18/01/2017 Points West

Welcome. Our main story, trapped in new friends.

Welcome. Our main story, trapped in the wrong body. A patient uses

social media to raise funds for private sex change treatment as the

NHS is overwhelmed by an increase in demand. I have a future now, whereas

before I didn't. I didn't see a future of me living as a woman. We

will be trying to find out why so many people are unhappy with their

gender. Our other headlines, Alan Shearer

lead to the celebrities sending good wishes to a footballer who has

suffered an accident at work. Sir Ranulph Fiennes abandons his

latest expedition after a back injury.

And cooking up a treat. The Syrian refugees saying thank you to the

people of Bath. A man from Bristol says he feels

he's stuck in a woman's body after being forced to wait for NHS

treatment to change gender. There are now ten times more

referrals per month than a decade ago for the procedure and the health

service is struggling to cope In a moment, we will be speaking to

a charity that supports young people.

Our social affairs correspondent Fiona Lamdin has been to meet

This is a tight fabric vest which holds in my hips, because I have

quite wide hips, and it holds my breasts flat...

21-year-old Jay binds his body to flatten his chest and hips.

Born as a girl and called Jade, his female frame repluses him.

Whenever I go to the toilet, I have to sit down, and in the shower I

have to see breasts that shouldn't be there.

What age did you know you were in the wrong body?

Nursery, reception, when I started noticing I liked playing with cars

and trucks. I knew I wanted to be a boy at that age.

In this school prom photo, at aged nine, Jade was the only girl

I was teased a lot for looking different and... Yeah, just being

me, really. Secondary school, the bully got a bit more physical and a

lot more vocal, if that makes sense. That was one of your first days at

nursery... He's already tried

to take his own life. Figures show that half those

wanting to change sex So this is where I've lashed out at

being frustrated at myself and the situations I've found myself in. I

didn't want to hurt anyone so I lashed out at furniture and these

stores here. And I've broken the barristers a couple of times as

well. -- the stair banisters. I found it quite hard, especially

with the Jay and Jade, and he and she. I still have a few slip-ups now

and again. He registered for NHS

hormone therapy treatment, It's an 18-month wait

for an operation and he's still I feel like I'm in limbo, as it

were. I'm not a boy or girl. I'm still waiting to become a man.

Frustrated by the wait, he's now taken to social media

to try to crowdfund the money to go privately.

Jay is just one young person in the West waiting to change sex.

Males and females being treated on the NHS in our region

are referred to the West of England Specialist Gender

According to the clinic, ten years ago they had just

Now that number has rocketed to 70 a month.

It then takes 18 months for a patient to go

from their first appointment to life-changing surgery.

Joining us now is Susie Green, from the national transgender

charity Mermaids, which supports children and teenagers.

Thank you for joining us. What do you put this enormous increase in

referrals down to? I think it is raised awareness, to be fair. I

don't think it's necessarily that there are more transgender people

out there. I think more people are just coming forward and making their

wishes known because there is for acceptance and information out

there, and they are finding words, perhaps, to actually share what they

are feeling. That is a good sign, then, if there is an increase, as

you say, of awareness and maybe understanding? Yes, and much more

respectable -- respectful reporting. This has led to people feeling brave

enough to talk about something that they wouldn't have dared to a few

years ago. At four, your child told you gorge had made a mistake and

that he should have been a girl. -- told you that God had made a

mistake. How did you cope? To be fair, I saw signs before then that

she wasn't a typical little boy and I thought I had a very sensitive

little boy who was likely to be gay, so for me it was one of those light

bulb moments when she said that to me, when she said, you know, Mummy,

God has made a mistake, I should be a girl. And it made so much sense of

things that had happened up until that point, even before four years

old. And it was terrifying, quite honestly, to think what she might go

through. Most children are perfectly happy with their gender and some

aren't. So what do parents do, then? If their child is, for example,

showing gender confusion in some way towards their gender, at what point

do they look for help, or at what point does the parent think it is a

phase? It's very confusing, isn't it? There is a vast difference

between children being gender nonconforming, so for example,

playing with toys or dressing up in other clothes, and that's not an

issue. The children who would be considered to be gender varied are

the ones who state very clearly, I'm not a girl, I'm a boy, or vice

versa, and those are the ones who will say this consistently, posted

-- persistently from a young age, and those are the ones that we would

suggest to parents that if they are happy when they are younger, you

don't need assistance, because no physical intervention is done until

after puberty begins to any of these young people, regardless, but if you

are having problems and your child is having problems and you need some

support, come to us, come to Mermaids, because we have a huge

group of parents who are going through the same thing or have

already done so, and if your child is approaching puberty, we would say

it would be a good idea to get into the NHS system, so that you are

already in the system and being seen, as puberty can cause massive

distress. There's lots of information on your website as well.

Thank you for joining us. A memorial service has taken place

for a woman who died Hundreds gathered to remember

the mother of two, Andraya Lyons, whose body was found in a property

on Drew Street last month. A man's been charged

with her murder. The former England footballer Alan

Shearer is the latest in a string of sporting celebrities to send

messages of support for a scaffolder from Swindon who suffered a severe

electric shock and nearly died. Jamie Mines lost both

his hands and a leg following the accident

five weeks ago. Now a fundraising campaign

is being helped along Hi, Jamie, I know you're

going through a very, very difficult time,

so I just wanted to say I'm thinking of you,

I wish you all the best, I've heard you're a tough'un

so I'm pretty sure you're This is to raise money

for Jamie Mines, who's had I know you've got the whole

of the South West football community behind you,

but on behalf of 5Live Sport and Match Of The Day 2,

we wish you all the very best. The support from the sporting world

for Jamie Mines just keeps coming. Over Christmas, he lost both

of his arms and one of his legs His presents are

still under the tree. His little twin daughters,

haven't seen him since. But friends say messages from some

of his idols are sure to raise his spirits,

and raise money. I'm donating a signed pair of boxing

gloves and boxing shorts. I think we often think our heroes

or footballing legends, you know, you kind of put them on a pedestal,

but for them to take the time and effort to send a message

to Jamie means a huge amount to him Jamie is still in intensive care

here at Southmead but he is awake and able to talk every

now and again. I spoke to his girlfriend today,

who understandably doesn't want to be in front of a camera

at the moment. But she said both she and Jamie

had been overwhelmed She said he's able to sit

on the edge of his bed to do exercises and that doctors had

started talking about skin She even said that on her last visit

here, Jamie had managed to hug ?67,000 has already been raised for

Jamie but his friends and family want to make that 100,000, and

eventually, to get him home to these two. It seems some of his heroes

feel the same. All the best with your recovery. Take it easy, don't

rush it. Good luck in the future. God bless. Isn't that great when

people rally round? And of course we send our best wishes as well.

It is Wednesday evening and we are live on BBC One. Do stay with us.

We've got much more to bring you, including...

She is in a stable condition now but two days ago, Becky was trapped

upside down. We will be finding out how she was rescued.

And find out why this book is so special and why it is in Somerset.

The Somerset explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes has been forced

to abandon his attempt to climb one of the highest mountains

He's on his way home after being airlifted

from Mount Aconcagua suffering from severe back pain.

It was part of his charity challenge to conquer the highest

The moment the latest challenge ended in painful failure.

A helicopter had to be called to evacuate the 72-year-old

The whole challenge has plainly been a struggle.

But this is not a man that quits easily.

Are you warm enough? Yes. We are getting there.

The 72-year-old, who has battled cancer and heart attacks,

was raising money for Marie Curie, attempting a global challenge

to become the first man to climb the highest peaks on each continent

He was in sight of the summit of Aconcagua when he

He said he was disappointed and that his back started hurting. He was

only six hours away from the summit so it was quite frustrating. But he

needed to get down and get to a point where a helicopter could get

him and then bring him back to the mainland. It's an injury that he's

had before with his back, so he's keen to get home, get seen two and

just make sure there is no permanent damage.

Sir Ranulph has already crossed both Polar ice caps and reached

the summit of four mountains, the last, Mount Vinson, in December.

Well, Sir Ranulph says everything goes on hold until he's had his back

Only then he will decide whether to continue.

Commenting on his setback he said, I've learned that at my age

Incredible, though! And has still rate -- raised 300,000 plus!

Last year, five Syrian families were living here,

in atrocious conditions in refugee camps in Lebanon, before

they were brought to Bath and resettled under

To say thank you, they have organised a big fundraising meal to

say thank you to the city that welcomed them. We went to see

preparations. The smells of Syria recreated in

this cookery school in Bath. The interpreter tells me about one of

the things on the menu. She says it is a vegetarian Syrian dish and it's

very light, very delicious. It contains lentils, bulgur wheat,

onions, olive oil and salt and pepper. The family arrived here from

war-torn Syria from the refugee camps in Lebanon. Their one-year-old

son spent the first three months in hospital in Bristol because he was

so ill. Now he's making a great recovery. Living in the city means

life for them all has changed beyond recognition. So basically, she is

saying... She's very, very happy to be here and the support that she

found here in this city, it's amazing, and what she's doing today,

it's basically nothing compared to the support they've given her here,

and the food she is trying to make today, she wants to be delicious and

for everybody to have a taste of Syria through this food. This

morning, the kitchen is full of Syrian mums, children and willing

volunteers from Bath who's been helping the families navigate their

way through life in the city since they arrived last year. It's just

being there for them and knowing if they have a problem with their

electricity or something has gone a bit wrong in and out of hours moment

when perhaps the official agencies on there, we can just step in. We

just want to know they feel safe, that they found sanctuary here and

they can get on with their lives, because they've had a really, really

tough time. She is saying she's very happy. At the beginning it was

difficult for her. You know, they left their own country, their home.

She used to cry a lot for them and it was difficult. But -- but the

people here are very supportive. She is very happy and her children are

good at school. Her son didn't study in Syria or Lebanon but he's

learning English very fast here. She feels there is no difference between

her, you, all the ladies here. And she feels the food, cooking

together, it helps her to get close to the local people here. Finally,

the dishes which have been prepared in kitchens across Bath arrived at

their destination. The money raised, new friends thanked and a promise of

more events to make this city feel like their new home.

The food looks rather delicious! And very healthy, actually. By the look

of it. Some good news tonight

for Bristol City. They now face a trip

to Premier League side Burnley in the next round of the FA Cup

after beating Fleetwood. Jamie Paterson scored

the only goal of the match Fans will now get to see their side

in the fourth round for only Work is underway to protect

the ancient statues The Romans, Julius Caesar, Claudius,

Hadrian and Constantine the Great are all having a careful spruce-up

to keep them looking their best. Tracey Miller has been to see them

getting their makeover. TLC for a statue that is over 100

years old. The nose is really going, isn't it? Claudius is one of eight

statues standing around the world famous Roman baths. All of them have

been out in the elements. The rain, of course, is very slightly acidic,

which is not good for very soft Bath limestone, which is what these

statues are made of. There's always a risk of frost and things like

that. Because he has fine features, these are particularly vulnerable to

frost. But when you've also got great big lumps of moss like this,

you need an expert. So scaffolding has been put up to allow the

stonemasons to give them a clean. His nose has gone, he's a chinless

wonder at the moment! But that's all aesthetic. He looks the part.

Caesar, who stands next to Claudius, is a replacement for the original.

He was shocked -- shoved into the baths by vandals almost 30 years

ago. Some people clambered over the terrace wall and gave him a push and

he fell into the bath! Obviously all the statues are now firmly die

walled in and it wouldn't be possible for that to happen again.

-- firmly locked in. Fixed in their place, these represent the most

famous Romans in the country's history. They will be cleaned and

given a protective coating against the weather this country is so

famous for! Sounds like a great idea!

Now, this time last night, we showed you some dramatic pictures

of a horse which had to be rescued by the Fire Brigade after becoming

trapped upside down in between two buildings.

Tonight we've heard that 27-year-old Becky is making a good recovery.

Liz Beacon is at her stables in Dundry near Bristol.

Hello, how is she doing? She's doing really well. And let me just tell

you, it's all pretty calm here tonight, but that really wasn't the

case 48 hours ago, because Becky here had been out in the field and

got herself trapped in between a container and a retaining wall, and

she was somehow upside down, wedged in this fully tight spot. Now,

Terry, you've owned Becky for most of her life. It must have been

awful. How did you hear she had got herself trapped? My mum came out the

house and heard a commotion and called me across to say what had

happened. I came racing across and found Becky upside down in a gap

about a metre by half a metre. So you called the vet and Fire Service

straightaway? Yes, because I knew we would need her to be sedated to get

her out. And when I called the Fire Brigade. Needed some help. The Fire

Brigade are here and Luke is here. The rescue animals all the time but

this must have been pretty unusual? Yes, we've rescued 17 sources -- 17

horses in the last year but this was the most unusual because of the

location and upside down in quite a confined space. Talk us through what

you did. I think she was under general anaesthetic, sedated. What

did you do to get her out? We worked very closely with the horse owner to

form a plan to get her out. We have lots of equipment ourselves but on

this occasion, due to the location where we are, it's quite difficult

to get our own equipment in, so we used a handler and hovels, because

the horse was upside down, and then we were able to gently control and

lift up and move her a cross into the field. Forced her out and get

her back on her feet. Let's catch up with how she's doing. How is she?

She's great. We were really concerned when we started as she had

a grade four heart murmur, but we've done x-rays today and she's back on

track and she is pretty clear, and we are very, very lucky. Let me tell

you, Becky is 27! In human years that would put her in her 70s, so

this really has been quite an ordeal! But she's back on her food,

she's very happy and is surrounded by her horse friends, and I love

these two. These two donkeys. Very cross because they haven't had any

of the limelight! But we know Becky will make full recovery and she's

doing very well. And she's the right way up! Bless her! How did they do

that? Aren't we lucky to have the emergency services who can do that?

So no need for any long faces! Ha! Now, this is a picture

of a wonderful autograph book that used to belong to a nurse

in the First World War. Dozens of injured French,

British and Belgian soldiers drew pictures and left messages

for Violet Fountain, who cared Now, more than a century later,

it's been returned to her family, Violet's book is full

of touching letters. I wish you all the best things of

the world. Iris Simmons found it 40 years ago

and has treasured it since. She was really, really popular. Very

tender and caring to the men, and they really appreciated her.

But determined to return the book to Violet's family,

Researchers found Violet's grandson, and they met for the first time.

I was just so pleased that somebody had gone to all that effort to track

me down, to let me have something that my long lost grandmother, who I

know virtually nothing about, to return to me, and export my

grandmother alive. -- and it has brought my grandmother alive.

Iris was living there when she found her book.

Yet by chance, Iris and Mark now live within a few miles

They've discovered Violet's old home is also in Taunton -

I've lived all over the place and settled in this area, and didn't

even know this was on my doorstep! It's just been really good to find

all this out. She would be delighted, actually. Delighted that

firstly the book has been recovered by family and will be hopefully in

the family from now on. Violet died in 1972

but her life's work lives Couldn't deny that calling into the

West, you see? Lovely! It's been announced today that 2016

was the warmest year so far. Is this trend going

to continue tomorrow? Hello. Certainly the warmest since

1850, so that puts it in perspective, and if that -- in fact

2015, 2016 buying closely for that record, the last year being slightly

warmer than 2015. As we go into tomorrow, some beautiful sunset

photos sent in by many of you, including from Twitter. This was

taken earlier in the day in South Somerset and it shows this

delineation very nicely between the cloud and those seeing clear sky. As

we head into tomorrow, more of the balance shifting to the brighter,

sunny variety, with the cloud cover tending to get squashed further up

towards the North. High pressure dominates the pattern going forward

and it will shift slightly as we go through the next few days. But

broadly speaking, that means a lot of dry, settled weather with light

winds. At times that will bring the risk of some frost. You can see the

blue on the map as we had through tonight. For some into tomorrow

night as well at least. Given the fact we had generally less in the

way of cloud around, there will be a wider risk of frost but some areas

hovering just above freezing possibly by only a degree or two, as

you can see. Conversely, where we have clear skies, we could drop down

to -3 or -5, and that might not be the only spot following that

fashion. A cold start tomorrow and then through the course of the day,

more in the way of sunshine being signalled. Some areas of cloud, more

extensively up to the far north, maybe parts of Gloucestershire. Some

uncertainty on that. Then more cloud approaching from the East later in

the day. Temperatures around 5-7, so a similar pattern as we go into

Friday. I'm going to run out of things to say!

Never! You keep going! That's it from us for now.

Hello. I hope you're well. I really do.

Because if you're not, then chances are the NHS won't be able to

look after you as well as it should. And that's wrong.

Because the Labour Party created the NHS 70 years ago on

the founding principles of it being comprehensive, universal and free.

The NHS was created to care for us but now the NHS needs our care.