:00:00. > :00:08.Good afternoon. at the earlier time of nine o'clock.
:00:09. > :00:11.Thousands of people have turned out to see the Shakespeare birthday
:00:12. > :00:16.With hundreds of jobs depending on tourism,
:00:17. > :00:19.the parade through the town has become one of the most important
:00:20. > :00:30.attractions of the year, as Lindsay Doyle reports.
:00:31. > :00:33.As the works of Shakespeare himself reflected all walks of life,
:00:34. > :00:35.so too did the now famous Stratford-upon-Avon parade,
:00:36. > :00:38.today celebrating the playwright's 453rd birthday.
:00:39. > :00:45.Co-ordinated by the town council with the backing
:00:46. > :00:48.of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust,
:00:49. > :00:52.the parade draws hundreds to Stratford, from locals to
:00:53. > :00:57.as the world's love affair with the Bard keeps growing.
:00:58. > :01:00.A lot of delegations from all over the world and they actually come
:01:01. > :01:02.and stay in the town and they love Stratford,
:01:03. > :01:06.and they do spend a lot of money in the town and they do
:01:07. > :01:09.a lot of shopping before they go back to their own countries.
:01:10. > :01:11.So I think, and obviously the restaurants, packed,
:01:12. > :01:16.As well as the traditional placing of floral tributes,
:01:17. > :01:20.the town was a draw for mime artists and acrobats.
:01:21. > :01:23.It was really cool, because it was my first time
:01:24. > :01:26.here and I've seen my brother doing it before and I really
:01:27. > :01:31.We weren't expecting this today so it's really good.
:01:32. > :01:32.Yes, I've enjoyed today and the friends
:01:33. > :01:40.And the this year, 10,000 sonnets scrolls have been
:01:41. > :01:44.Almost 70 of them contain a prize. Sadly, not this one.
:01:45. > :01:45.Thus can my love excuse the slow offence.
:01:46. > :01:51.With tourism crucial to Stratford's economy,
:01:52. > :01:54.the birthday parade is clearly one of the most important
:01:55. > :02:02.And it wasn't just in Stratford where the crowds took
:02:03. > :02:09.In Kidderminster, The Mercian Volunteers Regimental Association
:02:10. > :02:13.joined serving members of the armed forces on a march
:02:14. > :02:17.The parade was held to commemorate the 50th Anniversary
:02:18. > :02:21.of the formation of the 1st Battalion Mercian Volunteers,
:02:22. > :02:25.and the disbandment of the 7th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment.
:02:26. > :02:27.Rail passengers are facing disruption in the region tomorrow.
:02:28. > :02:31.All lines from Bromsgrove into Birmingham, including
:02:32. > :02:35.the cross city line, will be closed while electrification
:02:36. > :02:39.Buses will be laid on as an alternative
:02:40. > :02:44.We're putting in foundations too, that tie in to the existing
:02:45. > :02:47.electrification at the Barns Green area and that will be followed by
:02:48. > :02:50.There's other works along the line of route,
:02:51. > :02:52.but that's the main activity this Sunday.
:02:53. > :02:55.Birmingham boxer Tommy Langford hopes to further his dream
:02:56. > :02:59.of becoming only the second fighter from the city to win a world title.
:03:00. > :03:03.The 27-year-old, who's unbeaten in 18 professional fights,
:03:04. > :03:06.takes on Avtandil Khurtsidze from Georgia for the the WBO's
:03:07. > :03:11.Victory for Langford in Leicester will secure him an all-British
:03:12. > :03:17.showdown with the reigning world champion Billy Joe Saunders.
:03:18. > :03:20.This is what it's about. This is what being in boxing is for.
:03:21. > :03:24.I've always wanted to test myself,
:03:25. > :03:26.beat challenges against the best operators.
:03:27. > :03:29.I have done throughout my amateur career and obviously, the
:03:30. > :03:32.whole idea of turning professional and working your way up is to get
:03:33. > :03:35.to this stage and I'm at this stage now.
:03:36. > :03:39.I've got this chance and I'm going to grab it with both hands and
:03:40. > :03:43.Onto the latest scores in today's football, starting
:03:44. > :03:58.Questa city turned to have at Swansea. In the championship on song
:03:59. > :04:05.will send Blackburn Rovers. Latest scores in league when, Port Vale are
:04:06. > :04:15.losing won- Manila to Bolton Wanderers. And in League 2,
:04:16. > :04:19.Cheltenham town are losing 3-0 at Blackpool. Finally, in the National
:04:20. > :04:27.League, Saleh hole was beating EC 2-0.
:04:28. > :04:34.Right, let's catch up on the weather now, with Mel Coles.
:04:35. > :04:39.Temperatures are going to fall particularly in rural spots where we
:04:40. > :04:46.could have Apache frost racing on Sunday morning. Heading into
:04:47. > :04:50.tomorrow, Claudia started the day, sunshine to get the day going, a
:04:51. > :04:56.fine day, light winds and temperatures doing well. A change to
:04:57. > :04:58.come as we had through the next week. It will be turning much colder
:04:59. > :05:02.Good luck to everyone from the region who's taking part
:05:03. > :05:12.Our next news is at 6.50pm tomorrow evening.
:05:13. > :05:25.Hello. No change to the rest of the forecast into this evening, a very
:05:26. > :05:31.pleasant Saturday night on the way. A few showers across the far north
:05:32. > :05:36.of the country. The winds are light, it will turn chilly tonight, 5
:05:37. > :05:42.degrees in town centres, raw spots, a touch of frost.
:05:43. > :05:52.Tomorrow, some ideal weather for the London Marathon. The clouds will
:05:53. > :05:58.gather, not too cold or warm. The weather across the UK on Sunday
:05:59. > :06:03.will be fair, some sunshine across central areas, in Scotland, already
:06:04. > :06:05.a change, wetter and cloudy conditions coming in is linked to
:06:06. > :06:06.low pressure and this