10/04/2012 Look North (Yorkshire)

Welcome to Tuesday's Look North. On the programme tonight: Boys allowed

- one of the country's biggest fund-raising events aimed at women

allows boys up to 11 to take part after a campaign by a Chesterfield

mum. We'll be finding out what you think about changing the rules for

the Race For Life. Also tonight: Patrols are stepped

up after a prize winning terrier is savaged by another dog in a

Bradford park. And, the dream story for little

girls - we meet the big girl with over 1000 My Little Ponies.

And I will be here just outside Rotherham of welcoming home of

world champion cyclist Ben Swift. The only problem is, he wasn't

expecting anyone to be here. And, it has been a day of sunshine and

showers today. There will be more showers to come this week. I will

have the full forecast later in the Good evening. A mother from North

Derbyshire who campaigned to allow boys to take part in a charity race

aimed at women has succeeded in changing the rules across the

country, as a result of her story being taken up by Look North.

Claire Parker from Chesterfield wanted to run in the race with her

seven-year old son Connor, but she was told only boys under five could

run in the Race For Life, which raises money for cancer research.

Emma Blackburn reports. Claire had always wanted to run

race for life with her seven-year- old son, by her side. He was the

person that help her recover from lymphoma after she was diagnosed

four years ago. But this year, Cancer Research said only boys

under five years old could take part, which excluded,. Clare began

a campaign to change that. After talking to Look North, the rules

were altered. I am over the moon. A lot of people did not think they

would change the rules, so it just goes to show that when you fight

for something you believe in, it can happen. Now I get to rise --

race for my boy. Race For Life has been running for 18 years. Last

year, they trialled allowing boys aged 11 and under to raise, but

decided there was not enough interest. Now they say they have

listened to Claire and got further feedback from other supporters. As

a result, they have reinstated the boy's age limit to 11. We do have

boys and we should not penalise -- be penalised by having boys. I am

overwhelmed that I have got something changed but I feel

passionate about. Race For Life whenever breaking any laws. Under

the a quality act, there is an exemption for charities and some

sports regarding sex discrimination. But a local solicitor says club was

also within her rights to run with,. Technically she could say it is a

public road and he is going to run. He may not have a number in the

race. But there is support on both sides, and in these types of event,

a lot of women who would not normally run a race will do this

race because it is women only. Blair can now enter Chesterfield's

race for live with, in June, but her campaign does not end there.

She once the race to eventually include all men so she can continue

taking part with all her boys. Well, we did ask to speak to Cancer

Research UK but were told they weren't available for an interview.

However, we have had lots of response about this story on our

Facebook Page and by email. One email says the race should not

exclude people who only want to help cope with bereavement or shows

support for a loved one's battle with cancer. Another says, "thank

goodness someone has done something to include men for once. It is a

race for life after all. This is an example of blatant discrimination".

Wayne Gregory says, "as someone who has lost many family and friends I

have always wanted to take part in these events but have been refused

because I am a man. It is all very well allowing young boys to run the

race, but I would have thought cancer research would want as many

people as possible to raise money". Another says, "what a ridiculous

thing to say and do. I agree it should be for all but not for

sexism reasons, but to raise more money". To keep your comments --

comments coming in. Next tonight, Look North has learnt

that Yorkshire's water could be used to help drought-stricken parts

of the south and east. For years, the giant Ladybower Reservoir in

the Peak District has supplied Sheffield. But now, Yorkshire Water

is in talks with companies from regions where there are hosepipe

bans about helping them by using the water stored here. Nicola Rees

reports. So far, Yorkshire has escaped a

hosepipe ban. In fact, our reservoirs are 90% full and people

like Carol Marsden near Doncaster or find that important. My daughter

is getting married in August and we want to get the garden looking nice.

If we had a hosepipe ban, it would be terrible. But in the North

Nottinghamshire town of Retford, a hosepipe ban is already in full

force. People here are supplied by Anglian Water, and their reserves

are seriously low. In a bid to address that problem, today,

Anglian Water is in talks with neighbouring suppliers Yorkshire

Water and Severn Trent. They are planning to trade water to help the

worst-hit areas. At the moment, Yorkshire Water taking a certain

amount of water from the Ladybower Reservoir. If they did not need

quite as much for their area, we could release that into the River

Derwent. It may be possible later in the year to release more water

and help Anglian out even more. This enormous reservoir in the Peak

District is owned by Severn Trent, but also supplies 50 billion litres

a day to Yorkshire Water customers in nearby Sheffield as part of a

long-standing agreement between the two companies. Yorkshire Water told

us that in the spirit of collaboration, they are now

considering giving up their supplies from this reservoir to

help other drought-stricken areas. The question is, could Yorkshire

cope without the Ladybower Reservoir? The talks are at an

early stage, and Yorkshire Water says maintaining supplies here is

still the priority. But, if the move goes ahead, it would not be

the first time that one region has helped another. In the mid-90s,

Yorkshire's supplies ran so low that convoys of water tankers were

sent in from Northumberland. Almost two decades later, it seems

Yorkshire is being called upon to return the favour.

Later in the programme: Are the Bradford Bulls back in business?

Rugby League fans dig deep but have they raised the �500,000 needed to

keep the club alive? Patrols have been stepped up in a

Bradford park after a prize winning dog was savaged by a dog resembling

a pit bull terrier. The four-year- old Bedlington Terrier was left

with horrific injuries after the incident at Victoria Park in

Oakenshaw. Small children were playing nearby at the time. You may

find some of the pictures in Ian White's report upsetting.

This is my dog, who has been attacked. She is not herself at all.

She is not happy. Bradford dog lover Paul Rhodes showed me her

award winning Bedlington Terrier, now recovering back at home after

an horrific attack by a pit bull type dog that was not on a lead.

took one look at her and in a split-second it grabbed hold of her

shoulder and it will stir in the air several times. -- tossed her in

the air. Then it lay on top of that. The dog was rushed to an emergency

vet and spent the night on a drip. She has got big cuts and bruises on

her robes and legs. The four-year- old dog is normally a confident

companion who has taken numerous prizes around Yorkshire at dog

shows. She has won at 16 results, a gold medal, and she has done three

exams in he'll work. Within a split second, she is now going to be

scarred for work. This savage attack happened in Victoria Park at

around 5pm on Sunday evening. It is a popular area with dog-walkers,

and children were playing behind me here. If you have a big dog, just

be in mind that that dog can do a lot of damage in a short space of

time. That is to consider putting it on a lead if you are around

other dogs and children. A experts so well trained dogs should rarely

pose a problem, but did advise pet owners: however distressing it may

seem, resist getting in the middle of those dogs because we know that

they can cause severe injury to people as well as other dogs.

man who was with the dog that attacked this terrier left the

scene without leaving his details. Bradford council says it will be

stepping up dog warden patrols in the area. In other news now, and

the Respect Party is to fight a third of the seats being contested

at next month's local elections in Bradford. It is the biggest

campaign ever fought by the party in a northern city. After the

victory of George Galloway at the Bradford West by-election, Respect

said it would target Bradford at the local government elections. It

is currently one of the most closely contested councils in

Yorkshire. Labour runs it but is one short of an overall majority.

In the recent past, the Conservatives have also been in

power in Bradford with the Liberal Democrats the third largest party

in the city. Tributes have been paid to a

Yorkshire soldier who died more than two months after being injured

in an explosion in Afghanistan. 26- year-old Corporal Jack Stanley from

Todmarden served with the Queen's Royal Hussars. He died at the Queen

Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham on Sunday.

Police want to trace these two men in connection with an alleged

serious sexual assault in Sheffield last October. A 48-year-old woman

was allegedly raped after meeting the men in a city centre bar. Both

are described as black and of slim build, one with a defined goatee

beard. Anyone with information should contact South Yorkshire

Police. Police are growing increasingly

concerned for the safety of an 82- year-old man who has gone missing

from his home in Rotherham. Ernest Lancaster, who has Alzheimers, was

last seen in the Brinsworth area on Saturday afternoon. Police say he

is vulnerable and taking medication for a heart complaint.

A special service to remember Caroline Stuttle who was murdered

in Australia ten years ago is taking place at York Minster this

evening. The nineteen-year-old died after being robbed and pushed off a

bridge in Bundaburg by a drug addict. Her killer, Ian Previte,

was sentenced to life imprisonment. Her family and friends will light

candles in memory of Caroline. It is our tame year anniversary. We

felt it was important for people to remember Caroline. So many people

have been so supportive over the years, we thought it was a good

idea to all get together and light a candle, and may be light a candle

in memory of those who have lost people.

And part of the legacy of Caroline is now that this family offers

advice worldwide to other backpackers. Their big message is

that ethnic -- anyone should try to take your handbag or backpack, let

it go. Before 7pm: We're live in Rotherham as Yorkshire's latest

cycling superstar comes home with a clutch of medals from the world

championships in Australia. And, we meet the big girl with a

little girl's passion for the toy What was your favourite child had

toy? I collected football memorabilia. I

used to have all the teams. My Little Ponies was a little after

my time. Only a little! Sport, and the Bradford Bulls have

today announced that they have raised the �500,000 they need to

stay temporarily in business. That is only part of the story. They

still need to raise another �500,000 to avoid going into

administration. A local MP has raised concerns about the true

scale of financial problems at the club.

Bulls fans watching their team against Salford in March will not

have realised the financial problems behind the scenes. The

club announced they had just weeks to raise �1 million if they were to

stay in business. They said that things had come to a head. Their

bank, RBS, said they had no choice but to reduce the club's overdraft

facility following their sale of the least of the stadium to pay

debts to the Rugby Football League. The bowls so be needed to raise

�500,000 within to avoid going out of business. They fell just so --

short, but were given an extension until midnight yesterday, which

they today confirmed they have achieved. This has given them a

window of around 10 - 12 weeks to raise the next �500,000. Public

donations and auction of memorabilia and a crowd of nearly

21,000 for their win against Leeds rhinos has helped achieve their

first target. In a statement issued today, their chief executive has

My concerns are the money has come from people who are hard-working. I

need a sustainable long-term future for the club. I hope we can find

answers to some of the questions about the situation with the bank,

where we are with the tax bill, and what happened with the Rugby League.

Then people can understand problems. Yesterday, Bradford Bulls recorded

a win. As they look to raise a further �500,000, a quick way to

achieve this might be to sell player assets. It remains unclear

how deep the financial problems actually are.

Football now, and do you understand what is going on at Huddersfield?

Or Leeds for that matter? They are both losing and in Leeds' case,

they have blown their play-off hopes. Stand up Wednesday on a

brilliant run. And over at Rotherham - call him colourful,

certainly controversial, and you have summed up the Millers' new

manager to a tee. Steve Evans. Well, we will get the round-up in just a

moment with Paul Ogden. First we can speak to him in Rotherham.

A very simple statement to make. Ben Swift is a world champion

cyclist. We knew he was a start but he has just come back from

Australia with three medals at we will talk to him very shortly. The

answer to your questions, why has Steve Evans gone to Rotherham? It

is full of lovely people, that his Rotherham United made headlines

over the weekend by enticing star A -- Steve Evans to be their manager.

He will have liked what he saw from the stands. At a 1-0 win means he

can seriously push for the play- offs. Bradford City's defeat at

Shrewsbury showed a candidate for the ugly his goal of the whole

season. It was the only one of the match, leaving Bradford are still

nervous about their League status. One division up, Chesterfield would

have been condemned to dropping out of League One of they failed

against Wycombe. They are one of 4- 0 instead. Are they still need

victories in every one of their four final matches. Sheffield

Wednesday dominated the League One Promotions story over Easter.

Yesterday 3-0 win lifted them into second spot, thanks to goals from

Nadine. The match at Rochelle could cause another swap over. The Hull

City is obsessed for the battle for second place. Fans camped out

overnight last night to get a one a ticket for the final away match at

Brentford. Huddersfield Town were the victims of Wednesday's strength

on Saturday. We were stripped -- suffering the after-effects at

Bournemouth. They were stifled upfront, vulnerable at the back,

they lost to Ivan 0. That is a habit they need to cut out if they

are to contest the play-offs. Whoever goes to the Championship,

we can now assume that Doncaster Rovers will not be there. They are

not down yet after yesterday tour from one defeat to Burnley but will

be if they do not win against Portsmouth. Even Barnsley cannot be

sure of their status. The point we earnt at Blackpool was a good

investment. David Perkins redirected to the shot for a goal.

Leeds United suffered a sending off. They were beaten 2 Ivan 0 up by

Derby County. It was said there will never be another Leeds United

or like this. Still plenty of turns left in the

football season. One thing we can be certain of, as I said, here is a

very big party. It is for Ben Swift who has come back from at the Track

Cycling World Championships with three medals, gold in the scratch

race, two Sylvans, too. Actually, he thought he was coming home to a

quiet night in with his girlfriend and family. A surprise welcome with

60 people from a Rotherham. What a welcome. It was unbelievable. It

was a big surprise. I really appreciated it. I suspect you are

very well loved around here. I do not want to embarrass you! There is

a tight sense of community. I have a great bunch of family and friends.

They support the 100%. It is fantastic to come back to this.

rest of Yorkshire and the UK are wondering where your career will go.

We saw you in the Tour de France. More people watch that in Yorkshire

than ever before. You are back on the track now winning medals.

both, so back to the road after this. There is a race in three

weeks' time. Then we will decide where the Olympics. That fantastic

win in the scratch race and all the other things you achieved, where

does that say? Is that a secondary thing? 4th a bit. It is a massive

achievement for myself. I have been after for a long time. Now I have

to switch my focus back to the road. You are a workaholic. You of going

on your bike. That is always the case with use cyclists. Definitely.

Is a great sport. You're out in the open. There is only one problem.

That is you know your girlfriend cannot be trusted ever again. She

promised you a quiet night in a liquor is here. Was it a difficult

thing to organise? Not quite. I only had a short time to sort this

out. I got his agent on the phone. I could not have pulled it together

without all these people. Absolutely. What was it like for

you watching him on the track in Australia question a I wanted to

drive. I was shouting at the television, going, gone. -- I

wanted to drive. Congratulations, Ben Swift. When did anyone in

Rotherham ever need an excuse for a party? We will stay as long as we

can exact -- as long as we can. In our late bulletin we will have

news of Sheffield United's game at Rochdale, when they will be trying

to move ahead of their neighbours Wednesday into second place in

League One. Do not forget Radio Sheffield will have live commentary

on that match. Now for a story that will rekindle

some happy childhood memories for all you little girls out there. A

woman from South Yorkshire has turned her passion for her

favourite toy from the 1980s into an adult obsession. Sarah Butler

has more than 1,000 My Little Ponies.

Welcome to the single bedroom that in Barnsley and a day way to the

1980s. -- Gateway. In here, more than 2,000 eyes stared down at you.

Everything is My Little Pony, including the duvet, curtains and

clock. Sarah Butler loved the creatures as a small girl but it

was later in life for the childhood games turned into an ad obsession.

It came back when I had to leave college and was terrified of the

idea of having to grow up. I looked for something that would remind me

of when I was younger. I saw some on the day and bought them. It

escalated from there. Now she is 29 and married, she has one of the

biggest collections in the country. She talks to fellow collectors on

the internet every day. They have a certain magic about them. How do

you feel when you come into this room? Happy. It cheers me up. We

can't sit down. It makes me smile. -- it calms me down.

I've stopped asking how much they cost or how many she is expecting.

When they turn up, that is fine. I like them. I think they are nice. I

like the new ones more than the old ones. I have a couple in here that

our mind. I probably should not admit that? Too late for that. Do

not worry, I will not tell people you watch the DVDs and know their

names. At least it makes birthdays nice and easy.

What did you collect? I wanted to be different so I collected 10.

I am not surprised at that. I bet you were a My Little Pony girl. Yes.

I lost count at how many I had. I had to grow up when I went to the

The weather has turned more seasonal. Perfect conditions for

rainbows today. The next picture is a beautiful sunset. Finally, two

lambs. Keep your photographs coming in. We have reached 12 degrees

today. That is average for the time of year. We have April showers.

They will continue as we head through the week. In between, there

will be spells of sunshine. You can see, the reason why, low-pressure

is never too far away. The isobars mean that it will not be quite as

windy. Where the speckles of cloud car, that is where the showers are.

As we head through this evening, there are one or two showers. They

will die away. Elsewhere, it is going to be mostly dry. Clear

spells at first. The wind will die down. We will see a touch of ground

frost. The Sunday Times... -- son times. Those are your high waters.

Tomorrow, for most, it will be a dry start with broken cloud. A few

showers will develop as we go through the morning. Wintry over

the tops of that hills. After lunch, the showers will get going. They

will be more frequent than today. Some will be heavy and thundery. In

between, there will be spells of sunshine. If you avoid the showers,

it will feel pleasant, not as breezy as today. Temperatures will

reach 11 degrees. The winds will gust. The weather does not change

through the week. Ground frost overnight, during the day, sunny