19/05/2017 South Today - Oxford

Based on a true story. so it's goodbye from me.

So I bent over and kissed him on the head.

Students perform a hard-hitting drama centring on terrible

I just saw the documentary and I was so moved that,

it wasn't necessarily I want to do something, I felt like I HAD to.

Also tonight, a village gets all its ducks in a road

We've got like hundreds of yellow rubber ducks and we've filled

the potholes with the ducks so they can enjoy a nice little swim

because we think these potholes are big enough to be filled

by the council and we are urging them to please do

Later in the programme, could it be Dannie,

The city lad whose confounded expectations by making it big

It was a moment that destroyed the lives of people

from Oxfordshire, Swindon and even Australia.

Last June, 28-year-old Gavin Roberts was killed on the A34

Following his death, Gavin's girlfriend met

Today, almost one year on, a group of drama students

have performed a hard-hitting play based on those events to warn other

And on 10th September, 2016, I crashed my car into Josh Rogers.

These students may be acting but the emotion is real.

Based on the tragic events of a crash on the A34,

this play has been produced to warn others of the dangers

A man from Oxford who was on his mobile phone when he caused

the death of a driver on the A34 has been sentenced to three years

The victim was 28-year-old Gavin Roberts.

After the crash, his girlfriend Meg, a teacher from Swindon,

Inspired by her stories, her pupils produced the play.

I saw the documentary that she had taken part in and obviously

I heard about what happened to her and her boyfriend.

I just saw the documentary and I was so moved that it wasn't

One of the lines, you don't think it will ever happen to you,

but it's true, it can happen to anyone at any point

I am still trying to work out why you were taken from me so soon.

Last year, a study found 14% of drivers felt it acceptable

to make a quick call behind the wheel.

It's a mindset that Meg is hoping to change.

I think getting into the education system and actually being able

to use drama and performance to tap into the emotions of students,

and I think they are the starting point because it's the generation

coming up actually, that it's more real for them to just pick

up their phone whenever they need to.

Premiered at the New College Theatre, the play, called Second,

will now begin a tour of local schools.

Anyone interested in seeing it is asked to get in

Ukip has withdrawn its endorsement from its candidate in

North Wiltshire after he posted a series of offensive tweets.

Paddy Singh's Twitter account contains derogatory comments

about women as well as African, Chinese and Jewish people.

Mr Singh has said he is not racist and regrets posting the messages.

Gloucestershire Police is expected to become the latest force

to introduce spit hoods in its custody suites.

The meshed hoods that can be placed on offenders to stop them spitting

at officers have already been handed out to officers

Their use has been condemned by human rights groups who say

But the force says the measure will be used as a last resort

To the election now, and all of the manifestos

One section of society who undoubtedly will be closely

Each of our main parties have provided a package of policies aimed

at tempting the older voter, but how have they gone

Bethan Phillips has been finding out.

Time to see if older voters know who's pledging what and if they're

I don't think any of them have mentioned the bus pass, have they?

Means testing for winter fuel payments.

The care threshold would be put up to ?100,000 before

you have to pay for care, but you would also have to include

I think that is the Conservatives again.

It's really difficult, I think, because obviously we haven't got

the money to do all the things that ideally we would like

This is probably the most important election this country has ever

Free bus passes for pensioners - all three main parties have

Both the Tories and Lib Dems say they would introduce means testing

Increasing the care threshold to ?100,000, including

the value of your house, even if you're receiving care

at home, that was in the Conservative manifesto.

What's rather unflatteringly known as the "grey vote" is very

Pensioners have a lot of power in our democracy.

And that's really down to one simple reason.

They are much more likely to vote than younger people.

Why do you think that pensioners are more likely

I think just the experience of life means that the older generation feel

I think young people generally feel disenfranchised.

They are not involved as they feel in politics at all.

They are really confused about what's going on.

Like we are, actually, because who do we vote for now?

Which parties are on a roll with older voters?

We'll have to wait until the votes are in to find out.

The final, historic bubble cars have run

on Chiltern Railways for the last time.

The trains have been in operation since 1957 but are being replaced

Today hundreds of railway enthusiasts from across the country

have been in Buckinghamshire for the final ride on the Aylesbury

The single carriage trains are distinctive for the ability

to let people see ahead through the front windows.

I used to work on the railway, but I had to give up

I used to travel on these in the West Country as well.

They're pretty nice, the old ones like these.

They're the only ones still running in the whole

of the country apart from the ones on heritage rail lines.

So I go up to Aylesbury every now and again.

I always try and make sure I'm on one of the services

Well, increasingly over the last few years, the trains haven't been

They're increasingly more expensive to maintain and actually growth

on the route also means we're looking for more capacity so time

has come to replace them with a different type of train.

Fed-up villagers have staged an unusual protest against potholes

People living in Steeple Aston in Oxfordshire have gathered an army

of the bath time toys and placed them in the holes to

It's an issue that can ruffle the feathers

Here in Steeple Aston they've come up with a novel way of highlighting

What we've done is we've got like hundreds of yellow rubber ducks

and we've filled the potholes with the ducks so they can enjoy

a nice little swim because we think these potholes are big enough to be

filled by the council and we are urging them to please do

Some villagers say the potholes have already caused them injuries.

And I think if I wasn't as robust as I was, I probably

It's steadily getting worse and it's been bad for a little while now.

The sort of damage like that it doesn't occur over

It's been around for a good couple of years now and there's only

More than 22,000 potholes were repaired in the region last year.

Oxfordshire County Council admitted the road in Steeple Aston

It said it would be in touch with villagers when it had decided

the most appropriate method of repair.

Celebrity chefs and many faces from the nation's favourite cooking

programmes have been in Milton Keynes for the launch

Buckinghamshire's Claire Clark is considered one of

She's now set up a Centre of Patisserie Excellence

Brennan Nicholls was given exclusive access to the official launch.

From this September the Claire Clark Academy

will welcome its first 14 students who will begin to learn from one

I feel quite emotional about it, really, but I also

I think this is a huge responsibility to take on educating,

She is renowned throughout the world as one of the world's

For her to be able to set up something like this in the college

is a very proud moment for her, I know, as a personal friend,

this is something she will be overwhelmed with but at the same

point, the college must feel very proud as well that they have one

of the world's leading pastry chefs working with them, alongside

them, in the development of their students.

Our team here in Milton Keynes college in the catering department

They loved Bake Off Creme de la Creme and they tweeted Claire to see

if she wanted to do something with a kitchen that we really

weren't making too much use of, and from there the relationship

built and developed and here we are today.

Milton Keynes College already has an award winning

Now it's looking to produce world class patisserie chefs.

It's extremely important to have places like

If nobody shows you how to do a beautiful Mille-feuille,

how to do a great puff pastry, how to do a little bit

of sugar work, a little bit of chocolate work,

how to do the core skills which make a great pastry chef,

Claire may have been a judge on Masterchef and Bake Off Creme

de la Creme TV shows, but she's a local girl done good.

The former Buckinghamshire vicar's daughter trained

at Aylesbury College herself before going on to achieve greatness.

Having that extra bit to really want to learn that craft,

I'm over the moon, to be on this course.

Knowing that she did exactly the same thing that gives me

As well as the college course, the new Academy will also play

host to masterclasses, so the likes of you and I can learn

Oxford's Ashmolean museum has obtained a rare portrait painted

in the city during the civil war as part of its 400th

William Dobson started the artwork in 1645 and finished

It shows a meeting between three Royalist commanders in Oxford

at a moment when royal hopes of victory were fading.

It's been acquired in part thanks to a ?90,000 grant

from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and is one of several attractions

on show during a special late night opening getting under

This year we're celebrating the 400th anniversary

of Elias Ashmole, the founder of the Ashmolean Museum and this

painting was painted during Elias Ashmole's lifetime,

so it was painted when Elias Ashmole was in Oxford in the winter of 1645,

and that's what makes it really special, because, although we're

not sure that Ashmole would have seen this painting,

he was definitely in town when the painting was

So there's going to be a parade from Broad Street to the Ashmolean

of a Cavalier force and we're going to be escorting King Charles I

Once we get here, we're going to be quartering ourselves in the museum,

just as the Royalist Army imposed itself on the people

I'll have the headlines at 8 and a full bulletin at 10.30.

Now more of today's stories with Sally Taylor.

Later, the weather for weekend from Alexis, and she's

There might be blue skies here at the moment but today there's been

some really quite torrential, heavy, thundery downpours. I'll have the

weekend weather shortly. A sixth person arrested in

connection with the murder of Bournemouth man has been in court.

It's been a critical year for business since the EU referendum

result, but uncertainty over Brexit doesn't seem to have impacted

on economic growth for everyone, despite predictions to the contrary.

So what assurances are businesses seeking from our politicians in

Our business correspondent Alastair Fee joins us

So it hasn't been a case of choppy waters for everyone.

The weather down here has been good but I do get a general sense of

positivity, too. The marine industry here,

for instance, is reporting growth That doesn't mean it's been plain

sailing for everyone, though, and the cloud of uncertainty that

Brexit brings with it will be Despite the rise of goods, splashing

out on leisure time has been on an increase this year. Spending has

been quite literally buoyant, and that's been good for businesses on

the water in Dorset and many inland are reporting growth as well. The

Nuffield industrial estate is home to 100 businesses covering most

sectors of the economy. I last came here six months ago. So what has

changed? Despite the political climate, this shop that is as busy

as ever, but it is new hotels and bars in London driving growth.

Orders from the rest of the South are slow. From the election we want

stability. Stability for the country which will bring stability for our

company and others also. Hopefully we will have British -- better trade

links which will help build our business for a sustainable future as

opposed to something which is in continual flux. The prospect of

leaving the EU has definitely caused a wobble but nothing as choppy as

some had feared. The fall in the power and has been the biggest

balancing act for businesses as they've had to much higher prices of

imported materials with increased good for demands made here now they

are cheaper for those buying from abroad. This electrical company is

making a steady profit but the exchange rate in the months since

the referendum has really hurt. The question now is, will this election

stir things up, too, or make things easier? We definitely want to get to

the other side of the general election just so it gives the market

more confidence. At least then we know where our future is and we can

plan for it. At the moment, business can't really make plans, it can't

invest. It's almost stuck in limbo. There's been much talk of the

squeeze on consumer spending. This small business has seen a change. If

it's not coffee and some are just, it's one, not both, at the moment,

and some people come out less to these places at this time of year.

And some buildings still to let since last year, so haven't seen an

improvement there either at the moment. So what is the one thing

they all want from this election? I ask this business to sum up their

hopes. For Mark, it is stability and the end to uncle -- a climate of

uncertainty. Les once more confidence. And Marie wants a

climate where people start spending again. -- Les once more confidence.

Thank you for joining us this evening, can you tell me how things

have been in the period since the referendum last summer? Things

stalled for a while. There was a period of uncertainty and people

obviously didn't feel secure enough to splash out on luxury items. So it

started to improve from September onwards and it's made a steady

recovery since. And of course we are in another period of uncertainty

now. What are your hopes once the election is over? I think we need to

approach the next year or so with cautious optimism. Not to go too far

into the future with plans but to take each month as it comes, and I

think the leisure industry generally will get going. Mike, thank you for

joining me here at the boat show. There's a general sense this period

has held back sales and people are just looking forward to getting back

to business as usual. Thank you very much. Looking lovely

there, because we will be joining Alexis shortly. She will have the

weekend weather for you from the boat show.

Evidence is mounting of the benefits of using dogs to help pupils

concentrate and deal with behavioural problems but there are

worries from some in the field there could be problems with unsuitable

dogs, leading to calls for a code of conduct. In a strange way, they see

the dogs being able to follow instructions -- instructions and

directions and then the children do the same. It has also help with

managing their behaviour. It's like having a real-life teddy bear. If

you are stressed you have a real-life teddy bear with a

heartbeat and a hug. It is lovely when they work so well with

children. Particularly lovely. What is it now, nine months? Gas, nearly

all over. The Premier League. -- yes, nearly all over. The first

thing is, you can't take anything for granted. You can easily drop and

find yourself in trouble. Claude Puel faces a fight to stay

in his job as Southampton manager as Saints are in eighth

place going into Sunday's finale against Stoke,

and despite some notable achievements, Puel's position

is in doubt amid reports of player unrest and an underwhelmed

mood among the fan base. Southampton's chairman told us this

week there's much to be positive If you think of us having 18 players

with three years or more left in their contracts,

12 with four years or more, we decide what happens

through the summer. We are in a position irrelevant

of names to make decisions of who goes in and who goes out,

and that feels good. Meanwhile, Bournemouth go

to Leicester knowing that they could That hasn't happened

since the 1958-59 season. Eddie Howe's side are

tenth in the table. They're looking for their 100th goal

as a Premier League club at the end of another successful season,

their second in the top flight. Both county matches in cricket

affected by rain today. The home side has been put in a strong

position. Surrey made it to 265-5. That was before rain ended the day's

play early. So Hampshire and Surrey continuing through the weekend.

Now, here's an extraordinary story about a young man who grew up

in a non-horsey family in the city of Southampton, who,

against expectations, is making a name for himself

at the highest levels of the equestrian sport.

Dannie Morgan, who still lives in Millbrook in Southampton,

is getting used to being referred to as "an up-and-coming star",

Chrissy Sturt has been to meet him in Colden Common, where he trains.

Dannie Morgan is as flash on the flat as is he is in the air.

Few riders can switch from the demands of dressage

to the craziness of cross-country with such ease.

Dannie is now competing at the highest levels in both.

Now that I've got my foot into the dressage a bit,

I'm really enjoying it, and I'd love to be able to ride

at Grand Prix level as well as do the eventing to a high level.

He recently took two horses to the British Dressage Championships,

coming away with a fistful of rosettes and national

It gives you such a buzz to ride at the Championship level

and it was a great feeling to actually, you know,

be national champion, and it just makes you hungrier

to try to improve and get better all the time.

Life now is pretty different from his childhood in inner-city

I've always had that sort of drive to do it and have always been quite

clear-sighted in what I wanted to do, so just got to keep pushing

Elite rider Alice Oppenheimer spotted Dannie's

He's now helping bring on her youngsters.

Because he's shown confidence, nothing worries him,

so then he sort of passes that confidence onto the horses,

so because he's so calm, relaxed and confident,

even if the horse is a bit unsure, he's like, "There's no

problem," so they're like, "All right, off we go."

Dannie is aiming to compete internationally, but for now it's

He's good, isn't he? Yes, and also nice to Cialis Oppenheimer as well.

Let's get onto the weather. -- nice to see Alice Oppenheimer. Let's look

at the pictures before the weather. Breezy where you are. Certainly is.

In the distance behind a camera, I can see a cumulonimbus cloud, a

storm cloud, so a lot of thunderstorms moving across the

region with torrential rain in places. Let's look at the satellite

picture from earlier on. A lot of cloud over the South with showers

moving further inland and across coastal counties. Quite torrential

at times with lightning strikes as well. Hail mixed in with the showers

with temperatures reaching 15-16. Tonight, we're expecting the showers

to fade away and the skies to clear, with temperatures falling away down

to 6-10, so a fresh start tomorrow. In the countryside temperatures

could be up for- five. First thing tomorrow, temperatures will be 11-12

and the showers are starting to creep in. -- temperatures could be

up to 4-5. Showers will develop further through the course of

tomorrow and they could merge together to form longer spells of

rain with the risk of hail and thunder, and possible lightning

strikes, so very hit and miss, like today, but you will be unlucky if

you catch one after another, after another. Temperatures reaching 14-15

in the afternoon. A repeat performance of tonight tomorrow

night. Any rain showers will fade with temperatures falling down to

7-8. Cool start tomorrow and then on Sunday. Sunday is the better data

the weekend, drier as well. -- the better day of the weekend. Tomorrow

we will see the thunderstorms with the risk of hail and lightning.

Those will merge together in some places to form longer spells of

rain. Monday starts to get a bit warmer and we could see highs of 20.

A good deal of cloud, though, with patchy rain later in the day. A

similar scenario on Tuesday and then high pressure starts to build for

the rest of next week. So from the lovely conditions here, back to you

in the studio. Now, you may remember

earlier this month we told you about four-year-old Sebbie Smith

from Winchester, who has a rare cancer-like condition

and who loves pirates. Two weeks ago the charity

Make-A-Wish arranged for him to light up

Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower to summon pirates for a special

party onboard a tall ship Well, we were so taken by Sebbie's

story, we got dressed up, As you can see, he's

making good use of them... They sent all their stuff to me!

They have sent all their stuff to me!

Yes, I think we have! Enjoy it. Thank you for watching us tonight.

We'll have more view on Monday. Have a great weekend. We are going to

leave you with a lovely shot of Poole town harbour.