27/06/2011 East Midlands Today

This is East Midlands Today. The top story.

A mother's anger as an airline refuses to carry her disabled son.

EasyJet says Declan's electric wheelchair is too heavy to get on

the plane. What they have done is making feel

even more different, because he cannot fly because of his

wheelchair. Also, the vending machine fire that

did this to a hospital's A&E unit. Plus, holding auditions for an

album, the army wife recording songs for soldiers.

And, Kasper Schmeichel signs for Good evening. Welcome.

The top story, a mother says her son has been let down by an airline

who refused to carry his specialised wheelchair. Declan

Spencer is disabled and has deduce the chair. He has flown without any

problems with other airlines, but EasyJet says it will not taking

because the wheelchair is too heavy. His mother is thinking of taking

legal action. Declan is 12 years old. He lives

with his mother. He has muscular dystrophy. He has lost the ability

to walk. He is now in a wheelchair, and for easyJet, that is a problem.

They say the chair is too heavy to lift. It is really upset end. What

is it should have done, they have made him feel even more different,

-- what EasyJet have done. They have made a 12-year-old feel very

sad. The family were due to fly to Cyprus. They have had to alter

their flights because of the policy. For Declan, it is to be a very

special holiday. He is having spinal surgery, he will have metal

rods either side of his spine. Afterwards, he will not be able to

be lifted manually. He cannot stay in his own wheelchair on the plane.

And, he will not be able to sit in a plane seat. Other airlines will

accept his wheelchair. EasyJet said, The fact that his wheelchair, he

needs it, and so it cannot be taken to pieces. They say they cannot fly

out with it because he is so severely disabled. It is not right.

She believes the policy amounts to discrimination. She is getting

legal advice. EasyJet have told us they are

refunding the tickets and the family of going on holiday with

another airline. Birt Alexandra says the experience has been

upsetting. I spoke to Robin Meadowcroft, the chief executive of

the most British of the campaign. I asked him for his reaction to the

decision. We are very disappointed at the

stance. We wish they would have talked to the family and found a

solution. Lots of families are affected by this. It comes down to

health and safety. 60 kilograms is a heavy weight to carry. Yes, but

other airlines find ways of overcoming the problem. You cannot

have a specialist piece of equipment being dismantled by

engineers in one airport, and if it all right at the same destination,

reassembled. It is not going to work, the kit is expensive. There

is a better solution that other airlines find. Can you put pressure

on easyJet to market their roles? - - look at their rules? We are

trying to have a positive relationship, to find a solution.

They have got this wrong. Ultimately, the onus is on the

person booking the flight to make sure they look up the rules, and if

it does not work, go with an alternative. Yes, but if all other

airlines are accommodating these wheelchairs, that is not right, and

there is legislation about equal access. Are you hopeful that you

might see a change in the future, and it will become easier for

people with wheelchairs to travel abroad? I am always hopeful, but

the fight goes on. He was the 370 if a soldier to fall

in Afghanistan. Today he was buried with full military honours in

Nottingham. Lance Corporal Martin Gill was killed earlier this month

while on foot patrol. Today, friends and comrades paid tribute

to him. Lance Corporal Martin Gill came

home today. The soldier from 42 Commando was buried at the Roman

Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd in Woodthorpe. He was

given full military honours. I saw him growing up, he was young,

athletic, a great swimmer, and I remember him swimming his first

sponsored mile for charity. He always put others before himself.

He was killed on fifth June. An hour into a foot patrol in south

Helmand and leading from the front, he was fatally wounded by small

arms fire. He was promoted to lance-corporal within three months,

that is testimony to the man who we are talking about. Professional,

loyal, selfless in every act. These were the characteristics that stood

him out. Those who knew him said that he was always destined to be a

Royal Marine. He was fearless, but his death follows his mother's

recently. She was a young woman, she died of cancer, only three

months ago. This is the third death in that immediate family. Days

after he was killed, the Prime Minister said he would never be

forgotten. Family, friends and comrades would insure that he never

It took more than 70 firefighters hours to bring under control, and

caused damage totalling millions. The fire at one of our main

hospitals also meant the closure of its accident and emergency unit,

and the transfer of patients to other units in the East Midlands.

Let's go live to Rob Sissons, at the Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Accident and emergency now back up and running, but for 16 hours it

was closed, patients were ferried to other hospitals, and the fire

started all the way down there in the main entrance. What took hours

to destroy, it will take many months to put right.

It is a friendly welcome, but not the first impression a major

hospital would want to give. The staff have been praised for the way

they have got the building back in action, even though the main

entrance is closed. It was not too bad, they are coping well.

Everything was fine, the appointment was as quick as it

normally is. It is incredible to think this devastating fire was

caused by an electrical fault in a vending machine. It started on

Saturday night. A newsagents, waiting area and the main entrance

were badly damaged. It will cost millions to repair. We are open for

business. The department which was evacuated on Saturday evening,

Sunday morning, it was reopened on Sunday at 1pm. We remained open to

our patients, we are still admitting people for surgery.

entrance might not be the most attractive front door, but it has

meant the building can stay open. They will be no cancellations for

patients, but they are being warned they might have to wait longer or

walk to another part of the building. The struggle damage to

the main entrance is so severe, it could take months to reopen. The

priority is cleaning up what they can. The only comings and goings on

management and engineers, with the long road to rebuilding the head.

-- ahead. How long before things get back to

normal? It will be many months. Patients will have to get used to a

lot of changes. They are having to use this entrance. The patients

come from Ripley, Matlock, and when they come into the hospital, they

will find some changes. This fracture clinic is shut, and this

area is fenced off. Plenty of volunteers on hand to direct people.

The entrance did not have any sprinklers, why is that? We were

told there is no legal requirement for that, but the rebuilding of the

main entrance, only refurbished a couple of years ago, they will look

next time at whether to put them in or not.

Coming up, the fall weather forecast, and what a crazy day it

has been. And, East Midlands Today has been

on tour this weekend. We bring you all of the highlights from the

A man has pleaded guilty to daubing racist graffiti outside a building

in Nottinghamshire. Magistrates heard that a pig's head was left on

a poll outside the building in West Bridgford, which has been

considered as a possible site for a mosque. The sentencing of

Christopher Paine has been adjourned, pending reports.

School children and teachers in Nottingham could be facing changes

to their term times and holidays. The City Council is to consult with

staff, pupils and parents about whether a change to five or six

shorter-term would help learning and reduce tiredness.

Derby's special baby-care unit will remain closed to new admissions for

most of this week. Only parents and staff are allowed them. This is

after two babies were infected with the MSSA bug. Three others have

been cabin the bacteria on their skin. The Royal Derby Hospital says

investigations are continuing. The �600 million has been cut from

the social care budget for all the people in the last 12 months. That

is the claim from the charity Age UK, were read it will mean more all

the people being left isolated in their own homes -- were read.

Friends of the elderly have been illustrating exactly what that is

like. 10 volunteers have lived in their homes without any human

contact. Geoff Maskell was the first to

visit one volunteer. It is always nice to have visitor,

but for the last week, nobody has been to call here. The occupant is

in her 30s, but this is part of an experiment on isolation and older

people. Hello! Good to see you! Able welcome after a week without

company. No visitors, calls for access to the internet. No human

contact, stuck in here. I had to do tasks every day, wearing empathy

Aids to mimic the debilitating effects of old age that some people

have. For a kimono, the physical constraints made a huge difference.

-- for a keen runner. I live on my own, but under these conditions, I

felt trapped. I wanted to do things, but I had to stay end. The week is

over, but according to the charity, 12% of all the people feel trapped

in their own home. 200,000 seniors do not get out of the house, and

50% say that television is their main company. But this is Larkhill.

When it opened two years ago, a quarter of the residents needed

some kind of care. Not any more. Over 30 people in two years have

come out of the support package. That is due to our care that we

I have got a family, but you are on your own ones that door closes. But

now you have only got open your door and somebody is passing!

council should be doing this! Everybody should be doing this. I

have said this all along - they should close all the old folks'

homes and build big places like this.

We are joined by Sandra Taylor, a trustee with Friends of the Elderly,

the organisation that carried out the project. Why did you do this?

We wanted to raise awareness among the public about how many people

are so isolated and, also, what might be able to be done about it.

What will you be able to learn from this? It is an interesting

experiment - just a week and it was almost unbearable. We had 10 young

people from all walks of life, all over the country, giving blogs and

video diaries. Their findings and experiences will be looked at by

Northumbria University as part of a wider study into social isolation,

with the hope that that can inform social policy and the ways in which

we might be able to help. A huge amount has been cut from the social

care budget - is this really going to make any difference? �600,000,

as reported by Age UK, is a dramatic reduction, and will make a

difference to people who depend on social care. Charities like ours

are very dependent on a voluntary activities, contributions from

charitable funds and individuals. We will work hard, and continue to

work hard, to provide services, but we can't replace state services and

wouldn't expect to. Let's hope this experiment goes some way to helping

people make informed decisions in future.

Homes and had to be evacuated earlier today because of a fire at

a scrapyard in Derbyshire. Crews were called to Lift & Shift in

Cromford Road in Langley Mill just before 11am this morning. Concern

about a number of cars and acetylene cylinders in the

scrapyard prompted the move to evacuate some residents.

Police have issued this image of a man they want to trace in

connection with an indecent assault on a 14-year-old girl in Leicester.

It happened on June 3rd as the teenager was waiting at a burger

van outside Anstey Lane Club. Anyone with information is asked to

contact officers. Summer arrived in the East Midlands

yesterday. And this sunshine certainly drew the crowds -- crowds

to the Derbyshire County Show. We were all there, too, with our

roadshow, inviting visitors to have a go at doing our jobs!

We couldn't have asked for a better day here at the Derbyshire County

Show. The sun has come out and so This is just the kind of thing you

need on a gorgeous summer's a day like today - a vintage car. But we

have got one or two classics of our And here he is. Dominic, you have

been very busy. I have been doing a lot of this. Thank you. I was

handing out rosettes earlier. I Are you enjoying the show? I am. It

is a really good show because it is not to massive, just the right size,

and there is lots to see and do. And the crowds are stopped in at

our roadshow and had a go at doing our jobs. Hello and welcome to the

So, that's it from the Derbyshire County Show. If you missed us this

Whatever you do, come on down! It looked fantastic. Still to come:

Singing for soldiers - as auditions are held up, we need the army wife

who aims to raise spirits and money through music.

# Although you are in my hard # I It has all been going on in the

sport! We start with two new signings for

Leicester City. Midfielder Neil Danns comes from Crystal Palace but

the man who has really caught the eye is Kaspar Schmeichel. He is the

son of Peter, formerly of Notts County, and joining Sven Goran

Eriksson for the third time. The builders here are delighted to

see him, but Leicester's pursuit of Kaspar Schmeichel has not been

entirely straightforward. After Leeds made their offer public,

Schmeichel insisted he wanted to stay in Yorkshire. And yet here he

is. It is just football. It is in the past and I wish Leeds all the

best. I am a Leicester City player now and over the moon to be here. I

can't wait to get going. Renowned for sometimes pulling off

a spectacular save, it is not always fun being one of the back

four. He can be very focused. don't really notice what's going on

other than on the pitch. I just want to win. When we don't, I am

not happy. It wasn't just Kaspar. They have signed Neil Danns, as

well, who has real ambition for his new club. It was great to be

offered the chance to go and play for Rangers. But once I knew that

the fans of the club were aiming for the Premier League, that is

something that is in my ambitions, as well. As for Kaspar, who we know

from Notts County, he has had three wins in three years. He just wants

stability to see a contract through. Things out of my control dictated

these last couple of times. I hope that I can, but football throws up

some weird stuff sometimes and you can't always plan. I guess another

promotion would rather sit in, to! Nottingham Forest's manager Steve

McLaren has headed for France to try to persuade the midfielder to

stay at the club. The 26-year-old French and is out of contract and

has attracted interest from Premier League sides but McLaren want Guy

Moussi to stay. It in cricket's Twenty20, more than

8,000 people were at Trent Bridge yesterday seeing Nottingham beat

Lancashire. They now top the table. They returned a international

cricket did not go well for Nottingham's Samit Patel. He was

just three balls and when this disaster fell upon him. He went for

a run that never was and was slow in getting back. It wasn't great

for Stuart Broad. He was run out as England were hammered by Sri Lanka.

Derbyshire are back in championship action today. Wes Durston got a

century. Well done to Lucy Hall, the

triathlete repeated on Friday. She won gold.

It is difficult for most of us to imagine what it is like having a

loved one away serving in the forces overseas. One person who

knows is another of two from Derby, whose soldier husband is due to go

to Afghanistan this year. To occupy the time he is away and to support

our forces overseas, Stacey Fisher is raising money by a recording her

own songs. In fact, she hopes to produce a whole album, with

performances by like-minded amateurs.

# Where is the love? Natasha from the East Midlands,

singing her own competition for the judges hearing Derby. Like another

well-known singing competition, there is an ex involved, but this

is aimed at a different audience. These auditions are for amateur

singers and composers to perform on an album supporting British forces

overseas. It's the brainchild of Stacey Fisher from Derby. Her

husband Dan, a soldier, is off again to Afghanistan and she wants

to release an album for the charity she has founded, Singing For

Soldiers. The we are looking for singers to feature on the album.

They will get studio time and raise money for charity and also perform

at events throughout the UK. It is open to anybody - you don't need a

professional experience. We have had people come from all over -

Surrey, London, Wales. It has been every be good turnout.

# Two weeks have gone and still no word.

The kids are asking why, where is daddy?

Stay EC has already written and recorded her own track for the

album, outlining the anguish wives feel when their husbands go off at

four. I wanted to do something that would help everybody and raise lots

of money for a good cause. What is it about Singing For

Soldiers that attracted your attention? But what does husband

Dan think of it all? He is really proud. He is a bit biased because

he is my husband, but he is really supportive.

Stacey hoped the album, sold to raise money for troops' relief,

will be out this year, with some of these audition lease on it. -- of

these people auditioning on it. What a brilliant idea! I can't

think of anything worse than standing on a cross and singing.

How scary! We are not known for The weather has been extraordinary.

It has been very hot and humid. The weather is starting to change, so

good news if it has not been agreeing with you. As family of

swans decided to go out for a bit of a walk. Thank you to Brian, who

captured these shots of them walking along the road. Do dad got

annoyed with the traffic and stood in front of the cars to hold up the

proceedings until mum and decades crossed the road.

We are going to start to see slightly better temperatures coming

in, but we wait until tomorrow at to see them. We start to see a few

heavy, thundery showers tonight. A few showers on the radar today but

they have not produced much rain. You might get a dry shower, where

you hear the thunder and see the lightning but don't get much rain.

It will stay quite hot and humid with a minimum temperature of 12

Celsius. The showers are still around first thing tomorrow, mainly

across the east of the region. We stay quite cloudy through Tuesday

and it will be quite drizzly at times, as well. Patchy rain on and

off into the afternoon. Daytime temperatures going back to what

they should be for the time of year. A maximum of 19 Celsius. A decent

day on Wednesday. We will stay reasonably warm and temperatures

will be around 19 Celsius. A bit of cloud coming and going into the

afternoon, and we have high pressure building back in towards

the end of the week. At the moment, it looks as if we will stay mainly

dry. There will always be the opportunity for a light shower but

the temperatures will go back down to more realistic values. If you

have not felt very well - I have had bad asthma - it will go back to