11/02/2013 Inside Out East Midlands

Hello, and tonight Inside Out is at Market Harborough in Leicestershire.

Losing the plot the allotment holders digging in to try to keep

theirs. This is happening all over the

country, how many other people are The heavy price we pay for heavy

drinking. SINGING: He's a lucky man!

They lose their job, lose their house, and I have many patients

And Nottingham's on the musical map, so can this band hit the right

Allotments have never been more popular. Waiting lists in some

parts of the East Midlands have hundreds of green fingered

gardeners desperate to get their hands dirty. With spaces few and

far between, passionate allotment holders are more determined than

ever not to lose the plot. I've been meeting the people who stood

their ground to try to keep the It meant everything to me.

Absolutely everything. It was a place I could go to. You could be

anywhere, it was like a little oasis.

It is not only me, you know, because I am coming towards the end

of my life, I am nearly 70. But it is for the future. Allotments are

people's pride and joy. They stir up strong emotions,

especially when things go wrong. This is happening all over the

country, how many other people are going to be put through this?

They have done everything possible to get us off this site. We are

Have you got all the paperwork? Jane and Gary Wells are coming back

to Roper Avenue allotments at Heanor in Derbyshire a for the

first time since March 2011. No cameras, thank you. You're not

allowed on. Today, though, they will not be

It has taken a court order for Gary to be allowed on site to clear

their positions and dig up everything the crew here. -- clear

The glass has been moved out of the green house, I have noticed.

Under the court order, Jane is not allowed on site. She has to wait

for news outside. I have not got any beds or anything to remove off

the site because it has all gone. Within minutes, the police arrive,

and not for the first time. looks like the members of the

allotment society, when we came on, were not happy that we were here,

although we have every right to be here. So you are just removing what

Back in 2011, the Wells were evicted by the allotment committee

they used to run after claims that other tenants had made complaints.

Landlord Heanor and Lascoe Council said in their view there were no

issues of real substance and hoped individual differences could be

resolved. Despite that, the committee went ahead with the

eviction. Insisting they had done nothing wrong, the Wells went back

to the allotment. We just heard sirens. Police van sirens on a

Sunday afternoon and flashing lights. Bearing in mind, they had

actually locked us in the site at this point, so we could not leave

anyway. The next minute, the police turned up. Which was surreal,

really, we were digging carrots and It is hard to believe now, but this

was an award winning allotment. This was a prestigious award?

yes, it is nationwide. It was down as far as Brecon Beacons, all over

the country. Jane and Gary believe their win widened the gulf between

Just before we won the competition, we had had some issues with a

couple. Once we had won, we did not celebrate at the site that we had

won. There was nothing. It just Allotment disputes are not new, but

with 100,000 people on waiting lists, tenants are now more

determined than ever to keep their I was a bit surprised about the

emotions on allotments, because I thought, it is just an allotment,

but actually I was wrong, because Mo Cooper is an allotment historian

at St Annes in Nottingham, the oldest detached Victorian gardens

We talk about a house being a castle. Well, your garden is your

estate, and there is almost like a deep-rooted feeling of connection

with earth, connection with the land, connection with the seasons

Over on the other side of Nottingham, perhaps the longest

running allotment dispute in the country began back in 2000.

This is the only opening we have to access our allotment.

You lead the way and I will follow you down.

At Blenheim Lane in Bulwell, these allotment holders have also found

themselves short boat. -- short boat of. Now the only way in is

through a hole in the hedge. They are no strangers to controversy.

Raleigh's plans to relocate a new assembly plant were also thwarted.

Allotment holders hosted a judicial review... Plot holders here were

blamed for the bike maker, Raleigh, pulling out of a deal with the City

Council to relocate its Nottingham factory to this site in Buwell. Now

the council has plans for a multi- million pound energy park.

Some people would say you were standing in the way of progress,

you know. You stopped the Raleigh site coming here all those years

ago and you were refusing to go, you are standing in the way of

progress. Is it progress, really? If you cast

your mind back to the 1960s, there was something like 25 allotment

sites surrounding Bullwell. They How does it make you feel, when you

come up here and see it like this? It is heartbreaking. It is land,

good growing land, going to waste, when you have 400 people waiting

for an allotment. They could come up here with their families and

enjoy it, have a good day out, grow their own food.

All the other allotment holders have moved on.

You may be offered another plot, but you have invested 20 years of

your life in getting the soil right. So it's not just the shed or the

greenhouse, or those sort of things, it is actually what you have put

into the ground that is important. So it is a real worry when gardens

get taken back for development. Jack Henton was a miner for 42

years. Now in his eighties, his health is not big but he is still

passionate about growing his own. I have been growing my own stuff,

fresh radishes, lettuces, tomatoes, beans, all nice and fresh. Cabbages,

yes, lovely. They have done everything possible

to get us off this site, and we are determined to stay and fight for

Arthur Martin knows all about the fight. When his council at Eastwood

in Nottinghamshire decided he was not fit enough to dig his plot any

more, this allotment dispute made headlines around the world.

It really put a lump here, really, to see that so many people were so

involved in seeing I was treated The council backed down, and for

Arthur standing his ground was worth it. He later left when the

time was right for him. It is my decision, I have made the decision,

nothing to do with the council. That is what makes me feel happy to

Back at Bulwell, Trevor Rose has not been so lucky. Last year,

Nottingham City Council took him to court to prove their ownership of

the land. He was banned from going back and fined �3,000. Afterwards,

When I went back with the Deputy City Council leader, the bulldozers

had already been busy. I am delighted it has been resolved,

because we are now talking to people intending to develop and put

jobs on the site. That is what is needed, more than anything.

Do you feel anything for the allotment holders who held out for

so long? Very little, actually. I don't

think they were considering the rest of the community, and when I

look at the fact the other allotment holders have been

extremely sensible, they have been helpful and they have better

The Roper Avenue Allotment Committee declined our invitation

to take part in this film. At a recent court hearing, Jane and Gary

Wells were denied an appeal, but are still fighting their eviction.

I wish I'd never won the competition, because I feel that

was the turning-point of all the trouble. Not everyone is going to

get on an allotment ever, but we Next tonight the hidden cost of

alcohol, seen so publicly last week with those pictures of Paul

Gascoigne. A government consultation on the damage done by

excessive drinking has just finished. It is a problem few care

to admit they have but it can be life changing, and not just for the

drinkers. Tony Roe has been to see some of those affected who aren't

This is how it starts - binge drinking on our streets has led to

East Midlands Ambulance Service teaming up with the police to deal

with drink casualties from a There can be a point where binge

drinking leads to dependency on When people become dependent, they

The simple reason that I drink is because I am lonely. And I have not

got the support and help that I need. I think alcohol is the only

way out. Behind every alcoholic is a reason

why they started. If you walk around town, you see

these people that are drunk, people look at them like they are scum.

They're not, they're people that have lost their way and they need

help, support and love to get back The marriage fails, which causes

them to have more time on their hands, they drink more, they lose

their job, they lose their house, and I have many patients that have

gone from riches to rags. And then back up to riches again - it does

not have to be negative. Friday night in Leicester. One paramedic

and one police officer are teamed up. A punch has floored someone

near the clock tower. The victim's drunk, his head is bleeding onto

the pavement. Last year, they treated 500 drunks without the need

to go to hospital, saving We've got the idea of young people

out in the city centres falling over, collapsed, spread-eagled on

the street, and we can be all disgusted about it, but actually

most of the binge-drinking that happens in this country is at home

$:/STARTFEED. My daughter had been drinking for four or five years. We

tried everything to get help for her. She would go in and pay

forehead. When she got her money on a Friday it was all going to the

shop. She did not care about anything else other than in getting

that drink. By the time you are 26 you are able to drink larger

amounts and begin to get in tolerance to alcohol. You need more

to get the same affect. I had to drink because I was so lonely.

knew it was wrong, very wrong, it was just problems I had been deep

area I was living, the neighbours, it just all built up. This could

happen to any of us, anyone who is watching out. You are happily

married and something happens to your partner, how are you going to

react to that? We just do not know. Alcohol reduces the effects of

anxiety and helps people to sleep. We should not be using it for that

but it can help in the short term. This man is drinking nine litres of

cider per day. He has done well to get off of it. It is bad news. I

have lost friends. I do not want to lose any more. I need support. That

is what I need. I cannot do this by myself. I was not paying macro my

bells, I was not looking after myself, I was not washing. My

daughter had to stay with her dad because she could not wake me up

one day. She went to stay with her dad. In 2005 she died. Three days

before her 33rd birthday. She left behind three gorgeous kids. One is

severely disabled because of the alcohol. She cannot hear, see, walk,

talk, eat. This man had been dialling 999 from phone boxes. He

said he had lost his keys. They could smell alcohol. He was drunk.

He did need help but not from an emergency ambulance. You do have a

duty of care. You cannot let someone just walk off the ambulance

if they are going to get into trouble. It is one of the coldest

nights of the year. Last night I had to wrap myself up. I have got

no heating. I cannot afford to put the heating on. I have got no gas

or cooker. When you need alcohol you do not have money to spend on

heating. I am an alcoholic. I admit it. If I do not have a drink I will

have affect. Degas at his flat has been cut off. I'd turn the iron on

was so cold but I cannot afford to put my gas on. Set is easy to get

credit from the shops that give it out. The alcohol had rotted by

stomach. They are past Kian. They do not realise they want to stop

because it is just a way of life to them. The beginning of the end.

end is a terrible death. You would not wish an alcoholic's death. A

build-up of fluid around deliver. I have seen people crime blood, blood

coming down from their eyes. -- thriving blood. -- crying. I went

to get help from a doctor three years ago and he told me to get out

of the surgery because there were ill people we're waiting to be seen.

That just made me go home and drink more. There was nothing I could do.

This woman has set up a support group providing hot food, clothes

and toys for affected families. Her ambition is to have an based in

Loughborough. We are trying to gain trust so that when we do find a

place, and be well, maybe we can start to make a difference. One of

the people Carroll has helped his and 80 who has come off the drink.

-- Anita. I have been off the drink for a year now. She was helped by a

letter her 12-year-old doctor wrote to her. I used to think that the

alcohol was more important than me. I cried myself to sleep most nights

I was so scared. When you had been drinking and I could not wake you

up I was so scared, I thought you had died. I know other people who

have gone through the same thing as me. I hope it would help other mums

not to go back to it. This woman is determined to help others, it seems

to be a way to cope with her loss. At the minute I do not feel like

anything is getting done, nothing is getting changed. Something has

got to change. Scott drinks less than he used to. He has hopes for

the future. I am only 39. It is that young age. I would like to

find a partner. Make sure that I could provide for my partner and my

child. Our thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences. Finally

tonight, 2012 was a great ear for music in Nottingham. A young man

from here went straight into the charts at number one with his debut

album. Another band have had fantastic reviews but find it is

another thing getting their music The rise of Jake but it has been

rapid. -- Jake Bugg. His first album entered the charts at number

one last year. His record Dale came at a time we were filming with

another Nottingham band. They had already released two critically

acclaimed albums, here they are recording their third. In some ways

it is a fantasy time to make music because the technology is so

accessible. You are able to pick up recording equipment so easily.

need more promotion really. The main thing is getting the music out

there. Getting reviews in the press is great but it doesn't really,

that is not it. You do not just get a review and you have made it. The

only way you can get in is by being on a record label. Go back over 30

years and the story is the same. Four lads from Mansfield. Physical

success for their band did not lead to commercial riches. Today, the

love of music is still there. They have reformed and still play

successful gigs. We play around school holidays and Bonfire Night.

It is not a living. It was never It is summer 2011, this band have

been cared by Belle and Sebastian who have asked them to support them

in one gig. It is so much bigger than I remembered it to be! Fine!

The teaching assistant on keyboards cuts a holiday short to make it.

They also picked up advice from a band to have been in the business

for 15 years. Everybody has got all these different tools like Twitter

and Facebook. You can do one thing and it can be everywhere. You just

do not need to take a load of money off a record company and be in debt

for ever to pay it back again. I think it will be good. Back in

Nottingham and another recording session which eventually leads to

something they put out themselves as a single. It is a measure of

what the band is appreciated like when a Hollywood actor puts forward

his voice. The release a limited number on white final as well as at

download. In order to be a success they need to get their music heard

by real people. Success seems as far away as ever. December 2012 we

bring the band who supported Duran Duran in 1981 back to the venue.

have been basically working, raising a family. I have stayed in

music but when our band split up I hooked up with others, Dido. I

wrote some singles for her. I took at different route and got into the

wine business. I basically decided to settle down and get a job living

a normal life. I got a job working in a music shop and now I own my

own music shop. That is what I do now. We are all 51, all born within

a few miles and a few months of each other. What was relevant to as

30 years ago would not necessarily be relevant to us now. To actually

record an album to be an album is something to do. We could do a good

album now. The journalists who grew up with us are now in quite high

positions so we might well get favourable reviews which would be

This banned from West Retford had some commercial success last year.

They toured a lot and got into the charts with their debut record.

There is a structured approach. I would rather be in my position. I

like to have time in the studio to make music, you cannot just go into

a studio and record an album in 10 days. I like to develop and work on

ideas. These bands meet, it is obvious that apart from geography,

they are linked by a love of music. We just carry on making music and

see what happens. You have to try to forge your own path. Have you

got any advice? The thing that seems to me that you have of got in

common is a love of music. What is your advice? Don't sign anything!

They are still waiting and hoping to release their third album,

hoping again for critical recognition. The hope for money

from their labour of love, it would be deserved. I am sure we all wish

them the best of luck. You can e- mail your stories and follow me on