06/04/2012 East Midlands Today

And now the news for the East Midlands. I'm Maurice Flynn.

First-time buyers and people in housing need who are struggling to

get on the property ladder are being offered a helping hand in

Leicester. Ten flats at the Phoenix Square arts complex have gone up

for sale with the offer of a government-backed loan to cover 20%

of the asking price. Rob showed me the two-bedroomed

flat he has just bought at Phoenix Square in Leicester. His flat cost

�140,000. He has a five-year interest-free loan backed by the

government to help him pay 20% of the cost. It is called FirstBuy.

It has worked for me and I am sure it all work for other people. I

think FirstBuy is a great scheme for people looking to get on the

property ladder who are struggling to find finance to do it.

10 flats at the Phoenix Square complex went on sale as part of

FirstBuy. The cost of the interest free loans is being shared by the

government's Homes and Communities Agency and the developer. The it is

a regeneration company owned by the agency.

There is a lot of desire from first-time buyers, particularly

young professionals. While they can afford to fund the mortgage while

they have got it, they cannot raise the deposit.

At Rob's flat, a homely touch, artificial grass on the balcony. --

artificial grass. It's emerged that a gospel church

in Nottingham has been fined after people living nearby complained

about its services being too noisy. Nottingham City Council brought the

prosecution against the New Generation Church in Basford

following four years of complaints and no sign of improvement. From

nearby homes they recorded the level of singing, music and

preaching coming from the church and found it was over acceptable

levels - often for as long as three hours at a time. The church was

fined �360 by magistrates and ordered to pay legal costs of �600.

A study from the University of Nottingham has made a major

breakthrough in the treatment of appendicitis. A team of scientists

at the Queen's Medical Centre analysed the results of four

patient trials. They found that people with uncomplicated

appendicitis could be treated successfully with medicine. In the

long run it could mean fewer patients needing invasive surgery.

An appendicectomy is one of the most commonly performed operations

in the UK, obit -- over 40,000 people a year have it. And we could

prevent 65% of patients from having this operation, and would be

freeing up a theatre space. Thousands of people gathered in

Leicester earlier today to witness the Passion of Christ. The annual

open-air presentation has been taking place since 2003 and sees

the cast make their way through the city centre, ending at Humberstone

Gate. It costs around �40,000 a year to put on, but regularly

attracts 10,000 spectators - making it one of the biggest performances

of its kind in the country. With the spring lambing season well

under way, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust says this year it's selling

its lambs to local pubs rather than to wholesalers. Selling its own

livestock direct is a simple move, but one that the trust believes

will help it raise more money for local conservation projects.

When Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust said they would deliver effective

habitat conservation on a plate, this may not have been what people

had in mind. But fear not, this is not the end for the Hebridean sheep,

but a way of the trust earning some extra cash.

We have to sell some cheap to maintain a balance, and hopefully

what we intend to do is see a little more money coming back to

offset the cost of running the programme.

The sheep I used to manage habitat. The trust has 600 of them in total,

and it is thought to be the largest flock in the world.

Over the last 10 years, we have changed some of the site. This used

to be dominated by young tree seedlings, the sheep have really

changed that quite a lot, and some of the sites are now looking a lot

better than they were 10 years ago. You may soon be able to order a

plate of Hebridean in your local, but for Nottinghamshire Wildlife

Trust, the regeneration of the county's heathland will still be as

important as ever. An unusual military ceremony took

place in Nottingham earlier today to mark the 200th anniversary of a

famous battle. Troops from the Mercian Regiment, the city's lord

mayor and the regimental mascot gathered to remember Badajoz Day,

the day - In 1812 - that Nottinghamshire troops finally

conquered the Spanish town. Without a Union Flag, they ran a British

Army red jacket up the flagpole instead - an event they re-enacted

today. Being the only infantry unit,

regular or TA, in Nottinghamshire, we certainly feel a strong

connection to it, which is why my platoon is called Badajoz platoon.

It is all about history and remembering where we have come from

and holding that dear to us. On to football, and ahead of a

weekend of Championship action, Notts County have been in League

One action today. The Magpies scored three goals in the second

half to win at Leyton Orient. Vitally, the three points mean they

maintain their push for a play-off place. I'll have those goals for

you in our bulletins here tomorrow. And in tomorrow's other games,

Derby County are at home to Ipswich, Leicester City play Doncaster at

the King Power Stadium and Nottingham Forest host Bristol City.

And Nottingham Forest footballer Garath McCleary goes into

tomorrow's game having been named as the Npower Championship player

of the month. The winger scored four goals in the Reds' 7-3 win

over Leeds at Elland Road last month and has played a key role in

the club's revival in fortune. Forest's manager praised the team

and the 24-year-old's performance. If you go in to a game and you know

you have got goals in the locker, which we know we have, for three

months we did not have a clean sheet and a goal, we could not buy

a clean sheet and a goal, and now we know we have got both. It is a

good recipe, and we are looking forward to the rest of the season.

If your Easter weekend plans depend on the weather, let's check the

Still plenty of snow on the ground in parts - these shots taken

earlier by our cameraman Mark show the scene in Wessington in the

Amber Valley area of Derbyshire. No more snow this weekend, but the

cloud we've had today is going to be sticking with us tonight. It'll

bring a little rain in parts as lows drop to 4 Celsius. Tomorrow

will see any rain or drizzle clearing. It'll be dry with some