:00:03. > :00:05.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Polly Evans.
:00:05. > :00:08.And I'm Rob Smith. Tonight's top stories:
:00:08. > :00:11.A life sentence for the man described as "wicked" for starting
:00:11. > :00:15.the house fire that killed a six- year-old in Sussex.
:00:15. > :00:21.The killer who wants a sex change on the NHS, and the family of his
:00:21. > :00:23.victim who say they are sickened that he might get it.
:00:23. > :00:32.Also in tonight's programme: Margate is made ship-shape for a
:00:32. > :00:35.Royal arrival - an autumn clean for the town ahead of the Queen's visit.
:00:35. > :00:38.People are starting to take pride in the area a game, which is lovely
:00:38. > :00:41.because it has a lot to offer. A Kent soldier's amazing tale of
:00:41. > :00:44.survival when a pocket mirror saved him from deadly shrapnel during
:00:44. > :00:47.World War Two. And half the man he used to be -
:00:47. > :00:57.the Maidstone dieter who is happy to be a big loser, dropping 16
:00:57. > :00:59.
:00:59. > :01:02.stone A South African man who murdered a
:01:02. > :01:08.six-year-old Sussex schoolgirl by setting fire to her house, has been
:01:08. > :01:11.jailed for life. The judge said George Sithole was a "wicked" man
:01:11. > :01:13.who would serve at least 17 years behind bars for killing Dumo
:01:13. > :01:16.Sibanda. Lewes Crown Court heard he had
:01:16. > :01:26.started the blaze in Crawley in a jealous rage because his former
:01:26. > :01:30.girlfriend was staying at the house. Natalie Graham reports.
:01:30. > :01:35.It took seven years to bring it George Sithole to justice. He fled
:01:35. > :01:39.to South Africa and was only arrested than last year, but today
:01:39. > :01:43.the parents whose only child was killed in a fire that he started
:01:43. > :01:48.saw him convicted of her murder. George Sithole was selfish enough
:01:48. > :01:52.not to deal with the consequences of his actions at the time. He
:01:52. > :01:57.refused to come forward when he knew he was sought for questioning.
:01:57. > :02:00.He also resisted the extradition process, which led to the
:02:00. > :02:06.extraordinary in his coming to the UK for the trial to take place and
:02:06. > :02:10.allow us some closure. Dumo was six when she died in the fire at her
:02:10. > :02:14.home in Crawley. George Sithole's former girlfriend was staying at
:02:14. > :02:19.the house. He visited the family and even played with the girl, but
:02:19. > :02:24.when his relationship ended he became angry. He was caught on CCTV
:02:24. > :02:31.buying matches and petrol, clearly planning his revenge. On the night
:02:31. > :02:35.the fire started there were three people in the head, Dumo, her
:02:35. > :02:39.father, and George Sithole's ex- girlfriend. Dumo was asleep in the
:02:39. > :02:43.back bedroom. Her father tried to rescue having a ladder against the
:02:43. > :02:50.wall but the fire was to into tens. I didn't wake up on the night that
:02:50. > :02:55.it happened -- I didn't wake up. I could hear a noise, it must have
:02:55. > :03:00.been a fire engine. Every time I walk past the house I remember that
:03:00. > :03:04.little girl's face, it is heart- wrenching. Dumo's mother set up a
:03:04. > :03:09.website in memory of her daughter. She told the court she has never
:03:09. > :03:13.forgiven herself for not being home the night that Dumo died, but
:03:13. > :03:16.earlier in the day she had called and said she loved her. They also
:03:16. > :03:20.told how their marriage had been ripped to shreds by the loss of
:03:20. > :03:27.their daughter and their subsequent seven-year fight for justice.
:03:27. > :03:30.Tonight, the man who caused such her it is beginning a life-sentence.
:03:30. > :03:32.-- caused such hurt. The family of a disabled man who
:03:32. > :03:35.was beaten to death in Sittingbourne are campaigning to
:03:35. > :03:37.stop his killer getting a sex change in prison.
:03:37. > :03:41.Relatives of Clive White say they are sickened that taxpayers could
:03:41. > :03:46.be forced to foot the bill for treatment for Robert Page, who has
:03:46. > :03:50.now legally changed his name to Emma. Simon Jones reports.
:03:50. > :03:54.Killed with a hammer and axe after confronting a neighbour burgling
:03:54. > :03:58.his flat. Clive White was found lying in a pool of blood in his
:03:58. > :04:04.bedroom by his Qera in Sittingbourne in 2000. Robert Page,
:04:04. > :04:08.who lived four doors away, is in jail for manslaughter, now seeking
:04:08. > :04:13.a sex change, but his victim's family feel he has forfeited his
:04:13. > :04:21.right. For this man to do this, it is absolutely despicable. That is
:04:21. > :04:26.my only thing. I feel so hurt for these people that cannot get their
:04:26. > :04:30.operations, and he can go ahead and get all of this done through the
:04:30. > :04:34.taxpayers' money, that they are paying for him to have their own.
:04:35. > :04:38.Robert Page, who uses the name Emma, is currently in Wakefield prison
:04:39. > :04:43.where he is seeking so much of it. The only feeling is that he should
:04:43. > :04:48.not have the rights. Whether it is this operation or something as, he
:04:48. > :04:51.has no right to anything in this life, not in his life.
:04:51. > :04:54.Department of Health said transsexual prisoners have the
:04:55. > :04:59.right to receive the same range and quality of NHS treatments and
:04:59. > :05:03.services as anyone else, including treatment for gender reassignment.
:05:03. > :05:08.He is entitled to the same prison whether -- the same treatment
:05:08. > :05:12.whether in prison or out of prison. It does not matter whether he is
:05:12. > :05:17.transgender, suffering from mental illness or cancer concert -- or
:05:17. > :05:20.cancer, the treatment is NHS treatment, standard procedure.
:05:20. > :05:23.Department for Justice said tonight it could not talk about individual
:05:23. > :05:27.prisoners. Simon Jones reporting, and he joins
:05:27. > :05:32.us live now from Chatham. If this operation does go ahead, would he
:05:32. > :05:36.be transferred to a women's prison? That is likely to be the case
:05:36. > :05:40.because, by law, if a prisoner has a sex change operation they must be
:05:40. > :05:44.treated as someone of the acquired sex, said that would be likely to
:05:44. > :05:48.lead to a prison transfer. The ultimate decision about whether the
:05:48. > :05:53.operation should proceed lies with the Primary Care Trust, who say it
:05:53. > :05:57.would cost 10 to �11,000, but the victim's family here in Chatham
:05:57. > :06:01.have launched a petition which they are putting out in Chatham and
:06:01. > :06:03.Sittingbourne to try to stop this operation ever taking the place.
:06:03. > :06:06.Thank you, Simon. In a moment:
:06:06. > :06:14.Why Ashford has been named as the worst town for recycling in the
:06:14. > :06:17.The people of Margate are hard at work cleaning, polishing and
:06:17. > :06:21.generally sprucing up the seaside resort tonight, in readiness for a
:06:21. > :06:23.royal visit. The Queen will mark Armistice Day
:06:23. > :06:33.by meeting veterans in Margate tomorrow, and along with Prince
:06:33. > :06:34.
:06:35. > :06:42.Philip will also be taking a tour of parts of the town.
:06:42. > :06:48.Decorator's... Bunting... Even new hanging baskets. It all adds up to
:06:48. > :06:52.one thing, the Queen is coming to town. I feel proud. It is nice to
:06:52. > :06:56.have her come down and visit us for a change. We get left out Danny up.
:06:56. > :07:01.It is nice to have something positive said about Margate because
:07:01. > :07:04.every week to open a newspaper and it is also negative, people are
:07:04. > :07:10.starting to take pride in the area again, which is lovely because it
:07:10. > :07:15.has a lot to offer. It is a lovely seaside town and we have a Thame
:07:15. > :07:20.climate, haven't we? But we don't tell people about that! -- we have
:07:20. > :07:27.a micro-climate. Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh are expected
:07:27. > :07:32.to walk past the old town, passing it is pub on their way. They have
:07:32. > :07:36.closed every road down here, they are to make a flat surge at about
:07:36. > :07:41.6:30pm, we have had to give lists of names of staff who live in the
:07:41. > :07:45.flats to the council and police, and literally if your name is not
:07:45. > :07:49.down then I do not think they will letters into the pub in the morning
:07:49. > :07:54.to get things done before we open! So a couple of problems, yes.
:07:54. > :07:58.are making every effort to make sure Margate shows its best race
:07:58. > :08:03.for Her Majesty. They are clearing away this rotting seaweed so there
:08:03. > :08:08.is no stench to defend the Royal nostrils. They started work on it
:08:08. > :08:12.last night to make sure it would be cleared in time. A seaside town,
:08:12. > :08:17.you expect seaweed, but had fully on the day it will not cause an
:08:17. > :08:23.offensive smell for Her Majesty. is anticipated the Queen will
:08:23. > :08:26.arrive in fan at just after 11am tomorrow. -- in the Fastnet.
:08:26. > :08:30.It is not the first time the Queen has come to Thanet. These photos
:08:30. > :08:37.show her visiting Margate in 1948. And this footage sent in by another
:08:37. > :08:41.of our viewers shows her visiting a factory in Broadstairs in 1993. A
:08:41. > :08:45.bit of a change from her usual outfits in a lab coat and goggles
:08:45. > :08:48.to complete the tour. That visit 18 years ago was
:08:48. > :08:53.unforgettable for those who met her. We have tracked some of them down
:08:53. > :09:02.ahead of tomorrow's royal visit. The most memorable day of my
:09:02. > :09:06.membership in this club, it was quite amazing. In 1993, Her Majesty
:09:06. > :09:10.visited the Royal Temple Yacht Club. She was in Ramsgate to launch a
:09:10. > :09:15.life boat on behalf of the RNLI. Prince Philip was standing right in
:09:15. > :09:23.front of me and he said, good morning, are you joining us for
:09:23. > :09:26.lunch, old boy? I said, afraid not, sir, the senior police are Britain
:09:26. > :09:31.are entertaining you and Her Majesty. He said, I will tell you
:09:31. > :09:36.what I will do, I will save you some and let you know when I leave.
:09:36. > :09:40.I thought no more about that, but what a character, and just as I was
:09:40. > :09:44.leaving Prince Philip looked over and caught my eye and said, you had
:09:45. > :09:50.better be quick, old boy, before they take my played a way! And off
:09:50. > :09:56.they went. This is the invitation, the naming ceremony and dedication
:09:56. > :10:02.of the life boat at Rams -- Ramsgate by Her Majesty the Queen.
:10:02. > :10:10.We were all naturally so excited. I bought a new outfit, as usual, and
:10:10. > :10:14.a hat to wear. We all went down, and the crowds on the harbour at
:10:14. > :10:18.Ramsgate were unbelievable. You could not have a long conversation
:10:18. > :10:21.with her because she had got so many other people to meet. She
:10:21. > :10:28.always gives the impression that she is taller than you are, but she
:10:28. > :10:32.is not, she is a very small person, actually. But I think she is
:10:32. > :10:38.wonderful. What a day, it was amazing. We were told it was a
:10:38. > :10:43.royal visit but we did not know who until quite late on, and then when
:10:43. > :10:47.we found out it was the Queen it was... AU, that's brilliant, yeah.
:10:47. > :10:52.Prince Philip and the Queen, they came to name the relief life boat
:10:52. > :10:57.which has been named after her, and she came here to smash the bottle
:10:57. > :11:00.over the front. Fortunately, it was not like one of the clips, it broke
:11:00. > :11:02.first time! Tomorrow we will be broadcasting
:11:02. > :11:06.live from Margate to mark the royal visit.
:11:06. > :11:14.I'll be broadcasting live at 1.30pm and 6.30pm. And BBC Radio Kent have
:11:14. > :11:17.a day of special programmes from Margate from 6am.
:11:17. > :11:21.Lots to look forward to. The Government says queues at the
:11:21. > :11:23.Dartford Crossing are now so bad there will have to be a new, third
:11:23. > :11:26.Thames crossing to relieve the pressure. Ministers say they will
:11:26. > :11:29.bring in new technology to speed things up by automatically billing
:11:29. > :11:32.drivers, rather than making them go through toll booths. But Transport
:11:32. > :11:35.Minister Mike Penning told the Commons this afternoon he does not
:11:35. > :11:39.think that will be enough to solve the problem.
:11:39. > :11:42.Two lifeboat crews came to the rescue of the skipper of a 30-foot
:11:42. > :11:44.yacht after it ran aground off Beachy Head. Both the inshore and
:11:44. > :11:47.all-weather RNLI lifeboats from Eastbourne took part in the rescue
:11:47. > :11:52.yesterday evening, after the yacht struck a submerged ledge and began
:11:52. > :11:55.taking on water. Sussex Police are hunting a man who
:11:55. > :12:00.dragged a woman off the street as she walked home from a Brighton
:12:00. > :12:02.nightclub and raped her. The 24- year-old was pulled from St James's
:12:02. > :12:12.Street into the New Steine community gardens and attacked at
:12:12. > :12:15.about 1:30am yesterday morning. This attack is not been linked to
:12:15. > :12:19.any others at this time but we will review any information that comes
:12:19. > :12:23.in. But I would say attacks like this are thankfully rare and it is
:12:23. > :12:27.not being linked to anything else at the moment. Lynda Hardy joins us
:12:27. > :12:32.live from Brighton. The police are appealing for anyone
:12:32. > :12:35.who may have seen this man approaches victim to come forward?
:12:35. > :12:40.Detectives say the man approached the woman on St James's Street and
:12:40. > :12:44.tried to engage her in conversation before pulling her into the New
:12:44. > :12:50.Steine community gardens behind the, where he raped her. He is described
:12:50. > :12:54.as a white, tanned man aged 25-35, with jet black spiky hair. Tonight,
:12:54. > :12:58.detectives are carrying out door- to-door inquiries in the area to
:12:58. > :13:00.find any more information and they are, of course, appealing for any
:13:00. > :13:02.witnesses to this attack to come forward.
:13:02. > :13:05.Thank you. A formal complaint has been
:13:05. > :13:07.officially lodged against the Bishop of Lewes, Bishop Wallace
:13:07. > :13:10.Benn. The complaint, which has been received by Lambeth Palace, is
:13:10. > :13:13.understood to be the first ever made by a safeguarding group
:13:13. > :13:15.against an Anglican Bishop. It comes three months after we
:13:15. > :13:18.exclusively revealed that the Bishop had provided significantly
:13:18. > :13:26.inaccurate information to an inquiry into two paedophile priests.
:13:26. > :13:30.Our home affairs correspondent Colin Campbell has the latest.
:13:30. > :13:36.We understand the formal complaint which has been lodged against
:13:36. > :13:40.Bishop Wallace Benn relate to alleged child safeguarding mistakes.
:13:40. > :13:44.It is absolutely vital that if we are to keep our children safe that
:13:44. > :13:48.people involved in child protection such as clergy in the higher
:13:48. > :13:52.echelons of the Church have got to be very vigilant and follow these
:13:52. > :13:55.protocols to the letter, otherwise our children are in the danger.
:13:55. > :13:59.formal complaint was to live at Lambeth Palace on Wednesday and is
:13:59. > :14:03.understood to be the first time a safeguarding grip has ever lodged a
:14:03. > :14:10.formal complaint against a Church of England bishop. The Archbishop
:14:10. > :14:12.of Canterbury has 28 days to decide what to do next. He must choose to
:14:12. > :14:16.either progress with the disciplinary process or dismissed
:14:16. > :14:19.the complaint altogether. If it is disciplined -- recognised as a
:14:20. > :14:29.disciplinary matter, he must decide whether Bishop Wallace Benn should
:14:30. > :14:30.
:14:30. > :14:34.be suspended. Choir by Gary Johnson was abused as a child. The man who
:14:34. > :14:38.abused him was allowed to continue serving. He described his complaint
:14:38. > :14:42.as a significant event. fundamental failings in the out
:14:42. > :14:47.said affected me hugely because of the abuse as a third but in the
:14:47. > :14:51.last 25 years the continued failings and problems within the
:14:51. > :14:57.diocese of Chichester and the Church of England only served to
:14:57. > :15:03.deepen those rooms. He could not resist it -- we could not resisted
:15:03. > :15:08.when at the last minute we were contacted by a bishop... Appearing
:15:08. > :15:14.on Top gear in 2002, the Bishop of Lewes has not in the past shied
:15:14. > :15:16.from the spotlight, but we were unable to get any response from him
:15:16. > :15:19.regarding this complaint. Our top story tonight:
:15:19. > :15:22.A South African who murdered a six- year-old Sussex schoolgirl by
:15:22. > :15:25.setting fire to her house has been jailed for life. The judge said
:15:25. > :15:28.George Sithole was a "wicked" man who would serve at least 17 years
:15:28. > :15:31.behind bars for killing Dumo Sibanda in Crawley seven years ago.
:15:31. > :15:34.Also in tonight's programme: How a dented mirror and a piece of
:15:34. > :15:38.shrapnel pay testament to one man's amazing tale of survival in World
:15:38. > :15:48.War Two. And the Maidstone man on a high
:15:48. > :15:51.
:15:51. > :15:54.When they were named and shamed a year ago as the worst council in
:15:54. > :15:59.the country for recycling, Ashford borough councillors said it was
:15:59. > :16:04."indefensible" and promised change. 12 months on and the situation
:16:04. > :16:07.appears to have actually got worse. While Tunbridge Wells is the South
:16:07. > :16:11.East's top performer, recycling 46% of its waste, when the national
:16:11. > :16:18.average is 41%, in Ashford the rate is just 14%, down from 15% last
:16:18. > :16:25.year. Our environment correspondent Yvette Austin is live for us in
:16:25. > :16:30.Ashford now. Bottom-of-the-table for a second
:16:30. > :16:34.year running, this is embarrassing for the council? Indeed it is, many
:16:34. > :16:38.millions of pounds have been spent here in recent years on
:16:38. > :16:43.regeneration. This is one of the showcase areas. Ivor there, the
:16:43. > :16:48.international station, gateway to Europe. Cross to Europe and
:16:48. > :16:54.reciting figures are as high as 60% in some countries. In Ashford, they
:16:54. > :17:00.are 14%. Ashford, Kent's fastest-growing
:17:00. > :17:04.town. Modern, futuristic in parts, but despite its multi-million pound
:17:04. > :17:10.developments its record on rubbish spoils the image. For the second
:17:10. > :17:14.year in a row, the borough has come bottom of the country's recycling
:17:14. > :17:19.league table. Last year it promised to do better, what has gone wrong?
:17:19. > :17:24.You spoke to me last year that problems with recycling. If I show
:17:24. > :17:28.you this, this is what you said... We have secured funding for the
:17:28. > :17:32.blue box scheme, rolling back out to 9,000 homes, a significant
:17:32. > :17:39.number. We will introduce a green waste system on a pilot basis and
:17:39. > :17:42.we are looking to examine how we can recycle plastics. There are a
:17:42. > :17:46.lot of problems but we will that at that.
:17:46. > :17:51.You had big plans, what has happened? You are the lowest in the
:17:51. > :17:57.country and figures are worse. have not got worse, we have done
:17:57. > :18:01.what I said we would do in that interview. We have introduced 9,000
:18:01. > :18:06.blue boxes, so now we have 9,000 more homes with blue boxes for
:18:06. > :18:11.recycling, bringing us to a total of 37,000 homes, and that is
:18:11. > :18:16.working. That is not reflected in these figures. Some residents are
:18:16. > :18:20.not happy. Geoff Meaden has to take all of his recycling two miles away
:18:20. > :18:25.to Binns in a car park. This is our dustbin, it has to take everything,
:18:25. > :18:30.we do not get any recycling facilities from the council and so
:18:30. > :18:34.everything goes in there. What a waste. This is Ashford Borough
:18:34. > :18:37.Council all over. We have got no worries about recycling, they have
:18:37. > :18:42.greater priorities, building houses on green field sites instead of
:18:43. > :18:47.doing something grey. What is not recycled in Ashford goes to be
:18:47. > :18:49.incinerated in a plant near Maidstone. The council promises
:18:49. > :18:53.last will go -- less will go there net Steer.
:18:53. > :18:59.The council is speaking with a determined voice. It says figures
:18:59. > :19:03.will be better next year but says the big change will be in 2013 when
:19:03. > :19:06.it enters into a new waste contract and new waste strategy offering
:19:06. > :19:14.more collections of different types of waste. It does not want to be in
:19:14. > :19:17.this position again. Thank you.
:19:17. > :19:20.Bill Betteridge from Maidstone was serving in the Ardennes in World
:19:20. > :19:25.War Two when a blast from a German artillery shell killed the comrade
:19:25. > :19:28.fighting alongside him. Bill was hit by shrapnel as well,
:19:28. > :19:38.but almost miraculously was not seriously injured. Peter Whittlesea
:19:38. > :19:38.
:19:38. > :19:42.has been to meet him. In 1943, Bill Betteridge was just
:19:42. > :19:49.17 and a half. He volunteered and joined the Grenadier Guards. The
:19:49. > :19:52.young Guardsman was issued with his kit, which included his Army Pay
:19:52. > :19:56.Book and regulations stainless- steel mirror. He could never have
:19:56. > :20:01.imagined how important this metal rectangle would prove to be.
:20:01. > :20:06.think it saved my life at the time, yet. I had it in my breast pocket
:20:06. > :20:10.here. Very important. If that had gone through, broken through
:20:10. > :20:17.totally, it would have caused quite a bit of damage into my chest,
:20:17. > :20:21.possibly the heart. It happened on December 12th, 1944. Bill was in
:20:21. > :20:25.the Ardennes relieving American troops as the Allies advanced
:20:25. > :20:30.further into Germany. When the shell exploded, his pay book was in
:20:30. > :20:35.the breast pocket next to the Mirror. The pay book was destroyed.
:20:35. > :20:39.He had to be issued with a new one which unequivocally verifies that
:20:39. > :20:44.his mirror saved him from a shrapnel wound. The actual book
:20:44. > :20:49.that got damaged had a hole right through it. You will never get the
:20:49. > :20:57.full story of anything unless you have got proof. The proof is that,
:20:57. > :21:02.apart from a shrapnel and the Mirror, that was army recognition
:21:02. > :21:06.by enemy action. For Bill, the Mirror and the piece of shrapnel
:21:06. > :21:11.are cherished possessions which he plans to lead to his eldest
:21:11. > :21:15.grandson. -- plans to leave to his eldest grandson.
:21:15. > :21:18.An amazing story. For Brandon Mower, the moment he
:21:18. > :21:21.realised he really had to do something about his weight was when
:21:22. > :21:24.he became stuck in a train seat. 32 stone at the time, he missed his
:21:24. > :21:27.stop as a result, and ended up changing his life.
:21:27. > :21:34.Now he has successfully battled the bulge, and even become a weight
:21:34. > :21:38.loss coach, helping people across Kent. Alex Beard reports.
:21:38. > :21:42.Brandon Mower is half the man he used to be. Literally. He used to
:21:42. > :21:47.raise 32 stone and over the last five years has managed to shed 16
:21:47. > :21:50.of the M. My mum, bless her, I went to a family party and she
:21:50. > :21:56.acknowledged me and it took about a minute to realise it was made,
:21:56. > :21:59.which was quite funny at the time! It was a rush hour to meet which
:21:59. > :22:03.kick-started his weight loss journey. He became wedged in his
:22:03. > :22:08.seat and had to stay on until the end of the lie. I just got stuck. I
:22:08. > :22:14.could not get up, and realised I was actually that there. His issues
:22:14. > :22:18.with food started at a young age. He was only 13 in this photograph.
:22:18. > :22:21.Now he is at a healthy rate for his 6 ft 2 frame and the benefits of
:22:21. > :22:27.his weight loss are more than just being able to shop in a regular
:22:27. > :22:31.store. I no longer have asthma, the risk of diabetes, I have lost my
:22:31. > :22:35.stutter, I used to stutter quite a lot when I was nervous all the time.
:22:35. > :22:40.The boost in confidence has seen Brandon moved from his career in
:22:40. > :22:44.graphic design and retrain as a weight loss coach. He is a true
:22:44. > :22:48.inspiration because you read about these stories but very rarely do
:22:48. > :22:52.you need these people. On my way last journey, we had about him in
:22:52. > :22:57.the meetings and spoke about him, and I finally got to meet him on
:22:57. > :23:00.the training course and see from a self. Brandon is a self confessed
:23:00. > :23:06.to alcoholic, but the difference now is that he only has a small
:23:06. > :23:09.amount each day rather than a family-sized bar. -- a self-
:23:09. > :23:12.confessed chocolate fan. Becoming an Olympic swimmer takes
:23:12. > :23:14.hours of dedication and practice. But it is ten-year-old Charlotte
:23:14. > :23:17.Baker's dream, and the youngster from Peacehaven is determined to
:23:17. > :23:20.pursue it. And she is doing it at the same
:23:20. > :23:23.time as caring for her disabled mother, and her older sister, who
:23:23. > :23:27.has autism. That is why she has won a national award for being Young
:23:27. > :23:33.Swimmer of the Year in recognition of her hard work in and out of the
:23:33. > :23:37.water. John Young reports. At an age when most children are
:23:37. > :23:40.watching their parents run around them, Charlotte Blake is doing the
:23:41. > :23:45.housework, helping with the Evening Mail and helping her mother, who
:23:45. > :23:50.has severe problems getting about. -- helping with the evening meal.
:23:50. > :23:55.Her older sister has autism. This is her passion, she only took it up
:23:56. > :23:59.recently. I trained five times a week, Monday evening, Tuesday
:23:59. > :24:04.morning, Wednesday morning, Thursday evening, Friday evening
:24:04. > :24:09.and Saturday morning. In case you thought you may have misheard, that
:24:09. > :24:13.is five times a week, at least 10 hours in total. Last week she got
:24:13. > :24:20.her reward, being declared Youngs will of the year at a national
:24:20. > :24:26.award ceremony. -- yonks remark of the year. Her memories are still
:24:26. > :24:31.fresh this morning. I am trying to get internationals and if I came
:24:31. > :24:35.that that I will try to swim in the end in the X. I am so proud of her.
:24:35. > :24:39.Life did not turn out how I expected it to, but she gets me out
:24:39. > :24:44.of bed in the morning and gives me something to focus on. Charlotte
:24:44. > :24:48.clearly knows what she is focusing on once she has taken care of her
:24:48. > :24:54.family, and it is all squeezed in around what most ten-year-olds do
:24:54. > :25:04.most days, it. Congratulations.
:25:04. > :25:05.
:25:05. > :25:10.We are going to check on the weather now.
:25:10. > :25:14.It is the same old, same old every night. It is mild yet again and
:25:14. > :25:19.that is how it is staying for at least another fortnight, possibly,
:25:19. > :25:25.as well. Mild, cloudy, temperatures down to nine or 10 degrees,
:25:25. > :25:31.currently about 10 or 11. Once again, the cloud thickens enough to
:25:32. > :25:37.give us have used bits of drizzle, but other than that mainly dry --
:25:37. > :25:41.to give us a few spots of drizzle. A cloudy and dull start to the day,
:25:41. > :25:45.similar to many mornings this week, but as we go through into lunchtime
:25:45. > :25:50.and the afternoon at cloud will tend to think and we will see some
:25:50. > :25:54.sunny spells yet again like we have had for the last few days. Not that
:25:55. > :25:59.I am ungrateful! Temperatures slightly above average, 13 or 14
:26:00. > :26:05.degrees. The big change tomorrow is the winds getting stronger, getting
:26:05. > :26:09.up to 50 miles an hour, if not 20 miles an hour around the south
:26:09. > :26:12.coast -- 15 miles an hour. That is the reminder that it is nearly
:26:12. > :26:18.December. Temperatures tomorrow will be a couple of degrees lower
:26:18. > :26:21.than today. But it is a one-off, as we go into tomorrow night, although
:26:21. > :26:29.the winds carry on strengthening and we get a chance of some drizzle
:26:29. > :26:33.or showers on Saturday, we are still drawing in this mild air and
:26:33. > :26:37.bathing temperatures will, once again, get to 15 or 16 degrees,
:26:37. > :26:42.which is what we had today. On Saturday, some pretty warm
:26:42. > :26:47.temperatures like we would often see in May. The average at this
:26:47. > :26:52.time of year should be 11 degrees. On Sunday, no great change. Even
:26:52. > :26:57.the charts, looking into next week, and beyond that, we are still
:26:57. > :27:04.holding on to the mild temperatures by both day and night. No fingers
:27:04. > :27:07.of frost by night-time just yet. Friday week is Children In Need
:27:07. > :27:10.night, and this is how you can help us raise money this year. BBC Radio
:27:10. > :27:12.Kent and BBC Sussex are hosting charity screenings of the classic
:27:12. > :27:17.musical Grease, and we'd like to invite you along.
:27:17. > :27:21.We have two screenings: The Sussex one is at Cineworld in Brighton and
:27:21. > :27:31.the Kent one is at Cineworld in Ashford. Both are next Tuesday at