20/12/2016 South Today

BBC website. That's all from the BBC News at Six. It's goodbye from me.

On BBC One we The cost to the economy

of the Southern Rail strikes. Estimates put it at

around ?300 million. We are kind to do the same amount of

volume of work with less people, which obviously has an impact.

No parking charges! The West Sussex villagers

who want it to remain free. Hanging by their fingertips -

the rise and rise in climbing, which will be a new Olympic

sport at Tokyo. Have you done your Christmas

shopping yet? I am at a business in Dorset that sells everything from

drones to chocolate teapots! It's the 27th day of industrial

action on the Southern Rail network. The strike has already forced some

commuters to change jobs or even move house as they struggle to get

to work and back. But beyond the impact

on peoples' lives, A new study puts the loss

of productivity at around The University of Chichester has

based it's calculation on the thousands of passengers

who are late, missed work or have had to work

from home on strike days. It estimates the industrial action

has already cost around And with nine more strike days

scheduled, the total cost is likely to reach 400 million

by the end of next month. Our Business Correspondent

Alastair Fee reports. Ladies and gentlemen,

we do apologise for That is due to too many people

being on this train. At a Sussex comedy night,

there is only one joke in town - but it is becoming harder

to laugh at. And they've said that if you're

planning on travelling this festive season,

then it's best to take emergency They are all too used to booking

artists who do not make it But quite honestly it is not a joke

any more, it isn't a joke. We can laugh so much,

but when it comes to affecting people's lives and livelihoods,

then that is not a joke. At the University of Chichester

they have been looking at the impact of the strikes in terms of lost GDP,

the value of goods and services produced

as a measure of the economy. We went to the Office

for National Statistics, and used their figure

of GDP per employee. That works out at around

about ?61,500 per annum. We used an average working year

of 230 days, and that comes out At the highest level,

the total impact per strike day is probably 9.5 million

at a conservative level, and perhaps as high as 11 million

if we look at a broader In a nearby warehouse,

they have been losing as much as 20 This company is among the largest

manufacturers and distributors Effectively, it's about the ability

of people to move products from the warehouse onto vehicles

and out to customers. When we've got limited

staff here, obviously, that productivity is reduced,

so we're trying to do the same amount of volume

of work with less people, long-distance drivers have seen

a boost in trade, but it is at the expense of local people left

stranded by the strikes. People tend to usually get the train

down to Gatwick from here, and where there's no trains on that

day, they've booked their holidays months ago, and then

they've had to sort of, at the last minute, phone us to say

there is no trains tomorrow, Nine times out of ten we can fit

them in, but we have had the odd occasion where we just haven't

got the availability. One of the biggest concerns is

that it reduces the attractiveness of this region as a place to do

business, so the risk is that investment is discouraged

and ultimately goes elsewhere. What it's highlighting

is that there is very infrastructure, so for example,

with the rail going out, that knocks out connection,

puts pressure on to the road network, and the road network

is failing as well, and so that is saying to people, there is not

enough resilience, we should not be For those trying to fill job

vacancies, they have We are not saying, come here, come

down to West Sussex and do business. We are having trouble

doing business. We are having trouble getting

around, we're having trouble But this song is

called Southern Rail. They say laughter is the best

medicine, but the jokes are getting This study into lost

productivity suggests it has cost the economy

around ?300 million. It is likely to be much higher,

and doesn't account for the loss of sales or the impact on

personal finances for people across # Home, where my dinner's

waiting silently for me And if you want to tell us how

the strike is affecting you, do get in touch

via our Facebook page. It's been free to park in some towns

and villages in West Sussex Now budget pressures mean

the district council Residents in Steyning fear

it will put people off shopping in the town -

and this afternoon they took These Dickensian

demonstrators are angry. Great big bag of car parking

charges! They want to keep their car park

free, and they're willing to pay Allow us to put a little bit to keep

car parking is free for Steyning! People want to keep this high

street, and they know that car parking charges will have a

detrimental effect not just on businesses, but also on parking

restrictions. At the moment it is free to stay in

Steyning, just get a cardboard clock and put it on your dashboard. But

soon this will end. Horsham District Council has a ?4 million backhoe in

its budget, and says it cannot keep spending over ?300,000 on car parks

like this for free. From April it will cost 75p per hour, locals can

buy a ?12 pass, that lets them park all year round.

It might not sound a lot of money but if you just want a pint of milk,

you're not ready use the car parks, you're going to park on the side of

the road. It will kill three or four businesses, those go and you lose

another couple, and that is how high-street die.

Would you pay 75p to parking for an hour?

If we had to but I'd rather not. It's about frequency, it will be

less than ten minutes. If I want to pop in for a bit of

shopping, then 75p I would not complain about.

I would say that is fairly cheap, it has the perks of having free

parking, one of the reasons why we came.

Next spring, the new machines will not take coins, so local people will

have to swap this for this. The District Council says it does not

want to make this town next section to its new parking charges. -- an

exception. The people here say they are just being Scrooge.

Across the UK, more than 6,000 people -

including 150 children - are hoping for a call that

They're all waiting for an organ donation.

But a shortage means many people die before they get

Now the parents of a three-year-old boy from Hampshire are encouraging

people to sign up to the organ donor register as they prepare

to celebrate a Christmas they feared they'd never see.

Elliott is looking forward to Christmas with all his heart.

Donated by a family at their time of immense grief, now

We have never dared look ahead to another Christmas,

and now this close, we are finally just allowing ourselves to look

ahead, and when you're in this journey, it is the little things

that you realise the most important, and Christmas I think

I just can't wait to wake up in the same house

on Christmas morning, because we haven't been able to do

that for the past two years because Elliott has

Elliott was born with a disease that meant his heart

For 14 months, a mechanical heart pumped his blood for him,

We saw the heart patients get their gift of life, their call.

So when it did come, it was just utter shock and disbelief,

and there was the excitement initially but more or less

straight after that, our thoughts went to the donor

family that, in their darkest hour, they had made the decision to gift

But not everyone who needs a new organ will get one.

Which is why we are being encouraged not just to agree to donate

after our death, but to join the donor register to

Every day in the UK three people die because there aren't enough organs

available for them to receive the transplants they need.

There are 6500 people actively waiting today,

waiting for that call that means that their lives will be changed

and safe, and that's why we need people to basically stop faffing

around, and join the organ donor register.

If more of us do that, then more people like Elliott

Hopefully he'll be able to do what any other child does,

he gets to go to play school, gets to go to the park,

gets to cause mischief and mayhem at home, just living

It's something you can never say thank you enough for,

because it has changed our lives and it has saved Elliott's life.

And if you'd like more information, log onto

Details on the screen. Later on, Barbara is on her way, here is a

Lexus. Storm Barbara will affect the north

of the country. Gusts of 50 mph, with a significant wind-chill.

Dozens of people are gathering in Portsmouth this evening to show

solidarity with refugees who've left the war-ravaged Syrian

They're also gathering aid supplies that can be sent to those whose

lives have been shattered by the conflict.

The event's being organised by the grassroots charity

'Don't Hate, Donate' and Steve Humphrey is there.

Sally, this is absolutely amazing. This massive pile of relief supplies

in the square in Portsmouth has been growing rapidly over the past hour

or so. People are riding all the time, with things like bedding,

clothes, food, toys, essentials of life for the people over in Syria.

There is a huge queue of cars waiting to off-load more supplies.

It really is absolutely amazing. As you mentioned, this has been

organised by the grassroots charity Don't Hate, Donate. This is

incredible? It really is. Portsmouth is

fantastic. How important is it to get these aid

supplies over to Syria? It is essential, this is life-saving

essential aid. We have got lots of medicine, food, clothing,

everything. This is desperately needed. How long

will it take to get the people that you're collecting these things for?

Between 2-3 weeks to get it inside Syria.

Do you have a network to deliver it once it is in Syria?

Yes, we have sent tonnes of aid already. The path to get it

distributed inside Syria is well-established.

Thank you, people have got until 8pm this evening 's get more supplies to

the square here in Portsmouth. There is going to be a minute's silence at

7pm to show solidarity for all those people who have been displaced by

the Civil War. Back to you. Thank you very much.

Reverend Andrew Ashdown is a former Anglican priest

He's currently studying Christian-Muslim relations in Syria

where he was travelling independently.

He went to listen to stories from both sides of the conflict

and told me about what he has seen and heard.

I've been very much in a city at war. It is a city divided, West

Aleppo, the government-controlled area, where most of the citizens

live, and life is pretty normal that apart from the war has been

constantly bombarded from the rebels on the East. Then you have East

Aleppo, I have been travelling to several districts that have just

been liberated by the Syrian Army. The scenery around there is

shocking, the districts are utterly devastated. These are some of the

pictures that we are seeing on television here. There is a mixture,

L bombarded, and most of the devastation is actually on street to

street battles. Why did you go out there?

I went to see what is really happening on the ground, to meet the

people and to hear voices. They are coming with horrific stories of what

has been going on in East Aleppo, what they have experienced at the

hands of the rebels... Do they still have hope?

They have hopeful stop you see in the eyes of the people who have come

out, they are delighted to be out and say. In the reception centres

they are being given free food, free medical care and accommodation, they

are saying, thank God they are out of that situation. Even what is

remarkable, even in some of these destroyed streets, you are seeing

bulldozers already clearing away the rubble, some of the families want to

go back to their homes and start living within them.

So even though the chaos are still going on, there is becoming some

order, and he would say that this is a city and a people trying to

recover? Yes, this huge trauma. And yet the

people are determined to recover. It has been remarkable and inspiring to

see. Even now, people are saying we want to go back to our homes. Even

the shelves but we have there. We want to go and try and make rebuild

the city. There is a hope for the end to the violence, and that is the

most important thing people are really keen to have.

Thank you very much indeed. Let's move on to sport. We are going

to look ahead to Tokyo 2020, aren't we? A new sport?

You know how you're seeing sports presenters drive you up the wall?

I don't say that! Climbing, you are going to be

fantastic! At the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo

a new sport will be on show. Climbing is a sport gaining

in popularity, with training centres popping up across the South

for all ages. One of them - the Climbing Project

in Poole - has been celebrating its third birthday and invited

new recruits for taster sessions. The Climbing Project is a hidden

gem, based in an old sports centre that went bust nine years ago,

it has been transformed There are sessions to learn

parkour, circus skills, and taekwondo, but the main hall

is devoted to climbing. The climbing has been

sort of word-of-mouth, we have now got a big base of people

who have never climbed before, and they have heard about it

through friends, and then they have And now they use it

as their alternative to a gym, because it is a bit more sociable,

it is a bit more fun, A myriad of different hand and foot

holds give the climber at every Climbing is a co-ordinated sport,

but it's also a sport that Celebrating their third birthday,

professional climber Leah Crane has come to give

a masterclass in bouldering. I think that bouldering is probably

the easiest inlet to climbing that somebody who is completely

new to the sport can have. You essentially walk in a room full

of very friendly people that are all trying to do the same thing,

which is to get to the top of the wall, and everybody

is there to help each other, and it is just a really nice vibe

within bouldering walls. Climbing is definitely a very

male dominant sport. My motto in climbing is try to be

a strong as a but climb like a girl, and in that I mean that as long

as you can have a really good technique, which, generalising,

women do more than men because they are weaker,

so they have to find different ways to get up the wall than just pulling

themselves up with their arms. And if you can have the best of both

worlds, you're really It is the best training

facility in the area, so when it is cold and wet outside,

it provides the ideal facility. I think it's brilliant,

because it enables my daughter to just have a play and see

if she likes it or not. The future looks good

for the Climbing Project. With the addition of climbing

into the 2020 Olympics, sites like this should

see their numbers grow. Hopefully, with its going to be

in the 2020 Olympics, it will mean that climbing actually

get more funding, more support. Climbing walls like this might get

more support in terms of getting more children on there,

kids programmes, and so that there is definitely more options

and opportunities for people to really progress in their climbing

and get the support they need. Hampshire sailor Alex Thomson says

he's entering a critical period of the Vendee Globe

with regard to his own safety. Thomson is currently in second

place in the round the world race, and is expected to pass Cape Horn

in South America on Christmas Eve... At the moment he's just over

500 miles behind the leader, For me, and from a safety point

of view, I feel more isolated You know, he's never going to be

able to come to me now, and the guys behind me are three

or four days behind me, so it's a bit weird, but now

is the time where I need to be the most careful and make sure

nothing happens to me, because help is as far away from me

as it's ever been. Hampshire all-rounder Liam Dawson

was out for a duck as England collapsed to an innings defeat

in the fifth test against India. Dawson, who scored an unbeaten 66

in the first innings and took two wickets on his Test match debut,

was one of six wickets to fall for just 15 runs,

as India wrapped up a dominant All right for Dawson, but it could

have got better if had had a result. Do you know what ever Biddy keeps

asking, have you done any Christmas shopping -- did you get that?

I can't tell you that, in case my wife is watching!

It is the busiest time of year for mail order shops, who do most of

their business in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

One Dorset company set up by a husband-and-wife has grown so large

it has an annual turnover of ?1.7 million. Tom Hackworth went to have

a look. At this time of year, this company

employs 25 staff. They are pretty busy, the company does 80% of its

business in the four weeks leading up to Christmas. How many parcels do

you pack in a day? Normally it's about over 200, 230.

Allow 28 days for delivery. Yes, mail order catalogues would say

that. People hardly ask when it is going to be delivered, they expected

to arrive the next day. And for us as a Christmas business, the biggest

challenge is about keeping up, and luckily we have managed to do that.

They say the definition of a present is something you would like but

would not necessarily buy. It is pretty hard to get honeycomb in the

shops, which is why this is creating a bit of a buzz. The warehouse is a

hive of activity, they process around 53,000 orders per year. What

started as a one-man business now has an annual turnover of ?1.7

million. They sell more books here than any other product in the

success of The Great British Bake Off means that books about picking

up selling like hotcakes -- baking. A certain amount of diplomacy is

required in the business, and they deal with six T three separate --

106 T three separate suppliers. This board game is one that even the

dog can take part in. Prosser called is a big theme this

year, and you can get anything from lip balm to soap to candles to Bath

balms and even sweets. Let's hope the bubble does not burst. This

Christmas is so last year, the company has got its eye on next

summer. What are you going to be selling lots of in 2017?

Sparkling wine will continue to sell. But we're probably looking at

things with a tropical theme, Flamingoland palm trees, Cactus that

kind of thing. When do you do your shopping?

On Christmas Eve! I would have thought he would have

its own up in October! I try and find something for my

nearest and dearest a little bit different.

Being the BBC, we have two and 40 that other retailers are available,

but this is a local business thriving in a cut-throat

marketplace. Hello! Sprouts and socks? The

ultimate Christmas present. We know what he is wearing

Christmas. We got lovely Christmas cards from you, but this one was

from Captain John Stiles, who has written that he went shopping with

his wife and spotted a young lady Kate -- playing the piano. He joined

this young lady to sing Christmas carols and he has written to say

that those five minutes singing with her were real Christmas bliss for

him, and he wants to thank the young lady. So who is this young lady?

Playing a piano in Southampton, you sang a few cat -- carols. Get in

touch if it is you, or you think you know who it might be. Get in touch,

we would love to talk to you. Fingers crossed.

On to the weather. Not so crisp sea as we look ahead?

A little bit of wind and rain potentially for the Christmas

period. Daphne photographed the cloudy sunrise at this pier.

A festive Robin in Southampton. And the cloudy skies at this beach.

Some sunny spells the northern part of the region, scattered showers

here and there. Overnight, the cloud will gather in many places. There

may be some light rain and drizzle pushing in from the west. Clear

skies for some, temperatures will fall away to 3-4 C, but where we

have the increasing cloud, rain will be spilling in by dawn tomorrow.

Lows in many places of 6-7 C. A wet start tomorrow, that band of rain

will clear tomorrow morning on the breeze. In between it will have some

sunny spells, the next weather front is arriving tomorrow afternoon, and

that will stay with us until the evening, and could be quite heavy at

times. Temperatures tomorrow, 10-11, but with the breeze it will feel

quite chilly. Especially along the coast and around the Isle of Wight.

The rain will eventually clear tomorrow night, and the skies will

clear, allowing temperatures to follow way to freezing. Widespread

frost first thing on Friday -- Thursday morning, and mist and frog

patches with it. -- fog patches. Lows of 2-4 in towns and cities. A

chilly start to Thursday, bitty decent, mainly dry with sunny

spells. The rain we had no clear eastwards, looking at misty and

murky conditions to start the day. The outside chance of a shower, but

the breeze will increase, the squeeze on the isobars, and here is

the next weather system which is going to affect the north of the

country. In the south we will have gusts of 40-50 mph, and that this

storm Barbara, heading our way for Christmas Eve. Over the next few

days, a good deal of cloud tomorrow. Brighter spells during the middle of

the day, rain during the morning, rain during the afternoon, with the

breeze increasing jury because of Thursday. Through Friday afternoon,

evening and overnight into Christmas Eve, we will have some windy

conditions with rain at times. Further blustery showers on

Christmas Day. Thanks remit. -- thanks very much.

The young girl on the channel might be involved with the Southampton

Philharmonic choir? -- on the piano. Have a good evening.