05/03/2012 Inside Out East Midlands

Tonight we are at Ashford in the Water in the Peak District with

stories from where we live a. Coming up: We meet the people

behind the statistics. When you see people in a warm house and you are

out on the street it gets you down a lot.

Mike Dilger is on wildlife watch what the people trusted to look

after our countryside. We are looking for a bird. You haven't

seen one, have you? And can Dez The number of people sleeping rough

and the East Midlands has shot up by 55 % a year according to the

Government's own figures. Add to that the news last week that not

enough homes are being built, and clearly there is a big problem. So,

what is it like being homeless? Tony Roe sense -- spend some time

with people who know. No one chooses to live in places like

these. For almost a year, the woods next to an old quarry in Mansfield

has been where Martin: Sleeps. still sleep -- Martin: Sleeps. If I

sleep in town I will get glass bottles thrown at me. It is

horrible. During filming, he would often scurry off into the woods to

hide his few possessions. Things get stolen, even his tent. So on

one of the coldest nights of the winter, he slept in a shelter.

lucky to be alive. It was cold and frosty. It was awful. Nottingham,

and a Bixley about to raise awareness. -- a big sleep out to

raise awareness. We have a sticky tape and things are to decorate the

box. We are prepared. Winnie were homeless, you are not prepared.

when you are homeless. They are raising money because services to

help homeless people have been caught. One night in our lives to

help so many people who have really appalling lives. This night was

mild. The city does not sleep. It is just noise all of the time.

cardboard cap the wind off, which was quite nice. -- big cardboard

cat the wind off. Sleeping outside one night does not give you the

experience of walking all day on the streets. Martin has his routine.

I go down to the Four Seasons and try to get some money and then I

wait until 12:00pm to go down to the church to get a meal. He heads

down to the shopping centre. He should not bed. He gets kicked out

by security. He is humiliated. makes me feel uncomfortable a lot.

You're trying to get a meal inside you and they are not having any of

it. Martin used to work for a security company. He says he does

not drink much or do drugs. He lost his job when his boss was murdered.

He lost his way. Three years ago I had it all. I had a roof over my

head. Now I am on the streets trying to find shelter. Martin get

�105 per fortnight in benefits to live. It will buy a couple of

nights in a bed and breakfast but not a lot else. �15 to last you a

fortnight. It does not even last you a day. You get a bit of food

and that to keep you going. We head to the Beacon Centre St -- next to

St John's Church, where they feed the ball rubble at lunchtime. There

has been an assault and it is Now we cannot get anything to eat

until tomorrow morning, breakfast time. This is one of the places

that Martin has stayed in in the centre of town. Something has

happened in this alley overnight as well. If you are homeless, one of

the frustrations is the sight of boarded-up buildings. There are

plenty of those. Mansfield is a town, like many, with a shortage of

homes. The Brownlow Road area had a poor reputation, dubbed in one

national newspaper of the most vandalised and terrifying road in

Britain. Not now. Two-under that 15 homes have gone. It is a waiting to

government. -- 215. Not even half of the homes needed to ease the

shortage are being built. One way out of the street is to get help

from a housing association. Martin has been waiting for a Graham at

one of the shelters - a rare for a grim at one of the shelters. Alf --

This is my best hope of getting off the street. Martin is so happy, he

has learned that he is getting a room at 3:30pm the next day. I am

just waiting for half past three. It is going to be dragging like

hell. Another godsend for the homeless in Mansfield Park church

volunteers. This is the Beacon Centre. -- in Mansfield or church

volunteers. This is the Beacon Centre. They provide food and a

place to watch -- wash. But their budget has been cut. This is not

easy work to do. You get -- have to have a real hard for this kind of

job. One person in for food today has some bad news. Teresa got a

housing association place in September, which meant she could

stop sleeping rough. On Christmas Eve she got an eviction notice

because of cuts. All of the furniture and everything they have

accumulated a gone. It is like a vicious cycle. This was Teresa's

home. She shared it with John and one other person. It is not a

palace but it is nice and warm. These cameras must be a bit

inhibiting. They are quite intruding. You were very aware that

you were being watched. At the end of the day we are all human. If we

wanted to be watched we be on Big Brother. It is a place to stay

before moving on to independent living, but the support money is

being stopped. The council -- County Council gave the charity

money to support some people. The Housing Association collected 100

and Denise �2 a week per person. The three tannins here were forking

out hundreds of pounds -- thousands of pounds per month for a house in

a poorer part of town. It meant that John could not think of

finding a job. I cannot afford to go to work or I will not be able to

pay my rent. They should put some kind of scheme in place so that you

can go out and better yourself and work for yourself.

They were meant to leave this house by the end of January. For Martin,

this is the day he had been waiting for, a place in a Framework's

hospital. This is a miracle. I am just stunned at the moment. I do

not know what to say. I am gobsmacked. He now has six months

to say -- stay somewhere permanent. Because of the cuts, Framework

needs to raise �30,000 to get staff to help them do that. To stop bed

blocking. They hold a sleep out on the coldest night of the year. They

make a good start. �11,711. We know that 100 to 200 people in Mansfield

are homeless, and that is a shame on us all. It is up to us to put

right. We have to say to the government, local and national,

enough is enough. We have got to end this and help people into homes

so they can stay there. The fund raisers are brave a night out in

temperatures of a minus eight degrees. I know it is quite bad but

tomorrow night I can go in my own bed. We can go home and have a nice

shareware but homeless people will not. -- a nice shower. John has

found himself a council flat in Kirkby. It is nice to feel Secure.

To reset, we have been told, is back on the streets. The house on

Glaston Street has been handed back If you go for a walk on a nature

reserve in the East Midlands, there is a good chance it is run by the

Wildlife Trust. They now manage 90,000 had tears. Mike Dilger has

been finding out how they rely on some four legged friends to look

after the countryside. We are a nation Of M amor lovers

and we think -- like to think we are becoming more aware. -- animal

lovers. But in England every year, two plants or animals are becoming

extinct. There are people who are passionate about wildlife trying to

do something about it. A bird that should be breeding throughout

England, but they are very rare. have got a problem with gorse. The

gorse is coming back. Species that we used to be considered -- that we

used to consider, and are becoming rare. The Wildlife Trust is linked

to a UK office. In Nottinghamshire, they manage over 1,000 had tears of

land all over the county. It is a constant battle to stop sites

becoming overgrown, but they have an ingenious solution. They bring

and the experts. Meet the flying They do not fly but they are called

the flying flock because the trust moves than between sites. Today I

am lending a hand. We have six Herdwick sheep we want to move.

Explain how sheep can be involved in conservation because they are

eating machines? These sheep have eaten down the thistles, bramble

and nettles. They are nibbling all the aggressive plants. That is

right. The greys around 20 sites in this way. They are one beak when

the lawn mower. One in the name of Fabulous! Nottinghamshire Wildlife

Trust was set up in 1953 by a group of birdwatchers. Adam there was the

first reserve. As the trusts have grown, they are always on the

lookout for Mossides. I am off to see one of the neighbours. Here in

Derbyshire the Trust has acquired a new reserve in Shipley. It is that

way. Set up 50 years ago this year, the trust him managers over 600

hectares of land, ranging from the Peak District to the not quite so

spectacular yet. One of come to Shipley. We have come here on this

sunny morning. You have come to hunt for bugs. Time to see what we

can find. Time for bug hunting. They cannot manage the land until

they know what is on it, said they have help from their local Watch

group. Damsel fly. A male damselfly. Beside his future and it has an

interesting history. Yes, originally it was all coal mines,

loads of coal mining across the side. This for me is find of the

day - a little toad. The site was taken over as a theme park and then

for the last few years it has been abandoned. The is by the weather,

we are finding some cracking stuff. These boys have seen a vaults were

passed. That is food for kestrels. The plan is to get people flocking

back for a different reason. The is a trail that runs through the

middle, so lots of cyclists and runners are using it already. Most

of them pass through but we want to slow them down and appreciate a bit

of what life. I'm off to of Rutland Water to catch up with the

Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and hopefully some impressive

ospreys. Pandion haliaetus - one of the few places in England where you

can see breeding ospreys and they are here because of an introduction

project we ran here between 1996 and 2001. We brought them down from

Scotland and release them with the idea of establishing a colony and

hey presto! Of spray hunting, this is what it should be like. It has

taken a lot of work by Tim and his team but they have now five

breeding pairs. Just over the bank. That is a lovely view, right past

us. Amazing how quickly they cover the water. We have lauded to try

and follow them but they have disappeared. We are looking with --

for a bird. Have you seen them? They have obviously gone fishing.

The project is based at Rutland Water, a reservoir managed by the

trust and the water company that runs it. We have something like

24,000 wildfowl coming from Russia and Scandinavia for the winter and

the conservation we do focuses on maintaining the habitat for them.

For instance, we manage the Crossman's to create fantastic

conditions. All the time, ospreys are a flagship species but the

reserve is important for a vast array of bird life. The majority of

funding comes from membership. They can get grants are but they cannot

exist without volunteers. Nearly 2000 in the East Midlands, giving

up their time like this lot helping out in Derbyshire. We have people

who build fences, chainsaw work, everything. We even had people in

the office. Remember Agnes and the flying flock? She even gets her

family involved. He would not think the sheep and golf go together but

in Holinwell you are more likely to see the Trusts Herdwicks than a

hole in one. There she had made a difference to this heathland

habitat. It was becoming unmanageable. This is what we like

to achieve, some have there and some silver birch trees. A nice

heathland site. Not any Tom Dick or Harry can say Agnes, can you come

to your -- our house and cut my lawn with your sheep. No. Agnes is

a full-time shepherd and looks after the largest flock of

Hebridean sheep in the world. It is not 9-5 but you get to see some

spectacular scenery. Just look at this had there, it is incredible! -

- Heather. There is an injured sheep somewhere that we need to

treat. With the antibiotics she should recover. And bit his hands

on again for me. They are strong! Agnes, you must be incredibly

It works! You are very good as a shepherd and a very good shepherd

teacher. I have seen a fraction of the work the trust is doing. They

teach schoolchildren and even get involved in planning decisions.

They are a dedicated bunch and had been giving a voice to world live

here for the past 50 years. The key question is what does the future

hold? It is a really exciting time. Anglian Water has invested �60

million creating new habitat on the reserve. There are hopes the

ospreys will nest on the Trent Valley. In a tin shed they are

expanding the project for cattle to encourage farmers to graze their

land in and a common way. -- traditional way. As for Agnes and

her sheep, they are off again. we had been here for 50 years and

we hope to be here for another. the time these volunteers grow up,

the Shipley side should be a well- established reserve. Hopefully

somewhere they can bring their own children to learn about what life.

If that does not inspire you to get out in the countryside, I do not

know what will. Tonight Des Coleman sings in a rat

pack group celebrating the glory days of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin

and Sammy Davis Junior. But there was one member of -- other member

of that Rat Pack, Buddy Greco. Could des persuade him to sing with

him in the East Midlands? My guess start tonight, he is my favourite

Here in a few moments in my home city of Derby are will be sharing

the stage with a legend - a lifelong hero of mine. Me a Meert

Rat Pack impersonator singing alongside the sole survivor of the

real brat pack. -- Rat Pack. At the age of 85, Buddy Greco is still

singing and playing just as he did all those years ago alongside Frank

Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr. The bad boys of swing

known as the Rat Pack. We did everything together, a lot of good

things and bad things. Were a lot of girls involved? Look at my face.

Oh yes! This party animal was born and raised on the mean streets of

Philadelphia. In my neighbour had you're either a fighter, sing at

all gangster and I was all three. How did I, a boy from the East

Midlands, become a Body found? Growing up in Derby I was in to

Classic Soul, rhythm and blues, James Brown. I feel good! But

thanks to my mum and dad's record collection I was exposed to the

greats of the swing era - Nat King Cole, Frank, Dean and Sammy and it

never left me. And as a kid, I vividly remember seeing Buddy Greco

on programmes like the Lulu Show. To me he was called. Den of spin

the clock forward 40 years and I am making 11 impersonating Sammy Davis

Junior. Never imagining that I might one day work alongside the

But this star or Vegas had to swap the desert sands of Nevada for a

British seaside resort. And here is what happened. But the's lack in

the States simply ran out. Bookings dried up and his nightclub in Palm

Springs went under and that is when this man, David NAC, and East

Midlands promoter and Frank Sinatra impersonator stepped in with an

offer of work here in the UK. -- David Alesi. What I hope to have

done is brought him to a new audience, a younger audience and

brought him to a wider audience. Four years when he came over here

was not getting television coverage, now he is doing Jools Holland

But he now lives in Westcliff-on- Sea, a genteel suburb of Southend

Welcome! The 5th at Mrs Greco, yes, 5th, showed me around their elegant

seafront home. Every thing in the flat, with the exception of our

beds, it is a charity shop furniture. When it comes to doing a

charity shop, did A body like that? He likes the fact he has a wife

that shops charity. The others spent thousands! Buddy still loses

that Vegas swagger. -- oozes. you know these guys? Wow. Dean

Martin, Sammy Davis, me and Frank Sinatra. We all did a couple of

songs and then Frank would say, let's come out together, so we

would come up not knowing what we would do. Next thing you know,

somebody would push out this card full of booze and before we would

sink we would have a drink. All of us are drinking and people are

going nuts, it was never done before. But living with a legend

can be stormy at times. We have had some great cat fights. I have never

thrown his clothes off the balcony into the sea front though. Is it

true that you once, whilst on stage, pushed a planet at the guy smoking

a cigar? It is true because he was ruining the show for everybody else.

I said, if you do not stop that I will roll this piano on year. I did

things like that. Buddy is the last living link to that swing era, one

of the last people to see Marilyn Monroe alive. This limousine pulls

up and I see this beautiful thing coming out of the car. She walks up

to the veranda and puts her arms around me and gives me a big kiss.

My then manager just happen to have a camera and took some pictures. I

am really proud to say I had the last six pictures ever taken of

Since he has been in the UK, I have been lucky enough to perform a

couple of times with A body but tonight is the big night. He is

stirring in my rat pack show at a club called The Spot in Derby. One

my way to the gig with Buddy. I am excited, tense. He can be a little

bit temperamental. I remember one time when things were not going in

the right direction for him. He stop everybody and said, I am Buddy

Greco! If Jesus Christ's walks on this stage, you look at me for! For

the band has warm up, tuxedos and ties at the ready and the audience

primed. Then we get a phone call. He has not been well. He got up and

fell down the stairs. Buddy has taken a fall and is in hospital.

What can we do? I am devastated and concerned for Buddy but what shall

I tell the audience? Unfortunately body will not be appearing tonight.

The Rat Pack share will still go ahead without a doubt. The band are

here, we will be on in about half an hour. Thank you very much indeed.

The audience had been real supportive but it is that old

A few weeks later, and Buddy is on the mend but my dream of a special

performance with this legend seems doomed. But I will also have --

always be able to treasure this, just by the and me at his piano in

Westcliff-on-Sea. # She gets too hungry for dinner at eight.

# She loves the theatre but never comes late.

# She'll never bother with people she hates.

# That's why the lady's a tramp. Your hired! They got together in