:00:00. > :00:00.military activity in the area tonight. That is all from us,
:00:00. > :00:09.contemporary cinema comes to the Marches.
:00:10. > :00:14.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: join the
:00:15. > :00:16.organ donor register, a plea to ethnic minorities from transplant
:00:17. > :00:25.patient and Birmingham MP, Khalid Mahmood. It is just a huge
:00:26. > :00:28.commitment when somebody is prepared to donate an organ. We'll be asking
:00:29. > :00:31.the British Kidney Patient Association, what being a living
:00:32. > :00:35.donor involves. Also tonight: A life changing
:00:36. > :00:38.operation for a nine`year`old boy cancelled because of a change in NHS
:00:39. > :00:41.funding guidelines The starlings creating a spectacle at dusk in
:00:42. > :00:50.Hereford but leaving behind a spectacular mess. It is really
:00:51. > :00:53.painful. Starlings creating a spectacle at
:00:54. > :00:57.dusk but leaving behind a spectacular mass.
:00:58. > :00:59.The moving story of Beauty, the Shropshire grocer's horse
:01:00. > :01:06.commandeered by the Army in the First World War. There wasn't a dry
:01:07. > :01:08.eye when she went on the train to war.
:01:09. > :01:11.From Northern Lights, to chilly nights, as we head towards the
:01:12. > :01:18.meteorological spring things are ironically getting colder. But will
:01:19. > :01:19.we escape the rain this weekend? Your full forecast is coming up
:01:20. > :01:27.later. Good evening. There's a call tonight
:01:28. > :01:32.for more people from ethnic minorities to join the organ donor
:01:33. > :01:35.register. It comes from the Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood who's
:01:36. > :01:41.just had a life`saving kidney transplant. Last year over 6,000
:01:42. > :01:45.people were on the waiting list for a new kidney. 30% of those were from
:01:46. > :01:48.black, Asian or other minority ethnic communities. On average,
:01:49. > :01:52.patients from these groups will have to wait a year longer for a
:01:53. > :01:55.transplant, than white patients. As he prepares for a return to
:01:56. > :02:00.politics, Khalid Mahmood has been talking to Ben Godfrey.
:02:01. > :02:06.Khalid Mahmood is used to pounding the streets of Birmingham. But he's
:02:07. > :02:14.making a steady return to politics on the advice of doctors.
:02:15. > :02:17.Quality`of`life and the changes already have been absolutely
:02:18. > :02:20.tremendous. Five weeks ago, the 52`year`old Labour MP had a
:02:21. > :02:23.life`saving kidney transplant after a live donor came forward. This is
:02:24. > :02:29.his first interview since the operation. The real sacrifice that
:02:30. > :02:34.has been made as by the donor. It is a huge commitment, you see, when
:02:35. > :02:42.someone is prepared to donate an organ whilst they are living. At a
:02:43. > :02:45.loss to find the words to say thank you. Khalid discovered he had
:02:46. > :02:52.chronic kidney failure in 2008. He spent four hours a day on dialysis.
:02:53. > :02:59.What impact has it had on your professional life and on your family
:03:00. > :03:05.life in Birmingham? It has been very difficult for them to see me go
:03:06. > :03:10.through that trauma. But I took it in my stride. It was all the more
:03:11. > :03:16.poignant for the family because his twin brother Arshad died from Kidney
:03:17. > :03:20.disease. It was a huge loss personally to me and family and
:03:21. > :03:23.still is a great loss to the whole family. Yesterday, we joined the
:03:24. > :03:29.father`of`two at the QE Hospital where his consultant was ready with
:03:30. > :03:33.his latest test results. Hello. How are you doing? Here, you can see
:03:34. > :03:38.when the kidney was transplanted and you can see the chaotic spikes that
:03:39. > :03:43.were there before have been replaced by this smooth curve and that is a
:03:44. > :03:46.demonstration that the new kidney is functioning beautifully. I think
:03:47. > :03:50.there is quite a lot of misunderstanding about who can be a
:03:51. > :03:53.living donor and who cannot. Tissue typing isn't as important, blood
:03:54. > :03:57.grouping isn't as important. What is most important is a willingness to
:03:58. > :04:01.do this for someone you care for. Khalid Mahmood says he won't reveal
:04:02. > :04:09.who donated the kidney but he owes them his life. He hopes to return to
:04:10. > :04:12.the House of Commons next month. Joining me now is Fiona Loud from
:04:13. > :04:17.the British Kidney Patient Association. Why do you think there
:04:18. > :04:26.is a shortage of donors from ethnic minorities? Actually, I would say
:04:27. > :04:31.there is a shortage of donors anywhere really. You've heard the
:04:32. > :04:36.numbers, 6000 people will be on the organ donor waiting list and hoping
:04:37. > :04:39.to get a kidney. Of those, at least one will die every day while they
:04:40. > :04:46.are waiting. That doesn't include the many others on dialysis.
:04:47. > :04:49.Particularly, in the black and ethnic minority communities, that is
:04:50. > :04:55.a series of different communities with different cultures and faiths.
:04:56. > :04:58.I think from the work that we have done in mosques and talking to
:04:59. > :05:03.people from those different areas, some of it is simply not knowing,
:05:04. > :05:07.not knowing who to ask or understanding perhaps that you can't
:05:08. > :05:10.go forth and give this fantastic gift of donating a kidney while
:05:11. > :05:15.alive as well as giving the gift of life after you have passed away. You
:05:16. > :05:20.receive one of your husband's kidneys, didn't you? Our children
:05:21. > :05:25.were very young at the time. I'd been on dialysis for five years and
:05:26. > :05:28.I have never been called from the waiting list. We had to take a
:05:29. > :05:36.decision and say, what are we going to do in the future? Am I going to
:05:37. > :05:42.live a long and full life as a transplanted person? Keith told me
:05:43. > :05:47.he was going to give me his kidney. We are both very well. This happened
:05:48. > :05:50.seven years ago. He completely recovered from the operation. He was
:05:51. > :05:54.out of hospital within three days. He has a checkup once a year and
:05:55. > :05:58.carries on his life doing absolutely that he used to do. Now, I'm there
:05:59. > :06:03.to be with him and look after our family and do all the other things
:06:04. > :06:12.that I do. Coming up: A five match ban for
:06:13. > :06:15.Anelka for this gesture. Now the club parts company with its
:06:16. > :06:18.technical director. A nine`year`old boy with cerebral
:06:19. > :06:21.palsy has been told he can't have an operation that would help him walk
:06:22. > :06:24.more easily, because of new NHS funding guidelines. Ben Baddeley
:06:25. > :06:27.from Newcastle, is just one of a number of children around the
:06:28. > :06:43.Midlands who have had potentially life`changing surgery cancelled.
:06:44. > :06:46.Sorry. I will do it as quickly as I can. Every day, Ben is strapped into
:06:47. > :06:50.this contraption for half an hour to stretch his legs. It helps the
:06:51. > :07:02.spasticity but it hurts and he hates it. It means I could do a lot. What
:07:03. > :07:10.sort of things do you want to do? Write a skateboard. Selective dorzal
:07:11. > :07:14.rhizotomy cuts certain nerves causing the spasticity in the spine.
:07:15. > :07:16.Ben was due to undergo the first stage last week, but it was
:07:17. > :07:19.cancelled. NHS England stopped routinely funding the operations
:07:20. > :07:22.last April. The hospital in Nottingham didn't know and carried
:07:23. > :07:27.on so it is treating patients who started the process, but not Ben.
:07:28. > :07:31.For every parent that is out there, they know that seeing your childhood
:07:32. > :07:36.constantly hurts you. It hurts your heart and it messes with your head.
:07:37. > :07:39.How can I take that away from him? I just don't understand. I don't
:07:40. > :07:43.understand why they've done it. At nine, Ben is in a race against time.
:07:44. > :07:50.After nine there's less benefit from SDR. He's not alone. A Coventry
:07:51. > :07:55.child has also been cancelled. This operation has been done in places
:07:56. > :08:03.like Oswestry since the mid`90s. Mice looked at this in 2010 and said
:08:04. > :08:05.there was moderate evidence that it significantly improved movement with
:08:06. > :08:11.physiotherapy after 12 months. `` NICE. But NHS England says it is not
:08:12. > :08:14.cost`effective. In a statement, NHS England said the current evidence
:08:15. > :08:16.base does not sufficiently demonstrate relative cost or
:08:17. > :08:18.clinical effectiveness. As further trials take place, NHS England's
:08:19. > :08:21.clinical experts will keep the policy under review. We recognise
:08:22. > :08:26.that both patients and clinicians feel this is a promising area of
:08:27. > :08:32.research. But a year on, NHS England hasn't sponsored any research. Ben's
:08:33. > :08:38.mother is fighting on and looking to raise the ?20,000 needed.
:08:39. > :08:41.The two men attacked in Hereford by the serial killer Joanne Dennehy
:08:42. > :08:47.have spoken of their massive relief after she was given a whole life
:08:48. > :08:50.sentence today. Robin Bereza and John Rogers were both stabbed at
:08:51. > :08:53.random by Dennehy, as they were out walking their dogs in separate
:08:54. > :08:58.incidents in Hereford City Centre last April. She'd earlier pleaded
:08:59. > :09:02.guilty to their attempted murders as well as killing three other men in
:09:03. > :09:06.Peterborough. She's only the third woman in England to be sentenced to
:09:07. > :09:09.die in prison. There's a significant political
:09:10. > :09:12.development tonight in the wake of the Government's decision to wind`up
:09:13. > :09:14.the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust. Conservative and Labour MPs in
:09:15. > :09:17.Wolverhampton and Stoke`on`Trent will be raising concerns about the
:09:18. > :09:20.knock`on effects on hospitals in their areas, following the transfer
:09:21. > :09:29.of some services from Stafford and Cannock. Our Political Editor
:09:30. > :09:35.Patrick Burns has more on this. What exactly are they worried about?
:09:36. > :09:44.What we are seeing now, Mary, is the other side of the coin. We have
:09:45. > :09:50.become accustomed to hearing some campaigning hang onto many
:09:51. > :09:55.services. Now come the concerns for those other hospitals at the
:09:56. > :09:58.receiving end of this. Think of Wolverhampton New Cross Hospital.
:09:59. > :10:06.Already, they are fudgy `` fully stretched. There has been a lot of
:10:07. > :10:09.discussion about mid`Staffs. We are going to have to look at how this
:10:10. > :10:12.comes out in the war. There are issues in terms of how this might
:10:13. > :10:17.have a knock`on effect. I'm not the expert on that. I'm going to meet
:10:18. > :10:21.those at the coal face and speak to the Prime Minister about the
:10:22. > :10:25.knock`on effect. I see you have Tristram Hunt there. How does he see
:10:26. > :10:28.the position of the University Hospital `` Hospital of North
:10:29. > :10:31.Staffordshire? The general perception is that the
:10:32. > :10:35.bulk of those services which are being switched will go up the road
:10:36. > :10:48.to Stoke. Tristram Hunt shares many of the concerns. We face the same
:10:49. > :10:53.challenges. We are making the same representations to the Secretary of
:10:54. > :10:57.State. We can take the flag. We've got the skills and the capacity. We
:10:58. > :11:01.can grow the hospital. We need to make sure that local people's health
:11:02. > :11:08.provision in Stoke`on`Trent is not adversely affected. It looks as
:11:09. > :11:13.though the political fallout from mid`Staffs still has a way to go.
:11:14. > :11:16.Campaigners are still threatening legal action and with a general
:11:17. > :11:19.election around the corner, we can be sure that defending MPs and
:11:20. > :11:22.aspiring candidates will all be fighting hard for the best deal for
:11:23. > :11:29.their own local communities. There's a long way to go yet.
:11:30. > :11:32.And Patrick will be back with more on this in Sunday Politics at 11
:11:33. > :11:36.o'clock on BBC One, plus the towns and cities bidding for a new ?20
:11:37. > :11:43.million college to train engineers for high`speed rail.
:11:44. > :11:46.This is our top story tonight: Join the organ donor register, a plea to
:11:47. > :11:48.ethnic minorities from transplant patient and Birmingham MP, Khalid
:11:49. > :11:55.Mahmood. Your detailed weather forecast to
:11:56. > :11:58.come shortly from Rebecca. Also in tonight's programme: from delivering
:11:59. > :12:02.groceries in Shropshire to facing enemy fire, the story of one of
:12:03. > :12:05.thousands of war horses and the largest rural film festival in the
:12:06. > :12:06.country, contemporary cinema comes to the Marches Thousands of
:12:07. > :12:19.starlings have been enthralling Thousands of starlings have been
:12:20. > :12:23.enthralling people in Hereford with their daily displays of aerial
:12:24. > :12:27.acrobatics. But not everyone's impressed, as they're leaving behind
:12:28. > :12:33.a bit of a mess. Ben Sidwell is there for us tonight. How many are
:12:34. > :12:40.there? We have a rest `` rough estimation,
:12:41. > :12:44.possibly up to 20,000. They are now all in the hedges and trees. They've
:12:45. > :12:47.done their flight fortnight. But it is what they are leaving behind
:12:48. > :12:51.which is the real problem for residents around here, the mess on
:12:52. > :12:54.the floor, as I've been finding out. It's one of nature's most
:12:55. > :12:59.spectacular displays. As the sun sets, the skies above Hereford are
:13:00. > :13:06.teeming with birds. A truly magical sight, unless that is, you happen to
:13:07. > :13:12.live right below their flight path. You can put your washing out. I've
:13:13. > :13:18.got wash my car every morning. It's a nuisance. It may seem a bit
:13:19. > :13:24.extreme to have this up but when the starlings, the head, it's like a
:13:25. > :13:27.light rain shower and that is the problem that these residents have
:13:28. > :13:31.been facing for the last five or six weeks. Every day, having to come out
:13:32. > :13:40.and clean their cars, because of the bird mark. And that is becoming a
:13:41. > :13:43.real pain. Estimates put the number of birds at around 20,000, all
:13:44. > :13:46.congregating in trees behind the house. But being a protected
:13:47. > :13:49.species, the options for dealing with the starlings are limited.
:13:50. > :13:53.There is not much we can do. We are not allowed to harm them. People can
:13:54. > :14:00.choose to chop down the hedge. That is allowed. Or you can sit it out. A
:14:01. > :14:04.lovely display to watch but it is not very nice for people living
:14:05. > :14:07.here. HP Bulmers, whose land the trees are on, told us they
:14:08. > :14:10.sympathise greatly with the residents, but they must also do all
:14:11. > :14:16.they can to respect and protect the wildlife of the area. If you come
:14:17. > :14:21.out and said in my back garden, it is shocking. We would like to see
:14:22. > :14:25.them go because it's a nuisance. Last night, for the first time, a
:14:26. > :14:30.starling distress caller was used to try and move the birds on. They have
:14:31. > :14:34.spent the last half hour trying to scare the birds off. It hasn't had a
:14:35. > :14:37.lot of effect, apart from what you can see on this car. This is what
:14:38. > :14:41.the residents are facing all the time. It is not just the mess. The
:14:42. > :14:48.smell as well as getting pretty bad around here. You can hear them now.
:14:49. > :14:51.The birds are being chased along the hedge and they are going to a
:14:52. > :14:54.different part of the hedge. We might relieve the pressure on these
:14:55. > :14:59.people here. That might not be a bad thing. We would be putting it on
:15:00. > :15:02.someone else. As weeks turn into months, sadly for the residents, it
:15:03. > :15:07.seems like they'll just have to wait until the starlings take flight
:15:08. > :15:10.themselves. They have been plenty of people
:15:11. > :15:14.coming down to the street today to see these birds. One of them was
:15:15. > :15:21.Gerard from the ornithological club. A lot of people want to know, why
:15:22. > :15:29.are they doing it? The starlings are gregarious. They flocked to feed and
:15:30. > :15:36.to roost. This roost is used by the starlings because they need warmth
:15:37. > :15:44.in the conifers. They use it as a means of safety from predators and
:15:45. > :15:48.they also probably communicate overnight to decide where they are
:15:49. > :15:52.going to feed the next day. People are suffering. How long are they
:15:53. > :15:57.going to have to put up with the birds? It rather depends what this
:15:58. > :16:01.flock is composed of, whether it is a lot of winter visitors, which it
:16:02. > :16:07.probably is, or whether it is a resident copulation. `` population.
:16:08. > :16:11.It almost certainly will be a large number of migratory birds in this
:16:12. > :16:16.flock. And so they will, depending on their country of origin, be
:16:17. > :16:22.returning fairly shortly, in the next few weeks. We've had a lot of
:16:23. > :16:26.comments and many have been interested. Sally said, what a shame
:16:27. > :16:32.they think this is spectacular display is a nuisance. It doesn't
:16:33. > :16:36.last for long. Esther says, we need natural beauty. Humans, please share
:16:37. > :16:40.this planet. We have been told this carer was distressing the birds too
:16:41. > :16:44.much so they are not going to use it any more and these will leave in
:16:45. > :16:48.their own accord. `` scarer. As part of our First World War
:16:49. > :16:53.commemorations the BBC has teamed up with the Imperial War Museums to
:16:54. > :16:56.tell the story of the War at Home. Tonight Cath Mackie has the story of
:16:57. > :16:58.Shropshire's very own War Horse who was commandeered by the Army to
:16:59. > :17:09.serve on the Western Front. Like memories, the black and white
:17:10. > :17:12.photo of the grocer's horse is fading. Beauty was snapped in the
:17:13. > :17:26.Shropshire village of Minsterley, a moment in time before the gunfire
:17:27. > :17:31.began. QT used to deliver the groceries. He went all around, to
:17:32. > :17:37.the bog and the grit and a big circle. But then the First World War
:17:38. > :17:42.intervened. In the beginning of August, the army had 23,000 all
:17:43. > :17:50.boxers and they need more. `` horses. If horses were not brought
:17:51. > :17:52.forward, they could requisition horses, anything from hunters to
:17:53. > :17:54.working horses. Historians believe the film War Horse captures the
:17:55. > :17:57.emotional heartache in market squares across the country as horses
:17:58. > :18:07.were either offered up or commandeered by the army. I solemnly
:18:08. > :18:16.swear, we will be together again. Wherever you, our, I will find you.
:18:17. > :18:22.There are recollections which are terribly emotional. There was a
:18:23. > :18:26.farmer who was patting the horses and crying. For the most part, they
:18:27. > :18:36.never did see them again. Beauty was taken to war. There wasn't a dry eye
:18:37. > :18:40.when she went on the train. They were taken to depots to get them
:18:41. > :18:43.trained up, because they were going to have to get used to things they
:18:44. > :18:49.were not used to, gunfire, galloping altogether in charge and learning
:18:50. > :19:01.life in the Army, the same way that human recruits would have to do. The
:19:02. > :19:05.impact was felt at home. At the outbreak of the war 800,000 horses
:19:06. > :19:08.were used on the land. The bigger breeds stayed behind to keep the
:19:09. > :19:11.home front ticking over but as food shortages increased, more help was
:19:12. > :19:14.needed. The women's land Army was formed, in 1915 to help on the land
:19:15. > :19:19.but they still didn't think that was an officer mechanisation does seem
:19:20. > :19:24.to speed up tractors. War brings about technological advances and
:19:25. > :19:27.that went beyond the home front as well. We can only imagine what the
:19:28. > :19:34.atmosphere must have been like that day will stop ``. Men, women and
:19:35. > :19:37.children coming along to give the horse one final pat. And it was
:19:38. > :19:40.goodbye because Beauty didn't survive the war. The grocer's horse
:19:41. > :19:43.was one of 1.2 million horses commandeered by the army. Just
:19:44. > :19:49.65,000 made it home. Anne Lewis's father served in the veterinary
:19:50. > :19:55.corps. He didn't talk very much because I think he had a green time
:19:56. > :20:01.in the war. To see his horses, you know, being damaged and killed as
:20:02. > :20:08.well, I think it was not a nice time. I once said to him, why didn't
:20:09. > :20:13.he go to the Armistice service? He said, I don't have to go to the war
:20:14. > :20:17.memorial to remember the war. We can only guess at what Beauty endured.
:20:18. > :20:23.But at least now, 100 years on, the story of Minsterley's warhorse has
:20:24. > :20:28.come home. Time for sport. Ian's here and
:20:29. > :20:31.Birmingham City fans were expecting to learn the outcome of the Carson
:20:32. > :20:34.Yeung money`laundering trial today. But they're still waiting, why is
:20:35. > :20:38.that? Quite simply, the court ran out of
:20:39. > :20:42.time. Today's judgement against Carson Yeung runs to 112 pages, and
:20:43. > :20:49.the judge was less than half`way through, when he adjourned
:20:50. > :20:54.proceedings until Monday. Stand by for some flash photography. Because
:20:55. > :20:58.there was a real media scrum as Carson Yeung left the court in Hong
:20:59. > :21:00.Kong. Remember, he denies five charges of money`laundering,
:21:01. > :21:08.totalling more than ?50 million pounds. He no longer holds an
:21:09. > :21:11.official title at Birmingham City. But he is still a major shareholder
:21:12. > :21:13.in the club's parent company, Birmingham International Holdings
:21:14. > :21:18.Ltd. And their six monthly accounts show a pre`tax loss of just under ?5
:21:19. > :21:21.million. It's been a difficult week for West
:21:22. > :21:28.Bromwich Albion. Speculation that Nicolas Anelka may have played his
:21:29. > :21:30.last game for the club. And also the future of Pepe Mel as manager.
:21:31. > :21:33.What's the latest? Well, Pepe Mel's position has
:21:34. > :21:41.probably been weakened by the departure of David McDonough, as the
:21:42. > :21:44.club's Technical Director. He played a significant role in bringing Pepe
:21:45. > :21:48.Mel to the Hawthorns. He could speak Spanish, and was helping the new
:21:49. > :21:51.manager to get his message across in training. But McDonough has now left
:21:52. > :21:55.West Brom. And Pepe Mel must be wondering what the future has in
:21:56. > :22:00.store. Albion's next game is at home to Manchester United a week
:22:01. > :22:03.tomorrow. By which time, Nicolas Anelka will have decided whether or
:22:04. > :22:05.not to appeal against the FA's five`match ban over his
:22:06. > :22:09.controversial quenelle gesture in December. Meanwhile, Anelka has been
:22:10. > :22:12.suspended by the club and he may well have played his last game in a
:22:13. > :22:15.West Brom shirt. As you mentioned, Albion don't play
:22:16. > :22:19.this weekend. But two very big games for Stoke City and Aston Villa Yes,
:22:20. > :22:24.Stoke have 27 points, just three points above the relegation places,
:22:25. > :22:27.tomorrow they're at home to Arsenal. On Sunday, Aston Villa play Paul
:22:28. > :22:31.Lambert's old club Norwich City. And they're both on 28 points. All the
:22:32. > :22:33.action on your BBC local radio station.
:22:34. > :22:36.Over the next 17 days people living in Herefordshire and Shropshire will
:22:37. > :22:39.be given a taste of contemporary British and world cinema as part of
:22:40. > :22:43.the 12th Borderlines Film Festival. The event has become the largest
:22:44. > :22:46.rural film festival in the UK. But why is it important for communities?
:22:47. > :22:51.Our Arts Reporter Satnam Rana has been finding out.
:22:52. > :22:54.Everybody knew everybody else. Memories from Hereford's old
:22:55. > :23:00.livestock market, now the subject of Chewing the Cud. You had every rank
:23:01. > :23:03.and type of society coming through that market. It's a film put
:23:04. > :23:06.together by a local production company using local people. And
:23:07. > :23:13.it'll premiere at this year's Borderlines Film Festival. It's just
:23:14. > :23:17.really nice to be able to show a film about the local area, the
:23:18. > :23:20.cattle market that was situated here. It's lovely to have a local
:23:21. > :23:34.audience for that kind of film. There is nothing better in a way.
:23:35. > :23:37.But some rural audiences often live miles away from a cinema. Here in
:23:38. > :23:41.puddleston near leomster the village hall is the cinema. Epic of Everest
:23:42. > :23:45.will be shown here as part of the festival a rare chance to see a
:23:46. > :23:47.restored film of the 1924 attempt to climb Everest. It brings world
:23:48. > :23:54.cinema and new footage, new films, to a very remote rural area. People
:23:55. > :24:01.would possibly have to go to London to see something like this. This
:24:02. > :24:04.year, 32 venues will be taking part in the Borderlines Film Festival,
:24:05. > :24:09.including the Regal Cinema in Tenbury Wells. This Art Deco 1930s
:24:10. > :24:16.building was restored in 2012 and is now run by volunteers. The festival
:24:17. > :24:21.offers them a vital business opportunity. We are hoping that with
:24:22. > :24:28.the extra exposure, it will make those films more viable because
:24:29. > :24:31.we've only just recently restarted. We didn't want to take too many
:24:32. > :24:45.financial risks because we cannot afford to do that. The borderlines
:24:46. > :24:53.film Festival `` Borderlines Film Festival is now in its 12th year. It
:24:54. > :25:01.is a chance for these communities to celebrate film`making in the region.
:25:02. > :25:04.Were you lucky enough to see the northern lights last night? Some of
:25:05. > :25:07.you did. Rebecca has some of your pictures, along with the forecast.
:25:08. > :25:15.Unfortunately I didn't see it. Thankfully, some of you did and
:25:16. > :25:20.you've been sending in your pictures. The Northern lights are
:25:21. > :25:26.normally seen much fall `` further north but they were spotted last
:25:27. > :25:31.night in Gloucestershire. Aurora borealis to, to give its official
:25:32. > :25:34.title, this caused when electrically charged particles are rejected from
:25:35. > :25:40.the sun. By the time they reach our atmosphere, they cause the gas atoms
:25:41. > :25:43.to glow. Unfortunately, I cannot promise you more of the same
:25:44. > :25:48.tonight. We have some clear skies to come. It is going to be cold with
:25:49. > :25:51.brightness to come through the day tomorrow. There is clear skies
:25:52. > :25:56.already making an impact. Temperature is already public thing
:25:57. > :26:03.a day. Dash away. A widespread frost tonight. Temperatures will plummet
:26:04. > :26:07.to `1 or `2. We will get some fog patches developing as well. That fog
:26:08. > :26:10.will be lingering around for much of tomorrow morning. The sun will
:26:11. > :26:14.eventually burn through. It is increasing intensity because it is
:26:15. > :26:17.the 1st of March tomorrow. We will get some good spells of brightness
:26:18. > :26:21.through the day. Temperatures are going to range from between seven
:26:22. > :26:25.and nine Celsius with lighter winds. It will feel pleasant. The cloud is
:26:26. > :26:28.starting to build and we've got rain moving in tomorrow night. It will
:26:29. > :26:30.fall across the North of the Midlands and then we will see
:26:31. > :26:34.showers right the way across the region. That will help temperatures
:26:35. > :26:37.little bit. Even though it is going to be cold into Sunday, it will not
:26:38. > :26:43.drop as low as it was night. So, we start of our Sunday with plenty of
:26:44. > :26:49.more rain moving in. The winds will start to pick up. We will get some
:26:50. > :26:52.brightness through mundane sash `` Sunday morning but then there would
:26:53. > :26:59.be drizzle forming. Temperatures were rain `` range between eight and
:27:00. > :27:03.12 Celsius. As he starts the new week, it is staying unsettled. I
:27:04. > :27:07.will leave you with a bit of good news. By the middle of the week,
:27:08. > :27:09.things look like they are starting to become milder.
:27:10. > :27:18.Spring plastics? Before we go, are you interested in
:27:19. > :27:21.the BBC and its programmes and services? If so, the BBC Trust's
:27:22. > :27:25.Audience Council England, is looking for people here in the West Midlands
:27:26. > :27:28.to join its regional audience panel. The panel meets three times a year.
:27:29. > :27:32.It isn't paid but you do get expenses. The easiest way to find
:27:33. > :27:42.out more, and to get an application pack, is to go to the website.
:27:43. > :27:46.That was the Midlands Today. I'll be back at ten o'clock, have a good
:27:47. > :27:47.evening.