21/08/2014 North West Tonight

Demand for foodbanks increases as families struggle to feed

In Liverpool, one run out of food. They say, we're sorry. They have to

go home empty`handed. It is heartbreaking. Staff say they were

forced to choose who to help. The thieves who stole a lawn

in Lancashire are caught on camera. Mario Balotelli is lined up to

replace Luis Suarez. And meet Britain's first high`tech donkey.

Foodbanks throughout the North West say they've had to help

a growing number of families unable to feed their children

They say the problem is particularly acute for children who

Teachers say last year some pupils were visibly thinner when they

Today we spoke to foodbanks in Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater

Manchester and Merseyside who told us they've seen a rise in the number

In Lancashire, The Brunswick Street Foodbank in Blackburn usually feeds

Last month that figure rose to 945, a 32% increase.

Before the summer holidays, the Barrow Foodbank

Last month that almost doubled to 913 people, a huge increase of 93%.

In Greater Manchester a smaller foodbank serving

the community of Salford saw a rise of just under 20%.

In Liverpool, one foodbank recently ran out of food, leaving staff

in tears as they had to decide which families most needed help.

Our reporter Lindsey Prosser spent the day at the Hope Plus Foodbank.

The young and vulnerable have always be welcome here. But over the summer

holidays, the number of families asking for help has grown. It is a

struggle sometimes. If you come here, it eases the pressure.

Helen, not her real name, has struggled to feed her children,

her husband is on a low wage and she's had to come here for help.

We can't always afford home meals. You just have to buy what you can.

With more families in the same position as Helen's demand

We are hearing from local primary schools but also local secondary

schools, many of whom carry vouchers for us. The reason they were going

to be giving Belcher `` voters out to us is because they were seeing

kids coming back to school visibly thinner. `` vouchers.

The volunteers here are always busy but with donations

down over the summer holidays they recently ran out of food.

To have contact with them and say that they have to go away

empty`handed, it's just literally heartbreaking. You go home and dwell

on it. The Government says demand

has increased because more Organisers say they're meeting

a growing need. I think more people are coming to

foodbanks because they need them and now they know we are here. Before

that, they were either going without, borrowing from family and

friends, or shoplifting. Satisfying the increased demand

for a food is a challenge these We asked for an interview with a

Government minister about the increased amounts for foodbanks. The

torrent us down but a spokesman told us, we spend ?94 billion a year on

working age benefits and the welfare system provides a safety net to

support millions of people on low income or the unemployed. We have

continued to help hard`working people by increasing personal

allowance, freezing fuel duty, and providing free school meals and

tax`free childcare. Police in Manchester have rescued a

woman from Latvia who is believed to have been trafficked into the UK and

kept prisoner for more than a year. They were alerted

by Interpol who had been contacted Three people have been arrested

on suspicion of false imprisonment Our reporter Judy Hobson is outside

Longsight Police Station We haven't been given the name of

this woman. Police say she is 36 and came to the UK last summer because

she was told she could have a job on a mushroom farm. When she arrived,

there was no job. Instead, officers believe she was held captive and

that would have been for 14 months. She was due to be forced into

marriage. She was normally supervised. She somehow managed to

phone her mother in Latvia on supervised and tell her what was

happening. Tell us a little bit more about how

it happened. It's remarkable. This lady had no idea of her

address. She knew she was in South Manchester but gave a detailed

description of the flat to her mother. That was passed on to police

here and it took them less than 24 hours to find the property. When

choose to, they raided it and found the alleged victim. Detective

Inspector David Tollner from Greater Manchester Police commended her for

her bravery, defying her captors to assist in her rescue. He also said

we should commend the fine police work of the officers able to make

these arrests. 231`year`old men and 40 sexual women have been arrested

`` 46`year`old. A man from Manchester has been

charged after the death Rhyan Wilson was killed when

a brawl started outside a pub in the Dannell Dunkley

from Gorton is accused of murder A woman has been charged

with assisting an offender. There's been a rise in the number

of sexual offences committed Figures from British Transport

Police show the number of assaults went up from 56 to 67 last year,

though overall crime fell. The number of cable thefts also

dropped after a high`profile Football boots belonging to players

and staff at Accrington Stanley have been stolen as the team were playing

away over the weekend. Lancashire Police are investigating

a break`in at the Crown Ground kit room as the

team lost 4`0 at Cheltenham Town. A second break`in happened on

Tuesday. 514`year`olds are being questioned.

You'll have heard the expression 'if it's not nailed

Well, for one family in West Lancashire, it came true just

Two thieves stole has freshly laid path early in the morning. They did

not only were being filmed and the footage has become an Internet

sensation. `` they did not know. A summer morning in Skelmersdale

just after 5:00am. Two women helping themselves to

a green`fingered gardener's labour They have two prams waiting up the

street. One is full of turf and one is full of electrical items.

Bob Stacey's CCTV system caught the light`fingered ladies' red`handed.

I'm quite speechless. They are obviously daily thieves. You would

think they would have some knowledge to actually look up and think, maybe

we won't do that. Bob was fast asleep when

during theft, this is CCTV footage he filmed

on his mobile phone hours later. The thieves,

unaware of his all`seeing eye, It took them about 40 minutes. They

stopped halfway through to have a cigarette. It was hard work.

The lawn's owner's been unavailable today.

Since the grass grab, it's been relaid.

Bob Stacey's wife says now the world, via the web,

knows about their CCTV other criminals will stay away.

I think it's really good. Hopefully more people will get CCTV and we

won't have any more thieves. I know who they are. I've shown the police

but apparently it is not enough evidence. I think they are looking

at it again which is the least they can do. Manchester police have

investigated this incident but there are no moral lines of enquiry. They

are appealing for witnesses. Three`year`old Harry Halpin suffers

from a rare condition known A cruel disease, it attacks the

muscles, with most sufferers needing There's no known cure,

and campaigners say attempts to find one are being hindered

by current Government policy. In a moment I'll be talking to

the Chief Executive of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign

but first, Gill Dummigan's been to He's a happy little boy with

a zest for life. But Harry Halpin is already showing

signs of the condition which could leave him

unable to walk by the age of 12. It is devastating. It's so upsetting

when you see him with other children, that they are climbing

around and he just can't move in the same way.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a progressive condition

which attacks the body's muscles, including the heart and lungs

and there is currently nothing available to stop that progression.

Few sufferers live to see their 30th birthday.

Harry's parents are desperate for a cure.

We read the Internet every day, look at all the research that's going

on. They just give us hope that each day, something is going to happen.

We have two say it to each other every night in bed. He is going to

be OK, isn't he? We say that to each other.

Campaigners say treatments for rare diseases will always cost more

than other drugs, as the potential market is so much smaller.

Because of this, they say they need a new model of sustainable

They also want them to be assessed differently when it comes to meeting

the NHS's value for money test, and they want increased support for

clinical trials infrastructure, such as patient registries and databases.

For Harry, that can come is enough. `` can come soon enough. He is

declining in his movement. A campaign is asking the Government to

tackle the problem. You can see and hear the frustration in Harry's

mother's voice. What is holding things back in terms of treatment?

There are two things. The need for clinical trials to be completed to

show that new drugs are safe. Second, this is where we are really

concerned, we need is streamlined system to allow access for people

like young Harry. In 2012, the fund for rear diseases was abolished.

What effect has that had? `` rare. The Government made a change in one

area which had an unfortunate consequence on that front. That Mac

fund. Well all the arguments go on about funding and trials, time is of

the essence for people like Harry. Very much so. They are devastating

conditions were boys are losing muscle strength they buy day. It is

a race against the clock. It shouldn't take more than 12 months

later does now to get an approved or see the drug through to patients.

Must be shortened. `` safe drug. We've emphasised how urgent it is in

everyday matters. Muscle fibre is being lost every day, we can't

afford to waste time. Resident in Manchester have said

that the street has been plagued with violence because of drinking. A

man was blinded on Sunday. Today, it had its alcohol licence suspended.

Local people say more needs to be done.

It is just over a male long `` mile long, but Moston Road is said to be

violent place. The council has suspended its licence because of

numerous breaches. I've received numerous complaints from residents.

People claim they are opening a restaurant, of which we would not

complain or object, but in fact they are opening up the legally ``

illegally against the conditions that were laid against them. Some

residents would go out at night because people are drinking. On a

Saturday, people fall about all over the street. The police and ambulance

are always here and it is just a shambles. It needs to be sorted out.

One track owner Karen has similar complaints. We've had numerous tyres

popped, we've seen fighting outside, loud music. In the early hours of

Saturday morning, a man was beaten and blinded in one eye when a fight

broke out in this restaurant. Two men have been arrested. The owners

say the fight was nothing to do with them and they haven't been breaking

the law. They are trying to minimise trouble, I know that, but it is

unfair on us. It's not our fault. Police say the investigated every

business selling alcohol here and patrols will be on this weekend.

Mario Balotelli could be on his way to Anfield. Should the club be once

bitten, twice shy? And Dillon writes into Blackpool with a saddle machine

that takes contactless cards. Why not be modern? We're changing all

the time. A North West artist who created

a chandelier from thousands of earrings was surprised

and delighted to receive a national award from Mick Jagger's

daugher, Jade, this afternoon. Lauren Sagar's glittering chandelier

has been voted In a surprise ceremony in Burnley,

the accolade was presented by Jade, a model`turned`jewellery designer,

who's a big admirer of Lauren's Our reporter Eno Eruotor was in

on the secret. Standing at over eight feet tall

and dripping with dazzling jewels of all shapes and sizes,

this chandelier is made from over 3500 very special single

earrings, donated by owners who have I had lost one that my husband gave

me. When I heard about the project, I thought it was a worthwhile cause

because that way, he is twinkling down at me from the chandelier. The

Chandelier of Lost Earrings began life at Saint Mary's maternity

Hospital in Manchester. Weighing in at 75 kilos,

the artwork seamlessly weaves many individual and emotional stories

of loss and love into one object. I always lose earrings. I kept

thinking, something has to be done, because women lose one and you don't

want to throw the other one away. And now glass artists Lauren Sagar

and Sharon Campbell have be rewarded They've beaten 730 other artists to

win the UK's best art project by public vote in the

National Lottery Awards. The only thing is,

the artists don't yet know they have So jewellery designer Jade Jagger is

here to do the honours The owners You have won the award. I think it

is a great idea to create something from lost objects. It is bringing

life to something that has otherwise lost its meaning.

The owners of the earrings may not have found the other half of the

pair, but the Chandelier of Lost Earrings has found its way into the

Mario Balotelli is returning as Luis Suarez leaves. The Liverpool manager

said that he did not want him previously. There are just ten days

until the transfer window closes. Unforgettable, and at times

seemingly uncontrollable. Mario Balotelli remains one of football's

most combustible characters. These were the scenes after he signed for

a C Milan. At Manchester city, his list of bad behaviour was long.

There is no doubt that Mario Balotelli is a talented player with

30 goals in just over 50 appearances. After the club lost one

controversial player in Luis Suarez, fans are asking why Mario Balotelli?

He's a liability like Suarez. I think if Rogers can have a word with

him, he would be great. If nothing else, it will be fun and games.

Manchester United fans will have picked up the news that the

Argentinian is out of real Madrid. He has accepted an offer from the

European champions. At the moment, nothing is being done. It's

something that we will consider. Burnley are hoping to add to their

squad and after spending ?7 million on new players, it is the British

market where there efforts are focused. It is knowledge we have of

players for the Redfield, but it is not as in`depth as we would like.

Blackburn Rovers have rejected an offer for Jordan Rhodes. 53 goals

has caught some guys. Eyes. The man that Balotelli mate be replacing,

Luis Suarez, is still controversial. One young lad surprises them with a

cheeky question. Did you ever get bitten by Luis Suarez?

LAUGHTER Very diplomatically laughed!

Blackpool's beaches have been busy this week,

and so have the donkeys who provide rides for children along the sand.

But one donkey has been trialling new technology that allows parents

Meet Dillon, one of 80 donkeys that walk the sands of Blackpool beach,

Dillon stands out. He likes the attention. We thought he would be a

prime candidate to take on the new machine. The contactless saddle is

the same terminal you get in a shop. It is embedded into the donkey's

saddle so it is light and easy to use.

Today everyone paid cash, but they weren't against the idea

Not everybody carries cash anyway. We just read about a tenner in the

arcades so I had ?2 50. If my boy had wanted a go, he would have been

able to, so it's a good idea. I haven't got a card but I think it's

a good idea. We're at doing contactless on the transport in

London. So why not look at another form of transportation? We don't all

commute by donkey in the North! Maybe now you can! He is the first

donkey on the beach going contactless, so he is wondering what

the fuss is about, but he's handling it well.

The only problem you might have is getting Dillon to stay still

It was blowing a gale today but it gets better. This cold beer that has

been across us through the week `` air. Tomorrow is mostly dry.

Southern part of the region today have hardly seen a drop of rain but

it is going to arrive eventually. Once the sun goes down, it will come

in from the Irish sea. There could be heavy bursts over the high ground

with temperatures of seven or eight Celsius. For tomorrow, when you

first get up, it's not a brilliant picture. Showers will be around for

the first hour but then they die away and the picture improves. It

starts to look good from most places. `` for most places.

Temperatures of 15 or 16 Celsius at best. The weekend isn't grey but

there is a lot of dry weather, it just isn't warm.

Finally, two rare red panda cubs have been born at Chester Zoo.

Their little squeaks were heard at the end of June, but only now

have keepers been able to take a closer look at the new arrivals.

Native to the Himalayas, conservation experts have listed

We're back with a summary at 8:00pm and a bulletin at 10:25pm.

We've got factory boys and butchers' apprentices and office clerks

Don't stop moving! If you go back you'll die!

Make the most of your bank holiday, wherever you are.

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