0:00:04 > 0:00:05In the next half an hour:
0:00:05 > 0:00:07Just as northern working women thought they would
0:00:07 > 0:00:09be able to retire, their pensions were put on hold.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12THEY CHANT.
0:00:12 > 0:00:19Come the New Year, I have to sell the house.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21We tracked down the conman who cheated a grieving
0:00:21 > 0:00:25Cumbrian family.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28We started to campaign and just to knock on any door for help.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33And we both knew that we'd been conned.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35And what could be catching his eye?
0:00:35 > 0:00:37When a weatherman looks way beyond the clouds
0:00:37 > 0:00:40in the North Pennines.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Wow.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46That is amazing.
0:00:46 > 0:00:56I'm Chris Jackson and this is Inside Out.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05There are 200,000 women in our region who are mightily hacked off.
0:01:05 > 0:01:12They had hoped to retire at 60 but then the pension rules changed.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Some have been forced to carry on working,
0:01:14 > 0:01:16others say the postponement of their state pension has
0:01:16 > 0:01:19plunged them into debt.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22The raising of women's retirement age has hit this
0:01:22 > 0:01:32region more than any other.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34This class in Newcastle is fighting fit and looking forward
0:01:34 > 0:01:37to a healthy retirement.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Today, these women can hope to live until they are well
0:01:40 > 0:01:41into their 80s and keep partying.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44But the Government worked out the pension system to pay
0:01:44 > 0:01:47for all those extra years is no longer fit for purpose.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49So now, a 60th birthday may no longer be the
0:01:49 > 0:01:55celebration it once was.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59HAPPY BIRTHDAY PLAYS ON PIANO.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02I feel very angry.
0:02:02 > 0:02:09Worked since I was 15, paid in for 45 years.
0:02:09 > 0:02:17I just feel that we've been completely abandoned.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Tell me, how am I going to cope?
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Because I really don't know.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24For decades, the pension age stayed the same.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Women retired at 60, men at 65.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30But by 2020, both men and women will have to wait until they are 66
0:02:30 > 0:02:34before they can draw the state pension.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38The changes began in 2010 and on a sliding scale.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41So, for instance, a woman born before April 1950
0:02:41 > 0:02:45will still get her state pension at 60.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48But if her date of birth is two years later, she will
0:02:48 > 0:02:50get the benefit at 62.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52And, if she was born a couple of years after that,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55then she will be 66 before she can draw her state pension.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57For many women, that six-year loss amounts
0:02:57 > 0:03:04to a huge slice of income, more than £40,000.
0:03:04 > 0:03:10I am Margaret, I was born in 1954, and I am 63.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12So have you worked out how much you have lost
0:03:12 > 0:03:13by all these changes, Margaret?
0:03:13 > 0:03:14Yes.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18About £46,000.
0:03:18 > 0:03:19No way.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Yes.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Margaret gave up work as a receptionist when she was 59
0:03:24 > 0:03:26to look after her mother and grandchildren.
0:03:26 > 0:03:34For the last four years, she has been living off her savings.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37I had some private pension, a lump sum when I left work,
0:03:37 > 0:03:42that on.
0:03:42 > 0:03:43--that's gone.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45My mother passed away and she left me some money
0:03:45 > 0:03:46and that's practically gone now.
0:03:46 > 0:03:47So, probably...
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Come the New Year, I'll have to sell the house.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53It's that serious?
0:03:53 > 0:03:54It's that serious, yeah.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56So how does this make you feel?
0:03:56 > 0:04:00Very angry.
0:04:00 > 0:04:06Very angry and frustrated.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Margaret is one of an estimated 2.5 million affected across the UK.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11It's lead to the formation of the campaign group,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Women Against State Pension Inequality, Waspi for short.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18They say they don't object to women being brought into line with men,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21but claim they weren't given enough notice of the change.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23We absolutely support equalisation, that isn't our issue at all.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27It's the way that equalisation was carried out.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30The fact that the act was passed in 1995 but it was 14 years before
0:04:30 > 0:04:32the Government thought to inform anyone of the changes
0:04:32 > 0:04:34to their state pension age.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37So what is the solution?
0:04:37 > 0:04:40We are not asking for the pension to go back to 60.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43We're looking for a fair arrangement that will tide women
0:04:43 > 0:04:51through between their old state pension age and the new one.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I'm Sue, I'm 63 and I was born in 1954.
0:04:54 > 0:05:02Sue thought working days were over when she took Fonte
0:05:02 > 0:05:04--voluntary redundancy six years ago.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09But today, with savings running low, she is looking for job.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12What led you to go for retirement, and an early
0:05:12 > 0:05:13retirement at that?
0:05:13 > 0:05:16I had had a long working life and I was just worn out.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18It just seemed an ideal opportunity to, if you like,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20spend a bit of me time.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22But in retirement, Sue has never been busier.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24She's a parish councillor and volunteers at her
0:05:24 > 0:05:29church coffee shop.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31I'm Secretary of the local Woman's Institute, hence my pinny.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34I'm on the village hall committee, I'm a member of the history group.
0:05:34 > 0:05:35And...
0:05:35 > 0:05:36Blimey!
0:05:36 > 0:05:38The mothers union.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40I thought you're supposed to take it easy when you retire.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45Well, that's what I thought, yes.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48If you had to go back to work, does that threaten all this?
0:05:48 > 0:05:49It would threaten it.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52To work would just mean that I would be totally cut off
0:05:52 > 0:05:53from this community.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Part of the problem we have here is that our population tends
0:05:56 > 0:05:57to experience higher amounts of ill health...
0:05:57 > 0:05:59This professor believes that the pension changes hit
0:05:59 > 0:06:03the north harder than the south.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Poor women in the north-east will on average die two
0:06:05 > 0:06:08years earlier than women in the south-east.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12But perhaps more relevant in terms of the pension changes of the fact
0:06:12 > 0:06:22that some women in our region will be getting a disability
0:06:22 > 0:06:24or a long-term health problem in their mid to late 50s
0:06:24 > 0:06:27and worse than other regions, it may not be until after this
0:06:27 > 0:06:28new state pension age.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Does that mean going back to work is not always
0:06:31 > 0:06:32an option for these women?
0:06:32 > 0:06:34I think it means it's harder.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39The north-east labour market is not as buoyant
0:06:39 > 0:06:41as for example the one in London, so the two elements combine.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Women who are on low wages are more dependent on the state pension,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48it will be harder for them to continue the jobs they have been
0:06:48 > 0:06:50ordinarily doing because obviously, manual work is a lot
0:06:50 > 0:06:51more strenuous physically.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54I'm Kay, I was born in 1955, which makes the 62.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Kay had expected to have retired by now.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00She's a former air stewardess who now works for a mental
0:07:00 > 0:07:07health crisis team.
0:07:07 > 0:07:14I got my letter into 2013 to say I wasn't
0:07:14 > 0:07:16going to receive my state pension until I was 66,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18meaning I would have to wait six years.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21I was only given 18 months notice to that effect.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23I will lose about £46,000 in pension, then I'm still paying
0:07:23 > 0:07:25the national insurance stamp, which I'm paying
0:07:25 > 0:07:26over £100 per month.
0:07:26 > 0:07:27I would like to go part-time.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29And I can't afford to do that.
0:07:29 > 0:07:38And I...
0:07:38 > 0:07:40I can't see me working full-time until I'm 66, even though,
0:07:40 > 0:07:42what is going to support me?
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Just being in the modern workplace is very stressful for somebody
0:07:44 > 0:07:46of an older age group.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49If I had my state pension, I could take a less stressful
0:07:49 > 0:07:52position and wind down a little bit, which is what I would like to do.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54But what jobs can women do in their 60s?
0:07:54 > 0:07:56that issue became politically toxic this summer.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59The Hexham MP, now a minister in the Department for Work
0:07:59 > 0:08:01and Pensions, said women over 60 could start an apprenticeship.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05The Government must do all we can to assist everybody affected
0:08:05 > 0:08:06into retraining and employment and provide support
0:08:06 > 0:08:08if that is not possible.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Shame on you!
0:08:10 > 0:08:14The commitment to...
0:08:14 > 0:08:18The commitment to provide support is clear, unequivocal and ongoing.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23We have talked to various employers, very few,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25despite what the Government say on this, are keen to
0:08:25 > 0:08:29take on apprentices at the age of 65 for a year.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32They won't even have finished their apprenticeship by the time
0:08:32 > 0:08:34they reach retirement age.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37We are in one of the parts of the country with the highest
0:08:37 > 0:08:42rates of unemployment.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46Why should this group of women, just this group of women,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49bear the price of making our pension system fairer for everybody else?
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Guy Opperman said that he was too busy to be interviewed by inside out
0:08:52 > 0:08:55and referred us to the Department for Work and Pensions.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00It too declined but in a statement, said...
0:09:00 > 0:09:03"The decision to equalise the state pension age between men and women
0:09:03 > 0:09:05achieves a long overdue move gender equality.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07There are no plans to change the transitional
0:09:07 > 0:09:08arrangements already in place.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Women retiring today can still expect to receive a state
0:09:11 > 0:09:14pension for 26 years on average, several years longer than men.
0:09:14 > 0:09:24pension for 26 years on average, several years longer than men."
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Once, your 60th birthday meant it was time for women
0:09:31 > 0:09:32to celebrate the end of work.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35But with the Government showing little sign of caving in,
0:09:35 > 0:09:41the party is being put on hold.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43The Waspi campaigners believe they have enough rebel MPs
0:09:43 > 0:09:46on their side to win a vote in parliament next year.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48A long battle is on the cards.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51You feel as if you have paid your faith in the system
0:09:51 > 0:09:52and the system has let me down.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54We paid in, you pay out.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57There's still women now think they're going
0:09:57 > 0:09:59to get their pension at 60.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Some women have paid 48 years into the NI fund,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03so where is the money?
0:10:03 > 0:10:11That's what I would like to know.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14So, have the Waspi women been given a rough deal and should
0:10:14 > 0:10:16the Government stump up the cash to help them out?
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Your views on all our stories are always welcome, you can
0:10:19 > 0:10:22e-mail me or why not have your say with others on twitter?
0:10:22 > 0:10:24The details you need are on screen now.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Still to come, why most of us are in love with northern skies.
0:10:36 > 0:10:37It was amazing!
0:10:37 > 0:10:38Yeah?
0:10:38 > 0:10:39You didn't...
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Why not?
0:10:41 > 0:10:42I'm scared!
0:10:42 > 0:10:43OK!
0:10:43 > 0:10:51I'm scared of the dark!
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Heaven forbid one of your family should die abroad and
0:10:53 > 0:10:55in suspicious circumstances.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58But those who have been there will often tell you that
0:10:58 > 0:11:01British authorities are reluctant to get involved.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04So, for some, Simon Delow must have seemed something of a saviour,
0:11:04 > 0:11:09an investigator with military credentials, even if his
0:11:09 > 0:11:10services come at a cost.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15But Durham Police found it was all a pack of lies.
0:11:15 > 0:11:21Simon Hare has been investigating the bogus investigator.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24The Foreign Office in London, and a protest by families asking for
0:11:24 > 0:11:28help over the death of their relatives abroad.
0:11:28 > 0:11:29What do we want?
0:11:29 > 0:11:31ALL:Justice!
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Among them, Simon Delow, who for months masqueraded as an expert
0:11:34 > 0:11:39investigator, calling himself Simon D'Gresser.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42But he is now in prison for the £100,000 con committed
0:11:42 > 0:11:49against some of the most vulnerable people you could imagine.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51You know, he was appearing at demos.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52He was...
0:11:52 > 0:11:54He looked as if he was fighting for us.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56He seemed to be very convincing.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01I mean, he was.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Coming away from it, you wonder how on earth
0:12:04 > 0:12:05you were taken in.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08In times of the personal impact on the family, it is
0:12:08 > 0:12:11just the worst kind of fraud ever.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14He's only there for one person, himself.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17No comment!
0:12:20 > 0:12:21DOORBELL RINGS.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25I've come to Nottinghamshire.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30Ray Martin and his wife Pat were devastated when their daughter
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Claire died in Italy five years ago from stab wounds to the throat.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35We have never believed, from day one,
0:12:35 > 0:12:45that our daughter took her own life.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48The Martins believe Claire was murdered,
0:12:48 > 0:12:54but Italian authorities ruled it was suicide.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Within months of Claire's death, Simon Delow had contacted
0:12:56 > 0:12:58the Martins to say he could help.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00He said, with his team getting into Italy
0:13:00 > 0:13:03and asking questions, he could get to the truth.
0:13:03 > 0:13:04Mentioning that he'd got contacts within Interpol,
0:13:04 > 0:13:08different contacts abroad.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11He seemed to have somebody everwhere.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13That's my father's medals, my father was
0:13:13 > 0:13:19in the Coldstream Guards.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Ray is from a proud military family and Delow
0:13:21 > 0:13:25also claimed to be ex-armed services.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29I believed he fought for our country, I believed he
0:13:30 > 0:13:35was injured.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37He invited the Martins down to see him,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39he was very friendly in his contact, he wasn't pushy.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42He began to say what he could give them and
0:13:42 > 0:13:44began to dangle the carrot of what he could find out,
0:13:44 > 0:13:46what his teams could do, and then started to
0:13:46 > 0:13:56introduce, "But for me to do that it will cost £60,000, £65,000, whatever
0:13:56 > 0:13:57£60,000, £65,000," whatever
0:13:57 > 0:13:59figure it was that he said his services would cost.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02In the end, the Martins had a lucky escape.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04They simply didn't have the cash to pay
0:14:04 > 0:14:05Delow's fees.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09If I'd have had the money, or we could have remortgaged
0:14:09 > 0:14:17the house, yeah, I could have lost quite a bit.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20To go and pull a con on somebody that has lost somebody,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23to give them false hope that you're helping them
0:14:23 > 0:14:26when there is no help at the end of the line, it's...
0:14:26 > 0:14:28You know, how low can you go?
0:14:28 > 0:14:33Delow said he had spent 15 years with the RAF,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36that he'd been a pilot and risen to the rank
0:14:36 > 0:14:37of Group Captain.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40But we checked with the Ministry of Defence, and it says he
0:14:40 > 0:14:42doesn't have any military credentials whatsoever.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44And his company was simply a website he ran from his
0:14:44 > 0:14:46home in Gloucester.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49But it was slick enough to persuade some people to
0:14:49 > 0:14:51hand over the money.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54We knew that he would give a free assessment of the
0:14:54 > 0:14:59case to see if he could help, and we felt that it was worth a try.
0:14:59 > 0:15:06Because, by then, we were three years after Andrew died.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Julie's son Andrew was 31 when he died in September 2010.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12He was found in a country lane near to where he was living in
0:15:12 > 0:15:15France with injuries on his body.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17French police initially said he had died from natural causes.
0:15:17 > 0:15:25Months later, they ruled it was suicide.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28The French said it wasn't suspicious, so, you know, there was
0:15:28 > 0:15:31nothing to be done and we started to campaign and just to knock
0:15:31 > 0:15:33on any door for help.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36They have spoken to the managers and they have advised
0:15:36 > 0:15:38them not to come out and see the letter because
0:15:38 > 0:15:40they're not allowed to.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41they're not allowed to.
0:15:41 > 0:15:42What a load of tosh.
0:15:42 > 0:15:49Yeah.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52The man they knew as Simon D'Gresser accompanied them on
0:15:52 > 0:15:55many of their protests.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00This one was outside the French embassy in London.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02They gave him £18,000, thinking they were paying
0:16:02 > 0:16:04for his investigation services through his accountant, Paul Delow.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Not knowing that was his real middle name and surname.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09And it wasn't the only fictitious character he had dreamed
0:16:09 > 0:16:14up along the way.
0:16:14 > 0:16:19He told us he had a contact in France who was almost
0:16:19 > 0:16:27his counterpart, called Louis, based in Paris, who would help him
0:16:27 > 0:16:29with the language and the law and everything,
0:16:29 > 0:16:30and, you know, we were...
0:16:30 > 0:16:31We were drawn in.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34Julie now lives near Penrith in Cumbria.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37For her money, all she got was an interim report full
0:16:37 > 0:16:43of fabricated claims about her son's death.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Beginning to suspect all wasn't as it seemed to be, Julie and
0:16:46 > 0:16:49her husband Les insisted they accompany Delow on his next
0:16:49 > 0:16:51trip to France.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54He said it would be dangerous and he said that if there
0:16:54 > 0:17:00was a problem, then we may have to escape through Germany.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03We were still determined to go and we did.
0:17:03 > 0:17:10And it very quickly unravelled.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Louis was meant to meet us in Paris and he didn't turn up.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16But he was shouting down the phone at Louis, swearing at Louis, and Les
0:17:16 > 0:17:19and I just looked at each other and we both knew
0:17:19 > 0:17:24that we'd been conned.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29They went to Durham Police for help.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31It became clear that he had been in touch with
0:17:31 > 0:17:34a number of families across the UK and these families that he had been
0:17:34 > 0:17:38contacting were clearly very desperate.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41An alleged interview that happened with a French pathologist.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44He didn't have operatives across the country, he didn't
0:17:44 > 0:17:46have the old boys' network that he claimed to have,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50but actually come he was going under a different name at that point
0:17:50 > 0:17:52and he had got a previous conviction for fraud
0:17:52 > 0:17:55and had actually been to prison for fraud.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57More than a decade ago, Delow posed as an insurance
0:17:57 > 0:17:58broker in Lincolnshire.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01But he spent most of the tens of thousands of
0:18:01 > 0:18:04pounds he'd taken for policies on expensive cars.
0:18:04 > 0:18:10Simon Delow had set up a company purporting to be an
0:18:10 > 0:18:15international company that specialised in, you know, some
0:18:15 > 0:18:17fairly specialist insurance cover for the construction industry.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20And on looking into that, we quickly found
0:18:20 > 0:18:21that the whole thing was a sham, really.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25On the internet, his website, you know, reporter,
0:18:26 > 0:18:27--purported
0:18:27 > 0:18:29blue-chip company, big expensive offices, Singapore, New York.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31The reality was, it was a two-bedroom
0:18:31 > 0:18:33flat above a hairdressers in Boston.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36As Durham Police built up their case against Delow
0:18:36 > 0:18:41for his latest fraud, he went on the run.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43He'd left Gloucester, but they traced him to Jersey
0:18:43 > 0:18:47in the Channel Islands.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50He was found by officers at a motor home stopover site
0:18:50 > 0:18:52appropriately called the Hideaway.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Unfortunately for him, it wasn't a very good
0:18:54 > 0:18:58hiding place.
0:18:58 > 0:19:04Delow was arrested and held on them and in Durham.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06--Held on remand in Durham.
0:19:06 > 0:19:13In August, he pleaded guilty to ten fraud
0:19:13 > 0:19:23relating to the Sheppards, the Martins and a third family.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26I want to look him in the eye, for him to know, you know, what
0:19:26 > 0:19:28he has done.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Ten days ago, Simon Delow had to face his victims again at
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Durham Crown Court as he was given a ten year
0:19:33 > 0:19:35sentence for con that a judge said could be
0:19:35 > 0:19:36summed up in one word: cruel.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Ray, what it you make, ten years, what did you make of that?
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Not enough, but yeah, happy.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47At least he's not out there trying to dupe anybody else.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50I think the judge summed it up, saying, cruel.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52You know, what all these people have been through already and
0:19:52 > 0:19:54then to do that to them?
0:19:54 > 0:19:56It's just really sickening.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Well, the families now have justice against Simon Delow
0:19:59 > 0:20:02but they say they will continue to fight for justice for their loved
0:20:02 > 0:20:12ones who died abroad.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21How much notice do we really take off our surroundings,
0:20:21 > 0:20:22especially what's up above?
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Northumberland has the largest areas of protected dark skies in Europe,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27and with observatories popping up all over the region,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30there's never been a better time to discover the wonders
0:20:30 > 0:20:31of the universe.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Owain has been finding out why we should all be looking up.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Now, I know you all love the weather, and yes,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41it's raining again.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43I'm sorry about that.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46But when was the last time you looked a bit further afield?
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Looked beyond those clouds and took a good look
0:20:48 > 0:20:58at the stars and the planets?
0:20:59 > 0:21:01It may be all around us, but it's something a lot
0:21:01 > 0:21:06of us take for granted.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Now, as this new Observatory opens in the north Pennines,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12I want to know just what it takes to be an astronomer and do
0:21:12 > 0:21:14we all have it in us?
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Now, tonight is the first night at a brand-new
0:21:16 > 0:21:19community owned Observatory.
0:21:19 > 0:21:29As you can see, it's already getting pretty dark.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32But we're going to need to hang onto these clear skies if we're
0:21:32 > 0:21:33going to see any stars.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34I'm crossing my fingers.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Well, we weren't so lucky a few nights earlier.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42In the depths of Kielder Forest, emerging through the mists,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Northumberland's first and flagship observatory.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47The unpredictable weather hasn't put off tens of thousands of visitors.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50To give you a little bit of introduction, astronomy is,
0:21:50 > 0:21:55I guess the narrative is leading all the way to the revolution
0:21:55 > 0:22:04--evolution of the universe.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Dark skies, or astro tourism, has became such a big part
0:22:06 > 0:22:09of the local economy now, people from all of the world
0:22:09 > 0:22:12in the UK are flocking to come to Kielder, which is just brilliant.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13And long may it continue.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16If I think back to when the Observatory first opened,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18I was working here as a volunteer and the Observatory
0:22:18 > 0:22:19couldn't employ anyone.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21We now employ ten full-time members of staff.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23For me, as a young lad growing up in Sunderland,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25purchase a telescope fairly cheap.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27I observed all sorts of things, even from a back garden
0:22:27 > 0:22:30in a light polluted area.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Some of the best things are definitely seen
0:22:32 > 0:22:37through the cameras.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40We attach a camera to the telescopes and get some
0:22:40 > 0:22:41phenomenal images.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Like the Andromeda galaxy, which is one of my favourites.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47I think now, everybody doesn't really take the time to take
0:22:47 > 0:22:50look up at the sky, especially with smartphones and technology.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54It would be lovely for people just to look up, just for one night,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56or just for a moment and actually appreciate the wonders
0:22:56 > 0:22:57of the universe.
0:22:57 > 0:23:03DOCTOR WHO THEME TUNE PLAYS.
0:23:03 > 0:23:08Well, you don't have to go out in the cold to get into astronomy.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11On a sunny day in County Durham, a pop-up planetarium lets families
0:23:11 > 0:23:15experience the night sky.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19It's about getting out there into the community and just
0:23:19 > 0:23:21reaching out to them and teaching them about astronomy,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24making them passionate about our dark skies.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27And how long have you been interested in this kind of thing?
0:23:27 > 0:23:31In astronomy, all my life.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34I've only seriously taken it up recently in the last six or seven
0:23:34 > 0:23:36years when I started doing night photography around here.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38And started building up a reputation as somebody
0:23:38 > 0:23:44who photographed the night sky.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46Gary's photos might be impressive, but has he managed to inspire
0:23:46 > 0:23:55the next generation of stargazers?
0:23:55 > 0:24:03I saw lots of stars and I saw the Milky Way and it felt
0:24:04 > 0:24:05like you were spinning, and
0:24:05 > 0:24:06it felt like you were actually there.
0:24:06 > 0:24:07It was amazing!
0:24:07 > 0:24:08Yeah?
0:24:08 > 0:24:09You didn't enjoy...?
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Why not?
0:24:11 > 0:24:12I'm scared!
0:24:12 > 0:24:13OK.
0:24:13 > 0:24:14I'm scared of the dark.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16It's not just interesting but its things that
0:24:16 > 0:24:17you should know, it's like...
0:24:17 > 0:24:18It's important to know what's happening.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Why was it so amazing?
0:24:20 > 0:24:21Because it was about space!
0:24:21 > 0:24:22And you like space?
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Yeah!
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Up the Valley, the new Observatory, it's the final hurrah of
0:24:27 > 0:24:30the week-long stargazing festival.
0:24:30 > 0:24:31That's a whole one.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33So, if you slice that, you get...
0:24:33 > 0:24:34That's like the edge of that.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Yeah.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40So if you imagine one about that big, that was sliced.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43But before we look at the skies, I'm learning about what can
0:24:43 > 0:24:44fall down from them.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46These are meteorites.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48This is the same stuff that the Earth was made of,
0:24:48 > 0:24:494.5 billion years old.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Wow.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54So it's starting to fill up here now and we're about learn about more
0:24:54 > 0:24:55about the wonders of the universe.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58That's Andy, he's an amateur astronomer and he went on a pretty
0:24:58 > 0:25:02special trip earlier this year.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05I was lucky enough to get to America in the summer
0:25:05 > 0:25:11to see the total eclipse.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15It was the kind of experience of a lifetime, really.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19I've been wanting to see an eclipse ever since I was a kid.
0:25:19 > 0:25:29It looked like the sky had a hole in it.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32There's a potential maximum of four, possibly five eclipses every year
0:25:32 > 0:25:35but to get one with a clear sky, that was the special thing
0:25:35 > 0:25:36about North America.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38And it was the most amazing experience.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41But you don't need to go all the way to the States to see
0:25:41 > 0:25:42some spectacular skies.
0:25:42 > 0:25:43Gary, hello.
0:25:43 > 0:25:44Good to see you again.
0:25:44 > 0:25:54What have we got here?
0:25:54 > 0:25:58It's a telescope with a man guiding system on it. -- mount and are
0:25:58 > 0:25:59guiding system.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02so I can take it wherever want to look.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04And we're looking at the millennium moment.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07-- at the moon at the moment.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10So this is actually moving very slowly now to track the moon?
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Yeah.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17To compensate for the rotation of the Earth and of
0:26:17 > 0:26:18the movement in space.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Amazing.
0:26:21 > 0:26:22Can I take a photo?
0:26:22 > 0:26:23Yeah, definitely.
0:26:23 > 0:26:24Wow.
0:26:24 > 0:26:25That is amazing.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28Wow.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29Yeah, get your phone.
0:26:29 > 0:26:30Right, here it.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Just position the lens right of the eyepiece of the telescope.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35Look at that.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Who would have thought I would be taking a picture like this over
0:26:38 > 0:26:39the moon on my smartphone?
0:26:39 > 0:26:40Amazing.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43So be pushed out into right in the Observatory now.
0:26:43 > 0:26:50Good news, we still have clear skies overhead,
0:26:50 > 0:26:52I think we'll seesome stars.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Sorry, guys, we have to turn these lights off, them.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58It's been the first north Pennines stargazing festival.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01We have attracted, through the week, we think approximately 800 people
0:27:01 > 0:27:02to events across the north Pennines.
0:27:02 > 0:27:03Which I think is absolutely fabulous.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Dark skies are a key special quality of the north Pennines,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09nine out of ten people in England have never seen the Milky Way.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Whereas on a clear night, such as we have tonight,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15it's easy to see the Milky Way in the north Pennines.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17So something as simple as that is extremely special
0:27:17 > 0:27:26and something that we need to look after.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29It's been great to sort of look through the eyepiece
0:27:29 > 0:27:30of the telescope tonight.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Something that I've always wanted to do.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36I don't think I've ever seen a halo on the moon quite
0:27:36 > 0:27:38like I've seen it tonight, that was really good.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43I think you need the dark sky further.
0:27:43 > 0:27:44--for that.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48I live just the other side of Durham and there's lots of light pollution
0:27:48 > 0:27:50from the town and every thing so you wouldn't get the same
0:27:51 > 0:27:52brilliant stars that you get here.
0:27:52 > 0:27:59So, yeah, fantastic place.
0:27:59 > 0:28:00Well, it's been a great night.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04A bit cloudy but we're still managed to see loads of stars.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07So many of us live in towns and cities where you just wouldn't
0:28:07 > 0:28:11get views like these.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14But the fact is, these dark sky parks are right on our doorstep.
0:28:14 > 0:28:20We just need to get out there and enjoy them.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23And that's it for tonight and the current series.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26But fear not, we'll back in the New Year.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29If you think there is a subject or person we should do a story
0:28:29 > 0:28:31about, please do keep those suggestions coming.
0:28:31 > 0:28:32You can e-mail me.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34It's chrisjackson@bbc.co.uk.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36And who knows?
0:28:36 > 0:28:41It could be your idea that end up on our screens.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44If you want to catch those fabulous night sky pictures again, just
0:28:44 > 0:28:50search for us on the BBC iPlayer.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53On behalf of the whole Inside Out team, thanks for watching and we'll
0:28:53 > 0:28:54see you again in January.
0:28:54 > 0:28:59Till then, from Middlesbrough, good night.