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Abandoned at birth

Abandoned at birth - Robert Weston

Every week, somewhere in the UK a baby is found abandoned.

Often the natural parents are never found and the history of these nameless children remains a mystery.

This is the story of a Plymouth man still searching for answers after he was abandoned by his mother almost half a century ago.

Mystery mum

Plymouth man Robert Weston was found nearly 50 years ago abandoned in the ladies toilet at the Odeon cinema, New Street, Birmingham by a teenage girl who was at the cinema with her boyfriend.

He was taken away by the manager who called the police and Robert was taken to hospital then put into a children's home.

The clothes and blanket he was found in were disposed of so no evidence or clues remained.

There was a brief description of a woman in her mid twenties seen holding a baby in the foyer but she was never found.

The clothes he was found in were expensive and he was well fed and looked after. It's estimated he was three-weeks-old.

The teenager who found him never knew what happened to him.

Robert was moved to a children's home then adopted at age seven by a couple who ran a pub.

Searching for mother

Robert joined the Navy at 15 and his adopted mother died when he was in his early 20's.

Robert started searching for his mother and last year Inside Out in the Midlands followed him around Birmingham while he searched records and took him back to the spot in the cinema where they thought he was found.

The programme went out and a woman called Mavis Smith called the newsroom in Birmingham to say she was the teenager who found him in the toilets.

She always wondered what had happened to him.

Mavis had gone on to marry the boyfriend she was with that night and have two children of her own.

All the family knew about the baby she found, but hadn't seen him since that fateful night:

"I've told many people about this beautiful baby that I found in the toilet... And one day I should like to meet him." Mavis.

Re-united

Search for mother - Robert as a baby in his local paper

Inside Out decided to reunite Robert and Mavis at her home in Birmingham.

It was a closure for Mavis as well as for Robert.

Mavis was the person who found him first - she may even have passed his mother at the cinema.

Then we took them back to the cinema where Mavis found him.

The original toilets are still there and Mavis was able to take back to the exact spot.

Reunion - Robert and Mavis meet for the first time in decades

Then she described what she found - a quiet, well-fed baby with rosy cheeks, wrapped up in a blanket where he couldn't roll over or come to any harm.

It was obviously an emotional moment for Robert, and he intends on keeping in touch with Mavis.

Mavis says, " I've always thought of Robert many, many times, through 50 years".

If his mother is still out there, he wants her to know that there isn't any ill will towards her - and he'd like her to come forward:

"In society's eyes she's done something perhaps which some people may find unforgivable.

"But in my eyes, she did something out of desperation. She had a certain need to do that and she did it. I don't feel this sense of anguish, this sense of loss of 'why me?' now...

"The greatest thing for me would be for my mother to come forward and say 'it's me. I'm the one!'."

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Porthledden

Porthledden hides a century of dreams

Porthledden at Cape Cornwall is a monument to the South West's glorious mining past.

But who built this spectacular house and why did it lay empty and derelict for decades?

And and what possessed a young couple to take it on with a repair bill that runs into millions?

Inside Out's David Stafford investigates the story behind one of Cornwall's most intriguing buildings.

House hunting

Cape Cornwall is renowned for its wild weather - it's the place where the untamed Atlantic first crashes onto the British mainland.

Three years ago a young couple on a house-buying mission came to Cape Cornwall to look at the Old Count House, but their eyes were drawn to Porthledden.

Porthledden is a 21 bedroom mansion with magnificent views across the Atlantic and a grand fa莽ade that hides a century of secrets.

It was love at first sight and the couple had to have the house, even though the place was in a right mess and rotten throughout.

Despite this, Mark Wilson and Tara Physick were on the phone with an offer just 15 minutes into their viewing.

They knew the house needed some repairs - but the full extent wasn't revealed until they started to peel away the surface.

All they were left with were granite walls with gaping holes where the windows should be.

It's taken the best part of a year just to put a new roof on - now they must turn their attention to the windows - all 200 of them - and they haven't got long.

Their top priority is getting the building watertight before winter sets in.

Rich heritage

Mark and Tara are prepared to spend as much as it takes to create their dream home.

Luckily, they can afford it. Eight years ago they set up a small business in their converted garage.

Now hoteldirect.co.uk is a multimillion pound operation with offices in London and Truro

Francis Oats' great house is brought back to life

The money that built Porthledden was made by enterprise in a bygone era.

Francis Oats grew up in St Just mining district in the middle of the 19th century.

Like most young men in the area, when he left school he went underground

But St Just couldn't hold him. He was already a mine captain by the time he was 23 and a few years later went off to seek his fortune in South Africa.

He started out as a mining engineer with diamond company De Beers but was invited onto the board of directors after only three years.

Oats was a great man.

Restoration work

While Mark takes charge of structural work, Tara uses her design expertise to look after the interior of the house.

As well as providing a home for their growing family, Porthledden will house a gallery showing Mark and Tara's impressive collection of Newlyn School paintings.

Restoring Porthledden to its former glory

Winter's on the way and they've endured some atrocious weather.

But somehow Mark has managed to get all the windows in - except for one.

Things didn't go quite so smoothly for the previous owners.

Apart from a few brief visits, Francis never really got to spend any time at the house.

He became a prominent citizen in South Africa, taking over as chairman of De Beers from Cecil Rhodes.

Francis Oats is remembered in St Just church but he died far away, stranded in South Africa by the First World War

Mining decline

Francis Oats had invested heavily in Cornish mining, which after his death went into catastrophic decline.

The history of Porthledden mirrored this sad state of Cornish mining.

Francis' son turned it into hotel but it never really prospered, and the house was sold to pay off family debts after he died in the 1950s.

It will be a year before the restoration of Porthledden is finished - exactly a century since work started on the original.

It's a fitting tribute to the remarkable man who first dreamt of living at Porthledden.

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Golden Plovers

Golden Plovers - how many birds are there in the South West?

Golden Plovers are a regular winter visitor to Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.

They come here to escape the harsh weather of Northern Europe, and once here, descend on farmland in their thousands to feed and rest.

But because they head for upland areas rather than lowland protected, estuaries there is little information about their numbers and the health of the overall population.

In fact, no one knows whether the Plover is thriving on Bodmin Moor or struggling for survival.

And the reason it matters is because it's not just naturalists who are taking a keen interest in these birds....

Golden Plover are a so-called quarry species which means they can be shot for sport.

Shooting versus conservation

On the north of the moor, there's been a commercial shoot of Golden Plover for many years.

The Plover is regarded as a challenge in the air and a delicacy on the plate.

But the shoots angers local naturalist Arthur Boyt:

"I find it extraordinary that these birds should be allowed to be both disturbed and shot at while they are in their winter quarters. As wonderful as it is living here, I dread the four months of winter hearing the shooting going on and knowing these birds are being harried and shot and injured."

And there聮s another thing which infuriates Arthur.

While on his doorstep the Plovers are being shot for profit.

On other parts of the moor landowners are getting grants from DEFRA to protect them by NOT allowing shooting, and farming in a way which allows the Golden Plover to feed easily.

One of those farmers is Jeremy Hooper.

Mr Hooper shoots himself, but only on a small scale 聳 so-called rough shooting.

He fears the commercial shoot could threaten the future of Golden Plover on Bodmin Moor.

Mr Hooper tells Inside Out's Sam Smith:

"The rough shooting follows a policy of not going on the moor more than once in every full moon period. The commercial shoot is shooting the moors, as I understand it, on a very regular basis. If you go to a particular area too often you disturb the game and wildlife generally. If it's overdone the birds leave that area."

Inside Out tried to speak to the people who run the shoot, but had no response to their requests.

Future of the Plover

But the fate of the golden plover is partly in the hands of the government聮s wildlife agency English Nature.

And while they have the power to ban shooting on the protected moor, they don聮t have the evidence.

John Holmes, from English Nature's Cornwall team, said:

"We are protecting the Plover here its just we don't think shooting is one of the causes of decline. If the Golden Plover being on the quarry list was put forward as a cause of decline with any real evidence, then we would be at the front of the queue to argue for that position to change.

"If you think about it, a shoot, especially where people are paying to go along and shoot birds, has a vested interest in there being plenty of birds. So that's another voice for conservation in areas like this."

In fact English Nature has just given official permission for the shoot, despite admitting no one knows whether Golden Plover numbers are falling.

Some conservationists claim that populations of birds like the golden plover can actually benefit from shooting.

On the Somerset Levels 聳 another protected area - shooting is mainly run by wildfowling clubs which, they say, help maintain the fragile habitat and provide sanctuary areas where their quarry are undisturbed.

Here the shooters are closely monitored by English Nature.

It's in no one's interests they say for a species to be threatened or wiped out.

But back on Bodmin Moor, Arthur Boyt is determined to provide English Nature with evidence that shooting here threatens the Golden Plover.

And the only thing which will satisfy Arthur is for shooting of Golden Plover anywhere to be banned.

All sides acknowledge one thing 聳 next winter the Golden Plover will return and so will the shooters.

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