29/05/2014 Look East - East

News at 6.00pm. For this evening, it's goodbye are from me, on BBC

On Look East tonight: A royal salute to Suffolk.

Prince Harry speaks of his affection for the area

There is something durable, powerful and magnificent about Suffolk.

Hello from Stewart and me. Also tonight:

One of Britain's oldest shoemakers is up for sale.

Growing concerns over plans to cut fertility treatment in parts

Why treat people differently because of where they live? We will end up

moving to have children, like we did for good schools.

And less than six weeks to go ` final preparations as

Prince Harry has been at the Suffolk Show today and has described

the people of Suffolk as "durable, powerful and magnificent".

The Prince spent most of the day touring the show meeting young

In a speech, he said his visit gave him great confidence

in the future of farming in the region, and he thanked the people of

Suffolk for the welcome and kindness he received while he was based with

After all the anticipation, finally, the man they all wanted to see was

here. Prince Harry, Guest of honour at the Suffolk show, and walking in

the footsteps of his mother, the late Princess of, almost 28 years to

the day. The Prince knows Suffolk well, especially its skies, through

his training in the Apache helicopter at Wattisham. He was

appreciative of local support, but apologetic as well. It is one thing

to have experienced such generosity of spirit. It is quite another to

have encountered it from people who have had me buzzing over them and

their animals at all hours of the day and night. Disturbing the

tranquillity of this sublime corner of England. The day started with a

visit to a project in Ipswich run by the organisation Inspires Suffolk,

which uses education and sport to improve the lives of young people.

The Prince was keen to get stuck in. At the showground, everything

stopped apart from the odd picnic at the Prince went walkabout, and

youngsters were the focus here as well. These children emerged as the

winners, of a special farm project will schools.

They say the Prince is very handsome. What are you laughing for?

Did you think he was handsome? Lovely how he talked to all the

children, all three groups. He spoke to all of them very well, and asked

them questions, and they seemed to answer him nicely as well. We went

crazy about it in class. She kept going, Prince Harry is going to be

there! The buzz that has been there all day, the build`up, when he is

arriving, we had to do some of it to ourselves, because we were worried

about crowd control. But when you can sense that car coming, and

people realising he was really arriving, it was like the sun had

come out, it was fantastic. You who know East Anglia will

understand me when I say that the place gets under your skin. I am

completely smitten. My heart lifts whenever I had eased, Suffolk and

Norfolk. He saw the mighty Suffolk Punch as symbolic of this county and

its people. Magnificent, powerful, and most important of all perhaps,

durable. The farming community, he told the crowd, could look to the

future with confidence. One of the oldest shoemaking

companies in the region is for sale. Start`rite has been in Norwich

for more than 200 years. Their customers have included

members of the Royal Family. But the company says it now needs

new investment to give it a future. Start rite shoes are poor children

like Elsie Franklin, who, with her sister and parents was in the

factory shop in Norfolk this week, buying school shoes during half

term. They are fitted personally for the children, so we are comfortable

going home knowing they have shoes that fit well, and it is a local

firm that has been here for a long time. In fact, start rite's Norwich

roots go back to 1792. It was in the first shoe firms doing chillies

factory production. It specialised in children's shoes for 100 years,

but despite being eight trusted brand and having the Royal family

among its customers, Start`rite's been through a lot of change. Its

historic Norwich factory closed in 11 years ago. Reduction moves to

India, but the headquarters remained in Norwich. We're looking at Spring

2015 sandal range. 100 staff working, including the design and

development teams, the current chairman, the eighth generation of

his family to run the firm, says the time has come to sell up was not we

have adapted and survived for over 200 years now. If we are going to

compete and grow our business, we do need some additional expertise, some

additional money, perhaps, really to look at international markets on the

way we resource our issues as well. Norwich used to have dozens of shoe

firms employing tens of thousands of people, but for the few left, it is

a time of change. Another firm is in the process of being sold by its

chairman to its management team. I am third generation within this

business. I have no offspring myself, so I think it is probably

time that we looked of the company, and in the same way as other people,

planned for the future rather than let it happen to us. Agents are

confident start rite can be sold, with is based staying in Norwich.

Start rite is a small player, begins large ones like Mikey, clerks, all

of whom sell shoes to children. I think there is a feeling that start

rite, if it was part of a larger organisation, it could start better.

So is this a trend in the footwear industry? Well, there aren't many

footwear firms left in Norwich. It used to be a centre for the making

of women's shoes in children's shoes. Northampton for men's shoes.

But the survivors, if you like, a number of them have gone into

partnership with larger organisations. Probably the best

example is churches shoes in Northampton, very upmarket men's

brand which was brought by Prada 11 years ago. That has worked out quite

well, and they have used their financial muscle to get them into

foreign export markets, including the far east. Eyes`macro we used to

have so many family firms, didn't we? Are they finished? Is at the end

of an era? I think when a family firm gets very old, it is sometimes

very difficult to manage because the shareholding gets dispersed among

many family members, and perhaps they don't even live in the area or

have anything to do with the company game to date or have any particular

affinity to it, but my understanding in Start`rite's cases that the

shareholders are not hell`bent on a sale, and if an outside investor

wanted to take a stake in the company, to work alongside existing

managements, that is something that they would look at as an alternative

to a sale. Thank you. The mothers of two young men who

were stabbed to death in Essex have joined a new campaign

to get knives off the streets. There's growing concern

about the number of stabbings This morning, police launched

a new no`questions`asked At Clacton police station, a photo

opportunity to publicise the start of a knife amnesty. We are going to

provide a secure container, members of the public and deposit knives and

other articles they perhaps no longer want safely and securely with

the police here in Clacton. This will perhaps reduce knife crime.

What's happening here today reflects concern about the sheer number of

stabbings. As well as urging people to hand in knives, police saying the

will adopt a zero tolerance approach to anyone found carrying a knife

illegally on the street. The worry here is that criminals from London

target the resort and bring knife crime with them. Last summer, there

were no fewer than 70 knife offences will stop at today's launch,

Caroline Shearer, on the left, and an Oaks Hodge, the mother of two

young victims of knife crime. J young victims of knife crime. J

Weston, murdered at a party, and westerly jet, stabbed in the

street. Despite the fact it is a number of years since my son was

sadly stabbed to death, every time I of another life taken, it takes one

back to the actual day it happened and the impact it has, not just as a

mother, but throughout the family. As well as that the police station,

Caroline Shearer is hoping soon there will be a container for

unwanted knives in a public place in Essex. The same as what they have in

Suffolk. In Suffolk, they collected 8000 weapons last year. That was in

their permanent bins. The police say every night handed and could save a

life. A project where community volunteers

get paid back for the time they give up has

signed`up more than 1,200 members. It's called Time Credits,

and for every hour you volunteer, you get a one`hour credit to go

swimming, watch local sport or go to It's been up and running in

King's Lynn for two years and could Let's just see if you know all the

parts. Tina Saunders and Nick Shaw our volunteers at the Purfleet trust

Centre in King's Lynn, a charity set up to support homeless people. Now,

it does much more. Today, this woman is having an English lesson. A

shirt. In return for giving her time, Tina spends her credit at the

cinema, but she is planning to go swimming and even get her nails

done. I really enjoy working here. It is boosting my confidence a lot,

especially talking to people, things like that. I used to be really shy,

but I have really come out of my shell since working here. Can I have

a cappuccino please? Today, the care minister and North Norfolk MP Norman

Lamb came to King's Lynn to see how Time Credits work. This is the copy

bar at the council by volunteers, and in two years, they have served

6000 cups of copy. Before, I couldn't do this sort of thing,

because you had to pay. Going swimming, bowling, cinema, speedway,

learning to play football. One hour's volunteering gets you one

Time Credits notes to spend. Any of the organisations or businesses

signed up to the scheme never take any money in. Of the 1200

volunteers, 66% have learned new skills. 64% said their quality of

life had improved, and 49% feel more confident. The state can't do this

on its own, and if we can collaborate and get more people

involved in their community, people who want to help, wants to do

something, the great thing is that they get something back as well. It

really gives people an opportunity to try out new things, to feel

valued for giving time, to go to new places to do activities with their

families. Both the earning and the spending. Right now, West Norfolk is

the only place in the region to use Time Credits, but there are time to

`` there are plans to extend it across the East.

Police in Norfolk are investigating how three young

The three, who were all under the age of ten, got into into

The car was then driven into a lamppost.

It happened at around six o'clock yesterday morning.

Meals on wheels could cost more in Essex in the future.

The service is under review as part of a public consultation

One proposal is that subsidies for the service could be ended.

The move would push the cost per meal to nearly ?5.

One of Colchester's most recognisable landmarks was

The water tower known as Jumbo is a grade`two listed building.

The previous owner put it up for sale

after he was refused permission to redevelop the Victorian structure.

His plans to create an observatory, museum, offices, flats

after he was refused permission to redevelop the Victorian structure.

Still to come, we catch up with gymnast Max Whitlock. And Chris

Packham from Springwatch head from Ghana back to Minsmere, to track

down his elusive Cuckoo namesake. Do you know that at any time

in this country, about one couple in every seven is

having problems with fertility? Many

of those couples turn to the NHS for help, but how much they get depends

very much on where they live. Earlier this month, the government's

health advisers at NICE updated They said that all women under 40

who are not pregnant after two years of trying should be offered 3 full

cycles of IVF treatment on the NHS. They also suggest that women aged

40`42 should receive 1 full cycle. But in some parts of the East,

health commissioners say they can't afford both options,

and they've decided to fund just two This woman played ?25,000 further

IVF treatment 15 years ago. It was not available then on the NHS in

Norfolk or Essex, where she lived at the time. The result, Bethany and

Tamsin. But it took for IVF attempts before it was successful. Without

all four, her twins would not be here. The body has to be used to the

medication. Every person is different, so it will often take

to, three, or sometimes more attempts. It is a bit of an unfair

system. Why treat people differently because of where they live? We will

end up moving to have children, just like we moved to go to good schools.

3000 IVF treatments are performed across the East each year, costing

the NHS ?10 million. There is concern our region will not provide

such a high service in future. Commissioning groups in the East are

starting to disinvest in fertility treatments, and the strain from the

nice guideline, and we are seeing a domino effect, and we are seeing

that throughout your region. NICE recommends offering free full cycles

of IVF to women under 40. Each one costs around ?3000. These clinical

commissioning groups currently meet those guidelines, although some are

consulting about what they offer in future. The ones you can see here

now are offering one cycle for 40 to 42`year`old, but some say that is at

the expense of the under 40s, who will now be offered only two cycles,

not three. Finally, in these areas, those under 40, one cycle is being

offered. This doctor, a GP and chairman of the North Norfolk

clinical commissioning group, says nice guidelines recommended they

widen the service, so they are offering a two more patients,

spending the same amount of money by reducing the number of attempts. We

are successful at a rate of about one in four. Subsequently, the

second and third. These are difficult decisions. In an ideal

world, we would like to provide a world, we would like to provide a

more comprehensive service, but your viewers will be aware that we are

constrained with the budgets we have and we have to get the best value

out of them. NICE says that if their guidelines aren't followed, it

creates variations in treatment, going against the fundamental aims

of the NHS. Kate Brian is

from the support group Infertility Network, and was in the guideline

development group for NICE. Times are tight in the NHS `

some people might think this isn't Well, I think it should be a

priority. It is very, very difficult for people who can't conceive, and I

think it is often underestimated quite how difficult that can be. I

know you yourself have been through IVF and you now have children. But

what impact did it have on your life? The moment I finally got

pregnant, it was as if a grey veil had been lifted, and all of a sudden

the world was colourful again. In fertility causes depression. It

impacts on every single area of your life, and I think people often

underestimate that. So what do you make of the postcode lottery that

seems to exist? I think it is really unfair. I think the difficult thing

is that fertility funding is really, really easy to cut. Some people

suffering from fertility problems don't even tell their closest

friends and relatives. They will not be out there with placards, shouting

about it, and that is why it is an easy thing to God. That does not

make it right or fair. And what do you think of this new advice on

women over 40? Because commissioning groups are saying they cannot afford

to fund that as well as three cycles for younger women. In reality, it is

actually a very small group of women over 40 who would qualify for this,

so I think that is not entirely accurate to say that cutting in one

area is giving in another. I don't think it is. And as we heard, the

success rate is such that one round of IVF is statistically unlikely to

make you pregnant. Yes, that is true. That is why you need three

cycles. NICE suggests funding for what is clinical and cost effective,

and that is why all areas should be following their guidelines. Thank

you very much. I'm sure you know by now `

the Tour de France is coming to In early July, it will travel

through Cambridge into Essex and then on to London, with a big

finish outside Buckingham Palace. Ben Bland is in Essex

for the very latest on the plans. Yes, preparations are being stepped

up to try and build that excitement as we get closer to the big day,

Monday the 7th of July. Leaflets like this one going out to every

household in Essex. They have started putting them through letter

boxes this week. Inside, there are details of the route, timings of

road closures, different events going on in the towns and villages,

and also suggestions of where to watch the race. When I was walking

round Chelmsford this afternoon, it is hard to tell that a huge sporting

event is coming to the county. There were no posters, or banners.

Admittedly, Cambridge, it is fairly low`key there as well. But there are

now flags on the street lamps. There is a banner near the starting line,

and there are notices in the car parks telling drivers about road

closures and disruption, getting them to plan their journeys ahead of

time. When you think about the fuss that Yorkshire made, with fireworks

and the like, celebrating their part of the race, I asked the Essex

County Council in charge of the plans here why this region doesn't

seem to be treating it a little more boldly. Yorkshire made the bed for

the race to come to England, and Essex and Cambridge were followers

on. And we made a decision on the county council that it shouldn't

cost the taxpayer any more money of his or her council tax, so that

means that you have to use the budget that you can get from the

organisers of the tour. But what about the disruption all of this is

going to cause, especially to transport and especially on the

roads? Well, we know that some of the road in central Cambridge will

be closed from the evening before, so from the Sunday night. Other

roads through saffron Walden, Braintree and Chelmsford will close

to the morning on the race itself. They are expecting anything up to 1

million people to turn out to watch the race through our region. For the

really committed fans, East Midlands trains have a announced that they

are putting on an extra special train service on the Sunday from

Yorkshire to Cambridge for those who want to watch as much of the race as

possible. Thank you very much. Since 2010, the gymnast Max

Whitlock, who trains in Essex, has It's the best haul in that time

by any British gymnast. Last weekend he won two more at the

European Championships in Bulgaria. And it sets him up very nicely for

the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. We are getting used to seeing this `

Max Whitlock on the Golden step after another successful

competition. Confirmation that the South Essex gymnast is Britain's

number one. I've been training really hard, as long as anyone

else, and each competition, I look at the same, go in there, hopefully

try to enjoy the experience, and the main piracy is clean routines. His

bomb almost routine is now regarded as the most difficult the world has

ever seen. His winning score at the European Championships will have won

him gold at the London 2012. But what he really wants is to create a

new and unique skill, one which will leave his name in the sport's code

points forever. I nearly did on the floor, and they nearly did on the

rings, but it is very hard. You have to compete in the major

championships for it to be credited with your name. It is just about

finding it and becoming a bit creative, and that's what I hope to

do. And leave your mark in history? Yes, I hope so. To see my name in

the code of points would be really nice. This manoeuvre on the floor

came close, but it was an extension of another move, not quite a Max

Whitlock in the gymnastics Bible. Still, 12 medals in four years has

seen him fill the considerable void left by Louis Smith, but does he

want the pommel horse pioneer alongside him in the Commonwealth

Games squad? And going to put you on the spot. Lewis is here. He also

made the Commonwealth game 's team. Would you like to see Alonso during

the teamsyes, he is one of the best team`mate is possible, and whoever

the selectors pick, I assure you they will make the right decision.

We just have to wait and see. Many feel Louis Smith when the England's

team, but Max's performances have left the selectors in no doubt.

Barring injury, he will be the first name on the team sheet.

We are just so blessed in this region with gymnast!

I'm sure all of you who have been watching Springwatch will

Chris is the only survivor of three cuckoos which were fitted

with radio beacons by the British Trust for Ornithology.

When the radio signal showed that Chris the cuckoo was in West Africa,

his namesake and Springwatch presenter Chris Packham took off

Sadly, Chris the cuckoo gave human Chris the slip.

But we know from the radio tracker that he's still alive.

He went from the Ivory Coast, headed off towards Mauritania up here, like

this, and then he went back to Morocco like this, took an easy

route through Gibraltar, over into Spain, and then, in another leap,

went to northern France, and then came over here into Suffolk. So, we

know both prices are now at Minsmere,

and tonight we'll find out if the team have been able to get

we know the bird has been transmitting from here.

Yes. And we will call it using your gadgeteer. It is the moment of truth

than. I've got it! I've got it! It is just

sat up there, giving is a fabulous view. It is off. A big question, of

course, is is that Chris, or is it just any old coq?

It is nice to know he likes Suffolk so much.

Yes, it is a long way to come back! Yes, but he did take the easy

route. Find out in Springwatch tonight. And

now, the weather. Thank you. Another day and the

fluids of low pressure, so we have had cloudy conditions across the

region. For most of us, although some have seen some sunshine. Places

like Norfolk, they have really lot of low cloud, some light rain and

drizzle. Across southern counties, some breaks in the cloud, some

sunshine breaking through. We also saw some showers developing across

those Southern counties, and they really were quite heavy and slow

moving. They have not quite disappeared just yet. They are

around parts of Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire. Heading westwards, we

also have some showers getting into the Norfolk coast as well. They may

creep a little bit further down towards Suffolk. It is not entirely

dry everywhere overnight tonight, but it will become so, and by the

end of the night, it looks largely dry and a bit misty in places as

well, but not a particularly cold night. Temperatures have been

similar over the last few days. Between ten and 12 Celsius for most

of us. Some may get down into single figures, perhaps eight or 9 degrees.

Like East or north`easterly winds. Tomorrow, a mainly dry day. Maybe a

few spots of rain first thing. Rather cloudy throughout much of the

day, but brighter spells, particularly for coastal parts. You

might just see a few spots of rain first thing. It may remain quite

overcast for inland areas, and there is a risk of one or two light

showers, but across the coast, we will start to see the sunshine

coming out. With an easterly wind, it will remain cool on the coast,

highs of around 14 Celsius. The inland, highs of around 17 degrees.

For the afternoon, a better prospect, with everything

brightening up, particularly across the South. Then you are probably

wondering about the weekend dustup a ridge of high pressure starts to

build, which is good news. A southerly wind starts to warm things

up. But this is our next system approaching. It probably won't reach

us until later on Sunday. So we have a reasonable day for Saturday, sunny

spells, warmer at 21 degrees, but by Sunday, it is expected to cloud over

later, which might bring a few showers. Next week, it returns to

unsettled conditions. Our barometer reading tonight on the bottom of the

chart, 1017 millibars. 30.03 inches. Thank you very much. I got so

excited about the coq, I nearly hyperventilated!

That is all from us tonight. Goodbye.