19/04/2017 Midlands Today


19/04/2017

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Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight:

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If all the pensioners take advice off me, and I mean that,

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is that when people come to the door, don't open the door.

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Colin Bennett was the victim of a so-called distraction burglary

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when thieves talked their way into his home.

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Why ask? The school that has had five minibuses stolen in the last

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month. I am here for the challenge says Harry Redknapp after his

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Thursday at Birmingham city. After I said yes, I looked

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at the fixtures and thought, "It's an even bigger challenge

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than I thought it was." His 37th coming up this weekend and

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his last, the 80-year-old who has ran every London Marathon since it

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began in 1981. And after a touch of frost last

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night where temperatures hit freezing in one or two spots,

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time for a change - there's milder weather

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on the way with some rain. "I keep looking at her photo

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to say I've let you down." The words of a heartbroken widower,

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who was duped by a team The so-called "distraction burglars"

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tricked their way into 80-year-old Colin Bennett's home

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in Sutton Coldfield to steal his late wife's wedding ring,

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jewellery and over ?3000 in cash. Today he invited our reporter

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Ben Godfrey into his home in the hope of getting

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back his wife's precious belongings. I've let her down. I've let her

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down. I talked to her now, and ICI have let you down, and I have.

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Colin Bennett first set eyes on Irene at school

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They went on to have two children and were married for over 50 years

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She had dementia, and Colin nursed her.

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Her wedding ring - symbolising their enduring love -

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I cried. I just can't stop it, you see what I mean? It breaks my heart.

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If I told you, I am a very hard man normally, but this has just pulled

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me up hard. -- apart. Last Wednesday morning,

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at around 11 o'clock, a man called at Colin's door falsely

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claiming to work for Severn Trent. After seeing an ID badge, Colin

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let him in but left his door ajar. The trickster ran the tap

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in the kitchen for twenty minutes while his accomplice sneaked

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upstairs and began rifling An 18 carat gold chain,

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earrings and three thousand two All that money was meant for your

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son, Neil? It was Neal's benefit money, ?1200 of my pension.

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Colin couldn't pay it into the bank because he's recovering

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One of the burglars is described as white, five tall in his late 20s,

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wearing a dark baseball cap, a dark jacket and grey jeans. Detectives

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want to speak to anyone who may have been offered some of Colin's

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positions for sale in the last seven days. Colin, what advice would you

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give to people who don't know what you know now? I am saying to all the

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pensioners, if we want to break it, and we are the only people that can

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do it, we have got to say to these people, if they are telling lies,

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the book thereof. -- they will clear off.

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Colin Bennett speaking to Ben Godfrey.

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And if you have any information that can help West Midlands Police,

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you can contact them via the non emergency number 101.

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Two well known cattle breeders say compensation for farmers whose

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livestock is affected by TB isn't nearly enough.

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Last December Staffordshire farmer Ernie Durose had almost his entire

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herd slaughtered to stop the disease spreading.

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Tomorrow, Michael Brown from Herefordshire will send one

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of his best breeding cows to be culled.

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He says he'll only get back a fraction of her value,

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Nicola Beckford joins us live from the farm in just a moment,

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Michael Brown is counting down the hours with this cow.

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He says she's one of the most perfect cows he's ever bred.

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But she's tested positive for bovine TB and now she's one of two cows

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When she started to develop, she was obviously an elite cow.

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She stands out, to me, in amongst all the others I've got.

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Michael's been breeding prize-winning cattle

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He says that DEFRA have completely underestimated his cow's true value.

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They bring farmers, get full value for their animals,

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and I'm getting a paltry amount of ?1,857 for a cow that's worth...

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I mean, what the future might have held for her,

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she could be worth infinitesimal amounts of money.

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But the department say they have a well-established system

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in place for determining compensation for TB affected cattle,

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which takes into account an animal's pedigree,

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It's not just the cull that's a problem on this farm.

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DEFRA have placed a ban on moving any cattle,

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including these bulls, at the height of the selling season.

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By the time it's lifted, it'll be too late to get a good price.

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And it's not just here that's been hit by TB.

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This Staffordshire farmer lost almost his entire herd of Guernsey

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dairy cattle to the disease before Christmas.

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Obviously I want nothing to pay for that, so that comes out of me.

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It's very strange getting up in the morning and having no cows to milk.

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Back in Herefordshire, Michael has accepted

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that he will lose two of his best pedigree cows.

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What he can't come to terms with is the compensation pay out.

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The cows will be sent to abbatoir tomorrow and slaughtered on Friday.

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And we can join Nicola at Michael Brown's farm now.

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Clearly an extremely frustrating time, a worrying time

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for cattle breeders, Nicola?

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It certainly is a very worrying time.

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TB still affects hundreds of beef and dairy farmers

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In the last 12 months up to January 2017, there have been

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nearly two million TB tests carried out on cattle

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And 7,528 cattle have been slaughtered as a result.

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This is an issue of great concern to the National Farmers

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Union who echo the sentiments we've heard here in Herefordshire

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While the NFU is supporting its members and welcomes

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the progress being made to make England TB free, it says there

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are some things money can't buy - like a herd which has been improved

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by years of good breeding and genetics.

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are being advised to avoid travelling to and from

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There are no trains running in or out of Euston at the moment,

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due to a line-side fire which has damaged signalling equipment.

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The Prime Minister, Theresa May, has paid tribute

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to a Birmingham University student who was stabbed to

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23-year-old Hannah Bladon from Burton on Trent

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was attacked on a tram at the weekend.

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She was taking part in an exchange programme at the Hebrew University -

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she'd been studying there since January.

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A 57-year-old Palestinian man has been arrested.

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Our thoughts are also with the family and friends of Hanna, who was

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murdered injuries alone last week. Workers at BMW's engine plant have

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been staging the first in a series of strikes today

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in a dispute over pensions. Members of Unite, at

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Hams Hall in Warwickshire, are taking part in a 24 hour

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stoppage over plans to end The union says some members

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could lose ?160,000 We are out to achieve the company to

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go into negotiations and find a resolution and what the long-term

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could be on the pensions. We are fighting to keep the pensions open

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in some form or shape and we have given the company many solutions but

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we are just ignoring them at the moment.

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BMW says it wants to resume negotiations.

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Elected in 1997, she told supporters in an e-mail she knew when it was

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time to stand down. Whoever is elected as the Labour candidate will

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have my full backing, she said. The Labour MP for Wolverhampton

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South West, Rob Marris says he won't stand in the General Election

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on June eighth. Mr Marris, who was born

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in the city, has been He lost his seat in the 2010

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election to the Conservatives The new Birmingham City manager

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Harry Redknapp says he's facing a big challenge to keep them

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in the Championship this season. His arrival follows the resignation

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of Gianfranco Zola, with Blues just three points above

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the relegation zone. Our sports editor Nick Clitheroe

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was at Redknapp's first media conference today,

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and he's at St Andrews now. There is some flash photography

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coming up. He was bubbly and confident as we

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have come to expect but Harry Redknapp is 70 years old, he hasn't

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managed for two years and he told us his last coaching sessions was with

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the team of under ten in the park over the road. But he just loves the

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game, it took him 15 minutes to accept the offer from Birmingham

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city and the hardest part was telling his wife.

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When I got home, half past two in the morning, my wife was asleep.

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I said, "I'm going to Birmingham end of the season."

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Everybody I know thinks I'm mad, but I'm here.

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So what does he think is the key to keeping Birmingham up?

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He is targeting one win from these three games, maybe four points, but

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takes comfort from the fact that in 2002 he took over Portsmouth with

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five games to go, kept them up and the next the league. He was asked if

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blues stay up, which he stay on? I met the representative

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the other day of the owners and they seem good people,

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ambitious people, got big So I think there's no reason,

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if we survive this year, which I'm sure we can,

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that the future's good. The first of his three games is

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against Aston Villa on Sunday. The Villa striker will miss that game,

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Jonathan Kodjiia, despite having his ban reduced from three bands to

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wonder. He is embarking on a new error at Saint Andrews and you can

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see more of his press conference on the Midlands today Facebook page.

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In rugby, the Wasps forward Joe Launchbury has been surprisingly

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left out of the British and Irish Lions squad

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His club team-mate Elliot Daly is included, though,

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along with the Worcester centre Ben Te'o.

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He'll become the first player from the Warriors

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A school in Kidderminster is struggling for transport

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after having five minibuses stolen in the last eight months.

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The ContinU Plus Academy caters for youngsters who've been excluded

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from other schools or struggled in mainstream education.

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Two of the buses that bring them to school were stolen over Easter,

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This is the only minibus left at the Continu Plus academy

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in Kidderminster a school that sets out to give children a second chance

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in Kidderminster a school that sets out to give children

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Some of them take some persuading to return to the classroom

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and the transport that picks them up is crucial.

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So the theft pictured on CCTV of two of their three minibuses

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over the Easter break has upset everybody.

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I did actually cry. It is heartbreaking and devastating and

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it's not just that, the kids, the rely on this transport. Whoever they

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were, they came prepared cutting through a padlock, removing tracking

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devices from the vehicles and dumped them in a flower pot and then

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manoeuvred around the ball out that the school had installed last summer

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after the first theft. Three minibuses were stolen that

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time - this was one of them. The head and her staff have pruned

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spending elsewhere to top up the insurance pay out and buy

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new vehicles and now We are incredibly sad about it. Our

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transport is a lifeline for our children to come to school. We

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keirin about them very much, we want them here and educate them and look

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after them and we can't at the moment.

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Without the buses a big part of school life it's outdoor trips

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I was disgusted because it happened in the past. The depend on the bus

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because the need to get to kayaking destinations, for example. I feel

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awful because I can't get to and from school and it's affecting my

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learning. Police are carrying

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out forensics tests It's important the public get in

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touch with us if they've seen these vehicles, the art sign read and

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vehicles, it would be unusual for them to be seen outside the

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immediate area. The school's motto is

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we will work it out. With the summer term starting

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on Monday, this a problem When Birmingham became

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the first city to stage the People's Marathon in 1980,

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Dale Lyons jumped at Little did he know, that he'd

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soon become addicted On Sunday, in London,

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Dale is hoping to complete the 100th and final marathon

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of his athletics career. Birmingham's cherry blossom

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was looking beautiful. And Dale Lyons was

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blooming marvellous too. Having just celebrated his 80th

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birthday, Dale's decided that Sunday's London Marathon

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will be his last. because only 11 people can claim

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to have been ever present since it And Dale is proud to be part of this

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select group of marathon runners. It's such a status symbol,

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in a way, and it's basically And over the past 36 years,

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Dale has proved it by tossing pancakes along the 26 mile route,

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or carrying an egg on a spoon, or doing anything to

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raise money for charity. So this year he's running to help

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people like Warren Newman, who's Just one of many who will benefit

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from this ?14 million centre, the new HQ of the deaf

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blind charity, Sense. I'm really proud of him

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running to raise money for Sense and for charity,

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and it's so great that this If people like Dale and what he's

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done is absolutely amazing, but everybody like him just making

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possible a really fantastic So if you're planning to watch

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the London Marathon on Sunday, keep an eye out for Dale

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in his distinctive running vest, as he prepares to run his 100th

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and final marathon at the age of 80. Not with all of the London

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Marathon crowd around me. No, I'm afraid I'll

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need it on the day. An ex-prisoner who shot to notoriety

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as one of only two men ever to escape from Shrewsbury Jail has

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been back behind bars today. Walter Groom escaped in 1961,

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he was on the run for six days. Today he returned to the former jail

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to explain to our reporter Joanne Writtle how he's to become

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a tour guide for a day to talk Walter Groom never thought he'd

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want to go back to jail, but 56 years after escaping,

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he's brought his wife Barbara back Graham Goodwin was a

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prison officer here. Walter's escape from

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here is legendary. Walter was known and spoke of over

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the years, because being the only Older officers that

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were here at the time and as I came here in the 80s,

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those stories would get relayed. This was Walter aged 25, he served

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three sentences for breaking into shops and in amongst the lines of

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cells, Walter finds his own. And there was no sanitation. There was

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only a part to do your bit thin. In 1961, Walter escaped with another

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prisoner, the only two ever to manage it. I was approached by

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another prisoner and he was desperate to get out. I thought,

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that would be a challenge. It took 16 days to plan and in basic terms

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this is what happened. There was a man out here and we had to go down

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there and remove grills, the tunnel led to another manhole and out into

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the yard. We need a human ladder to get out of the wall. Can you believe

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and know you did it? Noel, looking at it now, I can't. His wife has

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written a book about it. He turned his life around when they met. The

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couple's two sons only learned of their father's notoriety as adults.

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I wanted to make a new life for myself, always wanted to do that. I

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succeeded in the end. It was hard going, but I did it. Walter was

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captured after six days on the run. Today he doesn't need to scale walls

:19:09.:19:10.

to get out. Assya Shabir has what's

:19:11.:19:15.

known as Butterfly Skin. It's a rare condition that causes

:19:16.:19:17.

agonising blisters across her skin When she was born,

:19:18.:19:22.

her parents were told At 29, Assya from Yardley

:19:23.:19:28.

in Birmingham has fulfilled a lifelong ambition

:19:29.:19:35.

to skydive. Her inspirational blogs on social

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media are full of fun and hope for the future and tonight she's

:19:38.:19:40.

sharing her story with us. I'm Assya, I'm 29 and

:19:41.:19:43.

I have junctional EB. This is my cameraman

:19:44.:19:49.

and this is my instructor. I get internal and external

:19:50.:19:52.

blistering from head to toe. Some days it's really good, some

:19:53.:19:57.

days I'm unable to move completely. I've never felt so beautiful

:19:58.:20:03.

in my life, like ever. Yeah, I'm really happy,

:20:04.:20:15.

excited more than anything! I think my excitement

:20:16.:20:21.

is overriding my nerves. When I was born, I was supposed

:20:22.:20:32.

to be born in Birmingham with EB. This is nothing, it could be much

:20:33.:20:35.

worse, so I am thankful I think the landing

:20:36.:20:51.

was the best bit. I just want to show everyone with EB

:20:52.:20:58.

with the condition that I have that you don't have to stop

:20:59.:21:05.

because of your condition. You can do what you want,

:21:06.:21:08.

when you want and how you want. There are more videos about Assya

:21:09.:21:14.

on the BBC news pages and the Midlands Today facebook

:21:15.:21:17.

page, the address is on screen now. And I'm pleased to say Assya's

:21:18.:21:21.

with me in the studio. Hello. Hello. You put up with so

:21:22.:21:35.

much, how do you keep so cheerful and positive? It is the people I'm

:21:36.:21:39.

around, my family and friends and my faith in God. It gets me through

:21:40.:21:43.

each and every day, knowing this is just a test for me and my beliefs,

:21:44.:21:50.

this is a test and may hereafter is going to be much better. You have

:21:51.:21:55.

done the skydive, do you have plans for the next outing? I would love to

:21:56.:22:06.

do another one in Wales, it looks amazing, the longest running Europe.

:22:07.:22:11.

In your day to day life, what's it like? What is the reaction from the

:22:12.:22:17.

public? How do your family called? It is difficult, because some days

:22:18.:22:20.

are worse than others, to the point where I can't get out of bed.

:22:21.:22:24.

Sometimes I'm stuck to the bed, it is harder for my family to see me in

:22:25.:22:30.

pain. On outings, sometimes you have to ignore the public. Society as

:22:31.:22:37.

well, it's like that saying goes, ignorance is bliss. They don't see

:22:38.:22:43.

past what they see and sometimes it's hard. I struggle when people

:22:44.:22:47.

speak to my family and I am standing right next to them. It's like, I can

:22:48.:22:53.

speak. It's lovely to meet you and talk to you. Congratulations, you

:22:54.:22:57.

raised 2000 from the skydive. Thank you.

:22:58.:22:58.

So how's the weather looking for skydivers across the Midlands?

:22:59.:23:02.

A picture of calm at the minute here but if you are hurtling through the

:23:03.:23:10.

skies at that altitude, a whole different story. Take a look at

:23:11.:23:15.

this, a picture of tranquillity at Warwickshire this morning, a lovely

:23:16.:23:22.

sunrise. Plenty of sun right sunshine. That cloud slowly filtered

:23:23.:23:27.

favourite so by the end of the day this is what it looked like. Milky

:23:28.:23:31.

white guys but not really producing very much rain. There is a distinct

:23:32.:23:37.

lack of rain right now. Even over the next couple of days, even though

:23:38.:23:42.

we have lots of cloud around, it is still going to be a mainly dry

:23:43.:23:46.

picture, just the odd aspect of rain here and there. Enough to dampen the

:23:47.:23:51.

ground or perhaps not at all. It will warm up in spite of the cloud.

:23:52.:23:59.

A couple of cold front flooding in from the north-west for tonight and

:24:00.:24:02.

tomorrow and later on Friday, that's what's producing that light rain.

:24:03.:24:06.

High pressure to decide about keeping most of the rain at bay.

:24:07.:24:12.

Tonight, it is going to be a cloudy picture. The cloud is across

:24:13.:24:16.

northern parts of the region right now. Clear skies towards Central and

:24:17.:24:21.

southern parts. If you are looking out for the asteroid hurtling past

:24:22.:24:25.

Earth over the next couple of days, that is your best chance of seeing

:24:26.:24:28.

it if you're in the size of the region, but it's not visible from

:24:29.:24:32.

the naked eye, only visible through a telescope. Later tonight, the

:24:33.:24:36.

cloud syncing southwards, it should stay largely drive us places but it

:24:37.:24:39.

will produce rain across the north of the region. The south-east stain

:24:40.:24:44.

clearest of all, but unlike last night where we had a touch of frost

:24:45.:24:48.

and temperatures near freezing, tonight is much milder, eight or

:24:49.:24:53.

nine Celsius. Overall, it's going to be a cloudy day. That cloud

:24:54.:24:57.

continues to sink southwards and we will see a bit more in the way of

:24:58.:25:00.

rain elsewhere. Not just in northern parts but in very minimal and mostly

:25:01.:25:08.

dry conditions. Highs of 14 to 15 Celsius. It will be milder.

:25:09.:25:09.

I'll be back at ten thirty with your late update.

:25:10.:25:13.

Have a good evening. Bye for now.

:25:14.:25:41.

the most that have ever voted for anything in this country,

:25:42.:25:45.

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