:00:00. > :00:00.The headlines tonight: for the news you are.
:00:00. > :00:07."The only protection they had was each other":
:00:08. > :00:10.The words of Suzy Evans, whose son, brother and father
:00:11. > :00:16.This top 5-star hotel was chosen by a terrorist cell
:00:17. > :00:22.The coroner at the inquest into the deaths of 30 British
:00:23. > :00:25.tourists condemned the police in Tunisia as shambolic
:00:26. > :00:31.A shocking worsening in standards: the Chief Inspector of Prisons
:00:32. > :00:35.verdict on Featherstone jail near Wolverhampton.
:00:36. > :00:40.I absolutely hated it and I couldn't wait to see the back of the place.
:00:41. > :00:43.The eight-year-old with autism who refuses virtually all food,
:00:44. > :00:52.after Birds Eye change their recipe for chicken nuggets.
:00:53. > :01:00.Found in a field, I'll be discussing why these items of jewellery are one
:01:01. > :01:02.of the most important iron age find ever discovered in Britain.
:01:03. > :01:05.And if the snow-capped peaks of Staffordshire don't exactly fill
:01:06. > :01:08.you with the joys of spring, we're going to struggling this week
:01:09. > :01:17.Join me later for a changeable forecast.
:01:18. > :01:21."The only protection they had was each other" -
:01:22. > :01:25.that's how Suzy Evans describes the last moments of the lives
:01:26. > :01:28.of her son Joel, brother Adrian and dad Patrick as they were gunned
:01:29. > :01:33.Her youngest son Owen survived the terror attack.
:01:34. > :01:38.Today the coroner recorded a verdict of unlawful killing at the inquests
:01:39. > :01:42.into the 30 British holiday makers who died in Sousse in June 2015.
:01:43. > :01:46.The coroner also criticised the Tunisian police,
:01:47. > :01:48.describing their response to the attack by an Islamist
:01:49. > :01:52.militant, as "at best shambolic, and at worst cowardly".
:01:53. > :01:57.Suzy Evans and her son, Owen, from Wednesbury,
:01:58. > :02:00.arrived at the Royal Courts of Justice for the last
:02:01. > :02:06.But, as she said afterwards, their ordeal is far from final.
:02:07. > :02:11.For many now, going on holiday will never go the same.
:02:12. > :02:15.My family placed their trust in their tour operator to provide
:02:16. > :02:26.But it's clear, I believe, that security was not priority.
:02:27. > :02:28.Owen was the only survivor of the terror attacks that
:02:29. > :02:31.killed his brother Joel Richards, grandfather Pat Evans
:02:32. > :02:35.and uncle Adrian Evans, on a holiday to celebrate the end
:02:36. > :02:44.Sitting behind Cheryl Stollery from Retford, who lost her husband,
:02:45. > :02:54.I say, well, I'm still a mum, and I am thankful for that.
:02:55. > :03:02.Suzy wept in court as the coroner concluded that her son,
:03:03. > :03:06.dad and brother were among 30 Britons unlawfully killed
:03:07. > :03:09.at the hands of Islamic gunman Seifeddine Rezgui.
:03:10. > :03:13.But Judge Nicolas Lorraine Smith rejected a finding of neglect
:03:14. > :03:17.against travel firm TUI and the hotel, which many
:03:18. > :03:23.They clearly did not put safety before a sale.
:03:24. > :03:26.This top 5-star hotel was chosen by terrorists
:03:27. > :03:33.A lawyer representing 22 of them spoke afterwards.
:03:34. > :03:36.Following the terrifying events at the Bardo Museum at March 2015,
:03:37. > :03:42.the Tunisian Minister of Tourism issued a letter requiring hotels
:03:43. > :03:48.Tragically, these steps were not implemented
:03:49. > :03:56.TUI, the tour operator, who organised the holidays
:03:57. > :03:59.for the victims, has stated that it was unaware of the letter
:04:00. > :04:03.TUI said changes had been made since the attacks.
:04:04. > :04:09.As an industry we have adapted and we will need
:04:10. > :04:13.This terrorist incident left its mark on all of us,
:04:14. > :04:17.and its impact will always be remembered.
:04:18. > :04:19.The coroner described the local police response
:04:20. > :04:23.as at best shambolic, and at worst cowardly.
:04:24. > :04:27.It took an hour for Rezgui to be shot dead by police.
:04:28. > :04:30.In a chilling conclusion, the coroner read out the names
:04:31. > :04:37.Joel Richards and his grandfather, Pat Evans, shot in the head
:04:38. > :04:45.His uncle, Ade Evans, wounded in the neck near to them.
:04:46. > :04:47.Suzanne Davey and mum of three from Tamworth, and her partner,
:04:48. > :04:52.Scott Chalkley from Derby, both killed on the beach.
:04:53. > :04:56.Former Birmingham City football Denis Thwaites and his wife Elaine,
:04:57. > :04:59.who later moved to Blackpool, were also shot dead on the beach.
:05:00. > :05:06.For Suzy and Owen, their pain continues.
:05:07. > :05:09.Well, Joanne Writtle has spent the day at the courts of justice.
:05:10. > :05:13.I spoke to her a short while ago and began by asking her how
:05:14. > :05:17.Well it's been a huge day for the families who have had
:05:18. > :05:21.to listen to horrific accounts of what happened to their loved
:05:22. > :05:25.And they have listened to that over the last six weeks.
:05:26. > :05:28.In fact, the coroner today paid tribute to them.
:05:29. > :05:31.He spoke directly to them today saying, you have shown quiet dignity
:05:32. > :05:35.of which your loved ones would be extremely proud.
:05:36. > :05:37.And some families are planning legal action?
:05:38. > :05:45.Yes, 22 of the families, including Suzy Evans from Wednesbury,
:05:46. > :05:48.now say they will sue the tour operator TUI.
:05:49. > :05:51.Their solicitor Kylie Hutchinson said it was crucial
:05:52. > :05:54.that the travel industry learn what happened in Sousse.
:05:55. > :05:57.But TUI maintains there was insufficient evidence
:05:58. > :06:09.Connor Fulford, who lost his mum Suzanne Davey from Tamworth,
:06:10. > :06:12.posted a message on social media saying that he blames so-called
:06:13. > :06:14.Islamic State for the terror attacks across the world.
:06:15. > :06:21.Everybody has their own opinion, he said, but that is mine.
:06:22. > :06:27.And you can read more about the inquests into the Tunisia
:06:28. > :06:34.Inmates at Featherstone prison near Wolverhampton are choosing
:06:35. > :06:37.to stay in their cells all day to avoid the violence of other
:06:38. > :06:40.prisoners, according to government inspectors.
:06:41. > :06:43.A report says there has been a shocking worsening
:06:44. > :06:45.in standards at the jail, with levels of violence
:06:46. > :06:50.They say a shortage of staff and poor leadership
:06:51. > :06:56.Sian Grzeszczyk has more on this report, how much detail does
:06:57. > :06:59.the report go into about conditions for prisoners?
:07:00. > :07:02.Well inspectors say that some inmates are "living in fear"
:07:03. > :07:05.and choosing to stay in their cells 24 hours a day.
:07:06. > :07:09.The abuse some prisoners suffered included other prisoners urinating
:07:10. > :07:16.The report follows an unannounced inspection in October which was held
:07:17. > :07:20.two months after inmates started fires during a week of disturbances.
:07:21. > :07:24.The Chief Inspector of Prisons is also very critical
:07:25. > :07:38.It describes the present that is the set with drugs, far too much
:07:39. > :07:42.violence, some prisoners isolating themselves in their selves through
:07:43. > :07:46.fear of other prisoners. And I'm afraid to say, a leadership of the
:07:47. > :07:52.prison that has not got a grip on what is happening there.
:07:53. > :07:54.Have we heard any accounts of this from inmates themselves?
:07:55. > :07:57.Yes, we've been speaking to a former prisoner Reece Chisholm
:07:58. > :08:00.who was an inmate there in 2016, he was serving time for drug
:08:01. > :08:03.offences and told us he was one of those who feared
:08:04. > :08:19.It's a shambles, it is filthy. It's disgusting in there. I absolutely
:08:20. > :08:21.hated it and I couldn't wait to be seeing the back of the place, to be
:08:22. > :08:26.honest with you. And the report says the backdrop
:08:27. > :08:29.to the decline at Featherstone was "clear evidence of poor
:08:30. > :08:30.industrial relations, staff shortages and some
:08:31. > :08:32.significant prisoner unrest." Reacting to the report,
:08:33. > :08:34.the Chief Executive of the National Offender maangement
:08:35. > :08:36.service Michael Spurr said "The Government have set out a clear
:08:37. > :08:39.plan for reform in the Prison and Courts Bill laid before
:08:40. > :08:41.Parliament last week, and went on to say he was "confident
:08:42. > :08:44.that the Governor and management team at Featherstone can turn
:08:45. > :08:46.things round and achieve A group of people from Telford have
:08:47. > :08:54.been sentenced to almost 80 years in prison, after they spent days
:08:55. > :08:56."systematically torturing" Six young men, two of whom can't be
:08:57. > :09:02.identified, and a young woman all pleaded guilty to causing
:09:03. > :09:05.grevious bodily harm with intent. One defendant also pleaded guilty
:09:06. > :09:09.to false imprisonment. The judge at Stafford Crown Court
:09:10. > :09:12.said they'd all played a part in an "appalling" campaign
:09:13. > :09:15.of torture, which left the victim It's one of the most serious
:09:16. > :09:21.offences that we've dealt with. The level of the offending
:09:22. > :09:25.and the way in which the offending A West Mercia Police dog
:09:26. > :09:31.has been been removed from her former handler,
:09:32. > :09:33.despite a petition calling on the force to let
:09:34. > :09:36.them stay together. Sergeant David Evans had asked
:09:37. > :09:39.to keep 4-year-old Ivy But the force said Ivy had many
:09:40. > :09:45.years of service ahead of her - and would be passed
:09:46. > :09:49.onto another handler. A breast surgeon, who worked
:09:50. > :09:51.at hospitals around the Midlands, has gone on trial accused of causing
:09:52. > :09:56.grievous bodily harm to patients. 59-year-old Ian Paterson is accused
:09:57. > :09:59.of 20 counts of wounding with intent against nine women and one man,
:10:00. > :10:05.between 1997 and 2011. Our Health Correspondent Michele
:10:06. > :10:08.Paduano joins us now Michele, the prosecution opened
:10:09. > :10:24.their case today, what did they say? They said that this was an
:10:25. > :10:29.outrageous and extraordinary case. Essentially, they suggested that Mr
:10:30. > :10:34.Paterson either invented camps are or exaggerated the symptoms
:10:35. > :10:40.figure-macro invented cancer or exaggerated the symptoms to perform
:10:41. > :10:44.operation. Why did he do that. They were private patients and he could
:10:45. > :10:49.make money, perhaps. Patients could spent many years believing they were
:10:50. > :10:53.ill and could have operations, some had many serious mental health
:10:54. > :10:57.issues as a result. Do you have details on specific cases? It's
:10:58. > :11:05.difficult to pick out a couple. There was Leanne Joseph who had the
:11:06. > :11:10.milk ducts removed. This meant she couldn't breast-feed any future
:11:11. > :11:17.children. When she fell pregnant, Ian Paterson had the operation. He
:11:18. > :11:25.didn't tell her that fact. Another died of breast cancer in her 40s. He
:11:26. > :11:32.was terrified of both breast cancer and the operation. He had a panic
:11:33. > :11:37.attack. How will it tomorrow? They will continue with the case of
:11:38. > :11:44.Frances Perks. There are three cases related to lumps and vasectomy. Ian
:11:45. > :11:47.Paterson has pleaded not guilty and the case is likely to last, the last
:11:48. > :11:48.ten weeks. An 8-year-old by from Worcestershire
:11:49. > :11:51.who has autism, is refusing to eat almost any food after Birds-Eye
:11:52. > :11:53.changed the recipe William Stocker, from Malvern,
:11:54. > :11:58.used to eat 150 nuggets a week, His parents are appealing
:11:59. > :12:03.for the company to go back It's lunch time in
:12:04. > :12:08.the Stocker household. For Amanda, that means cooking
:12:09. > :12:12.another portion of Birds Eye chicken William, who's eight
:12:13. > :12:23.and suffers with autism, has refused to eat anything other
:12:24. > :12:26.than Birds Eye's nuggets The only exception
:12:27. > :12:32.being cake and jelly. That's why when, last Friday,
:12:33. > :12:35.his parents discovered Birds Eye had changed its nugget recipe,
:12:36. > :12:39.they were beside themselves. It's literally thrown everything up
:12:40. > :12:44.in the air so now William will not eat any other type of nugget,
:12:45. > :12:48.so it's become pretty stressful for both of us because obviously
:12:49. > :12:52.we have got a crying child who can't understand why he can't have that
:12:53. > :12:55.nugget that he's been The new nuggets are darker and,
:12:56. > :13:00.I'm told, taste slightly different. William's autism means
:13:01. > :13:05.he can't cope with change. His parents are trying
:13:06. > :13:10.to replicate the old version. The only thing I like
:13:11. > :13:12.is my normal nugget. Normally a lot of nuggets haven't
:13:13. > :13:19.got the proper stuff inside. So, these are the two
:13:20. > :13:22.different types of nugget. This is the old packet
:13:23. > :13:26.and this is the new packet and they don't look very different
:13:27. > :13:29.from outside, do they? But to William,
:13:30. > :13:31.they are worlds apart. His parents have scoured the shops
:13:32. > :13:34.in Herefordshire and Worcestershire to find the old type of Birds Eye
:13:35. > :13:39.chicken nuggets, but with no luck. Friends have come to the rescue
:13:40. > :13:42.in the short term by donating the original flavour nuggets,
:13:43. > :13:46.but time is now running out. Tomorrow we haven't got any,
:13:47. > :13:52.so what we're going to do for a lunchbox and what we're
:13:53. > :13:55.going to do for dinner, But in the last hour,
:13:56. > :14:04.some good news. Birds Eye have got in touch to say
:14:05. > :14:07.they'll provide the family with a supply of the original
:14:08. > :14:10.nuggets so William has a bit longer Tom Turrell, BBC
:14:11. > :14:18.Midlands Today, Malvern. Thanks for joining us
:14:19. > :14:20.on Midlands Today, this "The only protection
:14:21. > :14:24.they had was each other" - Suzy Evans describes
:14:25. > :14:26.the last moments of three generations of her family,
:14:27. > :14:27.killed in Tunisia. Your detailed weather
:14:28. > :14:29.forecast to come shortly. Also in tonight's programme,
:14:30. > :14:31.the power of the coffee shop generation - helping
:14:32. > :14:34.to revive our high streets. And the wheels are in motion
:14:35. > :14:37.for a return of elite women cyclists One of the most important Iron Age
:14:38. > :14:50.finds ever made in Britain - that's how experts have described
:14:51. > :14:52.the discovery of gold jewellery The items were discovered
:14:53. > :14:59.by two friends, who had only recently restarted
:15:00. > :15:01.their metal detecting hobby. Our reporter Ben Sidwell
:15:02. > :15:04.is at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, where the items
:15:05. > :15:17.will go display - Ben what is it I know, eight years ago we were
:15:18. > :15:22.talking about the Staffordshire hoard and now we are talking about
:15:23. > :15:27.this. There are four items, Iron Age gold, all jewellery and they
:15:28. > :15:31.believed to be about 1000 years old, which is why I am wearing these
:15:32. > :15:33.protective gloves and as you can imagine, a find like this has caused
:15:34. > :15:38.a lot of excitement in stature today. -- in Staffordshire today.
:15:39. > :15:40.It's been buried underground for almost 2,500 years,
:15:41. > :15:43.but this morning the oldest hoard of Iron Age gold ever found
:15:44. > :15:45.in Britain was unveiled at the Potteries Museum in
:15:46. > :15:50.Watching on, the two friends from Leek who made the discovery
:15:51. > :15:52.last December while out metal detecting in the
:15:53. > :16:01.When I dug it up I knew it was gold straightaway, you know,
:16:02. > :16:03.you know, I just had a feeling, you know.
:16:04. > :16:06.I had to pick myself up off the floor.
:16:07. > :16:12.He said come on, I'll show you, the hole is still open.
:16:13. > :16:15.The pair found another three items and the next day took them
:16:16. > :16:17.to show Teresa Gilmore, Staffordshire's Finds
:16:18. > :16:24.He rummaged in his bag, dug out an old duster,
:16:25. > :16:27.put it on the table and went "you need to see this."
:16:28. > :16:31.He opened it up and I went to guess I do.
:16:32. > :16:35.That's quite a significant find, well done.
:16:36. > :16:38.What they'd found were four pieces of jewellery dating
:16:39. > :16:43.A find so significant, it will change how we think
:16:44. > :16:50.What this is telling us is that 2,500 years ago,
:16:51. > :16:54.so before the Roman conquest, people in Staffordshire had contact
:16:55. > :17:01.with communities on the continent, so maybe we need to reframe a little
:17:02. > :17:04.bit how we think all of those connections worked and rethink
:17:05. > :17:06.about Staffordshire being a very important, dynamic centre
:17:07. > :17:15.Along with archaeologists, Joe and Mark have spent the past two
:17:16. > :17:18.months searching the rest of the area near to Leek and are now
:17:19. > :17:28.Once in a lifetime, probably once in five lifetimes find,
:17:29. > :17:30.you know, like I say, it is only just sinking
:17:31. > :17:34.in now really with all of this today of how significant the find was.
:17:35. > :17:36.Today, the Staffordshire coroner declared the hoard treasure.
:17:37. > :17:38.It will go on display from tomorrow for three weeks
:17:39. > :17:40.at the Potteries Museum before being valued.
:17:41. > :17:42.The reward money will be split between Joe
:17:43. > :17:47.Ben Sidwell, BBC Midlands Today, Stoke-on-Trent.
:17:48. > :17:53.Well, with me are two macro people who know a lot more about this bind
:17:54. > :17:58.than I do. Percival is even, the principal archaeologist of
:17:59. > :18:04.Staffordshire County Council. -- first of all is Stephen. What is it
:18:05. > :18:07.about this county? I don't think we have the monopoly on fines like
:18:08. > :18:10.this, they are to be found elsewhere. What we see is this is
:18:11. > :18:17.such an important find, they catch the public's attention, so there is
:18:18. > :18:20.a lot more behind these. We have seen these, internationally
:18:21. > :18:26.important finds, are you worried you're going to get an influx of
:18:27. > :18:31.metal detector if now? We do worry. Provided that they do follow the
:18:32. > :18:38.code of practice, we can work with them, so provided they report them,
:18:39. > :18:41.I think everything is fine. Let's speak to Debra, the principal
:18:42. > :18:45.curator here at the museum. For you it must be hugely exciting but the
:18:46. > :18:49.big question is, what will happen to these? We would love to keep them.
:18:50. > :18:53.We will show them for three weeks from tomorrow. They go away to be
:18:54. > :18:56.valued and then we attempt to raise the money to save them for this
:18:57. > :19:03.region. That is what I hope we will do. Do you expect big views? I hope
:19:04. > :19:10.we will but who knows, let's wait and see at ten o'clock tomorrow
:19:11. > :19:13.morning but happens. They will be on show from three weeks tomorrow. This
:19:14. > :19:16.is the only place you will be able to see this new fine. I should think
:19:17. > :19:18.those queues are guaranteed. Thank you very much for that.
:19:19. > :19:20.It's an industry worth more than ?8 billion
:19:21. > :19:22.a year nationally and the Midlands is reaping
:19:23. > :19:25.the benefits of the continuing trend of coffee shops in our high streets.
:19:26. > :19:28.According to the latest figures, we're turning our backs
:19:29. > :19:33.And the coffee culture appears to be growing in some
:19:34. > :19:39.Our business Correspondent, Peter Plisner reports.
:19:40. > :19:41.Roasting coffee beans in Staffordshire.
:19:42. > :19:44.It's a fine art where timing is everything and the smell is,
:19:45. > :19:49.Here, they supply to both home consumers and high
:19:50. > :19:53.According the company's MD, the retail side is expanding fast.
:19:54. > :19:58.We're now starting to see normal people drink coffee,
:19:59. > :20:00.people that wouldn't necessarily have known about the country
:20:01. > :20:05.of origin of coffee starting to want that and as that market
:20:06. > :20:14.And here's some of the evidence - this new coffee shop
:20:15. > :20:18.has recently opened in Northfield near Birmingham.
:20:19. > :20:23.Not exactly one of the most affluent areas of the region, but even here,
:20:24. > :20:26.according to the owner, there's an emerging market.
:20:27. > :20:31.Our bread-and-butter is retired people who need to get out
:20:32. > :20:35.of the house in the daytime and pubs are a bit too much of an event
:20:36. > :20:39.so a coffee shop's lovely, you can pop on the high street,
:20:40. > :20:44.The coffee busniess is now worth around ?7.8 billion per year
:20:45. > :20:48.with 55 million cups of coffee drunk everyday in the UK.
:20:49. > :20:52.The caf culture has continued to boom with 80% of the people
:20:53. > :20:55.who visit coffee shops doing so at least once a week.
:20:56. > :21:01.There's evidence that coffee shops like this can help boost an area's
:21:02. > :21:04.economy by increasing the number of shoppers who come
:21:05. > :21:08.here and if their's somewhere for them to stop and have a drink
:21:09. > :21:10.they'll stay longer, visit more shops and,
:21:11. > :21:20.Experts are worried about too much expansion.
:21:21. > :21:23.There is a fear that we are in what you might call a food
:21:24. > :21:25.and beverage bubble, that actually you can push this too
:21:26. > :21:28.far, we have one coffee shop too many and actually that virtuous
:21:29. > :21:36.circle will begin to work against us the other way.
:21:37. > :21:39.But there are no signs of that at this Birmingham firm that makes
:21:40. > :21:42.many of the coffees machines that end up in the high street.
:21:43. > :21:44.Here, they've doubled their workforce in the last five years.
:21:45. > :21:47.As the coffee companies and the coffee shop chains have
:21:48. > :21:50.We have multiplied enormously, particularly since the crash
:21:51. > :21:53.in 2008, 2009 when the bank problem arose, we haven't seen any
:21:54. > :21:56.negativity in growth at all since that period.
:21:57. > :21:58.So clearly a frothy market that despite continued economic worries
:21:59. > :22:07.News of some postponed matches tonight.
:22:08. > :22:11.In League One, Port Vale's away fixture against Rochdale is off
:22:12. > :22:13.because of a waterlogged pitch, as is Walsall's match
:22:14. > :22:17.And in the Vanarama National League, Solihull Moors game
:22:18. > :22:22.against Torquay United has been postponed because of the weather.
:22:23. > :22:25.Cycling fans are in for a treat, when the Women's Tour
:22:26. > :22:30.More than 100 of the world's top riders from 22 countries
:22:31. > :22:33.And that'll be very familiar territory for
:22:34. > :22:44.She's one of Britain's best on a racing bike and Ciraa Horne
:22:45. > :22:52.has a personal motto - happy head, fast legs.
:22:53. > :22:55.But last summer in Rio, Ciara was far from happy.
:22:56. > :22:58.She was devastated to be left out of the women's team pursuit who went
:22:59. > :23:03.How long did it take you to get over the disappointment of Rio?
:23:04. > :23:05.It was very, very difficult for a good few months
:23:06. > :23:09.but I think someone said to me create your own story and that kind
:23:10. > :23:12.of just suddenly made me think yet, you're right and I'm 100% don't
:23:13. > :23:21.But Tokyo is three years away whilst there's only three months to wait
:23:22. > :23:23.for the Women's Tour and the Warwickshire
:23:24. > :23:25.stage from Atherston to Leamington on June 9th.
:23:26. > :23:28.The International Cycling Union have just changed regulations to allow
:23:29. > :23:32.them to race up to 150 kilometres, so they're going to be racing over
:23:33. > :23:34.100 miles over very hilly terrain and finishing
:23:35. > :23:36.in Royal Leamington Spa is the dream ticket.
:23:37. > :23:45.There's very, very few part which are actually flat to rain,
:23:46. > :23:49.so it's going to be very, very challenging, but I'm sure
:23:50. > :23:53.the women are going to handle it incredibly well and embrace it.
:23:54. > :23:56.The Women's Tour is now in its fourth year and it's enjoying
:23:57. > :23:58.a huge surge in popularity thanks partly to the outstanding
:23:59. > :24:01.Last June, Stratford-upon-Avon was the final destination
:24:02. > :24:04.on the Warwickshire stage and that's got a lot of good memories
:24:05. > :24:07.She's studying to become a physiotherapist at the University
:24:08. > :24:10.of Birmingham and is also competing in international events
:24:11. > :24:15.Everybody says that the Women's Tour in the UK is the most spectacular
:24:16. > :24:17.and has the best atmosphere so it makes us really proud
:24:18. > :24:25.The Women's Tour also wants to encourage more girls to play
:24:26. > :24:27.sport and that's why Ciara and Hannah are such important
:24:28. > :24:29.role models for any aspiring young athlete.
:24:30. > :24:39.Ian Winter, BBC Midlands Today, at the University of Warwick.
:24:40. > :24:42.It's a tradition that's been going for more than 800 years
:24:43. > :24:45.Hundreds of people gathered in Atherstone, to take part
:24:46. > :24:48.in the annual Ball Game, which is a Shrove Tuesday ritual.
:24:49. > :24:51.Residents fight over the ball and one of them has to be
:24:52. > :24:54.the last one holding it when the horn sounds.
:24:55. > :25:00.What a fantastic thing to celebrate, every year, Shrove Tuesday,
:25:01. > :25:02.one of two towns who do the Shrove Tuesday Ball Game
:25:03. > :25:06.and what an event, the whole town's alive and ready for action.
:25:07. > :25:09.Some very wintery showers around today - isn't it supposed to be
:25:10. > :25:16.the last day of winter, Shefali?
:25:17. > :25:23.It is, according to the meteorologist, but no sign of spring
:25:24. > :25:28.certainly from our Weather Watchers' 's perspective. Apart from the
:25:29. > :25:32.sunshine we had this morning, that is before the rain and the showers
:25:33. > :25:36.began to pile in once again during the course of the morning and into
:25:37. > :25:39.the afternoon but we had quite a bit of snow across the northern half of
:25:40. > :25:42.the region. Here at Staffordshire and also in Shropshire. But it did
:25:43. > :25:46.look pretty although wintry as we head into March and the start of the
:25:47. > :25:51.meteorological spring, which is tomorrow. This was the range of
:25:52. > :25:54.temperatures we had across the region was up the coldest spot was
:25:55. > :25:58.in Staffordshire across the North and then we had highs of around
:25:59. > :26:03.eight Celsius in the South. We have still got some showers toppling in
:26:04. > :26:07.from the North West through this evening and during the first part of
:26:08. > :26:10.the night but they will gradually die away and there could be a wintry
:26:11. > :26:14.mix in some of these again. During the early hours clearer skies,
:26:15. > :26:19.temperatures will dip to two or three Celsius and nearing freezing
:26:20. > :26:23.in the countryside, so here we could have an ice risk once again into the
:26:24. > :26:27.morning tomorrow. This time without warnings and we could get some frost
:26:28. > :26:32.as well. That is how we start the day on a clear, sunny note. Quite
:26:33. > :26:36.chilly as well. A flurry of light showers to the north of the region
:26:37. > :26:40.but it is the north that will hold on to the best of any brightness and
:26:41. > :26:43.dry weather during the course of the day. The North, South split. We have
:26:44. > :26:46.cloud from the South during the course of the morning into the
:26:47. > :26:50.afternoon. That will bring light outbreaks of rain the southern and
:26:51. > :26:53.western parts of the region. Top temperatures of eight or nine
:26:54. > :26:57.Celsius with light to moderate wind string much of the day. This is the
:26:58. > :27:01.frontal system bringing in that cloud and that rain. You can see the
:27:02. > :27:05.isobars tighten towards the south of the country and those stronger winds
:27:06. > :27:08.will reach us during the course of tomorrow evening and night. Quite
:27:09. > :27:14.wet start to night tomorrow with some heavy rain and the cold air
:27:15. > :27:18.cutting it with snow on the cards are 12 stop not very springlike!
:27:19. > :27:20.Join us tomorrow for a special behind the scenes look
:27:21. > :27:22.at Royal Shakespeare Company's latest production of
:27:23. > :27:24.Antony and Cleopatra, which has enlisted the musical
:27:25. > :27:26.talents of Birmingham singer-songwriter Laura Mvula.
:27:27. > :27:28.She has been added to the RSC's distinguished list of composers-
:27:29. > :27:34.and we've been invited to watch Laura rehearse with the musicians.
:27:35. > :27:53.I'll be back with your late news at 10.30pm.
:27:54. > :27:58.MUSIC: Another Day Of Sun by the La La Land Cast