:00:12. > :00:15.And now the news for the East Midlands. I'm Maurice Flynn.
:00:15. > :00:18.First-time buyers and people in housing need who are struggling to
:00:18. > :00:22.get on the property ladder are being offered a helping hand in
:00:22. > :00:25.Leicester. Ten flats at the Phoenix Square arts complex have gone up
:00:25. > :00:35.for sale with the offer of a government-backed loan to cover 20%
:00:35. > :00:36.
:00:36. > :00:42.of the asking price. Rob showed me the two-bedroomed
:00:42. > :00:46.flat he has just bought at Phoenix Square in Leicester. His flat cost
:00:46. > :00:52.�140,000. He has a five-year interest-free loan backed by the
:00:52. > :00:56.government to help him pay 20% of the cost. It is called FirstBuy.
:00:56. > :01:01.It has worked for me and I am sure it all work for other people. I
:01:01. > :01:06.think FirstBuy is a great scheme for people looking to get on the
:01:06. > :01:10.property ladder who are struggling to find finance to do it.
:01:10. > :01:20.10 flats at the Phoenix Square complex went on sale as part of
:01:20. > :01:24.FirstBuy. The cost of the interest free loans is being shared by the
:01:24. > :01:29.government's Homes and Communities Agency and the developer. The it is
:01:29. > :01:33.a regeneration company owned by the agency.
:01:33. > :01:37.There is a lot of desire from first-time buyers, particularly
:01:37. > :01:42.young professionals. While they can afford to fund the mortgage while
:01:42. > :01:48.they have got it, they cannot raise the deposit.
:01:48. > :01:53.At Rob's flat, a homely touch, artificial grass on the balcony. --
:01:53. > :01:55.artificial grass. It's emerged that a gospel church
:01:55. > :01:58.in Nottingham has been fined after people living nearby complained
:01:58. > :02:00.about its services being too noisy. Nottingham City Council brought the
:02:00. > :02:04.prosecution against the New Generation Church in Basford
:02:04. > :02:07.following four years of complaints and no sign of improvement. From
:02:07. > :02:10.nearby homes they recorded the level of singing, music and
:02:10. > :02:14.preaching coming from the church and found it was over acceptable
:02:14. > :02:21.levels - often for as long as three hours at a time. The church was
:02:21. > :02:24.fined �360 by magistrates and ordered to pay legal costs of �600.
:02:24. > :02:27.A study from the University of Nottingham has made a major
:02:27. > :02:30.breakthrough in the treatment of appendicitis. A team of scientists
:02:30. > :02:33.at the Queen's Medical Centre analysed the results of four
:02:33. > :02:37.patient trials. They found that people with uncomplicated
:02:37. > :02:44.appendicitis could be treated successfully with medicine. In the
:02:44. > :02:48.long run it could mean fewer patients needing invasive surgery.
:02:48. > :02:57.An appendicectomy is one of the most commonly performed operations
:02:57. > :03:01.in the UK, obit -- over 40,000 people a year have it. And we could
:03:01. > :03:05.prevent 65% of patients from having this operation, and would be
:03:06. > :03:08.freeing up a theatre space. Thousands of people gathered in
:03:08. > :03:11.Leicester earlier today to witness the Passion of Christ. The annual
:03:11. > :03:14.open-air presentation has been taking place since 2003 and sees
:03:14. > :03:17.the cast make their way through the city centre, ending at Humberstone
:03:17. > :03:19.Gate. It costs around �40,000 a year to put on, but regularly
:03:20. > :03:27.attracts 10,000 spectators - making it one of the biggest performances
:03:27. > :03:29.of its kind in the country. With the spring lambing season well
:03:29. > :03:34.under way, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust says this year it's selling
:03:34. > :03:37.its lambs to local pubs rather than to wholesalers. Selling its own
:03:37. > :03:47.livestock direct is a simple move, but one that the trust believes
:03:47. > :03:47.
:03:47. > :03:50.will help it raise more money for local conservation projects.
:03:50. > :03:53.When Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust said they would deliver effective
:03:53. > :03:58.habitat conservation on a plate, this may not have been what people
:03:58. > :04:03.had in mind. But fear not, this is not the end for the Hebridean sheep,
:04:03. > :04:07.but a way of the trust earning some extra cash.
:04:07. > :04:12.We have to sell some cheap to maintain a balance, and hopefully
:04:12. > :04:15.what we intend to do is see a little more money coming back to
:04:15. > :04:20.offset the cost of running the programme.
:04:21. > :04:26.The sheep I used to manage habitat. The trust has 600 of them in total,
:04:26. > :04:30.and it is thought to be the largest flock in the world.
:04:30. > :04:36.Over the last 10 years, we have changed some of the site. This used
:04:36. > :04:41.to be dominated by young tree seedlings, the sheep have really
:04:41. > :04:45.changed that quite a lot, and some of the sites are now looking a lot
:04:45. > :04:49.better than they were 10 years ago. You may soon be able to order a
:04:50. > :04:54.plate of Hebridean in your local, but for Nottinghamshire Wildlife
:04:54. > :04:56.Trust, the regeneration of the county's heathland will still be as
:04:57. > :04:59.important as ever. An unusual military ceremony took
:05:00. > :05:02.place in Nottingham earlier today to mark the 200th anniversary of a
:05:02. > :05:05.famous battle. Troops from the Mercian Regiment, the city's lord
:05:05. > :05:07.mayor and the regimental mascot gathered to remember Badajoz Day,
:05:07. > :05:14.the day - In 1812 - that Nottinghamshire troops finally
:05:14. > :05:17.conquered the Spanish town. Without a Union Flag, they ran a British
:05:17. > :05:24.Army red jacket up the flagpole instead - an event they re-enacted
:05:24. > :05:29.today. Being the only infantry unit,
:05:29. > :05:33.regular or TA, in Nottinghamshire, we certainly feel a strong
:05:33. > :05:37.connection to it, which is why my platoon is called Badajoz platoon.
:05:38. > :05:42.It is all about history and remembering where we have come from
:05:42. > :05:45.and holding that dear to us. On to football, and ahead of a
:05:45. > :05:47.weekend of Championship action, Notts County have been in League
:05:47. > :05:50.One action today. The Magpies scored three goals in the second
:05:50. > :05:53.half to win at Leyton Orient. Vitally, the three points mean they
:05:53. > :05:56.maintain their push for a play-off place. I'll have those goals for
:05:56. > :05:59.you in our bulletins here tomorrow. And in tomorrow's other games,
:05:59. > :06:02.Derby County are at home to Ipswich, Leicester City play Doncaster at
:06:02. > :06:04.the King Power Stadium and Nottingham Forest host Bristol City.
:06:04. > :06:06.And Nottingham Forest footballer Garath McCleary goes into
:06:06. > :06:12.tomorrow's game having been named as the Npower Championship player
:06:12. > :06:15.of the month. The winger scored four goals in the Reds' 7-3 win
:06:15. > :06:18.over Leeds at Elland Road last month and has played a key role in
:06:18. > :06:28.the club's revival in fortune. Forest's manager praised the team
:06:28. > :06:29.
:06:29. > :06:33.and the 24-year-old's performance. If you go in to a game and you know
:06:33. > :06:37.you have got goals in the locker, which we know we have, for three
:06:37. > :06:42.months we did not have a clean sheet and a goal, we could not buy
:06:42. > :06:47.a clean sheet and a goal, and now we know we have got both. It is a
:06:47. > :06:50.good recipe, and we are looking forward to the rest of the season.
:06:50. > :06:56.If your Easter weekend plans depend on the weather, let's check the
:06:56. > :06:59.Still plenty of snow on the ground in parts - these shots taken
:06:59. > :07:02.earlier by our cameraman Mark show the scene in Wessington in the
:07:02. > :07:05.Amber Valley area of Derbyshire. No more snow this weekend, but the
:07:06. > :07:09.cloud we've had today is going to be sticking with us tonight. It'll
:07:09. > :07:12.bring a little rain in parts as lows drop to 4 Celsius. Tomorrow
:07:12. > :07:14.will see any rain or drizzle clearing. It'll be dry with some