10/04/2017 Midlands Today

The headlines tonight: so it's goodbye from me

Smiling at the English Defence League - how this picture of a young

Asian woman in Birmingham sparked international reaction.

I wasn't then, I'm not now, and I don't intend to be.

Saffiyah Khan says she stepped in to defend a woman during a far-right

The Stourbridge woman left with catastrophic injuries

after rescuing a child on the Devon coast,

and her slow road back to independence.

I can clean my teeth and feed myself breakfast now, so obviously I'm

The great escape is on - Coventry City stave off

relegation for another week, but can it continue?

Find out why Dusty here is well and truly in the dog house,

and why he's having to go back to school.

And after such a stunning weekend, with the best temperatures we've

seen so far this year, and likelihood of a cracking Easter,

"Sometimes it's just the best response - just to smile".

The words of a Birmingham woman, whose photo has gone around

the world after she was pictured confronting an English Defence

Saffiyah Khan says she stepped in to protect a woman who had been

surrounded by members of the far-right movement -

during their demonstration in the city on Saturday.

She says she hopes the picture will allow her to

"do something positive", and denies EDL claims

that she disrupted a minute's silence for terror attack

Our reporter Bob Hockenhull is in Birmingham City Centre for us now.

So tell us more about the demonstration.

About 100 people demonstrated here in Centenary Square.

The EDL protest was smaller than other we've seen in the past

in Birmingham and other parts of the Midlands,

but this one will be remembered for one photograph shared

An image that's travelled around the world -

today, at home in Acocks Green, Saffiyah Khan was reflecting on her

moment of defiance at Saturday's EDL demonstration in Birmingham.

She says she stepped in to help a Muslim woman

She seemed scared, but regardless of whether or not she felt scared,

the fact of the matter is there was a group

and I don't think anybody should be in that position.

The photograph shows Saffiyah appearing to smile at

She says he was poking his finger in her face,

I was just looking at the guy, and sometimes just the best

Were you actually scared when you intervened?

I wasn't then, and I'm not now, and I don't intend to be.

Ian Crossland hasn't yet commented today,

but he did speak on Saturday before the photograph was taken.

It's not a demonstration against Muslims,

it's a demonstration against radical Mu...Islam.

Around 100 people took part in the rally.

The EDL says it moved the protest from Derby to Birmingham

because Khalid Masood, the Westminster attacker,

On a site claiming to be the EDL's official Facebook page,

it said Saffiyah had been "disrespectful, shouting

during a minute's silence for victims of terror attacks

Saffiyah says there was no "one-minute silence".

That's a really hurtful claim, because anyone that knows me,

even not particularly well, or has just talk to me once

or twice, can vouch for the fact that I would respect a minute's

Saffiyah also denies claims she's a member of any anti-fascist group.

People we spoke to seemed happy the photograph had been circulated

I think it's a brave act, especially because they are quite,

you know, they are a lot more aggressive and physically taller

When she stayed calm, I think it brought more

awareness to it rather than causing an argument.

Saffiyah says she finds it strange the picture has

attracted such notoriety, but hopes it'll motivate

The picture has attracted numerous comments. The broadcaster Piers

Morgan described it as the photo of the week, and the brand-new Yardley

MP Jess Phillips from burning said the picture was a beacon of hope.

The lady that Saffiyah Khan stepped in to defend has thanked her and the

pair are due to meet later. A former EDL leader Tommy Robinson said, I

don't care how many people don't like me saying it, the truth is the

truth than the picture is embarrassing.

Now imagine this - you're body-boarding off the coast,

on holiday, when you realise a child has got into

You go to his rescue - the next thing you know

is when you wake up to be told you have suffered severe injuries.

That's what happened to Deb Drew, from Stourbridge, in 2014.

Now friends and family are fundraising, so she can

Kisses for a dear friend whom they rarely get to see these days.

A chance for Deb Drew to get out of her rehabilitation centre

where she now spends all of her time.

Back in 2014 she was holidaying in Woolacombe off

Deb saw a young boy get into difficulties in the sea

Both had to be rescued by the coastguard, but Deb suffered

I can't move, so I can't wash myself or...

I can now clean my teeth and feed myself breakfast now, so, obviously,

She's a mother of two boys, who are now in their teens,

and her dream is to spend this Christmas at home with them -

she's not been back there since the accident.

But she needs a very expensive wheelchair that

can help her stand up, so friends from her old tennis club

are cycling, pumping iron and getting fit fast

for a three-day fundraising challenge.

We are going to run up and down Snowdon in

a fell race style challenge, and then we are going to swim

on Lake Bala, which I understand in May is pretty cold,

so we are all quite excited about that, and then

we are going to do a 60-mile bike dash, a relay bike dash

from the centre of Wales, mid-Wales, to our finish point,

They need to raise ?25,000, and Deb couldn't be more grateful.

Her mother Beryl is also a constant support.

She says enabling her daughter to go home would be a huge relief.

Her mind is healing quicker than her body is healing, which makes it...

In one way it's good, but in another way it's not so good,

because she's got time to think and wonder what's going to happen.

Deb knows the boy survived but has never heard from his family.

Her friends say she is truly selfless.

A 26-year-old man's appeared in court charged with murdering

a father of four, at a tram stop in Birmingham.

Anthony Banting died after being stabbed a number

of times in Winson Green on March 31.

A father of four, and a loving granddad -

Anthony Banting, known to many as Tony -

was a fan of horse racing and crown green bowls.

He was attacked at the Soho Benson Road tram stop,

on a Friday afternoon as he walked to meet his son at a local pub.

Stabbed multiple times, he never recovered from his injuries,

and police launched a major investigation.

Today, a 26-year-old man, Alaeldien Ahmed,

appeared before magistrates charged with his murder.

With the help of an Arabic interpreter, he spoke only

to confirm his name, age and address.

There was no application for bail and he was remanded in custody.

Today's proceedings mark a first step in what could be

On Friday, Anthony Banting's four sons laid flowers

at the site of his attack, describing their Dad as a simple man

of simple pleasures, who loved nothing more than spending

The man accused of his murder is now due to appear at

Elizabeth Glinka, BBC Midlands Today, Birmingham.

A mum drunk on vodka, who lost control of her car

in a high-speed crash as her toddler son sat in the back seat,

32-year-old Tania Chikwature from Coventry was more than three

times over the drink-drive limit when she lost control

of her Nissan Qashqai as she drove to a wake

Despite the crash, her 20-month-old son was unhurt,

although she sustained minor injuries.

Union leaders have been meeting managers at

the 2 Sisters Food Group in Smethwick.

It's after the company announced plans to close their

poultry-processing site, putting 600 jobs at risk.

The firm says it understands the impact the closure could have,

and will offer up to 200 permanent roles at their other

West Midlands Police were among the forces paying tribute

to PC Keith Palmer today, the officer killed during

Flags at force headquarters have been flying at half mast,

and a two-minute silence was observed by police forces

across the country at the start of PC Palmer's funeral.

A controversial plan to award a ?690 million contract,

covering all cancer care in Staffordshire, has been scrapped.

Health bosses have decided it was too financially risky to go

Our health correspondent Michele Paduano has been looking

into the details and joins me from Staffordshire now.

In a nutshell, nobody could actually make the numbers stack up. This

contract was being led by inter-server with Phillips and two

University hospitals, North Midlands and Royal Wolverhampton hospital.

But they wanted them to do 10% more work over the next ten years with no

extra money, and nobody was prepared to take that risk.

In simple terms, they couldn't demonstrate that they were able

We wanted them to increase the number of people

who were diagnosed with cancer, and actually ensure

that they were treated, but within the same money

This idea was controversial from the start?

It was. It was conceived four years ago and the idea was that cancer

services were disjointed and this would bring them together, but from

the start there were concerns this was privatisation through the back

door. Was a 70,000 signature petition against this, and going

forward there were concerns that two partners fell out of the

partnership. Then we had a hedging Brooke experiment, which went foul.

As a result, they had to pause this for a year, now we have reached this

stage. What happens now?

Basically, there is a plan B, that they go back to an NHS five-year

plan, but clearly, with no extra money in the system, it will be

difficult, very difficult to improve cancer care and those circumstances.

Thank you. Thanks for joining us

on Midlands Today. This is our top story

tonight: Smiling at the English Defence

League - how this picture of a young Asian woman in Birmingham

sparked international reaction. Also in tonight's programme,

a vote of confidence - despite another defeat

at the weekend for Birmingham City, the club say they have no plans

to replace manager Gianfranco Zola. After a scorching weekend, will be

same be true for Easter? These were sun-drenched scenes over the weekend

for a country retreat in the countryside. Temperatures soared to

22 Celsius in Birmingham and Shropshire, but what is in store

this week? Find out later. Now, how often do you sit

down and actually write Because that's one

of the ideas behind It's been organised

by Jodi Ann Bickley, who is also the creator

of the "One Million Lovely Letters" project, offering hope

and inspiration through They start off as just a few words

on a piece of paper, but these letters may end up

changing people's lives. After suffering serious illness and

depression, Jodi Ann Bickley decided to start the One Million Lovely

Letters project in 2013 to try and help others feeling the way she was.

People e-mail me with their darkest moments and their darkest times,

because people feel like... We are all very... We all do it. With the

light we will burden our family and friends are worried if we talk about

problems. -- we feel like this. Because they are telling me so much

about them it is like a letter from somebody they know.

Tonight she is opening an exhibition of letters written by herself and

others at the gallery in Birmingham. Where this exhibition is different

is the letters are not just for show. If we find a special one that

speaks to you, you can take it and keep it. The only deal is, you have

to replace it with a letter you write, yourself, for somebody else.

Jodi Ann's still a long way off from her 1 million lovely letters.

Over the past four years, she's sent 4,000 letters,

and currently has a waiting list of 8,000 requests.

With so much demand, Jodi Ann's taken on ten

To you, the one filled with doubt and the one who tells us how she

can't do this and is not good enough.

..including Hannah Young, a mum of two from Nuneaton.

Just because it could be making someone's day is lovely.

With letter writing fast becoming a dying art, the hope is the

exhibition, which until Sunday, urges far more of us to pick up a

pen and paper. Time for sport -

Dan Pallet has joined me. A stay of execution

for Coventry City, Dan. Surprising because we looked at one

point as if we would be relegated before the Wembley trip.

The Sky Blues are like a spider, clinging onto their League One

That's the view of their former manager John Sillett who led

the Sky Blues to their finest hour at Wembley 30 years ago.

With relegation looming for his old club, Ian Winter

Dancing for joy with the FA Cup - John Sillett is one football's

30 years ago next month, his Wembley jig delighted millions

It's bringing tears to my eyes already.

I feel like crying every time I look at it.

Such a wonderful, wonderful occasion.

A wonderful day. The best day of my life.

In the past 12 months, John's recovered from major heart surgery,

He'll celebrate his 81st birthday in July, and he'd love to celebrate

Coventry's survival in League One, but he knows that's highly unlikely.

12 months before John won the FA Cup, Coventry managed

to win their last three games to survive in the old First

Division, but now they need an even bigger miracle if they are to avoid

relegation to the fourth tier of English football.

At least Coventry aren't going down without a fight.

Lee Burge saved a Peterborough penalty, before Ruben Lameiras

Now the Sky Blues must win their last four games and pray

that April is a pointless month for all their rivals.

I don't think so, as much as I'd love it to.

Let's hope the spider can go climbing up,

Another goal will surely seal their fate...

Ever since Paul Merson's goal condemned Coventry to relegation

at Villa Park back in May 2001, it's been 16 years of

Farewell to the Premier League after 34 years in the top flight,

followed by 11 seasons in the championship,

relegated to League 1 in 2012, and now teetering on the brink

I grew up watching us play Liverpool and Manchester United

and Arsenal and Chelsea, and next season I'll be watching

them play Accrington Stanley, Morecambe, Lincoln City

or Forest Green Rovers, teams like that, and it's

Just like John Sillett, lifelong Coventry fan Moz Baker

will always have his memories of Coventry's FA Cup win,

but if relegation becomes reality against Charlton on Good Friday,

then both men are hoping it won't be long before they are back.

Ian Winter, BBC Midlands Today, Warwickshire.

The Birmingham City manager Gianfranco Zola has been given

a vote of confidence by the club's board after they were beaten

Blues have lost 12 of their 20 games since the Italian took over

in December and the fans have become increasingly frustrated.

Gary Rowett's return to St Andrews on Saturday was always

going to increase the pressure on the man who replaced him.

Zola has seen a playoff challenge turn into a relegation fight since.

Blues deserved a point after fighting back to equalise

through Che Adams, but, in the last minute, one long

clearance allowed Tom Ince to win it for the away side.

The response from Birmingham's owners today

The curse of the manager of the month proved enough

but, after five straight victories, Paul Lambert said he couldn't be too

critical of his side after defeat at Bristol City.

Burton Albion boosted their own survival hopes and almost certainly

ended Aston Villa's faint playoff chances.

Jonathan Kodjia's 19th of the season cancelled out

Port Vale and Shrewsbury changed places again

Stefan Payne's goal saw the Shrews move out of the bottom four.

Vale are back in the drop zone again, though,

Walsall's season is drifting to a conclusion, but at least

the fans could enjoy a first goal from record signing Andreas Makris.

And drifting could also describe the state of play for our

West Bromwich Albion have failed to score in five

Stoke's form is worse, though, with four straight

So, let's finish with the most dramatic game

Cheltenham went from 2-0 up to 3-2 down at Wycombe,

before rescuing a vital point at the end through

So the dreaded vote of confidence for Zola, then, Dan.

With Birmingham City worrying close to the relegation zone,

how important could their Easter fixtures be?

They look season-defining - and not just for the Blues.

On Good Friday they're away to the bottom club Rotherham.

Rotherham have lost 14 of their last 15 games and lost the other one,

and on Easter Monday they're at home to Burton Albion.

That's pretty tense. It was tense at the Ricoh Arena, watching Wasps.

They left it late. A remarkably exciting game from

Wasps. This last-minute try from prop

Matt Mullan plus Jimmy Gopperth's conversion game them

victory by 32-30. The game was a nine-try thriller,

and it leaves top of the table with three games left

before the play-offs. They don't make it easy for

themselves. It's 27 years since the last Super

Prix on the streets of Birmingham. Could motor racing

be on the way back? Well, a window of opportunity has

opened ever so slightly. There was Formula 3000 racing

in Birmingham in the late '80s. It ended after complaints

from people saying their lives but new rules mean that promoters

can apply for permission The final decision would rest

with the relevant council. Thanks very much for that, Dan. We

return to the football pitch now. Now, do you remember

the dog who created chaos Pictures of Dusty the beagle's

overeager attempt to join in play at a Halesown Town match

earlier this month. Well, after his poor

behaviour, his owner, the Halesowen player Asa Charlton,

decided to accept the offer of some dog obedience

training for his beagle. They had a one-to-one

session this afternoon - and are now with our reporter

Laura May McMcmullan at the Dog's Well, Dusty here has had

a quite a day of it, and it's hoped his naughty antics

will soon be a thing of the past. He may have been able

to dodge several players on the pitch last weekend,

but, as we've seen today, he's not going to be able to get

away with it for much longer. Man's best friend or not, Dusty

is definitely not in the good books. Dusty!

Come here, Dusty! It seems the one-year-old beagle

has a bit of trouble when it comes to obeying instructions,

and that was certainly evident during a Halesowen

football match last weekend. I saw the dog coming on and I

thought, that can't be my dog. And then I saw my mum,

and my wife and my daughter running on the pitch,

and it was just like, Not only did he carry

out a pitch invasion, he managed to side-step several

players and stop the match for several minutes,

so it's time for him to come to "dog school" to end his

disruptive behaviour. Dusty, as you will have seen

on the field, was chasing a lot, so we have said to him,

no more chasing. It's a big game for Dusty,

basically - he's really enjoying that chase -

but what we want to teach him Well, his mischievous manoeuvres

certainly livened up the match, and he's been dubbed

"Britain's most disruptive dog", and with me now is Dusty's

owner Asa Charlton. Asa, it might be for the wrong

reasons, but can you believe What has the reaction been like?

A fantastic reaction for Dusty and he has become a star. He has been

incredibly naughty throughout the week and the game but it has been

fantastic. In hindsight, should you have

taken him to the match? He just wanted to get stuck in,

probably? I'm not taking the blame because my

mum took him by mistake. Fully with the help of the dogs trust and the

training we will be able to take into a game soon -- hopefully.

I wish you the best. Your next home game is against Nantwich town in ten

days' time, so hopefully Dusty can be trusted. Otherwise you might just

be shown a red card. I don't know, Laura, with that nifty

work, I think Hill zone should sign him up.

Most definitely. He is a bit of a

and he has stolen the show. What a contrast from the weather at the

weekend from summer and we have gone back to spring.

Any chance of more of that warmth this week?

Pushing our luck but not too bad. We could perhaps dream and visualise

and reflect on the weekend's weather because these were the sunset

scenes. From Worcestershire to Shropshire. The sun was strong

enough to send temperatures up to 22 Celsius and staying here in

Birmingham as well. The highest dollies across the region, making it

the warmest day of the year so far. Incidentally, temperatures reached

25.5 Celsius at Cambridge, the hottest place in the country. Today

this was the scene in Staffordshire. Not too shabby. 20 blue sky and

sunshine. That was not the case everywhere, but crucially it was the

temperature that let us down today, by eight or 10 Celsius on

yesterday's value, highs of around 11 or 12 Celsius. Considerably

lower. However, we're looking at Easter weekend being a fresher, due

to a westerly breeze, but plenty dry weather on offer and it will

generally be settled this week. Could get some sunshine and showers

around as well, but high pressure dominating. You can see it on the

pressure chart right now. It will be situated out to the West and moving

from west to south-west by the time we get in midweek. Cold front

slipping down from the north-west, south-eastwards by the time we get

Wednesday. This will be introducing some like outbreaks of rain. Other

than that, some showers, as they say, but a mainly untitled picture.

Let's take a look at this evening, and clear skies out there right now.

Some late sunshine to round off the day, but clear spells continuing to

tonight, and a bit of patchy cloud here and there, a dry picture.

Through the early hours, cloud melting away, so temperatures could

be in the south-west region laws of around five Celsius. A bit colder or

cooler than the countryside, so a chilly start to tomorrow. Some

sunshine and Fairweather cloud bubbling up from time to time,

centring continuing into the afternoon and temperatures up to 14

or 15 Celsius. That will be with a moderate westerly breeze. Heading

further ahead into the week, looking at dry conditions, as I say,

variable cloud on Thursday and the odd spot of rain on Friday. Thank

you. Beautiful green shots in that photo. That is all for me and I will

be back with your next news at half past ten. Join me then and have a

good evening.