26/05/2017 Midlands Today

Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines this lunchtime:

Security is stepped up ahead of bank holiday events across the region.

We're looking at each individual event on its own merits,

and looking to put a sensible policing response, policing

How Joe Clarke's Olympic gold medal is driving up participation in water

He's got loads of muscles, and I want have loads

I just find it a fun sport, really, I've always wanted to do it.

You can get out on the water and have loads of fun.

And can Wasps return from Twickenham this weekend as the rugby union

Extra security is being put in place at events throughout the region this

In Gloucester, where the Tall Ships Festival is expected

to attract more than 100,000 visitors, armed officers will be

Security measures have also been stepped up

at festivals in Staffordshire, Shrewsbury and Hay on Wye.

And in Birmingham, West Midlands Police say

a large number of officers, specials and staff will be

on hand to keep visitors to the city's Pride event safe.

Well, this weekend is one of the biggest events

It's Birmingham Pride - tens of thousands of people

will both be here in the gay village and also around the city

Let's speak to the festival director, Lawrence Barton.

First of all, we all know that terrible, tragic things

For you this week, has that meant changing things

I think we've certainly brought into focus extra communications

with West Midlands Police, and we do take a very serious

approach in any case to security and policing.

Months of planning goes in, and that's no different

to any other year, but yes, certainly with what happened,

the terrible situation that happened in Manchester on Monday,

we've had extra communications, which we've brought about just

to ensure that every measure is taken possible to

And people are concerned, aren't they?

There are worries, because people have seen what has happened.

People are going to be concerned, I guess?

However, there is also an appetite that has been expressed very widely

now that people are going to be defiant, and they are going to come

out in very large numbers to be part of something that is about bringing

people together in a safe space, to celebrate 50 years

since the decriminalisation of homosexuality, and of course now

it has that extra poignancy, where we will be doing a minutes

silence to mark respect for everybody who lost

I think the one thing they are saying here,

this is very much, as Lawrence was saying, a celebration,

and I think people want to state that whatever happens,

and whatever threats there are, they really want to be here showing

that they can stand united for the people of Manchester

Thousands of people are expected to attend mosques across the region

today to mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

In addition, a one-minute silence will be observed

at the Central Mosque in Birmingham for the victims of the

They will also be remembered with special prayers.

Whoever did that, we consider it is the job of a devil.

A human being, a kind-hearted person, can never do

So whoever is behind that, we want people to wake up

And a candlelit vigil has been organised in Nuneaton this

Yesterday police arrested a man at gunpoint in the town as part

Organisers say tonight's event at 6:30pm is not only

to remember the victims, but to send the message,

"We won't let anyone infiltrate our peaceful town."

Canoeist Joe Clarke's success at the Rio Olympics is helping

to drive up the numbers of young people wanting to take up

the sport at his home club of Stafford and Stone.

Participation in watersports as a whole is on the rise

across the UK, with 3.5 million adults taking part in boating

And the fastest-growing age group was the under 35s,

with one and half million regularly involved in a watersport

In the Staffordshire sunshine, it's hard to think of many nicer

places to spend your time than on the River Trent in Stone.

These children are getting their first taste of canoe slalom,

I just find it a fun sport, really, I've always wanted to do it.

I've kind of chosen this one because it's just so fun to get out

There's a particular reason why they've chosen Stafford

and Stone Canoe Club - because last summer in Rio,

Joe Clarke, who learnt to paddle here, won an inspirational

I've been watching Joe Clarke, and he's inspired me,

What was it about watching Joe that inspired you?

How he's got loads of muscles, and I want to have loads

The man himself is preparing for the European Championships

He's delighted to have inspired more youngsters in his hometown.

Well, hopefully we have some future champions coming

through the canoe club, and I'd like to think

there because of me, but we'll have to wait a few years

But it's really exciting for the sport to have such

an influx of people coming in after the successes of Rio.

The club was inundated with applications after Joe's Rio

success, so they put on first a taster session, and now

Not all these kids will stay on past the end of the taster session,

but the club hope that if three or four do, they can help them

In fact, interest is so high they've taken on their first paid coach.

If these children want more proof of what can be achieved,

they just have to look further along the river.

16-year-old Sam Maingay has just made the British junior

The future looks bright for him and the club.

Nick Clitheroe, BBC Midlands Today, Stone.

And staying on the theme of sport success, Wasps head to Twickenham

this weekend aiming to become rugby union champions of England.

They'll play Exeter in the Premiership final

But with two minutes left, Josh Bassett crashed over, and Wasps

were through to their first final in nine years.

There's a lesson to be learned from the semi-final

Never leave early when it comes to our matches!

I think we've probably won two or three matches in the last couple

of plays of the game, so where a team that

of plays of the game, so we're a team that

really back our bench and back our physical performance.

We know we have the fitness to keep performing for 85, 90 minutes,

Wasps finished top of the Premiership league table.

Tomorrow they'll play Exeter, who finished second.

They were also runners-up at Twickenham last year.

They talk about how that was a good learning experience for them,

and they are better team for that, we understand the challenge.

There are a great side, they're on a good run of form,

but where not on a bad run of form ourselves, either.

That's good news for the likes of the Draper family.

They went along to Wasps' first match in Coventry two

Now they're all season ticket holders, and they

They came out extremely fired up on Saturday.

If they come out with that attitude, I think they've got every chance,

and I think it's as much about mindset as it is about

They must have a lot of belief, though.

Sadly for Wasps, their biggest star, Kurtley Beale, is injured.

They'll have to tame Twickenham without him.

Dan Pallett, BBC Midlands Today, Coventry.

It's due to be the hottest day of the year so far today.

Here's what the view was like yesterday from the Wrekin,

But what does the Bank holiday have in store for us?

Temperature is doing very well, we have just ticked over 227 Celsius in

Pershore, the third hottest spot in the country, and it will continue to

rise through today. Plenty of sunshine out there, not a cloud in

the sky, a glorious afternoon, southerly breeze but temperatures

should do better than we see, we might get 30 somewhere. Keeping the

clear skies through tonight but then the cloud thickens as we have rain

arriving. Temperatures 15-18dC, and muggy night, but this weather system

will work through tomorrow, and if you can believe it we have a Met

Office yellow warning in place for the bank holiday weekend, heavy

downpours to come. Through the morning tomorrow 20-30 millimetres

but behind that dry, bright, fresh conditions, temperatures down a

little on today. Into Sunday we will keep the dry conditions, more

showers to come for bank holiday Monday, and some of them could be

quite lively. So mixed picture over the weekend.

That's all from us for now, but later in Midlands Today,

we'll be in Warwickshire, where last year, hundreds

of schoolchildren missed out on beating a Guinness World Record.

There's going to be another attempt today.

So join Nick Owen here on BBC One at 6:30pm.