Inside Out East - 23/11/2009

It is estimated that 1 in 100 babies are born with an incurable condition that is completely preventable. It leaves them with physical defects and behavioural problems and is all caused by the mother drinking during pregnancy. Julie Reinger meets the families living with the consequences of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. It's little-understood and doctors are unsure how much alcohol is needed to cause it. Many say that the government needs to give much clearer guidance to pregnant mothers. Brian Roberts is Head of Education Services for Children in Care in Peterborough and has adopted two children with FASD. Even he has found it hard to get support. In the 100 years since ornithologists began trapping birds, more than 36 million have been caught and ringed in the UK alone. Richard Daniel joins the team from the British Trust for Ornithology in Norfolk to see how it has helped reveal some of nature's secrets. Until ringing it was believed swallows buried themselves in mud for the winter. We now know that our swallows migrate to South Africa and return the following spring to the same place where they hatched. Today researchers use the latest technology to show how well the environment is being looked after. It also helps to protect endangered species. The recession has changed Luke Osborne's life, but maybe for the better. He lost his office job so has spent the summer trying life as a cockle fisherman. It's been his family's trade for 160 years but when Luke left school the industry was in decline and it looked like the end for the family's involvement in the business. Now it seems a very attractive option. Luke's father Trevor hopes he will stay and keep the family tradition alive.