MAN IN COURT OVER BUS QUEUE DEATH
A man charged in connection with the death of a teenager who was killed when a van crashed into a bus queue will appear in court today.
Toni McCarthy, 16, was among three people trapped in the wreckage of the bus shelter which was flattened by the vehicle on a busy road in Erdington, Birmingham.
A second 16-year-old girl remains in a critical condition in hospital following the collision, which happened shortly after 8pm on Saturday.
Toni, from Erdington, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which involved a blue Ford Transit van which overturned following the collision.
A 38-year-old local man has been charged with causing death by careless driving and failing to provide a specimen for police, a West Midlands Police spokeswoman said.
He will appear before Sutton Coldfield magistrates today in connection with the incident on Chester Road, which also left a 23-year-old man injured.
 

ASDA GETS INTO CLOTHES
Supermarket chain Asda added to its traditional food stores with the opening of a clothes and household goods store in Walsall yesterday.
The 3,437sq metre Midlands store will sell the company's George range of clothing and all of its non-food ranges such as jewellery, duvets and electrical goods.
Asda Living is in a retail park alongside shops such as Mothercare, H&M and Next. It is the first of a trial of three non-food stores by the Leeds-based company.
Asda's chief executive, Tony DeNunzio, has complained about the difficulty of opening new supermarkets in Britain, frustrating growth.
But Asda has shown strong like-for-like sales growth in recent years, in contrast to the woes of its rivals J Sainsbury and Safeway.
The news has added to speculation that the company, which is owned by the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, will bid for Matalan, but analysts said this was "putting two and two together and getting 22".

MP WELCOMES CANAL LOTTO GRANT
A £4.6 million lottery grant to help fund the re-opening of the
Droitwich Barge and Junctions Canals has been welcomed by a local politician.
Peter Luff, Conservative MP for Mid Worcestershire, said the
announcement put to an end years of uncertainty and disappointment.
He paid tribute to "hard working volunteers" at the Droitwich Canals Trust - of which he is a vice president - and said it was their dream that had kept the project afloat.
Mr Luff said: "This generous but richly deserved grant should guarantee the re-opening of these historic canals and provide improved public access, education and training facilities too.
"The announcement ends years of uncertainty and disappointment and is a huge shot in the arm for Droitwich."
Mr Luff said a formal application would now be made to Advantage West Midlands for their £2 million regeneration grant to complete the funding arrangements.

DISCOUNT TEMPTS MORE LORRIES ON TO TOLL M-WAY
More lorries are using Britain’s first toll motorway, the company that operates the route claimed today.
Bosses at Midland Expressway Limited (MEL) said the number of heavy goods vehicles using the M6 Toll through the West Midlands had increased “substantially” since prices were lowered from £11 to £6 last month.
MEL figures released today showed that the average daily traffic figure for September was 52,041, up from the last like-for-like figure in June of 47,986.
But, while welcoming cheaper rates for lorries, hauliers’ organisations said they still did not know how many HGVs were using the road as the figures were not broken down into vehicle types.
They also expressed concern about whether charges would increase again after the end of the trial discount period on December 31.
Tom Fanning, managing director of MEL, attributed the rise in traffic to the discount rates for lorries and changes in setting up pre-paid “tag” accounts which allow drivers to pass through toll booths without stopping.
He said: “During July and August congestion increases across the UK road network with many people going on holidays. Such leisure pursuits have undoubtedly boosted our traffic over the past couple of months.
“Taking into account seasonal variation, we are pleased to report there is still an underlying upward trend in the number of people choosing the M6 Toll for local and business trips because of the benefits and certainty of reliable and shorter journey times.”
Louisa Bellee, from the Freight Transport Association, said the apparent rise in trucks using the M6 Toll justified their original calls for lower lorry charges.
But she said they still had no idea exactly how many hauliers were switching to the toll road from more congested routes, despite repeated requests to MEL.
She added: “At £5, it’s a far more attractive option. It’s not a distress purchase. At £11 it was. It wasn’t actually giving back the benefit in terms of savings.
“£5 was the level we were looking at originally. It’s much more sensible. But it’s still only a temporary reduction. We have to see whether or not it becomes a permanent lower figure.
“If it does, it’s going to attract more lorries to the road.”

TRAINING AWARD JOY FOR CHARITY
A charity dedicated to helping sufferers of a debilitating disease is today celebrating after scooping a highly-acclaimed award for its volunteer training.
The Motor Neurone Disease Association (MND) has just won the East Midlands Training Award for its association visitor training programme.
Association visitors fulfil a valuable yet demanding front-line role within the MND, befriending people with the disease and offering them support and information.
Since February last year, 66 volunteers have been through the training programme and the MND aims to have 500 fully trained association visitors by 2006/07.
The training covers all areas of the association visitors role. It
promotes listening skills and gives advice on how to handle bereavement. It also provides information on motor neurone disease and equipment available to sufferers.
One person to benefit from the help and support offered by the
organisation is Doris Sheehy, 64, of Walsall, who was diagnosed with the disease in January 2002.
An association visitor regularly keeps in touch with her and her
husband Frank. Mr Sheehy said: "It is always great to see her. When she visits it's like a ray of sunshine has come into the house. She lifts both our spirits and we welcome her as a good friend."
Six members of the MND's Visitor Training Review Group, which was responsible for devising and implementing the training programme, attended the awards ceremony at Kelham Hall in Newark, Notts.
Training manager Elinor Brien accepted the award on behalf of the MND Association. She said: "I am absolutely delighted to accept this award.
"Our Association Visitors provide people with motor neurone disease with valuable ongoing advice and support on both an emotional and practical level.
"Their personal touch means that for many people they are much more than volunteers, they are also friends.
"We are committed to ensuring that every single association visitor receives the support they need too."
For more information about the work of the MND visit the charity's website at www.mndassociation.org

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NIGHTCLUB ASSAULT MAN DIES
A 50-year-old man has died in hospital after suffering a severe head injury outside a nightclub, police said today.
West Midlands Police said three people remained in custody as part of their inquiries into an alleged assault outside Flares in Birmingham’s Broad Street entertainment district.
A section of Broad Street was closed to traffic for more than 24 hours after the incident in the early hours of Sunday.
Officers confirmed earlier today that three men – aged 22, 28 and 39 – had been arrested on suspicion of wounding.

WORLD SIGHT DAY THURSDAY 14TH OCTOBER
Students from Queen Alexandra College (QAC) will be in Harborne between 10am and 3pm on Thursday 14th October collecting unwanted spectacles to pass on to visually impaired people in developing countries. QAC is a specialist college for people with disabilities. Many of the students are themselves blind or partially sighted and are aware that up to 80% of blindness in underdeveloped countries is avoidable. Access to spectacles can be a luxury.
The students have been invited by the owners of the St John’s Road car park to set up a collection point, additionally they also hope to be present by the parade of shops that includes WH Smith. People can also leave spectacles at the college reception on the Court Oak Road. As well as collecting the specs, they will be selling wall mounted bird boxes made by woodwork students at QAC. Most importantly the students are looking forward to meeting members of the local community and telling them about the college and its work in promoting independence for people with disabilities in learning, living and working. In the UK three out of four employable people with visual impairment are in fact unemployed and seeking work.
College staff member Ray Piggott said “colleges like QAC are rare and do make a significant difference to people’s chances of living independently and finding employment. We are pleased to be collecting unwanted glasses for people overseas but are also working to raise the profile of what we do here in Birmingham.”
Queen Alexandra College is a national specialist college for people aged 16 – 63. Most but not all learners are blind or partially sighted. The college is a registered charity which relies in part on voluntary donations.

ANIMAL RIGHTS LEGAL BID STALLS
Oxford University’s High Court bid for a wide-ranging injunction against animal rights activists has ended with no immediate decision.
After the close of evidence on Friday, Mr Justice Grigson injured his back and will not sit in court until he recovers.
No date has been given for his ruling, which will follow final submissions in writing from both sides in the dispute.
The university wants the extension of order, granted last month, which will impose until full trial a 35-metre “no harassment” zone around all its buildings in the city.
It says it is not seeking to curb peaceful protest and has offered to provide a demonstration area immediately opposite its new biomedical research laboratory site in South Parks Road.
Work on the construction of the laboratory stopped on July 13 because contractors faced harassment and intimidation from parts of the animal rights movement, said solicitor-advocate Timothy Lawson-Cruttenden.
The university has confirmed that the £18 million facility would use animals for testing with 98% of its work involving rodents, and the remainder being amphibians, fish, ferrets and primates.
Pressing for the injunction against 10 named defendants, Mr Lawson-Cruttenden said: “Our case is that we are being harassed or we anticipate that we may be harassed by the defendants.”
The 10 are: Mel Broughton, John Curtin, Robert Cogswell, Speak Campaigns, Stop Primate Experimentation at Cambridge, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, Oxford Animal Rights Group, People Against Cruelty to Animals – West Midlands, West Midlands Animal Action and Animal Liberation Front.
During the hearing, proceedings were discontinued against Mr Broughton and Mr Cogswell after they offered legal undertakings not to harass any of the “protected persons” under the order.
The defendants are contesting the injunction under the 1997 Protection from Harassment Act on the basis that there is no evidence that they are acting unlawfully.
Mr Lawson-Cruttenden said the injunction would not affect the “traditional” demonstration area in the Carfax district.
Demonstrations in the area designated opposite the laboratory site would be restricted to 25 protesters and limited to four hours, he said.
Demonstrators would have to give police 24 hours’ notice.
This would effectively continue the present arrangement under which weekly demonstrations had been held each Thursday for the past six months or so.
The university was not seeking to prevent protest processions as long as they had police permission under the Public Order Act.
Oxford had become the new focus for animal rights groups after plans for a multi-million-pound laboratory at Cambridge were abandoned earlier this year because of the excessive costs of protecting staff.

TAKE THE PLUNGE FOR DEAFBLIND CHARITY
A leading charity is today calling on Midlanders with a head for
heights to help raise funds for its cause.
National deafblind charity Sense is offering keen football fans a
birds-eye view of one of the country's best-known soccer grounds - for a price.
Interested parties must abseil 75ft down the side of Nottingham Forest FC's famous Brian Clough stand.
A Sense spokesman said: "Sense has an exclusive day for people who want to beat their vertigo fears and free-fall from the Brian Clough stand or simply want a great day out with family and friends.
"If you are feeling brave, you can do the descent all on your own, or for a bit of competition you can get a group of your friends together.
"People will have the opportunity to abseil off the top of the stadium - as there is an overhang this will be an even scarier free-fall abseil."
Deafblindness is a combination of both sight and hearing difficulties.
There are about 23,000 people in the UK who have a serious impairment of vision and hearing. Some of these people are completely deaf and blind, while others have some remaining use of one or both senses.
A further 250,000 people experience some degree of dual sensory impairment, many in older age.
Causes of deafblindness include premature birth, birth trauma and exposure to rubella during pregnancy, which can cause babies to be born deafblind. Some genetic conditions, such as Usher syndrome, can also result in deafblindness.
People can also become deafblind at any time through illness, accident or in older age.
Abseil training will be provided for all volunteers who must pay a £20 registration fee and raise a minimum of £100. The abseil will take place on October 24.
For further information contact Joanna Morgan on 020 7561 3359.
 

STAFFORDSHIRE WOMAN SELECTED AS FINALIST IN THE SEARCH FOR BRITAIN'S BEST APPLE PIE BAKER
Following a nationwide search in conjunction with the Women's Institute, the Bramley Campaign is pleased to announce the finalists for this year's Britain's Best Apple Pie Baker competition. Launched in Home & Country magazine, 7 finalists will be invited to the Grand Final on Friday 15 October 2004 at Denman College, Oxfordshire to win over the expert tastebuds of celebrity cook and cookery writer, Mary Berry.
Representing the Staffordshire WI in the National Final is Kath Beardmore from Stoke-on-Trent, whose delicious homemade Bramley apple pie with Calvados impressed the judges and further reinforced apple pie's position as the nation's No.1 dessert.

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FIVE IN CUSTODY OVER DANIELLE SHOOTING
Five men are tonight in custody in connection with the killing of 14-year-old schoolgirl Danielle Beccan, shot in a drive-by attack as she returned home from a fairground.
Police in Nottingham confirmed that the suspects had been taken to the Midlands city for questioning after they were detained following a routine stop and search check in Westminster on Monday evening.
Danielle, described by her distraught mother as “bright, intelligent and destined for great things”, was gunned down yards from her home in the St Ann’s area of Nottingham four days ago.
The schoolgirl, a pupil at Elliot Durham comprehensive, had been returning from the city’s annual Goose Fair with a group of friends when she was fired on.
It is thought she was struck by one of several shots fired from a passing gold-coloured car, which was carrying several people.
Detectives claim to be at a loss to explain why the youngster, or her group of friends, might have been targeted by gunmen.
A Metropolitan police spokeswoman said the five suspects were stopped by officers in Westminster on Monday and held last night at two London police stations.
“Westminster officers carrying out a routine stop and search checks arrested five men in Grosvenor Road, SW1, at approximately 8.30pm last night,” she said.
Nottingham police confirmed the men arrived for questioning in the city shortly before 8pm, but have refused to divulge the ages or home towns of the suspects.
A spokeswoman said: “Five men have tonight been brought into custody in Nottingham. The men have been arrested in connection with the murder inquiry.”
Earlier, the girl’s mother Paula Platt, speaking from her home, said: “I feel very angry. At this moment my child is lying in a refrigerator.
“I always knew Danielle was bright and intelligent. She was destined for great things. She was ambitious and I wanted her to touch the world but not like this.
“Danielle could put her hands to anything. She was so creative, always drawing, doodling and writing stories.
“As parents we all have a responsibility to equip our children to go out in the world and be independent and strong.
“My daughter has been taken away from me and no parent should have to go through this.”
Mrs Platt, 32, cradled her daughter in her arms on Saturday when she found Danielle dying from a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Superintendent Dave Colbeck, of Nottingham Police, said the murder inquiry team had received a good response from the local community, despite long-standing problems with the intimidation of witnesses.
He added: “There were a number of people in that car and we need to speak to these people. Some of them may or may not have known what was going to happen that night.”
Religious leaders in Nottingham today condemned Danielle’s murder and labelled gun crime an “evil” blighting the city.
A statement signed by several local church groups said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with her parents, her family and all her friends, along with the staff and pupils of Elliott Durham School where Danielle was a much-loved student.”
It added: “Gun crime is an evil which we must combat. We are not prepared to see the acts of ’a few’ blight the lives of so many.
“All of us, the ordinary people of Nottingham, community leaders, civic authorities and the police must work together as never before to eradicate gun crime from our streets.”
Officers are expected to continue questioning the five men tomorrow.

OFFENDERS BANNED FROM DIRTY WORK
Offenders have been banned from doing dirty work in the community - because the Home Office says they deserve to be given more creative jobs.
The ruling has put a halt to a scheme to tidy up an overgrown Black Country churchyard, once branded the worst in the Midlands.
The news has angered a councillor, who claims people could be forced to have their loved-ones' bodies exhumed from the graveyard at Sedgley.
For the last two years criminals carrying out community service have been drafted in to tidy Sedgley's All Saints Church churchyard, where graves had been swamped by weeds.
But the new Home Office ruling means convicted criminals can no longer carry out the work as part of their punishment, and ward councillor Michael Evans believes the site will again fall into a state of disrepair.
He said: "I am being told the new punishment is to give the offenders the opportunity to learn new skills, such as problem solving, and to let them create an interest in learning.
"This is a move in the wrong direction because we are safe-guarding the offenders and not the victims.
"This has been the perfect opportunity for these people to put something back into society and something that the people of Sedgley can clearly see and appreciate."
Councillor Evans now fears that people will consider moving their relatives' remains from the site.
He added: "We have already had one man who moved his father's body a couple of years ago because of the state of the graveyard. I think people will think very strongly about doing the same now."
Pensioner, Trevor Lloyd, of Kingswinford, took matters into his own hands over the state of the weed-infested graveyard by having his father John's body exhumed in 2002 and reburied with his mother elsewhere.
Nobody was available for comment at the Home Office today.
 

SUPPORT FOR RSC THEATRE
A regional development agency today threw its weight behind multi-million pound plans to redevelop the historic home of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).
Advantage West Midlands (AWM) bosses said they were prepared to provide “substantial support” for the project at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.
It is understood AWM will contribute about £15 million for the £100 million scheme, subject to the theatre company meeting the agency’s funding criteria.
AWM chief executive John Edwards told its second annual conference in West Bromwich today that they wanted to maintain the theatre’s status as a national and international icon.
“The theatre is recognised across the world and the re-development will reinforce its position as a centre of theatrical excellence on the world stage,” he said.
“AWM will this week launch a marketing campaign, encouraging everybody in the West Midlands to shout about everything that’s great in our region.
“The RSC at Stratford is a real asset to our region and it is only right that we support this project where we can.”
The RSC announced plans last month to redevelop the Grade II-listed theatre, which was built in 1932, retaining its original Art Deco features.
Plans include a new 1,000-seat auditorium as well as improved backstage and front-of-house facilities.
Vikki Heywood, executive director at the Royal Shakespeare Company, welcomed the possibility of financial support.
She added: “Transforming the Royal Shakespeare Company gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put Stratford and the West Midlands back on the map as one of the country’s key cultural destinations.
“We’re confident that improving our theatre and facilities will be a great way to attract visitors to the region and encourage them to stay longer while they’re here.”

TRAIN JOURNEYS EXTENDED BY LEAVES
Train operators are increasing journey times on winter timetables to cope with delays caused by leaves on the line, it emerged today.
New timetables, which come into force this weekend, include built-in delays to services caused by falling autumn leaves.
For the next five weeks, services will set off five minutes early and terminate five minutes later, giving drivers extra time to accelerate away from stations and to halt the carriages on the slippery rails.
Central Trains is altering its timetable on some lines in the East and West Midlands and on its Norwich-to-Liverpool route. Altered timetables are also being issued for the Liverpool-to-Norwich and Wellington-to-Walsall services.
And train operator Silverlink has released new journey times on weekday mornings to and from London Euston in order to combat delays caused by falling foliage from trees and bushes.
Tony Brown, director of network services for Central Trains, said more time had to be built into timetables in the autumn as drivers were trained to brake and move off more slowly to prevent slipping.
“Leaves on the line is very serious,” he said. “This is traditionally a difficult time of year for railway operations.
“Every year, Network Rail spend a considerable amount of money to cut back vegetation, to clear leaves from the line, to erect leaf-catching fences and to lay gritting paste on lines in problem areas.”
A Network Rail spokesman said leaves on the line cost the industry about £50 million every year and are the railway equivalent of black ice on the roads.
When crushed, the leaves form a hard Teflon-like coating on the railhead which causes train wheels to slip and slide and also damages the track.
Under the conditions trains have to take longer to slow down and to increase speeds, he added.

MOURNERS HEAR OF AMBUSHED SOLDIER'S SKILL AND COURAGE
Comrades of a soldier who was killed while trying to rescue other troops during an ambush in Iraq paid tribute today to his skill, courage and sacrifice.
A funeral service for Gunner David Lawrence was told that the 25-year-old from Walsall, West Midlands, had helped to rush injured soldiers to hospital after a roadside bomb blast just days before he was killed.
Gunner Lawrence, of the 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, died alongside Corporal Marc Taylor near Basra on September 28 as they went to the aid of servicemen whose vehicle had been hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
Addressing the service at Christ Church in Blakenall, Walsall, Gunner Lawrence’s troop sergeant, Harry Harrison described David, known as Lozzer, as a “proven Trojan” who was reliable, fit, friendly and a team player.
The sergeant told mourners: “We were a family, a band of brothers, and we all feel for you – David’s family.
“B Battery will never ever forget him. He lives on in our hearts and minds, he waits for us. We will meet again. Words cannot express our profound sense of loss.”
Troop commander Captain Derek Gilbert outlined the soldier’s military career, which included driving a green goddess during the 2002 firefighters’ strike, a tour of duty in Bosnia and a period spent training Iraqi police in Basra.

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TOWN NAMED IN ENTERPRISE CAPITAL BOOST
Shrewsbury has beaten off competition from Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Coventry to become the Enterprise Capital of the West Midlands.
The Shrewsbury entry was chosen because of its overall approach to entrepreneurship and its aim to create an environment where people 'want to do business'.
The Enterprising Britain contest was launched in June by Chancellor Gordon Brown to find cities and towns that have championed a culture of enterprise.
Today's news puts the town in the running for the accolade of UK Capital of Enterprise.

WHO WOOD YOU HAVE ROOTED FOR?
Today winners of the annual British Christmas Tree Growers Association Competition are announced. This year 30 different growers from across the UK have taken part.
G S Gilbert, of Woods Farm, Shirley, Solihull is joint Runner Up in the Category for Best SPRUCE in the annual British Christmas Tree Growers Association Competition.
The British Christmas Tree Growers Association have been donating the tree which stands outside 10 Downing Street for 26 years and devised the competition in 1998 to decide which grower would provide the tree.
This year voters will be looking for a number of criteria that falls
underthese three groupings: foliage, shape and marketability.
Christmas trees provide huge environmental benefits. In fact, just one acreof Christmas trees produces enough oxygen to support eighteen people. The trees also act as air pollution filters and can remove up to 13 tons of airbourne pollutants per acre per year. Finally, it is worth remembering that artificial trees will last for six years in your home, but for centuries in a landfill.
Roger Hay, Secretary of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association, says
"It has been a great year for Christmas trees with the summer weather delivering the right amount of sun and rain for a bumper crop. The competition will undoubtedly reflect the high standards that growers maintain across the UK."

NEW OFFENDER MANAGER TO OVERSEE DRIVE TO CUT RE-OFFENDING IN THE WEST MIDLANDS
Progress towards the creation of a radical new system for the more effectivemanagement of all offenders in the West Midlands reached a significantmilestone today with the appointment of Steve Goode as the region's new Regional Offender Manager (ROM).
Currently Chief Officer of Derbyshire Probation Area, he will play a pivotalrole in reforming the way offenders are managed both in prison and by the Probation Service as recommended in Patrick Carter's independent review and announced by Home Secretary David Blunkett in January.
The appointment of 10 ROMs for England and Wales announced today follows thebringing together of the Prison and Probation Services into the new National Offender Management Service, which is at the centre of the fundamental overhaul of the correctional services designed to cut re-offending
rates and increase rehabilitation.
They come after Mr Blunkett announced a £312 million increase in spending on the Prison and Probation Services, including the recruitment of 1,800 extra probation staff and more than 3,500 new prison places.
The 10 appointees - one for each of the nine English regions and
another for Wales - will direct work in their regions to develop and introduce the concept of offender management in both the Prison and Probation Services to ensure that work done with an offender in custody is built on when they are released into the community.
The 10 ROMS, who will report to the National Offender Manager ChristineKnott, will begin to take up their new posts in November.
Congratulating the Regional Offender Managers on their appointments, Home Office Minister Paul Goggins said:
"We have a once in a generation opportunity to revolutionise
the way we treat offenders and challenge offending behaviour.
"The successful candidates have been appointed from a very
strong field and have a mixture of prisons and probation experience.
I'm very pleased we will have such an able team in place as we move forward with these important reforms."
Chief Executive of the National Offender Management Service, Martin Narey,said:
"I am delighted with these appointments which will provide
Christine Knott, the National Offender Manager and my deputy, with a team of talented and imaginative managers who I believe will transform the effectiveness of our efforts to reduce re-offending and change people's lives."
Commenting on his appointment as Regional Offender Manager for the West Midlands, Steve Goode said:
"I am excited about the opportunities and challenges that
lie ahead in this new role. This is a chance to drive up performance across the West Midlands and bring greater quality and consistency to our work with offenders, and our efforts to reduce reoffending."

BOOKWORMS SHARE THEIR BEST READS
Booklovers have been donating their favourite reads to charity this week as part of a nationwide initiative to allow some of the world's poorest people to enjoy a good read.
Organised by Book Aid International (BAI), "Bring A Book Week 2004",
aims to help thousands of readers in Third World countries to develop their literacy skills.
Around 15,000 people from seven major companies were this week bringing a book they and their families had enjoyed to work for others to enjoy. Their employers have agreed to cover the cost of getting the books into the hands of readers overseas.
Titles collected will be carefully processed and targeted by BAI to ensure they reach the readers who need them most.
"Bring A Book Week" is in its second year, and runs until Friday (October 15). The charity hopes to make the week an annual event.
Simalike Mwantila from the Itili Women's Training Centre in Tanzania is one of the many readers who benefited in 2003.
He said: "I take this opportunity to thank you, thank you, thank you, very much for the books you sent us. It is very valuable material. Our staff, rural women, women group leaders, youths and community groups will benefit a lot as they learn from these books.
"Once again, thank you for this precious gift."
Companies taking part in "Bring a Book Week" 2004 are: De Beers DTC, The Economist Group, HSBC Private Bank, Pearson Plc., Pfizer Ltd., Reed Elsevier and Standard Chartered.
HSBC chief executive officer Clive Bannister said: "We all benefit from books in our schools, libraries and families, and we should all support this initiative. I encourage each and every one of you to look through your bookshelves at home, and find books for those schools, libraries and families who have not been so fortunate."
From 11th-15th October, 15,000 people will donate their best-loved books in a UK-wide initiative to benefit the world's poorest readers.
A BAI spokesman said: "We are a self-confessed nation of booklovers - an estimated 286 million books were purchased last year in the UK. From the Man Booker Prize to Richard and Judy's Book Club, the UK is passionate about books and reading.
"In such a book-rich society, it is almost impossible to imagine life without well-lined shelves at home, enticing bookshops on the high street and online, and our reliable local libraries.
"It's a stark contrast to life in Africa where most people will never be able to afford a book of their own. In fact, the poorer a country is, the more important books become.
"Wherever resources are really scarce, books are the principal tools for learning. They educate, stimulate the imagination and empower people to make choices in their lives."
Founded in 1954, BAI now works in 30 of the world's poorest countries, providing over half a million books and journals each year to libraries, hospitals, refugee camps and schools.
For more information see www.bookaid.org
 

GREENER, SAFER, HEALTHIER ROUTES TO SCHOOLS
Local education authorities will be able to bring school transport into the 21st century as Education & Skills Secretary Charles Clarke and Transport Secretary Alistair Darling today unveiled plans for greener, safer and healthier ways to travel to school.
Mr Darling announced ?10 million of Department for Transport funding to develop hundreds of safe walking and cycling routes to schools. The Links to Schools programme will extend the National Cycle Network, bringing it closer to schools and making it easier and safer for pupils to walk or cycle.
More than 230 schools - including 27 from across the East Midlands -will directly benefit via the funding to 100 local authorities. The grant is to be made to Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity, which has built the 8,000-mile National Cycle Network, and which will oversee the building of new links from the Network to schools around England.
Mr Clarke confirmed that a School Transport Bill will be introduced to Parliament today to enable up to 20 local education authorities to introduce new schemes to tackle the congestion caused by the traditional 'school run,' developing innovative ways for pupils to travel to school tailored to their local circumstances, with up to ?200,000 Government funding to kick start each scheme.
The School Transport Bill would bring the first changes to school
transport legislation in over 60 years, allowing local education authorities to develop innovative solutions to school transport problems, reducing traffic congestion and cutting pollution, through the use of, for example:
* safe cycle routes to schools, plugged into the national cycle
network, with secure storage for bicycles at schools;
* 'walking buses' where pupils are collected from an agreed location, and then walk together to school escorted in safe groups by volunteers, with other pupils joining them en route;
* 'park & stride' schemes where parents drop children off at an agreed location to be escorted into school;
* more high quality school buses catering for more pupils, with
features such as CCTV and well-trained drivers; as well as extra buses catering for pupils attending after school activities;
* staggered starting times with different schools in the same area staggering their starting times to reduce the number of cars on the road at any one time.
Mr Darling said:
"As well as being fun, cycling improves health, reduces school-gate congestion and pollution and provides our children with a sense of independence. But we need to persuade more children, and their parents, that they can cycle to school safely. Today's announcement is a real step in the right direction to persuade more children to cycle more safely, more often.
"School children across the country are set to benefit from the Links to Schools programme, made possible by a ?10 million grant from my department, the largest ever cash injection for a project of this kind. The funding will help to develop hundreds of safe walking and cycling routes to schools around the country.
"We are determined to ensure that cycling and walking to school become a safe and healthy option for children and reassure parents that their children are safe when travelling to and from school. This investment builds upon the annual investment of more than ?20 million a year which the Departments for Transport and Education are making in the
Travelling to School initiative and will provide further help to children and parents who want to come to school without their cars."
Mr Clarke said:
"Twice as many children are driven to school now in comparison with 20 years ago - around 40% of primary pupils and 20% of secondary pupils. Most of these journeys are less than 2 miles, meaning decreasing numbers of children walking or cycling with serious health implications in terms of lack of daily exercise and the growing proportion of children who
are overweight."Our proposals would encourage local education authorities to come up with 21st century solutions to make walking, cycling and bus travel safe, green, healthy options for more schools and their pupils, while allowing authorities who are content with their current arrangements to retain them."
Today's announcements build on innovative work to modernise school transport schemes across England which have been established under Travelling to School: An Action Plan. Launched in September 2003, the Action Plan has already spent £14 million in local education authorities and 2,400 schools to develop:
* dedicated school travel plans which offer safer routes to school, road crossings, local speed restrictions, dedicated cycle ways, secure cycle storage, sufficient locker space and improved public transport provision;
* road safety skills for pupils, particularly at primary schools, and cycle training;
* positive behaviour by pupils on public transport on their journeys to and from school;
* lessons through geography, PSHE, and citizenship to explain the benefits of sustainable travel;
* a network of over 250 school travel advisers in local authorities in England to provide expert advice to schools engaged in travel planning.
 

ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE
 English Heritage and the Women's Institute are today  joining forces to help bring back the beauty and local distinctiveness to West Midlands' streets.
Save our Streets is a major campaign designed to make us more aware of our surroundings in a bid to transform the poor appearance of the nation's streets which are frequently cluttered with redundant signs, restrictive guard rails and ugly street furniture.
As part of the campaign, a unique "streetscape manual" for the West Midlands called Streets for All will soon be published. It will show highways engineers and planners what sort of paving, street furniture, signs and traffic management solutions fit best with the rich traditions of each area.
Suzanne Owen, Chairman of the Worcestershire Federation of Women's Institutes said:
"The WI is honoured to be English Heritage's campaign partner. Our members will be carrying out street audits and letting councils know that local people want their streets back. We want streets designed to encourage walking and cycling, which are barrier free, accessible to everyone and pleasant places to be. Well designed and maintained streets attract more people into them, making them safer. This is particularly
important for women who form the majority of pedestrians."
The plan is:
* to get members of the public, including WI groups, youth groups and schoolchildren, to do local street audits;
* to work with the Department for Transport to develop streetscape manuals for every region of the country showing highway engineers and planners what sort of paving, street furniture, signage and traffic management solutions fit best with the rich traditions of each area;
* to run practical workshops for highways engineers and urban planners to ensure that good design and co-ordinated street management become the norm not the exception; and
* to raise awareness of the crisis of clutter facing our streets
through a booklet for the general public and a dedicated website.
Chris Smith Regional Director of English Heritage in the West Midlands said:
'Save our Streets will show how, with simple cost effective measures, our streets can be handed back to the people as public spaces to meet, talk, linger, and enjoy: not just to drive through. By consciously designing our streets and using good quality materials the streets in our cities, towns and villages can be part of the wonderful pattern of diversity and distinctiveness of the West Midlands region.'
Bill Bryson, championing the Save Our Streets action plan for English Heritage, said: "We are setting out to restore dignity and character to England's historic streets, largely by removing the blight of unnecessary signs, poles, bollards, barriers, hotchpotch paving schemes and obtrusive road markings under which they are fast disappearing. It is hard to imagine something that would make more improvement to our immediate
surroundings that could be so quickly and cheaply achieved."
Tony McNulty, Minister of State for Transport, said: "Streets that are safe and attractive places for people to live and work need to be the rule, not the exception. That's why good urban design needs to be at the heart and be the very fabric of our cities and towns. Good design can be achieved, for example by avoiding sign clutter or rearranging street furniture, without necessarily compromising road safety or accessibility for all. We are pleased to be working with English Heritage to produce the streetscape manuals later this year, which will be an
essential part of the toolkit to help create successful, high quality public spaces."
The Department for Transport promotes good design. However, signage and safety guidelines are sometimes followed too rigidly and without attention to local needs, which can make the streets feel cluttered. More emphasis on design, with particular reference to street furniture reflecting the local environment, would be a welcome improvement.
Save Our Streets is aimed principally at streets in conservation areas or streets with historic buildings. However, its principles can be applied equally well everywhere - in town and countryside. With a little imagination, almost every street can be dramatically de-cluttered and made easier to clean and maintain. It can be done within the law and without infringing health and safety.
Copies of English Heritage's Save Our Streets campaign booklet and CD-Rom are available free to the public by calling 0870 3331181. For more information, including how to do your own street audit and lobby your local council, visit www.english-heritage.org.uk  or email saveourstreets@english-heritage.org.uk

WORLD SIGHT DAY THURSDAY 14TH OCTOBER
Students from Queen Alexandra College (QAC) will be in Harborne between 10am and 3pm on Thursday 14th October collecting unwanted spectacles to pass on to visually impaired people in developing countries. QAC is a specialist college for people with disabilities. Many of the students are themselves blind or partially sighted and are aware that up to 80% of blindness in underdeveloped countries is avoidable. Access to spectacles can be a luxury.
The students have been invited by the owners of the St John’s Road car park to set up a collection point, additionally they also hope to be present by the parade of shops that includes WH Smith. People can also leave spectacles at the college reception on the Court Oak Road. As well as collecting the specs, they will be selling wall mounted bird boxes made by woodwork students at QAC. Most importantly the students are looking forward to meeting members of the local community and telling them about the college and its work in promoting independence for people with disabilities in learning, living and working. In the UK three out of four employable people with visual impairment are in fact unemployed and seeking work.
College staff member Ray Piggott said “colleges like QAC are rare and do make a significant difference to people’s chances of living independently and finding employment. We are pleased to be collecting unwanted glasses for people overseas but are also working to raise the profile of what we do here in Birmingham.”
Queen Alexandra College is a national specialist college for people aged 16 – 63. Most but not all learners are blind or partially sighted. The college is a registered charity which relies in part on voluntary donations.