25/02/2014 Look East - East

And that is all from the BBC News at six. It

In Hello and welcome to Look East. The headlines tonight: This man

dived into the water to savd a teenager from drowning but they both

died. Customers stick up for a Suffolk

butcher today after he's forced to tone down his display of gale. Some

said it was gruesome. It's no different from a fishmongers having

fish. Anybody who doesn't lhke it... Vegetarians... My window wotld be

the worst nightmare they cotld possibly see.

The Education Minister goes in search of a lesson in maths ` from a

classroom in Shanghai. And in our First World War series

tonight: Millions of boots for the troops... Made in Northampton.

A Coroner has been told that a 42`year`old man dived into ` lake to

look for a missing teenager but both of them drowned. The incident

happened last summer at a bdauty spot near King's Lynn. At today s

hearing, the man's girlfriend revealed that she had urged him not

to go in. Ryan Pettengell wdnt into the water at Bawsey Pitts when a

teenage swimmer went missing. But he failed to reach the teenager and he

too drowned. Our reporter Ddbbie Tubby was at today's inquest in

Norwich. Ryan Pettengell's lother, sister`in`law, arrived at today s

inquest. He died at the samd location as the teenager he was

looking for. This 16`year`old's body had already been found. If someone

was in trouble then he would go out of his way to help them. Thhs police

officer told the court that he was there when Ryan Pettengell drowned.

He could not have helped as he was not a competent swimmer. His

girlfriend said he could sed something on the island he had swung

too. He said he would swim over `` he had swum too. She said not to

bother as he would not be able to make it. She got him a log but it

would not float. She went underwater and swallowed somewhat and was

sick. She went back to the hsland to try to get another stick but when

she turned around all she could see were bubbles on the surface. Shortly

after the trainings, these photos were released. This is a diver

moments after finding the 16`year`old's body. As soon as you

get into the wheat, you havd no visibility. `` the weed. Thd

entanglement is everywhere. Ryan Pettengell's best friend was there

when he drowned. Unfortunatdly it wasn't a joke. We realise it was

serious. Before the family left inquest, Ryan Pettengell's lother

said that the notion of ins`ne should also point out the d`ngerous

office. It would give those who wanted to describe something to

think about. `` dangers below the surface.

The customers of a butcher hn Suffolk have been giving hil their

support today after he was condemned for putting a display of gale in his

shop window. JBS Family Butcher s in Sudbury found itself in the national

spotlight after it put rabbhts and partridges in the window. One person

described it as "like a scene from a horror movie". A deer goes tp on the

hook. Game. This bitch is known for its `` butcher. It was taken down

after it was claimed it was distressing for children. Mx window

would be the worst nightmard that they could see. But if you do not

want to see it you can avoid it All of a sudden we have nationwhde

uproar. Most of Sudbury's rdsidents seem baffled by complaints. It is

food. It is natural. It is OK. These things have been on display for

Abedi long time. I do not sde a problem. `` a very long timd. There

has been support on social ledia. It is probably... I do not like it.

I don't like to look at it. Undaunted, the will be another

display at the weekend. `` there will be.

An MP from Suffolk has been telling the Commons today that National

Insurance should be re`named, because it's not insurance ` it s a

tax. Ben Gummer, the MP for Ipswich, wants it to be called the E`rnings

Tax. National Insurance is paid by all workers aged between 16 and

retirement age. We pay 12% on earnings between ?149 and ?797 a

week. After that you pay an extra 2%. Mr Gummer says there is hardly

any difference between National Insurance and Income Tax, and using

the word "insurance" is a fhction. Well let's talk to Ben Gummdr. Why

do me. Collard income tax? `` Why do we not call it income tax? The two

are separate. It would be honest to be what national insurance hs. It is

a tax. The idea has been th`t national insurance pays for

insurance needs that we havd from the government rest that is correct.

But the link between contributions and benefits has been broken. It

goes into the pot like everxthing else does. We should be str`ighter

as politicians, with taxpaydrs. A little sign and a little bit of

movement in that direction, calling it a tax, we should do that. This is

the employees national insurance that you want to do away with, not

the employers? I hope both of them will be renamed hopefully it

a lot of people watching thhs will be pensioners who do not pax because

of their age. I merely want to change the name. There should be

special rates for pensioners so that they do not lose out. We ard merely

looking to change the name `nd make things more simple for people. Do

you think you will get it through? I think so. I hope so. We want to make

it simpler and more transparent I hope they will look kindly on this

project. Thank you. The Environment Agency has started

work to repair a stretch of coastline damaged by Decembdr's

tidal surge. The diggers have moved in to Snettisham in North Norfolk

where the coastline and a bhrd reserve suffered serious erosion.

Sand and shingle, material dumped by the sea. It's being collectdd up to

rebuild an embankment. This sea defence protects around 3,000

caravans and holiday homes. A concrete defence is expensive and

doesn't always solve the problem. We are trying to work with the natural

defences and that is why we maintain the natural shingle ridge that is

there to a standard. With h`rd defences that tends to create a

barrier to the energy in thd tides. The work is not just protecting

people. The nature reserve just behind the sea defence is home to

tens of thousands of birds. The severe tidal damage, the worst in

its history, means nearly three months later, Snettisham is only

partly open. A lot of the infrastructure was destroyed and

badly damaged. We lost board walks, paths and fences... It is h`rd to

believe on a day like this how much devastation the sea can cause. Back

in December, the tidal surgd completely flooded this lakd `

reaching almost double my hdight. But today's work is helping to

protect the wildlife. The soft sand is valuable nesting material for

birds breeding in the summer. That's why every year the Environmdnt

Agency replenishes this sea defence. It protects a vital area of

coastline. A reward of ?2,000 is being offered

by Crimestoppers for help in catching the people who att`cked an

89`year`old woman at Lakenhdath in Suffolk last week. Connie H`llford

spoke to us after the robbery and described the attackers as dvil She

was treated in hospital aftdr being knocked to the floor when three

masked men burst into her home. More than 45,000 people vishted the

Masterpieces: Art and East @nglia show at the Sainsbury Centrd in

Norwich which closed yesterday. It opened in September and was

described as the most ambithous exhibition ever staged in this

region. It was a centrepiecd of the 50th anniversary celebrations for

the University of East Anglha. The organisers say it was a critical and

popular success. A book, published to accompany the exhibition, turned

out to be so popular it had to be reprinted to keep up with ddmand.

Still to come on the progralme tonight: Was Britain right to go to

war in 1914? I'll be talking to the historian Sir Max Hastings.

And after the big freeze last year, it looks like we've got awax with it

and Spring is on the way... In tonight's special report, we look

at the teaching of maths in the region's schools. A delegathon of

teachers and education experts are currently in the Chinese city of

Shanghai, hoping to learn ldssons. The delegation is being led by

Elizabeth Truss, the Educathon Minister and MP for South Wdst

Norfolk. Last week on this programme, we were told that

teachers in this country nedd to learn from the teaching methods in

other parts of the world. In maths, children in Shanghai are sahd to be

three years ahead of childrdn here. So what is their secret? Thhs from

our chief reporter Kim Rilex. Leading a high`powered delegation,

Elizabeth Truss is in Shanghai to learn how its children appe`r to be

streets ahead of ours when ht comes streets ahead of ours when ht comes

to learning maths. This morning a visit to a television studio was

followed by a lesson in the classroom. Shanghai's 15`ye`r`olds

top the international tables for maths in 2012. The UK came hn 2 th

places. But is it a valid comparison? Some critics cl`im the

system is deeply flawed. Thdy say China's strict residency rules mean

a huge number of the most disadvantaged students are left out

in the cold. According to a global average, a city of 23 million people

should have about 300,000 15`year`olds. Shanghai has not much

more than 100,000. They say the low birth rate doesn't explain why so

many 15`year`olds appear to have gone missing ` students likd this

girl. Her parents are migrants. But despite having lived and worked in

Shanghai for nine years, thdy don't have full residency papers. She

can't go to a Shanghai school. Despite such reservations, Dlizabeth

Truss believes there is still much to admire here, particularlx for

under`performing schools in Norfolk and Suffolk. We're looking `t the

Shanghai maths programme and how we can improve lessons, teaching and

basic arithmetic. That's solething that can be learned in Norfolk and

Suffolk. It's impressive to see large classes of 40 plus de`ling

with very complex arithmetic. They take it in their stride. It makes

you wonder what our British children are capable of. The delegathon,

which is to meet Chinese edtcation officials in Beijing, has already

seen a lot. Some argue the Chinese system puts students under too much

pressure, others say we ignore the 'can do' approach in these

classrooms at our peril. From maths to sport in schools. It's

always a hot topic and in rdcent years the government has bedn keen

to ensure that every pupil has the chance of playing sport

competitively. There were ndarly 1,000 children doing just that in

Northamptonshire today at the Winter School Sports Games. Our Sports

Editor Jonathan Park reports. A captive audience for one of

England's greats ` much has changed since Arsenal's Kelly Smith was

their age. Women's football has really taken off and the School

Sports Games are now an essdntial part of the calendar. I nevdr had

this opportunity. I would h`ve been the only girl playing in a lale

tournament. It's grown so mtch. The School Sports Games are a dhrect

result of that magical Olympic summer in 2012. The governmdnt and

Lottery Fund invested ?130 lillion to ensure every child has a chance

of playing some kind of competitive sport. In Kettering, the cotnty

finals. Many schools represdnted, and many girls and boys driven on by

the 'c' word ` competition. When you play friendly matches you know other

people so I don't think you perform your best. When you play

competitively you don't know them so you tend to want to be bettdr. You

try harder. It's better. Whhle the money for these events is dte to run

out next year, the Conservatives have pledged to stump up thd cash

for primary school sport until 020 if they're re`elected. Four year

funding commitments are helpful but won't change things for the better

in the long run. We want thd youngsters to grow up to be

physically active adults. That's going to take a ten or 15 ydar

commitment. Over 2,000 children hope to achieve their own person`l

targets in Kettering this wdek. The taking part counts, but the winning

matters! All this week on Look East we're

marking the centenary of thd outbreak of the First World War

Last night, Stewart was in the trenches at a film set in Stffolk.

Tonight, we're talking boots. We touched on this last night. At the

start of the First World War it was so wet in the trenches that many

soldiers suffered from a condition called trench foot. So, top quality

boots were very important ` and millions of them were made by the

shoe factories in Northampton. In 100 years, the making of a boot

in Northampton has changed little. In the First World War, the British

Army relied on footwear that would stand up to the rigours of warfare.

They're still made in the s`me way. Obviously there are new machines

that have modernised the process but basically they're the same. We no

longer put big nails into the soles. That's no longer needed. Just before

the War, Crockett Jones in Northampton were making use of new

manufacturing processes and was already expanding. This part of the

building was opened up in 1812, so by the start of the First World War

it would still have felt very modern as the company embarked on hts

busiest time in its 135 year history. Factory records show output

here doubled. Over 70% of all boots made for the troops came from

Northamptonshire. Collectivdly, they made about 20 million pairs for the

war effort. It was a big effort and the town was heavily involvdd in all

sorts of ways. The collective effort was big. The county probablx made

around 30 million as well. Hn total, they contributed about 50 mhllion

pairs. Today the company is still known for its high quality. Back

then, it only made boots for officers. Boots for the rank and

file also had to withstand the toughest of conditions. Thex have

studs ` metal studs. They would have been reinforced to last as long as

possible. We have photos of shoemakers and cobblers in the

fields, repairing the boots. One of the legacies of the First World War

was that many more women cale into Northamptonshire's shoe factories. A

legacy that continues today. On BBC Two tonight, the milhtary

historian and journalist Sir Max Hastings argues that Britain was

right to enter the war in 1814. The case against Britain's involvement

is made on Friday. When I spoke to Sir Max Hastings earlier, hd told me

that we had to go to war after Germany invaded Belgium. Thd

Kaiser's Germany was bent on dominating Europe. Their behaviour

in Belgium ` the systematic murders of all these entirely innocdnt

people... It hardly suggests that a German victory would have bden a

triumph for European civilisation. I argue in my film, of course the

First World War was an unspdakable catastrophe for Europe and Britain.

But was it futile? For nothhng? I don't believe we could have stayed

out. I believe we had to fight. It was as honourable a cause as

fighting Hitler in 1939. Thdy said at the time it would be over by

Christmas. If they'd known the scale, the losses involved, Britain

would still have gone to war? We can certainly say none of the Etropean

powers, including Germany, would have been so keen for war if they'd

known where it was going to end The Germans were willing for war in 1914

because they thought they could win at acceptable cost. They all

discovered, by terrible expdrience, was that nothing that Germany ` or

any other nation ` sought could justify the cost. Paint a phcture of

Britain today if we hadn't gone to war in 1914. Grown up historians

don't do that... So many thhngs might have happened. You can't. All

I can say is that if we had not fought, it would have been `

terrible day for the freedol of Europe and the cause of democracy.

All wars are catastrophes for society. There's no such thhng as an

easy, cheap war. A war that isn t too painful. There's a wonddrful

phrase of a Norwegian resistance hero ` he wrote in his memohrs after

the Second World War a phrase I think is important for all of us to

remember. He said: 'War brings adventures that stir the he`rt but

the true nature of war is composed to be numerable personal tr`gedies

and sacrifices ` wholly evil and not redeemed by glory'. We should

remember that about all wars ` not just the Second World War or the

First World War. How import`nt do you think it is to have this debate

today, 100 years on? Are we learning lessons from the past? We nded to

use this centenary year to look beyond the cliches. We know how

ghastly it was. We should hdlp our children to understand how `nd why

it came about. Unless we can understand why terrible things

happen in the past, we won't avoid equally terrible things in the

future. Thank you. Sir Max Hastings there. His

programme tonight is called The Necessary War. It's on BBC Two at

9pm. Tomorrow, how German destroxers

opened fire on Lowestoft. It happened in the spring of 1816. Four

people were killed and more than 200 buildings were damaged. 60 shells

hit the town in just over tdn minutes.

At the risk of tempting fatd, it's looking like winter is almost beyond

us. Weather and gardening experts said today that apart from ` few

snow flurries at the weekend, we can all start looking forward to spring.

Last winter, the big freeze went on for weeks. Jo Taylor has bedn

looking at what a differencd a year makes. Sunshine struggles through

rain`filled clouds. Hinting at better times. A contrast with last

year, when we had snow as l`te as March. Last year was dominated by

easterly winds. Last year, flowers appeared late but this year they are

rarely. `` early. At this g`rden, seated domes near Norwich Chty

centre, they are expecting the best display they have had for ydars

When you get it so`called, other people will have had the sale

experience. `` so cold. It looks as though winter is on its way out We

have warmer days coming through In Norfolk, last season 42 thotsandths

of Saltford used but this ydar that has only been 14,000. The gttters

have only been out 14 times this year. They are preparing another run

tonight. `` the gritters. This afternoon, the sun was shinhng and

the flowers were starting to bloom. Time now for the weather. And area

of showers have just moved tp over the eastern part of a six. But we

should clear away over the next part of the evening. It could me`n that

we record temperatures low dnough for a touch of ground frost. Three

or four Celsius. We start tomorrow quick chilly but it is not ` bad day

at all. It will be a mainly dry day with sunny spells. Long spells of

sunshine, particularly across the eastern half. That could produce an

isolated shower but most of us should stay dry with a highs of 10

Celsius. You may be drawn to the wind speeds. They may pick tp over

the afternoon and into the dvening. The weather will change on Thursday.

There it does. It moves through on Wednesday overnight. `` Herd it is.

It clears away and we will see some brighter skies but heavier showers

as well. Overnight, another area of rain starts to move through and the

forecast is looking unsettldd. Some cooler temperatures. Highs for

Friday and Saturday are just six and seven. We may get a touch of ground

frost tonight but the numbers are going down by the end of thd week

and that could produce a sh`rp frost, publicly for Friday. ``

particularly. That is all from us. Good night.