:00:00. > :00:10.transformation of the NHS in England. That
:00:11. > :00:15.Today welcome to Midlands today. The headlines...
:00:16. > :00:18.They did not die in thing, the words of the Health Secretary on those who
:00:19. > :00:24.lost their lives at Mid Staffs hospital. The terrible tragedy has
:00:25. > :00:29.led to the most fundamental changes in NHS culture in 65 years.
:00:30. > :00:31.Jeremy Hunt also said the NHS had listened and learned after the
:00:32. > :00:36.scandal at Stafford. Also tonight, a further ?20 million
:00:37. > :00:42.worth of savings to make by Stoke city council, but where will they
:00:43. > :00:46.make the cuts? It is a bit cold, but when you are
:00:47. > :00:51.enjoying yourself you seem to forget about it and have a great time.
:00:52. > :00:54.How 100`year`old documents about life on the home front in the First
:00:55. > :00:59.World War are being brought to life by modern technology.
:01:00. > :01:01.And if you think it's cold now, wait until tonight when temperatures
:01:02. > :01:05.reach new depths. But to find out what that will mean
:01:06. > :01:13.both for tonight and tomorrow, keep watching.
:01:14. > :01:18.Good evening. The Health Secretary admitted today that "cruelty had
:01:19. > :01:22.become the norm" in the NHS at the time of the Stafford Hospital
:01:23. > :01:25.scandal. It is six years since Julie Bailey started the Cure the NHS
:01:26. > :01:28.campaign following the death of her mother in the town's hospital. In
:01:29. > :01:31.March 2009, the health care Commission found that at least 400
:01:32. > :01:36.more patients died between 2005 and 2008 than would normally have been
:01:37. > :01:43.expected. In February, the Francis report made 290 recommendations to
:01:44. > :01:46.change the culture within the NHS. Today, the government has introduced
:01:47. > :01:49.a series of measures which, it says, should prevent another Stafford from
:01:50. > :02:00.ever happening again. Joanne Writtle reports.
:02:01. > :02:03.Today, staff at the hospital that micro`Stafford Hospital is looking
:02:04. > :02:08.forward. But the spotlight on it's past won't fade. Staff shortages
:02:09. > :02:11.still forcing the closure of accident and emergency at night.
:02:12. > :02:14.People marched to save a and e and other services like maternity. But
:02:15. > :02:18.firm decisions over their future aren't expected until early next
:02:19. > :02:22.year. One of the most chilling accounts in
:02:23. > :02:28.the Francis Report came from Mid Staffs employees who considered the
:02:29. > :02:32.care they saw to be normal. Cruelty became normal in our NHS, and no one
:02:33. > :02:37.noticed. A raft of recommendations including
:02:38. > :02:40.staff being encouraged to report problems, though with no legal
:02:41. > :02:44.obligation to do so. Watching the Health Secretary react to the report
:02:45. > :02:46.which came out of the Stafford Hospital scandal, Julie Bailey,
:02:47. > :02:52.founder of Cure the NHS, and her supporters.
:02:53. > :02:55.We have to rely on the culture changing within the NHS to ensure
:02:56. > :03:01.that these recommendations are successful. Without that
:03:02. > :03:07.legislation, we have to really keep our fingers crossed that we are not
:03:08. > :03:09.here in a few years asking for another public inquiry for some of
:03:10. > :03:11.the loved ones that have suffered. Elsewhere, founding members of
:03:12. > :03:16.Support Stafford Hospital fighting for the hospital's future were also
:03:17. > :03:20.watching. Let us hope the finances are there
:03:21. > :03:25.to back this all up. Nurses come at a cost, but yes, I think it is very
:03:26. > :03:27.encouraging. We have to see this report in more detail, this is just
:03:28. > :03:31.the start. In Stafford, everyone has a view on
:03:32. > :03:36.the town's hospital and the future of its acute services.
:03:37. > :03:42.I have got no complaints about it, because of my family, they were
:03:43. > :03:49.being treated wonderfully. Everyone has an opinion, they need to many
:03:50. > :03:53.mistakes in my eyes. I cannot understand the thinking
:03:54. > :03:58.behind taking something away that is so vital to a county town.
:03:59. > :04:03.No one from Stafford Hospital would appear on Canberra, but the trust
:04:04. > :04:08.was Michael Chief Executive issued a statement saying we know there is
:04:09. > :04:10.always room for improvement but we are determined to remain focused on
:04:11. > :04:12.providing compassionate at and safe care.
:04:13. > :04:15.Behind closed doors, hospital business was going on as usual, as
:04:16. > :04:22.politicians focused on the future of hospital care nationwide all because
:04:23. > :04:25.of what happened here. A short time ago I spoke to the
:04:26. > :04:28.Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and asked him how could he guarantee
:04:29. > :04:37.that another Stafford Hospital scandal wouldn't happen again.
:04:38. > :04:41.Well, the best way to make sure that never happens again is to make sure
:04:42. > :04:46.there is so much transparency that when a problem like this starts it
:04:47. > :04:50.gets identified really quickly. We had a very tough year in the NHS,
:04:51. > :04:54.but actually I think we can turn this into something positive,
:04:55. > :04:57.because the changes I have announced today will turn the NHS into the
:04:58. > :05:03.most transparent health care system in the world. Every hospital in the
:05:04. > :05:07.country will be publishing nursing ratios by Ward and shift on a
:05:08. > :05:10.monthly basis. The public will be able to see the proper staffing. We
:05:11. > :05:14.believe that publishing staff numbers online will help improve
:05:15. > :05:17.patient care? There are lots of different issues
:05:18. > :05:22.and we have to crack everyone of them, but the way to do it is to
:05:23. > :05:24.sure that if there is a problem we as the public find out really
:05:25. > :05:30.quickly. What happened with Mid Staffs was
:05:31. > :05:33.these problems went on between 2005 and 2009 and nothing was done about
:05:34. > :05:39.them. Just talking about nursing numbers, it is sent by the Royal
:05:40. > :05:43.College nursing that there are 20,000 vacancies to be filled, how
:05:44. > :05:48.will you get more nurses? We recruited an extra 1300 nurses
:05:49. > :05:54.this year, but as a result in the big change of mood in the NHS this
:05:55. > :05:56.year, hospitals know to recruit 4000 more nurses than they did one year
:05:57. > :06:00.ago. It will be different in different
:06:01. > :06:04.bands of the country but we will be looking to help everyone find the
:06:05. > :06:08.nurses they need. How do you recruit nurses to hospital such as
:06:09. > :06:13.Stafford, that is now has such a damaged reputation two it is
:06:14. > :06:16.interesting, `` such a damaged reputation?
:06:17. > :06:20.We have discovered that hospitals in special measures are facing
:06:21. > :06:23.challenging circumstances, if staff feel things are being sorted out my
:06:24. > :06:29.morale goes up. I spoke to representatives that
:06:30. > :06:35.George Eliot, another hospital near you in special measures, and since
:06:36. > :06:38.that there has been a moral interests `` increase because people
:06:39. > :06:42.feel the problems are being addressed. You have said that the
:06:43. > :06:46.NHS has listened and learned, but sadly this has come too late for
:06:47. > :06:51.hundreds of families in the Midlands, has it not?
:06:52. > :06:55.It really has. There is nothing I can say today that will take away
:06:56. > :07:00.the sadness of the losses they have faced. Only one thing I can say is
:07:01. > :07:06.that they were not in vain, because the terrible trash and `` tragedy at
:07:07. > :07:10.Mid Staffs has led to the most fundamental changes in NHS culture
:07:11. > :07:13.in 65 years and everything we have been doing has been designed to
:07:14. > :07:16.ensure that those changes are built to last.
:07:17. > :07:20.Coming up later in the programme... She lost her confidence when she
:07:21. > :07:22.lost her hearing, but she's back and determined to make her mark in the
:07:23. > :07:30.music business. Stoke on Trent City Council's
:07:31. > :07:34.announced plans to save a further ?20 million from its budget for next
:07:35. > :07:39.year. It will mean jobs are lost and some fees and charges will increase.
:07:40. > :07:44.It is predicting it will have to find ?100 million of savings over
:07:45. > :07:46.the next four years. Our Staffordshire reporter, Liz Copper,
:07:47. > :07:54.is outside their offices now. Liz, what details have the council given
:07:55. > :07:58.about these cuts? Well, all of the details are
:07:59. > :08:03.contained in this large, hefty document that was handed to
:08:04. > :08:07.councillors and journalist earlier today. It goes through point by
:08:08. > :08:12.point how the council plans to save this sum of ?20 million. There were
:08:13. > :08:18.some job losses, around 150 jobs will go, and around 80 of those
:08:19. > :08:22.posts are currently vacant. Some things will increase, so charges,
:08:23. > :08:28.for example car parking, they are expected to go up by 3.8% over the
:08:29. > :08:33.city in the next year or so. Also cremation fees will go up by ?35.
:08:34. > :08:38.Some things will be reduced, for example grass cutting on the
:08:39. > :08:42.council's grass verges, will be scaled back. They will also be
:08:43. > :08:48.changes, for example, to library services in some parts of the city.
:08:49. > :08:51.In addition, the council currently has plans to sell off some of its
:08:52. > :08:55.buildings and thinks there will be more savings once those buildings
:08:56. > :09:01.are disposed of. As for council tax, the council says it will be freezing
:09:02. > :09:06.council tax next year. Has there been any reaction so far?
:09:07. > :09:10.As you can imagine with a hefty document like this, people are now
:09:11. > :09:15.going through it in detail and die jesting what it means.
:09:16. > :09:20.The Labour city council meeting `` and digester what it means, the
:09:21. > :09:24.Labour city council leader says the cuts are sustainable. The opposition
:09:25. > :09:29.parties say they want more clarity on the detail of what these plans
:09:30. > :09:31.actually mean. Voters will have the chance to have their say at the
:09:32. > :09:38.public consultation starting tomorrow running until Christmas.
:09:39. > :09:41.Export growth in the West Midlands is amongst the highest anywhere in
:09:42. > :09:45.the country. The value of overseas exports from this region has risen
:09:46. > :09:48.by 30% over the past two years, and was worth more than ?6.5 billion to
:09:49. > :09:53.the regional economy in the last quarter. Earlier this year, China
:09:54. > :09:59.overtook the United States as our biggest export market. More and more
:10:00. > :10:01.companies are now heading down the export route, as our business
:10:02. > :10:08.correspondent, Peter Plisner, has been finding out.
:10:09. > :10:12.Knit one, purl one, export one. Well, more than one, actually.
:10:13. > :10:15.Exports at this small Malvern`based knitwear specialist are booming.
:10:16. > :10:22.With the recession affecting domestic sales, developing new
:10:23. > :10:25.exports markets has been crucial. Having gone into the Japanese
:10:26. > :10:31.market, I have found that market to be growing, and growing well. It has
:10:32. > :10:37.completely changed the way my business could have been if I had
:10:38. > :10:38.just stayed with the UK market. They have been marketing my label
:10:39. > :10:41.with flyers... And Nicky's keen to find more
:10:42. > :10:45.countries to snap up her knitwear. So where better to find them than at
:10:46. > :10:50.this recent event offering speed`dating for exporters?
:10:51. > :10:55.It is an opportunity for companies to come and what the world. They can
:10:56. > :10:57.speak to 65 different countries and talk to them about what
:10:58. > :11:03.opportunities may look like for their businesses in those countries.
:11:04. > :11:07.One area that has attracted a lot of interest is Mongolia. Delegates have
:11:08. > :11:11.been finding out about a variety of export opportunities in a country
:11:12. > :11:15.that is seeing double`digit growth. Last year, the economy grew by more
:11:16. > :11:20.than 12% there. What sort of opportunities are out
:11:21. > :11:27.there for companies in the UK? Generally, mining. But this mining
:11:28. > :11:31.sector supplies new opportunities for every other sector, such as
:11:32. > :11:37.construction, infrastructure, as well as services.
:11:38. > :11:40.Perhaps not a market for Nickies knitwear, but there are plenty of
:11:41. > :11:42.others places that need to wrap up warm.
:11:43. > :11:47.It is fantastic because you can come to one place, spend the day and get
:11:48. > :11:49.lots of information and speak to the people from all the different
:11:50. > :11:53.embassies that may be relevant to you.
:11:54. > :11:56.With domestic sales still depressed, exports are vital in keeping
:11:57. > :12:01.economic growth going and helping create more new jobs.
:12:02. > :12:05.Campaigners have dismissed the idea that Birmingham could offer an
:12:06. > :12:11.alternative to increased airport capacity in London and the South
:12:12. > :12:14.East. The Let Britain Fly campaign was launched this morning and is
:12:15. > :12:17.supported by politicans and leading businesses like Dixons, John Lewis
:12:18. > :12:19.and KPMG. They say expansion is vital, but that regional airports
:12:20. > :12:27.like Birmingham aren't the answer, even if the HS2 railway plans go
:12:28. > :12:30.ahead. High two will bring more
:12:31. > :12:35.connectivity, but it doesn't replace the need for a hub airport and
:12:36. > :12:39.currently airlines go to the south`east, if they cannot get there
:12:40. > :12:49.they go to other European destinations or outside Europe.
:12:50. > :12:52.The Greater Birmingham area is to receive ?4 million in government
:12:53. > :12:56.funding to help young people get into work and training. More than
:12:57. > :12:59.14,000 people between the ages of 18 and 24 are unemployed in the area
:13:00. > :13:02.covered by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise
:13:03. > :13:04.Partnership. Some of the money will be spent on a new Apprenticeship
:13:05. > :13:07.Training Agency. A government inquiry got under way
:13:08. > :13:09.today into controversial plans for a waste incinerator in
:13:10. > :13:12.Gloucestershire. The County Council refused permission for the ?500
:13:13. > :13:15.million project at Haresfield just south of Gloucester due to its
:13:16. > :13:19.visual impact. But the company behind the proposals appealed, and a
:13:20. > :13:23.final decision is now due next summer.
:13:24. > :13:26.A deaf actress, dancer and now singersongwriter from the Black
:13:27. > :13:31.Country says it's become her ambition to break into the music
:13:32. > :13:35.industry. Rebecca Anne Withey worked on the BBC teenage drama Grange
:13:36. > :13:44.Hill. When she lost most of her hearing, she says, she also lost her
:13:45. > :13:47.confidence. But now she's determined to make her musical mark, as our
:13:48. > :13:56.Arts Reporter, Satnam Rana, has been finding out. Rebecca Anne Withey
:13:57. > :14:00.from Walsall is severely deaf. She lost most of her hearing by the time
:14:01. > :14:01.she was 18. But she uses her memories of music to write songs
:14:02. > :14:12.now. See You In The Sky, filmed here at
:14:13. > :14:15.Elvaston Castle in Derby, is the first song she has recorded with
:14:16. > :14:20.composer Stephen who's also deaf and works for charity Music and the
:14:21. > :14:24.Deaf. There is definately a stereotype
:14:25. > :14:27.that people believe if you are deaf you can't hear anything and you
:14:28. > :14:31.never have and you never will. That's not the case, especially with
:14:32. > :14:34.the technology and the equipment we have now. I'd like to think this
:14:35. > :14:35.project is demonstrating that actually deaf people can be very
:14:36. > :14:46.talented in the music field. One in seven people have hearing
:14:47. > :14:50.difficulties in the UK. In Birmingham, Bid Services connect
:14:51. > :14:56.many of them with the arts here at the Deaf Cultural Centre.
:14:57. > :15:01.What do they think about Rebecca's venture? That is a fantastic
:15:02. > :15:05.achievement for Rebecca and it is so important the deaf communities are
:15:06. > :15:09.aware that Rebecca has created her own song in that way and it means
:15:10. > :15:14.the deaf community hopefully will become inspired to make their own
:15:15. > :15:23.songs, as well. This is just the start for Rebecca.
:15:24. > :15:26.She wants to become the first deaf artsist in the UK to be signed up by
:15:27. > :15:31.a label. Our top story tonight...
:15:32. > :15:34.They did not die in vain, the words of the Health Secretary on the
:15:35. > :15:38.hundreds of patients who lost their lives at Stafford Hospital. We have
:15:39. > :15:42.a detailed weather forecast to come shortly, also tonight...
:15:43. > :15:47.How Aston Villa are a being encouraged to do diversify into
:15:48. > :15:50.tennis and golf. And he was officially named a rock
:15:51. > :15:58.legend last week, today he became a doctor.
:15:59. > :16:04.Thousands of documents telling of life on the home front during World
:16:05. > :16:08.War I are being preserved as part of a major Heritage project in
:16:09. > :16:13.Herefordshire. Newspapers, letters and school logs, some of them too
:16:14. > :16:16.fragile to be handled by the public, are among the material being made
:16:17. > :16:23.available online so they can be saved for future generations.
:16:24. > :16:26.Almost 100 years ago, teenagers not that Michael not much older than
:16:27. > :16:31.these walked this impact. Then they were coming to work at a munitions
:16:32. > :16:35.factory in Herefordshire. The site opened in 1915. It was mainly women
:16:36. > :16:39.who worked here, the canary girls they were called because the
:16:40. > :16:44.material used to make shells turned here yellow.
:16:45. > :16:48.I don't think the appreciated quite how dangerous it was when they
:16:49. > :16:50.started, and wouldn't add my two women were handling explosives
:16:51. > :16:56.without masks to begin with. Then people started dying.
:16:57. > :16:59.These youngsters from Hereford Academy are learning what went on
:17:00. > :17:03.here as part of a First World War centenary budget.
:17:04. > :17:05.I have not heard of it, but I have heard some rumours. It is really
:17:06. > :17:10.interesting. We have learned that there was loads
:17:11. > :17:13.of shelves here, and with one sparked the whole place would grow
:17:14. > :17:16.up. I heard about it once in primary
:17:17. > :17:19.school, it is very interesting coming here and amazing to learn
:17:20. > :17:24.about what happened. Thousands of documents like
:17:25. > :17:29.newspapers, diaries and letters from 1914`18 are being digitised.
:17:30. > :17:33.There is less known about what the First World War meant for people in
:17:34. > :17:38.Britain at that time, particularly in rural areas like Hereford, what
:17:39. > :17:42.it meant for farming, for women, for the children.
:17:43. > :17:46.Volunteers have the painstaking job of sifting through.
:17:47. > :17:49.It is fascinating, especially looking at the old newspapers and
:17:50. > :17:54.thinking this is how life was and finding out about the language used
:17:55. > :17:57.then. A lot of this material shows the impact of the war was felt in
:17:58. > :18:01.the most remote places. This is a school logbook from a
:18:02. > :18:10.small village just outside this area. From March the 22nd, 1918,
:18:11. > :18:13.Miss Simmons visited and asked scholars to collect sheep 's wool
:18:14. > :18:19.for the making of soldiers' blankets.
:18:20. > :18:22.The result of the project should be the most competitive story ever told
:18:23. > :18:28.of Herefordshire in the First World War.
:18:29. > :18:30.And now to sport, news of Aston Villa investing in other sports away
:18:31. > :18:33.from football. Yes, it is all because of the
:18:34. > :18:38.Olympics, really. It was hardly ideal weather for damning ice tennis
:18:39. > :18:43.and golf but that did not stop Birmingham schoolchildren in joining
:18:44. > :18:50.themselves today. `` it was hardly ideal weather for tennis and golf.
:18:51. > :18:54.Dan Evans, a tennis player, playing tennis. Felicity Johnson, a golfer
:18:55. > :18:59.playing golf. But aren't these two both
:19:00. > :19:04.footballers? Not this afternoon ` they were braving the cold to get
:19:05. > :19:08.children into sport. It has been a good afternoon. It is
:19:09. > :19:12.freezing but it is nice to come down and see what the kids are doing and
:19:13. > :19:15.get involved. It is one of the initiatives from
:19:16. > :19:19.the Premier League to come down and help the kids out. See them having
:19:20. > :19:25.fun, it is a bit cold, but when you are enjoying yourself you see them,
:19:26. > :19:28.they forget about it and have a good time. This is Premier League for
:19:29. > :19:33.sport. It is an Olympic legacy project with
:19:34. > :19:37.extra funding from sport England. Tennis and golf are on the menu
:19:38. > :19:41.today, but Aston Villa promote a total of eight sports, including
:19:42. > :19:45.hockey, basketball and judo. Football clubs are often accused of
:19:46. > :19:48.being detached from the community, but here within the shadow of Villa
:19:49. > :19:51.Park, Aston Villa are getting involved.
:19:52. > :19:54.These excellent youth facilities opened only last month. They are
:19:55. > :19:59.helping golf and tennis shrug off the tag of being elitist.
:20:00. > :20:05.There are quite a few people coming through who are not from that
:20:06. > :20:08.so`called elitist background. They are from working`class backgrounds,
:20:09. > :20:12.and that can only be good for the sport.
:20:13. > :20:16.I think golf has that perception, but it is really not any more. A lot
:20:17. > :20:21.of schools have golf as part of the EE programme from a very young age
:20:22. > :20:26.until the least let 16. `` as part of the PE programme. The challenge
:20:27. > :20:29.after London 2012 was to build on the success of the Olympics, and
:20:30. > :20:33.today that legacy was very much alive.
:20:34. > :20:35.Now for football itself. And a great win for Walsall in League One last
:20:36. > :20:39.night. Manager Dean Smith says his side are
:20:40. > :20:42.a match for any team in that division after beating thirdplaced
:20:43. > :20:46.Peterborough 2nil last night. `` the beat third placed Peterborough 2`0.
:20:47. > :20:49.Milan Lalkovic, who's on loan from Chelsea scored their first last
:20:50. > :20:51.night at the Banks's Stadium. The second was another good goal.
:20:52. > :20:55.Romaine Sawyers scored that one. And the Saddlers could have won by
:20:56. > :20:58.more but Ashley Hemming's penalty was saved. But the result lifts
:20:59. > :21:05.Walsall up to seventh and just a point outside the playoffs.
:21:06. > :21:12.Excellent goals. Yes, and Wolves are top of the table
:21:13. > :21:15.but they're involved in the FA Cup this evening. They're at home to
:21:16. > :21:19.Oldham in a first round replay. It's live on BBC WM. The winners are at
:21:20. > :21:23.home to Mansfield in round two. Now, to a remarkable little girl who's
:21:24. > :21:26.reaching new heights in her sport. Ellie Harvey from Staffordshire is a
:21:27. > :21:29.two times world champion in kick boxing and she's only eight! She's
:21:30. > :21:33.been competing internationally for just a year, so she's now also a
:21:34. > :21:36.contender for newcomer of the year at the West Midlands Community
:21:37. > :21:43.Sports Awards. Laura May McMullan went to meet her.
:21:44. > :21:50.A little girl with big ambitions. Dedicated Ellie Harvey trains five
:21:51. > :21:55.nights a week at the Rugeley martial art centre in Staffordshire. At
:21:56. > :22:00.eight years old, she is already a two times world champion.
:22:01. > :22:06.It makes me a champion in my age category, and I feel really proud of
:22:07. > :22:11.myself. I put in 100% and it is mostly hard work.
:22:12. > :22:15.It clicked from the first time she tried, she fell in love with it. It
:22:16. > :22:22.is just considered `` constant, you cannot talk to her without her
:22:23. > :22:30.having her leg in the air. Despite her young age, she also
:22:31. > :22:34.helps to coach the Ninja class. She is confident for her age, which
:22:35. > :22:39.has developed massively over the short period of time she has been in
:22:40. > :22:42.training. Almost from day one we got her a really big tournament to
:22:43. > :22:47.compete in front of thousands of people and she was not fazed by it
:22:48. > :22:51.at all. Kick boxing is a male dominated sport, but that does not
:22:52. > :22:57.stop him three competing and winning against the boys.
:22:58. > :23:03.Extract `` that does not stop Ellie. Extract remission from her brother,
:23:04. > :23:07.three times champion, has helped. `` extra tuition. I do not go easy on
:23:08. > :23:10.her, but I do not go any harder on her.
:23:11. > :23:14.Ellie has a wealth of medals under her belt.
:23:15. > :23:22.She will represent England and says in the future she wants to be at the
:23:23. > :23:28.top of her sport. Don't argue with Ellie. The winner
:23:29. > :23:31.of the Newcomer of the Year will be revealed at an awards ceremony in
:23:32. > :23:34.Birmingham next month. One of the founding members of legendary
:23:35. > :23:37.Birmingham rock band Black Sabbath has been awarded an honorary degree
:23:38. > :23:41.today. Guitarist Tony Iommi received the honour from Coventry University
:23:42. > :23:45.for services to the Arts. He stopped off this morning at the city's
:23:46. > :23:49.cathedral and he's now on his way to rejoin the rest of the band who are
:23:50. > :23:57.on tour in Finland. I got a letter from the University
:23:58. > :24:02.and, yes, they were saying that because of the invention of heavy
:24:03. > :24:07.metal and all of the years and things I have done, it was
:24:08. > :24:14.brilliant. Great. I couldn't believe it. Straightaway from here we go to
:24:15. > :24:18.the airport off to Helsinki. We rehearsed tonight, supposedly, then
:24:19. > :24:23.do the show tomorrow and start the European tour.
:24:24. > :24:29.I bet it will be called in Helsinki. It certainly is here!
:24:30. > :24:32.Yes, even colder here than in Helsinki, would you believe? I will
:24:33. > :24:37.put you on the spot tonight, because a little birdie told it is not just
:24:38. > :24:40.Tony Iommi who has cause to celebrate, but also you.
:24:41. > :24:44.Congratulations are in order because earlier today you received an
:24:45. > :24:49.honorary degree from the University of Worcester. I believe we have a
:24:50. > :24:55.photograph behind me. You are looking rather nice with Professor
:24:56. > :25:00.David Green of the University. Very well done, thoroughly, thoroughly
:25:01. > :25:03.deserved. Back to those temperatures from
:25:04. > :25:09.Helsinki, they are down to three or five Celsius tonight, but put a
:25:10. > :25:13.minus in front of that and you have the values for the Midlands. It is
:25:14. > :25:18.much colder, largely down to the sunshine and clear skies during the
:25:19. > :25:21.day. We will not see clear skies for long because we have an area of low
:25:22. > :25:26.pressure coming from the north`west later tonight, bringing rain, cloud
:25:27. > :25:30.and some strengthening winds. That will be out of the way by tomorrow,
:25:31. > :25:35.but the high pressure will then take over, keeping things settled from
:25:36. > :25:40.Thursday through the weekend. That translates into clear skies tonight
:25:41. > :25:46.to start off with and now we will see a rapid drop in temperature down
:25:47. > :25:52.to minus for Celsius in the countryside, leading to widespread
:25:53. > :26:03.frost. `` four Celsius. Temperatures later will be to 23
:26:04. > :26:07.Celsius. `` two to three Celsius. Rain later could be heaviest on the
:26:08. > :26:11.highest grounds and could be producing a wintry element in sleet
:26:12. > :26:15.or snow. That is more likely during tomorrow as the rain spreads
:26:16. > :26:17.Southeast. It will be heaviest across the highest ground,
:26:18. > :26:22.particularly in the north, then later in the day to the south
:26:23. > :26:26.eastern corner, containing hailstones, sleet or snow over the
:26:27. > :26:31.highest peaks. Temperatures will rise to around six or eight Celsius
:26:32. > :26:35.in towns and cities. With the strong wind in the morning it will feel
:26:36. > :26:38.colder than that. Winds will ease during the afternoon as the rain
:26:39. > :26:43.moves out of the way and it is a much drier end to the day with a lot
:26:44. > :26:47.of cloud and the odd shower. We will see more showers through tomorrow
:26:48. > :26:52.night, some heavy and again containing a wintry element, but
:26:53. > :26:55.with the damp surfaces and temperatures falling to around two
:26:56. > :26:59.or three Celsius in towns and cities, lower in the countryside, we
:27:00. > :27:05.could see icy stretches on some untreated services `` services. ``
:27:06. > :27:08.surfaces. By Friday a bit of cloud coming in
:27:09. > :27:13.off the North Sea, but some sunshine, as well.
:27:14. > :27:16.You gave me quite a funny turn, I am not used to seeing myself on
:27:17. > :27:19.television! Connect's headlines...
:27:20. > :27:23.Hospitals will have to publish figures on staffing levels and
:27:24. > :27:25.doctors and nurses will have a statutory duty of candour to the
:27:26. > :27:29.patients in a raft of measures announced today.
:27:30. > :27:32.And here on Midlands today Jeremy Hunt said the hundreds who lost
:27:33. > :27:36.their lives at Stafford hospital did not die in vain.
:27:37. > :27:41.That was the Midlands today. Join us again at 10pm when we will
:27:42. > :27:45.be talking live to the Stafford MP about today's response to the
:27:46. > :27:47.Stafford hospital scandal. Goodbye.