:00:00. > :00:00.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: He inspired
:00:07. > :00:15.and humbled ` thousands of tributes paid to cancer patient Steve Evans,
:00:16. > :00:22.who's died at the age of 52. A gentleman who has bizarrely
:00:23. > :00:24.touched the lives of hundreds and thousands of people.
:00:25. > :00:27.We'll be asking the Mayor of Wolverhampton how Steve's home city
:00:28. > :00:30.plans to honour him. Also tonight: Think the unthinkable ` the advice
:00:31. > :00:39.to authorities dealing with suspected child abuse following the
:00:40. > :00:44.murder of Daniel Pelka. We are quite a reserved country in
:00:45. > :00:48.terms of talking about people behaviours and family life but that
:00:49. > :00:51.reservation does not work when trying to protect children.
:00:52. > :00:58.Amusing or irritating? The advert that some claim reinforces
:00:59. > :01:04.stereotypes about the Midlands. A bit of a laugh. Some of the way the
:01:05. > :01:06.Black Country people speak. We should be proud of it.
:01:07. > :01:10.West Bromwich Albion's new Spanish coach, Pepe Mel outlines his plans
:01:11. > :01:12.for the rest of the season at his first media conference.
:01:13. > :01:15.And after all the rain we've had recently, I wish could tell you
:01:16. > :01:25.that's your lot, unfortunately it's now. The details coming up later.
:01:26. > :01:31.Good evening. "Amazing, funny and magical in all senses." One of the
:01:32. > :01:35.thousands of tributes paid to Steve Evans. There's been an overwhelming
:01:36. > :01:39.reaction to the death of the council worker, part`time magician and
:01:40. > :01:42.cancer patient. Steve was 52. For two years, his positive attitude
:01:43. > :01:46.while fighting terminal stomach cancer has inspired and humbled.
:01:47. > :01:51.Steve's 26,000 Twitter followers were among the first to hear the
:01:52. > :01:53.news of his death this morning. Ben Godfrey reports from Wolverhampton
:01:54. > :02:03.where Steve reached, in his words, the end of his journey.
:02:04. > :02:08.Steve Evans referred to himself as that bloke from the council, living
:02:09. > :02:13.an ordinary life but to his thousands of followers, he was an
:02:14. > :02:20.extraordinary man. I had to relax and understand that the journey was
:02:21. > :02:24.starting to come to an end. Steve's journey ended this morning and there
:02:25. > :02:35.has been an incredible response from many of his Twitter followers. David
:02:36. > :02:47.Baddiel described Steve as amazing, funny and magical.
:02:48. > :02:54.A former building surveyor turned magician who championed
:02:55. > :02:58.Wolverhampton. At the Civic Hall he managed the acts making such an
:02:59. > :03:05.impression, his name has joined the wall of fame. When he was first
:03:06. > :03:08.diagnosed, it was a hellish time however he was more worried about
:03:09. > :03:14.telling other people and the effect it would have on them. Steve called
:03:15. > :03:19.his battle with stomach cancer a journey shared by family and
:03:20. > :03:24.friends. You think to yourself, I must have this for a reason, that is
:03:25. > :03:33.the positive. Or you think to yourself, why be? That is a
:03:34. > :03:37.negative. For many, Steve did more to raise awareness for stomach
:03:38. > :03:45.cancer than any health professional. He has done immense work for us. I
:03:46. > :03:52.feel guilty that maybe specialists like me should do more public
:03:53. > :03:58.education. A gentle man and a gentleman who has bizarrely touched
:03:59. > :04:02.the lives of hundreds and thousands of people. Last year he told me he
:04:03. > :04:08.was happiest at home in his summer house, close to his wife and
:04:09. > :04:15.daughters. A nurse said have you decided what your vision of heaven
:04:16. > :04:21.is like? My version would be a Victorian theatre. I can envisage a
:04:22. > :04:27.front row that contains Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis and me
:04:28. > :04:31.asking them to pick a card. Steve often appeared on BBC Radio five
:04:32. > :04:39.Live. His final interview was broadcast on Tuesday. Love is all
:04:40. > :04:42.around and I am so blessed that I have had so much a bit around me.
:04:43. > :04:46.Well, Ben is in Wolverhampton for us tonight. Ben, you met Steve Evans
:04:47. > :04:56.and got to know him. What would he have made of all the reaction to his
:04:57. > :05:01.death? He struck me as a very humble man so I guess there would be a big
:05:02. > :05:08.element of surprise to the response today. Steve's appeal has been the
:05:09. > :05:14.way he has been so honest to talk about something people find to be a
:05:15. > :05:25.turbulent subject. Take a look at tonight's paper. `` taboo subject.
:05:26. > :05:34.You have known him for over 20 years. Steve was a great character,
:05:35. > :05:44.personality. He was Wolverhampton 's favourite son. He did a lot for the
:05:45. > :05:51.city, in particular but the mayors parlour as well. Working for the
:05:52. > :05:57.various mayors charities. This is a man celebrated life as well as his
:05:58. > :06:07.home city. How can the city remember him? The city will remember Steve in
:06:08. > :06:13.particular but it is important to give regard to the family and see
:06:14. > :06:19.how they want to take the issue forward and the Mayor's pile`up will
:06:20. > :06:25.support whatever the family wish to do. The Civic Hall can play a role
:06:26. > :06:30.in that in the future. We have spoken to one of Steve's daughters
:06:31. > :06:35.who said she was overwhelmed by the messages of goodwill and wanted to
:06:36. > :06:38.thank the public for their support. You're watching BBC Midlands Today.
:06:39. > :06:41.Still to come tonight: Extra funding for manufacturing in our region `
:06:42. > :06:48.the Chancellor on how small businesses can think big.
:06:49. > :06:51.Think the unthinkable ` the advice today to authorities dealing with
:06:52. > :06:54.suspected child abuse following the murder of Daniel Pelka. The Coventry
:06:55. > :06:58.schoolboy was murdered almost two years ago, beaten and starved by his
:06:59. > :07:02.mother and stepfather. At the time, agencies were heavily criticised. A
:07:03. > :07:06.progress report is ensuring that changes to working practices are
:07:07. > :07:14.taking now place. Here's Joan Cummins.
:07:15. > :07:18.A boy whose short and tragic life has prompted authorities to ask how
:07:19. > :07:23.they deal with suspected child abuse. Daniel Pelka was four when he
:07:24. > :07:31.died from a hedge injury `` head injury. His mother and stepfather
:07:32. > :07:37.were jailed for a minimum of 30 years. The judge described the
:07:38. > :07:41.treatment of Daniel as in comprehensible totality. A serious
:07:42. > :07:45.case review in September found that Daniel was invisible and no
:07:46. > :07:49.professional tried sufficiently hard enough to talk to him.
:07:50. > :07:53.Recommendations included improving the way health, education, police
:07:54. > :07:59.and social workers share information, something that is now
:08:00. > :08:04.slowly changing. Sometimes it takes cases like this to make people
:08:05. > :08:16.realise the level of commitment and consensus and partnership working
:08:17. > :08:21.that is required. A specialist safeguarding hub is planned which
:08:22. > :08:26.will enhance social assessment centres such as this. Professionals
:08:27. > :08:31.in all be services have been reminded of their obligations to
:08:32. > :08:37.children and despite cuts on the horizon, the council is determined
:08:38. > :08:41.to prioritise child protection. We all have a responsibility, we cannot
:08:42. > :08:46.guarantee that this case would never happen again but we have to ensure
:08:47. > :08:50.we have processes in place to prevent it. There still remains
:08:51. > :08:56.doubt in the city that the authorities are doing their best. We
:08:57. > :09:05.have had experiences with people we know. It is wrong. The Council house
:09:06. > :09:10.to protect children. The legacy of Daniel could be that the referrals
:09:11. > :09:15.of child protection have increased after his death.
:09:16. > :09:18.The Government has said there will be a full parliamentary debate on
:09:19. > :09:21.the abuse scandal at Stafford Hospital, where patients died
:09:22. > :09:24.unnecessarily. It comes on the day the health regulator, Monitor,
:09:25. > :09:26.agreed to the break`up of the Mid Staffordshire Hospital Trust.
:09:27. > :09:28.Stafford Hospital will become part of University Hospital North
:09:29. > :09:32.Staffordshire and Cannock will transfer to the Wolverhampton Trust.
:09:33. > :09:37.Children and midwifery services will also be downgraded in Stafford. The
:09:38. > :09:44.Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, has until the end of
:09:45. > :09:48.February to make a final decision. A report into safety at a quarry in
:09:49. > :09:51.the Malvern Hills where two young men drowned last summer recommends
:09:52. > :09:54.it shouldn't be filled in to prevent further deaths. Russell O'Neill and
:09:55. > :09:58.Justas Juzenas died while swimming at Gullet Quarry, within a week of
:09:59. > :10:01.each other last July. But the Royal Society for the Prevention of
:10:02. > :10:11.Accidents says more measures do need to be looked at to discourage people
:10:12. > :10:14.swimming there. Two former Shropshire businessmen
:10:15. > :10:16.have gone on trial over ?14 million invested in children's animation
:10:17. > :10:19.programmes. This series, The Boblins, did have some success,
:10:20. > :10:22.Birmingham Crown Court heard, airing in the UK and abroad. But David
:10:23. > :10:26.Griffiths, from Oreton near Cleobury Mortimer, and Simon Drew, who now
:10:27. > :10:31.lives in East Sussex, allegedly gave investors misleading information.
:10:32. > :10:34.They deny deception and fraud. The Chancellor, George Osborne was
:10:35. > :10:36.in the region today to announce extra funding to boost
:10:37. > :10:39.manufacturing. The Government is providing ?30 million to help
:10:40. > :10:41.develop new high`tech aerospace technology at the Manufacturing
:10:42. > :10:48.Technology Centre in Coventry. Here's our Business Correspondent
:10:49. > :10:54.Peter Plisner. A glimpse of the future, the
:10:55. > :10:58.Coventry `based technology centre is already at the cutting edge of
:10:59. > :11:05.automotive technology. Now it is to play a role in aerospace. A chance
:11:06. > :11:10.for George Osborne to visit. The government is invested ?30 million
:11:11. > :11:16.to create the centre. It will mean more jobs. In the three years we
:11:17. > :11:24.have been here, we have grown to 275 employees. Centres like this are
:11:25. > :11:30.helping to take the risk out of inventing research and development
:11:31. > :11:35.costs. They are incredibly instance of an if an invention does not work,
:11:36. > :11:39.it can be quite costly and catastrophic. Funding for a scheme
:11:40. > :11:44.called catapult ensures that does not happen. It aims to bring
:11:45. > :11:50.businesses and universities closer to gather. It is an area where we
:11:51. > :11:54.have failed to exploit great inventions in the UK. The catapult
:11:55. > :12:00.is about helping businesses grab those technologies and skills up to
:12:01. > :12:05.the commercial world. And that is something that is already happening
:12:06. > :12:09.at Warwick University. Here the development of composite materials
:12:10. > :12:14.is helping to make cars lighter and fuel`efficient. Jaguar Land Rover
:12:15. > :12:19.have already switched from steel to aluminium bodies on many models,
:12:20. > :12:27.saving around a third of the weight but composite promises more savings.
:12:28. > :12:33.We do see compensates being used in auto sports but it is still very
:12:34. > :12:38.expensive. If we can make it cheaper and quicker to process, we will
:12:39. > :12:42.start to see that in the average saloon. It is all about a British
:12:43. > :12:52.economy that builds its manufacturing base. That invests in
:12:53. > :12:57.the whole country. More investment here means that when it comes to
:12:58. > :13:04.automotive and aerospace, this region continues to lead the way.
:13:05. > :13:07.Our top story tonight: He inspired and humbled ` thousands of tributes
:13:08. > :13:10.paid to cancer patient Steve Evans, who's died at the age of 52.
:13:11. > :13:16.Your detailed weather forecast to come shortly from Rebecca.
:13:17. > :13:19.Also in tonight's programme: What you think about this advert and
:13:20. > :13:28.whether or not it mocks local accents.? It is more of a Birmingham
:13:29. > :13:36.accent than a Black Country accent so people do take the Mickey out of
:13:37. > :13:39.it. I do not take offence. And the Olympic legacy ` is it
:13:40. > :13:45.succeeding in getting more children involved in sport?
:13:46. > :13:49.An update now on the story we brought you yesterday of a family
:13:50. > :13:52.from Telford fined for taking their children on holiday in term time.
:13:53. > :13:57.Stewart Sutherland was told he had to pay nearly ?1,000 in fines and
:13:58. > :14:00.court costs. Nearly 60,000 people have viewed the story on our
:14:01. > :14:05.Facebook page and we've had hundreds of comments. Sharon Plimmer said,
:14:06. > :14:31."The act of truancy is clearly different to a family holiday.
:14:32. > :14:35.Well, the Department for Education declined to be interviewed about
:14:36. > :14:38.this today. But they did say children who attend school regularly
:14:39. > :14:44.are nearly four times more likely to achieve five or more good GCSEs than
:14:45. > :14:47.those who are regularly absent. What seems to be confusing a lot of
:14:48. > :14:50.parents is that until last September, head teachers could grant
:14:51. > :14:55.leave for the purpose of family holiday for up to ten school days.
:14:56. > :15:04.Now it is only to be done in the most exceptional circumstances.
:15:05. > :15:09.One education expert at Birmingham city University told us that even
:15:10. > :15:14.short holidays can have a big impact. The child is always catching
:15:15. > :15:20.up because of the students will know what they are doing, they know what
:15:21. > :15:24.is expected of them. They will have missed all of that so it is an
:15:25. > :15:27.issue. Meanwhile, a London businessman is
:15:28. > :15:31.so incensed by the issue and what has happened to the Sutherlands that
:15:32. > :15:34.he's trying to raise the money to pay their fine and costs. And, of
:15:35. > :15:37.course, we'll keep you in touch with developments.
:15:38. > :15:40.Something else now that's been getting people hot under the collar.
:15:41. > :15:43.It's an advert for a hotel chain that seems to mock the accents of
:15:44. > :15:47.Birmingham and the Black Country. Amusing or irritating? You can make
:15:48. > :15:59.your own mind up. But does it reinforce negative stereotypes about
:16:00. > :16:02.the Midlands? Here's Holly Lewis. And aspirational couple plan a mini
:16:03. > :16:09.break in Paris but it is the accent that has everyone talking. When the
:16:10. > :16:14.advert appeared on you chew it prompted plenty of comment, most of
:16:15. > :16:19.it negative. One said, this is a shameful effort to mock the good
:16:20. > :16:25.people of the Black Country and another, this advert makes me feel
:16:26. > :16:32.physically sick. But in Smethwick, most people could see the funny
:16:33. > :16:37.side. I saw it on the telly and it made me laugh. At first, I did not
:16:38. > :16:43.know what was going on because you don't hear that sort of accent on
:16:44. > :16:54.TV. It is more of a Birmingham accent so people do take the Mickey.
:16:55. > :17:04.It does not bother me. It is a comedy thing. It is the latest in a
:17:05. > :17:10.long line of similar controversies. Linguist Ursula Clarke has been
:17:11. > :17:15.studying accents in the Midlands. Whereas in other regions in the UK,
:17:16. > :17:19.people are very proud of the way they speak whereas the people in
:17:20. > :17:25.this region are ashamed of the way they speak and they should be proud.
:17:26. > :17:32.There was no shortage of pride in Smethwick today. We found the
:17:33. > :17:43.Southern accent funny like they find our accent funny.
:17:44. > :17:45.Well, Holly is with us now. Holly what have the company which
:17:46. > :17:53.commissioned this advertisement had to say? We have had a statement and
:17:54. > :17:58.they said, we wanted to create a popular due road that people would
:17:59. > :18:06.warm to that is why we cast a Birmingham born and bred actor. We
:18:07. > :18:10.wanted to use a friendly act to help create a distinctive character.
:18:11. > :18:16.Quite a lot of debate about whether the accent was authentic but it does
:18:17. > :18:22.appeared the actor is local. What is the general perception of Birmingham
:18:23. > :18:27.and Black Country accents? Ursula Clarke has done a lot of work in
:18:28. > :18:32.this area and she was saying the problem is that most studies tend to
:18:33. > :18:36.link the Birmingham or Black Country accent to low intelligence. Which is
:18:37. > :18:42.perhaps why something like this, people are sensitive about but one
:18:43. > :18:50.of the recent studies linked Birmingham or Black Country
:18:51. > :18:53.accents, that they came out on top for trustworthiness so it is
:18:54. > :18:57.interesting to see how difficult it is to change perceptions but if
:18:58. > :19:03.there are more people in the media with a certain accent, it certainly
:19:04. > :19:09.does begin to chip away at these prejudices which are stirred up by
:19:10. > :19:12.things like this. Football, and West Bromwich Albion
:19:13. > :19:15.agreed to sell striker Shane Long to Hull City today. The fee's thought
:19:16. > :19:20.to be ?7 million after various add`on clauses are included. So does
:19:21. > :19:23.that give their new head coach Pepe Mel money to spend in the transfer
:19:24. > :19:26.window? Well, he's held his first media conference today and a warning
:19:27. > :19:34.there's flash photography in Dan Pallet's report.
:19:35. > :19:40.He arrived through the gloom hoping to bring some Spanish sunshine into
:19:41. > :19:48.Albion's season. Pepe Mel is days into the job and has a big challenge
:19:49. > :19:56.ahead. Pepe Mel took Riel batters into Europe last season but this is
:19:57. > :20:02.his first job in England so it is a big test. Good afternoon. I am
:20:03. > :20:09.pleased to be here at West Brom. I am sorry for my English. I am not
:20:10. > :20:15.worried because this summer, everybody will speak Spanish. No
:20:16. > :20:21.problem. But he was also quick to point out he will not bring in new
:20:22. > :20:26.background staff despite an interview last week stating he
:20:27. > :20:34.would. There was no confusion at all. West Brom will keep their
:20:35. > :20:38.existing team, the future will tell whether our systems come and join us
:20:39. > :20:43.but I am happy at the moment and everyone is working well together.
:20:44. > :20:53.Pepe Mel took charge of his first training session on Tuesday. He is
:20:54. > :20:57.able to communicate his messages from a football point of view quite
:20:58. > :21:05.easily, so he will be having lessons, he is keen to learn. He
:21:06. > :21:11.does want to learn the language and he will have lessons over the next
:21:12. > :21:16.few months. Pepe Mel knows there was work to be done. His task begins on
:21:17. > :21:22.Monday with a visit to Everton and that will be no Spanish holiday. Dan
:21:23. > :21:29.is at the hawthorns now. What did you make of the new head coach? He
:21:30. > :21:34.came across really well today, very friendly, personable. He does speak
:21:35. > :21:39.a bit of English. He has clearly done his homework on the Albion
:21:40. > :21:45.fans. He knows it will be tough over the next four months but he said,
:21:46. > :21:49.come the summer he might sign some Spanish players. The level of them
:21:50. > :21:54.will depend on whether he can keep them in the Premier League. What
:21:55. > :22:01.about that perceived language barrier because I'm not sure that
:22:02. > :22:06.many Albion players speak Spanish? You would be surprised. It is so
:22:07. > :22:13.international, Premier League football. Four of the team are fluid
:22:14. > :22:16.in Spanish and an important member of the backroom staff. He
:22:17. > :22:21.understands and speak it a little bit better than he let on today. He
:22:22. > :22:27.is having intensive lessons so within a matter of weeks or months
:22:28. > :22:30.he will be more fluid. Football is an international language and he
:22:31. > :22:37.should not have problems getting his message across on the training
:22:38. > :22:40.ground. It's almost 18 months since the
:22:41. > :22:43.London Olympics, but the drive to build its legacy continues. A
:22:44. > :22:46.competition to get more school children involved in sport was
:22:47. > :22:49.launched today in Birmingham. Nick Clitheroe has been to meet one of
:22:50. > :22:57.the city's rising sport stars taking part in the School Games.
:22:58. > :23:01.This is 14`year`old basketball fanatic Rebecca. Two years ago she
:23:02. > :23:05.was looking for a new sport to try so the teachers at Heartlands
:23:06. > :23:11.Academy picked for the basketball team at the Birmingham School games.
:23:12. > :23:14.I want to play in America for college basketball and then
:23:15. > :23:21.represent Great Britain in the Olympics. I want to do my own battle
:23:22. > :23:27.club in Africa. In Edgbaston they were launching the latest drive.
:23:28. > :23:32.Setup to build on the legacy of the London Olympics, there is plenty at
:23:33. > :23:36.stake in getting it right. Nationwide, more than ?100 million
:23:37. > :23:43.has been spent on the School games in the run`up to 2015 so has it all
:23:44. > :23:49.been worth it? In the citywide competition we have 95 schools
:23:50. > :23:56.involved, 1600 competitors and over 80 volunteers. There is still more
:23:57. > :24:01.to be done and we want to make sure that we give as wide an opportunity
:24:02. > :24:07.to the Birmingham schools as possible. It is not all about
:24:08. > :24:14.targets as sport is supposed to be fun. We have been doing the javelin
:24:15. > :24:19.and long jump. Good because everyone can join in. If Rebecca is part of
:24:20. > :24:25.that British Olympics basketball team in Tokyo 2020, remember where
:24:26. > :24:28.it all began. It's fair to say it's been a wet
:24:29. > :24:31.start to 2014, with many places being flooded, including Worcester
:24:32. > :24:34.county cricket club. Today though, the clean`up operation got underway
:24:35. > :24:39.at the New Road ground. Flood waters have now started to go down, and it
:24:40. > :24:43.was all hands on deck to tidy up the mess left behind. So, is there more
:24:44. > :24:51.rain to come? Rebecca is here with the forecast.
:24:52. > :24:56.I am beginning to worried that I sound like a stuck record because
:24:57. > :25:01.all I talk about is rain. There is plenty more in the forecast. We have
:25:02. > :25:06.showers around tonight. They will stick with us into tomorrow and by
:25:07. > :25:12.Saturday, more persistent rain to come. By Sunday, we will see things
:25:13. > :25:17.getting colder but that is by the time we get to Sunday. Though
:25:18. > :25:23.showers already rattling through the region to Mike. Some of them will be
:25:24. > :25:27.quite heavy at times. Brief periods of respite but most places will
:25:28. > :25:33.continue to see showers right the way until tomorrow morning. With
:25:34. > :25:38.plenty of cloud, rain, temperatures will not fall too low. Loans of five
:25:39. > :25:45.or six Celsius but further west it could drop lower. Tomorrow morning,
:25:46. > :25:49.we have though showers around, some will be heavy. The possibility of
:25:50. > :25:55.help and thunder through the morning but by lunchtime, we will start to
:25:56. > :26:00.see things using as a ridge of high pressure builds. Good spells of
:26:01. > :26:05.sunshine. Not a bad way to and Friday. Temperature is around seven
:26:06. > :26:10.or eight Celsius. Winds will be lighter and it will feel pleasant.
:26:11. > :26:15.For Friday night, we continue to keep these calm conditions. Clear
:26:16. > :26:20.spells to begin with so temperatures will drop away. The cloud then
:26:21. > :26:24.builds once again ahead of the next weather system working its way
:26:25. > :26:29.through on Saturday. Some mist and fog patches developing but
:26:30. > :26:34.temperatures will be around four or five Celsius. Through Saturday we
:26:35. > :26:41.have this next band of rain moving through. Between five and ten
:26:42. > :26:47.millimetres of rain. With all that saturated ground, it will add to
:26:48. > :26:51.that. By Sunday we will see the isobars widening and the wind will
:26:52. > :26:59.drop out so things will stagnate. Temperatures will fall away, some
:27:00. > :27:05.frost as well. It is staying cold as we make our way into next week but a
:27:06. > :27:07.soggy weekend to get through before that.
:27:08. > :27:10.Tonight's headlines from the BBC: the Chancellor George Osborne backs
:27:11. > :27:16.an above inflation rise in the minimum wage.
:27:17. > :27:19.Finally tonight, the death of Steve Evans this morning, in
:27:20. > :27:23.Wolverhampton. He called himself ordinary. But the way he dealt with
:27:24. > :27:34.terminal stomach cancer, often with humour, was simply extraordinary.
:27:35. > :27:39.I know there are many people who are on limited journeys and far too many
:27:40. > :27:48.with cancer, but what makes our journey I is the amount of people
:27:49. > :27:49.that are on it with it with and the amount of love we are surrounded