09/03/2017 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Hello, and welcome to Thursday's Look North.

Now her family are urging other women to get tested for the disease.

Even when you're 50, is still need your mum.

So to see a five-year-old crying for his mum is

As the Queen unveils a memorial, families of those who served

in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars ask, "Why weren't we invited?"

The new recruits - Cumbria takes on its first batch

of full time firefighters for eight years.

And the town that's trying to bowl over a new generation

Well, if you're looking to combine a sporting

career with an education, we've been to look at a new

And what does the future hold for Middlesbrough's head coach,

Get tested - that's the message from a family of a Teesside mum

who died of cancer earlier this year.

Ferzana Khan was due to travel to Germany from her Middlesbrough

home for pioneering treatment for the disease,

But she died before she could make the trip.

Now a campaign's been launched to encourage other women from black,

Asian and minority backgrounds to take a smear test.

Ferzana's family say many women fail to get tested because they don't

know about screening, or are frightened or embarrassed.

That's how Ferzana Kahn's family described the mother-of-four.

She was 41 when she died in January - three years after being diagnosed

Now her relatives have started a campaign to encourage more women

from minority ethnic backgrounds to attend their smear tests.

I think seeing what her family went through, especially young children,

You know, it doesn't matter how old you are.

Even when you're 50, you still need your mum.

So to see a five-year-old crying for his mum is

And there has been, you know, so many other deaths

within the community, people who died of cancer.

With Ferzana, it's closer to home because she was so close to us.

A recent survey by Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust -

the UK's only dedicated charity - showed 30% of Asian women didn't

And a third more black, Asian and minority ethnic women

compared to white women said they had never attended screening.

There is a real fear around the test itself,

And also around what it was going to find.

And this feeling of rather not knowing, the fear about cancer

and cancer being a bit of a taboo subject.

And also embarrassment, being a really big factor in it.

Ferzana's family have now made a film as part of their campaign

to try to encourage more women to turn up for their appointments.

What it is, Doctor, we're going to Pakistan in the morning

Earlier screening, Ferzana's friends say, could have helped her,

Now a lot of people are mentioning and realising factors affect every

age group, it's not just the old, it's not just the young, it's

indiscriminate. Earlier screening, Ferzana's friends

say, could have helped her, allowing her more time

with the family Detectives investigating a report

of rape in Redcar last Friday, say the circumstances of the attack

are not as first reported. Cleveland Police say they're no

longer looking for two men who forced a woman and her child

into a vehicle on Redcar seafront. They say enquiries are ongoing

into an allegation of rape involving people who may have

known each other. Police are appealing for anyone

who may have seen a woman and toddler in the area

of Roseberry Road and Larkswood Road between 4pm and 6pm last

Friday to get in touch. They were conflicts which saw

thousands of servicemen and women Today a memorial dedicated to those

who fought in the two wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan was unveiled

by the Queen in London. But some of the families of those

who lost loved ones say they feel We've spoken to one mother,

whose son was killed in Iraq. More than 800 British military

personnel and civilians Today 2,500 people were invited

to this event in London There is a time for everything, and

a season for every activity under heaven. Of this memorial

commemorates... ?1 million had been

raised for the memorial. But some affected the most

by the wars did not get an invite - like Janice Procter,

from Washington. Her son, Michael Tench,

was killed by a roadside I didn't even know when it was being

unveiled. Not any form of update to say that this was going to go ahead.

Nothing. How would you feel about that? I just kicked out of common

courtesy for the respect shown to all fallen, it's not parents that

need the recognition. It's the ones that gave all.

Among those at the service was Tony Blair.

The Chilcot Report last year concluded he overstated the threat

posed by Saddam Hussein, and sent ill-prepared

Absolutely sick. He sent my child, and plenty more.

Janice has written to the Prime Minister

She's organising a charity event to raise money

for what's being called "The Peoples' Monument

Jog, walk, run a little from the lighthouse to the coast road into

Sunderland city, ending up at the square.

There's some comfort that a monument has been dedicated to

But there has been controversy today.

Our region paid a heavy price in the conflicts.

The Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has been in Cumbria today

to announce road widening schemes at roundabouts near

?2.6 million will be spent improving traffic flows on the A66 and A595

ahead of major developments in west Cumbria such as the planned

And he's hinted there may be bigger announcements in the future.

This is a start to what I believe needs to be a rolling programme

There's a huge investment plan down by the coast,

We've got to make sure that this part of Cumbria has infrastructure

These are two small schemes for a start -

It's one of our region's most vital industries,

Nissan and its suppliers are breaking production

But our car industry will need more skilled workers in the future.

So today a training academy opened, designed to meet that challenge.

Up to 100 apprentices will be trained at the centre in Washington,

Training skilled workers - Britain's competitors

Too many of our young people are leaving formal education

without the skills they need for today's labour market.

In his budget this week, the Chancellor annopunced measures

to boost apprenticeships and a technical level qualification

But here in Washington, they're ahead of the game.

These ?300,000 robots are used to make chassis parts for Nissan.

But they're just a pricey jumble of wires and metal without a

human programmer - which is where these people come in.

Apprentices at a new training academy opened today

They will operate machinery at the back of the plant.

The idea is they can do it in a controlled environment

with a quieter environment, with one-to-one training.

So ideally when they get to the plant currently they can get

You can work with computers, work with software. Stay clean,

definitely. That part of the job is getting dirty. Personally, I like

that. That's what I like. Apprentices will also have to get

used to a time critical industry. Pat Smith on this production line

can be on a card in the Nissan factory in just 15 minutes. I was

going to go to Newcastle University. I have a place, that I came across

the opportunity of an apprenticeship. I thought I would

get the vocational experience, the qualification and get paid at the

same time. The new facility will support around

100 apprentices a year, keeping us a step ahead

of the robots - at least for now. For the first time in eight years,

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service is taking on a batch

of new full-time fire fighters. Until this year, the service has

trained only part-time recruits But now there are new

full-time opportunities created by a large number

of retiring staff. Megan Paterson went to see

the latest recruits in action. These are the basic drills every

fire fighter learns at the start Confusing to the uninitiated eye,

the new recruits have to learn fast. It's been intense, yeah. You

definitely get tested mentally and physically. They won the best and

you have to deliver that. We're going home tired, but it's worth it.

From drills in the yard to intensive theory in the classroom,

the training course builds in intensity as the weeks progress.

Swift water rescue work, working with tides, hazardous materials,

road traffic collisions. As well as those emergency response

skills a major role for new recruits The modern-day firefighter does so

much more than attend 999 calls. Community safety is really the

fundamental element of what we're about now. Modern-day firefighter is

a teacher. They go into schools, colleges and different organisations

talking about not only fire safety, but safety on the roads.

The opportunity to join the Fire Service here has been long

I've always been an individual who likes to push myself. I'm passionate

about things I like to do, like looking after the community. I've

been a retained firefighter for 2.5 years in West Cumbria. Having that

experience, my passion has grown even bigger. When this opportunity

arose, I thought this is my chance. It's my calling, so I gave it

everything I had. After weekly assessments

and progress reviews, the new recruits will join watches

by the summer. Plenty still to come

on Thursday's Look North, including tonight's sports news

from Jeff Brown. Can the young be persuaded

to take up a sport already There is a trend towards cloudy

conditions as we head to work the weekend. It's certainly not all bad

news weather-wise. During the later for the full story.

A Middlesbrough primary school has put up signs asking parents to put

away their mobile phones and smile at their children when they pick

The signs at St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary

School in Longlands say "greet your child with a smile not a mobile."

The school says it's part of an idea to get families

The reaction at the school gate seemed positive.

Were you surprised when they went off? Islands, yeah. I think it's

appropriate. When they come to pick their kids from school, they should

be here to do that and talk to them about the day, not to be chatting on

their phones. You know, it's wrong. More young people are being urged

to take up the sport of bowling after a major investment

in Darlington's last The Darlington Parks Bowling

Association has received nearly ?65,000 from Sport England

to improve facilities. Now they want a new generation

to play - and it doesn't hurt the image of the game to reveal

a certain Premier League football manager is a big fan of the sport,

as Phil Chapman discovered. it's probably fair to say Bollen's

always had a place at the more mature, genteel end of the spectrum.

But with a new ground and a new lease of life, here in Darlington

they're getting ready for a new, younger members. What we're after is

retaining the members we've got, and adding to them by finding new

members. The game of bowls can be played by any age group from nine to

90, if you like. And the joys of bowling has even reached the top

flight of the football world. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp recently

visited his local club years after first being fascinated by bowling on

TV. Let's play bowls. I have a sports interest of green cricket,

next. That's too complicated. Karanka, if he wants to come along,

he's welcome. Just get in touch. Ill be brilliant to get them down

because if more people could see that they're interested in other

sports other than their own, then it may bring them into the game and get

them started younger. You can now earn a living from it. Paul Foster

from Scotland won the world indoor Bowls championship, human ?55,000.

The aim of the game is to get as many as your balls close to the jack

from the opposition. Sometimes when things get rowdy, you might want to

fire. Whatever their rage, after the new funding people can carry on

bowling here for years to come. -- that age.

Spot on, very good indeed. I don't think we are the target age for that

recruitment. You can play at any cage. Yes, if the measles hold.

Football to kick off. -- if the knees will hold.

Middlesbrough are in FA Cup action this weekend.

They take on Manchester City, at the Riverside, with a place

But the heat has been on head coach Aitor Karanka in recent

weeks, with Boro dropping into the Premier League

The Spaniard, though, says he has the backing

The Boro coach met the media today - a couple of days after meeting

But Karanka says they've come through worse.

The more difficult moment for me was when I arrived here. We lost three

games, we drew one. He was the first one who told me he was confident.

Since that day, he doesn't need to show me everyday because that day

was the main day for me. Which, in the crazy world of

football, is probably a good thing. And while some fans might want him

out, Karanka thinks most of them The crowd has been brilliant since I

arrived here. Sometimes I want more from everybody. From the players,

from the crowd, from everybody. But the crowd, especially, are great in

the bad moments. Last season we were at the top of the table and it was

easier. But this season, in the bad moments, they were with us. I know

they'll support us 100% next Saturday because they know how

important this game is for us. Meanwhile, ahead of Saturday's game

between Championship leaders Newcastle and play-off hopefuls

Fulham, one of the Magpies' most revered ex-managers has

been back on Tyneside. Kevin Keegan was in good voice too,

recording a re-worked version of the 1982 England World Cup song -

with learning-disabled athletes, due to compete at the Special

Olympics in Sheffield. He's confident his old club will be

playing Premier League It's so important that they get back

in the Premier League. I think they'll do that this year, so win

the league. It's tough, but it's a big enough club to carry it. It's

got all this fantastic support, although I think there's a couple of

Sunderland supporters amongst the slot! Is definitely at least one

Newcastle, because he's got his shirt on.

A secondary school in Tyne and Wear has become the latest to launch

The hope is to identify and nurture talented athletes -

at the same time, helping them fulfil their academic potential.

Support will include mentoring and coaching, physiotherapy,

the chance to work with elite athletes and, soon,

One of the sporting celebrities at Thorp Academy in Ryton,

near Gateshead, for last night's official launch couldn't have had

Graeme Storm, who's been involved in a similar scholarship scheme

at Dyke House College in his hometown of Hartlepool,

beat Rory McIlroy in a play-off at the South African Open

to claim his first European Tour victory since 2007.

Double Olympic medal-winning swimmer Nick Gillingham retired

From a personal point of view, I've got no education to fall back on.

Golf is my life and I'm fortunate enough to have lived my life to do

really, really well. Speaking to the kids, I know how hard it can be. I

know that a plan B is always needed. Double Olympic medal-winning

swimmer Nick Gillingham retired just when the lottery funding which

has transformed Great Britain's He'll help roll out Thorp's

swimming programme - Those wanting to pursue a sporting

career can actually have a balance between a sporting life and the

academic life. If you were to look outside of schools like this, then

it's really the public schools that provide that. I'm really genuinely

excited to be involved. How inspiring is it to hear likewise

like this? It's really inspiring. If we keep hard at it, we will achieve

our goals eventually. It is positive because I'm going to stay for sixth

form. It means I can progress and when Adam and.

The Elite Performer Programme at a soon to be re-furbished Thorp

will also provide football coaching, offered by a small team

of ex-professional players well known to Boro and Sunderland fans.

It's something that I enjoy, I wake up in the morning and the first

thing I look forward to do is coaching. And hopefully developing

young people. We want them to aspire to go to the top spot in

universities in the country once they have done their GCSEs and

A-levels, so the academic side has to be working for them.

Cricket fans in the region have thrown their support behind Durham,

despite the club's relegation and points deduction -

that was the ECB's punishment in return for a financial bailout

But membership, at this stage of the year, is up 5%.

And, while a lot are new members trying to do their bit to help

the club, a number of lapsed members have re-joined, too.

Now to what scientists hope will be a giant leap for mankind

A spectacular event taking place in Durham right now is marking

the official opening of an ?11.5 million university

building, which will house some of the world's greatest scientists.

Their mission is to unravel some of the greatest

Our reporter, Sharon Barbour, is there - and has just

Wink-macro Helio outside the garden centre For Fundamental Physics at

Durham University. In a moment we're going to speak to a world-renowned

architect who has just flown in from New York. First, let's find out

about what this building is going to be doing. I'm joined by a

cosmologist. Tell me why it's so exciting to have this building here.

I had the privilege of working at Durham University for 30 years. I

can say without hesitation this is the most exciting day in 30 years.

We're opening a wonderful new building. All 150 astronomers in

this university will be under one roof. Here there is nothing more or

nothing less than trying to understand how the universe works,

how the universe came to be in the first place, but as the universe

contain, how does it evolve, where two galaxies and eventually stars,

planets and one-day us come from? The big questions that we try to

answer as well as we can inside this wonderful new building. Huge

question is, indeed. Now the question for you was to create a

building. Tell us what you've done with the building? I wanted to

create a building that belongs to the traditions of Durham. It has the

best cathedral in the world. A building that is robust, but also

soft. It has the beauty of Durham. Scholars and students will be

spending nights here, so I wanted to make it not an institutional

building, but really a home with wood, one materials, with the

pleasure and joy of being in the world of the intellect. -- warm

materials. It's really to have a building for people to enjoy being

here at this great university. It's such an honour, because you are such

a famous architect. But there's a light display which is just about to

kick off to mark this opening tonight here at Durham University.

This display is being designed by Ross Ashton, who also designed

Lumiere. It begins with the 18th-century County Durham

astronomer Thomas Wright, because he was the first person, he's from

Durham, here in the north-east, and he was the first person to shape the

Milky Way. -- Thomas Ryde. For now, back to you

in the studio. It is looking good.

The nearest we have two scientist is Paul with his fancy satellite.

The weather does obey the laws of physics. There is a distinctly

springlike fealty the weather at the moment, as shown in your weather

pictures. Some lovely daffodils on the Solway Coast in Cumbria, thanks

to Brian for that one. Moving east, the graph is blowing in that gusty

wind earlier in the day on the coast of South Shields. -- the grass.

Finally, some lovely evening colours looking towards was brewery. A lot

more cloud. That picture was taken a few days ago, but it sets the scene

for the next few days. We are expecting more clout in the sky.

There will be something, not huge amounts. -- more clout. A chilly

night to get out of the way first, because we have those lovely blue

skies today and clear skies as we had the evening. For a good part of

the might as well. Any heat that has built up through the day radiates

away. Cold enough for a touch of ground frost. One or two mist

patches in the valley bottoms of the Headingley tomorrow morning of. Wind

daylight through the night. Most places. The dre -- thickening up

over time from the West. It will bring spits and spots of rain and

drizzle, which will become more widespread across Cumbria and the

Scottish Borders later in the day. We're not expecting huge amounts of

rain. Down in places, and certainly more cloud than there has been over

the last couple of days. The winds light from a southerly direction,

and we will see temperatures make it into the double figures. 10-11

Celsius into the afternoon. That is the picture for tomorrow. The cold

front followers into Saturday, bringing rain for a time. That

begins to clear away, but it's followed fairly quickly by another

front coming from the West into the second part of the weekend. This

weather from spring and the frontier, a lot of clad in

general. Patchy rain, but most places are dry for the bulk of the

day. Double-figure temperatures to the weekend as well, even though

that cloud is much thicker. Most of us will see rain for a time on

Saturday, drier and writer from the north-west of the day goes on.

Fairly cloudy skies on the whole. The heaviest of any rain in the

West. Temperatures in two double figures and the winds are fairly

light. You can keep up to date with the focus on your BBC local radio

station. That's from us tonight, but we will

be back for tonight's News at 10:30. Join us and if you can.

Oh, the dragon. Dylan Thomas.

Richard Burton. Barry Island.

The River Shannon. We invented the submarine.