17/02/2017 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Hello, welcome to Friday's Look North.

The teenager trapped in her own bedroom.

Jade Gadd suffers from a rare condition that means

she's often paralysed, but because alterations to her home

Right now I'd really like to be able to get in and out of my house

without risking my family's help every time.

Teesside boy Finley Ingles is undergoing life-changing brain

The growing number of elderly people heading into retirement in debt,

with many worried they'll never be able to pay it back.

And joy for Fester, the homeless boxer, blind in one eye

and with a protruding lower jaw, who finally gets a new home.

In sport, can Middlesbrough avoid a giant-killing and take another

step towards a first Wembley final for 20 years?

And it's no laughing matter when your favourite football club's

fighting for survival, even when you're the TV comedy star

Jade Gadd is meant to be enjoying her teenage years

but instead she's trapped in her bedroom.

The 16-year-old from Durham has been diagnosed with a rare genetic

condition, one that attacks every part of her body.

Despite this, Jade wants to be able to leave the house,

For three years her family has battled for alterations

to their home in order to make that possible.

Our health reporter, Sharon Barbour, has this exclusive report.

I would have to use a wheelchair and then I would go to my stairlift and

I can not use that while I am spasming so I get stuck.

Jade was an active, sporty girl.

But when she turned into a teenager, she began to show the devastating

symptoms of a rare genetic condition.

I am in constant pain everywhere. One doctor described it as all body

pain. What about the seizures? They come in waves.

As we filmed, Jade had numerous seizures.

She insisted we show them because she says this is what living

If Jade is well enough to go out, or if she needs to leave

the house to go to hospital, the journey is a perilous one.

She must get down a steep stairwell in the house and then the stairs

outside. And her joints are constantly painfully dislocating.

And it's help with these stairs, access to the house and around

the house that Jade's parents have been fighting for.

We have had three ambulance crews here before to move her when she is

having seizures and she has to have an appointment in hospital.

And it's taking a tremendous toll on the family.

Her father Tony, a former police officer, is now undergoing his his

Neither can work, all of their savings have gone.

If one of ours wasn't available or wasn't able to help, I don't know

what we would do. We wouldn't be able to cope. We always try to

remain very positive in our approach with things but it gets very hard.

Sometimes we have been kneeling on the floor next to her bed, one of us

trying to put different joints in. Because she is in so much pain it is

too much sometimes even think about, even eating is too much to think

about sometimes. It is very, very hard to keep going.

Durham County Council have told Look North...

"The nature of Jade's complex condition has made it difficult

to ascertain exactly what changes are required to make

However, recommendations have now been made and the maximum grant

We have offered support to the family to source

They say it amounts to a loan which they cannot afford.

It's a ground-breaking operation which could change his life.

And this evening, five-year-old Finley Ingles from Middlesbrough

is undergoing that surgery in America to treat

The youngster suffers up to 15 seizures a day but his condition

cannot be treated in this country because the tumour is too deep.

So a campaign was set up and ?200,000 was raised to send

Stuart Whincup is at the hospital in Houston and has

Well, this is the day that Finley's parents desperately hoped

He currently suffers up to 15 seizures in a single day and,

for the last 3.5 years, he's tried many different forms

of treatment and drugs but nothing has worked.

That is why they have always seen this trip

to Houston, this operation, as their last chance.

They are also aware that this is a very difficult

They arrived at Texas Children's Hospital in the early

Before they went in, we had a quick word with Cara, Finley's mother.

I'm a whole host of emotions rolled into one.

I'm just praying that it's everything that

He's excited to be at the hospital, believe it or not.

Everything that we've hoped and dreamed for since

we got his diagnosis, really, when he was 18 months old.

So, today's just a life changer for him.

Finley went into surgery at around three o'clock your time now.

His family said at the time when he went down he was happy and smiling.

For all that is happening, he just knows that doctors

here in America are going to try and make him feel better.

This procedure is being carried out by Daniel Curry,

the man who developed laser ablation surgery.

He is making a small hole in Finley's skull and,

using an MRI scan for guidance, he is directing a laser

at where the tumour is and the heat is used to destroy it.

The operation is expected to take around six hours but it is thought

it will be sometime tomorrow before we get the first indication of how

And we'll have an update on Finley's condition

A man is in a critical condition in hospital after he was found

on a riverside path under York's Lendal Bridge.

The man 25-year-old from London was found at the bottom of steps

on Dame Judi Dench Walk early this morning.

Sunderland Aquatic Centre will close for up to nine months next year

The City Council says the work's needed to deal with leaks

The Aquatic Centre opened less than nine years ago

Building work on a new ?2 billion potash mine in North Yorkshire

Sirius Minerals, the company behind the project, is currently

It says it's on course to produce the first natural fertiliser

Council tax in Cumbria is going up by just under 4% from April.

The rise is made up of a general increase of a fraction under 2%,

plus a precept for Adult Social Care of a further 2%.

A lorry driver from Darlington has appeared in court,

accused of bringing down a bridge on the M20 in Kent by

Alan Austen is also charged with criminal damage,

A first appearance in court for Alan Austen.

The magistrates' heard he was driving a lorry

with a trailer, loaded with a dumper truck and an excavator when he hit

the pedestrian bridge, causing it to come down

It caused ?1.5 million of damage to the bridge and more

than ?150,000 to the equipment, and travel chaos over the August

Mr Austen did not enter a plea to charges of dangerous driving,

causing serious injury and criminal damage.

This was a brief court appearance lasting for just a few minutes.

Magistrates decided because of the seriousness of the charges,

the case should be sent to the Crown Court and that

hearing will take place on the 17th of March.

A motorcyclist who suffered three broken ribs in the aftermath

of the bridge collapse spoke about what had happened

The bridge was sort of coming down, almost like in slow motion to start

with because it's eating its way through the lorry

But then it tore away from the other side.

As that came down, it was a matter of throw the bike

The motorway was shut for more than 24 hours.

What remained of the bridge has been demolished.

Now, we're told retirement is a time when you can enjoy the benefit

of your savings and look forward to a life free from debt,

But it seems more and more of us are finishing work without having

paid off the mortgage or credit cards.

Financial experts reckon many people fear they'll never be able

Mark McAlindon has been speaking to pensioners in West Cumbria.

At this lunch club in Egremont near Whitehaven, pensioners enjoy

Ray Bamford is a regular and understands the problems

Nowadays it is either eat or go cold.

And a lot of old folk are going down that road.

On Fridays, volunteers from the local credit union pop

in to help some save and plan for days ahead.

But Age UK staff say this part of the country is hard pressed.

People struggle and often don't know what they're entitled to.

A lot of people who we see have long-term health

They are not aware of benefits which might be able to help them

to live independently, so our job really is to speak

to them about that and make them aware of the help that is available

so that they have the means to look after themselves and it is not

According to the Prudential, 25% of people planning to retire

in 2017 expect to do so still in debt.

Of that figure, around 40% expect still to owe

Here in West Cumbria, Age UK says it has handled 8000

enquiries about the debt alone in the last year, and

For many pensioners across the country,

incomes may have risen, retirement become comfortable,

I don't think so, because people have bailed out their children.

The changes in state retirement pension means that people

Sometimes that is not a bad thing if it is for social inclusion

but for a lot of people it is to make ends meet,

it is to pay the mortgage, the debts on the credit card.

The report by the Prudential suggests that those facing

retirement and worried about debt contact organisations such

Mark McAlindon BBC Look North, West Cumbria.

In a few minutes, Dawn will be here with the weekend sport.

Plus, concerns for wildlife over a planned expansion of a holiday

And the school using dams and storytelling to teach Indian culture

and history. And it will be a mild weekend but a

fair amount of cloud in the forecast. Join me later for the full

forecast. Opponents of a planned expansion

of a holiday village in North Yorkshire say it'll

threaten a local wildlife haven. The owners of Raithwaite Hall

near Whitby are hoping to develop a site nearby,

building 200 holiday homes But the Woodland Trust says it

could adversely affect wildlife and spoil the woods,

as Phil Chapman reports. To the objectors, it's

an irreplaceable ancient woodland To the developer, it's a partly

forgotten woodland that they say could be sensitively developed

to boost tourism for the community and for Yorkshire

and the north-east. We are walking further

into the ancient woodland now, where some of the lodges will be

located, and you can see quite clearly how it's easy to put

the piles in between the trees and thus there will be none

of these trees destroyed. In fact, the whole of the management

programme will be to improve the way the whole of the ancient woodland

on the estate is handled. The Woodland Trust and some local

objectors think the wood should be Don't get me wrong, I think it's

a great idea to bring I don't think it's a bad

idea, I just think it's We've got Dalby Forest,

which is an evergreen I mean, we often compare it

to being nature's cathedrals, so it is beautiful, it's tranquil,

it's very much irreplaceable, it's You'd think we were destroying

the whole of the woodland. Of the objectors that we have had

from the Woodland Trust, many of them, most of them in fact,

are not from this area. After taking in all the differing

views during the consultation period, Scarborough Borough Council

will be weighing up the pros and cons of this potential woodland

development before making a decision A new generation has been

learning about the history Children from Braeburn School

in Scarborough met the Annapurna Indian Dance Company in a project

organised by the Stephen The aim is to bring Eastern

culture to the east coast, Connecting cultures with dance. Here

at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, these children get a

first taste of Indian dramatic traditions. The theatre has brought

in the Annapurna Indian Dance Company to give local children on

the east Coast experience of the culture they may not have

encountered before. There is such excitement in sharing our rich

stories with a whole new generation so they grow up in this

multicultural Britain. It is all part of a new and expanded programme

of education here at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. The funding has come

from the local authority and the Arts Council. It is called the

Scarborough Pledge and it aims to widen access. Annapurna Indian Dance

Company are based in West Yorkshire. On the East Coast levels of

integration are lower. It didn't stop these children having a go. It

is exciting to learn. I think it is amazing because I like the way that

the dancers have lots of colours. The monkey was weird. We have been

learning about different cultures, looking at traditional tales at

school and for them to come here and actively join in, and the dancing,

it is lovely to see them all involved and it has been a fantastic

day. Dramatic arts from distant shores bringing a new perspective

for a new generation. Fantastic. I was taught and Indian

dance once. Changing a light bulb. We just did country dancing at

school. Definitely not exotic. Well we're down to just one survivor

in this season's FA Cup. Middlesbrough fly the flag

for the region with a home tie against League One Oxford,

who knocked Newcastle out At stake for Boro

a first quarterfinal Boro head coach Aitor Karanka

insists he won't even think about the crunch Premier League game

at Crystal Palace in eight days' That said, you would expect him

to rotate his squad and rest some key players without wanting to give

visitors Oxford too much of a chance to progress

at the Teessiders' expense. My second season here was Man City

and Arsenal and this one has been Accrington and Sheffield and now

Oxford but again we have to be really, really careful

because it is going to be a tough, tough game, especially

if we don't go with the right The Spaniard's warning

to his players is that Oxford, who knocked out an under-strength

Newcastle, and will be cheered on by up to three and half thousand

fans at the Riverside must We had problems against Accrington

and our opponent beat Newcastle 3-0. When you analyse them,

you can feel that it wasn't a coincidence,

what they did to Newcastle, because they had players

who scored really good goals, they play good counterattacks,

so we have to now it has We know how difficult

a task it is going to be. A side that did ever so well

in the championship last year under Aitor Karanka and we know

the quality they have got, we know what to expect,

we just hope they have a poor day Premier League survival's

the priority but a kind draw has seen Boro edge towards Wembley 20

years after their only FA In League Two, third-placed

Carlisle United are looking to build on their midweek win over leaders

Doncaster when they travel to Wycombe Wanderers,

who've lost their last two games. And BBC Tees DAB will have

Hartlepool's clash with Pools now just two points

above the relegation zone. Newcastle United don't

play until Monday night This was a Premier League

fixture last season but, while Newcastle are in pole position

in the Championship, In the reverse fixture in September,

Villa under Roberto di Matteo scored an own goal before equalising late

on as the sides were forced Jack Colback, who played under

The Villans' current manager Steve Bruce at Sunderland,

says Villa's position shows how Both clubs, I think,

obviously, devastating really Two massive clubs

with a huge fan base. Obviously they are not quite doing

as well as they should We have dealt with it better and it

should make for a good game. It's the second oldest competition

of its kind in the world, But the Northern League

is in danger of seeing another Earlier this season,

Norton and Stockton Ancients resigned from the League,

in the face of dwindling And, as Jeff found out, as far

as their president's concerned, He put Hebburn on the national

and international map with a BBC But what you might not know

about Tyneside comedian and writer Jason Cook is that he's also heavily

involved with the town's Though not, he admits,

on the playing side. I'm a very good spectator,

I'm a very skilled spectator, I could do spectating at probably

league level, to be honest. I am life president

for Hebburn Town Football Club. Much like President Trump,

I am in a controversial Worrying times too for a club

which has been around The simple fact is it's

dying from neglect. Despite a successful youth section,

the senior side is struggling We're getting 20, 30 at the moment,

at a good gate and all. So, from a couple of hundred

a couple of year ago, Unless people come through the gate,

we just can't continue. Fixture clashes with

Newcastle United, Premier League football beamed live into pubs

and the success of neighbours South Shields have all contributed

to the drain on numbers. There's 300 businesses in Hebburn,

if just a small percentage were to sponsor the team in a small

way, that would be And Jason is planning a comedy

fundraising night in September called "Let's All Laugh At Hebburn"

in a nice way. Hebburn does mean an awful lot

to you, the town itself? Oh, yeah, I was born

here, I was raised here, I've just been to see my mam,

she only lives not far from there. It's Hebburn and to watch

bits of its closing down and crumbling is really,

really heartbreaking for us because this is one of the hearts

of our community and I think we need And tomorrow, Hebburn's

neighbours, South Shields, are at home to Newport Pagnell

in the quarterfinals of the FA Vase. Now to cooler climes and it's

a tough transition from Junior Derwentside's Mica McNeil

and her brake woman They were recently crowned

World Junior Bobsleigh Champions. This afternoon though

they were competing in the senior women's event

at the World Championships But after two runs, they'll

begin Day Two tomorrow Finally good luck to our rugby

league clubs in their first competitive games of

the season on Sunday. The first pool matches

of the League One Cup give Whitehaven an early chance

for revenge over West Cumbrian neighbours Workington,

winners of the pre-season Following their winter takeover

York City Knights host North Wales Crusaders

at Bootham Crescent and Newcastle Now, you may remember last

month we told you about Abandoned, blind in one eye

and with a protruding jaw. But, after he featured

on Look North, the shelter where he was staying was overwhelmed

with requests to re-home him. And this afternoon, he left

with his new owners. It is easy to look at Fester,

a dog who has had a sound thrashing with the ugly stick,

and conclude that only his mother But to his new owners,

Fester is quite the Bobby Dazzler. He bounces around,

he is so happy and loving He loves a good cuddle

so it's all very nice. Since Fester's first appearance

on Look North a month ago, the Dogs' Trust near Darlington has

been overwhelmed with people Once our first appeal went out

with yourselves, it was really good. We thank everyone who enquired,

everyone that came down and everyone that has adopted another dog

instead as well. So you were able to find

homes for other dogs? We managed to find some and we have

had a lot more visitors to the site He looks a bit like an extra

from Lord Of The Rings but when you meet Fester,

he is an excellent dog, He has found a home

but they are keen to stress here that there are about 100 other

dogs that need a home, although none of them are quite

as distinctive looking as him. I can hear people all over the

region going awww. Time for the weather. We have skipped spring and

gone straight to summer? It does feel like that. It has been

a bit of a cloudy day today. This was one of the pictures across the

Lake District earlier showing blue sky just trying to break through the

cloud, but it didn't quite do so. This weekend, the cloud will stick

around. A few outbreaks of light rain mostly on Saturday, and it is

going to be mild. This is a satellite which earlier. We can see

the cloud across the UK, of the north-east had sunshine for a time

this morning. Cloud is rolling and it will be with most of us through

the night. A few outbreaks of mostly white and patchy rain across

Cumbria, some clear spells as well and so we might see a touch of mist

and fog. Nothing too significant. A mild night. Tomorrow morning, parts

of the north-east will wake up to blue skies but it will not last long

as the cloud will roll in and we will see some outbreaks of rain

spreading the most parts through the afternoon, but fairly light and

patchy. This is 3pm. The rain will start to clear northern parts of

Cumbria and Northumberland. Temperatures around 10-11 by this

point. Much of the North East will be dry, a fair amount of cloud

around and quite able is as well. Through Saturday night into Sunday,

some further rain. Quite a cloudy picture. There is the rain coming

through on Sunday morning. A lot of cloud and a mild night. Sunday

morning looks like this. Starting on a damp note and then some blue skies

breaking through. Western parts of Cumbria are likely to stay cloudy

through Sunday afternoon and it will still be quite breezy but

temperatures fairly mild. 12 Celsius, 54 Fahrenheit in some

spots. For the start of next week, we see temperatures getting up to

13, feeling quite mild, but a lot of cloud and it will be quite windy.

Here is how things work for Cumbria over the weekend, some rain, a lot

of grey cloud at times, but the north-east is most favoured to see

some sunshine on Saturday and especially Sunday.

So you can do all the jobs, do the garden, wash the car. Whatever you

do, have a good one. See you on Monday.