25/04/2017 Points West

Welcome to BBC Points West with Alex Lovell and Sabet Choudhury.

The student nurse from Bristol who hasn't been seen

The police say they're becoming very concerned.

Also in the programme: With just weeks to go until the election,

we'll asses the impact on the Lib Dems after losing two

The scientists copying the power of nettles to ship

And everyone needs a cuddle - we meet Bristol Zoo's latest

The police say they're becoming very concerned about a student nurse

from Bristol who hasn't been seen or heard from in 12 days.

Friends and family of Anna Lewis are appealing for help,

saying she would often go off camping alone but

The 27-year-old was working at Southmead Hospital the day

she went missing and Scott Ellis is there for us this evening.

The police today have said this remains a missing persons inquiry so

there is no suggestion from anything they have said that there is any

criminality involved, nevertheless, some of the details emerging such as

the fact that Anna Lewis does not have a credit card or any money with

her, raises concerns, not just for the police but for her family that

are based in Dorset. She is living in Fishponds as a student nurse and

taking a student nurse degree through the University of the West

of England. But on the day she went missing, the 13th of April, she had

just finished a chef in the middle of the day here at Southmead

Hospital. -- finished a shift. The family and friends

of Anna Lewis say she loved the outdoors and -

on occasions - solitude. But she'd never go away this long

without getting in touch. She likes her own company,

she's been on trips away to Scotland Detectives searching woodland

in and around Bristol That will be extended

to her favourite areas in Scotland, Officers have had around

ten possible sightings of Anna from the public,

which have to be followed up. Today - as worries mount -

a direct appeal. Anna, I would appeal

to you if you are watching this, There's your family and friends,

they are all worried about you and so, if you are watching

this, please pick up the phone These CCTV pictures show Anna

leaving Southmead Hospital just after 12.15pm on Thursday

April 13th. She left the hospital

grounds nearer 1pm. Anna's a student nurse based

at the University of the West Police say Anna hasn't

got her mobile phone or a credit card with her,

raising more concerns Scott Ellis, BBC

Points West, Bristol. With the general election

just six weeks away, the Liberal Democrats have been

dealt another blow with the withdrawal of another candidate

in one their target seats. Currently, the West's parliamentary

map is almost all blue - And with the Tories doing well

in the opinion polls, they believe even those

are within their grasp. Labour face a tough task to hold

on to the three they have, However, they face a close

fight as Bristol West is the Green Party's

number one target. The Lib Dems hope to win

back the nine seats But they've had another setback

with their candidate in Bath now A week used to be a long

time in politics. But at the current feverish pace,

it feels much, much longer... This time last week Tim Farron

was in the West, talking up We did prepare, we have

prepared for the election, we have candidates selected up

and down the country. But two of those candidates

in key West Country seats Yesterday, in Yeovil,

Daisy Benson ended her campaign, saying she needed time to focus

on buying a house. Today - in Bath -

it was Jay Risbridger's turn. He wouldn't give an interview

but in a statement he said the timing of the snap election

was unexpected and that he needed to focus on moving his business

selling stationary. It came as a surprise

as he was tweeting about being out on the campaign trail

only last week. His Conservative rival saw it

as an unexpected gift... I do believe it's a shambles locally

- three candidates in two years... Don't parachute someone

in for a local dispute, frankly we need someone to provide

strong and stable government. If they can't do it at the local

level, how can they be trusted Candidate or not, the mood in

Lib Dem HQ today was still upbeat. The codename for their campaign

is all about rising from the ashes and they believe they'll take this

latest setback in their stride... The party is bigger than one

candidate and is more important But personally I am very gutted

because Jay Risbridger is a great man and a great campaigner.

However... The Lib Dems hope to

have a replacement candidate to sell They know - in elections

as fast-moving as this - no party can afford to lose any time

getting their message across. Robin Markwell, BBC

Points West, Bath. It is the last Tuesday in April, I

cannot believe how quickly it is going. You're watching BBC Points

West. And stay with us as the lots more to

bring it tonight including... To the races on to stop the closure of a

centre which cares for unwonted pulleys on Exmoor. And he nearly

broke the world record for running a marathon any shoe, he will be with

us shortly to bare his soul about why they did it.

Nettles and their sting have inspired scientists in Bath

to create a new way of transporting vaccines without having

The discovery could make getting vital medicines to remote

or dangerous places much easier, cheaper and safer.

Our health correspondent Matthew Hill reports.

Vaccines save milions of lives - but they only work if they are kept

Keeping them cool in hot countries can prove impossible.

In fact, almost a third of vaccine stock is lost because the proteins

they contain become unusable at room temperatures.

Things could be different, thanks to an idea from

I saw that the doctor removed the vaccination

from the fridge and injected her pretty much immediately.

I asked the doctor, do we need to eat it?

Does it need to be a little bit warmer?

The doctor said, no, it has to be cold.

A team have created a technique which can keep proteins intact

at very high temperatures, by encasing them in silica cages.

They looked to nature for their inspiration.

Nettles make use of nanoscale silica structures to sting

The scientists have managed to mimic this process.

A solution of silica is added to the protein solution found

in vaccines and stirred for 20 minutes.

It is then left to dry into a powder.

And this is the final stage in the process,

minute nanoparticles of silica encase the proteins.

The science is so new they had to invent a word for it.

This thing could be transported for miles and miles

The silica coat can be removed chemically, leaving

If we make this into a tablet, then patients will be able to eat

the tablet and then get vaccinated without even being injected.

Countries like Sierra Leone frequently lose medicine and

I was filming there a year ago with Dr Tim Brooks,

who took his team from Public Health England Porton

There are a lot of problems to go through to get it

through the regulators and to see that it can be made and work.

But at the moment, anything that can preserve a molecule in a way

in which it can still function in the body in the way that it

would do had it not been through the preservative is always

The team from Bath now have to find a pharmaceutical company willing

If it eventually comes to market, it could save millions of lives.

The UK should introduce a Minister For Refugees,

according to a parliamentary group headed by a Bristol MP.

The eight-month inquiry says refugees are welcomed well in the UK

So, how long have you been in Bristol now for? 14 years in

Bristol. How have you found it? Quite welcoming.

Forward was a journalist in Zimbabwe, then a refugee in the UK.

Now he helps others on a similar path.

Behind the word refugee, we are talking about people, we are talking

about people who can contribute to the city.

Provided they get the right support to learn english,

access healthcare, and settle - all recommendations

To highlight some of the things that we do within the sector and that we

are familiar with, but what is important is that that work is being

put together any single report that gives an idea of the challenges that

refugees face. He was a refugee in 1972, when his

family was expelled from Uganda. His warm welcome here

stayed with them all. They were that we felt that we could

give something back and that is what we have done, we have started our

own business. My father never liked the benefit system, and a sense of,

what is this? Likewise, Syed, who's been

in the UK for 25 years, and he still remembers his

most famous customer. Prince Charles came here? Did he buy

anything? He said he did not have any money, only credit.

Syed prefers to help those without - like refugees.

They are suffering from disasters, that is why they come here. They are

welcome, if we do not help them, where do they go?

Many go to refugee camps, especially displaced Syrians,

around 70 of whom have made it to Bristol under the government's

This is a scheme whereby everything, more or less, is taking care of and

who come into this supportive atmosphere from us telling their

that there is a new family coming here, to English support,

individuals abroad. -- individual support.

And so they're more likely to settle and integrate.

But those who don't qualify face a harder journey.

Today's report is aimed at making that easier.

Earlier I spoke to Thangam Debbonaire, the Labour

MP for Bristol West, who chairs the all-party group

I began by asking her how a new Refugee Minister could help

A Refugee Minister could resolve it by working with the Department for

Work and Pensions, across the Home Office, with the Department for

Education to correct the bureaucratic and administrative

errors that have crept into the system and make it difficult for the

refugee to integrate quickly, we are talking about refugees whose status

had been granted. There are all Greasby holes and problems with the

system, but is that not what needs attention at the moment? It has

cross-party support, so it should be possible to change. Yes, it should

be and we know but we need to change. The national insurance

number should arrive with the notice that you got the status of being a

refugee so that that person can get on the booking for a job

straightaway. The residence permit also that allows them to know where

to above, without those two documents people left in limbo. They

want to integrate and get on with advice and contribute to this

country but they cannot both of those things coming at once. It is

fairly straightforward to change. With Brexit, many people voted for

that with immigration at the back of the mind, does go public opinion? I

do not think so, because I think as British, we are naturally hospitable

to people fleeing persecution. If you ask the average Brit do you

think it is fair that we help people who have fled persecution and war

and who need our help and want to contribute, because they want to do

that, and very often they want to go home as soon as the war is over in

the country, I think most Brits would agree that is the right thing

to do and I think most would agree we need to help make the system

works so they can get on with integrating as quickly as possible.

OK, Thangam Debbonaire, thank you for joining us. Thank you.

A centre which cares for unwanted Exmoor ponies and saves them

from slaughter says it may have to close in the summer

The Exmoor Pony Centre is launching a public fundraising campaign

and is warning that, if it has to close, ponies

on the moor may once again have to be shot.

If it weren't for this sanctuary these, Exmoor ponies would probably

have ended up being slaughtered for horse meat.

Well, it would be devastating, it means absolutely everything to me

here. But now the future of this place

is under threat as it It's losing thousands of pounds

and time is running out. It is pretty critical at the moment.

That is due to a lack of funds and we are finding ourselves in the

position where we will have to close at the end of the summer if we

cannot find the extra income. The Domesday Book has

references to ponies on Exmoor They've had a chequered history,

almost becoming extinct in the Second World War

when soldiers used them And it's the gun that

probably would have been the fate of these ponies -

breeders who have no use for male foals often slaughter them if no

alternative home can be found. This centre on the edge of Exmoor

has been that alternative home for around 300 ponies since it

opened 11 years ago. Here they tame them and move

them on to new owners. Volunteers who support the place say

they fear for the future of unwanted Exmoor ponies if this place

is forced to shut down. To see the ponies from falls grow

into adults and go on and happy future, you know, it is just

fantastic. There's no plan to kill these horses

even if this place does close. The centre says they will be

taken care of - somehow. But there will be no new intake -

survival of the next Clinton Rogers, BBC

Points West, Exmoor. Now before we get to June 8th,

there are other very important elections across the West -

local elections for new councillors in Somerset, Wiltshire

and Gloucestershire. The Conservatives have more county

councillors than all the other But all that could change in nine

days' time, with the result giving a good indication what might happen

in the forthcoming general election. Over the next two nights we'll be

looking at the picture in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire,

but first our political editor Leaders of the four parties

on Somerset County Council John Osman's Conservatives

are in charge. They're proud of their

record on council tax though it's risen

two years' running. It is difficult, it is well

documented, we have had our services and budgets reduced by ?120 million,

but we have focused on the key areas, adult social care, children's

social care, highways, transport, we have worked hard to bring new

businesses into the county. They are big rivals, the Lib Dems attack the

cuts but they would have had to have slashed spending. Bus services,

libraries, highways, adult social care particularly is a huge issue.

If you had been running it you would have had to have cut spending as

well. We would have made very different choices. There is no big

pot of money, it is a question of priorities and powers would be

extremely different. The Tories and Lib Dems have long dominated the

council Chamber, Labour hopes of increasing their seats are not

helped by the poor poll ratings for their party leader. We have

traditional heartlands in Wellington, some parts of Taunton

and Bridgewater, but it has not been a good area for many years for us

and nationally it is a tough time. But we think we have good candidates

who are talking about issues that people are interested in. Four years

ago Ukip media breakthrough winning their first seats but this time they

have not found as many candidates. A lot of our membership is elderly,

others are at work and have full-time jobs and they do not have

the time and commitment to stand for county council. It is almost a

full-time job. With two elections coming up, the politicians will

continue to debate, but will voters be interested? Yes, because it

affects our local services. Not terribly this time around, it is all

too much. Explain. With the general election going on as well, it is

just a bit too much. The contest for the county council is being seen as

something as a dry run for the general election by the two parties

that dominate politics here. The Lib Dems hope they can push back the

Tories on the 4th of May and on June eight. Paul Barltrop, BBC Points

West, Taunton. Tomorrow, Paul will be reporting from Wiltshire.

The politicians are going to have to pace themselves in the weeks

to come and our next guest knows all about how to do that.

He's Martin Pearce from Westbury in Wiltshire.

Last weekend Martin just missed out on breaking a new world record

for being the fastest person to run a marathon dressed as a shoe.

But we think Martin Pearce is still worthy of the title

"Shoe-perman" for his incredible effort in the London Marathon.

He did it all to raise money for Children's Hospice South West

and he's decided to give his marathon medal to a very

Why this? I was 15 and another shirt and I normally do an event for

charity once a year, but I thought I would do a whole suite of events. --

I was 50. I wanted a world record. Rather charity point of view I

wanted to raise awareness and also raise lots of funds. This is

fantastic, even like viewers will notice we do not have the sofa

because it is just not comfortable to sit down in. How is it to run on?

It is interesting, I have had it since January, I run with my arms

inside as you can probably see. That means I cannot take things, I have

to run with the backpack and I have to run inside, I can put jails and

things. Comfortable and self-sufficient. White mac that must

be quite hard, running with your arms at your side. If it was easy,

lots of people would do it. You have raised a of money. Yes that

is correct. It is quite a feat. We will have them all coming in.

Martin, why did you decide to give you a medal to Sophie?

Her father contacted me and I have worked with Paul for a number of

years and I have seen the benefit that both Paul, faith and Sophie

received from the Children's Hospital Southwest. That was one

reason to do that charity. I wanted to see where the money went.

Obviously, Sophie has been unwell, she is in hospital today. I will go

up there to give for the medal. I thought she was more deserving than

I am. I think that is amazing. We have a

little surprise for you. If you would like to look at that monitor,

there is a message from this. Hello, Martin, myself and so they want to

thank you for giving her your London Marathon medal, it is a really kind

gesture and thank you so much for raising money and awareness for this

hospice. That must make it all the worthwhile. I was on a few tears

with contacting them. Especially before the marathon. I am beginning

to go again. Sending lots of love to the whole family.

For people, like myself, who has never run a marathon, what is it

like to do that and no... All of your effort is going to a good

cause? It is one of the things that keeps you going. Half the way

through I was feeling OK. I promised my wife if the record was not on

ABDS off and stop it. But with several miles left to go, you

question what you are doing it for and it is the Dr Zogby and the other

children and the farm and was this that keeps you going. You know you

are doing it for a reason. I can recover, my blisters will go and my

aches will go. They are still living with it. Hopefully they will be out

of hospital soon. Thank you so much. It is in pretty good nick. It is

serving me very well, it is looked after, believe me.

Thank you for joining us, Martin. Thank you.

Finally - Bristol Zoo have released the first moving pictures

The baby gorilla or infant - who so far doesn't have a name -

Laura Jones has been along to the zoo for us to find out more.

And facilitating in this strange new world. We do not know whether it is

a boy or a girl but mother and baby are doing well. It is really

special, we are really pleased that mother and infant are doing so well.

Guerrillas are an endangered species out in the wild they are very rare.

Breeding them for us is really important. Last year, the baby at

the headlines at the zoo when she was born by Caesarean section and

had to be hand reared. Thankfully, the birth was a lot less hairy, so

there is able to do exactly what it should be doing, getting plenty of

snuggles and naps with Mama. but today there was snow

across some parts of the West. Look at some of these pictures

you sent us this afternoon. Snow in Gloucester, Bristol

and Weston supermare. Is this unusual?

Sometimes it snows in April, so sign Rounds. These are the cold snaps,

not unusual at this time of year, but it is certainly not a common

sight to see snow getting this far south and that you have said, under

those heavy showers. Let me take you through the forecast. In many

respects, it will be a similar day, again we will start off with the

chilly start, or at risk of frost. Any morning, it is looking

effectively dry and bright, so as you get through to the afternoon

there will be a risk of showers again. More predominate out towards

the east, so the distribution will be subtly different compared to

tomorrow. There will be a number of you who will actually enjoy a dry

day from start to finish. Probably a fair amount of sunshine around.

Things shape up, we are still locked into this especially chilly northern

level, which, of course, has been set, will be at the sunshine, as you

would expect for this time of year, it does not feel like mid-January

for example, but nonetheless, it will continue at pace through the

course of tomorrow with four per showers. So, for the time being, we

are seeing some lengthy, dry, sunny phases, it will take a while this

evening for those that finally died and then we are in for a dry night,

one with varying amounts of cloud but it is unclear whether as well.

Once again, temperatures will drop quite markedly, so we will get down

to freezing in some areas, perhaps a degree or so below and that means

there is the risk of frost which must be taken seriously for the

gardeners and growers amongst you. As we head through to tomorrow

morning, looking a dry and sunny start, there will be some cloud

around and as the day wears on, you will see that by mid-afternoon the

showers will appear. Unlikely to seasonal tomorrow, he'll is

certainly possible, temperatures tomorrow brought around ten, 12

Celsius, that's it for me. Thank you, Ian. That is all from us.

See you later. Goodbye.