09/03/2017 Midlands Today

The shocking number of infant deaths, more babies die

before their first birthday here - than anywhere else in the country.

There's that cliche - that their life's too short.

We'll be looking at what's being done to reduce

Boosting skills and improving transport connections -

where money will be spent on the Midlands Engine.

You'll see more money being investment in road improvements

You'll see money being invested in skills -

we've got a Skills Challenge Fund for the West Midlands.

The challenges of what should be a simple act -

Browsing in a book shop. The secret hidden letter worthy of Enid Blyton.

And today we had sunshine, blue skies, and temperatures

A change is on the way tomorrow, but there will still be dry weather

The statistics are as shocking as they are inexplicable.

More babies die before their first birthday here in the West Midlands,

Health professionals are trying to reduce the numbers of deaths

Maternity services are being overhauled -

and in Birmingham Finnish-style baby boxes are being handed out

to expectant parents for their babies to sleep in.

But for some, help has come too late.

Everything about her was perfect, just perfect.

Callie lived for barely half an hour.

But for three whole days, while she was in a special

cold cot in hospital, her parents Matt and Krystal cared

I'd, for the longest time, waited to hold a baby.

Delivered by emergency C-section last June,

Callie died from an intrauterine infection, the doctors said.

Matt and Krystal think that may not be the full story.

They're still in shock, their world upside down,

The West Midlands has the worst infant mortality

rate in the country, 6.1 per thousand live births.

That's 6 out of 1,000 babies not making it to their first birthday.

When you compare it to the rest of the country that you see

just how bad we are - the next worst region

is East Midlands with 4.6 , the UK and England average is 3.9

and in the South East the rate is three.

But if you look in more detail, you can see some shocking anomalies.

Stoke-on-Trent has a rate of 9.4 - that's almost 1 in 100 babies

Birmingham is 7.9, even Warwickshire and Worcestershire are way

above the national average scoring around 5.

No wonder that expectant mums were queueing up in Hall Green this

In Finland, where they've been handed out by the

state since the 30s, they're credited with reducing

infant mortality from over 60 per thousand live

Vicky Raymond from Solihull gave birth to Charlie four months ago.

You try to do all the right things, get the right blankets, the right

room temperature and all that sort of Scots stuff. So a big scheme like

this promoting safe sleeping is fabulous.

18,500 boxes are to be distributed as part of a wider strategy to cut

infant deaths in the Birmingham by 20 per cent.

An audit is to be carried out into deaths of all babies died

We're going to use the information gathered there, what the mum Wade,

did she smoke, what ethnicity she was, had she attended her scans, all

that we gather and use it with infant mortality figures.

Callie will be among those babies whose stories are reviewed.

Her parents say infant mortality rates for Birmingham are shameful,

and that there needs to be more openness about the subject.

This needs to change. It has to change, to change the rates as well.

They're now thinking of setting up a charity in Callie's name,

Sarah Bishop, BBC Midlands Today, in Birmingham.

The Lily Mae Foundation supports Parents and Families who have been

Ryan Jackson, from the charity, joins me now.

A devastating thing to happen to parents -

tell us a little about what the foundation does.

The foundation was set up in 2010 primarily to support parents and

families who have suffered stillbirth or neonatal death. It's

for family and friends as well. What support do you offer? Lots of

support. Support through social media as well. People can message us

or contact us by phone. E-mail support, face-to-face support. We

hold meetings as well, lots of different groups really. The rates

seem much higher in the West Midlands than anywhere else. Have

you any idea why? Traditionally the rates here are quite high anyway. It

comes down to demographics. We live in an area where we have a very

diverse population, ethnicity plays a big part. We have a lot of parents

who, sadly, smoke during pregnancy. Wheels have a high teenage pregnancy

rate. So some of it could be prevented? Definitely, with better

education. Do think it is to the taboos subject? Yes. People do cross

the road when... We hear a lot of stories of people crossing the road

because they don't want to ask the question. However, as the bereaved

parent myself I would rather people asked me the question, because I

want to speak about my daughter, as other bereaved parents want to speak

about their children. Tributes have been paid

to the victims of yesterday's fatal stabbings at a block of flats

in the Black Country. A man killed his sister, critically

injured his mother, and then turned The Independent Police Complaints

Commission has launched an enquiry into how the West Midlands Force

handled the incident Ben Sidwell is outside

the flats in Wolverhampton We do. The police have not

officially named them but they have been identified locally. The lady

that died has been named Anne-Marie James. Her brother was named as

Melvin. Their mother and who was critically injured remains in

hospital today. This all happened at about 9:45am, yesterday, here.

Today, everything seems to have returned almost to normal. There are

some floral tributes inside the entrance, some of them have been

brought by relatives. One says our IP, uncle Melvin. What has been the

reaction of the local community? A lot of shock, at the flats and

elsewhere. One of the churches and opened its doors. I asked the

minister what people were looking for. The chance to be quiet and just

let the emotion come. A day later, people have gone from the shock of

what happened and started to realise the implications and start to ask

the questions about why and why for them and so on. The mother remains

at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the police here continue their

investigations at the scene. A brief look at some of the day's

other news. Police say they are still trying

to piece together what happened to a nine-year-old Birmingham

boy, who died at school Mohammad Ismaeel Ashraf fell ill

at the Al Hijrah School in Bordesley Green,

on Friday afternoon. A departments in Herefordshire

and Worcestershire have again failed to meet national

waiting time targets. The Government says 95%

of people should be dealt But in January, at Hereford County

Hospital, more than a quarter of patients had to wait

longer than that. At Worcestershire A departments,

more than a third of people weren't admitted, transferred or discharged

in the target time. The Communist Party of Britain

is to field a candidate in May's election, for the Mayor of the West

Midlands. Graham Stevenson, who's

originally from Coventry, His policies include nationalising

the M6 toll motorway and introducing Following his budget yesterday,

The Chancellor Philip Hammond was in Dudley this morning,

to give the Government's You'll see more money being invested

in road improvements You'll see money being invested

in skills, we've got a skills challenge fund for

the West Midlands. This is not a one-off,

this part of the programme to galvanise this economy,

to allow it to achieve its full potential, to realise its full

potential, and make the greatest possible contribution

to Britain's future. Over the last five years

there's been much talk of the Northern Powerhouse

as Manchester and Liverpool have pressed ahead with investment

and new powers from central But now attention is turning

to what's being called In a moment we'll find out

exactly where the promised money will be going,

but first Elizabeth Glinka has been taking a closer look

at what it all means - from the driving seat

of a different sort of engine. Once it was all about

the Northern Power House, but now, well, the Midlands Engine

is making itself heard. Although what it actually means

isn't that clear to most of us. If I said Midlands Engine would you

know what I was talking about? No. No. No. It means bringing the

Midlands area together and trying to grow the economy together as a unit.

You know what it is! You're the first person! I read it. I had to

Google it. Well, whether we know it or not,

it's about rebalancing the economy away from London -

and it is now a real organisation Our competition for the future is

Shanghai, New York, Frankfurt. We have a lot to offer and by coming

together in the way we are as the Midlands Engine it enables us to

talk about those things with one voice.

And after High Speed Rail got final approval, that voice is calling

for further improvements to our rail and road networks.

How many people in the Midlands have been struck in traffic JAMs, stuck

because of the amount of freight on ROI. We have to address that.

Productivity here in the Midlands is 10% lower than the rest of the

country. One of the reasons is poor connectivity.

But it's not all transport - it's also about business and skills.

The "Midlands Engine" will push investment in training

and apprenticeships, so that companies can grow.

It might not be the complete answer but I think it will be a huge help

to us because there is a gap where we don't have younger people coming

through yet. So it's about better training,

better transport, and of course it's also about reputation

and being noticed. Elizabeth Glinka, BBC

Midlands Today, on the race track. So that gives us a little more of an

idea what it is. Our political editor

Patrick Burns has been leafing through the strategy document -

what are its keynote themes? For the first time,

the Chancellor is detailing And the headlines are -

Transport, Skills and Productivity, which he admitted yesterday

remains "weak" here. It's far too long a list

for me to go through here, but among the more eye-catching

projects: The Black Country benefits from ?25 million to ease notorious

traffic bottlenecks. In Coventry and Warwickshire,

?11 million for skills and training, including

a new Apprenticeship Academy In Hereford, a new hi-tech

university to train the next We've been talking to one senior

Black Country Labour MP who chaired the Commons Business Select

Committee in the last Parliament. He sees a stark contrast

between the Government's lofty ambitions on education and training,

and the real-terms squeeze The initiative is very welcome but

it does not recognise the scale of the issue presented to it. I am

meeting headteachers across the borough to discuss the problems they

are having with funding in the schools and the barriers that puts

up to giving children the best possible start in life.

The Midlands Engine is our answer to the Northern Powerhouse.

So why is Mr Hammond finding ?90 million for roads in the north

and only ?23 million for traffic improvements here?

The accountants Ernst and Young said that proved the Government

still favoured the Northern Powerhouse.

But the Chancellor told us our ?23 million

There's more money than that coming here, for other transport projects.

So we know a bit more about what the Midlands Engine is.

What about the geography - can you help us work out

It's a bigger but looser arrangement than the new Combined Authority,

which is about to have an elected mayor.

Nearly 40 local councils from the Welsh border

to Lincolnshire, are collaborating with business, universities

The big idea - to have them all working together,

with a stronger identity, so that our part of the country can

punch its true weight in Britain and the World.

And to stop us being written-off as just "that bit in the middle".

Thanks for joining us on Midlands Today, this

The shocking number of infant deaths - more babies die before their first

birthday here than anywhere else in the country.

Your detailed weather forecast to come shortly.

Also in tonight's programme - proving a point, it may have been

goalless but Stoke come away with a draw at Manchester City.

And a decline in traditional British breeds of dogs -

how Crufts is trying to reverse the trend.

They are taking the lead on a change.

Getting on and off buses is simple for most of us,

but it's hard to imagine how difficult it is for blind

Bus drivers and visually impaired people swapped places today,

to try to understand things from each other's point of view.

Our reporter Joanne Writtle linked up with Sharon Gibbs,

who has very little sight, as she got on board.

Sharon Gibbs from Sutton Coldfield has limited sight in her left eye,

Everyday things like getting on buses have led to accidents.

I went to step off the bus and didn't realise the bus wasn't at the

curb so I caught my foot on the edge of the curb and the edge of the step

and went down. Today Sharon and others with sight

problems have linked up with bus drivers in Walsall to explain how

tricky public transport can be when you can't see,

in an exercise organised The bus drivers are going to be

given special glasses to illustrate the difficulties visually impaired

people have. I tell you, it really is incredibly tricky.

Sharon is paired with Steve Hill, who's been

I was born totally blind but I gained sight as I get got older. I

was one of the lucky ones. But there are people that lose their sight

later in life. I've been given some glasses to symbolise visual

impairment, and its black patches and little dots all round.

Steve makes his way to the bus with his sight severely restricted

Bit of a step up. Need to lift my leg high enough.

Meanwhile, Sharon sits in the drivers seat -

the perspex barrier to protect drivers from violent crime

makes her realise how it can sometimes restrict drivers ability

Drivers have been assaulted through when the window, the screen was not

there. They've been spat at. They've had liquid thrown over them.

Brilliant. I loved every minute. It made me a bit more aware now of

certain situations with people's disabilities.

Steve and Sharon left with a renewed understanding,

and it's hoped on going training for drivers will make life easier.

Joanne Writtle, BBC Midlands Today, Walsall.

It's a story worthy of The Famous Five.

A book lover, browsing through second hand

shops in Hay on Wye - she buys a book for ?1.

But she got more than she bargained for.

Leafing through it, she discovered a handwritten note

from the famous children's author Enid Blyton.

As Lindsay Doyle reports, the note was stuck to the inside cover

of a copy of George Eliot's "Silas Marner".

Once upon a time in a little town on the edge of Herefordshire, a town

known as the book town, there was a little book

which held a secret, which was discovered quite by

I was literally browsing the shelves and I don't know what

drew me to this one apart from the fact that it

looks little and old, but I picked it up and opened the

front cover and there was this little piece

I opened it I instantly recognised the signature as Enid Blyton's

Glued inside a copy of George Eliot's Silas Marner is what

appears to be a letter from one of the most famous children's

It is written to Mary congratulating her on winning one of

The name written inside Silas Marner is of a very Enid

Gillian and Imogen don't have to wait for the

next Enid Blyton to appear in the shops.

They can read it as it comes off the typewriter, for their

mother, Mrs Darren Waters, is Enid Blyton.

This was only ?1 this book, it was in the bargain book shelf

And so I hid it behind the shelf and we both ran back to our

hotel room and I grabbed my purse and ran back down to the stall and

found it again and kind of held onto it as if my

Lashings of luck, but rather rotten for the bookstall!

When I first heard I thought, oh, boy, that's a

And then I thought, when I had time to think about it, I

thought, well, no, it's a great story and I'm really pleased for her

and I'm glad she's happy to keep her purchase.

During the 50s and 60s schoolchildren were invited to enter

A winning composition would win a classic

novel, like Silas Marner, and also a letter from a children's author.

And Blyton's is one of the most famous signatures in modern

literature. She sold 600 million books worldwide. They tell me what

books they liked, what to write next, all the books they like best

of all. And if you happen to know who Mary

is, do let us know. It may not have had the drama

of Barcelona's epic Champions League comeback -

but Stoke City's draw at Manchester City last night

was a source of great satisfaction He'd called for the players to show

a positive response to their 4-0 defeat at Tottenham in the last

away game, and that's exactly what he got,

as Nick Clitheroe reports. Stoke City lost 4-0 the last time

they visited Manchester City and Mark Hughes was determined

there would be no In fact it was the Potters who came

close to taking the lead but Mame Biram Diouf couldn't get

enough power on his early chance Lee Grant has been an outstanding

signing for Stoke and the keeper was a reliable last line of defence

again at the Etihad Stadium. And then there were

the men in front of him - determined to use any means to block

the home side's way to goal. January signing Saido Berahino

was given a first start for Stoke impressed his manager

with his workrate. And when the final whistle went

there was very little doubt which team were the happier

with their night's work. People go on about systems and

formations and it's not about that, it's about players committing to

some kind of game plan and seeing it through to a conclusion. We had good

opportunities ourselves, certainly in the first half, if we did had

more care we could very easily have taken the lead.

And they'll need an equally determined performance

when the runaway leaders Chelsea visit the Potteries for their next

An annual award for the world's best female cricketer is to be named

The former England captain, from Wolverhampton, died

The International Cricket Council made the announcement at the launch

of the womens' World Cup - which takes place in

It's the annual highlight of the canine calender -

the Crufts international dog show, which got underway at the NEC

Over the next four days, 26,000 dogs and their owners

are expected to attend the 125th show.

This year there's a drive to bring back traditional British breeds -

which have been in decline in recent years, as Audrey Dias reports.

Everywhere you look, every conceivable breed of dog.

But some of the old favourites are becoming harder to spot.

Traditional British breeds are on the decline -

last year there were only 120 puppies from once popular dogs

like the Skye Terrier, Otter hound and Sussex spaniel.

These are nice dogs, lovely breeds, that in the past were

very popular and were great family members.

Unfortunately, what people are doing is seeing a celebrity with

a particular dog and they think, I'll have one of those.

Thousands of our furry friends are expected through the doors

at Crufts over the next few days - and there's a real drive to bring

This is the first time the Jack Russell terrier

After receiving pedigree status last year.

It's the first time a British dog has received that status since 1978.

There are so many British breeds that are already

on the endangered list because people just

them, because they're going out of fashion.

It's an amazing breed, because he's a terrier, a small dog

but with a great temperament and a funny one, a naughty one, that gives

But some people are bucking the trend.

Elena Pikthar from Russia breeds British terriers and brings them

For me the terrier is a very special dog.

When you've got a line, a British line that's

been there for generations and generations, I just feel

So with 218 pedigree breeds - there's a dog for everyone

Some lovely early spring sun for many, more to come Rebecca?

It wasn't too rough, was it? Oh... It has been a lovely day today. The

blossom is out, the daffodils are starting to spring up, it's almost

like it's spring out there! As we headed through the afternoon we saw

the winds easing. As they eased we saw the temperatures pushing up to

15 Celsius in some parts of the region. That is way above average

for the time of year. It has been a glorious day. That's mainly because

of the high pressure. It has kept things settled and is keeping

weather systems at bay. So for tomorrow, we should manage to stay

largely dry, but as it clears out of the way by the end of the weekend,

we could see some rain. Fortnight we are starting out clear. The

temperatures will fall away. It will be chilly in some places than the

cloud will thicken. That will help temperatures to recover. It means it

will be quite a cloudy start tomorrow. There will be some drizzle

to times but a little brightness, particularly to the Lee of any

higher ground. Along the Welsh mountains we might see temperatures

getting at a higher, pushing as far as 14. The wind is coming from the

south so it won't be too bad, but we are keeping dry for the most part. A

few spots of drizzle. Some cloud around overnight. Temperatures

ranging between eight and nine, very mild. As we head into the weekend it

will stay mild. We will keep the weather systems at bay a little

longer. Saturday, plenty of cloud, temperatures up to 12, but rain is

waiting in the wings and it will be here for Sunday. As it crosses as it

introduces something a little cooler and fresher, temperatures will

tumble but will stay largely dry. I'll be back at 10:30pm

with your next news.