29/01/2014 Midlands Today

Hello, welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: The firing

handle of his ejector seat was in the wrong position ` a sequence of

events that led to the death of a Red Arrows pilot.

From the age of 17, she wanted nothing more than to join the RAF.

At today's inquest, the coroner criticised the MOD, the RAF and the

ejector seat manufacturer. Also tonight: Another ?6 million

from the government for a burgeoning business park in the Black Country.

It is a fantastic example of how this particular part of the world is

thriving at the moment. Memories of the Olympic torch in the

Midlands ` will there be the same excitement this summer for the

Commonwealth Games? We talk live to Dame Kelly Holmes.

I'm at Villa Park for Aston Villa against Albion. It is local pride

and points at stake tonight. And temperatures are falling tonight

as we head towards the coldest day of the winter so far. But will we

get to see some snow? I'll have all the answers in the forecast later.

Good evening. The family of a Red Arrows

more than ?6 million is being invested at the site in

Wolverhampton. It's one of 12 enterprise zones chosen by the

government to get extra funding to improve its infrastructure. Joanne

Writtle has been finding out what difference the money will actually

make. A ?6 million boost to bring money to

the i54 site faster. It is said that the money will help to improve

infrastructure here. We have just seen a wonderful

example of reinforcing something that has already been very

successful and taking it on to the next stage. This factory is being

built for a security stamp maker. It will move here in June, bringing

65 workers and plans to recruit more.

We intend to grow the business and also, the i54 site behind us enables

us to bring people from around the world.

Jaguar Land Rover will employ 1400 people at the engine plant here at

it is hoped 6000 jobs will come to this entire site by 2020. Many in

areas that are experiencing a skills shortage, a point not lost on

business leaders. You worried about the shortage of

engineers? Very much so. It is a challenge through all the companies

to make sure that sufficient young people are being trained and are

interested to choose this as a career path. In the past, we have

missed out big time. According to the local enterprise

partnership, 3 million people of employment age live within 20 miles

of this site. So, what do those living closest by think?

There will be more people working there, so hopefully it will bring

people buying food and shopping during the day. There will be more

traffic, I assume, but apart from that, it is positive. I think it is

very good. There are more jobs to the community and it will hopefully

help us as well. The new slip road will be open from

October and, with the government cash right `` announced today, it is

hoped that the available building plots will be ready quickly.

Coming up later in the programme. Are these the remains of the

daughter of the traitor who betrayed the King 700 years ago?

The family of a Red Arrows pilot from Coventry who was killed after

he was ejected from a stationary plane say his death could have been

prevented. Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham died in November 2011.

Speaking after the inquest today, his father Jim said he found it

difficult to understand how the problems with his seat were missed.

The MOD, the RAF and the seat manufacturers were all criticised by

the coroner. It was a job that he loved, but it

ultimately cost him his life. Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham died

after his ejector seat went off during routine checks on the ground

in 2011. At the inquest into his death, it was revealed that the

accident could have been prevented. His family have been coming here

every day for three weeks to get the answer is that they have been

searching for for two years. That weight clearly had taken its toll

when it came to giving their reaction today.

Sean was blameless in his tragic death. His tragic death was

preventable. We're still finding it difficult to accept so many people

could have missed what should have been obvious to those with the duty

to ensure the safety of the seat. The inquest heard about concerns

over pressured timetables and a dilation of experience within the

engineers and staff shortages. Problems with the ejection seat

where the safety pin could be put into the handle without it being

safe were known, but not communicated. The handle had been

left in an unsafe position for four days and was seen on 19 different

occasions, but it went unnoticed. Sean's parachute did not deploy,

because a crucial nut and bolt been over tightened. If his parachute had

worked, he would have been alive. The over tightening of the nut and

bolt and the potential for it to be a risk was known 20 years ago by the

manufacturer Martin Baker. Other people were informed, but not the

RAF. In relation to the 19 missed opportunities to notice that the

handle not safe, the inquest said: We have made and will continue to

make every effort to make sure that such a tragic accident could never

happen again. With regard to this nut and bolt and

Martin Baker's failure to notify the MoD of potential over tightening,

Stuart Fisher said that there was a very serious failure of

communication: At the base today, the Red Arrows

training session was given in Sean's honour, his family watching

on the ground. Business has assumed here, Sean's

family hope that lessons learnt from his death mean that these people are

safe in the future. A teenager has been warned by a

judge he can expect a substantial prison sentence after being

convicted of killing a Redditch man. 50`year`old Nigel Shakespeare was

heading home with his partner from a night out in the town last year when

he was attacked. A 17`year`old who, cannot be named for legal reasons,

was found guilty of manslaughter at Worcester Crown Court.

A man's been found lying critically injured in a street in Birmingham.

Forest Road in Moseley has been sealed off all day following the

discovery last night. The police say they're treating the 50`year`old

local man's injuries as unexplained. They're appealing for information.

Nearby residents say they're also baffled by what's happened.

People living in the Midlands will get their chance to see the

Commonwealth Games baton as the relay passes through Birmingham on

Monday second June. It's hoped the Queen's Baton Relay will replicate

the spectacular success of the Olympic torch relay two years ago.

The Olympic torch, which was made in Coventry, was in the Midlands for a

total of seven days. More than one million people lined the region's

streets to see it. And it was carried through 73 towns and cities

in the region. Joining me now is the President of the Commonwealth Games

England, Dame Kelly Holmes. Good evening, Dame Kellly. Could

this be as popular as the Olympic Torch?

I think it will be a very exciting time. It will definitely be

different. What happens with the Queen's Baton Relay is it goes to

certain locations and they put on offence which are trying to bring

communities together. `` they put on events. It will start in the town

hall, at lunchtime it will go to a number of parks in Birmingham

activity parks activity programme, that allows people to participate in

sport. And then Birmingham City council will host an evening

reception at the three. So it is very different. You won't see it

going round lots of towns. It is a different event. This is the

Commonwealth Games. But it is so important, because team England want

to do well and we are trying to get everybody to visit the website, just

to find out more about us and really support the team. Our team will go

out there in Scotland and it was proud.

The build`up to the Commonwealth Games has been quite quiet so far.

Will it change? Will it get off the ground soon?

I think when the Queen's Baton Relay goes to England's, it finishes on

Friday the 13th in Newcastle, I think the focus will definitely come

to the fore. It is the only other multisport competition that there is

behind the Olympic Games. I think the energy and the enthusiasm for

sport is still very big and I hope by June and July there will be

everyone focusing on the games. Well the baton has been touring the

world as part of the Games' build`up and tonight it's in Namibia. Well we

can speak to the BBC's relay presenter Mark Beaumont who's been

following the baton around the world so far. Where have you been?

Good evening. The Queen's Baton Relay started off at Buckingham

Palace, and it is all ready been through Asia and the Pacific and

through part of Africa. This is the 33rd destination, just shy of half

the way round the Commonwealth. What sort of reaction have you been

getting? It has been quite remarkable. Everywhere we have been,

there has been an impressive turnout. I heard you saying before

that people are just waking up to the fact that there is another home

games in the UK. For the athletes that I have met around the

Commonwealth, the training and the preparation is under way. The

Queen's Baton Relay in each place right thing has caused great

excitement. In one area they took the day as a national holiday. There

have been songs and ounces and people getting behind the athletes.

`` and dances. And you can follow Mark's journey

and the baton, as it heads back to the UK, on his blog. This is our top

story. The firing handle of his ejector

seat was in the wrong position ` a sequence of events that led to the

death of a Red Arrows pilot. Rebecca will be along shortly with

the forecast for the Midlands,also ahead: We're live at Villa Park

ahead of the Villa`Albion match which kicks off in about an hour's

time. And from the marry `` the Maori, a

taste of what is to come at the International dance Festival in

Birmingham. Nearly 3,000 people have signed

petitions opposing changes to Stafford's historic Shire Hall

Gallery. The County Council's looking at selling or renting the

Georgian building, which houses a former court room and the town's

current library. But campaigners are fighting the plans, as our

Staffordshire reporter Liz Copper's been finding out.

Standing in Stafford's Market Place, the Shire Hall's been at the heart

of this county town since the 1790s. Inside, the old courtroom ` now a

museum ` but the as a young barrister, I did a great

deal of work in this building. That court room is now being kept as an

extremely valuable educational resource.

People in Stafford have grown up with the building. It is not just a

library, it is an art exhibition space and a gallery. It is a

beautiful building, and if we lost the library, it would be a waste.

This has not been thought through, especially with all the new

buildings. The campaigners have set up online

petitions. Thousands have signed up in support.

They are worried about what the building might become, will it be a

pub, what will it be? It costs around ?180,000 year to run

this building, and the County Council is looking at a wide array

`` why `` array of options as to how to use it. The gallery is presenting

its latest exhibition. There are no plans to move this

imminently. But there are plans to move the library. There is a limit

to what could be done to the building, but it would be wrong for

us not to look at public buildings and to say is this the best use of

this building? The judgement on the fate of this

building will be made in the next 12 months. The council says it will

listen to what the concerns being raised.

The discovery of a body from the 14th century at a church tomb in

Herefordshire is being hailed as an amazing archaeological find. The

body was found at St Bartholomew's Church in Much Marcle.

Michael Eastham, a conservator of sculpture, has spent two years

restoring Blanch's tomb. But he certainly didn't expect to find what

turned out to be a mysterious lead coffin jammed inside the tomb chest.

English Heritage has described the discovery of what are almost

certainly Blanch Mortimer's remains as astonishing. And the vicar at St

Bartholomew's says he's overwhelmed by the idea that Blanch has been in

the church all the time since her death nearly 700 years ago.

At no ground level, we would have perhaps expected something, but not

in the monument itself. It has astounded a lot of people,

archaeologists are excited. Much Marcle and Herod Fisher can say to

the world that you can find things here. `` Herefordshire Blanch, who

died in 1347, was the daughter of the first Earl of March, Sir Roger

Mortimer. He turned traitor against King

Edward the Second and is believed to have arranged for the king's murder.

His daughter's memorial has been described by experts as strikingly

beautiful. And of course it's a testament to the workmanship that

only now, after 600 years, has it needed restoration work. Work that's

now led to the unveiling of this ancient coffin. Despite the

excitement surrounding the discovery, the decision's been taken

that the coffin should not be opened, as it is Church of England

policy to minimise disturbance to human remains.

That is a fascinating story. There's a big, big game under the

floodlights at Villa Park tonight. Aston Villa take on West Bromwich

Albion with more than just local pride at stake. Our reporter Nick

Clitheroe is there. It's first time the two managers have met, so that

gives it a little extra edge, doesn't it?

Absolutely. So much has changed since the two teams drew to each at

the hawthorns two months ago. Aston Villa have picked up since their

match against Liverpool, so they have moved away from trouble, but

they are only one gay `` one game away now. It will be an interesting

time for the head coach. The way that the players played, they played

a fantastic game. To think that they are struggling at

home was confusing. But hopefully we can fix that starting Wednesday. It

is a good match, and for a rest it is important to win three points.

As we look ahead to the rest of the season, how crucial is this game?

We really are into the crucial part of this season. So many big games.

As well as this one, we have also got Stoke City of Sunderland. If you

look at the table, you will see just how tight it is. Aston Villa in

11th, that would normally be safe, but they are only six points above

the relegation zone will stop other teams are two points back, but if

Stoke were to win tonight, they would both go above Villa. There

were so many big games to come in the season. This is a key one, as

well as the really exciting derby atmosphere, it will be very tense

here, because both sets of fans know it's Ali how important this game

will be. And let's move onto last night's football.

Wolves are favourites to sign Coventry City's top scorer Leon

Clarke. But the Sky Blues manager Steven Pressley is angry about

Clarke's behaviour, accusing him of letting his team`mates down. Last

night, whilst Coventry were losing at Leyton Orient, Birmingham lost

again at St Andrew's. Birmingham City have won only twice

at home all season in the Championship. The last time was

October first. So it was no surprise when Lloyd Dyer put Leicester in

front. Seven minutes from the end, the Championship leaders scored

again, to add to the growing sense of frustration at St Andrew's. And

not even a late consolation from Peter Lovenkrands could ease the

pain of yet another home defeat. In League One, Wolves saved their

best until the second half away to Oldham. Kevin McDonald struck soon

after the break. Then a couple of late goals sent the travelling fans

home in happy mood. Michael Jacobs made it 2`0. James Henry popped in

number three, and Wolves remain just behind Brentford, and Leyton Orient,

who beat Coventry, 2`0. And walls remained just behind, who beat

Coventry No sign of striker Leon Clarke,

whose transfer to Wolves looks imminent. Romaine Sawyers gave

Walsall a half time lead against Swindon, But they had to settle for

a 1`1 draw, which keeps the Saddlers just inside top six.

But tonight, it is all about this massive derby game here tonight. So

much is at stake for both of these sites, and we will bring you the

background to this game on the late bulletin at 10:25pm. There will also

be a full match commentary on BBC Radio W M.

One of Europe's biggest dance festivals will be returning to

Birmingham in April. Details have been released today of the four week

International Dance Festival and our arts reporter Satnam Rana joins us

from Victoria Square now to tell us more. So what can we expect?

I feel like dancing on to the screen. There will be plenty going

on here, with international artists becoming ``, to perform dance.

Victoria Square is empty tonight, but there will be three stages

here, and on them break dancing Forman says and Street dancing

performances. `` performances. There will be eight Korean dancers who are

the world champions will stop that is how important the International

Dance Festival Birmingham is. Here is one of the co`directors. Why is

it such an important event in our city?

We all love Birmingham, and we need to attract more people here. Great

festivals like this suit Birmingham, we want people to enjoy it even

more. This is the fourth Festival, last time it was very successful?

Yes, more than 60,000 people enjoy the events in theatres and

outdoors. And this time, there are performances and participation

events? Yes, we work really hard to make sure that people can enjoy

events all over the city indoors and outdoors.

The outdoor events will include break dancing performances here. It

is a really important event, it does not just attract international

artists, but it puts our glorious city in the international map on a

cultural sense as well. And here is the weather. We cannot

shake these gloomy grey days. It is beginning to feel colder. Here are

some of these top temperatures. Six Celsius today, but on the Wales

border, 3.8. It has been a cold day, and that averages will continue

to fall. Tomorrow could be the coldest day of the winter so far. We

have had plenty of showers around today, and they will continue

through tonight. Some of them still contain a wintry element, but it

will ease free time and temperatures will fall lower well. It will be

around freezing, there could be some frost forming, and we still have the

yellow weather warning for and is warning. But though showers are

continuing through the day. Again, some of them could be rather wintry

with some sleet and snow, especially across the Staffordshire moorlands.

Those temperatures really won't get much higher than they have been

overnight and it will get rather damp as well. We will get limited

brightness through the day. But, eventually, on Thursday night, the

showers will move away to the North. Behind that, temperatures

will fall away. It will be a cold and frosty night as we make our way

into Friday, with temperatures hovering at around one or two

degrees. Why Friday, it is all change. This is moving in, this band

of rain. There is some heavy rain on there. We could see 20 millilitres.

It will coincide with high tides and strong winds. Our tensions turned to

flooding. There are nine flood warnings in place at the moment and

22 flood alert. Here is the phone number if you have any concerns. On

Saturday, there will be even more showers. It will be better on

Sunday, but unsettled next week as well.

Here are the headlines from the BBC. The governor of the Bank of

England issues a warning about Scotland keeping the pound if it

votes for independence. And then inquest hears how a firing

handle of an ejector seat was in the wrong place, one of a series of

incidents that led to the death of Sean Cunningham. I will be back at

10:25pm. Goodbye.

'The cost of living crisis goes deep into people's lives,

'deep into the way our country is run,