:00:18. > :00:23.ceramic pottery is to honour the war dead. It is an inspiring idea to
:00:24. > :00:28.demonstrate the loss of life and the scale of it. The poppies, one per
:00:29. > :00:36.each soldier who died during the First World War are being placed
:00:37. > :00:40.around the tower of London. Demonstrators on the roof of the
:00:41. > :00:41.Staffordshire FAQ tree which is claimed to be supplying Israeli
:00:42. > :00:47.forces. Grief of the family of a 29`year`old
:00:48. > :00:54.who died after a routine gallstone operation. It is killing me, I need
:00:55. > :00:56.answers. The protesters who won't give up despite the closure of
:00:57. > :01:03.Coventry's 50 metre pool looking certain. Some of these kids here
:01:04. > :01:06.today could be future Olympians if they are given the right
:01:07. > :01:09.opportunities and said facilities to do it in.
:01:10. > :01:14.It may be some but by the end of the week, things will be feeling
:01:15. > :01:16.autumnal. It is good for the garden. I will have all of the details
:01:17. > :01:22.later. Last night thousands turned
:01:23. > :01:28.off their lights to mark the start of the First World War `
:01:29. > :01:30.today an extraordinary tribute to All around the Tower of London 888,
:01:31. > :01:37.246 ceramic poppies will be placed, one for every British
:01:38. > :01:41.and Commonwealth soldier who died. The final poppy will be put
:01:42. > :01:44.in position on Armistice Day, Liz Copper reports now
:01:45. > :01:48.from the factory in Stoke on Trent They'll travel from this factory
:01:49. > :01:59.in Tunstall to the Tower of London. And then they'll be added to
:02:00. > :02:03.the cascading art work taking shape Opened by the Duke and Duchess
:02:04. > :02:08.of Cambridge and Prince Harry, eventually a sea of red ceramic
:02:09. > :02:15.poppies will encircle the Tower. They've all been made from this `
:02:16. > :02:18.Staffordshire clay. 300 tons have been supplied by this
:02:19. > :02:38.family`run firm in Stoke on Trent. It is a part of Stoke. It is at the
:02:39. > :02:42.heart of Staffordshire. Also, the number of people from North
:02:43. > :02:44.Staffordshire who gave up their lives during the war, it feels like
:02:45. > :02:48.a fitting tribute to their sacrifice.
:02:49. > :02:50.The poppies are being manufactured at Johnson Tiles.
:02:51. > :03:01.The expertise here has helped to perfect the design.
:03:02. > :03:04.Each poppy represents a life lost, so it is an emotional time.
:03:05. > :03:08.Eventually all the poppies will be sold to raise
:03:09. > :03:14.For the team of potters helping with this unique project, this is
:03:15. > :03:31.Think of what we are making them for. It is an inspiring idea to
:03:32. > :03:38.demonstrate the loss of life and the scale of it. Special, when you see
:03:39. > :03:44.them all behind me, thousands of them. It is quite emotional. Nice to
:03:45. > :03:50.know we are giving something back for all of the people who died
:03:51. > :03:51.during the war. Each of them represents someone.
:03:52. > :03:55.The kilns will be firing continuously until the Autumn, when
:03:56. > :03:58.the final poppy will be placed in the Tower's moat on Armistice Day.
:03:59. > :04:01.Already this ceramic spectacle has captured the nation's imagination
:04:02. > :04:06.and the spirit of the Great War commemorations.
:04:07. > :04:16.I'll be live at this former hospital in Warwickshire where volunteers are
:04:17. > :04:21.recreating the role it played treating those wounded in the
:04:22. > :04:28.Protestors have occupied the roof of a factory in Staffordshire,
:04:29. > :04:31.which they claim is involved in the supply of drone aircraft
:04:32. > :04:41.Phil McCann reports from Shenstone near Lichfield.
:04:42. > :04:47.This started early this morning? At five a.m., neighbours said they were
:04:48. > :04:56.woken up why police all over the road. The company name says it all,
:04:57. > :05:01.UAV engines make engines for drones which are the vehicle is thought to
:05:02. > :05:04.be responsible for most of the Israeli action in Gaza. The
:05:05. > :05:09.protesters say that is why they descended on a relatively small, it
:05:10. > :05:15.inoffensive looking industrial unit in rural Staffordshire. The factory
:05:16. > :05:21.has been closed all day as a result of our action. It is to raise
:05:22. > :05:30.awareness. What has the company had to say? Nothing. Polly Peck is heard
:05:31. > :05:32.doors have been chained shut. This isn't the first time action has
:05:33. > :05:36.taken place. There was similar action against Israel two years ago
:05:37. > :05:42.and back then there were demonstrations. Do we have any idea
:05:43. > :05:46.what the police are going to do? The protesters are convinced they will
:05:47. > :05:49.be pulled down by force. They have been negotiating all day from an
:05:50. > :05:53.aerial platform. The police said they will try to continue to
:05:54. > :05:57.persuade them to leave of their own free will.
:05:58. > :06:00.A 29`year`old mother of three has died 48 hours after what should have
:06:01. > :06:02.been a routine day case procedure. Tracey Bannister had a gallstone
:06:03. > :06:06.removed and was sent home. The family's been told that she died of
:06:07. > :06:09.blood poisoning but they want to know why. Here's our health
:06:10. > :06:16.In her mum and dad's house, in the room where she was born 29 years
:06:17. > :06:31.ago, a makeshift shrine is dedicated to Tracey Bannister's memory.
:06:32. > :06:33.I've got the three children. I feel like it's killing me. I need
:06:34. > :06:39.answers. The fun`loving mum had her gall
:06:40. > :06:41.bladder removed last year, but still She went into Walsall Manor
:06:42. > :06:47.hospital on 24th June. The hospital put a probe
:06:48. > :06:48.down her throat. A stent was replaced
:06:49. > :06:50.and a stone removed. Her children watched her become
:06:51. > :07:06.unwell and called an ambulance. She was unstable. When she was
:07:07. > :07:10.walking she would drop. Two nurses held her up and put her on the bed.
:07:11. > :07:30.They said she had severe septic and her organs had closed down.
:07:31. > :07:32.The family want to know whether the probe had caused a rupture and
:07:33. > :07:47.After the procedure, if they had kept her in, she would be here now.
:07:48. > :07:51.An investigation was begun on July 1st and the coroner is awaiting post
:07:52. > :08:04.The coroner urged the family to contact the patient service.
:08:05. > :08:05.Doctors say that septicaemia can set in extremely quickly.
:08:06. > :08:09.The family are still having a barbecue on August 16th,
:08:10. > :08:22.The Bishop of Gloucester, Right Rev Michael Perham, has been interviewed
:08:23. > :08:28.by police today on suspicion of indecently assaulting a woman
:08:29. > :08:35.Bishop Michael, attended a police station in Gloucestershire
:08:36. > :08:37.today to be interviewed about the allegations which date
:08:38. > :08:41.He announced on Saturday he was stepping down from
:08:42. > :08:44.The chairman of Staffordshire construction giant JCB fears
:08:45. > :08:48.sanctions against Russia could put British jobs at risk.
:08:49. > :08:51.Lord Bamford said it was "absurd" that the company which is a
:08:52. > :08:53.major exporter to Russia could be harmed by EU economic sanctions.
:08:54. > :08:56.Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce said it wouldn't
:08:57. > :09:03.welcome measures restricting exports from its members.
:09:04. > :09:06.A man has been found guilty of strangling his ex`wife
:09:07. > :09:09.and hiding her body, which lay undiscovered for weeks.
:09:10. > :09:11.Daniel Spencer had denied murdering Jane Wiggett at her home
:09:12. > :09:17.Ms Wiggett's body was finally discovered inside her carefully
:09:18. > :09:26.Protestors in Coventry have vowed to keep
:09:27. > :09:29.on fighting to keep the region's only 50 metre swimming pool open.
:09:30. > :09:33.Within the last couple of hours councillors have voted to close the
:09:34. > :09:37.pool and press ahead with plans for a new ?37 million leisure centre.
:09:38. > :09:41.Campaigners say that having an Olympic sized pool is
:09:42. > :09:43.a vital sporting asset but the council argues it would
:09:44. > :09:45.cost millions to restore and wants to spend money improving
:09:46. > :09:53.For love of swimming ` these protestors angry their Olympic`sized
:09:54. > :10:06.pool, a staple of Coventry for 50 years, is under threat of closure.
:10:07. > :10:12.We've got a long tradition in this city of swimming being successful. I
:10:13. > :10:17.would love my family to be able to swim in the same pool as their
:10:18. > :10:20.mother trained in. Some of these kids here today could be future
:10:21. > :10:23.Commonwealth champions and future Olympians if they are given the
:10:24. > :10:25.right opportunity and facilities. The council wants to knock
:10:26. > :10:27.down this building on New Union Street and replace it with
:10:28. > :10:30.a new ?37 million leisure centre But Sharon Newport
:10:31. > :10:34.and her daughter say it would be inferior and they'd need to travel
:10:35. > :10:48.almost 40 miles to a 50`metre one. I would have to travel to Corby,
:10:49. > :10:53.assuming it would have capacity to allow us to go and train there. We
:10:54. > :10:57.keep mentioning the new pool in Birmingham, that is for Birmingham
:10:58. > :11:02.University and it is only six lanes so it won't he suitable for aquatic
:11:03. > :11:08.competition either. I want to try and swim in the Olympics when I am
:11:09. > :11:10.older. My aim is to get into the next Commonwealth Games.
:11:11. > :11:12.Protestors have been campaigning to keep Coventry Pool open
:11:13. > :11:15.since February and have handed in a petition with more than 11,000
:11:16. > :11:25.This afternoon there was a meeting to discuss its future.
:11:26. > :11:31.I've just come out of the meeting whether Cabinet approved the closure
:11:32. > :11:35.of the pool. The Cabinet said it is too expensive to maintain and needs
:11:36. > :11:36.to spend money on the appearance of the city and its facilities to
:11:37. > :11:38.attract private investment. The decision to close
:11:39. > :11:42.the pool still needs to be ratified In the meantime councillors have
:11:43. > :11:45.agreed to work with Coventry Swimming Club to explore
:11:46. > :11:49.the possibility of them taking over Pride of Stoke ` hundreds
:11:50. > :12:01.of thousands of ceramic poppies from the kilns of the Potteries to
:12:02. > :12:04.honour the war dead to be placed detailed weather forecast
:12:05. > :12:20.to come shortly. We are counting down to the new four
:12:21. > :12:24.all season and we are live in Walsall to welcome Aston Villa. The
:12:25. > :12:30.match programme says it is a friendly. We will see about that.
:12:31. > :12:33.And tickling the ivories in Stoke on Trent ` where free pianos placed
:12:34. > :12:41.across the city are tempting many to become more musical.
:12:42. > :12:47.With the children it has been testing at times but people have
:12:48. > :12:50.just decided to come in and have a go.
:12:51. > :12:52.Back to the commemoration of World War I now and destroyed
:12:53. > :12:56.millions of lives, it also offered a kind of liberation for many women.
:12:57. > :13:01.Emmie Chester was one, leaving her home in Shropshire for France.
:13:02. > :13:03.There she met the love of her life but it was
:13:04. > :13:13.a story with a poignant ending, as Bob Hockenhull's been finding out.
:13:14. > :13:25.But a love story ultimately thwarted by the conventions of the time.
:13:26. > :13:30.This was her big adventure. The big thing in her life and she must have
:13:31. > :13:33.had so many regrets about it. In 1917, Emmie Chester, then 24,
:13:34. > :13:37.signed up for the Women's Auxiliary A post based in the crypt of
:13:38. > :13:51.Rouen Cathedral in France. I don't think she had left
:13:52. > :13:55.Shropshire before then, she was totally modest person. It was unlike
:13:56. > :13:58.her to do anything so adventurous. While was there she met an
:13:59. > :14:02.Australian and he was an entertainer. He is a very engaging
:14:03. > :14:07.sort of chap. The true extent of the romance only
:14:08. > :14:10.came to light when 95`year`old Emmie Sue inherited a trunk full of Mac?s
:14:11. > :14:14.postcards and photographs. So why didn't her great aunt end
:14:15. > :14:27.up marrying her sweetheart? Completely out of the blue, she had
:14:28. > :14:32.a Telegraph from home which said come home, mother is ill. She
:14:33. > :14:35.applied for compassionate leave, she knocked on the door and her mother
:14:36. > :14:40.and said the door. I do her mother had made a rapid recovery or it was
:14:41. > :14:43.a device to claim her back into the family.
:14:44. > :14:45.Mac joined his comrades on a ship back to Australia,
:14:46. > :14:50.He sent a postcard saying "What I said stands more than ever
:14:51. > :14:56.Mac continued to write to for many years.
:14:57. > :14:59.The last correspondence was a New Year's Eve card in 1945.
:15:00. > :15:03.In it Mac was planning a trip to Blighty and would like to
:15:04. > :15:11.meet up with Emmie. Emmie didn't reply and never saw Mac again.
:15:12. > :15:29.In those days, personal life was your personal life. She made her
:15:30. > :15:35.choice and she lived with it. There was never any sign of any bitterness
:15:36. > :15:36.about what she had done. She clearly felt it was the right decision to
:15:37. > :15:42.make. Nearly 100 years after
:15:43. > :15:47.the great romance, Sue is now trying to trace Mac's family in Australia
:15:48. > :15:51.hoping to share the memories of her Staying with the Great War,
:15:52. > :16:03.volunteers in a Warwickshire town have used lottery money to recreate
:16:04. > :16:08.life in an Auxiliary Hospital. Henley in Arden Hospital was one
:16:09. > :16:11.of 3,000 run entirely by civilians. Sarah, the Henley in Arden Hospital
:16:12. > :16:34.was particularly well`run wasn't it? It was, very well run. 1576 injured
:16:35. > :16:40.soldiers came through the doors. Only two of them died. The reason
:16:41. > :16:45.for that was probably because of the matron. Sister Stephenson. She was
:16:46. > :16:50.Irish and was described being a room full of sympathy and cheeriness and
:16:51. > :16:53.public spirit of the injured men being cared for. She wasn't the only
:16:54. > :17:02.key figure. There was also a well`known GP. His name was Doctor
:17:03. > :17:09.Ernest Nelson, he was a local GP. Not only did he have a massive hand
:17:10. > :17:14.in creating this hospital, he created a unique piece which was an
:17:15. > :17:27.open`air ward which was sighted at the side of this hospital. This was
:17:28. > :17:49.the very first in this country? In actual fact, he wrote an article in
:17:50. > :17:52.the British Medical Journal date is August 19 to all medical people as
:17:53. > :17:54.to how to construct it and its benefits. They also have their own
:17:55. > :17:56.operating theatre on the side of the ward. The Great War was before
:17:57. > :17:57.anaesthetic so all they had was chloroform. This all belongs to your
:17:58. > :17:59.collection, John, where did you get it? Flea markets, military fares and
:18:00. > :18:00.donations from the public. Apart from the Germans, the constant
:18:01. > :18:07.battle was infection. We only lost two patients during the four years.
:18:08. > :18:10.A great record. When this hospital closed in 1919 it was one of the
:18:11. > :18:14.last in the country to close. Thank you.
:18:15. > :18:17.And last night the electricity company Western Power Distribution
:18:18. > :18:19.which supplies the region said there was a significant drop in demand
:18:20. > :18:23.That was when many homes and businesses switched
:18:24. > :18:25.off their lights to commemorate the start of the First World War.
:18:26. > :18:28.It was prompted by the remark of the foreign secretary
:18:29. > :18:31.of the time who said the lamps were going out all over Europe.
:18:32. > :18:33.Thanks to everyone who sent in pictures.
:18:34. > :18:38.We think we've managed to get them all onto our Facebook page.
:18:39. > :18:49.The new football league season is just four days away and that means
:18:50. > :18:54.Tonight, they're playing their final friendly against
:18:55. > :18:59.Ian Winter is live at the Banks' Stadium.
:19:00. > :19:07.Ian it's a friendly but both clubs could do with a win couldn't they?
:19:08. > :19:11.Villa want to win because they've lost their previous
:19:12. > :19:14.two friendlies and there's only ten days left to put things right
:19:15. > :19:18.before they kick`off in the Premier League, away to Stoke City.
:19:19. > :19:21.And Walsall would like to win because this is
:19:22. > :19:25.a dress rehearsal for Saturday's opening game in League One.
:19:26. > :19:29.I've been to watch their open training session.
:19:30. > :19:30.Watching... and waiting for Walsall to
:19:31. > :19:35.The home fans haven't been able to celebrate a league win
:19:36. > :19:39.And now they're looking for clues that new players will
:19:40. > :19:49.Last season, Tom Bradshaw felt the pain of relegation from
:19:50. > :20:07.It is a big game and it fills us with excitement. We want to
:20:08. > :20:14.challenge for the top six. If you were a Walsall supporter, would you
:20:15. > :20:17.be optimistic? There is a lot of players improving and if they come
:20:18. > :20:18.on again through this preseason, we're looking forward to another
:20:19. > :20:30.good season. Last season, Tom Bradshaw felt
:20:31. > :20:32.the pain of relegation from One of nine fresh faces
:20:33. > :20:37.at a prudently`run club that simply refuses to pay silly money to
:20:38. > :20:51.players with greedy agents. Sheffield United have created and
:20:52. > :20:55.recruited really well. We are looking forward to it.
:20:56. > :20:58.12 years ago, James O'Connor won the FA Youth Cup with Aston Villa.
:20:59. > :21:02.Tonight, he'll be hoping his new club Walsall can earn a
:21:03. > :21:07.morale`boosting victory before the serious stuff starts on Saturday.
:21:08. > :21:17.What about Aston Villa, will they be confident? It is difficult to call.
:21:18. > :21:21.They went out to the United States and they beat Dallas and Houston
:21:22. > :21:28.dynamo. Then they came back home and have lost two Chesterfield and
:21:29. > :21:32.Groningen. So mixed results. Only ten days to get things right. They
:21:33. > :21:38.are keen to get the future of their captain, Ron Vlaar sorted out.
:21:39. > :21:43.Having had such a good World Cup with the Netherlands. They also want
:21:44. > :21:49.the future of the club, Randy Lerner still has it up for sale and is
:21:50. > :21:55.still to find a buyer. They have new signings, Philippe Senderos, Kieran
:21:56. > :22:00.Richardson and Joe Cole. So the jury is out as far as Aston Villa is
:22:01. > :22:09.concerned. Some new signings West Bromwich today? They have signed
:22:10. > :22:14.their seventh and eighth players. They have Cristian Gamboa from Costa
:22:15. > :22:19.Rica and Jason Davidson from Australia. They are away to Port
:22:20. > :22:21.Vale who play Walsall in their opening league one match on
:22:22. > :22:26.Saturday. Interesting signs ahead. Life in one of our cities has
:22:27. > :22:29.suddenly become much more tuneful. 20 pianos have been set up
:22:30. > :22:33.in public spaces in Stoke on Trent It's all part of a project
:22:34. > :22:36.which began life in Birmingham and has gone around the world,
:22:37. > :22:40.as our arts reporter Satnam Rana Taking a
:22:41. > :22:42.musical break. Right across Stoke`on Trent people
:22:43. > :22:44.are tickling the ivories The city's bus station is just one
:22:45. > :23:00.of the 20 public spaces where the pianos have been chained up
:23:01. > :23:14.and opned up to the public. The idea is for people to take a
:23:15. > :23:20.stroll, spot a piano and take a tinkle. You don't have to be an
:23:21. > :23:24.expert, in fact you can be a bit of a novice like me.
:23:25. > :23:27.Although this young girl is giving me a run for my money over
:23:28. > :23:54.It is really good and it gives kids to play the piano because it is
:23:55. > :23:58.expensive. It gives people a chance to get involved in the arts. Because
:23:59. > :24:03.they are beautifully decorated, you can see what the art is like and if
:24:04. > :24:03.you want to see people playing on them, you can.
:24:04. > :24:08.Over at the University Hospital North Staffordshire a break from
:24:09. > :24:21.surgical instruments and a tuneful therapeutic break for patients.
:24:22. > :24:28.With the children it has been testing at times. But people have
:24:29. > :24:30.just come in and had a go, it has been nice.
:24:31. > :24:33.The pianos will stay in place until the end of this month
:24:34. > :24:35.before being donated to local charities and community groups.
:24:36. > :24:38.So if you fancy an impromptu performance, well play on!
:24:39. > :24:41.Earlier in the programme, Rebecca was promising good news for the
:24:42. > :24:56.Quite a bit of rain I am afraid. But the rain will be for the most part
:24:57. > :25:00.the overnight. But it will be there by the time you wake up tomorrow.
:25:01. > :25:06.The good news is it is an improving picture. Although it is a wet start,
:25:07. > :25:10.it does brighten up and tomorrow won't be a bad day. We will continue
:25:11. > :25:14.with a pattern of a good day and the bad day for the next few days. This
:25:15. > :25:18.is how we have been today. Showers working in from the south and the
:25:19. > :25:24.West. The West. A taster of what is to come tonight. The sun did come
:25:25. > :25:27.out at times. Those showers continuing through the next few
:25:28. > :25:34.hours. The area of frameworks from the south. We do a Met Office yellow
:25:35. > :25:39.weather warning with a couple of inches of rainfall within a couple
:25:40. > :25:43.of hours. It temperature is little bit so and and more humid night than
:25:44. > :25:48.we saw last night. The good news for that is tomorrow be milder. The rain
:25:49. > :25:52.works its way away, so not too bad tomorrow. The sun will come out at
:25:53. > :25:59.times. A few showers through the day, but sunshine and the odd shower
:26:00. > :26:03.and temperatures up to 23 Celsius. High pressure is building so it will
:26:04. > :26:07.kill off the showers as we had through tomorrow night. Tomorrow
:26:08. > :26:10.night will be cooler and fresh again, with clear spells developing.
:26:11. > :26:15.Temperatures only a couple of degrees lower than they will be
:26:16. > :26:21.tonight, but not a bad night. Is a good day. Plenty of sunshine to come
:26:22. > :26:25.to the day. Temperatures down a little bit but through the afternoon
:26:26. > :26:31.cloud will be spilling in and it will make the sunshine hazy. But I
:26:32. > :26:36.said we get a good day and then a bad day. Friday, we have a deep area
:26:37. > :26:39.of low pressure working its way up from the south. That is bringing
:26:40. > :26:44.heavy pulses of rain. Although Friday will start off OK, it does
:26:45. > :26:46.not look too great towards the end. Saturday is a day of sunshine and
:26:47. > :26:57.showers. The Foreign Office minister
:26:58. > :27:03.Baroness Warsi resigns over the conflict in Gaza ` saying she can no
:27:04. > :27:05.longer support the government. Pride of Stoke `
:27:06. > :27:07.hundreds of thousands of ceramic poppies from the kilns of the
:27:08. > :27:15.Potteries to honour the war dead. with the latest
:27:16. > :27:22.on the roof top protest.