11/11/2013 Midlands Today

That is all from the BBC News at Six. Goodbye.

Hello, welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: Tens of

thousands mark Armistice Day across the region. Among them the last

surviving widow of a serviceman from the First World War. I have done

something today that I feel was worthwhile. And we'll be talking to

Worcestershire veterans who've made a film about their experiences in

World War Two, entitled We Did Our Bit. Also tonight: Why the Stratford

MP who's admitted making a mistake with his expenses, is being urged to

make a donation to charity. Five months in prison for the man

who was caught red`handed trying to strangle his neighbour's cat.

The Tamworth goal that beat League Two Cheltenham and fired the dream

of another scintillating cup run. And the sunshine's been glorious

while the rain's been intense. Throw in some frosty nights and you've got

some weather worthy of attention. I'll be here with your forecast

later. Good evening, on the eve of a huge

commemoration that'll mark the centenary of the start of the First

World War. That approaching landmark has seen a surge of respect among

all generations for those who lost their lives in war. Armistice Day,

as opposed to the nearest Sunday to the 11th of November, was first

observed in 1919 following a suggestion by an Australian

journalist. And it's remembered at 11 o'clock, as many will know,

because that's the time the guns fell silent on the Western Front.

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. But a town in

Warwickshire is thought to have the most continuous record of

remembrance ` 92 years ` and that's where we sent our reporter Ben

Sidwell for the first of two reports on tonight's Midlands Today.

It is the town that will never forget.

At 11 o'clock on the 11th of November, Bedworth fell silent just

as it has for the last 92 years. This is what we are renowned for.

Bedworth was the only one at one time that did armistice arrayed on

the 11th of the 11th. Despite the appalling weather, around 3000

people took to the streets to remember those who made the ultimate

sacrifice. The people are lovely here and they want to remember.

People, from miles around and they have been doing it every year. We

are proud of it. At the National Memorial Arboretum in

Staffordshire, the tributes were led by 93`year`old Dorothy Ellis, the

last surviving was for widow. Her husband's story inspired the book

warhorse. I have done something today that I feel was worthwhile.

For Carol Valentine the town's parade has added emotion. Our son

was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. They always used to tell them about

the armistice parade. His regiment came to attend the parade in his

memory. As the veterans marched through the town, approvals broke

out among the crowd. Here those who lost their lives for their country

will always be remembered. Elsewhere in the region, World War Two

veterans were at the screening of a film featuring their own stories of

horror and heroics. The film called We Did Our Bit is being distributed

to schools, colleges and community groups. Cath Mackie reports.

When your own guns firing, that shakes the ship up. For 11 minutes,

the audience at The Hive in Wester were taken back to a time of courage

and terror. 11 that trends from the Second World War tell their stories

in the film. German planes were coming from North Africa which were

still in their hands and also from Sicily. We were attacked

constantly. Jack joined the Navy age 16. You could join the Navy in those

days at 40. Some of them did six months training. `` 14. A lot of

them were killed. Especially the ones early in the war. The noise was

horrific. Bill Bowkett was part of the day on the Normandy beaches. I

lay there on the beach and thought, I am 18 in a couple of days time.

The film ended at 11 o'clock, a time for reflection. Some of the boys my

own age got killed, got wounded and I never saw them again. A time for

reflection also for today's soldiers. Jamie spent Remembrance

Day in Afghanistan last year, this year he is raising money for the

British Legion. We are doing it for them. It could be us one day. It is

a great honour. So many people are aware of it now. 400 copies of the

veterans film are now available for schools and community groups, for

the stories of sacrifice to live on in the minds of future generations.

Coming up later in the programme: Lifting the lid on the secrets held

inside a Roman coffin found in Warwickshire.

There's mounting pressure tonight on the Conservative MP for

Stratford`on`Avon, Nadhim Zahawi, who's admitted mistakenly claiming

nearly ?6,000 for heating bills. Mr Zahawi says he's 'mortified' by the

error. He's made an unconditional apology and referred himself to the

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority who'll supervise his

repayment of the money. Our political editor Patrick Burns is

here with us now. It's quite complicated, Patrick. Remind us how

it's unfolded. The story first broke just over a week ago when the Sunday

Mirror revealed that Mr is how we's claims for energy were far higher

than those of any other MP. He explained that they also referred

back to you a billing period for last year and he says the sums

involved were less than he had been claiming for the rant of a flat in

Stratford before he bought the house in question. During the course of

this past weekend as the Sunday Mirror were preparing a follow`up

story, Mr Zahawi issued his unconditional apology. He said he

had been mortified by the mistake to discover the bills in question had

not just spin for the heating of his home but also his stables and for a

mobile home. What has been the reaction in his constituency? He

said he had been humbled by how many expressions of support from complete

strangers. But according to Labour, they say he has lost the trust of

his constituents, local Labour councillors are supporting a

campaign called shame on you, Mr Zahawi, and they are urging him to

donate ?10,000 to age UK. He has referred himself to the

Parliamentary standards authority. Is he under investigation? The

authorities say they are conducting preliminary assessments but it is

bound to revive all those memories of notorious MPs expenses scandals

from the not too distant past. A man's been jailed for 20 weeks for

trying to kill his neighbour's cat. 53`year`old Karl Dyke tried to hang

the cat in the shed at his home in Hereford. He admitted causing

unnecessary suffering to an animal but denied he wanted the cat to die.

Holly Lewis reports. Karl Dyke was caught red`handed

trying to hang his neighbour 's cat in July this year. Mike and Tracey

Lawrence were at home with their children when Tracy saw Karl Dyke

carry their cat to the shed in his garden. They found him dangling the

cat from a home`made noose. I was the last person he was expecting at

that door and when he realised he had been caught in the act, it was

just the look on his face. It was incredible. Karl Dyke had put a rope

on the cat's neck. He claimed he was teaching the cat a lesson for

soiling his garden but Hereford magistrates Fountain guilty of

attempting to kill an animal. During sentencing, it was said the offence

was so severe that only a custodial sentence would suffice. He wilfully

tortured and intended to kill his neighbour 's cat. He was ordered to

pay ?250 compensation to the Lawrence family, court costs and he

was banned from keeping animals for five years. This case had a massive

impact on the family. They were really traumatised so getting a

strong sentence is a victory for them. A 20 year prison sentence, a

ban on owning animals, it is good. Karl Dyke has now moved. Apart from

being timid, the Lawrence cap has suffered no adverse effects from her

own appeal. `` ordeal. Police officers in the West Midlands may no

longer be forced to retire after 30 years service. The A19 pension

regulation was controversial, with some officers retiring against their

will. However, today, the chief constable has announced a review.

Our reporter Giles Latcham joins us now from outside police headquarters

in the centre of Birmingham, Giles, what's brought this about? This has

been a difficult and painful chapter. The chief constable would

say that forcing them to retire was forced upon him by the government

cutting his funding by 20%, but the police are saying they met their

target for savings earlier than anticipated. 559 officers have gone

under this measure but another 779 have gone for a whole variety of

reasons, they had seen the writing on the wall. What has been the

reaction? The police officers union have welcomed the end of the scheme.

They say those left behind have been put under greater workloads and

stress. The police and crime commission concedes that the loss of

all those officers has had an effect. The decision to lose people

has meant we have lost a considerable number of experienced

and capable officers. So when will a decision be made on what happens

next? There will be a meeting in early December. The challenge will

then be for the police to recruit 450 new officers and within that, to

recruit successfully from ethnic minorities because critics say it

does not represent the communities it seeks to serve. The lid has been

lifted for the first time today on a coffin believed to date from Roman

times. It was found by metal detectorists

in a field near Atherstone in Warwickshire last month. Our cameras

were there to capture the moment, as Liz Copper reports.

Revealing a piece of Roman history. It is a delicate operation preparing

the coffin for scientific testing. It was found by two friends using

metal detectors in a field in the Warwickshire border. It is such an

unusual find. There was an underlying excitement as to what

this might tell us. We hope to get an insight into burial rites and

customs of a child buried in the Roman period. We will get an insight

into the environment of the time and we hope to be able to bring back to

life this child. It will take two days to take samples for the

scientist to analyse. This Coughlan may have been hidden for 1600 years

but tests will reveal a staggering amount of detail. They will reveal

much about closing, and drugs used in Roman Britain. The results are

likely to offer new and fascinating insights into our Roman heritage.

Work excavating the contents came to a stop today after experts made an

unexpected find. They are uncovered a child's jet bracelet which would

make the burial even rarer than over surely thought. Archaeologists now

think it is more likely there are more items inside.

Our top story tonight: Tens of thousands across the region fall

silent on Armistice Day ` among them the last surviving widow from the

First World War. Your detailed weather forecast to

come shortly. Also in tonight's programme: The

dream of another exhilarating cup run is on for Tamworth fans after

they beat League Two side Cheltenham at the weekend.

And children flocking to see and hear the acclaimed author who wrote

Warhorse. If you have a story you think we

should be covering on Midlands Today, we'd like to hear from you.

You can call us or send an email. We are also on Facebook or you can

tweet us. We're building up to a big

fundraising night here at the BBC ` Children in Need is on TV, radio and

online this Friday. The money raised goes to help children right across

the world ` and also helps many projects here in the Midlands. It's

a terrible statistic that a quarter of all young people in Britain will

witness violence between adults in their own home. And that has a

damaging effect on children growing up. Joan Cummins has been hearing

about a scheme in Hereford which shows youngsters that domestic

violence is never excusable. More than one in ten children under

the age of 11 have experienced domestic abuse in the home. Studies

show that often the emotional experience can leave youngsters are

vulnerable. Natasha needed help years after her mother was attacked.

He pushed her and she hit her head on our banister and fell to the

floor. I rang an ambulance. I was scared. In Hereford and Worcester,

the crush project funded by children in need has helped more than 300

children this year, and recognise the warning signs of domestic abuse.

Chloe says living with domestic abuse left her feeling isolated and

alone. I cried a lot and I didn't talk to my friends because their

families seemed normal and I thought they would not understand. It made

me feel lonely and I felt down all the time. First loves and teenage

relationships can also turn abusive. Every relationship needs trust, you

need to have respect for each other and you need to be happy. Crush

rebuild the confidence of people like Helen and Kim. It is a relief

off your shoulders and you are happy once you are done. It is a long

process to recover but you will be so grateful you did it. I will not

get myself into anything like that again. It destroys you as a person.

It is estimated that domestic abuse costs the state billions of pounds

every year. Here in the Midlands, projects like Rush are helping to

make a difference in children's lives.

More stories of the help Children in Need is giving children in the

Midlands, in the programme all this week. If you want to fundraise, or

make your own donation, there's a lot more information online, on

Facebook and there's even a Pudsey app. We'll be giving out a phone

line later in the week. Time for sport now and plenty to get excited

about in the FA Cup. Here's Dan. Tonight, in the FA Cup, Port Vale

travel to Gloucestershire hoping to avoid the embarrassment of being

knocked out by short wood United, the smallest club left in the

competition. Three of our non`league teams are safely through, including

Tamworth who've got another home draw in round two. Ian Winter

reports from Staffordshire. Peach boots, electric blue boots, it

is a rainbow of coloured boots as Tamworth march one step closer to

the road to Wembley. Tomorrow night they are back to earth with a bump

in their battle to avoid relegation from the conference. On Saturday

they were on form and one goal was enough to beat Cheltenham. Scored by

Nick Chadwick, on loan from Plymouth. Restore city at home in

the next round. Yes. We were asking for a home side and we got that.

Don't come any bigger than Bristol city. You will still be here for the

Bristol city game? Yes. Hopefully the FA Cup will be a good omen for

me while I am here. Tamworth are not our only non`league team through

to. On Friday Elliot Durrell told us he was confident of scoring against

Crawley and he kept his promise with a penalty. But they lost 2`1. Four `

one was also a popular school for Kidderminster Harriers. And Craig

Westcarr grabbed hold for Walsall as they beat Shrewsbury. Final word on

Tamworth who kept a clean sheet on Saturday thanks to goalkeeper

Cameron Belford. The talking points in the Premier

League were two controversial injury time penalties. West Bromwich Albion

were on course for their league first win at Chelsea in 35 years

before referee Andre Marriner awarded a penalty for this challenge

by Stephen Reid. It allowed Chelsea to draw 2`all. But Stoke were

grateful to get a late penalty and a 3`all draw at Swansea. Referee

Robert Madley spotted a handball. I'm not sure everyone saw it though.

No I think most Stoke fans would agree they were a bit lucky to get

the penalty and a point. As for Albion well understandably

furious. No such problems for Villa and Blues this weekend. No Villa

scored their first goals in seven and a half hours in beating Cardiff

City 2`nil. Leandro Bacuna's spectacular free`kick ended the

drought. Birmingham City got a valuable 3`1 win at Huddersfield to

climb out of the Championship's bottom three. The only sour note was

Kyle Bartley being sent off for his goal celebration. Slightly harsh.

That was harsh! Thank you. Fewer children are reading in their

own time. That's the finding from a recent report into literacy across

the UK. Well this weekend, over a thousand young people gathered in

Birmingham to take part in the Festival of Children's Literature.

It was organised by a deputy head and a school librarian. But can

events like this really make a difference? Our Arts Reporter Satnam

Rana has been finding out. Music, literature and illustration

inspired by the book the sword in the stone and the concert suite that

accompanies it. These young bookworms are part of the Federation

of children's book groups which promotes reading and this was one of

many workshops. Reading is part of everyday life and if you cannot

read, it is something that is really key to how life works. It has helped

me boost my confidence. Reading comes up in everyday life and opens

your mind into different stories. The National literacy trust reported

that one in five children are embarrassed to be seen with a book

so can a festival like this make a difference? I can give you evidence

from headteachers who say getting young people to meet the author, go

back to school and do further works on the books. Author I've got more

poco is there to bring his new book to life. He is passionate about

children's literacy. You cannot expect children to grow up with a

love of literacy if the temples of literature are being closed down in

your community. It is a mixed message so that needs to be stopped,

you need to follow the example of the Brummies. As books here are

brought to life here, it is thought children will follow through with an

enthusiasm for reading. I got drenched again this morning. I

should listen to the weather forecast. You really should but with

it being quite changeable, it is worth keeping a brolly just in case.

A lot milder today which probably made the rain more bearable but by

tomorrow, it will turn a lot colder and with that, we will see mixture

of dry and wet weather. More detail on to that ` this was the warm front

that gave us the rain this morning but this will be the cold front that

keeps that rain coming tonight and introduces colder conditions

tomorrow. High pressure will dip in and out this week and that will give

us calmer conditions for the night. It will not be until Wednesday

night, into Thursday that we see the next band of wet weather. A cold

front keeping the rain gobbling right now. This will nudge into

north`western parts of the region. That rain will start to cross the

region later on tonight. It should start to die out and it will be a

dry end to the night with temperatures down to 9`10dC. We have

clearer skies developing in the north, so by the morning, for the

north of the region, a good deal of sunshine there. The sunshine will

spread further southwards through the afternoon. Temperatures will be

slightly lower tomorrow, between 10`12 Celsius. Those values will

drop drastically through tomorrow night at under clear skies. Lows of

around one `to Celsius in towns and cities. Colder than that in the

countryside. It could be cold enough for not only ground frost but a

touch of air frost as well. You will be greeted by that on Wednesday.

Wednesday itself will be a very chilly start to the date but lots of

sunshine. Fairly decent on Thursday but there is rain in between.

Tonight headlines: Devastated by Typhoon Haiyan ` the Philippines

declares a state of emergency with more than 10,000 people killed.

Actas of remembrance have taken place around the country.

Veterans from Worcestershire watch a screening of a film be made about

their contribution in World War II. And a man from Cheltenham completes

the first ever marathon swim from one end of Britain to another.