:00:11. > :00:12.Good evening. A charity in That's it.
:00:13. > :00:14.Good evening. A charity in Worcestershire which offers zero
:00:15. > :00:17.interest loans to people struggling financially says demand is growing
:00:18. > :00:22.so much it's just opened another office in neighbouring Shropshire.
:00:23. > :00:24.The "No Interest Loan Scheme" in Tenbury Wells provides an
:00:25. > :00:29.alternative to payday lenders or loan sharks for local residents who
:00:30. > :00:34.can't get credit elsewhere. Nadine Towell reports.
:00:35. > :00:38.When Graham Gordon had a stroke 14 years ago he was no longer able to
:00:39. > :00:42.work. His wife Gail gave up her job to care for him, and suddenly the
:00:43. > :00:54.couple went from having two incomes to living on benefits. The things
:00:55. > :00:56.that we needed, you don't expect things to break down and things you
:00:57. > :01:02.need to make things easier to Galway, and we found it very very
:01:03. > :01:05.hard. So when their washing machine stopped working they simply couldn't
:01:06. > :01:08.afford a new one. But a local charity which offers a zero interest
:01:09. > :01:12.loan scheme proved to be their lifeline. And it's a resource
:01:13. > :01:19.they've turned to on several occasions. Also, my cooker, we lived
:01:20. > :01:26.in here and my sister gave me a cooker 14 years ago, and it was
:01:27. > :01:32.really good. It lasted, but it came to the end of it stay they could not
:01:33. > :01:35.afford a new one, so we went to No Interest Loan Scheme and they gave
:01:36. > :01:38.us the money to get the cooker. The Tenbury "No Interest Loan Scheme",
:01:39. > :01:42.or NILS, offers emergency funds to local people who can't get loans
:01:43. > :01:47.elsewhere. It helps to pay for essential items like appliances and
:01:48. > :01:53.school uniforms. There are lots of unscrupulous lenders out there, and
:01:54. > :01:57.we are an alternative. People come to us knowing they are not charged
:01:58. > :02:02.any interest. It is a place for poor people to come to us, people who
:02:03. > :02:05.have usually financially excluded, but we all about financial
:02:06. > :02:10.inclusion. The scheme operating here in Tenbury is though to be the only
:02:11. > :02:16.one of it's kind in the country and is proving so popular they've opened
:02:17. > :02:19.up a new office in Ludlow. The project is proving so popular they
:02:20. > :02:22.are opening up a new office. Back at home with the Gordons, a working
:02:23. > :02:26.washing machine which is now fully paid for. They say this scheme makes
:02:27. > :02:31.living on a low budget just that little bit easier.
:02:32. > :02:34.A teenager's been charged in connection with the stabbing of a
:02:35. > :02:37.man in Birmingham. The 17` year`old's accused of causing
:02:38. > :02:41.grievous bodily harm. It follows the stabbing of a 24`year`old man in
:02:42. > :02:44.Erdington last week. He remains in a critical condition in hospital with
:02:45. > :02:49.what police have described as "life`threatening injuries".
:02:50. > :02:52.Demonstrators have staged a protest against plans to build thousands of
:02:53. > :02:56.new homes which they say will ruin their Warwickshire village. The
:02:57. > :02:58.group, from Long Marston, drove to Stratford`upon`Avon to urge
:02:59. > :03:03.councillors to vote against the proposals. Our reporter Holly Lewis
:03:04. > :03:07.was there. People who live in Long Marston say
:03:08. > :03:12.building 3,500 houses on the nearby airfield will lead to gridlock. And
:03:13. > :03:19.today they set out to prove their point by driving in convoy into
:03:20. > :03:24.Stratford. We have moved here from London. We moved to a rural area,
:03:25. > :03:29.and we don't want the character of the area to change. What is being
:03:30. > :03:36.proposed as monolithic, not appropriate. This area is one of the
:03:37. > :03:39.main attractions of this entire country, and you want to make it
:03:40. > :03:42.like a suburb? You're killing the goose that lays the golden egg. The
:03:43. > :03:44.campaigners say the development would increase local traffic
:03:45. > :03:47.sevenfold. But a housing shortage means Stratford`upon`Avon District
:03:48. > :03:56.Council has to build around 10,000 new homes over the next 15 years.
:03:57. > :04:02.And they have to go somewhere. The houses are to be near where the jobs
:04:03. > :04:09.are. And the fact is that most jobs are north of the River Avon. This is
:04:10. > :04:13.a big settlement, south of the River Avon, and people are going to have
:04:14. > :04:18.to get into their cars and drive to work. The development is one of five
:04:19. > :04:23.options currently under discussion by Stratford district Council. It is
:04:24. > :04:27.believed to be their second choice, the first choice being a development
:04:28. > :04:31.at Aden. A final decision on a site for the first phase of development
:04:32. > :04:35.is expected to be made in the middle of May.
:04:36. > :04:38.About 100 people have signed up as volunteers on the Severn Valley
:04:39. > :04:41.Railway following a recent recruitment drive. The railway
:04:42. > :04:45.already has a team of more than 1,200 working on the line. The
:04:46. > :04:49.latest recruits will help drive the trains, staff the booking office and
:04:50. > :04:55.work in the carriages. It attracts more than 200,000 visitors a year.
:04:56. > :04:58.Onto the day's football results, and in the Championship, Birmingham City
:04:59. > :05:01.are just one place above the relegation zone after they lost 4`2
:05:02. > :05:04.to Blackburn at St Andrews. In League One, Wolves go up as
:05:05. > :05:07.Champions after beating Leyton Orient 3`1 in the lunchtime
:05:08. > :05:11.kick`off. Elsewhere it ended goalless between Coventry and
:05:12. > :05:16.Oldham. Shrewsbury look destined for relegation after they lost 5`2 away
:05:17. > :05:21.at Preston. It finished 1`0 to Rotherham over Port Vale. And
:05:22. > :05:24.Walsall drew 1`1 with Gillingham. In League Two Cheltenham won 2`0 at
:05:25. > :05:28.Mansfield, Jamie Cureton with both goals. And Burton Albion drew 1`1 at
:05:29. > :05:31.Newport. Finally at the foot of the
:05:32. > :05:35.Conference, Tamworth won three`two at Dartford. Hereford United's fight
:05:36. > :05:39.for survival will go to the final game off the season after their 3`2
:05:40. > :05:52.win over Alfreton. Kidderminster versus Nuneaton ended goalless. How
:05:53. > :05:59.about the weather? What is to come? It was a beautiful day today, high
:06:00. > :06:05.of 17, 18 Celsius, down to amass of warm air wafting in from Europe. But
:06:06. > :06:09.this is going to be pushed to one side because of a change in wind
:06:10. > :06:14.direction in the next few days. The outcome of that is cooler conditions
:06:15. > :06:18.and a few showers as well. We have had reports of hefty thundery
:06:19. > :06:24.showers developing across the and Oxfordshire border. There will also
:06:25. > :06:31.be showers across the northern half of the region as well. Overall, it
:06:32. > :06:38.is murky" he tonight, lows of nine to 10 Celsius. Sharers will ease,
:06:39. > :06:45.but it is going to be wetter than today. In between we will see
:06:46. > :06:49.sunshine developing. Not quite as warm as today, 14, 15 Celsius. More
:06:50. > :06:55.rain on Wednesday and further showers after that.
:06:56. > :06:58.That was the Midlands Today. I'll be back at 10pm with your next
:06:59. > :07:02.update. Have a great evening. Goodbye.