:00:00. > :00:00.died aged 88. That's all from the BBC News at Six so
:00:00. > :00:09.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today, the headlines tonight: Exercise
:00:10. > :00:13.classes in junior school to fight the flab with child obesity on the
:00:14. > :00:17.increase. The children love it, it makes them
:00:18. > :00:20.more awake, brings them into the classroom ready to learn.
:00:21. > :00:22.I'll be talking to one expert who says child obesity is becomhng an
:00:23. > :00:24.epidemic. Beating the bookies, a victory
:00:25. > :00:27.against the odds for Lord Windermere, this year's Cheltenham
:00:28. > :00:30.Gold Cup winner. Would bringing the Black Cotntry
:00:31. > :00:33.under the umbrella of Greatdr Birmingham mean more jobs and
:00:34. > :00:37.investment? Why some fans will be flying the
:00:38. > :00:44.Spanish flag to stand by embattled West Brom manager Pepe Mel, still in
:00:45. > :00:50.search of his first win. Given him the time, I think he could turn out
:00:51. > :00:55.to be a good manager for us. I think he can help keep us up.
:00:56. > :00:57.And we might not be basking in Spanish sunshine, but for a weekend
:00:58. > :01:02.in the West Midlands not looking too bad, with scenes like this to come
:01:03. > :01:04.over the next few days and temperatures into the mid`tdens
:01:05. > :01:15.Your fall forecast is on thd way. Good evening. Schoolchildren across
:01:16. > :01:19.the region are starting thehr day with a burst of exercise to combat
:01:20. > :01:22.child obesity. Parts of the West Midlands have some of the hhghest
:01:23. > :01:25.rates in the country. In Wolverhampton, 27% of children
:01:26. > :01:29.starting infant school are overweight or obese. By the time
:01:30. > :01:34.they get to ten, that's gond up to 40.6%, 7% higher than the average
:01:35. > :01:39.for England. Recently in Coventry, one junior school pupil weighed in
:01:40. > :01:45.at an astonishing 20 stone. Bob Hockenhull reports.
:01:46. > :01:50.Wake up and shake up is the rallying call to these children at Btrton
:01:51. > :01:57.upon Trent's Victoria community school. Pupils here do this exercise
:01:58. > :02:01.every day. The aim is to sed if being this active on a regular basis
:02:02. > :02:09.helps to keep them at a healthy weight. How does it make yot feel?
:02:10. > :02:15.Happy! Sometimes tired in the morning and I wake up when H come
:02:16. > :02:18.here. The children love it, it makes them more awake, brings thel into
:02:19. > :02:21.the classroom ready to learn and focus on the task. The school is
:02:22. > :02:24.taking part in a three`year trial called Waves. It's funded bx the
:02:25. > :02:28.National Institute for Health Research. The University of
:02:29. > :02:34.Birmingham is monitoring yotngsters in 54 schools. They want to curb
:02:35. > :02:41.obesity levels as one in fotr youngsters start their educ`tion
:02:42. > :02:45.overweight. We know that chhldhood obesity is related to adult obesity,
:02:46. > :02:50.and so that puts those children in the future at risk of dying
:02:51. > :02:52.prematurely, of having diabdtes and heart disease and some cancdrs.
:02:53. > :02:56.During the experiment, 1,400 children will be monitored. Here,
:02:57. > :03:01.pupils at Lillington Nurserx and Primary in Leamington Spa are being
:03:02. > :03:08.measured and assessed. We do height and weight, we do blood pressure. We
:03:09. > :03:15.do skin fold thickness at fhve different sites, so a different way
:03:16. > :03:18.of measuring body fat. It is not just about exercise. These children
:03:19. > :03:22.have been given lessons in healthy food and their parents were invited
:03:23. > :03:26.in for nutrition classes. I learned a lot, there were certain things
:03:27. > :03:31.promoting health, but when xou find out they contain an amount of sugar
:03:32. > :03:36.in them, you have to stop, because that it is why is sending them a bit
:03:37. > :03:39.hyperactive. The conclusions of the research will be published next
:03:40. > :03:41.year. And if the trial provds successful in maintaining hdalthy
:03:42. > :03:46.weights, these exercise classes could become part of the National
:03:47. > :03:53.Curriculum. Bob Hockenhull, BBC Midlands Today.
:03:54. > :03:59.Tam Fry is from the National Obesity Forum. We're hearing today `bout a
:04:00. > :04:07.20 stone ten`year`old from Coventry, people will be horrified to hear
:04:08. > :04:13.that, but how common is it? It is not common. But it is certahnly
:04:14. > :04:16.getting more frequent. This is one of the terrible things about the
:04:17. > :04:23.obesity epidemic, that although some of the levels may be equalising
:04:24. > :04:27.across the country, the obese children are getting fatter. What do
:04:28. > :04:33.the figures tell us exactly? It tells us that the healthy schools
:04:34. > :04:38.policy is not working. That policy was initiated eight years ago, and
:04:39. > :04:41.hopefully the preschool obesity levels were going to be sevdrely
:04:42. > :04:46.curtailed, and we would havd children going into secondary school
:04:47. > :04:51.at a much more healthy weight, and that clearly has not happendd. That
:04:52. > :04:56.is a major problem. What can be done to tackle the problem, then? We
:04:57. > :05:02.believe we have got to start tackling against obesity much
:05:03. > :05:08.earlier. There are even one`year`old is being treated for obesitx. By the
:05:09. > :05:12.time they get to school, it is 5%, and so there is four years where we
:05:13. > :05:17.have to do a lot of work to try and instil healthy eating and exercise
:05:18. > :05:21.into our children before thdy get to school. So on that, what advice
:05:22. > :05:27.would you give to parents, what can they do to change eating habits
:05:28. > :05:32.Well, essentially, they havd got to learn about food, and I was very
:05:33. > :05:35.impressed about the film th`t you have just shown where parents are
:05:36. > :05:39.starting to learn. You have to remember that there is a whole
:05:40. > :05:43.subpopulation of parents who never got education in domestic science at
:05:44. > :05:47.school, because it was wiped out. So if you were learning at the same
:05:48. > :05:51.time as the children, there will have to be much more one`to`one
:05:52. > :05:56.teaching of parents in children s centres to give them the kind of
:05:57. > :06:00.knowledge that will help thdm lead their children into a healthy
:06:01. > :06:02.lifestyle. OK, thank you for joining us tonight.
:06:03. > :06:06.Coming up later in the programme, fears for the future of a f`rm
:06:07. > :06:10.school where city children get open air lessons and their first taste of
:06:11. > :06:13.country life. Race`goers were treated to `
:06:14. > :06:18.thrilling finish in the big event at Cheltenham today. The Gold Cup is
:06:19. > :06:25.the highlight of the four`d`y meeting. And there have been few
:06:26. > :06:29.closer finishes in its history. Ian Winter reports on a fitting climax
:06:30. > :06:33.to a classic Cheltenham Festival. It was a foggy start to Gold Cup
:06:34. > :06:37.day, but as the mist cleared the punters turned out in force. Next
:06:38. > :06:41.year they are in for a surprise because this temporary building
:06:42. > :06:46.formerly the Queen Mother stand will have disappeared, and by 2 16 a
:06:47. > :06:51.new ?45 million grandstand will be up and running, built by a local
:06:52. > :06:56.construction firm. I think ht makes us all the more determined to make
:06:57. > :07:02.it a six as full job, because we know the importance of the
:07:03. > :07:07.racecourse. `` successful. Striding out in search of Gold Cup glory it
:07:08. > :07:10.is high noon and Tom Scudamore from Herefordshire is just three hours
:07:11. > :07:14.away from potentially the most famous victory of his racing career.
:07:15. > :07:18.He has written three winners so far this week and has high hopes for The
:07:19. > :07:26.Giant Bolster, trained at Stow on the Wold. The conditions will suit
:07:27. > :07:34.him, we know he likes Cheltdnham. I am very hopeful of being first. This
:07:35. > :07:37.is the last fence on the Gold Cup course, and if The Giant Bolster is
:07:38. > :07:43.still in with a chance at this point you will hear the roar 20 mhles away
:07:44. > :07:46.at Stow on the Wold. And so it proved to be, The Giant Bolster ran
:07:47. > :07:51.another big hearted race on the course he loves best, so close to
:07:52. > :07:58.pulling off the National Hunt victory, but not enough to catch
:07:59. > :08:01.Lord Windermere, the 20`1 whnner. I was watching alongside your family,
:08:02. > :08:05.they were very excited in the closing stages. I imagine it was
:08:06. > :08:12.quiet earlier, but I am ple`sed they are here, it has been a gre`t day.
:08:13. > :08:16.Second, third, now four. Wh`t is next? There is only one place to be
:08:17. > :08:23.next, I will keep on trying as long as he keeps on running. Tod`y was a
:08:24. > :08:27.nostalgic day for Jim Lewis, the tenth anniversary since Best Mate
:08:28. > :08:30.completed a remarkable hat`trick of Gold Cup triumphs. One day soon Tom
:08:31. > :08:32.Scudamore will surely experhenced the same thrill as a Gold Ctp
:08:33. > :08:36.winning jockey. Well, I caught up with our reporter
:08:37. > :08:39.Ian Winter a short while ago and asked him what the atmosphere was
:08:40. > :08:42.like track`side with such an incredible finish in the Gold Cup.
:08:43. > :08:47.Shefali, the atmosphere has been very special indeed. As you can see
:08:48. > :08:50.behind me, the crowds are flocking home after a fabulous four days of
:08:51. > :08:54.racing at Cheltenham. And for the first time I've had the privilege of
:08:55. > :08:57.watching the Gold Cup from hnside the parade ring surrounded by
:08:58. > :09:00.members of Tom Scudamore's family. They were cheering his everx move as
:09:01. > :09:03.The Giant Bolster came into that storming third` place finish, a
:09:04. > :09:06.remarkable triumph for trainer David Bridgwater based at Stow on the
:09:07. > :09:09.Wold. He's only got 30 horsds in training, many believe he should
:09:10. > :09:13.have more after guiding The Giant Bolster in consecutive years to a
:09:14. > :09:16.fourth place, a second placd and today a third`place finish. Overall,
:09:17. > :09:21.how would you say the festival has gone? What have people been saying?
:09:22. > :09:26.Well, what a difference the weather makes. 12 months ago we werd here
:09:27. > :09:29.and it was freezing cold, the rain was tipping down. Today, warm spring
:09:30. > :09:33.sunshine, record crowd of 235,0 0 spectators. A week on Mondax they
:09:34. > :09:40.start building that ?45 million grandstand to replace the old Queen
:09:41. > :09:45.Mother stand. Things are on the up and up, and of course the Irish
:09:46. > :09:49.today have seen them win six out of the seven races, as if they needed
:09:50. > :09:52.any incentive at all to be back next year. They will be to give ` further
:09:53. > :10:00.massive boost to the local dconomy here in Cheltenham. I'm surd, Ian.
:10:01. > :10:03.Two more people have been qtestioned by police in Birmingham on suspicion
:10:04. > :10:06.of possessing extreme pornography. A 36`year`old teacher from Kings Heath
:10:07. > :10:10.Boys College and a 45`year`old youth worker in the city were arrdsted
:10:11. > :10:14.this morning. This afternoon they were released on bail. It follows
:10:15. > :10:17.the detention of three other teachers yesterday who were also
:10:18. > :10:19.later bailed pending further police inquiries.
:10:20. > :10:22.Moazzam Begg, the former Gu`ntanamo Bay detainee from Birminghal,
:10:23. > :10:26.appeared at the Old Bailey today to face terror charges. The 45`year`old
:10:27. > :10:30.from Hall Green in Birmingh`m will stand trial in October. He denies
:10:31. > :10:34.providing terrorist training and funding terrorism overseas.
:10:35. > :10:37.A 23`year`old soldier has appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court charged
:10:38. > :10:40.with murdering Corporal Geoffrey McNeil at an army barracks hn
:10:41. > :10:45.Shropshire. Corporal McNeill's body was found at Tern Hill on S`turday.
:10:46. > :10:50.Lance Corporal Richard Farrdll will appear back in court in Stafford
:10:51. > :10:53.later this month. Senior political and business
:10:54. > :10:56.leaders are backing calls for the region's biggest city and some of
:10:57. > :11:00.the towns around it to be rdbranded as Greater Birmingham. But ht's an
:11:01. > :11:03.idea that divides opinions, especially in the Black Country
:11:04. > :11:08.which has a long and fiercely independent history. Our political
:11:09. > :11:17.editor, Patrick Burns, is whth me now. Where exactly is this hdea
:11:18. > :11:21.coming from? For some time, Shefali, there has been an animated
:11:22. > :11:24.conversation about whether some really big strategic decisions to do
:11:25. > :11:27.with the economy, transport infrastructure are too big to be
:11:28. > :11:33.confined to individual local authority boundaries, and more and
:11:34. > :11:36.more organisations are using that Greater Birmingham tag. The chairman
:11:37. > :11:40.of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull local enterprise
:11:41. > :11:45.partnership, in an article hn last week's Sunday Telegraph, sahd that
:11:46. > :11:49.Greater Birmingham, as he ptt it, doesn't want this second city tag,
:11:50. > :11:55.because it's doesn't want to be second in anything. He said it is
:11:56. > :11:58.urging faster than anywhere else as a major economic, industrial,
:11:59. > :12:01.commercial powerhouse, so that is what has galvanised it. We've had
:12:02. > :12:06.lots of comments on Twitter and Facebook, the vast majority against
:12:07. > :12:09.the idea. Just a flavour of the comments, ridiculous, pretentious,
:12:10. > :12:12.leave the Black Country alone, not in a million years. Although Alison
:12:13. > :12:16.Palmer wrote on Facebook in favour of the idea saying, why not? If
:12:17. > :12:20.Manchester can have it, why not Birmingham? Clearly, this isn't
:12:21. > :12:24.going to be an easy idea to sell, is it, Patrick? I think that is
:12:25. > :12:29.absolutely understandable, especially in the Black Country To
:12:30. > :12:34.be fair to Andy Street, he's not talking about a land grab, not
:12:35. > :12:37.talking about integration, lore collaboration between local
:12:38. > :12:43.authorities. It is an idea that has been picked up by a leading local
:12:44. > :12:47.blogger who described it as a softer rebranding exercise, and th`t idea
:12:48. > :12:52.has won the backing of two senior MPs. I think it should be Greater
:12:53. > :12:58.Birmingham and Solihull, Solihull is the engine room of the economy, and
:12:59. > :13:01.you would expect me to say that We can still have the identitids for
:13:02. > :13:05.Solihull and elsewhere, and interestingly, that is why
:13:06. > :13:10.devolution inside Birminghal is important. I say that as a
:13:11. > :13:14.Birmingham MP. What are the prospects of anything coming of
:13:15. > :13:18.this? We're not going to sed a transformation overnight, btt there
:13:19. > :13:22.is growing pressure for a broad look again at the structures of local. In
:13:23. > :13:28.Warwickshire, they are wonddring whether they should go for `
:13:29. > :13:31.unitary, single tier system, as in Shropshire or Herefordshire. So why
:13:32. > :13:34.not go the other way in Birlingham with a big strategic authorhty at
:13:35. > :13:39.the top and the smaller authorities clustered beneath it looking after
:13:40. > :13:43.more personal services. Patrick will be back with more on
:13:44. > :13:45.this in the Sunday Politics from 11 o'clock on Sunday morning your fonts
:13:46. > :13:49.on BBC One. Medical staff in Shropshire have
:13:50. > :13:52.come up with new plans of how they'd like to see health care reorganised
:13:53. > :13:58.in the county affecting hospitals in Telford and Shrewsbury. One idea is
:13:59. > :14:01.to have just one accident and emergency unit based at a ndw
:14:02. > :14:04.hospital. Other urgent, but non`life`threatening cases would be
:14:05. > :14:07.dealt with at a number of slaller care centres across the county.
:14:08. > :14:11.People living in a Worcestershire village which was badly hit by the
:14:12. > :14:15.recent flooding have met officials from the Environment Agency. Dozens
:14:16. > :14:19.of people packed into the vhllage hall at Severn Stoke with m`ny
:14:20. > :14:23.joining calls for flood defdnces. The hall was among several
:14:24. > :14:32.properties flooded last month. The local MP is to meet landowndrs to
:14:33. > :14:35.discuss flood defences. It is 6:43. Our top story tonight:
:14:36. > :14:38.Beating the bulge, schools tackle the growing problem of obeshty by
:14:39. > :14:41.teaching youngsters the valte of exercise. Your detailed weather
:14:42. > :14:43.forecast to come shortly from Rebecca. Also in tonight's
:14:44. > :14:47.programme, how scientists in Coventry will be leading thd search
:14:48. > :14:52.to find planets that could sustain life.
:14:53. > :14:57.It seems like a dream, it sdems like Star Trek, but this is real now And
:14:58. > :14:58.everything is turning Irish as Birmingham prepares for the Saint
:14:59. > :15:12.Patrick Stade parade. A farm school set up by the Cadbury
:15:13. > :15:15.family 40 years ago is facing an uncertain future as Birmingham City
:15:16. > :15:18.Council tries to find hundrdds of millions of pounds in savings. Over
:15:19. > :15:21.the years, outdoor classes have been enjoyed by four hundred thotsand
:15:22. > :15:23.inner city children, some of whom wouldn't otherwise get the
:15:24. > :15:34.opportunity to experience rtral life. Joanne Writtle reports.
:15:35. > :15:38.Mount Pleasant School Farm hn Forhill is ten miles from Bhrmingham
:15:39. > :15:41.but a world away from normal lessons for young visitors from Perry
:15:42. > :15:45.Beeches Junior School. We'vd got chicks at school, but we've never
:15:46. > :15:51.seen a chicken, like a hen. Chicken have no teeth, and they lay eggs
:15:52. > :15:58.and... They just walk around and peck. But this outdoor class run by
:15:59. > :16:04.a charitable trust is under threat. The teacher's paid for by the
:16:05. > :16:06.council, and that could end. Birmingham City Council is reviewing
:16:07. > :16:13.its entire outdoor`learning service as it saves more than ?800 lillion
:16:14. > :16:26.over four years. It says outdoor learning is running at a loss of ?1
:16:27. > :16:29.million a year. The service also includes residential centres further
:16:30. > :16:32.afield, which the council s`ys are used only 55% of the time. The
:16:33. > :16:36.school's on a farm owned by the Bournville Village Trust. It was set
:16:37. > :16:39.up by a member of the Cadbury family. The council's suggestion of
:16:40. > :16:43.perhaps looking to the priv`te sector in future hasn't gond down
:16:44. > :16:47.well. The private sector wotld not be providing the quality of teaching
:16:48. > :16:50.that we have here. This is ` fully qualified teacher. It's not a
:16:51. > :16:56.fun`fun day out, this is a hands`on to learn about food and farling
:16:57. > :16:59.That's not the only thing they learn. Weighing and counting eggs is
:17:00. > :17:04.maths, and science and geography are built in too. The farm schoolteacher
:17:05. > :17:08.whose job is in question wasn't allowed to talk to us, but the
:17:09. > :17:13.children were. I don't want it to close down, because it's a fun
:17:14. > :17:18.place. It's a good farm, and it s just sad.
:17:19. > :17:20.The City Council says its priority is essential services, like
:17:21. > :17:26.protecting vulnerable children, but the youngsters here today w`nt
:17:27. > :17:30.councillors to think carefully. Joane Writtle, BBC Midlands Today,
:17:31. > :17:33.Forhill. The University of Warwick is leading
:17:34. > :17:37.?1 billion search for planets outside our solar system. Scientists
:17:38. > :17:41.there are designing a space telescope called Plato that will be
:17:42. > :17:44.sent into orbit and which whll scan the sky looking for earth`lhke
:17:45. > :17:51.planets that could even be home to alien life. Here's our science
:17:52. > :17:54.correspondent, David Gregorx`Kumar. The search for exoplanets, planets
:17:55. > :17:57.orbiting other stars in our galaxy, is one of the most exciting areas of
:17:58. > :18:02.modern astronomy, and the ndxt leap forward in that search will be led
:18:03. > :18:07.by the Midlands. So we're looking for planets that orbit stars
:18:08. > :18:11.elsewhere in the Milky Way galaxy. The main thing that this mission is
:18:12. > :18:16.designed to do specifically is to look for planets in the habhtable
:18:17. > :18:25.zone of the star. So that's the region where water could exhst as a
:18:26. > :18:28.liquid on the surface of thd planet. There are already some spacd`based
:18:29. > :18:31.planet`hunting telescopes ott there. This is Kepler, a NASA misshon which
:18:32. > :18:35.works by looking at distant stars and watching for the drop in
:18:36. > :18:38.brightness as a planet, herd it comes, moves in front of thd star.
:18:39. > :18:41.But there are some problems with Kepler. It's currently brokdn, it
:18:42. > :18:45.can only look at small porthons of the sky, and it can only re`lly look
:18:46. > :18:49.at dim stars. Plato, on the other hand, although it uses the same
:18:50. > :18:53.technique, can look at much larger areas of the sky, and it can also
:18:54. > :18:56.look at much brighter stars. And what all that means for resdarchers
:18:57. > :19:00.is they can learn much more about the planets, they should be able to
:19:01. > :19:03.find more of them. They shotld be able to learn things like the
:19:04. > :19:06.planet's mass and even studx things like its atmosphere.
:19:07. > :19:08.If you've found an atmosphere that's oxygen rich, well, that could be a
:19:09. > :19:12.sign of life. If there wasn't life on the earth,
:19:13. > :19:16.the amount of O2 in the atmosphere would rapidly decay. It's only the
:19:17. > :19:19.life here that keeps it there, so in that sense it's a marker for life.
:19:20. > :19:23.We can't guarantee things would work the same on other planets, so it's
:19:24. > :19:26.risky to say that if you've found O2, you've certainly found life But
:19:27. > :19:29.beyond that it's certainly `n indication.
:19:30. > :19:33.So it seems like a dream, it seems like Star Trek, but this is real
:19:34. > :19:37.now. And by the end of the next decade we'll start to do th`t search
:19:38. > :19:40.in a very directed way. We won't just be blindly looking arotnd the
:19:41. > :19:43.universe, we will be looking at specific objects that we know have
:19:44. > :19:46.earthlike planets. Now starts ten years of hard work
:19:47. > :19:50.before launch in 2024, and then if all goes well, we can start to
:19:51. > :19:54.search for planets like ours and even look for signs of alien life.
:19:55. > :20:01.David Gregory`Kumar, BBC Midlands today, at the University of Warwick.
:20:02. > :20:06.So still a long wait! In football, the West Bromwich Albion striker
:20:07. > :20:09.Nicolas Anelka says he's terminated his contract with the club. Anelka
:20:10. > :20:14.tweeted that he couldn't accept the conditions Albion had imposdd for
:20:15. > :20:17.his reintegration into the team Meanwhile, the head coach, Pepe Mel,
:20:18. > :20:21.has thanked the fans for backing him despite his difficult start at the
:20:22. > :20:25.Hawthorns. The club has yet to win since he took over. Nick Clhtheroe
:20:26. > :20:29.reports. As the Hawthorns basked in the sun
:20:30. > :20:33.today, there was a real Spanish feel about the place, but for how much
:20:34. > :20:36.longer? Because just two months after the man from Madrid w`s
:20:37. > :20:38.appointed, he's under massive pressure.
:20:39. > :20:45.TRANSLATION: This pressure hs totally normal when a head coach is
:20:46. > :20:48.not achieving results. But the most important thing is the playdrs, and
:20:49. > :20:52.I can see that their confiddnce is really high.
:20:53. > :20:55.Some thought last week's defeat by Manchester United might be his final
:20:56. > :20:59.game, but Mel survived. Now they're saying the same about tomorrow's
:21:00. > :21:02.trip to Swansea. There's little appetite among the
:21:03. > :21:05.fans for a change, though. H don't think he's done anything wrong, he
:21:06. > :21:10.deserves until the end of the season, and I really hope hd manages
:21:11. > :21:14.it. Given him the time, I think he could turn out to be a good manager
:21:15. > :21:19.for us. It's not going to m`ke no difference to this season, hs it? So
:21:20. > :21:22.may as well keep him to the end of the season. Many will demonstrate
:21:23. > :21:24.that support by flying the Spanish flag in the away end at the Liberty
:21:25. > :21:28.Stadium. What I'd really like to strdss is
:21:29. > :21:32.the fact that I'm extremely indebted to the supporters of West Bromwich
:21:33. > :21:33.Albion. Perhaps this isn't the best game because Swansea have ehght
:21:34. > :21:41.Spanish players! There's no guarantee sacking Mel
:21:42. > :21:44.would work. In the last fivd seasons, 11 clubs in relegation
:21:45. > :21:50.trouble have dismissed their managers. At least one of them has
:21:51. > :21:54.gone down each season. And only four of the 11 improved their le`gue
:21:55. > :21:57.position. The club are advertising a curry`and`pint night with Pdpe Mel
:21:58. > :21:59.in 12 days' time, but the bhg question is, will he still be here
:22:00. > :22:04.then? Nick Clitheroe, BBC Midlands Today,
:22:05. > :22:07.at the Hawthorns. This Sund`y 100,000 people are expected to
:22:08. > :22:11.descend on Birmingham for the annual St Patrick's Day parade. Thd event
:22:12. > :22:15.has been running continuously since 1966 and is the third biggest St
:22:16. > :22:21.Patrick's Day parade in the world. Only Dublin and New York ard bigger.
:22:22. > :22:27.Ben Sidwell's in Birmingham's Irish Quarter. I'm guessing preparations
:22:28. > :22:36.are well under way, Ben. Yeah, well me welcome to thd Spotted
:22:37. > :22:40.Dog, this is HQ, preparations are going well, we have got the band, a
:22:41. > :22:44.pint of the black stuff, and even the flowers have been paintdd the
:22:45. > :22:49.right colour. But it's not just here they are preparing, at a Catholic
:22:50. > :22:53.school in Sutton Coldfield `ll week they have been making costules and
:22:54. > :23:02.working on music and movies and even getting ready, 50 pupils in the end
:23:03. > :23:07.will lead the parade on Sunday. We are playing the Irish paradd on the
:23:08. > :23:11.float, and they will be dancing It is hard work but lots of fun with
:23:12. > :23:18.your friends. I will be a bht nervous, but I'm sure I'll get
:23:19. > :23:22.through it! With me is the festival organiser, how are those
:23:23. > :23:27.preparations going? What can we expect? They are going very well,
:23:28. > :23:31.thank you, it is Irish myths and legends, Howard theme for this year,
:23:32. > :23:39.schools, businesses and the community are all involved. Why is
:23:40. > :23:44.the festival so big here? The third biggest in the world? Why
:23:45. > :23:48.Birmingham? We have a very vibrant Irish community, all sections of our
:23:49. > :23:54.heritage and culture are covered, and we invite everyone else to come
:23:55. > :23:59.and join us to celebrate. Is it s difficult to organise? It h`s its
:24:00. > :24:02.challenges, but lots of people are doing lots of different things, and
:24:03. > :24:09.we start straight after the parade to plan for next year. And ht is a
:24:10. > :24:13.community event. Always has been, and the community will turn up on
:24:14. > :24:17.the day and enjoy it. It will be great. And I will tell you what if
:24:18. > :24:22.you have never been before, the parade starts at 12 o'clock on
:24:23. > :24:25.Sunday, and to be honest, this area of Birmingham becomes a little part
:24:26. > :24:27.of Ireland for the whole on Sunday afternoon with plenty of music like
:24:28. > :24:35.this. I bet it does! Well, they'll be
:24:36. > :24:36.hoping for good weather, and I reckon there'll be smiles all round
:24:37. > :24:47.if we see a repeat of last The weekend as a whole doesn't look
:24:48. > :24:51.too bad at all. Now, Saturd`y is looking like the better of the two
:24:52. > :24:55.days, which I'm sure organisers of the parade don't want to he`r, but
:24:56. > :24:59.Sunday doesn't look too bad at all. It is going to be cloudier, but
:25:00. > :25:03.temperatures are still abovd average for the time of year, and wd will
:25:04. > :25:07.get breaks in the cloud, thd sun coming out at times. For thd rest of
:25:08. > :25:12.the weekend, continuing with that pattern, sunny spells to end the
:25:13. > :25:14.day, we made it up to 17 in Hereford today, temperatures well above
:25:15. > :25:19.average for the time of year, and that continues as we head through
:25:20. > :25:23.the next few days. Tonight we have ended with quite a bit of cloud over
:25:24. > :25:27.the top of us, a breeze as well Over the North Midlands tonhght a
:25:28. > :25:31.few spots of rain here and there, but with the cloud, to Bridges will
:25:32. > :25:39.not fall away too far and wd should manage to keep any fog and list that
:25:40. > :25:43.they are. We have a cloudy start on Saturday, not long before wd start
:25:44. > :25:46.to see the wind blowing through and we will get some breaks in that as
:25:47. > :25:55.the sunburns flew as well. Saturday is looking like a nice day,
:25:56. > :26:04.temperatures up to 15 Celsits. You will notice the breeze as wd move
:26:05. > :26:08.through the day tomorrow. Whth that wind it will help to keep a frost at
:26:09. > :26:13.bay and keep those temperattres up a little bit, so a ballot mild nights
:26:14. > :26:20.to come as we head into Sunday, temperatures between six and seven
:26:21. > :26:25.Celsius. `` so a relatively mild night to come. We will get some
:26:26. > :26:31.spells of brightness, the whnd is quite breezy, temperatures getting
:26:32. > :26:35.up to 15 Celsius. By the tile we get to Monday, this area of high
:26:36. > :26:40.pressure is slowly starting to slip away. We will keep good conditions
:26:41. > :26:42.through Monday, but by the dnd of Tuesday we are back to wet `nd windy
:26:43. > :26:49.conditions, Shefali. What a shame! Tonight's headlines
:26:50. > :26:53.from the BBCL Hailed as a political giant and the voice of the radical
:26:54. > :26:56.left, tributes to the the former Labour Cabinet minister Tonx Benn,
:26:57. > :26:59.who's died aged 88. It's emdrged the Tory peer whose helicopter crashed
:27:00. > :27:01.last night killing him and three others had complained of safety
:27:02. > :27:04.defects. Exercise classes in junior school to
:27:05. > :27:07.fight the flab with child obesity on the increase.
:27:08. > :27:10.And a thrilling finish sees outsider Lord Windermere take this ydar's
:27:11. > :27:14.Cheltenham Gold Cup. That was the Midlands Today. I'll be
:27:15. > :27:19.back at ten o'clock with an update on the day's news. Have a great
:27:20. > :27:22.evening. We'll leave you with a look back at this week's Cheltenham
:27:23. > :27:25.Festival, one of the great sporting events of the year.
:27:26. > :27:38.Lord Windermere battling it out Lord Windermere has lifted the Gold
:27:39. > :27:41.Cup!