21/08/2014 Midlands Today

A return to the Ricoh Arena after more than one year playing hn

Northampton. It is fair on dveryone and fair on council taxpayers and

everyone connected. Fans call it a clear victory for common sense. Also

tonight: After one year of tribulation, jubilation. A school

celebrates strong GCSE results. They have supported us in every way that

they can really. Find out why these three snakes are so rare dud to a

miraculous virgin birth. A secret garden made public. The det`ils for

the bank holiday weekend, not long to go now but prospects are already

changing. Good evening,

Coventry City Football Club is returning home ` they'll pl`y

their first match back at the Ricoh The Sky Blues have been using

Northampton's ground for thd past Coventry City was founded in 18 3,

but only moved to the Ricoh Arena in 2005 `

when the club agreed to pay around Our Sports Editor Nick Clitheroe is

outside the stadium tonight, so Nick this has been a long drawn

out process, but was it a strprise I think more than a surprisd. It is

a relief for all concerned. It has gone on so long and has takdn up so

much energy and emotion particularly for their passionate supporters For

the past 12 months, these f`ns have been forced to give up their

Saturday afternoon ritual. Furious at the team being uprooted

to Northampton they preferrdd to protest on the hill outside than

pass through the turnstiles. But on the 5th

of September they will finally get the chance to watch the Sky Blues

play in Coventry again. I get all these frustrations

and the anger and everything that I've got their points

and their views, just it was not I apologise sincerely for everything

that I may have inflicted on them but as I say, that hs done,

I cannot turn the clock back. I can apologise

but it is where we are now. It's a row which has blightdd

Coventry for the past two ydars The club's owners SISU stopped

paying rent on the Ricoh Ardna in March 2012 claiming it w`s far

too high. Then in March 2013 SISU put the part

of the club which was the official Two months later Coventry Chty

announced they had no futurd at the Ricoh

and began the move to North`mpton. Now

though the Sky Blues are coling back after weeks of talks with stadium

owners Arena Coventry Limitdd. What I can say is that it is fair

on everyone and it is fair on the council taxpayers

and everyone connected. This is a deal just that will really

benefit the city of Coventrx With the deal for a maximum of four

years it's clear that, long`term, Coventry City still want to move but

for now at least the fans whll be able to come down off the hhll

again. Joining mean our the leaders of the

Council. You're taking up a lot of time in court action and also the

council has had lot of crithcism. It is an enormous relief and it is

important now that we go forward in a positive approach to having the

football club playing back `t the Ricoh Arena. It is good for the club

and it is good for the Ricoh Arena and it is good for the city of

Coventry as a whole. It doesn't reflect well not study, plaxing

here? It has been a very difficult time but I think it is important put

the past binders and work together to make sure the football club is

back yet. `` the past behind us I think we've all got to get behind

him now and sure that Coventry City football club goes back up the

league table. There is still uncertainty. What guarantees are

there that the deal will sthck this time? There are no guaranteds to

anything in life but what I can tell you is that over the course of the

past 48 hours in particular, parties and for the football club, for the

Ricoh Arena, for ACL, have been involved in negotiations th`t have

been incredibly complex and demanding and I want to takd this

opportunity to pay to get to those people who have been involvdd. Those

from the football club and @CL. It has been difficult for the fans

have released you tonight? Ht is an enormous relief. The losers have

been the supporters. All thdy wanted to do all along its watch their team

played here at the Ricoh Ardna in their city. This is our homd and now

thank goodness we will be playing here come September the 5th and

hopefully we'll have a great crowd here and onwards and upwards we will

go. Hopefully our days therd will not be too much longer and we will

start moving where we should be I imagine you are looking forward to

that state. It will be spechal to everyone involved, the supporters

and the players, to see the club playing back here at the Ricoh

Arena. A very windy Ricoh Arena And there will be more reaction to

the return of Coventry City to the Ricoh Arena

on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire's A community in limbo ` businesses in

decline as a suburb waits tdn years And ready to get stuck into the

Premier League, we hear frol Aston Students

across the Midlands have bedn collecting their GCSE results today

`joy for some, not for the others. But the BBC has been told that

at least two Birmingham schools at the centre of the Trojan Horse

Investigation have seen sharp drops Park View and Golden Hillock

schools, which are run by the Park View Educational Trust,

were put into special measures Exam periods can be

a difficult time. But pupils at some schools had to do

them under a national spotlhght Back in June, OFSTED placed five

Birmingham schools into special measures, following allegathons of

a conservative Muslim agend` being Today pupils have been nervously

collecting their GCSE results, I wanted to do A`levels

at college but because I did not get my English grade now I will have to

do another course and I do not really want to do that so I am

really disappointed about that. But how much is

down to the disruption causdd People when they came out

of their exams they were like, like,because of all the camdras

outside, they couldn't focus on An immense amount of pressure,

but the end of the day we all came out on top and got

the grades that we expected to get. The school is amazing

when it comes to academic stuff Staff here say 57 percent of pupils

were predicted five A* to C grades. Only five percent

of them achieved it. That is compared to last ye`r

when predictions were spot on. Early indications from Park View

is that the drop in results there Schools were under

constant scrutiny. OFSTED,

EFA and the two investigations. The leadership focus was shhfted not

from education but on dealing with the issue and I do believe that has

played a significant part None of the schools downgraded over

Trojan Horse have officiallx posted Many staff and parents are hoping

they are the last reminder But even without

the media spotlight on your school, it's still an anxious time

for pupils and teachers. Our Staffordshire reporter

Liz Copper has been to one school determined to see

an improvement after being placed Jubliation and celebration

at Birches Head Academy in Stoke But this year's also seen

tribulation, with the school going into special

measures at the end of last year. Nevertheless, some students have

excelled ` Emillie Corden got 9 I think when you sit an exal you

have so much doubt and you do not think that you done really well in

it but I am so happy that I did it. The school's seen an improvdment

in the number of students gdtting I wanted to prove that I was better

than what happened last year and that I was smart enough to get

what I wanted. It has been really tough dohng extra

tuition. I put in extra hours after school.

As this year's students pick up their results,

already the school's looking at the areas where inspectors want

Of course OFSTED inspectors look at much more than

Teaching standards, pupils' attitudes to learning

and parents' opinions will be looked at the next time the inspectors

It is an emotional push, and passion to make sure th`t you

But you manage that so that you don't need leavd

These students know their achievements have been

It's hoped this year's results will help this school successfully come

out of special measures in the year ahead.

Campaigners opposed to badgdr culling resuming in Gloucestershire

and Somerset have taken their case to the High Court.

The Badger Trust says the Government's failure to appoint

an independent panel to oversee the culling is unlawful.

It also claims last year's pilot was ineffective, and inhumane.

The government insists the cull is based on scientific advice `

and is one of a number of mdasures being taken to tackle bovind TB

The wreckage of a coach which crashed in France two years ago `

killing a Worcestershire te`cher and injuring 20 children ` has been

The crash happened as they were returning from

The English driver is due to stand trial for involuntary mansl`ughter.

Voting is taking place todax to elect a new Police and Crimd

Four candidates are standing for the post.

The result will be announced tomorrow.

West Midlands Police have rdleased a video

of the moment two traffic officers drove head`on into a car tr`velling

The Honda`Jazz was being drhven by a 77`year`old man with ddmentia.

It was spotted heading northbound into on`coming traffic near

Sutton Coldfield ` and desphte enforcing a rolling road block,

officers decided the only w`y to stop the car was to drive into it.

Thankfully, and remarkably, nobody was injured.

We have put the footage on our Facebook page.

Staff have been told that Stafford Hospital's maternity unit whll be

downgraded in January ` before an official review of the ddcision.

It will mean midwives will lead the service at Stafford `

while more complicated births will take place at the Universitx

Our reporter Nicola Beckford has been following today's developments.

The plan was to downgrade sdrvices, maternity services and the

consultant led units to a mhdwife led unit. The Health Secret`ry said

he would hold a review into whether this downgrade should indeed take

place and that was repeated by the Prime Minister, David Cameron. What

is being proposed is good steps to make sure accident and emergency

continues and to make sure we continue with consultant led

maternity services. What has been the reaction to what staff have been

told? Well campaigners are absolutely furious. Some of them

camped outside the hospital for weeks in the cold. Obviouslx they

want to keep as many local services as possible but the same thdy

basically do not know what hs going on any more. We're been lied to by

the top health people of thhs land. We have been let down here `nd they

need to come and tell us ex`ctly what their plans are becausd we are

being lied to and it has bedn going on now for too long. Has thdre been

any response from the NHS? Xes. I have a statement here. They say that

the review of services is planned, and is due to be settled by autumn

this year. But they do out that the safety of services is essential and

if they need to be changed before the review is completed, th`t the

decision that the will have to make. NHS England will respdct that

decision. They do go on to say that if that did happen, the revhew would

instead look at how safe consultant led services could be returned to

Stafford in the future. A return to the Ricoh `

after more than a year playhng at Northampton, the Sky Bluds will

play in Coventry again. Shefali will be along shortly with

our detailed weather forecast. The secrets of one of Europd's

biggest walled gardens reve`led ` open to the public

for the first time. Traders in a Birmingham subtrb say

their community is in decline ` because of plans for a new

supermarket which have been on hold. Tesco bought the site in Sthrchley,

over 10`years`ago, but building never got underway and

in the meantime ` businesses and Barbara and Bob Nolan run

a thriving cafe in Stirchlex. But in a week's time,

it could be empty. A clause in their lease means they

face having to move out to lake way for Tesco ` even though it's unclear

when the store will be built. When we first got those papdrs I do

not think Bob and I slept for days, And crying, continually cryhng

for this whole period. Five years ago we filmed thd Nolans

as they started their busindss They made it a success,

but still owe ?35,000. We can't just walk out of hdre

and walk into a job. Tesco have offered us ?7,500 as

a gesture of goodwill but wd cannot This community centre was also sold

to Tesco as part of their plans The Tesco development has bden

on the books since 2001 and yet here we are in 2014

and not a brick has been buhlt yet. Despite buying property, Tesco told

us it hadn't yet been able to acquire all the land it needed. A

spokesman said: We hope to begin demolition work

in the autumn and we will update the local community as soon as we

know timescales for the build. Dennis Fellows sold his kitchen shop

to Tesco about 10 years ago ` He also rents another

property opposite. Trade has just gone down and down

and down and we had to had diversify into internet salds

and trade sales, you know, the retail side of our business has

dropped by at least 50 percdnt. Dennis has run his business for 50

years and says he's here to stay. Unlike the Nolans ` who are fighting

to remain in their cafe for longer. The arrival of three baby anacondas

at West Midland safari park, is being heralded

as a miraculous virgin birth. It's believed that they are

the first snakes of their khnd ever to be born in captivity, without

any help at all from a male. Ben Sidwell's been to meet

the very rare new arrivals. This one's a female

and this one is also a female. So it came as something

of a surprise to keepers whdn these I was just doing my final checks,

closing up the reptile housd. Got to the anaconda enclosure,

actually the first thing I saw was some blood

which is normally something which is And then I realised that was

actually attached to The scientific name for the births

is parthenogenesis, which is literally Greek for virgin birth,

and occurs very rarely in fdmales Since the births,

keepers have checked both of the anacondas to make sure that

they really are female. And both tests have

come back positive. Although there have been rulours

of births like this in the past none until now have ever bedn

documented anywhere in the world. This is a five metre, 50 kilogram,

female. Mark has travelled the world

as the reptile expert and has studied anacondas in their

natural wild habitat, but even with all his knowledge and expertise

this has come as a major shock. I was the first to record

cannibalism in green anacondas and that was in the wild so,

you know, not everything is known. We are still discovering thhngs

that surprise and amaze us. For those visiting

the safari park's reptile house today, news of the miraculots births

have left people speechless. I think it is amazing,

it is absolutely superb. The young sisters will be

raised behind the scenes. It is hoped eventually they will

have their own enclosure so the public can see three of

the rarist anacondas in the world. The Wolves manager Kenny Jackett has

praised the hunger and desire of his players after their 0`0

win at Fulham last night. The only goal of

the game was scored by Bakary Sako, with a cleverly worked free`kick

routine in the first half. Wolves move up to ninth

in the Championship. Aston Villa's new

Colombian World Cup star is being tipped to make a big impression

on the Premier League. Carlos Sanchez has gone str`ight

into the Villa squad for Saturday's first home game of the season,

against Newcastle. The Rock is ready to roll for

Aston Villa. Carlos Sanchez got his nickname

whilst playing in Uruguay. It followed him to France and Spain

and now to England where La Roca can't wait to get stuck

in to the Premier League. Everyone enjoyed watching Colombia

at the World Cup finals. But Carlos Sanchez also caught

the eye with his tough`tackling Exactly what Paul Lambert and

Roy Keane have been looking for I think he's going to be a really

top player for us. This strhker scored 62 goals in just 100 games

and he just had no hesitation about recommending Carlos Sanchez. The

time is right for Carlos Sanchez who is now 28 to test himself in

England. Colombian football journalist has followed his career

closely and believes he will adapt quickly. This is a dream cole true

for him to come to the Premher League. Many want to come. They want

to come to the Premier Leagte. He will be a big favourite. He chose

Villa and he will soon on the Premier League. Aston Villa have

named Tom Fox as the new le`der One

of Europe's biggest walled gardens is being opened to the publhc

for the first time this weekend It was once part of the Croome

Court Estate in Worcestershhre. Sarah Falkland has been

finding out more. In the shadow of the hills, enclosed

by walls of one million bricks lies There is really very somethhng

magical about this garden. It is almost like it is

a healing place, you know. It was built by the past owners

of this mansion and for the past 14 years, it h`s been a

labour of love for Karen and Chris. It was a complete

and utter wilderness. The glass houses were down,

the glass was missing and broken on the floor,

all the walls were covered hn ivy. It took us six months just to

remove the ivy off the walls. A team from Birmingham Univdrsity

help them uncover the furnaces that were part of an

early horticultural heating system. It was built in 1806

and it is one of the earliest It also happens to be the l`rgest

of its kind. To that end, it has 500 gral

furnaces that used to power the wall and to heat it in order to

allow them to grow non`indigenous And the hot wall is not the only

revolutionary design surprise. This network

of tunnels runs underneath the glass houses here and it would have

carried pipes full of hot w`ter When it was built in the early

1800s, it was way ahead of hts time. I think when these gardens were

at their height it was when all of the plant finders were going out to

bring back exotics from arotnd the world and for example pineapples

were a real status symbol. If you had a pineapple

on your table, that was a bht like It is a world apart

from their day job. They are currently working

on one for Kylie Minogue. It ain't rock 'n' roll,

but the kitchen garden has A 19`year`old student

from Herefordshire has becole Is there another chilly night in

store? Shefali can tell us. Temperatures below par for this time

of year. There is plenty of usable weather around but perhaps something

not to your liking. Sunday hs looking to be the drives today of

the weekend. The wettest dax will be Monday. Saturday and Monday. A bit,

on Sunday. In the immediate future, we've still got this frontal system

crossing through tonight. This clears by tomorrow which me`ns

things are looking favourable by this stage. Then some showers on

Saturday. It builds towards the end of Saturday and clears up for

Sunday. We have got some showers to get through this evening and that

they are really quite on thd angry side. They will persist through

tonight and then gradually starts to fade as we go through the nhght into

the early hours so it will be much drier by that stage. Very clear

skies but enough out there to hold tonnages tonight into doubld

figures. 10 degrees or 11 ddgrees bombers places but perhaps colder in

the countryside `` temperattres in places. We start with clouds not

particularly chilly tomorrow morning. Then temperatures will rise

again to around 15 degrees towards the north of the region and perhaps

18 degrees towards the south. No great improvement in the afternoon

but more in the way of sunshine and it will be a dry day tomorrow. A few

showers coming in from the north`west. A lot of dry we`ther

around and particularly dry tomorrow night as well once those shdlves are

stocked to away. There was released `` they will resurface. Tonhght s

headlines from the BBC, det`ils emerged about the beheading of James

Foley. A sharp decline in the English GCSE results. The rdturn to

the Ricoh Arena, the sky bltes will play a game in Coventry. Wh`t has

been the reaction from supporters throughout the day to this news As

you can see the club crest hs here and now the football team is coming

back and that has met jubil`tion among the supporters as you can well

understand. It is not just that the supporters are happy. The former

manager says this is the happiest day since he got married. A couple

of former players have said they are so pleased for all the fans who have

worked so hard to make this happen. Terry Gibson said it is due to the

persistence of so many and ht has got its reward. That sums it up It

has been the persistence of those fans who have made all the parties

come back to the negotiating table and has led to this result.

We've got factory boys and butchers' apprentices and office clerks

Don't stop moving! If you go back you'll die!

Make the most of your bank holiday, wherever you are.

Use the BBC Weather app to stay one step ahead of the weather.