:00:00. > :00:08.The shocking number of infant deaths, more babies die
:00:09. > :00:12.before their first birthday here - than anywhere else in the country.
:00:13. > :00:14.There's that cliche - that their life's too short.
:00:15. > :00:19.We'll be looking at what's being done to reduce
:00:20. > :00:25.Boosting skills and improving transport connections -
:00:26. > :00:29.where money will be spent on the Midlands Engine.
:00:30. > :00:31.You'll see more money being investment in road improvements
:00:32. > :00:35.You'll see money being invested in skills -
:00:36. > :00:38.we've got a Skills Challenge Fund for the West Midlands.
:00:39. > :00:41.The challenges of what should be a simple act -
:00:42. > :00:56.Browsing in a book shop. The secret hidden letter worthy of Enid Blyton.
:00:57. > :00:58.And today we had sunshine, blue skies, and temperatures
:00:59. > :01:03.A change is on the way tomorrow, but there will still be dry weather
:01:04. > :01:17.The statistics are as shocking as they are inexplicable.
:01:18. > :01:20.More babies die before their first birthday here in the West Midlands,
:01:21. > :01:25.Health professionals are trying to reduce the numbers of deaths
:01:26. > :01:31.Maternity services are being overhauled -
:01:32. > :01:34.and in Birmingham Finnish-style baby boxes are being handed out
:01:35. > :01:37.to expectant parents for their babies to sleep in.
:01:38. > :01:39.But for some, help has come too late.
:01:40. > :01:46.Everything about her was perfect, just perfect.
:01:47. > :01:52.Callie lived for barely half an hour.
:01:53. > :01:54.But for three whole days, while she was in a special
:01:55. > :01:58.cold cot in hospital, her parents Matt and Krystal cared
:01:59. > :02:10.I'd, for the longest time, waited to hold a baby.
:02:11. > :02:12.Delivered by emergency C-section last June,
:02:13. > :02:16.Callie died from an intrauterine infection, the doctors said.
:02:17. > :02:20.Matt and Krystal think that may not be the full story.
:02:21. > :02:23.They're still in shock, their world upside down,
:02:24. > :02:29.The West Midlands has the worst infant mortality
:02:30. > :02:33.rate in the country, 6.1 per thousand live births.
:02:34. > :02:37.That's 6 out of 1,000 babies not making it to their first birthday.
:02:38. > :02:41.When you compare it to the rest of the country that you see
:02:42. > :02:43.just how bad we are - the next worst region
:02:44. > :02:48.is East Midlands with 4.6 , the UK and England average is 3.9
:02:49. > :02:51.and in the South East the rate is three.
:02:52. > :02:56.But if you look in more detail, you can see some shocking anomalies.
:02:57. > :03:01.Stoke-on-Trent has a rate of 9.4 - that's almost 1 in 100 babies
:03:02. > :03:07.Birmingham is 7.9, even Warwickshire and Worcestershire are way
:03:08. > :03:11.above the national average scoring around 5.
:03:12. > :03:14.No wonder that expectant mums were queueing up in Hall Green this
:03:15. > :03:19.In Finland, where they've been handed out by the
:03:20. > :03:22.state since the 30s, they're credited with reducing
:03:23. > :03:25.infant mortality from over 60 per thousand live
:03:26. > :03:36.Vicky Raymond from Solihull gave birth to Charlie four months ago.
:03:37. > :03:42.You try to do all the right things, get the right blankets, the right
:03:43. > :03:48.room temperature and all that sort of Scots stuff. So a big scheme like
:03:49. > :03:49.this promoting safe sleeping is fabulous.
:03:50. > :03:52.18,500 boxes are to be distributed as part of a wider strategy to cut
:03:53. > :03:54.infant deaths in the Birmingham by 20 per cent.
:03:55. > :03:57.An audit is to be carried out into deaths of all babies died
:03:58. > :04:13.We're going to use the information gathered there, what the mum Wade,
:04:14. > :04:24.did she smoke, what ethnicity she was, had she attended her scans, all
:04:25. > :04:27.that we gather and use it with infant mortality figures.
:04:28. > :04:30.Callie will be among those babies whose stories are reviewed.
:04:31. > :04:32.Her parents say infant mortality rates for Birmingham are shameful,
:04:33. > :04:36.and that there needs to be more openness about the subject.
:04:37. > :04:43.This needs to change. It has to change, to change the rates as well.
:04:44. > :04:45.They're now thinking of setting up a charity in Callie's name,
:04:46. > :04:53.Sarah Bishop, BBC Midlands Today, in Birmingham.
:04:54. > :04:55.The Lily Mae Foundation supports Parents and Families who have been
:04:56. > :05:00.Ryan Jackson, from the charity, joins me now.
:05:01. > :05:02.A devastating thing to happen to parents -
:05:03. > :05:12.tell us a little about what the foundation does.
:05:13. > :05:19.The foundation was set up in 2010 primarily to support parents and
:05:20. > :05:26.families who have suffered stillbirth or neonatal death. It's
:05:27. > :05:32.for family and friends as well. What support do you offer? Lots of
:05:33. > :05:40.support. Support through social media as well. People can message us
:05:41. > :05:43.or contact us by phone. E-mail support, face-to-face support. We
:05:44. > :05:51.hold meetings as well, lots of different groups really. The rates
:05:52. > :05:57.seem much higher in the West Midlands than anywhere else. Have
:05:58. > :06:02.you any idea why? Traditionally the rates here are quite high anyway. It
:06:03. > :06:07.comes down to demographics. We live in an area where we have a very
:06:08. > :06:12.diverse population, ethnicity plays a big part. We have a lot of parents
:06:13. > :06:17.who, sadly, smoke during pregnancy. Wheels have a high teenage pregnancy
:06:18. > :06:25.rate. So some of it could be prevented? Definitely, with better
:06:26. > :06:34.education. Do think it is to the taboos subject? Yes. People do cross
:06:35. > :06:38.the road when... We hear a lot of stories of people crossing the road
:06:39. > :06:42.because they don't want to ask the question. However, as the bereaved
:06:43. > :06:46.parent myself I would rather people asked me the question, because I
:06:47. > :06:48.want to speak about my daughter, as other bereaved parents want to speak
:06:49. > :06:51.about their children. Tributes have been paid
:06:52. > :06:54.to the victims of yesterday's fatal stabbings at a block of flats
:06:55. > :06:56.in the Black Country. A man killed his sister, critically
:06:57. > :06:59.injured his mother, and then turned The Independent Police Complaints
:07:00. > :07:02.Commission has launched an enquiry into how the West Midlands Force
:07:03. > :07:05.handled the incident Ben Sidwell is outside
:07:06. > :07:21.the flats in Wolverhampton We do. The police have not
:07:22. > :07:28.officially named them but they have been identified locally. The lady
:07:29. > :07:36.that died has been named Anne-Marie James. Her brother was named as
:07:37. > :07:40.Melvin. Their mother and who was critically injured remains in
:07:41. > :07:51.hospital today. This all happened at about 9:45am, yesterday, here.
:07:52. > :07:56.Today, everything seems to have returned almost to normal. There are
:07:57. > :08:01.some floral tributes inside the entrance, some of them have been
:08:02. > :08:09.brought by relatives. One says our IP, uncle Melvin. What has been the
:08:10. > :08:17.reaction of the local community? A lot of shock, at the flats and
:08:18. > :08:20.elsewhere. One of the churches and opened its doors. I asked the
:08:21. > :08:28.minister what people were looking for. The chance to be quiet and just
:08:29. > :08:33.let the emotion come. A day later, people have gone from the shock of
:08:34. > :08:39.what happened and started to realise the implications and start to ask
:08:40. > :08:46.the questions about why and why for them and so on. The mother remains
:08:47. > :08:47.at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the police here continue their
:08:48. > :08:51.investigations at the scene. A brief look at some of the day's
:08:52. > :08:54.other news. Police say they are still trying
:08:55. > :08:57.to piece together what happened to a nine-year-old Birmingham
:08:58. > :08:59.boy, who died at school Mohammad Ismaeel Ashraf fell ill
:09:00. > :09:03.at the Al Hijrah School in Bordesley Green,
:09:04. > :09:04.on Friday afternoon. A departments in Herefordshire
:09:05. > :09:09.and Worcestershire have again failed to meet national
:09:10. > :09:14.waiting time targets. The Government says 95%
:09:15. > :09:16.of people should be dealt But in January, at Hereford County
:09:17. > :09:20.Hospital, more than a quarter of patients had to wait
:09:21. > :09:22.longer than that. At Worcestershire A departments,
:09:23. > :09:25.more than a third of people weren't admitted, transferred or discharged
:09:26. > :09:30.in the target time. The Communist Party of Britain
:09:31. > :09:33.is to field a candidate in May's election, for the Mayor of the West
:09:34. > :09:35.Midlands. Graham Stevenson, who's
:09:36. > :09:37.originally from Coventry, His policies include nationalising
:09:38. > :09:43.the M6 toll motorway and introducing Following his budget yesterday,
:09:44. > :09:51.The Chancellor Philip Hammond was in Dudley this morning,
:09:52. > :09:54.to give the Government's You'll see more money being invested
:09:55. > :10:00.in road improvements You'll see money being invested
:10:01. > :10:03.in skills, we've got a skills challenge fund for
:10:04. > :10:05.the West Midlands. This is not a one-off,
:10:06. > :10:08.this part of the programme to galvanise this economy,
:10:09. > :10:13.to allow it to achieve its full potential, to realise its full
:10:14. > :10:15.potential, and make the greatest possible contribution
:10:16. > :10:19.to Britain's future. Over the last five years
:10:20. > :10:21.there's been much talk of the Northern Powerhouse
:10:22. > :10:23.as Manchester and Liverpool have pressed ahead with investment
:10:24. > :10:26.and new powers from central But now attention is turning
:10:27. > :10:30.to what's being called In a moment we'll find out
:10:31. > :10:33.exactly where the promised money will be going,
:10:34. > :10:36.but first Elizabeth Glinka has been taking a closer look
:10:37. > :10:40.at what it all means - from the driving seat
:10:41. > :10:44.of a different sort of engine. Once it was all about
:10:45. > :10:47.the Northern Power House, but now, well, the Midlands Engine
:10:48. > :10:51.is making itself heard. Although what it actually means
:10:52. > :11:04.isn't that clear to most of us. If I said Midlands Engine would you
:11:05. > :11:12.know what I was talking about? No. No. No. It means bringing the
:11:13. > :11:19.Midlands area together and trying to grow the economy together as a unit.
:11:20. > :11:21.You know what it is! You're the first person! I read it. I had to
:11:22. > :11:23.Google it. Well, whether we know it or not,
:11:24. > :11:25.it's about rebalancing the economy away from London -
:11:26. > :11:38.and it is now a real organisation Our competition for the future is
:11:39. > :11:42.Shanghai, New York, Frankfurt. We have a lot to offer and by coming
:11:43. > :11:45.together in the way we are as the Midlands Engine it enables us to
:11:46. > :11:46.talk about those things with one voice.
:11:47. > :11:48.And after High Speed Rail got final approval, that voice is calling
:11:49. > :11:55.for further improvements to our rail and road networks.
:11:56. > :12:04.How many people in the Midlands have been struck in traffic JAMs, stuck
:12:05. > :12:10.because of the amount of freight on ROI. We have to address that.
:12:11. > :12:14.Productivity here in the Midlands is 10% lower than the rest of the
:12:15. > :12:14.country. One of the reasons is poor connectivity.
:12:15. > :12:17.But it's not all transport - it's also about business and skills.
:12:18. > :12:19.The "Midlands Engine" will push investment in training
:12:20. > :12:26.and apprenticeships, so that companies can grow.
:12:27. > :12:31.It might not be the complete answer but I think it will be a huge help
:12:32. > :12:32.to us because there is a gap where we don't have younger people coming
:12:33. > :12:33.through yet. So it's about better training,
:12:34. > :12:36.better transport, and of course it's also about reputation
:12:37. > :12:39.and being noticed. Elizabeth Glinka, BBC
:12:40. > :12:50.Midlands Today, on the race track. So that gives us a little more of an
:12:51. > :12:52.idea what it is. Our political editor
:12:53. > :12:54.Patrick Burns has been leafing through the strategy document -
:12:55. > :12:58.what are its keynote themes? For the first time,
:12:59. > :13:08.the Chancellor is detailing And the headlines are -
:13:09. > :13:15.Transport, Skills and Productivity, which he admitted yesterday
:13:16. > :13:18.remains "weak" here. It's far too long a list
:13:19. > :13:22.for me to go through here, but among the more eye-catching
:13:23. > :13:25.projects: The Black Country benefits from ?25 million to ease notorious
:13:26. > :13:30.traffic bottlenecks. In Coventry and Warwickshire,
:13:31. > :13:33.?11 million for skills and training, including
:13:34. > :13:35.a new Apprenticeship Academy In Hereford, a new hi-tech
:13:36. > :13:41.university to train the next We've been talking to one senior
:13:42. > :13:51.Black Country Labour MP who chaired the Commons Business Select
:13:52. > :13:54.Committee in the last Parliament. He sees a stark contrast
:13:55. > :13:57.between the Government's lofty ambitions on education and training,
:13:58. > :14:11.and the real-terms squeeze The initiative is very welcome but
:14:12. > :14:16.it does not recognise the scale of the issue presented to it. I am
:14:17. > :14:21.meeting headteachers across the borough to discuss the problems they
:14:22. > :14:25.are having with funding in the schools and the barriers that puts
:14:26. > :14:28.up to giving children the best possible start in life.
:14:29. > :14:31.The Midlands Engine is our answer to the Northern Powerhouse.
:14:32. > :14:34.So why is Mr Hammond finding ?90 million for roads in the north
:14:35. > :14:38.and only ?23 million for traffic improvements here?
:14:39. > :14:41.The accountants Ernst and Young said that proved the Government
:14:42. > :14:48.still favoured the Northern Powerhouse.
:14:49. > :14:50.But the Chancellor told us our ?23 million
:14:51. > :14:53.There's more money than that coming here, for other transport projects.
:14:54. > :14:59.So we know a bit more about what the Midlands Engine is.
:15:00. > :15:02.What about the geography - can you help us work out
:15:03. > :15:05.It's a bigger but looser arrangement than the new Combined Authority,
:15:06. > :15:07.which is about to have an elected mayor.
:15:08. > :15:09.Nearly 40 local councils from the Welsh border
:15:10. > :15:11.to Lincolnshire, are collaborating with business, universities
:15:12. > :15:17.The big idea - to have them all working together,
:15:18. > :15:20.with a stronger identity, so that our part of the country can
:15:21. > :15:22.punch its true weight in Britain and the World.
:15:23. > :15:29.And to stop us being written-off as just "that bit in the middle".
:15:30. > :15:31.Thanks for joining us on Midlands Today, this
:15:32. > :15:35.The shocking number of infant deaths - more babies die before their first
:15:36. > :15:39.birthday here than anywhere else in the country.
:15:40. > :15:43.Your detailed weather forecast to come shortly.
:15:44. > :15:46.Also in tonight's programme - proving a point, it may have been
:15:47. > :15:50.goalless but Stoke come away with a draw at Manchester City.
:15:51. > :15:52.And a decline in traditional British breeds of dogs -
:15:53. > :16:04.how Crufts is trying to reverse the trend.
:16:05. > :16:06.They are taking the lead on a change.
:16:07. > :16:09.Getting on and off buses is simple for most of us,
:16:10. > :16:12.but it's hard to imagine how difficult it is for blind
:16:13. > :16:15.Bus drivers and visually impaired people swapped places today,
:16:16. > :16:17.to try to understand things from each other's point of view.
:16:18. > :16:20.Our reporter Joanne Writtle linked up with Sharon Gibbs,
:16:21. > :16:26.who has very little sight, as she got on board.
:16:27. > :16:29.Sharon Gibbs from Sutton Coldfield has limited sight in her left eye,
:16:30. > :16:37.Everyday things like getting on buses have led to accidents.
:16:38. > :16:44.I went to step off the bus and didn't realise the bus wasn't at the
:16:45. > :16:48.curb so I caught my foot on the edge of the curb and the edge of the step
:16:49. > :16:49.and went down. Today Sharon and others with sight
:16:50. > :16:52.problems have linked up with bus drivers in Walsall to explain how
:16:53. > :16:54.tricky public transport can be when you can't see,
:16:55. > :17:06.in an exercise organised The bus drivers are going to be
:17:07. > :17:09.given special glasses to illustrate the difficulties visually impaired
:17:10. > :17:10.people have. I tell you, it really is incredibly tricky.
:17:11. > :17:12.Sharon is paired with Steve Hill, who's been
:17:13. > :17:25.I was born totally blind but I gained sight as I get got older. I
:17:26. > :17:33.was one of the lucky ones. But there are people that lose their sight
:17:34. > :17:38.later in life. I've been given some glasses to symbolise visual
:17:39. > :17:39.impairment, and its black patches and little dots all round.
:17:40. > :17:42.Steve makes his way to the bus with his sight severely restricted
:17:43. > :17:51.Bit of a step up. Need to lift my leg high enough.
:17:52. > :17:52.Meanwhile, Sharon sits in the drivers seat -
:17:53. > :17:55.the perspex barrier to protect drivers from violent crime
:17:56. > :17:57.makes her realise how it can sometimes restrict drivers ability
:17:58. > :18:11.Drivers have been assaulted through when the window, the screen was not
:18:12. > :18:14.there. They've been spat at. They've had liquid thrown over them.
:18:15. > :18:28.Brilliant. I loved every minute. It made me a bit more aware now of
:18:29. > :18:29.certain situations with people's disabilities.
:18:30. > :18:31.Steve and Sharon left with a renewed understanding,
:18:32. > :18:34.and it's hoped on going training for drivers will make life easier.
:18:35. > :18:38.Joanne Writtle, BBC Midlands Today, Walsall.
:18:39. > :18:40.It's a story worthy of The Famous Five.
:18:41. > :18:41.A book lover, browsing through second hand
:18:42. > :18:44.shops in Hay on Wye - she buys a book for ?1.
:18:45. > :18:46.But she got more than she bargained for.
:18:47. > :18:48.Leafing through it, she discovered a handwritten note
:18:49. > :18:51.from the famous children's author Enid Blyton.
:18:52. > :18:54.As Lindsay Doyle reports, the note was stuck to the inside cover
:18:55. > :19:00.of a copy of George Eliot's "Silas Marner".
:19:01. > :19:04.Once upon a time in a little town on the edge of Herefordshire, a town
:19:05. > :19:06.known as the book town, there was a little book
:19:07. > :19:09.which held a secret, which was discovered quite by
:19:10. > :19:14.I was literally browsing the shelves and I don't know what
:19:15. > :19:17.drew me to this one apart from the fact that it
:19:18. > :19:20.looks little and old, but I picked it up and opened the
:19:21. > :19:22.front cover and there was this little piece
:19:23. > :19:26.I opened it I instantly recognised the signature as Enid Blyton's
:19:27. > :19:30.Glued inside a copy of George Eliot's Silas Marner is what
:19:31. > :19:33.appears to be a letter from one of the most famous children's
:19:34. > :19:42.It is written to Mary congratulating her on winning one of
:19:43. > :19:46.The name written inside Silas Marner is of a very Enid
:19:47. > :19:57.Gillian and Imogen don't have to wait for the
:19:58. > :19:58.next Enid Blyton to appear in the shops.
:19:59. > :20:01.They can read it as it comes off the typewriter, for their
:20:02. > :20:03.mother, Mrs Darren Waters, is Enid Blyton.
:20:04. > :20:06.This was only ?1 this book, it was in the bargain book shelf
:20:07. > :20:11.And so I hid it behind the shelf and we both ran back to our
:20:12. > :20:14.hotel room and I grabbed my purse and ran back down to the stall and
:20:15. > :20:17.found it again and kind of held onto it as if my
:20:18. > :20:20.Lashings of luck, but rather rotten for the bookstall!
:20:21. > :20:23.When I first heard I thought, oh, boy, that's a
:20:24. > :20:27.And then I thought, when I had time to think about it, I
:20:28. > :20:30.thought, well, no, it's a great story and I'm really pleased for her
:20:31. > :20:32.and I'm glad she's happy to keep her purchase.
:20:33. > :20:35.During the 50s and 60s schoolchildren were invited to enter
:20:36. > :20:39.A winning composition would win a classic
:20:40. > :20:47.novel, like Silas Marner, and also a letter from a children's author.
:20:48. > :21:01.And Blyton's is one of the most famous signatures in modern
:21:02. > :21:08.literature. She sold 600 million books worldwide. They tell me what
:21:09. > :21:10.books they liked, what to write next, all the books they like best
:21:11. > :21:16.of all. And if you happen to know who Mary
:21:17. > :21:20.is, do let us know. It may not have had the drama
:21:21. > :21:22.of Barcelona's epic Champions League comeback -
:21:23. > :21:24.but Stoke City's draw at Manchester City last night
:21:25. > :21:27.was a source of great satisfaction He'd called for the players to show
:21:28. > :21:31.a positive response to their 4-0 defeat at Tottenham in the last
:21:32. > :21:33.away game, and that's exactly what he got,
:21:34. > :21:36.as Nick Clitheroe reports. Stoke City lost 4-0 the last time
:21:37. > :21:39.they visited Manchester City and Mark Hughes was determined
:21:40. > :21:41.there would be no In fact it was the Potters who came
:21:42. > :21:45.close to taking the lead but Mame Biram Diouf couldn't get
:21:46. > :21:48.enough power on his early chance Lee Grant has been an outstanding
:21:49. > :21:52.signing for Stoke and the keeper was a reliable last line of defence
:21:53. > :22:00.again at the Etihad Stadium. And then there were
:22:01. > :22:02.the men in front of him - determined to use any means to block
:22:03. > :22:06.the home side's way to goal. January signing Saido Berahino
:22:07. > :22:08.was given a first start for Stoke impressed his manager
:22:09. > :22:10.with his workrate. And when the final whistle went
:22:11. > :22:12.there was very little doubt which team were the happier
:22:13. > :22:19.with their night's work. People go on about systems and
:22:20. > :22:23.formations and it's not about that, it's about players committing to
:22:24. > :22:27.some kind of game plan and seeing it through to a conclusion. We had good
:22:28. > :22:31.opportunities ourselves, certainly in the first half, if we did had
:22:32. > :22:32.more care we could very easily have taken the lead.
:22:33. > :22:34.And they'll need an equally determined performance
:22:35. > :22:36.when the runaway leaders Chelsea visit the Potteries for their next
:22:37. > :22:43.An annual award for the world's best female cricketer is to be named
:22:44. > :22:47.The former England captain, from Wolverhampton, died
:22:48. > :22:54.The International Cricket Council made the announcement at the launch
:22:55. > :22:57.of the womens' World Cup - which takes place in
:22:58. > :23:01.It's the annual highlight of the canine calender -
:23:02. > :23:03.the Crufts international dog show, which got underway at the NEC
:23:04. > :23:13.Over the next four days, 26,000 dogs and their owners
:23:14. > :23:15.are expected to attend the 125th show.
:23:16. > :23:17.This year there's a drive to bring back traditional British breeds -
:23:18. > :23:21.which have been in decline in recent years, as Audrey Dias reports.
:23:22. > :23:23.Everywhere you look, every conceivable breed of dog.
:23:24. > :23:27.But some of the old favourites are becoming harder to spot.
:23:28. > :23:29.Traditional British breeds are on the decline -
:23:30. > :23:34.last year there were only 120 puppies from once popular dogs
:23:35. > :23:38.like the Skye Terrier, Otter hound and Sussex spaniel.
:23:39. > :23:41.These are nice dogs, lovely breeds, that in the past were
:23:42. > :23:46.very popular and were great family members.
:23:47. > :23:48.Unfortunately, what people are doing is seeing a celebrity with
:23:49. > :23:51.a particular dog and they think, I'll have one of those.
:23:52. > :23:53.Thousands of our furry friends are expected through the doors
:23:54. > :23:57.at Crufts over the next few days - and there's a real drive to bring
:23:58. > :24:01.This is the first time the Jack Russell terrier
:24:02. > :24:05.After receiving pedigree status last year.
:24:06. > :24:13.It's the first time a British dog has received that status since 1978.
:24:14. > :24:15.There are so many British breeds that are already
:24:16. > :24:18.on the endangered list because people just
:24:19. > :24:23.them, because they're going out of fashion.
:24:24. > :24:26.It's an amazing breed, because he's a terrier, a small dog
:24:27. > :24:33.but with a great temperament and a funny one, a naughty one, that gives
:24:34. > :24:40.But some people are bucking the trend.
:24:41. > :24:43.Elena Pikthar from Russia breeds British terriers and brings them
:24:44. > :24:51.For me the terrier is a very special dog.
:24:52. > :25:01.When you've got a line, a British line that's
:25:02. > :25:05.been there for generations and generations, I just feel
:25:06. > :25:11.So with 218 pedigree breeds - there's a dog for everyone
:25:12. > :25:32.Some lovely early spring sun for many, more to come Rebecca?
:25:33. > :25:47.It wasn't too rough, was it? Oh... It has been a lovely day today. The
:25:48. > :25:52.blossom is out, the daffodils are starting to spring up, it's almost
:25:53. > :25:58.like it's spring out there! As we headed through the afternoon we saw
:25:59. > :26:02.the winds easing. As they eased we saw the temperatures pushing up to
:26:03. > :26:08.15 Celsius in some parts of the region. That is way above average
:26:09. > :26:13.for the time of year. It has been a glorious day. That's mainly because
:26:14. > :26:17.of the high pressure. It has kept things settled and is keeping
:26:18. > :26:22.weather systems at bay. So for tomorrow, we should manage to stay
:26:23. > :26:26.largely dry, but as it clears out of the way by the end of the weekend,
:26:27. > :26:30.we could see some rain. Fortnight we are starting out clear. The
:26:31. > :26:34.temperatures will fall away. It will be chilly in some places than the
:26:35. > :26:39.cloud will thicken. That will help temperatures to recover. It means it
:26:40. > :26:45.will be quite a cloudy start tomorrow. There will be some drizzle
:26:46. > :26:49.to times but a little brightness, particularly to the Lee of any
:26:50. > :26:54.higher ground. Along the Welsh mountains we might see temperatures
:26:55. > :26:59.getting at a higher, pushing as far as 14. The wind is coming from the
:27:00. > :27:04.south so it won't be too bad, but we are keeping dry for the most part. A
:27:05. > :27:10.few spots of drizzle. Some cloud around overnight. Temperatures
:27:11. > :27:15.ranging between eight and nine, very mild. As we head into the weekend it
:27:16. > :27:23.will stay mild. We will keep the weather systems at bay a little
:27:24. > :27:27.longer. Saturday, plenty of cloud, temperatures up to 12, but rain is
:27:28. > :27:34.waiting in the wings and it will be here for Sunday. As it crosses as it
:27:35. > :27:36.introduces something a little cooler and fresher, temperatures will
:27:37. > :27:37.tumble but will stay largely dry. I'll be back at 10:30pm
:27:38. > :27:43.with your next news.