19/05/2017 Midlands Today

It has a proud heritage in the Midlands - and now

This building is far from the traditional

It's the new multimillion pound headquarters of family

It was established 37 years in Stoke on Trent and it's owner has

described today as "the most exciting day of his life."

The pottery industry employs around 7000 people in the city,

contributing ?650 million to the UK economy.

This investment is seen as the latest sign of a resurgence

Making clay of all shapes, sizes, and compositions,

Business is brisk and the company needs more space, so this small

factory will close and production moved to the new ?3 million

Meet Alan, he started it all with his father 37 years ago.

Today, though, it's not just about manufacturing,

Giving people the chance to learn about ceramics.

This is the most exciting day of my life.

I think here we've got an excellent opportunity with training facilities

in all aspects of disciplines in producing ceramic pottery where.

We will bring some of the most renowned experts in their particular

Trying out the new workshop are local potters Keith,

who is a judge on the TV show The Great British Pottery

They both think the workshop is crucial.

Colleges have closed most of their facilities,

so to have a space where you can actually come in, work, make pots,

and not necessarily leading towards a qualification of any,

And those spaces are really difficult to come by,

With the city's ceramic industry experiencing a resurgence,

business experts say it is becoming an attractive career

We are going around schools, doing a lot of work with schools,

trying to get pupils interested within the ceramic industry.

Their parents have come from the ceramic industry,

or their grandparents, so what we are doing is telling them

that the ceramic industry is not the dirty environment that

it used to be, it is now a high-tech, modern environment

for young people to go where there are real career

And perhaps they'll work here some day, another two factories

are to be built on the site, creating more jobs over

Police are investigating, after a Black country schoolgirl

says she was abducted - walking home from school.

The alleged incident happened yesterday afternoon.

Our reporter Ben Godfrey is in Stourbridge this evening,

so Ben what do you know about what happened?

on and on and on to Paul at this college here in Stourbridge. -- we

understand the 12-year-old girl was a pupil at this college here in

Stourbridge. She was walking home from school at around 3:15pm. She

was then bundled into a black cab by four white men, driven for around 90

minutes, heading towards Worcestershire, a journey of about

four miles. Where she searching managed to escape, and added a

member of the public, and West Murcia police were alerted. West

Midlands Police are interviewing her today. They are studying CCTV. They

say it appears to be an isolated incident and most importantly this

girl has not been physically hurt. What has been the reaction locally?

Families will be watching this, having received a letter, or pupils

have had a meeting in their school. Schools in the Derby area are being

told about the incident and being given letters. One letter goes as

follows: Pretty extraordinary letter with a

lot of detail, the once we have seen. A serious safeguarding issue,

though, Dudley Council looks after this local authority school. They

have said in a statement that they are aware of the incident. They are

urging anybody with information to contact the police. Thank you.

Two former BBC radio presenters have appeared in court,

charged with indecently assaulting boys in the 1990s.

The jury at Warwick Crown Court heard how Tony and Julie Wadsworth

had sex in parkland - in view of a group of children.

They each deny 5 offences of outraging public decency -

and multiple charges of indecent assault.

A little earlier I asked our reporter Joanne Writtle

what the jury heard at Warwick Crown Court today.

The jury has been told that Tony and Julie Wadsworth were partial

to having sexual encounters outdoors in an area on the edge of Atherstone

golf course in Warwickshire, known locally as the Outwood.

The married couple from Broughton Astley in Leicestershire

are said to have had sex in the open, knowing

and taking delight, it was said in the fact

It is alleged Julie Wadsworth would encourage boys to engage

Her husband is said to have been there as a lookout,

On one occasion it was said he had a camera.

These offences are alleged to have taken place between 1992 and 1996

The boys, seven of them in total, were said to be 14 years

How have these allegations come to light?

We heard from the prosecution councillor, and she said that

in 2015 one alleged victim attended a child protection course as part

of his job, which included an area on grooming.

It struck him, she said, that what had happened between him and Julie

Wadsworth was not right. He spoke to people on the course and then he

went to the police and gave names of other boys. The Wadsworths former

radio presenters. They deny indecent assault. Julie Wadsworth has

admitted that she and her husband would engage in what was described

as outdoor hanky-panky, but denies that any sexual activity took place

when young lads were there. The trial here in Leamington spa is due

to continue on Monday. The Conservatives have taken

control of Dudley council, The authority had been run

by a minority Labour administration Labour's Pete Lowe was ousted

at a meeting last night, with the Tories Patrick Harley voted

into the top job instead. Travellers used a digger to rip

up a wooden barrier, to gain access to a playing field

in West Bromwich. The machine tore through wooden

posts, allowing vans This video footage -

filmed from a nearby house - was used as evidence which helped

the authorities move the group on, A Staffordshire gang who hid crack

cocaine inside Kinder eggs, have been jailed for a total

of 51 years. The 8 men conspired to supply crack

cocaine in Hednesford, Staffordshire Police seized tens

of thousands of pounds Detectives have begun

an investigation following an incident in Birmingham

in which a 22 year-old man was shot. It's the latest in

a series of shootings The Stratford Road through

Sparkbrook in Birmingham, a busy commuter route,

sealed off at morning rush hour Residents heard a commotion

on the corner of Braithwaite Road, My wife, I think,

thought it was fireworks. The 22-year-old victim ran

to paramedics who were nearby He was taken to hospital

with gunshot wounds to his shoulder. Across South and Central Birmingham

there have been at least six This is the second in

Sparkbrook in that period. Does it make you scared

to go out at night? I feel quite intimidated

when I go outside. But it's all right, because,

in my heart, I know this area, I know people around here,

so I feel safe. More than 12 hours after this

shooting this road, one of the busiest in Birmingham,

is on the point of reopening. Police have been touring local

businesses, their message, that they believe this

was gang-related, The shooting comes as a blow

at a project just along the road where they work with hard to reach

communities and try to ease Our concerns are that this now

escalates and something occurs So what we will do is work

as a community, work with our local police team and authority,

to try and stop this, The victim is in a stable

condition in hospital, three men, all in their 20s,

are being questioned by police. Three weeks tonight we'll know

who's won - and lost - The Conservatives defend

a majority of just 730. Not for the first time,

a marginal seat is embroiled in a long-running hospital issue:

the tug-of-war between Telford and Shrewsbury,

over A and E services. Our Political Editor

Patrick Burns joins me. Why do hospital issues have this

habit of turning political It is the sheer emotional intensity

of a hospital issue, which can lift it above all the other issues and

engender something of a by-election atmosphere. Even in the midst of a

general election. There is a quirk in all parts of the country in gut

every marginal Conservative seat they increased their majority. But

Labour did the same. They increased their majorities, too in all but

one, Telford. That is where the Conservatives overturned a narrow

Labour majority and had an even narrower majority of their own.

Absolutely intractable decision-making process over

hospital services. The wrangle over Shrewsbury and Telford. The

Conservative candidate in Telford is convinced her town is making

significant progress. What we do know and we had confirmation now, is

that we will retain a substantial a and the service at the Princess

Royal and we will also keep services at the women and children unit. --

A service at the Princess Royal. Telford had been a Labour seat

for many years before So who is hoping to win it

back for them this time? A prominent figure. On this hospital

issue he accuses his conservative opponent of presenting mixed

messages. She was on the front page of the local newspaper some weeks

ago and said women and children services are safe. In a week later

she was asking people to sign a petition. People do not know where

she stands. We've been hearing

about a "Progressive Alliance" between left-of-centre parties -

to try to get Conservatives out. Has there been any talk

of that in Telford? Yes. The Greens made overtures to

the Labour Party, in line with Labour's positioned across the

country. They rebuffed that. The Greens and the Lib Dems are

definitely fighting one another. With what is happening over Brexit,

a lot of the medical professionals are thinking have they actually got

a future in this country, they might be thinking about going abroad. The

situation is going to get worse. There is definitely a lot of

confusion. There is euphemistic language being used about the A

remaining, but in another form, but it might be that at all, actually.

Here we are, less than three weeks to go, and we really are in the

business end of the campaign with most of the party manifestos

published. If as seems quite possible the front line in this

election is no longer about those towns on the periphery of the big

cities, but it is moving as well into the centre of the cities, as

well. My latest blog post might be interesting because it reflects a

range of opinions which I accounted for. Well worth a read, I think.

Thanks very much. Now the gardens have really

benefited from the rain over the past few days,

but there's no doubt they look And with Chelsea Flower Sshow

starting next week, organisers are hoping the rain

will hold off. Rebecca Wood is the Botanical

Gardens in Birmingham this evening, so Beccy, us gardeners are a hard

lot to please. You are. But it is a tough job,

maintaining a garden, particularly beautiful one like this. The rain is

falling at the moment. A gold medal at Chelsea proves you are top of

your game. Across the West Midlands we've got lots of people hoping to

bring back a win and some after a trawl through the history books are

hoping a special reunion will help to boost their chances. I've been

finding out all about it. Stoke-on-Trent, home of pottery and

ceramics. But did you know it's also the birthplace of something even

more prestigious? The RHS was originally founded by the son of the

founder of Wedgwood. Therefore it's wonderful for us to come back now

with something so important in the history of Wedgwood. To celebrate

the relationship between the two these pots are going on display at

RHS Chelsea. Each one is unique and a modern take on the famous Jasper

where. Which would back in 1774 did a

special flowerpot. Starting at around ?50 they are not cheap. It's

not just here in Stoke-on-Trent where preparations are underway for

Chelsea. At this nursery in Warwickshire the Patagonia 's have

already put on a stunning display at RHS Malvern. But for the world's

grandest flower show the weather could make a massive difference.

Here in Stratford-upon-Avon, a little more sunshine wouldn't go on

this. They need good daylight, good sunlight above anything, to keep

them growing and flowering. We haven't had it. It has been a dull

spring so far. Despite the miserable weather these flowers will be

transformed into a giant colourful cake. And there is only one prize

insight. We've never done anything like this before. It is difficult to

describe. But it should be a bit of a show stopper. You cannot do better

than to get a gold medal at Chelsea, it is just the best of the best.

From that point of view, you know, it's everything. It is not long

until judging starts. East Midlands contenders are hoping to bring the

top gardening prize back home. The default. Rebecca will be finding

out how they get on with a special report from the show on Monday.

And Rebecca will be back later with the weekend weather forecast -

and she'll be on the trail of dinosaurs.

Onto sport and we'll look at the final weekend

in the Premier League in a moment - Dan Pallett has joined me.

First Dan - a change in senior management at Birmingham City today.

Panos Pavlakis has stepped down from the board.

In his 3 and a half years at St Andrews he helped steer

the club through turbulent financial times and also

He was criticised for appointing Gianfranco Zola in December,

but he's left the club with Harry Redknapp as manager.

Now onto the final day of the Premier League.

These are the fixtures for our sides.

West Browmich Albion are at Swansea City.

They'll simply be jockeying for position in the middle of the table.

Albion could finish as high as 8th - where they've been for months.

The worst case for them would be 10th so they'll definitely

And on Monday the planning for next season starts as Tony Pulis will fly

It is a good opportunity. A good chance to sit down and away from

everything. Look at the season, analyse the season, talk to them,

the way they see the club pushing on.

But Stoke will finish in the bottom half.

But they could finish as low as 16th.

This is Mark Hughes fourth season in charge.

He's finished ninth in each of the last three seasons.

Hughes admits that this season has been lacking in excitement.

But says that they've always been safely in mid-table.

Is it a disastrous disappointment, is it a terrible disaster? Those are

strong terms. I don't think it is. We are disappointed. That is the key

motion along with frustrated and on occasions in certain games. But

we've got to put it into perspective.

They've been the outstanding team of the English rugby union season.

But Wasps still need two more wins before they can be crowned

They take on Leicester at the Ricoh Arena tomorrow in front

of what's expected to be the biggest ever crowd for a playoff semi-final.

Anticipation and expectation. Nine months and 22 league matches behind

them. What lies ahead two more great efforts to see wasps crowned

champions of England. We've worked hard to finish top half of the

table. We've worked hard to get a home draw. We are determined to put

a performance in which we think will be good enough to get the result.

Standing in their way, Leicester Tigers, traditional rivals but

beaten home and away by Wasps in the regular season. Nobody is expecting

an easy ride this time. We cannot look at the league. We have to scrap

it. It's done. It's more about the one-off game and Leicester will

bring the heat, the dirt, the passion, and a massive skill set. It

is down to us to combat that and play our game. More than 30,000 fans

are expected to watch at the Ricoh Arena, which would be a record for a

semifinal. Not everybody is happy about the arrival of Wasps in the

Midlands. But the club are keen to show they are serious about putting

down roots in this community. This session is for school kids who've

never had any experience of rugby before. The teenage girls are often

the toughest group to keep interested in sport. There is no

shortage of and enthusiasm here. We work closely with the schools in the

area and the rugby clubs. It is the lifeblood of our sport. We have to

make sure that those people in the community come and enjoy our games,

as well. Some of these children will be coming to see us play against

Tigers in the big semifinal on Saturday. Wasps hope these fans will

go home happy. They hope to take a step closer to the premiership

title. Exciting times for the fans of

Wasps. Potentially 80 minutes away from a final. And they are the

favourites. They are. They have beaten Leicester

home and away this season. But when they met at the Ricoh Arena they had

a big lead, but Leicester came roaring back, and there was just one

try in it. They sometimes make it difficult for

themselves. This is effectively a local derby, isn't it?

And another relative thing, they are not universally popular in the

Midlands. Leicester would love nothing more than to beat the

newcomers to the Midlands. They'll not be underestimated with great

performances over the last 13 seasons.

Thanks very much. We will stick with sport...

The power of sport to stimulate memory is being explored

in a new museum, charting the history of Gloucestershire

There's a particular focus on supporting people with dementia,

Our Gloucestershire reporter, Steve Knibbs, has the details:

Gloucestershire's first captain, player number one, the unmistakable

WG Grace. Quite rightly the centrepiece of Gloucestershire's new

museum and learning centre. Here in defensive pose and surrounded by

memorabilia of his achievements. The former captain is immortalised here,

too, and proud to take his place among the greats. All of these great

players were, you know, the idols to us. To be one of a group of players

now that players are talking about, they were part of that winning group

in the late 90s, only to thousands, it really is great. -- early 2000.

All of the history is here. Pieces of intrigue. Like Gilbert Jessop's

batting glove, adapted for extra protection with pieces of bicycle

tyre. We were keen to make sure it appeals to a wide range of people.

Not just to members of the cricket club, but children, community

groups, so, we are hoping very much now it is here that we will build

and expand on the education side of things. There is also an unexpected

plan to help people with dementia, whose long-term memories can be

prompted by the history on show here. They can communicate about

things they are passionate about much more easily. Things they are

interested in. That helps to improve their confidence and self-esteem. It

confirms their identity. The museum will initially open only on match

days. Let's go back to Rebecca Wood

who is at the Botanical gardens in Birmingham,

along with some Yes, I have. We're not talking about

Nick Owen. Some dinosaurs here in the botanical Gardens. You might not

expect to see them. This tree behind me would have been around in the

Jurassic period. The gardeners will be hoping that none of these guys

get peckish and try and eat it. You are the event director. Tell us

about these dinosaurs. There are 30 large installations of dinosaurs.

Favourites like T Rex and diplodocus, and some smaller models.

There are a lot of things to do like the excavation activities. You can

uncover fossils. There is a lot of lovely food and drink along the way,

as well. They are huge. How did you get them here? Absolutely, they are

huge. They are built in China, in sections, they are delivered to the

UK. About a month on the sea, we have to take them out, install them,

using all types of machinery like cranes to get the height we need.

They are fantastic. We've seen some repairs to them. They are soggy at

the moment as he may have noticed. They are going to be here until the

4th of June. In terms of the weather this weekend, it is a little soggy.

Our weather watchers have been out and about today getting shots of the

sky. Plenty of cloud our there. A great picture. Gardens will be happy

to see the rain. We are going to keep some of this, sunny spells and

showers, that we've been getting. We still have low pressure driving our

weather. That is when things will calm down. But we will have some

showers still continuing for the next couple of hours. Then we will

see them using overnight. As they do overnight and clear to the east we

will keep some cloud. There will be some rain remaining in the east.

Further west, clear skies, so we are likely to see temperatures falling

away. It'll be a chilly night. In parts of Hereford we could get down

to three degrees. Maybe a scattering of frost tomorrow to start the day.

A chilly start for early risers. Some brightness in the day. As the

heat generates some power we are likely to get more showers kicking

off. Some will be heavy, slow moving, fun maybe Hale in them like

these ones, and averages will be around 14, 15 degrees. It would feel

that unpleasant under the showers. Not bad in the sunshine. -- it will

not feel that unpleasant under the showers. We will be left with clear

spells overnight Sowter bridges will fall away. Another chilly night. --

we will be left with clear spells overnight, so temperatures will fall

away. We should stay largely dry on Sunday and it should be a pleasant

day with temperatures pushing up 18 degrees. After that, back into dry

weather. We start the working week in settled conditions, high pressure

back in charge, not that much sunshine that it should stay dry,

which it certainly is not at the moment.

Thanks very much. That is all from us. I will be back at 10:30pm. Have

a lovely weekend. Goodbye.