AUDIO: Mum of SEN kids explains 21-hour day

A mother who has three children with special educational needs has recorded an audio diary of her typical morning.

Debs Aspland's nine-year-old son has hydrocephalus and autism, her eight-year-old son is visually impaired, and her daughter has language, speech and communication needs.

Ms Aspland said her typical day was around 21 hours long and "on a good day" she could expect just under five hours sleep.

First broadcast on Monday 28 April as part of a special BBC Radio 5 live's Breakfast programme on Special Educational Needs provision.

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AUDIO: TV team choose next 'Benefits Street'

Producers of Channel 4's Benefits street are considering featuring a Southampton road for a follow-up series.

Executive producer Kieran Smith said the show, which would focus on Derby Road's "long history" of immigration, was in the very early stages and had yet to be commissioned.

Mr Smith said that residents and community leaders who were concerned about the impact of the show would be consulted throughout the process.

He told BBC Radio 5 live's Breakfast: "If they felt it wasn't a fair or accurate depiction of their life or what we had filmed with them, then we would take bits out."

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AUDIO: Retail sales 'fell in March'

The total amount we bought from retailers fell in March, with overall sales down 1.7% for shops open more than a year.

But the British Retail Consortium (BRC) director general Helen Dickinson told the Today programme that the figures, compiled by KPMG and the BRC, were distorted by the fact that Easter is celebrated later in the year during 2014 than it was in 2013, which had an impact on sales.

Ms Dickinson explained that if you take this into consideration, there are some "encouraging" sales figures - particularly in clothing and beauty sectors.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday 15 April.

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AUDIO: HSBC sets up small firm lending fund

HSBC is to set up a £6 billion fund for lending to small and medium sized businesses around the UK.

The investment comes after a backdrop of claims that banks were not lending enough to small firms.

Head of Business Banking at HSBC Amanda Murphy said 2014 would be a "turning point" for lending.

She told BBC Radio 5 live's Wake Up to Money: "It's probably the best time for many years for businesses to invest and grow and we want to play our part in that."

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AUDIO: Man held for giving wife pain patch

An elderly man was locked up for seven hours after giving his wife of 60 years a painkiller patch at her care home.

Walter Crompton from Manchester gave the morphine plaster to wife Eileen, who has dementia, to ease her arthritic pain.

The 83-year-old told BBC Radio 5 live's Victoria Derbyshire it was "horrendous" and "traumatic" that he was no longer allowed to see her without a social worker's supervision.

The Allendale Residential Home said their priority was the care and welfare of residents and they were duty bound to report any issues that could impact their wellbeing.

They said Mr Crompton was invited back to visit his wife but had so far not done so.

Greater Manchester Police said the police were alerted to a "potentially serious offence" which could have seriously harmed a vulnerable elderly woman, but would conduct a thorough investigation.

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AUDIO: Why are tech stocks sliding?

It has not been a good few weeks for investors in technology stocks. The Nasdaq index, packed full of tech hopefuls, has been sliding - it was down 1.3 per cent yesterday. The big internet names like Linked In and Twitter are down 40 per cent from their highs.

Eileen Burbidge of Passion Capital and Alpesh Patel from Praefinium Partners analyse why there is a downturn in tech stocks.

AUDIO: Cricket ball hits BBC commentator

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AUDIO: Spring 'two to three weeks early'

It appears that spring has come early and everything is blooming in the nation's gardens.

Colin Crosbie, curator of the RHS garden at Wisley, analyses what the knock-on effects of an early spring means. Will the flowers all be dead by July?

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