08/08/2011 North West Tonight

Good evening. Welcome to NorthWest Tonight with Gordon Burns and

Ranvir Singh. Our top story - relatives pay their respects after

two women are found dead following a house fire. A member of the

family is arrested on suspicious of murder. Very hard. We cannot

understand why. Calls for a fire authority chairman to resign in a

row over his expenses. The volunteers putting a smile back on

the face of some very special children in Blackpool. To see all

of the smiling faces on the kids, that is what we love are doing.

Making them happy. Would you swap the beaches of Vanuatu for the

Police in Lancashire are tonight launching a double murder inquiry

following the deaths of an elderly woman and her daughter at their

home near Preston. One of the or relatives has spent the day being

questioned on suspicion of murder. -- one of their relatives. Dave

Guest is there. What is happening? As you can see, a relatively

peaceful scene tonight. It has been very busy throughout the day.

Police and forensic scientists trying to piece together why this

mother and daughter met their deaths. Family members were also

here today. A relative's make a sad pilgrimage to lay flowers at the

home where Maureen Allan lived. was a beautiful loving person. She

helped everybody. Mrs Allen and her daughter Geraldine died here in

mysterious circumstances early this morning. Emergency crews had been

responding to reports of a fire when they discovered the bodies.

Mother and daughter were inseparable. It is very hard. We

cannot understand why. It is a big question. Outwardly there was no

sign of the fire that happened within. Police confirmed that two

women had suffered a number of injuries. The post mortem of -- the

post mortems have not been carried out yet. They will be carried out

this afternoon and will hopefully give us the cause of death. It 21-

year-old man related to the women has been arrested and questioned on

suspicion of murder. Among many here there is a sense of disbelief.

Shocking. At cannot believe it. I cannot believe it. It is so quiet.

I was told there were two people dead. Shocked. It does not happen

around here. The fact is, something did happen here earlier today. The

police must piece together what happened. As they continue that

effort to piece together the events of this morning, they are appealing

for any members of the public in Longfield yesterday, last night a

or this morning, two come forward. They say information could prove

useful in the long run. He's supposed to be overseeing Greater

Manchester Fire Service. But today the Labour chairman of the

authority, Councillor Fred Walker, found himself dousing down the

flames around his own expenses record. Mr Walker is under pressure

to resign after charging �20,000 for travel. And council leaders

across Greater Manchester are privately asking him to go. Our

political editor Arif Ansari is here with the details. Councillor

Walker chairs the Greater Manchester Fire Authority, which is

basically a council overseeing the fire and rescue service. He's

claimed �20, 442 in travel expenses between April 2008 and October 2010.

Compare that with the former chairman, Liberal Democrat Paul

Shannon. He claimed �428 for the year 2010-2011. In fact, Councillor

Shannon reformed the expenses system while he was in charge.

have got to lead by example. Symbolism is everything in politics.

He fought very hard to keep first- class rail travel. Now we know why.

Standard class is cheaper to the tax payer. Thanks to his opposition

I had to use my casting vote and only just managed to get the policy

through. We haven't been able to speak to Fred Walker. But he has

explained himself to his local So he set a very different example.

The trips included 87 to London - many would have been First Class

open returns costing as much as �345. And as Councillor Walker told

his newspaper: Well, the Liberal Democrats have referred this to the

watchdog, the District Auditor. But more significantly, I've been told

that the eight Labour Council leaders in Greater Manchester are

signing a letter asking Fred Walker to go. If he doesn't do so, then

they're threatening to release it publicly. Councillor Walker is a

former travel agent. I don't know but I'm guessing he sold some

A 24-year-man has appeared in court after a teenager was murdered in

Lancashire. Declan Eastwood, 17, was found with stab wounds in

Haslingden yesterday morning. He died later at the Royal Blackburn

Hospital. Sean Fell of George Street has been remanded in custody

and will appear before Preston Crown Court later this week. Police

have named the people who died in a collision in Manchester at the

weekend. Seven-year-old Khin Thiri Myat Htin, Than Tutt, 86, and Naw

Naw Khin, 52, died when the car they were travelling in overturned

in Chadderton. When another worker died at Merseyside's Sonae factory

on Saturday, the company's safety record was once again called into

question. Not surprising, with two other deaths and scores of injuries

there in the past 10 years. But police still aren't sure just how

Dennis Kay died. Natural causes have not been ruled out. And if it

is a safety incident, it is unclear at this stage who might be to blame.

Here's Jayne Barrett. Sonae reopened today. It had been closed

yesterday, as a mark of respect to Dennis Kay. The 62-year-old died on

Saturday morning. His cause of death is not yet known. They claim

ambitious targets for safety here. In fact, there have been three

deaths and 44 injuries here since 2001. But if there are questions to

be answered about safety, and there might not be, those questions are

unlikely to fall here. Instead here at this family run a firm in

Accrington, Andrew Connolly's demolition. I have just spoken to

Andrew Connolly. He said that Mr Kay was a member of the family. He

had been here for 16 years. At the time of the accident he said that

Mr Kay was on a raised access platform. The site supervisor was

down below. He did not fall, he was not crossed. The death is a total

mystery, he said. Today Mr Kay's family asked the media not to

contact them. It's the latest in a long line of incidents at the plant

since 2001. They include the deaths of Thomas Elmer and James Bibby in

December. They were dragged into machinery. In June, firefighters

spent four days tackling a fire at the factory. That led to part of

the plant being demolished. One of the demolition workers, Dennis Kay.

Police will only know if this is a safety incident once the post

mortem returns. That could take some time. The headquarters

operations of the former Royal Liver Group are to move out of

Liverpool after 161 years in the city. It will mean the loss locally

of 220 jobs. It's thought half will be given the option to transfer to

Wilmslow, where Royal London Group, which took over the society in June,

has a base. The faces of some of Manchester's most wanted men are

being displayed on the side of police vans to try and track them

down. Officers are searching for the 12 men over a range of crimes

including assault, robbery and burglary. A similar operation in

March led to seven arrests. Fire crews in Lancashire have been

called to an unusual rescue after reports a snake was trapped in a

chair. Small tools and a crowbar were used to open it up, and the

snake, a python called Brian, was gently pulled out. Despite his

confinement, he appeared to be unharmed following his release.

Still to come in North West Tonight: The red kites making a

comeback in the Lake District. And what do you get when you combine

Junior Masterchef with a Holiday Club? Find out later. Apparently

Now, until recently, you'd be pretty lucky to see a Red Kite

circling the skies around the North West. In the 1970s, these

magnificent birds of prey were trapped and poisoned almost to

extinction. Since then, there's been a national breeding programme

for the birds. It began in the south of the country - now it's at

its final stage here. Gill Dummigan has been to Grizedale forest in the

Lake District to see the latest As a countryside retreat, it may

not be the prettiest, but it does have its compensations. The views

are great and there's absolutely no chance of being disturbed by the

neighbours. We are in the heart of the Forest? That is right. We have

to be careful given that the birds or open to persecution. We do not

want Mischief. Over the years Red Kites have had a pretty hard time

of it. At one point they were shot and poisoned almost to extinction.

Even now there are only around 1500 breeding pairs - none of them

around here. There was an empty area in the north-west of England

without red kite. So this three- year project is an attempt to do

something about that. These birds were brought up from Northampton

six weeks ago. Now they're off to join the first birds released last

year. And off they go, with a bit of help. They have finally flown

the nest. What next? Well, they're all tagged and they're being radio

tracked. Last year's release got as far as the south coast, although

it's hoped many of them will make their way back That's the big hope.

Another 30 will be released next year. By spring next year we hope

we should see the first breeding pair. That is the big hope. For now,

just getting these magnificent birds to settle in here will be

enough. We've heard a lot recently about the Big Society, the

Government's plan to give power to the people. But how are volunteers

already making a difference? In the first of two reports, Radio

Manchester breakfast presenter Allan Beswick met up with those

helping to run a rather special It is a chance to dream in what is

a desperate life. Three year-old Phoebe lives with an immune

disorder. It has claimed the life of her 17 month-old sister, Elena.

-- Delamar. Here his precious time in a Holiday home by the sea.

are restricted. To let them have this time is massive. Phoebe is one

of hundreds of children who come here. All of them have life-

threatening or terminal illnesses. Here at least there is a guarantee

of some happiness. He has had chemotherapy. We did not think he

would make it. He has been fantastic here. I think it is

amazing what so many people have done. Seeing the pictures of how it

used to look at how it has changed is amazing. Children need to go to

a specialised place. It is provided by these volunteers and a fantastic

family. It is thanks to an amazing legacy. My daughter died of cancer

when she was 20 years old. I opened a red box and she had left me three

wishes. One of them was to open a holiday home in Blackpool. This is

how the dream house came about. It gave me a reason. Fantasy transport

for a special children given the freedom of all that Blackpool can

offer. You cannot fail to be moved by what goes on here. None of it

would happen if it was not for the dream makers. The volunteers.

just putting a smile on the faces of the little kids. We had one this

morning. She went in the little carriage. Her eyes were cleaning.

Why do you volunteer to do what? is what I do. To see all the

smiling faces on their kids. That is what we love are doing. Making

them happy. The privilege of heading it all and being the

captain of the ship, without all of the other volunteers, this dream

house would not be here. They are the main source from all walks of

life. Everybody is doing their part to fulfil one woman's dream. They

do not get enough thanks, volunteers. And tomorrow night

Allan will find finding out how volunteers are making a difference

on an urban farm on the Wirral. We move on to sport. Richard is here.

Back from holidays! We are going to top Manchester City. They may be

the richest club in the country but they have some issues to sort out

before the start of the season? They definitely have, yes. You

would Ruth -- you would think the return of Carlos Tevez would be

good news. But in some ways it is another problem after yesterday's

defeat to Manchester United. Tevez returned to training today despite

saying he does not like living in Manchester and wants to leave. If

he is going, City want a big fee. They look like they need him. They

were very close yesterday. They were 2-0 ahead by the break.

Twitter was going crazy. A pretty lethargic 45 minutes and an

impressive one from United turned the game on its head. The

equalising goal was the highlight. Wayne Rooney and Tom Cleverley

heavily involved. Rooney claimed his team had given City a

footballing lesson. Stoking up nicely for the start of the Premier

League season. Mixed news for the teams today. City goalkeeper Joe

Hart has signed a new contract. United's allocation of tickets for

the away match at Liverpool in October has been reduced. While the

Premier League gets under way on Saturday, the Football League is

under way. All 11 of our teams Hoping to bounce back to the

Premier League. Blackpool got their season off to the perfect start.

The man who got the opening goal of their campaign last season, Garry

Taylor Fletcher, doing it again. A cracking finish late on at Hull,

enough to take the points. Burnley took just a point at home to

Watford, but it may well have felt like three for the Turf Moor

faithful. New signing Keith Treacy came off the bench at 2-0 down to

make the difference on his debut. Charlie Austin got the final touch

to his shot to pull a goal back for the home side, before Treacy

finished a flowing clarets move himself,.nodding in from a Ross

Wallace cross. It was a really good fight back. It was always going to

be difficult to come back. But Keith give us a real impetus.

only winners in League One were a side not renowned for opening day

victories. Tranmere Rovers have lost their first game in the last

four seasons. A good time for Robbie Wier to grab his first

senior goal. Promoted Bury will be delighted with their start as well

after a 1-1 draw at promotion favourites Huddersfield. Ryan Lowe,

27 league goals last season, already off the mark. No such early

impetus for Oldham, defeated 2-0 at home to Sheffield United, or

Rochdale, 2-0 at Sheffield Wednesday. Despite the return of

terrace icon Graeme Alexander for his second spell, and this

excellent Paul Coots goal, Preston North End lost 4-2 against

Colchester at Deepdale. It would have been easy to come in for

training and be really negative. We decided not to. League Two was a

washout for the north-west. Accrington Stanley drew at

Northampton. Macclesfield, Morecambe and Crewe all lost. It

was the first chance today for some Wigan Warriors season ticket

holders to get their hands on precious Challenge Cup Final

tickets. Getting to the final would have been the talk of Wigan

whatever the circumstances, but for many fans this one is extra special.

Not only did the Warriors get the better of old rivals St Helens in a

thrilling semi on Saturday, but it's their first Wembley final for

13 years. Being back at Wembley is really good. I am just made up.

Fantastic. I went to all the finals back to 1958. Brilliant. Second

home. Back again. It is everything being back at Wembley. It is what

rugby league is all about. region's sporting facilities will

be home to athletes from around the world in the build up to next

year's Olympics. But you'll struggle to find a more unusual

link up than this one. Beach volleyball players Miller and

Linlin from the South Pacific island of Vanuatu have swapped

their beautiful beaches for one in Cheshire to help them prepare for

the games. Stuart Pollitt explains. They come from a country blessed

with miles of beaches. Named as the happiest place on earth. But for or

Miller and Lin Lin happiness is found on a roundabout near Crewe.

We're happy here. You get good We are hoping to get the girls to

be the first female superstars in their country. To come from such a

small place with a very shy personality is a huge challenge for

the girls and myself personally. It is an amazing journey. Cheshire is

known for many things. Beaches are not one of them. They have to rely

on a friendly farmer or donating his dressage area. This year they

have built a proper beach volleyball chord, using 100 tonnes

of Cheshire sand. It is different. There are little bunnies hopping

around. It is not the ocean but I love it. We're on the main road.

People wonder what is going on. Tomorrow, Miller and Lin Lin FlyBe

flag for their country at the Olympic test event in London. --

Great story. Stuart chickened out of doing that peace in his trunks!

Finally, BBC Radio Lancashire will have coverage of Lancashire's big

Twenty20 quarter-final away to Sussex from 7pm. We wish them the

very best of luck. I know the Rhys not an ocean in a crew -- Crewe,

but I'm sure we can promise them We started the week on a N'Koulou

theme. The best day will be tomorrow. -- a cool thing. Today

has been a day of two halves. Wet through the morning. Fine weather

to end the day. Through the night tonight it is patchy cloud, long

and here spells. Over the weekend you probably noticed the nights

were cool. Same story tonight. 8- nine degrees in some parts. All the

places, 10-11. It feels chilly. Parts of Cheshire and Merseyside,

an area of cloud moving in. That would bring a few spots of drizzle.

That is how in this corner you will wake up. Everyone else is probably

try and find. You're looking at a patchy cloud and sunny spells

tomorrow. The sunshine comes and goes as the day goes on. All things

considered, it is not a bad picture considering what is waiting in the

wings. Enjoy that tomorrow. The sun at this time of the year is nice

and strong. Because the wind is not too strong, it is not a bad day.

After that, this is when the fun starts. Low pressure are moving in

slowly and bringing a slow read their system for Wednesday. That

will stick with us for the rest of the week. The rain could be heavy

on Wednesday, particularly in What do you get when you combine

Junior Masterchef with a school holiday club? Well if you're one of

a lucky few children in Liverpool, a chance to hone your cooking

skills and impress your mum and dad. You should have gone a long. Why?

Mrs Burns told me! Over the next two weeks, 200 children from across

Merseyside are taking part in a free cookery school. It's free

because it's been sponsored by local businesses. So what's the

catch? Well you have to feed those the sponsors at the end of the day!.

Kate Simms reports This really is fast food. These children have just

a few hours to learn and create three dishes from scratch. Welcome

to the Junior Chefs Academy. Have fun with food. Basically we like to

have fun with food. Drip-feed the healthy-eating message. We give

kids the practical skills to take home for their families. So on the

menu today, sundried tomato and basil bread with a pesto pasta

salad, and Fair Trade tiramisu for a dessert. We have learned much

more about vegetables. And more about a fair trade. We have also

learnt how to cook. Were you cook for your mum and dad? Yes. He is

going to cook for you later. There's theory though as well as

practicals. It is a lot to take in. And then you have to impress the

sponsors. Absolutely delicious. Really. Very well presented. Very

nice. It is absolutely fantastic. The food is unbelievable. The food

seems to be a success. But the proof they say is in the pudding.

So, needs must. I can confirm, very good. She was digging in there. Mrs

Burns has now been on the telephone to tell you that I am a really good