:00:06. > :00:08.Hello. Welcome to South Today. In tonight's programme:
:00:08. > :00:12.Turning children's lives into one of sexual slavery. A judge
:00:12. > :00:15.sentences a gang of five to a total of 27 years.
:00:15. > :00:20.Family misery this Christmas after a father was left for dead after a
:00:20. > :00:30.hit and run incident. A unique send-off for one of
:00:30. > :00:31.
:00:32. > :00:36.Portland's favourite sons. He was down to earth. There were no airs
:00:36. > :00:40.and graces about John. He was just a character and there are not
:00:40. > :00:43.enough characters in this life. And from endangered species to
:00:43. > :00:52.garden pest. Why gardeners have their sights set on the otter.
:00:52. > :01:00.Within a month, more or less the whole village -- any ponder in the
:01:00. > :01:03.village has had a fish taken by these otters.
:01:03. > :01:06.Systematic abuse of the worst sort. Those are the words of a judge at
:01:06. > :01:12.Portsmouth Crown Court who today sentenced a gang of five to 27
:01:12. > :01:15.years in jail for running an international child-porn website. A
:01:15. > :01:20.woman and four men were today found guilty of numerous offences
:01:20. > :01:28.relating to child abuse. The online images were shared from Portsmouth
:01:28. > :01:30.across the UK. These quickly spread across several cities in Europe
:01:30. > :01:35.including France, Germany and Poland. And even further afield to
:01:35. > :01:38.Japan, America and Australia. Today, the group of five was sent to
:01:38. > :01:45.prison and our reporter has been following the case. She joins us
:01:45. > :01:51.live from outside the court tonight. By the sentencing year has taken
:01:51. > :01:56.two days as the judge ruled on 120 separate counts. There were gasps
:01:56. > :02:01.of shock from the public gallery as the true extent of the abuse was
:02:01. > :02:04.revealed. Some walked out. Today, five members of the paedophile
:02:04. > :02:09.network were jailed for their part in the a abuse.
:02:09. > :02:15.Robert Hathaway, the main player in the paedophile ring was to be sent
:02:15. > :02:18.to jail for 12 years. The 37-year- old admitted a string of offences
:02:18. > :02:28.including the rape and sexual assault of children under the age
:02:28. > :02:28.
:02:28. > :02:35.of 13. Yup lauded images to a website -- he up loaded images to a
:02:35. > :02:43.website. The SOT like-minded individuals who wanted to carry out
:02:43. > :02:53.further abuse. The judge said this was sexual abuse of the worst kind.
:02:53. > :03:03.Everything was filmed. He said that he was -- the judge said that he
:03:03. > :03:07.
:03:07. > :03:12.was on a path to making sexual slaves of children. This was a
:03:12. > :03:16.horrific case of systematic child abuse. The defendants submitted
:03:16. > :03:21.young children to atrocious acts of sexual abuse and encouraged others
:03:21. > :03:27.across the world to commit similar offence is. Three other men were
:03:27. > :03:31.also jailed. Simon held in from Cambridge. Four years for 13
:03:31. > :03:37.separate offences including the sexual assault of a child. Stephen
:03:37. > :03:41.Fraser from Cambridge was found to have just under 3,000 indecent
:03:41. > :03:47.images in his possession. He was found guilty of a number of -- and
:03:47. > :03:51.number of sexual offences against children. Repassed him. Three years.
:03:52. > :03:56.He pleaded guilty to taking and possessing indecent images of
:03:56. > :03:59.children and admitted trying to meet with the couple in order to
:03:59. > :04:05.abuse children. The conviction as a warning to anyone who thinks they
:04:05. > :04:09.can get away with taking, viewing, downloading and distributing
:04:09. > :04:13.indecent images of children or otherwise sexually abusing children
:04:13. > :04:23.or encouraging others to do so. Ultimately, we want this behaviour
:04:23. > :04:24.
:04:24. > :04:29.to stock. -- stop. This is the largest
:04:29. > :04:35.investigation the police in this region have ever had to deal with.
:04:35. > :04:40.There were 2,000 pages of internet chat locks. Still the investigation
:04:40. > :04:45.continues. 10 countries and 24 police forces are involved. Today,
:04:45. > :04:49.the first lot of suspects were sentenced. Many more are expected
:04:49. > :04:52.to follow around the world. The author Richard Adams has joined
:04:52. > :04:55.a row in West Berkshire over plans to build more than 1,000 new houses.
:04:55. > :04:58.His book, Watership Down, was about the rabbits' desperate escape from
:04:58. > :05:05.the bulldozers. And it was set in the fields which are now scheduled
:05:05. > :05:12.for new buildings. The idea of building houses there,
:05:12. > :05:19.it is like plonking them down in the open country. This part of our
:05:19. > :05:22.country ought not to be invaded by a rash of residential development.
:05:22. > :05:25.More people in the South use the train to get to work than any other
:05:25. > :05:28.region in the country. And today the government has cut the increase
:05:28. > :05:31.in regulated fares at 1% above inflation. It means fares are gong
:05:31. > :05:34.up, but not as much as previously expected. Trains companies in our
:05:34. > :05:36.region say tickets offer value for money. Here is our Transport
:05:36. > :05:42.Correspondent, Paul Clifton. For the train companies, this has
:05:42. > :05:45.been a real headache. Normally they have five months to calculate tens
:05:45. > :05:49.of millions of different fares, and load all that information onto
:05:49. > :05:54.every ticket machine and every rail fares website. The Government
:05:54. > :05:57.change of plan left them only three weeks to do that massive task.
:05:57. > :06:03.Fares were due to rise by the rate of inflation measured last July,
:06:03. > :06:07.plus 3%. That's 8% in total. Last month's change of heart reduced
:06:07. > :06:10.that to inflation plus 1%. So, today, much later than usual, we
:06:10. > :06:15.have the figures. This year, a season ticket on First Great
:06:15. > :06:21.Western from Reading to London cost �3,584. From 03 January, it will go
:06:21. > :06:26.up by �215. But it is �72 less than passengers previously expected to
:06:26. > :06:33.pay. From Basingstoke on South West Trains it is slightly more
:06:33. > :06:36.expensive. This year's �3,580 will rise by just over �200. And here
:06:36. > :06:39.are the figures from Brighton. As you can see, it's a bit cheaper
:06:39. > :06:43.than travelling from Reading or Basingstoke, even though the
:06:43. > :06:48.journey is longer. But it is not that simple. Because train
:06:48. > :06:58.companies have to increase their regulated fares by an average of 6%.
:06:58. > :07:00.
:07:00. > :07:05.Within that, some can go up by 11%. It is good news that Great Western
:07:05. > :07:09.has apparently listened to what we have been saying and tried to
:07:09. > :07:16.throttle back these increases. Having said that, there is no doubt
:07:16. > :07:26.that with people working with frozen wages or capped 21%, it's a
:07:26. > :07:27.
:07:27. > :07:35.tough time. What -- capped at 1%. The need to work out a way of
:07:35. > :07:38.driver in the costs down. driving the costs. Many train
:07:38. > :07:42.operators will also put up the cost of car parking at stations. This
:07:42. > :07:45.generally adds around �1,000 a year to the bill for a daily commuter.
:07:45. > :07:48.Some South West Trains parking will rise by �1 a day. That is three
:07:48. > :07:51.times the rate of inflation. There is some good news. First Great
:07:51. > :07:55.Western says it won't put up any car parking charges, and none of
:07:55. > :07:58.their fares will rise by more than 6%. And here is a final thought.
:07:58. > :08:01.Yes, travelling by train is going up by 6%. But, according to the RAC,
:08:01. > :08:05.the cost of motoring went up this year by twice that amount.
:08:05. > :08:07.A cyclist who was knocked off his bike and left for dead in
:08:07. > :08:11.Bournemouth almost two weeks ago says he is frustrated the driver
:08:11. > :08:15.has not been caught. Justin Graham was cycling to work when he was hit.
:08:15. > :08:17.The father of three broke his back and hand and will be off work for
:08:17. > :08:21.at least six weeks. Our reporter has been to meet him.
:08:21. > :08:26.For this family, this Christmas will not be the happy family
:08:26. > :08:31.gathering they were looking forward to. A fortnight ago, Justin Graham
:08:31. > :08:36.suffered serious back injuries when he was knocked off his bike by he
:08:36. > :08:42.it and run incident. As I came off the roundabout, a car drove
:08:42. > :08:48.straight through me. The witness said that I did a somersault twice
:08:48. > :08:52.over the car. He has two broken vertebrae and won't be able to take
:08:52. > :08:56.part in any of the activities they had family -- they had planned for
:08:56. > :09:03.Christmas. We were all going to work for a family walk on Boxing
:09:03. > :09:09.Day. That will not happen. If it does happen, I will not be there.
:09:09. > :09:17.The accident happened at this roundabout in Bournemouth at 5:30am
:09:17. > :09:23.on 8th December. I have come up here a few times since. It makes me
:09:23. > :09:28.shudder every time I pass you. It is not right that someone can do
:09:28. > :09:35.that and leave someone like that on the road, left for dead. The car
:09:35. > :09:42.that hit Justin was a dark blue Toyota Corolla. There are 43 cars
:09:42. > :09:48.matching that description in the town. I would have thought that
:09:48. > :09:54.that number of cars could be checked within half a day. They
:09:54. > :09:57.found the bat of the car at the accident. Look for scratches.
:09:57. > :10:01.Dorset Police say they are determined to find the driver
:10:01. > :10:06.responsible and what the investigation is ongoing, they
:10:06. > :10:16.cannot comment further. They have urged anyone with any information
:10:16. > :10:17.
:10:17. > :10:20.Still to come in this evening's South Today:
:10:20. > :10:22.Knit one, pearl one. The festive tree guaranteed not to drop its
:10:22. > :10:25.needles. A Portsmouth couple who have won
:10:25. > :10:28.the right to fertility treatment on the NHS say their victory could
:10:28. > :10:31.give hope to other would-be parents. Donna and Dean Marshall were
:10:31. > :10:34.originally turned down for IVF. Dean has a child from a previous
:10:34. > :10:37.relationship and Donna is over the age limit set by NHS Portsmouth.
:10:37. > :10:39.But after a series of appeals, NHS Portsmouth has agreed to pay for
:10:39. > :10:46.the treatment. It says many factors influence funding decisions,
:10:46. > :10:50.including evidence of how effective the IVF is likely to be.
:10:50. > :10:53.A DNA expert has told a court how likely it is that DNA found on a
:10:53. > :10:57.rolling pin used to kill Hampshire pensioner Georgina Edmonds belongs
:10:57. > :11:01.to the man accused of her murder. Professor David Balding said there
:11:01. > :11:07.is a one in 2,500 chance the DNA could belong to anyone other than
:11:07. > :11:16.Matthew Hamlen, who denies murder. Our Home Affairs Correspondent,
:11:17. > :11:24.Alex Forsyth, joins me now. Explain what this DNA evidence means and
:11:24. > :11:29.housing of figure and it is. Georgina Edmonds was found murdered
:11:29. > :11:33.in her home three years ago. She was stabbed and beaten to death.
:11:33. > :11:40.Forensic experts found DNA on handle of the rolling pin used to
:11:40. > :11:43.kill her. The court has been told that was a mixture of her DNA and
:11:43. > :11:49.of that belonging to at least one other person. The prosecution says
:11:49. > :11:55.there is a link between that DNA and Matthew Hamlen. An expert was
:11:55. > :12:00.in court to try to explain how likely it is that that was his DNA.
:12:00. > :12:06.With a full match, the statistic we often here is a one in 1 billion
:12:06. > :12:12.chance. In this case, it is just a partial profile. But the professor
:12:12. > :12:15.said there is a one in 2,500 chance in this case that that DNA could
:12:15. > :12:18.belong to anyone else other than Matthew Hamlen.
:12:18. > :12:24.Is this the end of the prosecution case?
:12:24. > :12:30.It is. We have heard all the evidence against him. In January,
:12:31. > :12:39.the defence case will begin. Matthew Hamlen, aged 33 and from
:12:39. > :12:42.Basingstoke, denies that murder. Plans for a new waste incinerator
:12:42. > :12:45.in West Berkshire have been submitted. Grundon wants to build
:12:45. > :12:48.the plant near the village of Chieveley. But some people who live
:12:48. > :12:49.nearby say it shouldn't be sited in an area of outstanding natural
:12:49. > :12:53.beauty. Hundreds of people turned out on
:12:53. > :12:55.Portland today to bid a unique farewell to a man dubbed a local
:12:55. > :12:58.legend. Businessman John "Butch" Nash who died earlier this month
:12:58. > :13:01.had a reputation for helping others and donated thousands of pounds to
:13:01. > :13:09.charities. He also had quite a sense of humour which was certainly
:13:09. > :13:15.reflected in the way he arrived at his own funeral.
:13:15. > :13:21.In life, John Nash was a big character. Unafraid to do things
:13:21. > :13:25.differently. In death, that spirit was celebrated. Using a skip lorry
:13:25. > :13:33.from the business he started, his coffin was taken on a farewell lap
:13:33. > :13:38.of his home town. At the church, there was span -- standing run only.
:13:38. > :13:45.Wonderful man. Worked hard, played hard, brilliant man. Generous of
:13:46. > :13:49.attitude, generous of person, and generous financially. As an
:13:49. > :13:55.employer, Councillor and don't go to charities, lots of people have
:13:55. > :14:05.reason to thank John Nash. His nickname, which, a hint of a
:14:05. > :14:11.
:14:11. > :14:17.sometimes robust approach. -- Butch. Once when he was due some money, he
:14:17. > :14:23.let accretes of crabs loose in the Office of the person who do that --
:14:23. > :14:29.who owed the money. Portland will feel his loss for years to come.
:14:29. > :14:36.Wonderful man. That is proved by how many people turned up today.
:14:36. > :14:40.was a mover and a shaker on the island. His heart and soul was here.
:14:40. > :14:47.He was down to earth. There were no airs or graces about him. He was a
:14:47. > :14:53.character. There are not many characters around. I will miss him.
:14:53. > :15:01.How appropriate was his arrival? That is typical of John. Really
:15:01. > :15:09.typical. If there is an afterlife, commented one mourner, John will
:15:09. > :15:14.certainly cheer the place up. Shopping centres in the South say
:15:14. > :15:18.the last minute Christmas rush is well underway. Last weekend, more
:15:18. > :15:21.than a quarter of a million people visited West Quay in Southampton.
:15:21. > :15:24.On Saturday, more than 100,000 people shopped at the Oracle in
:15:24. > :15:30.Reading and Monday was the third busiest Monday that Castlepoint in
:15:30. > :15:33.Bournemouth has had so far this year.
:15:33. > :15:36.It has taken years of dedicated conservation work to get otters
:15:36. > :15:43.back onto our rivers. But not everyone is celebrating,
:15:43. > :15:45.particularly in Dorset. In recent months, there have been more and
:15:45. > :15:50.more reports of otters straying into garden ponds and wiping out
:15:50. > :16:00.prized collections of ornamental fish. In one village, nearly every
:16:00. > :16:01.
:16:01. > :16:06.pond was cleaned out. Driven to near-extinction by
:16:06. > :16:10.agricultural poisons and then brought back over the last 10 years,
:16:10. > :16:17.otters have now returned to rivers across the south. Now they are
:16:17. > :16:23.straying beyond their natural habitat. This was a garden centre
:16:23. > :16:29.in Dorset last year. The saviour hearing more and more stories from
:16:30. > :16:34.customers whose garden ponds have been cleared out. They are fuming.
:16:34. > :16:41.There was one village earlier this year and within a month will whole
:16:41. > :16:46.village had had their entire fish supplies taken from their pawns.
:16:46. > :16:50.an otter, this is a sweet shop. An easy captive mule. There are
:16:50. > :16:57.venturing into urban areas because males have to find their own
:16:57. > :17:02.territories. They will travel over a wide area. The ones just be in
:17:02. > :17:06.rivers. They will visit ponds as numbers increase. This is nothing
:17:06. > :17:11.new but now that we have them back on all of our river catchments,
:17:11. > :17:16.we're going to see more and more of them. Anglers are also beginning to
:17:17. > :17:21.complain about the increased competition. But pond owners are
:17:21. > :17:28.completely helpless. The only advice is to fit a strong metal
:17:28. > :17:34.mesh over the top with concrete at the sides.
:17:34. > :17:37.They look great, unless you have ornamental fish, I guess.
:17:37. > :17:40.Precious letters and books from the Jane Austen family archive have
:17:40. > :17:43.been given to the Hampshire Record Office for safekeeping. Digital
:17:43. > :17:46.copies have been made which means anyone can look at them without
:17:46. > :17:48.waiting for them to be on display. They give a fascinating insight
:17:48. > :17:52.into the life of one of Hampshire's most famous historical figures.
:17:52. > :17:56.Caroline Richardson reports. Jane Austen was a Hampshire hero.
:17:56. > :18:02.She was born in Stephen to near Basingstoke where her father was
:18:02. > :18:11.director. The family moved to Bath when she was in her twenties, but
:18:11. > :18:16.she returned to Hampshire later. the county, there is a sign that
:18:16. > :18:22.says Jane Austen country. That says it all. More and more people are
:18:22. > :18:24.rustled -- associating Hampshire with Jane Austen. Her house is now
:18:24. > :18:34.on museum which has an internationally important
:18:34. > :18:35.
:18:35. > :18:40.collection of manuscripts, bigs -- books and letters. Increasingly, we
:18:40. > :18:45.felt that we wanted these letters to be preserved. We wanted the
:18:45. > :18:48.environment to be secure. After talking to my colleagues here for
:18:48. > :18:53.some time, we came to the conclusion that this would be the
:18:53. > :18:58.best place for them to be. museum still owns the archive and
:18:58. > :19:02.more regularly but the documents on display. Keeping them at the record
:19:02. > :19:12.Office means researchers can look at digital copies on computers
:19:12. > :19:15.
:19:15. > :19:18.rather than handling original copies. These letters provide a
:19:18. > :19:28.great insight into the local society which was so clever way and
:19:28. > :19:30.
:19:30. > :19:40.irrelevant -- irreverently portrayed in her novels.
:19:40. > :19:41.
:19:41. > :19:49.What is the connection between the sport and a drugs connection?
:19:49. > :19:56.It is often done at the end of the year of sport. What a year it will
:19:56. > :19:59.be for Radio Berkshire. The station will be very much at the heart of
:19:59. > :20:01.the action next year with the Olympic Games on its doorstep. Last
:20:01. > :20:04.night, Olympic hopefuls and a host of other local sporting celebrities
:20:04. > :20:08.were on hand at the station's Caversham base for their review of
:20:08. > :20:10.the year, hosted by Sports Editor, Tim Dellor. And there is plenty to
:20:10. > :20:13.look ahead to in 2012. The Olympics is the ultimate
:20:13. > :20:20.sporting tournament. For us, we would love to win gold and have a
:20:20. > :20:24.great performance. We are still based locally in Berkshire for
:20:24. > :20:29.training. The Olympics is coming to a place which is 20 minutes from
:20:29. > :20:34.where I grew up. It feels like it is coming home. After Christmas,
:20:34. > :20:39.the Olympics are not far away. Up until now, there has always been
:20:39. > :20:45.the next training camp. But now there is not a lot left between now
:20:45. > :20:51.and the Olympics. Good luck to all those athletes. We
:20:51. > :21:00.will look back at the year in sport at the programme -- on the
:21:00. > :21:04.programme on Friday. Great Britain has decided to send
:21:04. > :21:06.its Olympic road cycling team to train in Surrey to prepare for the
:21:06. > :21:10.2012 games. Surrey hosts part of the Olympic Road race, including
:21:10. > :21:13.nine laps of Box Hill. A number of top British riders took part in the
:21:13. > :21:15.test event for the games earlier this year. Including race winner
:21:15. > :21:19.Mark Cavendish. The United States, Canadian and Australian cycle teams
:21:19. > :21:22.will also be based in the county in the build up to the Games.
:21:22. > :21:25.Two of our clubs have lost loan players for the festive period.
:21:25. > :21:27.West Brom have recalled Midfielder George Thorne from his spell at
:21:27. > :21:30.Portsmouth. Thorne has been a regular since his arrival at
:21:30. > :21:33.Fratton Park. Brighton will also lose the services of defender Jara
:21:33. > :21:35.Reyes. He has only featured three times since arriving from the
:21:35. > :21:38.Hawthorns. Now it is time to meet our second
:21:38. > :21:40.nominee in this year's BBC South Sports Unsung Hero award. The
:21:40. > :21:43.winner goes into contention for main national prize which will be
:21:43. > :21:53.announced at Sports Personality of the year this Thursday night here
:21:53. > :21:58.
:21:58. > :22:02.on BBC One. Tonight, a rugby coach This man has done a bit of
:22:02. > :22:10.everything at this rugby club. What started as a family interest has
:22:10. > :22:15.become all-consuming. My son played football until he was nine. Then he
:22:15. > :22:20.decided he wanted to give rugby ago. So we came appear. I started to
:22:20. > :22:24.help on the coaching side. Then I became the coach. From there, I
:22:24. > :22:30.have taken on the other roles and responsibilities within the club.
:22:30. > :22:34.Giving his son a chance in rugby was not enough. Countless young
:22:34. > :22:39.players in Berkshire have fallen in love with the oval game thanks to
:22:39. > :22:45.him, whatever their standard. has helped everyone, no matter of
:22:45. > :22:51.their talent. He has a really good way with the children. He treats
:22:51. > :22:55.them as adults, even when the art obnoxious 15 year-olds. He treats
:22:56. > :23:01.them with respect and they treat him with respect. He is so in Susie
:23:01. > :23:08.acid about the game. Over the last 10 years, he has seen young
:23:08. > :23:18.children mature into junior players. In my view, sport is massively
:23:18. > :23:19.
:23:19. > :23:23.important. I don't think there is enough variety. If these kids want
:23:23. > :23:27.to play, I will give them the opportunity to play. He has taken
:23:28. > :23:33.rugby to local schools. Hundreds of youngsters have benefited from his
:23:33. > :23:43.passion. The grass roots game would not have been the same man our
:23:43. > :23:50.region without Phil Donahue. Tomorrow night, our third and final
:23:50. > :23:53.contender, and Ringwood. On Thursday, I will announce who the
:23:53. > :23:58.winner is. It is difficult because they are
:23:58. > :24:04.all unsung heroes. It is a real cider sport that we
:24:04. > :24:10.don't talk about enough. Good luck to them all.
:24:10. > :24:15.Are you feeling better? I am. No one ever likes being ill.
:24:15. > :24:18.Do I need to keep my distance? And find!
:24:18. > :24:23.And find! A lot more settled today. But we
:24:23. > :24:26.have some lovely west it -- lovely weather pictures.
:24:26. > :24:29.Stan Batten captured the view from Friars Cliff looking towards the
:24:29. > :24:32.Needles as the sun was rising this morning. A seagull was taking a
:24:32. > :24:35.bath in Poole Harbour. This picture was taken by Roger Bishop from
:24:35. > :24:39.Thame in Oxfordshire. And it was a dull afternoon in East Wittering,
:24:39. > :24:42.but that didn't stop one individual taking in the view with a hot drink
:24:42. > :24:46.in hand. Mild air is on its way and it
:24:46. > :24:52.pushes him from the Atlantic. Cold air at the moment, but this weather
:24:52. > :24:57.front moves them before milder air takes over. That is heading towards
:24:57. > :25:03.us for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Tonight, increasing cloud
:25:03. > :25:07.cover and rain for the early hours. 10 mm is possible in a few places.
:25:07. > :25:14.Clearing most places by dawn. Temperatures at the start of the
:25:14. > :25:17.night will be lower than the second half of the night. A damp start for
:25:17. > :25:25.Eastern areas tomorrow, but it is an improving picture. Quite a lot
:25:25. > :25:31.of cloud around. Look at the temperatures. Double what they were
:25:32. > :25:38.in some parts today. Well above the seasonal average. Tomorrow night,
:25:38. > :25:42.generally dry. A cloudy night to come, but milder temperatures.
:25:42. > :25:46.Overnight temperatures will be very similar to what they should be
:25:46. > :25:52.during the daytime at this type of -- and this time of year. The good
:25:52. > :25:57.news is that first these days settled with limited brightness.
:25:57. > :26:02.Very mild. This band of rain sinks south and eastwards on Friday.
:26:02. > :26:07.Generally a wet day on Friday. For the weekend, it is looking fairly
:26:08. > :26:11.pleasant. High pressure builds in on Christmas Eve, a widening of the
:26:11. > :26:21.isobars so the winds will be light and decent amount of sunshine here
:26:21. > :26:26.and there. 0 the best of the sunshine will be in the east. Here
:26:26. > :26:28.is how it is looking for the rest of the week. A lot of cloud around
:26:28. > :26:32.tomorrow and on Thursday. Temperatures double what you should
:26:32. > :26:38.be for this time of year. The winds coming in from the West. Rain
:26:38. > :26:40.expected on Friday, clearing for the Christmas period. Christmas Eve
:26:40. > :26:43.and Christmas Day looking at very pleasant.
:26:43. > :26:52.pleasant. Thank you. You will have your
:26:52. > :26:54.shorts on tomorrow! How is this for a home-made
:26:54. > :26:57.Christmas tree? Parishioners at St Aldhelm's Church in Poole have made
:26:57. > :27:00.their own Christmas tree... By knitting it. 60 people got their
:27:00. > :27:03.needles out to create more than 1,000 squares for the project.
:27:03. > :27:06.After Christmas, the tree will be turned into blankets and given to
:27:06. > :27:13.charity. The woollen creation joins 62 fir trees at the ninth Christmas
:27:13. > :27:16.Tree Festival to be held at the church.
:27:16. > :27:24.And we have a special festive treat this week to sign off our 50th
:27:24. > :27:27.anniversary of BBC South. It is a look back at some of the films and