. > :25:55.night, into Thursday that we see the next band of wet weather. A cold
:25:56. > :26:02.front keeping the rain gobbling right now. This will nudge into
:26:03. > :26:07.north`western parts of the region. That rain will start to cross the
:26:08. > :26:12.region later on tonight. It should start to die out and it will be a
:26:13. > :26:19.dry end to the night with temperatures down to 9`10dC. We have
:26:20. > :26:26.clearer skies developing in the north, so by the morning, for the
:26:27. > :26:30.north of the region, a good deal of sunshine there. The sunshine will
:26:31. > :26:34.spread further southwards through the afternoon. Temperatures will be
:26:35. > :26:42.slightly lower tomorrow, between 10`12 Celsius. Those values will
:26:43. > :26:48.drop drastically through tomorrow night at under clear skies. Lows of
:26:49. > :26:54.around one `to Celsius in towns and cities. Colder than that in the
:26:55. > :26:59.countryside. It could be cold enough for not only ground frost but a
:27:00. > :27:05.touch of air frost as well. You will be greeted by that on Wednesday.
:27:06. > :27:11.Wednesday itself will be a very chilly start to the date but lots of
:27:12. > :27:19.sunshine. Fairly decent on Thursday but there is rain in between.
:27:20. > :27:23.Tonight headlines: Devastated by Typhoon Haiyan ` the Philippines
:27:24. > :27:28.declares a state of emergency with more than 10,000 people killed.
:27:29. > :27:34.Actas of remembrance have taken place around the country.
:27:35. > :27:39.Veterans from Worcestershire watch a screening of a film be made about
:27:40. > :27:45.their contribution in World War II. And a man from Cheltenham completes
:27:46. > :27:47.the first ever marathon swim from one end of Britain to another.