0:00:06 > 0:00:08In Points West tonight:
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Welcome to BBC Points West, with Liz Beacon and David Garmston.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24An acid attack murder trial.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27This woman is accused of throwing acid at her former boyfriend -
0:00:27 > 0:00:30to stop him seeing anyone else.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34We heard how the victim ended up asking a doctor to take his life.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35Our other headlines tonight:
0:00:35 > 0:00:37No place of their own -
0:00:37 > 0:00:40new figures suggest 8,000 people in the west are homeless.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43The old soldier who won't give up - Stan Tooze is still
0:00:43 > 0:00:49selling poppies aged 94.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51I don't feel the cold.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55Too young for that!
0:00:56 > 0:00:58And from Salisbury Plain to the South Pole.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00We catch up with the Ice Maidens chilling before their
0:01:00 > 0:01:02record breaking attempt.
0:01:12 > 0:01:13Good evening.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16A court heard today how a man was left "grotesquely scarred"
0:01:16 > 0:01:19after his ex-girlfriend threw acid over him as he slept.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Mark van Dongen ended his life in a clinic in Belgium,
0:01:22 > 0:01:2515 months after the alleged attack in Bristol.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28His former lover is accused of murder and throwing a corrosive
0:01:28 > 0:01:32substance with intent to harm - charges she denies.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Our Home Affairs Correspondent Charlotte Callen is in
0:01:35 > 0:01:43Westbury Park tonight.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47For the first time today we heard what is alleged to have happened
0:01:47 > 0:01:59here on Ladysmith Road in Bristol on the 22nd of September 2015. The
0:01:59 > 0:02:04victim had moved here a few years before they attacked and that they
0:02:04 > 0:02:07were a couple, they lived together in this flat. That relationship was
0:02:07 > 0:02:14turbulent and competent catered -- complicated. The couple had
0:02:14 > 0:02:21separated, and Mark had got a new girlfriend. We also heard that big
0:02:21 > 0:02:26-- the ex-girlfriend had threatened the couple. He wanted the police to
0:02:26 > 0:02:29do something about it. At that time, we also heard evidence from the
0:02:29 > 0:02:34prosecution claiming that she had bought sulphuric acid online from
0:02:34 > 0:02:39Amazon, and also had been looking up on the Internet acid attacks. In
0:02:39 > 0:02:45what was described as a shocking video, the victim in his hospital
0:02:45 > 0:02:49bed outlined what he says happened here that night. He says he had come
0:02:49 > 0:02:53here to stay and gone to sleep, and that Ms Wallace had told him she was
0:02:53 > 0:02:57going to stay at a hotel. He woke up, she was standing at the end of
0:02:57 > 0:03:01his bed, he claims that she laughed and shouted, if I can't have you, no
0:03:01 > 0:03:08one will! She then threw acid over him. He then left the flat and
0:03:08 > 0:03:12randomness Road shouting, I'm burning, and asked for help. -- ran
0:03:12 > 0:03:17down this road. What did the defence have to say
0:03:17 > 0:03:22today? In what was described as an unusual
0:03:22 > 0:03:27case, the defence outlined their side of things today. They claim it
0:03:27 > 0:03:31was the victim who put the acid in the glass that night, and that he
0:03:31 > 0:03:36was going to try and poison Ms Wallace. And that in a fit of rage,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39she had picked up the glass, thinking it contained water, and
0:03:39 > 0:03:43threw it over him. What is unusual about this case is
0:03:43 > 0:03:49that the alleged victim did not die straightaway, what happened?
0:03:49 > 0:03:53That's right, what we heard today was about Mark's catastrophic
0:03:53 > 0:03:59industries -- injuries as they were described. He had lost one of his
0:03:59 > 0:04:02eyes, he was paralysed from the neck down. He has claimed to have said
0:04:02 > 0:04:08his life was just not worth living, he had phoned his father and said
0:04:08 > 0:04:11please can you send a private ambulance to bring me back to
0:04:11 > 0:04:16Belgium, where euthanasia is legal? When he got back there, three
0:04:16 > 0:04:19doctors assessed and said he was suitable for euthanasia. And on the
0:04:19 > 0:04:242nd of January, this year, his life was ended. Ms Wallace denies both
0:04:24 > 0:04:28those charges, and the case is due to last for three weeks.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32Thanks very much.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Over 200 people attended the funeral of the former
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Bristol Rovers chairman Geoff Dunford this lunchtime.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Mr Dunford passed away last month after a long-term illness.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Former players and managers joined family and friends in Keynsham
0:04:41 > 0:04:43to pay their respects.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45He'd been involved with Rovers for 30 years, saving the club
0:04:45 > 0:04:50from going out of business in the mid 1980s.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52As a true Gashead, I know what he means to me,
0:04:52 > 0:04:57and he's the first fellow who believed in me enough to see
0:04:57 > 0:05:00someone bigger than just a lad who worked hard,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02and I will be forever grateful.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Geoff was a driving force behind saving Rovers and doing
0:05:05 > 0:05:09what they needed to do at the time, and I don't know if the fans
0:05:09 > 0:05:11know how bad it was.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15I feel very humble, very privileged, and also
0:05:15 > 0:05:19I want to say to the family, from the Bristol Rovers family,
0:05:19 > 0:05:25thank you for what you did for us.
0:05:33 > 0:05:39A very full life he led.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42More than 20 people are believed to have been injured and one man
0:05:42 > 0:05:44is in a life threatening condition after a collision involving a double
0:05:45 > 0:05:46decker bus in Bristol.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Emergency services were at the scene in Blackberry Hill after
0:05:49 > 0:05:51The FirstGroup bus collided with a car yesterday afternoon.
0:05:51 > 0:06:01The 52-year-old car driver was taken to Southmead Hospital.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10A public consultation is under way which could see that sector me
0:06:10 > 0:06:13operations only carried out in exceptional circumstances.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16There are around 150 men in Bath and North East Somerset who have
0:06:16 > 0:06:18vasectomies each year, and about six women who go
0:06:18 > 0:06:19for sterilisations.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Now the NHS wants to save £200,000 a year by cutting the funding
0:06:22 > 0:06:27for these operations, apart from exceptional cases.
0:06:27 > 0:06:33They also want to reduce the age women can get IVF from 40-35.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36The GP in charge of making this decision says the NHS isn't getting
0:06:36 > 0:06:45enough money to carry on providing all services for free.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49This is a really tough discussion to have, but this is the reality where
0:06:49 > 0:06:53we find ourselves.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55of where we find ourselves, with the budget that we have
0:06:55 > 0:06:57not meeting the needs that our population has.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59So, again, get on there, complete the questionnaire,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02let us hear your views.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04So what would be an exceptional case?
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Well, the NHS has not yet made up its mind -
0:07:06 > 0:07:09it could mean they're free for women with cancer, or who are obese
0:07:10 > 0:07:11and smoke who cannot take the pill.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15As you heard, they want your views.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19I visited a parent and toddler group today in Bath, who had mixed
0:07:19 > 0:07:21opinions.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24I think the risk to people's health of being on the contraceptive pill,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28and in terms of, you know, risk of clotting, all sorts of other
0:07:28 > 0:07:31health risks of being on that, that actually people might decide
0:07:31 > 0:07:35to go for sterilisation because they are concerned
0:07:35 > 0:07:41of the risk to their own health, and I feel really they
0:07:41 > 0:07:43should have that choice.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45They have got to make cuts somewhere, and wherever
0:07:45 > 0:07:49they are going to make cuts it's going to be tricky for whoever
0:07:49 > 0:07:51is going to be affected.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54So what could be the implications of all of this?
0:07:54 > 0:07:57It could mean men having to pay £500 for a vasectomy for example.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01The GP in charge of the existing service has told me he thinks this
0:08:01 > 0:08:04is yet another sign of the NHS only being able to provide
0:08:04 > 0:08:07the essentials.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11He also thinks it could lead to a rise in unwanted pregnancies.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14The vasectomy is a very effective form of contraception.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Some couples who are not able to have a vasectomy in the future
0:08:17 > 0:08:20may use other forms of contraception such as the pill or the coil,
0:08:20 > 0:08:30which are unfortunately less effective at preventing pregnancies.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32People in the area have until the end of December
0:08:32 > 0:08:36to make their views known to the NHS either by phone, online or email.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39It's a chilly Wednesday evening, so stay warm with us
0:08:39 > 0:08:41watching BBC Points West.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45And we've much more still to bring you,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47including another honour for the young
0:08:47 > 0:08:52soldier from World War One who was incredibly brave.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55And the famous Bewick swans begin to fly in to Slimbridge -
0:08:55 > 0:08:57is this the real start to winter?
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Ian's here very shortly.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Last night was the coldest of the autumn so far,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12which was pretty grim for anyone without a roof over their head.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Today a new report has said the number of homeless
0:09:14 > 0:09:18in the South West has now reached over 8,000.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20It's not just rough sleeping that's rising -
0:09:20 > 0:09:24there are also many more people in temporary accommodation.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Paul Barltrop's been taking a look at the figures
0:09:26 > 0:09:32and is at a shelter in Bristol.
0:09:32 > 0:09:38Good evening, there are 18 beds in here, 17 shelters across Bristol,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41they will all be filled this evening because more and more people are
0:09:41 > 0:09:46ending up on the streets. Many, many more have been accommodated in
0:09:46 > 0:09:51places like bed and breakfast and hostels. Let's look at some of the
0:09:51 > 0:09:56figures the charity Shelter say that homelessness has risen up to 11% in
0:09:56 > 0:10:01the past year. The worst place as Bristol, 2600 in temporary
0:10:01 > 0:10:09accommodation. 74 people sleeping rough. It is followed by Swindon.
0:10:09 > 0:10:17And in Gloucester, the figure is 423 rough sleepers -- 400, with 23 rough
0:10:17 > 0:10:21sleepers. Let talk to Ben Richardson. How much have you
0:10:21 > 0:10:26noticed this big increase over the past few years?
0:10:26 > 0:10:31It has been hugely significant recently. After a child -- arrow --
0:10:31 > 0:10:36fellow charities, we have traditionally been at the Christmas
0:10:36 > 0:10:38shelter with thousands of volunteers, at since March we have
0:10:38 > 0:10:45been running a shelter in the centre of town with 15 beds. Money is
0:10:45 > 0:10:52tight, we are very reliant on money to keep our doors open.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57There are ten or 15 times as many people being accommodated
0:10:57 > 0:11:01unsatisfactorily. How much of an issue is that?
0:11:01 > 0:11:07It is very significant, and it gets much worse the longer people are
0:11:07 > 0:11:12hidden. Either time they are visible, they have more issues and
0:11:12 > 0:11:15they are more difficult to help. Charities have to step up and
0:11:15 > 0:11:21innovate. Caring in Bristol is running very exciting projects,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25using rooms in the community with volunteers. We are very interested
0:11:25 > 0:11:30in finding ways of getting people in the community to help us.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35Thank you very much. One of the striking things about this is it is
0:11:35 > 0:11:38not just in the cities, even in rural areas there has been a big
0:11:38 > 0:11:42increase in homelessness. Have a look at this report from Dan who has
0:11:42 > 0:11:47been to the relatively affluent town of devices.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49This homeless charity is serving up hope -
0:11:49 > 0:11:50as well as a meal.
0:11:50 > 0:11:51And it's much-needed.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54I think, in the mornings, I just think, what's
0:11:54 > 0:11:55the point of getting up for?
0:11:55 > 0:11:56I mean...
0:11:56 > 0:12:00Now the weather is getting colder, I don't know what I'm going to do.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03The arrival of bacon butties, one of the ways the Open Doors
0:12:03 > 0:12:07charity provides welcome relief from life on the streets.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Right now I'm staying in a wooden shed, and it's just,
0:12:10 > 0:12:11it's absolutely freezing.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13It's really, it's diabolical, really.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14A lot of...
0:12:14 > 0:12:15What, just like a garden shed?
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Just like a garden shed, yeah.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21Across the West, the number of rough sleepers counted by our councils has
0:12:21 > 0:12:23more than doubled since 2010.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26The next count takes place in the coming weeks.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Before people even end up needing the help of homeless
0:12:28 > 0:12:30charities like this one, next year the law will change,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34forcing councils like Wiltshire to provide more help for more people
0:12:34 > 0:12:38more quickly than they do now.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41The change is already putting pressure on council bosses.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45The homeless reductions act will give us the requirement to actually
0:12:45 > 0:12:47look after people earlier.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Up to now it has been 28 days, now it is 56.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Now, just by the sheer numbers involved, that is going to double
0:12:53 > 0:12:55the caseload we have every year.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58For Jen in Devizes, help can't come soon enough.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00And where would you be without facilities like this
0:13:00 > 0:13:01and charities like this?
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Well, to be fair, I'd probably end up being dead, to be fair.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07I would have just gone over the top.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10But they have opened their doors to everybody,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13and they don't judge anybody, and they are just fantastic.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Charities like this one rely on donations.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19As winter draws in, they also need coats,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21socks and sleeping bags.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25Help from the community as well as the government.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34What amazing work those shelters do.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36A man from Wiltshire - who's losing his voice due
0:13:36 > 0:13:38to motor neurone disease - says new technology is helping him
0:13:38 > 0:13:41preserve his own voice.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Jon Stephens has recorded hundreds of words and phrases which he can
0:13:43 > 0:13:47then turn into messages to play to people via a tablet.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49He's the first patient at Swindon's Great Western Hospital
0:13:49 > 0:13:51to use the software.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Here's Laura Jones.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Back at hospital, a chance for John to catch up
0:13:58 > 0:13:59with speech therapist Lucy.
0:13:59 > 0:14:00Hi, how are you?
0:14:00 > 0:14:01I'm all right.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Good to see you again.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06The pair have been working closely together for more than a year
0:14:06 > 0:14:11since John received his devastating diagnosis of motor neurone disease.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16My speech had become a little slurred, so I just
0:14:16 > 0:14:21went to the doctors, who then referred me to the hospital
0:14:21 > 0:14:28where I was told I had motor neurone disease.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30That must have been a huge shock.
0:14:30 > 0:14:31Yeah, it was, yeah.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Motor neurone disease affects the nerves in the brain
0:14:34 > 0:14:37and spinal-cord that tell your muscles what to do.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41It can affect the way you walk, talk, eat a drink and breathe.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44In John's case, at the moment, it is affecting his speech.
0:14:44 > 0:14:50But thanks to some clever new software, and a lot of hard work
0:14:50 > 0:14:53here at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, he is not
0:14:53 > 0:14:54losing his voice just yet.
0:14:54 > 0:14:55This piece of software is called Model Talker,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59and John has spent more than 14 hours over two months recording over
0:14:59 > 0:15:031600 phrases onto it so that he can continue to communicate with people
0:15:03 > 0:15:06even if his speech deteriorates further.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10Our voice is our being, isn't it, it's our identity,
0:15:10 > 0:15:15so to be able to give John a replacement, albeit not
0:15:15 > 0:15:18exactly like his own voice, but quite a close approximation
0:15:18 > 0:15:21to how he sounded, I think it's fantastic and I'm so thrilled
0:15:21 > 0:15:26we are able to do this here in Swindon for people, yes.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Out of the hundreds of phrases John has recorded so far, he reckons this
0:15:29 > 0:15:32will be his most used.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36A cup of tea, please.
0:15:36 > 0:15:37So you get them running around making...
0:15:37 > 0:15:38Yeah, off they go.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42Make me a cup of tea.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45At the moment Jon is doing well, and whilst there are no clues
0:15:45 > 0:15:48as to how his disease will develop, at least he will be able
0:15:48 > 0:15:50to have a say about his future using his own voice.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58For those of you watching last night you'll remember the dad from South
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Gloucestershire who made a plea for burglars to return his
0:16:00 > 0:16:03daughter's computer.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Kellin, who is 13 years old and severely disabled, relies
0:16:05 > 0:16:08on the device to communicate.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Thankfully for the family, after our programme last night
0:16:11 > 0:16:13a member of the public found the stolen computer so police
0:16:13 > 0:16:19are able to return it.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21It is not yet known if it still
0:16:21 > 0:16:23One man's been arrested and released as part of the investigation.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26A blue plaque was unveiled in Bristol today at the home
0:16:26 > 0:16:28of a 21-year-old soldier, awarded the Victoria Cross
0:16:28 > 0:16:32for his outstanding bravery during World War One.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Hardy Falconer Parsons was a medical student at Bristol University
0:16:36 > 0:16:39when he volunteered to fight and was enlisted.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42To tell us more about his gallantry, we're joined by historians
0:16:42 > 0:16:47Jeremy Banning and Clive Burton.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52Thank you for coming into night. First of all, Jeremy, tell us about
0:16:52 > 0:16:57this amazing man and his bravery in World War I.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01He was a young junior officer who went out in March 1917 with the
0:17:01 > 0:17:07Gloucestershire Regiment, and was on the Somme in August 19 17. It was a
0:17:07 > 0:17:11critical position, really important for the observation. The British had
0:17:11 > 0:17:17captured the Hindenburg line and the Germans wanted it back. In the
0:17:17 > 0:17:22middle of the night, just after 3:15am, everyone else eat a retreat,
0:17:22 > 0:17:28but he stayed on and managed to hold the Germans at bay by throwing hand
0:17:28 > 0:17:34grenades at them. A 20-year-old lad, burned so badly in that moment that
0:17:34 > 0:17:38he later died of his wounds. But for his bravery in saving the situation,
0:17:38 > 0:17:42he has been awarded the Victoria Cross.
0:17:42 > 0:17:48He was a medical student, wasn't he? Yes, and the Sun of a minister. A
0:17:48 > 0:17:52really interesting family. When you look at his family history, you can
0:17:52 > 0:17:56see how much that sense of duty and caring for others was passed down to
0:17:56 > 0:18:00not only him but his other brothers as well.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04And Clive, today he was awarded this blue plaque which went up in his
0:18:04 > 0:18:09honour. Why is that significant? There were about eight Victoria
0:18:09 > 0:18:14Cross holders associated with Bristol. Only about four were
0:18:14 > 0:18:20actually born here. The government has funded blue plaque stood go to
0:18:20 > 0:18:25the homes of where these people were born. His commemorative stone went
0:18:25 > 0:18:31up to like Byrne in Lancashire. He felt strongly that his blue plaque,
0:18:31 > 0:18:37there ought to be a service here in Bristol to recognise where he lives,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41and people in the Redland area did not know this Victoria Cross holder
0:18:41 > 0:18:48was living in our midst. The people who came today to the unveiling were
0:18:48 > 0:18:54absolutely astonished. He was so brave and so young, you
0:18:54 > 0:18:58can imagine the burns he would have received from that flame. And then
0:18:58 > 0:19:06his items were returned to his dad. Yes, in a way you don't really want
0:19:06 > 0:19:09to think about the state he would have been in afterwards. All that
0:19:09 > 0:19:13was returned to his father was an identity bracelet and a couple of
0:19:13 > 0:19:19wristwatches. And then the family have said goodbye to him and never
0:19:19 > 0:19:23seen him again. But there was an engraving, wasn't
0:19:23 > 0:19:28there? Yes, on the back of his cap adage.
0:19:28 > 0:19:29-- hajj.
0:19:33 > 0:19:39Irene. We don't know who she was, or what the connection was, we just
0:19:39 > 0:19:44don't know. But it gives you an indication of how sad that would
0:19:44 > 0:19:47have been for her and the Parsons family.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Thank you very much.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Now in Somerset another veteran, this time of World War Two,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55is doing what he can to make sure the sacrifices of his generation
0:19:56 > 0:19:57are never forgotten.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01At 94, Stan Tooze braves all weathers to sell poppies
0:20:01 > 0:20:04in the run up to Remembrance Day.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07And he has no intention of stopping any time soon.
0:20:07 > 0:20:13Our Somerset Correspondent, Clinton Rogers, has been to meet him.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16According to Stan, a hat's all you need even if it did drop
0:20:16 > 0:20:18below freezing last night.
0:20:18 > 0:20:23Nothing deters this 94-year-old war veteran from his outdoor day shift.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Thank you, Madam.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30And so, on duty, as he is most days, in a Taunton supermarket.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34No, I don't feel the cold.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Too young for that!
0:20:37 > 0:20:39I'd like to know what your medals is.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40Just the Second World War.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Modest as well - but always the main attraction here.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Somebody asked for his autograph the other day.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49He gives us 100% support, he is there for everything,
0:20:49 > 0:20:54and come rain, wind, sunshine, you know,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58he is always there.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Stan Tooze was part of the 6th Airborne Division
0:21:01 > 0:21:02of the Parachute Regiment.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04He saw active service in Belgium towards the end
0:21:04 > 0:21:05of the Second World War.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09We went out to the Ardennes, Christmas Eve...
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Inevitably the memories are still vivid.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16One day, my mate was there, one second, the next thing
0:21:16 > 0:21:22he was knocked right down dead, and I was still there.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26It is why he feels a duty to help raise money
0:21:26 > 0:21:29for the Royal British Legion, to honour the memory
0:21:29 > 0:21:31of his fallen colleagues.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36How long do you think you will carry on selling poppies?
0:21:36 > 0:21:40Well, 94...
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Give it another six years!
0:21:42 > 0:21:46At the very least, I'd say!
0:21:52 > 0:21:55You are a trooper, and I'm sure everyone is very grateful for the
0:21:55 > 0:22:01work that you do. Our previous guests put their poppy in this, an
0:22:01 > 0:22:09ex-World War one shell.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12After two years of getting ready the Ice Maidens are in Antarctica
0:22:12 > 0:22:16waiting for a snow storm to pass to then start their bid for a place
0:22:16 > 0:22:17in the history books.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19The group of six women soldiers have swapped
0:22:19 > 0:22:21training on Salisbury Plain, for the South Pole, to race
0:22:21 > 0:22:24against the clock to try to complete the journey in the fastest possible
0:22:24 > 0:22:27time while finding out how women's bodies handle conditions
0:22:27 > 0:22:31on the challenge which so far has only ever been done by men.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Lee Madan reports.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39The Ice Maidens have hit the ice in Antarctica.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42And when the weather clears - their mission will begin.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Our determination is unquestionable, everybody wants to make sure
0:22:45 > 0:22:48that we successfully complete the expedition but also do it safely
0:22:48 > 0:22:52so that the team finish in a good state and we're all fit and well
0:22:52 > 0:22:53at the end.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57These pictures are from a recent training expedition in Switzerland -
0:22:57 > 0:23:01making sure they know how to get out of crevasses and can last the 75
0:23:01 > 0:23:06days it's expected to take to trek coast-to-coast across the continent
0:23:06 > 0:23:11via the South Pole.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15After leaving Heathrow airport and their loved ones 11 days ago -
0:23:15 > 0:23:18the Ice Maidens headed south.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21First to Chile - where they told me on Skype just how
0:23:21 > 0:23:22they're going to cope.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24It's definitely going to be repetitive and that's one
0:23:24 > 0:23:27of the harder elements of the expedition, is, you know,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30day in day out your body aches, you've still got to get up the next
0:23:30 > 0:23:33day, whether you want to or not, noone's coming to get you, you've
0:23:33 > 0:23:35got to carry on with the journey.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Everyone's got different ways of coping.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40I like to break things down into little sections.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43You know, when I'm having a bad day it might be hour by hour,
0:23:43 > 0:23:47if I'm having a good day it might just be the next day.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49And we've got each other to help as well.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51The six soldiers are the first all-woman team to take
0:23:51 > 0:23:53on this challenge - and will be monitoring
0:23:53 > 0:23:56how their bodies change compared to men's in conditions of up
0:23:56 > 0:23:58to minus 40.
0:23:58 > 0:23:59There's a really good medical research element
0:23:59 > 0:24:02towards Ice Maidens, so we're going to be looking
0:24:02 > 0:24:05at how our body consumes energy now and then what it does at the end
0:24:05 > 0:24:07of the expedition, if that changes at all.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10We've also got these sensors that are detecting our heart rate,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13our breathing rate, how hydrated we are and that sort of thing.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16So there's a lot of medical data being captured and then there'll be
0:24:16 > 0:24:18a lot of analysis done when we're back.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22250 soldiers applied to become an Ice Maiden.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Gradually, they got whittled down to the final six,
0:24:25 > 0:24:30who have now spent two years training for this moment.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34The race to the finish line is about to get under way.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Now, the much awaited first Bewick swan of the season flew
0:24:44 > 0:24:45into Gloucestershire earlier today.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48It arrived in the Wildfowl and Wetland Centre in Slimbridge
0:24:48 > 0:24:51just before midday, making it the second one in of
0:24:51 > 0:24:52the winter season.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55The mild weather across Eastern Europe is thought to be the reason
0:24:55 > 0:25:05for their delayed mass migration.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Beautiful birds, aren't they?
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Well, Ian is up on the roof, and Ian, is that cold weather
0:25:12 > 0:25:12the swans are leaving behind set to follow them here?
0:25:16 > 0:25:21Thanks very much. Turning colder over the migration route for those
0:25:21 > 0:25:25swans out of parts of the tundra of Russia over the next few days,
0:25:25 > 0:25:27across Scandinavia your going to see some unsettled in snowy conditions
0:25:27 > 0:25:34as well. It was certainly a chilly start this morning for us. A number
0:25:34 > 0:25:40of you probably trying to find where the icy scraper was. We would have
0:25:40 > 0:25:44found a lot of cloud invading overnight from the North West, weak
0:25:44 > 0:25:49front bringing that, drizzly rain for some of us to rain the first
0:25:49 > 0:25:52part of tomorrow. Slowly conditions will start to brighten up through
0:25:52 > 0:25:57the course of the afternoon. Comparatively mild. Here is a wider
0:25:57 > 0:26:01look at how things are shaping up at the moment. Those weak fronts moving
0:26:01 > 0:26:04in from the North West during the course of tonight. Some of the
0:26:04 > 0:26:11drizzly rain, but then gradually the cloud will break up as the afternoon
0:26:11 > 0:26:14wears on, that process continuing into the first-half of the following
0:26:14 > 0:26:20night as well. For the rest of this evening, clear skies remaining for
0:26:20 > 0:26:23longest, the further south East you are. Arts of Wiltshire and down into
0:26:23 > 0:26:28Dorset. Conversely out into the Northwest, cloud will thicken and
0:26:28 > 0:26:31will lower through the course of the night and reducing catchy outbreaks
0:26:31 > 0:26:37of light rain -- introducing. Temperatures will reach their
0:26:37 > 0:26:42coldest weather clear skies remain. It could be very chilly down in
0:26:42 > 0:26:45parts of south Wiltshire, for example. But by tomorrow morning
0:26:45 > 0:26:50that process will be firmly arrested fangs to the cloud cover and
0:26:50 > 0:26:51generally milder conditions prevailing over the course of
0:26:51 > 0:26:57tomorrow. A few breaks in the cloud during the first-half of the day
0:26:57 > 0:27:04which will become more substantial past lunchtime. So, temperatures
0:27:04 > 0:27:10tomorrow ultimately as high as 14 Celsius in urban areas such as
0:27:10 > 0:27:18Bristol. Any of you in the range of 11-13 Celsius. It will turn chilly
0:27:18 > 0:27:21under clear skies for a while overnight towards Friday, showery
0:27:21 > 0:27:25rain to contend with first light on Friday. Looking decent thereafter
0:27:25 > 0:27:28until the night-time, with heavy rain from the West.
0:27:28 > 0:27:29until the night-time, with heavy rain from the West.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34Thanks, Ian. Don't mind it being chilly if the skies are lovely and
0:27:34 > 0:27:38blue. That is just about where we have to
0:27:38 > 0:27:42leave. There is an update at 10pm, otherwise the whole team returns
0:27:42 > 0:27:47tomorrow. See you then. Goodbye.