:00:00. > :00:07.Birmingham Children's Hospital becomes the first specialist centre
:00:08. > :00:19.I think previously we weren't listening properly, a lot of staff
:00:20. > :00:24.on the ground have concerns about the way care was given and the stuff
:00:25. > :00:25.wasn't there at the right time or with the right equipment.
:00:26. > :00:28.And we'll be reporting on another development at the hospital today -
:00:29. > :00:30.the opening of a new support centre for bereaved parents.
:00:31. > :00:34.Growing problem: with another hundred fridges found dumped today,
:00:35. > :00:36.investigators are now dealing with 12 cases of fly-tipping
:00:37. > :00:46.People believe that this is a victimless crime. Actually, it
:00:47. > :00:50.isn't. What we are seeing here is the taxpayer yet again picking up
:00:51. > :00:52.the bill for someone's anti-social behaviour.
:00:53. > :00:55.Testing their mettle: training time for the women aiming to become
:00:56. > :00:58.the first all female team to ski coast to coast across the Antarctic.
:00:59. > :01:02.The teenagers building their own bikes as part of their GCSEs.
:01:03. > :01:06.And after a few mild days, a change is on the way
:01:07. > :01:12.With weather warnings in place I'll have all the latest
:01:13. > :01:26.Good evening. And we start with good news!
:01:27. > :01:29.Eight years after it was criticised by health inspectors
:01:30. > :01:33.for not having enough beds, operating theatres or trained staff,
:01:34. > :01:36.Birmingham Children's Hospital has become the first of its kind
:01:37. > :01:40.It's been praised by health inspectors for turning
:01:41. > :01:46.BBC Health correspondent Jane Dreaper reports.
:01:47. > :01:54.Conor's just seven months old and recovering
:01:55. > :01:56.in intensive care from a liver transplant.
:01:57. > :01:59.Home is 50 miles away so older brother James has
:02:00. > :02:03.changed school. Give him a kiss.
:02:04. > :02:07.It's a tough time for the whole family but they feel supported
:02:08. > :02:10.We've nearly lost him several times over the last
:02:11. > :02:12.six weeks we've been here, we can really
:02:13. > :02:14.close and without them we
:02:15. > :02:18.wouldn't have a child that's laying in this bed and while he is still
:02:19. > :02:20.quite poorly, we have him here and we have every faith
:02:21. > :02:23.that we will get to take him home, and that's the
:02:24. > :02:27.only ask as a parent of a sick child.
:02:28. > :02:37.This is the play and admissions Centre, designed to distract and
:02:38. > :02:39.relax young patients before their treatment.
:02:40. > :02:41.Inspectors have been impressed with the hospital's
:02:42. > :02:45.This hospital has come a long way since it was criticised by
:02:46. > :02:48.Back then, a report found shortage of
:02:49. > :02:52.Paying much closer attention to the views of patients and staff...
:02:53. > :03:02.And listening to their ideas has helped change the culture in
:03:03. > :03:05.Birmingham and encourage better teamwork.
:03:06. > :03:08.Eight years ago we were in an organisation that certainly was
:03:09. > :03:16.not listening to our staff, that was not listening
:03:17. > :03:17.to what people and families were saying, and
:03:18. > :03:21.it was in a really difficult place through focusing on those areas, our
:03:22. > :03:22.patient engagement, staff engagement we have
:03:23. > :03:27.now got to a position where
:03:28. > :03:34.Some of the children in outpatients need repeated
:03:35. > :03:36.appointments so it is vital they feel comfortable.
:03:37. > :03:40.A couple of weeks ago I was with the doctor who wasn't
:03:41. > :03:44.like scary or anything, it was very...
:03:45. > :03:47.relaxed and like he actually like help me, like I felt
:03:48. > :03:51.Is it scary when you come here or do you feel OK about
:03:52. > :03:52.it? I feel OK about it.
:03:53. > :03:54.The staff here believe they can improve care
:03:55. > :03:57.even further but today is a huge moment, showing how this hospital
:03:58. > :04:05.And you've been getting in touch with your experiences
:04:06. > :04:13.there and says "The staff and doctors are absolutely
:04:14. > :04:16.fantastic, can't praise them enough for all the work they do"
:04:17. > :04:18.They operated on Vivienne Godfrey's 11-year-old son when he
:04:19. > :04:23.She says "He was so well looked after...
:04:24. > :04:29."And we were able to take him home weeks before
:04:30. > :04:33.While a little further back in time - Linz Harris was also
:04:34. > :04:38.She wrote on facebook "I can't thank them enough,
:04:39. > :04:44.of many of you when he posted " Well done BCH, nice to see
:04:45. > :04:46."a success story about the NHS and in Brum too, brilliant."
:04:47. > :04:49.Thank you to all of you who got in touch.
:04:50. > :04:51.Now, earlier today our reporter Nicola Beckford went to see
:04:52. > :04:56.a new ?1 million centre at the hospital.
:04:57. > :04:58.Magnolia House has been specially designed for and by families
:04:59. > :05:02.and children who are facing the toughest of times.
:05:03. > :05:05.Gayle Routeledge's son Lewis was cared for at
:05:06. > :05:11.Birmingham Childrens' Hospital but sadly he died from a rare form
:05:12. > :05:16.of cancer when he was just two years old.
:05:17. > :05:21.As you can see it's just a beautiful large space for us.
:05:22. > :05:25.and families facing the worst of times.
:05:26. > :05:31.We had a lot of difficult conversations over those two years,
:05:32. > :05:35.this is -- decisions we needed to make about treatment and most of
:05:36. > :05:39.those discussions were in offices or in Little rooms and that is
:05:40. > :05:40.difficult, when you are trying to process information and understand
:05:41. > :05:44.what lies ahead for your child. Gayle joined a network of bereaved
:05:45. > :05:53.families who played a key part So we have here the sitting room
:05:54. > :05:58.that we are in now, there is a children's area in the corner as
:05:59. > :06:01.well. There is a beautiful outdoor area, so fresh air, again, you can
:06:02. > :06:02.see the sky, you have light which is lovely.
:06:03. > :06:05.Magnolia house is the first centre in the uk designed specifically
:06:06. > :06:07.to cater for families facing life changing news.
:06:08. > :06:10.It cost one million pounds to build and it was funded
:06:11. > :06:18.Three quarters of the money was raised by Birmingham
:06:19. > :06:20.The remainder came from local fundraising
:06:21. > :06:23.On a day that the hospital was praised for its good work
:06:24. > :06:34.For around 120 children and young people a year, sadly they pass away
:06:35. > :06:37.in our care. And it is so important for families that the way that news
:06:38. > :06:38.is shared with them is done in the most appropriate way that there is
:06:39. > :06:42.lots of time and space. With the centre now officially
:06:43. > :06:44.opened it's hoped it will it will provide a sanctuary
:06:45. > :06:46.for children and families A 39-year-old Imam from
:06:47. > :06:53.Stoke-on-Trent has appeared before Magistrates in London charged
:06:54. > :06:57.with encouraging support for Kamran Sabir-Hussain,
:06:58. > :07:02.from Tunstall is alleged to have committed the offences
:07:03. > :07:06.while preaching at a small mosque in the city between June
:07:07. > :07:08.and September last year. Mr Hussain has been remanded
:07:09. > :07:11.in custody, and is due to appear A retired police officer
:07:12. > :07:17.from Shropshire has been told he can't keep his police dog,
:07:18. > :07:20.despite a petition asking But the force says Ivy has many
:07:21. > :07:36.years of service ahead of her and will be passed
:07:37. > :07:38.onto another handler. The family says it's
:07:39. > :07:53.devastated and will be looking Police have cordoned off an area of
:07:54. > :08:00.water in Edgbaston just before three today. The body has been found, and
:08:01. > :08:06.has not been formally identified at this stage, enquiries are ongoing.
:08:07. > :08:08.You'll have noticed we've reported on a number of large-scale
:08:09. > :08:10.fly-tipping cases recently which have blighted
:08:11. > :08:14.Today, the Environment Agency has confirmed the problem is on the rise
:08:15. > :08:16.and organised gangs are even using "professional spotters"
:08:17. > :08:18.to scout the countryside for places to dump their waste.
:08:19. > :08:21.We're being urged to look out for them and report our suspicions.
:08:22. > :08:23.No fewer than 12 cases are currently being investigated
:08:24. > :08:32.The latest involving more than a hundred
:08:33. > :08:34.fridges dumped overnight in a lane in Birmingham.
:08:35. > :08:37.Laura May McMullan has been to two sites in Staffordshire today
:08:38. > :08:39.which will cost up to ?20,000 to clear.
:08:40. > :08:43.A steaming, stinking pile dumped along the A50 near Uttoxeter.
:08:44. > :08:46.The farmer who owns the land says around
:08:47. > :08:49.40 tonnes of household waste was dumped here around a week ago
:08:50. > :08:51.and he's told me that it's going to cost
:08:52. > :08:56.him personally around ?8,000 to clear it.
:08:57. > :09:04.Domestic waste including children's toys, bedding and nappies
:09:05. > :09:11.We're absolutely disgusted, we are in shock.
:09:12. > :09:13.And moreover we are sad that we are sad
:09:14. > :09:17.because this area is so beautiful and some individual has chosen to
:09:18. > :09:23.It's absolutely disgusting that people have just come and just
:09:24. > :09:27.dumped rubbish instead of taking it to the proper places.
:09:28. > :09:31.The Environment Agency says it's because the waste removal can
:09:32. > :09:38.They say fly-tippers are organised and some
:09:39. > :09:43.even using professional spotters to seek out dumping grounds.
:09:44. > :09:51.People can now get an unlimited fine or a
:09:52. > :10:02.For this type of activity, and we also will follow
:10:03. > :10:05.through proceeds of crime or anything to ensure we get the money
:10:06. > :10:08.In just the last few weeks, there have been other incidents.
:10:09. > :10:11.Ten foot high blocks of rubbish were discovered in a Staffordshire
:10:12. > :10:15.Moorlands, and the next day mounds of medical waste found at Madeley
:10:16. > :10:18.And the latest, just last night, 110 fridges
:10:19. > :10:25.What we will be looking to do is get them
:10:26. > :10:26.forensically examined, it's one of the things
:10:27. > :10:29.that we now do to try and build up a database of who's
:10:30. > :10:32.doing this, and hopefully eventually, if they aren't already
:10:33. > :10:35.on the register they will be caught for this.
:10:36. > :10:37.The Environment Agency says it's everyone's job to tackle
:10:38. > :10:49.this kind of crime because it affects every taxpayer.
:10:50. > :10:53.As the Environment Agency continues investigations so are we.
:10:54. > :10:56.If you're affected by flytipping where you live we'd very much
:10:57. > :11:00.Send your pictures and stories to us here, email us
:11:01. > :11:04.at midlandstoday@bbc.co.uk or join the debate on our facebook
:11:05. > :11:11.It's day one of the National Farmers Union Conference in Birmingham -
:11:12. > :11:14.and a key moment as the industry prepares for Brexit
:11:15. > :11:16.and a future outside the Common Agricultural Policy.
:11:17. > :11:19.It'll be younger farmers who'll have to farm outside the European Union,
:11:20. > :11:21.so we asked Rural Affairs correspondent David Gregory Kumar
:11:22. > :11:30.to find out what they think the future holds:
:11:31. > :11:33.When he's not dealing with new arrivals on his Penkridge
:11:34. > :11:39.farm, Richard Bower spends a lot of time thinking about the future.
:11:40. > :11:46.I spoke to my local MP last week, last Friday, and we asked him about
:11:47. > :11:50.what trade deals we might get, what kind of access to labour and what
:11:51. > :11:53.agricultural policy would look like in the future and he threw it
:11:54. > :11:57.straight back at me and said he is not an expert in this area, we are
:11:58. > :12:01.the farmers, we are the experts and through the NFU we need to use the
:12:02. > :12:03.channel for the information. So the big NFU meeting
:12:04. > :12:06.in Birmingham today isn't just about the newest tractors
:12:07. > :12:08.or the latest farming ideas... It's a chance to rethink our entire
:12:09. > :12:10.approach to farming . And Richard is at the heart
:12:11. > :12:13.of things leading a group of younger NFU members
:12:14. > :12:15.from across the countr putting their point
:12:16. > :12:25.of view to NFU chiefs. So this is a very interesting graph,
:12:26. > :12:29.this is productivity of farms by age of the farmer. And as you can see
:12:30. > :12:34.younger farmers at the bottom are much more productive. So in an
:12:35. > :12:37.unsure world post Brexit those much more productive younger farmers
:12:38. > :12:46.could well be key to the future of agriculture. Welcome to lower
:12:47. > :12:50.Visitors are another important source of income on this farm.
:12:51. > :12:52.And the tour guide is Richard's dad Ray.
:12:53. > :12:53.Ray remembers farming life before the EU.
:12:54. > :12:59.It has never been easy, food prices over the last 12 months, food prices
:13:00. > :13:01.have been up and down, technology prices have been up and down and we
:13:02. > :13:03.aren't out of the club yet. After a massive shake up then what
:13:04. > :13:06.will new British farming look like? More efficient certainly,
:13:07. > :13:07.perhaps greener? And with a stronger
:13:08. > :13:14.focus on consumers. By choosing to Brexit the British
:13:15. > :13:18.consumer has chosen to remain British and hopefully this is
:13:19. > :13:20.choosing British produce, produced jobs, British products but also
:13:21. > :13:23.hopefully backing British farming. Creating a new world
:13:24. > :13:24.for British agriculture, driven by farmers like Richard
:13:25. > :13:26.starts today in Birmingham And David is at the ICC
:13:27. > :13:30.in Birmingham now, as the first day of the NFU conference draws
:13:31. > :13:41.to a close. Well it has been an interesting day
:13:42. > :13:45.and the mood has been interesting as well. Let's talk a will farmer from
:13:46. > :13:51.Oswestry, Malcolm Roberts will stop what is the mood to be like here
:13:52. > :13:55.today? Very much upbeat. We realise Brexit will happen and for the
:13:56. > :13:59.farming community it is really important now to get the best out of
:14:00. > :14:04.a Brexit deal. So the NFU has a lot of ideas, what is it you are 20
:14:05. > :14:07.cheap as an organisation? We want profitable farming businesses
:14:08. > :14:11.feeding the nation but at the topmost it has to be profitable but
:14:12. > :14:17.basically what we want is to campaign with the government that we
:14:18. > :14:21.need a good trade deal. We must have as much access to that single market
:14:22. > :14:25.as possible, at little or no cost, obviously there could be some
:14:26. > :14:30.implications, there. On top of that we need access to a good labour
:14:31. > :14:34.force. So you need people to come from Europe to pick food. In some
:14:35. > :14:38.form or fashion we need that staff and labour. Skilled labour is
:14:39. > :14:41.difficult, unemployment is quite low in this country and you get this
:14:42. > :14:45.product picked at the right time and put on the shelves, and don't forget
:14:46. > :14:52.that has extended into the food processing plants, we need all that
:14:53. > :14:56.availability to labour. The third thing that we do realise and we are
:14:57. > :14:59.pressing the government for is domestic policy, that will underpin
:15:00. > :15:02.the volatility of food production, you know, and the fact that we are
:15:03. > :15:06.dealing with the elements that the world will throw at us so there are
:15:07. > :15:12.three issues, trade, labour, and domestic policy. I have to say, it
:15:13. > :15:16.has been as Malcolm has said, in an upbeat conference so far, and as the
:15:17. > :15:21.minister said so far today, it is a once in a generation chance to
:15:22. > :15:23.reshape rigid farmers, and farmers here today are excited by that.
:15:24. > :15:25.Thanks for joining us on Midlands Today, this
:15:26. > :15:27.is our top story tonight: Birmingham Children's Hospital
:15:28. > :15:32.becomes the first specialist centre to be rated as "outstanding".
:15:33. > :15:35.If you're of a nervous disposition, Beccy will tell you it's best not
:15:36. > :15:37.to listen to the weather forecast this evening,
:15:38. > :15:39.If you like your weather calm and settled, it's
:15:40. > :15:45.By Thursday we can expect strong winds and heavy rain as Storm Doris
:15:46. > :15:51.I'll have a full update on what we can expect a little
:15:52. > :15:55.Also this evening, What an incentive to do your homework!
:15:56. > :16:07.The teenagers making their own bikes as part of their GCSEs!
:16:08. > :16:10.Well, Beccy's warned us of some grim weather to come
:16:11. > :16:12.in the next 24 hours, but nothing to what this
:16:13. > :16:15.A team of soldiers, including four from the Midlands,
:16:16. > :16:18.are hoping to become the first all-female group to cross
:16:19. > :16:22.During a three month expedition, they'll face temperatures
:16:23. > :16:28.of minus 40 degrees - and they'll be walking in that
:16:29. > :16:31.for up to nine hours a day during the 1,700 kilometre mission
:16:32. > :16:33.which will take them to the South Pole and beyond.
:16:34. > :16:35.Our reporter Phil Mackie joined them for some
:16:36. > :16:44.The Ice Maiden team is heading out across a frozen Norwegian lake
:16:45. > :16:46.at the start of its final training exercise.
:16:47. > :16:48.At the south pole, conditions will be even more
:16:49. > :16:52.In September, these soldiers will begin their historic
:16:53. > :16:54.journey, hoping they'll succeed and its inspire
:16:55. > :17:02.One of the leaders is Major Natalie Taylor from Lichfield.
:17:03. > :17:04.It's not just about five women crossing
:17:05. > :17:09.Antarctica, it's about encouraging women from across the military but
:17:10. > :17:12.also civilian life just to get out therem give things ago and
:17:13. > :17:14.realise there is no ceiling, you can achieve anything.
:17:15. > :17:16.These are the pods, this is what they are going to
:17:17. > :17:19.have to pullacross the Antarctic with them, carrying everything they
:17:20. > :17:22.need for that journey, they are going to weigh between 70 to 80
:17:23. > :17:27.kilos, and that's in most cases more than their own body weight.
:17:28. > :17:29.We're just going to have, oh, hot chocolate with orange today.
:17:30. > :17:31.Home for the next few weeks and for the
:17:32. > :17:34.80 days of the expedition will be a small tent.
:17:35. > :17:41.It will be the bedroom, living room and kitchen.
:17:42. > :17:48.The team is determined and brave,
:17:49. > :17:58.who is based in Redditch but comes from Cannock admits
:17:59. > :18:02.I am concerned that there is a potential we're going to lose a
:18:03. > :18:05.finger or two so that's in the back of my mind
:18:06. > :18:06.but that's not enough to
:18:07. > :18:10.The only other thing is I'm worried about are more if I do
:18:11. > :18:12.something wrong that stops the team from achieving its aims.
:18:13. > :18:17.And one of the hardest things will be maintaining morale as each long
:18:18. > :18:19.Lieutenant Zana baker is from Hereford.
:18:20. > :18:24.Various a song that sticks in my head and I
:18:25. > :18:28.just keep singing that and plodding along to it and yeah, the hours
:18:29. > :18:29.disappear, and eventually it is night time and
:18:30. > :18:31.you are inside the tent for
:18:32. > :18:34.12 hours or what ever it is, and then you wake up in the morning
:18:35. > :18:36.and you just have to, yes, the worst
:18:37. > :18:40.thing you have to do all the day is get out of the tent and then once
:18:41. > :18:42.that's done... It's just another day.
:18:43. > :18:46.Two will be reserves, as five can cross the Antarctic where they hope
:18:47. > :18:49.to break the ice ceiling, putting them in the history books alongside
:18:50. > :18:51.explorers like Scott Shackleton and Amundsen.
:18:52. > :18:53.Phil Mackie reporting from Norway - and weren't
:18:54. > :18:59.Some stunning aerial shots too, from our cameraman Kevin Church.
:19:00. > :19:07.The end of the season simply can't come too soon,
:19:08. > :19:11.after yet another defeat against Newcastle ...
:19:12. > :19:14.Plus a painful injury to one of their big-money signings.
:19:15. > :19:20.So not even the most optimistic Villa fan expected them to return
:19:21. > :19:24.For most of the first half, Villa played well without scoring.
:19:25. > :19:27.But then, just a couple of minutes before the break,
:19:28. > :19:29.Newcastle took full advantage of a goalmouth scramble
:19:30. > :19:39.And Steve Bruce knew they faced an uphill battle
:19:40. > :19:43.No surprise when the home side doubled their lead on the hour ...
:19:44. > :19:50.w2hich means Villa have now taken just one point from their last eight
:19:51. > :19:54.And as if that wasn't bad enough, their new striker Scott Hogan
:19:55. > :20:10.Still waiting for news on his ankle injury.
:20:11. > :20:12.It happened near the end of the game.
:20:13. > :20:14.Hogan was clearly in some pain after landing awkwardly
:20:15. > :20:27.Villa are waiting for the results of a scan before they'll
:20:28. > :20:29.know exactly how long he could be missing.
:20:30. > :20:32.But it's a real body blow for Steve Bruce who says it's been
:20:33. > :20:34.a tough eight weeks, and he's never known
:20:35. > :20:38.By the way, Villa are now six points above the relegation zone.
:20:39. > :20:40.Their last win was back on Boxing Day against Burton Albion
:20:41. > :20:42.who travel to their near neighbours Derby County tonight.
:20:43. > :20:45.And if Burton manage to win, they'll jump above Villa
:20:46. > :20:48.On to some brighter news and West Bromwich Albion today
:20:49. > :20:51.named one of it's staff as their Premier League Kicks Hero.
:20:52. > :20:53.Each club has selected a staff member who's worked tirelessly
:20:54. > :20:56.in their local community and for Albion it was Dean Burton.
:20:57. > :20:58.The 24-year-old helps young unemployed people into sport
:20:59. > :21:00.to give them confidence and enhance their lives.
:21:01. > :21:02.His reward included a comic strip about himself written
:21:03. > :21:05.Never saw anything like it to be honest
:21:06. > :21:07.so it is really good for the
:21:08. > :21:09.Premier League to come up with something like that.
:21:10. > :21:16.because like I say, it's overwhelming.
:21:17. > :21:19.It's not easy for kids to follow and tearful things at a
:21:20. > :21:21.young age but he's done that and he's worked
:21:22. > :21:22.his way through and the
:21:23. > :21:24.other lads in that room that Dean is working with,
:21:25. > :21:29.can inspire someone else or a couple of them lads to follow in his
:21:30. > :21:34.I see the Warwickshire pace bowler Chris Woakes is in the money,
:21:35. > :21:37.after being signed up to play in the Indian Premier League.
:21:38. > :21:39.Yes, Woakes is one of several England players to have been signed
:21:40. > :21:43.Kolkata Knight Riders paid half a million pounds for him.
:21:44. > :21:45.But that means he'll be missing for most
:21:46. > :21:50.It's exactly 100 days to the ICC Champions Trophy.
:21:51. > :21:52.Edgbaston will stage five games in June.
:21:53. > :21:54.And Warwickshire's Director of Cricket Ashley Giles says
:21:55. > :22:02.he's resigned to being without Chris Woakes
:22:03. > :22:07.It's a bit more disappointing for us in that you know we were hoping to
:22:08. > :22:10.see Woakes at the start of the season but we totally
:22:11. > :22:13.delighted for him as well because it's
:22:14. > :22:14.a fantastic opportunity and
:22:15. > :22:17.there is no point in, you know, skirting around the financial issue,
:22:18. > :22:19.it's also extremely rewarding so well done to Woakes,
:22:20. > :22:22.we will miss him but you know, I'm sure he'll have a
:22:23. > :22:31.Building top of the range bikes isn't something you'd normally
:22:32. > :22:36.But that's exactly what pupils are doing at a school in Shropshire.
:22:37. > :22:39.Teenagers studying GCSE Design and Technology at Adams Grammar
:22:40. > :22:41.in Newport are using computers and hands-on skills to make
:22:42. > :22:43.bicycles which they then get to keep themselves.
:22:44. > :22:53.Arriving for lessons at Adams Grammar in Newport
:22:54. > :22:58.on their bicycles - something many teenagers enjoy doing
:22:59. > :23:03.but this is a journey to school with a twist.
:23:04. > :23:05.What makes this trip totally unique though
:23:06. > :23:06.is these pupils are not only
:23:07. > :23:09.riding their bikes to school, they've also built
:23:10. > :23:16.Resembling a factory floor, in the school workshop -
:23:17. > :23:20.the teenagers are busy creating the bikes' steel frames.
:23:21. > :23:24.They've used computer and geometry skills to work out the design.
:23:25. > :23:27.At the end of the school year they should have a GCSE in Design
:23:28. > :23:34.and Technology and a new bike which they can keep.
:23:35. > :23:43.We are used to looking at this metal, which is quite valuable for
:23:44. > :23:49.engineering, and it is very practical and helpful, different
:23:50. > :23:57.from normal school. When you see a bygone shelf, it is not related to
:23:58. > :23:59.the amount of effort had actually text.
:24:00. > :24:01.The school bike project is believed to be unique.
:24:02. > :24:03.It's the brainchild of teacher Andrew Jones.
:24:04. > :24:06.He builds frames in his spare time and realised the skills involved
:24:07. > :24:14.So what we have here is something which is a brilliant skill set, it
:24:15. > :24:19.is really special to them, and if you remember what you build that
:24:20. > :24:22.school in your DT project, they can save they built a bike and they have
:24:23. > :24:24.that as a legacy overtime, that's something they are proud of and we
:24:25. > :24:25.are really proud of. Some of the components are supplied
:24:26. > :24:27.free from companies. Parents like Nigel Tufft,
:24:28. > :24:29.have also got involved contributing to the cost
:24:30. > :24:31.and delighted their children are developing a passion for cycling
:24:32. > :24:40.which they otherwise When most parents look at the
:24:41. > :24:44.capability of the 15-year-old they don't think they are capable of
:24:45. > :24:48.building a bike and then miraculously Mr Jones inspires them
:24:49. > :24:51.to do just that. And I was really impressed with the quality and
:24:52. > :24:52.dedication of all the kids building their bikes.
:24:53. > :24:54.33 bikes are currently under construction -
:24:55. > :24:57.it's a school made cycle production line - and ideal preparation,
:24:58. > :24:59.say the teachers, for a future career in industry.
:25:00. > :25:03.Bob Hockenhull, BBC Midlands Today, Shropshire.
:25:04. > :25:06.Finally, staff at Tewkesbury Abbey have put out an appeal for knitters
:25:07. > :25:08.willing to help them celebrate its 900th
:25:09. > :25:21.But it's gradually hoping to increase that number to 900,
:25:22. > :25:24.one for every year the Abbey has been in service.
:25:25. > :25:30.And Beccy's starting tonight AFTER she's given us the forecast..
:25:31. > :25:33.I don't know about knitted monks, but Thursday I'll be opting
:25:34. > :25:36.for knitting myself a jumper - could never manage sleeves though -
:25:37. > :25:39.But no need for woollies at the moment, it's still mild
:25:40. > :25:42.with some brighter spells at times today, which helped to push up
:25:43. > :25:46.But still plenty of cloud around, so for some, the only colour came
:25:47. > :25:48.But with some cloud breaks and brighter spells,
:25:49. > :25:52.temperatures made it up to 14 Celsius in Herefordshire, and it's
:25:53. > :26:01.in from the flowers, like these crocusses
:26:02. > :26:06.Don't be fooled though - winter is preparing to bite back!
:26:07. > :26:09.You may have heard about storm Doris, there is a Met Office Amber
:26:10. > :26:13.weather warning in place from 6am on Thursday for strong winds.
:26:14. > :26:15.Gusts of 60-70mph possible, with 80mph gusts not
:26:16. > :26:26.and around that there is a yellow warnings.
:26:27. > :26:29.Gusts of 60-70mph possible, with 80mph gusts not
:26:30. > :26:31.But still relatively calm at the moment with cloudy
:26:32. > :26:34.conditions, some rain for the north midlands, and the breeze
:26:35. > :26:35.is strengthening, but overnight temperatures holding up
:26:36. > :26:38.between eight and 11 Celsius - that's above average for the time
:26:39. > :26:40.of year during the day, so still mild.
:26:41. > :26:45.A cloudy and mild start to tomorrow with the rainband stalling over us,
:26:46. > :26:48.further south there will be some rain breaks, but still
:26:49. > :26:55.Mild again with highs of 13 Celsius - where we get any brighter spells
:26:56. > :26:58.That band of rain will steadily clear to the north and east
:26:59. > :27:06.during the overnight period into Thursday to give a brief window
:27:07. > :27:09.Storm Doris will move through - the centre of the low pressure
:27:10. > :27:10.system crossing Scotland, BUT see how tightly packed
:27:11. > :27:13.the isobars are over the north midlands, gusts of up
:27:14. > :27:27.Much colder, a touch of high ground clearing by the end of the day -
:27:28. > :27:30.Much colder, a touch of high ground snow.
:27:31. > :27:33.But do stay across the forecast for the next few days,
:27:34. > :27:37.And on tomorrow's Midlands Today we'll be finding out how recovering
:27:38. > :27:39.drug and alcohol addicts in Staffordshire are turning
:27:40. > :27:41.to a local farm to help them back into society.
:27:42. > :27:43.Full details tomorrow evening at 6.30
:27:44. > :27:46.I'll be back at ten thirty with your late update,
:27:47. > :28:01.Nawal El Saadawi, the world-renowned Egyptian author
:28:02. > :28:07.A fearless feminist facing a world in turmoil.
:28:08. > :28:11.Imagine... She Spoke The Unspeakable.