21/03/2017 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

In tonight's headlines... news teams where you are.

A former Middlesbrough Council director tells a tribunal

she was bullied after raising concerns about the sell-off

Management at a care home on trial after a 90-year-old woman

All donations welcome - struggling schools in Tynedale ask

parents to make a cash contribution to their children's education.

And pedals on paper - find out what this year's Tour de

Yorkshire artist has come up with to celebrate the event.

Why striker Jermain Defoe's hinted he may have to leave Sunderland

And it's a big night for our National League sides

A former director at Middlesbrough Council has claimed

she was "bullied and threatened" after she refused to cover up

failings in the way the authority sold off some its prized assets.

Karen Whitmore was the Assistant Director of Organisation

and Governance, but was made redundant last June.

She claims she was targeted after raising concerns

about the sale of Acklam Hall and other buildings

She's now taken Middlesbrough Council to an employment tribunal.

We've heard some extraordinary claims during the first

Karen Whitmore said there was a laddish culture

at Middlesbrough Council between 2014-2015.

She said senior managers would refer to women as "fatty",

She said on one occasion she heard at a meeting a union official,

and the then-chief executive Mike Robinson, telling a joke,

The solicitor for Middlesbrough Council said this was an unfounded

slur and something that she hadn't actually witnessed herself.

But Karen Whitmore said she was targeted because she refused

to turn a blind eye to the sale of assets.

She said when she was asked to investigate the sale

of Acklam Hall in 2014 by external auditors, she was told officers had

agreed a significant price reduction of ?1.2 million.

When she raised concerns, she said she was told to hide

the way the sale was handled because the then-mayor Ray Mallon

She then raised concern about the sale of Middlesbrough's

training and development centre to Ray Mallon's election

She says an independent valuation of the centre was put

Also she says a higher bid was ruled out in favour of the offer

Karen Whitmore claims she was bullied by the current chief

executive, Tony Parkinson, here on the left.

And undermined by the former chief executive, who is next

And she says her concerns and complaints were ignored

by the Middlesbrough Mayor, David Budd.

All men contest the claims, and the tribunal continues.

A trial's been hearing how an elderly woman jumped

from the second-floor window of her retirement flat just weeks

after claims she'd told carers she wanted to kill herself.

The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, which runs the home

in New Earswick, near York, has been charged with failing to

York Crown Court heard how the case has exposed

Phil Connell reports from York Crown Court.

This is a case that goes back to the 1st of November 2011 -

the day Dora Strickland jumped from the second-floor

window of Red Lodge, the retirement home in York

where she lived with her husband, Jack.

The couple had lived at Red Lodge for five months,

after living in their previous family home for 54 years.

In the fall from the window, though, she suffered multiple injuries

In court this morning, we heard from Doctor Kevin Anderson,

who had been called to the home to see Mrs Strickland

after concerns had been raised about her mental well-being.

He believed she wasn't suicidal, but did think she was vulnerable.

In light of that, he put an action plan in place and told tough

-- and told staff to keep a close eye on her.

But Sandra Rudder, a general assistant at the home,

was today asked if she had been given any information on how

to treat Mrs Strickland or to look out for anything.

To that she replied, "No, absolutely nothing."

In court this afternoon, though, Gemma Casson,

the home's general manager, said Red Lodge wasn't

a nursing home, and there was an open door policy.

She said since Mrs Strickland's suicide, new procedures have been

put in place and windows were now fitted with restrictors to stop them

The housing trust has denied failing to protect

the safety of its residents, and the trial continues.

One man is still being questioned after a man was found dead

Matthew Davis, who was 39, was found dead at the Bermuda Guest House

Two men and a woman have been bailed and two men have been released

A former hospital manager made redundant by an NHS Trust has won

the latest round of a legal fight over her pension pot.

Sandi Haywood lost her job with Newcastle NHS Foundation Trust,

which runs the RVI and Freeman Hospitals, in 2011.

The Appeal Court ruled it had failed to give her 12 weeks' notice

before her 50th birthday, meaning it would have to pay out a higher

Outside court, Mrs Haywood's family criticised the Trust

for running up large legal fees in contesting her case.

A spokesman for the Trust said it was "disappointed" and plans

It must have been a hard letter to write.

A headteacher has asked parents of two Tynedale schools to donate

Graeme Atkinson, the executive head of Hexham Middle School

and Queen Elizabeth High Schools, says the Government's new funding

formula will mean bigger class sizes, a smaller curriculum

and the likelihood that good staff would leave.

On last night's Look North, we told you how head teachers

in Darlington are asking parents to lobby the Government over

Getting to grips with fine details. The pupils in this class at Queen

Elizabeth high school in Hexham have good prospects. That's because it's

deemed a good school by Ofsted, with above average GCSE and A-level

results. With the headteacher says that's in spite of constant

underfunding, which will only get worse under the government's

proposed new funding formula. And now he's taken the unprecedented

step of writing to parents at the two schools he leads, asking them to

make financial contributions. Having made significant cuts in

recent times, we really feel that we are pretty much to the bone. Further

cuts will mean greater class sizes, poor resources, and it raises a good

question - at what point did it become untenable? We are not

necessarily too far away from that. In essence, that's why I taken the

decision as we have done. It's not something that we've done lightly.

Ultimately, what does that mean for the children's education? In our

position as a trusted two schools, our finances precarious indeed. The

future does not look bright with that in mind.

In a statement the Department for Education told us that funding for

schools was at a record level, and the new funding formula would see

schools in Northumberland gets an increase of around ?2 million. As a

result of that, 80% of schools would benefit. But the headteacher of

these two schools has told us that in real terms, it going to lose out

by around three quarters of ?1 million over the next three years

stop the parents we spoke to back we had.

But worry that making donations could lead to the end of free

education. For the teaching staff and the

management to sit down and decide that they are going to actually

effectively beg the families for funds means they must be really at

the end of their tether. Its Department for Education cuts,

and it's affecting our children. Education needs to remain free.

Is it acceptable that school funding is that such a lower level? You

know, I don't think it is upside down by going to have bigger

classes, less teachers and how are they going to fare?

Any response from the teaching unions?

We did speak to the National Union of Teachers yesterday, and they say

we are more likely to see more of this happening from other schools.

They say 85% of fiscal budget goes on nothing. If you cut the budget,

you will cut staff. That means perhaps a narrow curriculum and

fewer choices when it comes to GCSEs. The annuity has not been

accused of scaremongering, but a report came up from the National

Audit Office which said we may be looking at a budget cut of 8% in

real terms per child. That's because taking into account inflation and

rising costs within the industry. -- the annuity has not been accused of

scaremongering. -- the NUT has not been accused of scaremongering.

The Princess Royal has been in Cumbria today.

At Kirkby Stephen Grammar School she unveiled a plaque celebrating

450 years of the school's existence in the town.

She also visited the headquarters of Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue Team,

As part of her visit she also opened the new parish hall

The Trustees of the former St Bees School in West Cumbria have

announced that the school will re-open its doors to pupils

Following its closure in 2015, the new Board of Trustees at St Bees

have been working hard to find new investors to support the school.

That's resulted in a partnership with Shenzen International,

a South East Asian education group, which will enable the school

They obviously value the brand of St Bees.

And they will be looking to develop a boarding school

They bring in the students from Asia, which allows us

to concentrate on our UK students, our local students.

We are very keen to have a good proportion from West Cumbria,

With just over a month to go until the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire,

the official artist of the race has unveiled her main piece of artwork

Richmond-based pastel artist Lucy Pittaway has been chosen

to capture the spirit of the county, and the ever-popular race,

Meanwhile, the Tour of Britain is set to return

Last year, the inspiration was hills, dales and wooly tails.

For 2017, Lucy Pittaway has created a more epic

landscape for pedals, passion and glory.

I wanted to create something completely different to last

year's painting, so it was quite a challenge for me.

Last year I concentrated more on the rural aspects

This year I wanted to turn a complete 180 and focus more

For me, the people that decorate the towns and really embrace

the Tour de Yorkshire completely come together in a

Lucy will be working on a series of paintings before the Tour

de Yorkshire starts - just like last year,

when she depicted parts of the route through Teesside.

This one here shows the Transporter Bridge,

And the pier in Saltburn, for example.

So I'm trying here to portray as much of this area as I can.

It's also an area where I'm from, so hence it had to be done.

Long after the Tour de Yorkshire has been and gone for another year,

the Tour of Britain returns to Northumberland for the first time

The Yorkshire race, with a record 36 men's and women's

teams announced today, happens on the last

Fantastically bright and vibrant, aren't they?

A Cumbrian hill farm which invented the world's only wool-based compost

is being celebrated as one of the most inspirational rural

Dalefoot Composts began 20 years ago as a way to generate extra money

Now the compost is used by some of the UK's top gardeners.

The business features alongside several others from Cumbria

as part of BBC Two's Back to the Land programme.

Sheep have been at the heart of this farm for five generations,

and that shows no sign of changing thanks to this stuff -

a peat-free compost which uses materials easy to find

Right, so you see there, bracken is a fern.

What we get from that is it's really rich in potassium.

It's what you really want for your fruit and your flowering plants.

The solution was to put bracken and wool together.

But I think it was five years to persuade that

Simon may have taken some convincing, but now the product

It uses wool that's often difficult to sell, and harvests bracken

which can be a nuisance on the grazing land.

An idea from an old gardening book, the compost business now

They're not terribly viable in straight economic farming terms.

So it is important to look for diversification,

whether it's holiday lets, raking, or whatever.

And over time that unusual idea has grown in popularity.

The family now employs around 40 people to make mixes for growers

all over the country, and some of their customers

are regular gold medal winners at the Chelsea Flower Show.

It's not all been straightforward, and it's been a steep learning

curve, because neither of us have really got a business background.

But I think, hopefully, it will inspire people to take some

of their really odd ideas and look at making a business

And you can see more from Cumbria's unique rural businesses on BBC Two

Still to come in tonight's Look North...

Meet the man who has sparked medical interest after an operation

And heading stateside - a Wearside teenager is awarded

a place at one of America's top academic tables.

A temporary return to some winter weather before things settle down by

the end of the week. During and shortly for the full forecast. --

joining me shortly. For a teenager thinking

about which university to apply to, Marcia Adams, a sixth former

from Sunderland, has been accepted by a top American university

on a scholarship. They must have been impressed

by the fact that she's taught herself three languages

and likes to write music. The highly sought-after scholarship

has brought real pride to her mum and dad -

as you'll see in It's adios to Sunderland

and hello to America. Marcia Adams has been chosen

from thousands of applicants to study at one of the world's

most prestigious universities. At nine o'clock that night, I opened

the e-mail and it was the best It's just amazing, to see your child

advancing like that. She's only one of three students

in the north-east to receive this She's going to Bryn Mawr College

in Pennsylvania, where she will carry on her love of history,

as well as speaking Spanish, She's one of five girls that had

an offer from Oxford We just told you, don't

always go with the norm. Be prepared to put

yourself out there. Things were different back in 2000,

when Tyneside student She was rejected from

Oxford University, yet received What brought out into the open

is the problem is that people from low income families sometimes

find when interviewed A lot of time and money has gone

into putting that right, I think the elitism has

solved itself at Oxford, who made great improvements

in the number of state In America, if you come

from a low-income family, They want to get you

into their university. More than 1,600 British students

applied to study at American And out of those that did

get a place, 60% come from households that are no less

than ?25,000 a year. In August, 18-year-old Marcia

will pack her life up into one She's the first person in her family

to go to university, and her parents couldn't be more

proud of her. But hopefully I'll get the chance

to pop across and see her. It would be nice to go

and visit her in Philadelphia, I had the sort of dream

of going there when I was younger, I'm so excited to go and start

a new life over in America. A very talented girl with a whole

lot to look forward to. Absolutely fantastic. A big lifestyle change.

Imagine that, a teenager in America, and a student? I wouldn't like my

sons to go off there. You don't have to think about that. I don't, no.

His form in front of goal has been one of the few bright spots of

And it's meant a return to the England squad for 34-year-old

striker Jermain Defoe, who's hoping to add to his 55 caps

against Germany tomorrow and Lithuania on Sunday.

But with next summer's World Cup in mind,

Defoe's hinted he could be forced to leave Wearside if the Black Cats

To get into any squad, it's based on merit and you've got

I mean, when I went to Toronto, I missed out on the World Cup.

You have to be realistic and think, well, the boys that I'm competing

against, they're playing in the Premier League

and they're playing in Europe, and that's probably why I missed out

You need to be playing in the Premier League.

It's an important night for our teams in the National League.

Gateshead's tremendous recent form, including this last minute win

against Woking on Saturday, has seen them climb

into the play-off places - and a win against Guiseley could see

For owners Richard and Julie Bennett who bought the club two years

ago, promotion would be a dream come true.

Well, I think first of all, our objective was always to try and

We knew it would be difficult because we had a new squad. But to

be honest with delighted to be there. Tonight's game is huge, it's

really a big game. Sell the games now. Guiseley have been in form

lately. So for us, it's going to be a tough game. The hard work starts.

We don't want to get ahead of ourselves. We try to take each game

as comes. Behind-the-scenes of planning going on. There's things

that have do happen, forms have the side for the football league, just

in case. There's a bit of prep work going on at the moment.

At the other end of the table Gary Mills,

manager of struggling York City, has taken both the Minstermen

His side's victory over Lincoln in the FA Trophy means fans

will enjoy another big day out at the home of football.

But staying in the league is his top priority and he's hoping cup success

can be the catalyst that sparks a league revival when they take

on bottom club and relegation rivals Southport at

I'm so pleased for everybody connected with this football club,

But we can turn that around very, very quickly.

So as tough as it's been, we can turn it round.

And we've got to make sure now, the last ten league games,

But what I've said all along is I've come back,

I want to keep them in the league, and I want to celebrate at Wembley

We've now got the hard work to make sure we stay in the league.

We can use this game as confidence, as a boost for us.

You know, the players don't want to go to Wembley on a negative.

We've got a lot of hard work to do in the next six,

seven weeks to make sure that stays that way.

And what a big game at the top of the Evo-tik Northern Premier League.

Leaders Blyth Spartans travel to their closest rivals

Nantwich this evening, while play-off hopefuls

The draw's been made for the fifth round of rugby

York City Knights have earned a home tie against fellow

Whitehaven will host Championship club Halifax -

if they win their re-arranged tie against Oxford.

And it's an all Championship affair for Dewsbury who knocked

Now, to the story of a man who has no fear.

Jordy Cernick, from Jarrow in South Tyneside, has sparked

national medical interest after an operation left

He had his adrenal glands removed and only discovered the extent

of his new found bravery when jumping out of a plane.

Instead of nervousness, he felt totally relaxed.

Now medical scientists believe his remarkable fearlessness

may lead to better understanding and help for those suffering

too much fear - those with anxiety disorders.

Here's our Health Reporter, Sharon Barbour.

Straddling your legs out of a plane thousands of feet in the air

But look at Jordy Cernik's face - he's totally relaxed.

The moment I was on the edge to jump out, my legs were dangling.

There was definitely something wrong, I didn't do anything at all.

I didn't feel excited, I didn't feel nervous,

And then when I went out, I didn't get that scary feeling going over.

And it was at this moment when Jordy, from South Tyneside,

realised a series of observations including one to remove his adrenal

glands to treat Cushing's syndrome, had also totally removed his fear.

Our adrenal glands sit on top of our kidneys and produce hormones

that tell our body how to respond to stress.

Jordy doesn't think that alone is the reason for his nraveheart.

A lot of people have their adrenal is taken out.

The only explanation my doctors kept giving us is because, yes,

I had my adrenals took out, but before that I had

I think because of the problems in my brain and the adrenals mixed

together, that's probably where it's come from.

Not just because I've had my adrenals removed.

Scientists are fascinated by Jordy's condition,

and they wired him up as he abseiled down this tower, measuring

And what is so interesting about this graph is where we would

expect there to be a big peak, there's absolutely no rise at all.

Doctors believe that he could now help shed light on patients whose

That's just an incredible story, isn't it? It's really, truly is.

Difficult to imagine. Before you go out in those shoes tonight, Dawn, be

warned. Snow is on the way! A return to some winter weather over

the next day or so before things eventually quietened down. BBC

Weather Watchers have been catching the snow. This was the Cumbrian side

of the North Pennines earlier today. This County Durham shot was taken

when snow was still falling. Showers today tended to die away from most

places, but overnight we will see some sleet and snow returning. It

will settle in places, may be down to lower levels for a time. We have

a Met Office yellowed be aware warning for tonight and tomorrow

morning for the rest of the snow, causing one or two problems if your

answer about. Into the evening, fairly quiet at first with vaulted

showers. Through the course of the night, this thick cloud brings a mix

of rain, sleet and hills from south. Upland areas of County Durham and

North Yorkshire, and southern parts of Northumberland and the Lake

District fells, are more likely to see the snow settling. Any heavy

bursts could bring down to lower levels through the early hours of

the morning. Temperatures hovering around freezing as we pick up an

easterly breeze. Tomorrow morning, still the risk of some sleet and

snow around. As it moves northwards, it tends more becomes more

intermittent through the day well. A few dry spells. More rain down to

the south that will affect us as we move into tomorrow night.

Temperatures struggling at 7-8 Celsius. It will feel cold again,

even after the snow has turned back to rain. A messy picture for the

middle of the week. That's what's causing the risk of sleet and snow.

As we head towards the end of the week, those fronts retreat and high

pressure builds in. That's what will settle the weather down as we head

through Friday and into the weekend. Some decent weather and lots of dry

weather to be had by then. In the meantime we get rid of tomorrow's

early sleet and snow. Eventually rain will clear through the course

of Wednesday and Thursday. As we head into the weekend, we get that

triad, brighter weather. Temperatures by day back up into the

teens. -- we get that Dwyer, brighter weather. Perhaps still a

touch of frost overnight. Plenty of whether a head. That was a good

morning. That's it from us tonight, don't forget the late News at 10:30.

Goodbye for now.