:00:00. > :00:00.you. That is all from
:00:00. > :00:10.This is East Midlands Today with Geeta Pendse and me, Maurice Flynn.
:00:11. > :00:17.Tonight: The routine eye check`up that saved a man's life.
:00:18. > :00:22.How this simple scan spotted a potentially deadly form of cancer
:00:23. > :00:28.developing. If I had not had the eye test, who knows what would have
:00:29. > :00:37.happened. Also tonight, the reserve is enough can tee `` the reservists
:00:38. > :00:42.navigating some of Afghanistan's most dangerous roads. We are pretty
:00:43. > :00:48.much protected from everything. And I will be finding out why Derby has
:00:49. > :00:52.become the real ale capital of the country.
:00:53. > :00:56.Cheers! Behind the scenes at Nottingham Forest against Leicester
:00:57. > :01:01.City. The fans may not like each other but the two kit men get on.
:01:02. > :01:12.Find out more later. Good evening. Welcome to Wednesday's
:01:13. > :01:16.programme. First tonight, a regular eye test that became a life saver.
:01:17. > :01:19.A Derby man was diagnosed with a rare form of bone marrow cancer
:01:20. > :01:24.after his optometrist spotted a minuscule haemorrhage at the back of
:01:25. > :01:27.his eye. Steve Trower believes that without
:01:28. > :01:31.this early diagnosis, he may not have survived.
:01:32. > :01:41.Today I joined Steve as he revisited the optician to say thank you.
:01:42. > :01:47.Keep your eye on the green square. It is two years since Steve had his
:01:48. > :01:52.last I scan at this distance. At the time, he thought it was a regular
:01:53. > :02:00.checkup, but the optometrist picked up on a tiny town which led to an
:02:01. > :02:05.important discovery `` a tiny tear. If you look closely, it you can see
:02:06. > :02:14.the tiny haemorrhage the optometrist spotted. It was because of the spot
:02:15. > :02:19.that a GP recommended a blood test leading to a diagnosis. If I had not
:02:20. > :02:24.come for the eye test, who knows what would have happened. I was
:02:25. > :02:28.getting more lethargic, but I put it down to advancing years, working
:02:29. > :02:35.hard and things like that. You would not instantly think cancer. He was
:02:36. > :02:39.diagnosed with a rare form of bone marrow cancer. The severity of the
:02:40. > :02:45.illness was a surprise for the optometrist too. Most commonly, when
:02:46. > :02:48.you see something like that, you would be thinking more along the
:02:49. > :02:55.lines of diabetes or high blood pressure. He came and told us that
:02:56. > :03:01.happened and we were surprise. Back at work as a local plumber after
:03:02. > :03:07.intense treatment, Steve says he is now on the road to recovery. It is a
:03:08. > :03:13.great feeling that I am alive and happy and well and getting on with
:03:14. > :03:22.my life. Thanks to the vino. In the past, he left more than a decade
:03:23. > :03:26.before going to the optician `` thanks to the optometrist.
:03:27. > :03:33.So lucky it was spotted. Absolutely. It was all about regular
:03:34. > :03:37.checkups. As the optometrist said, it was a very rare form of cancer,
:03:38. > :03:42.but a checkup can help pick up things like high blood pressure and
:03:43. > :03:47.diabetes. Have a checkup, they are telling us.
:03:48. > :03:50.Sound advice. Next tonight, the East Midlands
:03:51. > :03:52.soldiers who run the gauntlet of deadly roadside bombs in
:03:53. > :03:55.Afghanistan. They're drivers and it's their job
:03:56. > :03:57.to carry supplies through Helmand province in convoys which are
:03:58. > :04:00.regularly attacked. One of them is Corporal Andy Betts
:04:01. > :04:03.from Wigston in Leicestershire. He's among a group of army reservists
:04:04. > :04:05.from Loughborough and Grantham who've been deployed on what the
:04:06. > :04:13.military calls combat logistics patrols. Our social affairs
:04:14. > :04:15.correspondent Jeremy Ball reports. Imagine getting stuck behind this
:04:16. > :04:22.lot when you are trying to get to work. More than 50 armoured trucks
:04:23. > :04:28.travelling in convoy. On this patrol, they reservist `` a reserve
:04:29. > :04:34.list from Leicestershire. A chance to get away from the traffic jams of
:04:35. > :04:40.his normal job and face challenges. It is small arms fire and IEDs.
:04:41. > :04:44.Because of the arm on the vehicles, we're pretty much protected from
:04:45. > :04:50.everything. There has been a lot of change. They are closing down now.
:04:51. > :04:56.The bases have shrunk. It is fascinating to see. They are
:04:57. > :05:02.collecting millions of pounds worth of sensitive equipment. It makes
:05:03. > :05:08.these patrols a prime target. That is why the huge force protection
:05:09. > :05:11.vehicles are pushing rollers in front of them. They will take the
:05:12. > :05:20.force of the blast if they hit an improvised bomb. The latest threat
:05:21. > :05:25.they are facing is known as a pillow IED, a sack full of explosives
:05:26. > :05:29.thrown underneath the vehicle. An occupational hazard for this man
:05:30. > :05:39.whose family is back in rodding ten. I was not expecting the bank. Some
:05:40. > :05:49.people will wave at you, some people will wave `` throw stones at you. It
:05:50. > :05:56.is crazy. The way they live. The way they drive. It is quite mad. As this
:05:57. > :06:01.mission comes to an end, the Army is becoming increasingly reliant on its
:06:02. > :06:04.reservist. For this man going back to delivering clothes might just
:06:05. > :06:15.seem a bit tame after his stint out here.
:06:16. > :06:19.A teenager has been jailed for three years for the manslaughter of his
:06:20. > :06:22.best friend who was found dead in his burnt`out car. Ryan Morrell had
:06:23. > :06:25.fallen asleep in the car after attending the Fristock festival near
:06:26. > :06:27.Melton Mowbray last July. 18`year`old Jack Buckley
:06:28. > :06:30.accidentally dropped his lighter while searching for his possessions
:06:31. > :06:34.in the dark. He didn't know anyone was in the car, but failed to raise
:06:35. > :06:37.the alarm after the fire started. The number of unemployed people in
:06:38. > :06:47.the East Midlands has fallen by 4,000. The total number of people
:06:48. > :06:50.out of work in the region now stands at 162,000. The rate of unemployment
:06:51. > :06:56.in the East Midlands is at 6.9%. That's below the national average of
:06:57. > :06:59.7.2%. It's Wednesday and it's Geeta and
:07:00. > :07:02.Maurice with you tonight. Still plenty ahead between now and 7pm,
:07:03. > :07:06.including what shopkeepers make of the town threatening to remove any
:07:07. > :07:12.A`boards or signs it feels are dangerously blocking its streets.
:07:13. > :07:19.A further round of big budget cuts and job losses have been approved by
:07:20. > :07:22.one of the region's county councils. The Conservative leadership at
:07:23. > :07:29.Leicestershire's County Hall says it has to find savings of ?110 million
:07:30. > :07:32.over the next few years. But voluntary groups and opposition
:07:33. > :07:38.parties have been pressing for a rethink. For the details, let's join
:07:39. > :07:45.our political editor John Hess. We are now into the fourth year of
:07:46. > :07:48.council austerity budgets. And the political decisions being taken here
:07:49. > :07:55.at County Hall, Glenfield, aren't getting any easier. A council
:07:56. > :07:59.meeting today where the only item on the agenda was money. And the
:08:00. > :08:02.continuing squeeze on budgets. Leicestershire County Council is
:08:03. > :08:10.having to find budget cuts of ?18.2 million next year. That is part of
:08:11. > :08:14.?110 million worth of cuts over the next four years. It will reduce its
:08:15. > :08:19.overall spending by a third. It could mean 700 additional job losses
:08:20. > :08:25.on top of the 750 that have already gone. Is there an alternative? That
:08:26. > :08:29.is the challenge I put to the Labour Party opposition. It is proposing to
:08:30. > :08:35.chop the support staff to the political parties. That is something
:08:36. > :08:38.we can do immediately. An enormous number of redundancies are taking
:08:39. > :08:44.place in the county council that front line services. We cannot
:08:45. > :08:49.justify three political assistants. What is the alternative budget at
:08:50. > :09:03.the Lib Dems? They want to freeze council tax. We are still delivering
:09:04. > :09:07.three additions. It costs 100 thousand pounds on the brochures and
:09:08. > :09:13.publicity. The impact of the cuts will be felt at this museum and
:09:14. > :09:20.visitor centre. It is facing a funding cut of a third of its
:09:21. > :09:26.funding. Joining me now is the county council Leader, Nick Rushton.
:09:27. > :09:32.These are big cuts. Was there any alternative? No, not in our view. We
:09:33. > :09:41.have done the best we can and we have sought to protect the front
:09:42. > :09:46.line servant `` services. Incredibly tough decisions. We have tried to
:09:47. > :09:50.get some alternative budget proposals from the opposition. The
:09:51. > :09:58.Labour Party suggested scrapping the political assistants. Is that a
:09:59. > :10:02.runner? They also suggested a 1.5% council tax rise, that is the
:10:03. > :10:08.principal difference between us and the Labour Party. We want to keep
:10:09. > :10:14.the tax levels at 0%. At a national level, coalition partners, the Lib
:10:15. > :10:19.Dems, they suggested perhaps changing the street lighting policy,
:10:20. > :10:21.introducing LED lights which are cheaper. Also chopping
:10:22. > :10:29.communications budget saving ?100,000. Big numbers. We will look
:10:30. > :10:35.at all those things. ?100,000 does not save 110 million. Next year,
:10:36. > :10:39.even tougher decisions. It is 110 million over four years. I am
:10:40. > :10:43.assured by the Chancellor that no matter who wins the next general
:10:44. > :10:46.election, the recession may be over, but the structural deficit is not
:10:47. > :10:53.and we need to deal with it. And you. Next week, it is County Hall
:10:54. > :10:55.West Bridgford and the turn of Nottingham county council to fix its
:10:56. > :11:05.budget next Thursday. For details to emerge, I am sure.
:11:06. > :11:07.Now to a high`street row that's got shopkeepers standing firm against
:11:08. > :11:10.threats to confiscate their advertising boards if they're put on
:11:11. > :11:13.the street outside their businesses. The town council at Stamford in
:11:14. > :11:16.Lincolnshire says such signs obstruct pavements, are dangerous
:11:17. > :11:18.and they say they're illegal. But traders say they're vital in
:11:19. > :11:24.attracting shoppers in tough times. Paul Murphy has more.
:11:25. > :11:29.High streets are competitive places and for many businesses putting out
:11:30. > :11:35.the board as part of the morning routine. Here their proliferation is
:11:36. > :11:40.dividing the town. The council wants them to go and businesses are
:11:41. > :11:43.furious. It is ridiculous. We put something on our Facebook page and
:11:44. > :11:51.we had so much response saying how ridiculous it is. Seems very
:11:52. > :11:55.aggressive from them. We would like to have a conversation about it
:11:56. > :11:59.rather than a nasty letter. The town council's letter says it has had
:12:00. > :12:05.complaints about the increasing number of boards and advertising
:12:06. > :12:09.clutter. It says the boards or illegally placed items in hazardous
:12:10. > :12:11.locations and says there could be legal action if they cause an
:12:12. > :12:18.accident. The council says enforcement action could involve
:12:19. > :12:21.removal of the obstruction. Kathleen is partially sighted and among those
:12:22. > :12:27.who have complained. A trip to town she says is like going on an
:12:28. > :12:33.obstacle course. You are frightened you are going to run into them.
:12:34. > :12:38.Sometimes you might go down the high street and someone has put one out
:12:39. > :12:43.that you do not know about. Retailers now have about two weeks
:12:44. > :12:49.to get rid of their boards. We are going to look into our insurance and
:12:50. > :12:52.make sure we are covered. We are going to stick together. If they
:12:53. > :12:56.want to take them away, we are not going to let them. No one from the
:12:57. > :13:01.council was available for comment or to give a statement. Their letter to
:13:02. > :13:04.retailers makes it clear that in their view, the boards are a
:13:05. > :13:13.potential breach of the highways that and they want them cleared from
:13:14. > :13:16.the street. Alfreton Town Football Club want the
:13:17. > :13:20.team's fans to buy tickets early for upcoming games to avert a cash`flow
:13:21. > :13:23.crisis caused by seven weeks without a home match. The Reds are doing
:13:24. > :13:26.well this season and are currently in third place in the Conference
:13:27. > :13:30.Premier League. But poor weather has stopped them playing at home for
:13:31. > :13:33.weeks and the club says it's now struggling to pay its bills.
:13:34. > :13:37.A railway tunnel in Derbyshire has been named as the oldest in the
:13:38. > :13:40.world by the Guinness World Book of Records. The tunnel at Fritchley
:13:41. > :13:43.near Crich was built on a short mineral railway dating from 1793.
:13:44. > :13:46.The line carried limestone from quarries at Crich to the Cromford
:13:47. > :13:50.Canal at Bull Bridge until 1933. The tunnel was blocked up in the 1980s,
:13:51. > :13:57.but was reopened last year to allow an archaeological investigation to
:13:58. > :14:07.take place. How wonderful. A subject close to
:14:08. > :14:11.many of our hearts, beer and lots of it! It seems Derby has become the
:14:12. > :14:15.real ale capital of the country. For the first time ever, the
:14:16. > :14:17.Campaign for Real Ale or CAMRA is holding its national winter beer
:14:18. > :14:23.festival in the city's Roundhouse. 12,000 people are expected over the
:14:24. > :14:32.next three days. Today, Jo Healey was one of them.
:14:33. > :14:49.These beers are excellent. We are having a great time. I like a bear.
:14:50. > :14:59.It sparkles on your tongue `` bear. The judges have come to find the
:15:00. > :15:10.supreme Champion beer. I hate this stuff! But these guys love it. The
:15:11. > :15:17.judges but winter ales. This is a blind tasting of the best. A nice
:15:18. > :15:24.coffee smell coming out of that. It has obviously got plenty of nice
:15:25. > :15:28.roasted malts in there. Quite a dark beer. You need a torch. We can make
:15:29. > :15:36.sure it is nice and clear and has not got yeast particles floating in
:15:37. > :15:41.it. The carbonation is a little low. Not a great deal of sparkle on my
:15:42. > :15:47.tongue. The taste is quite pleasant. I would drink a lot more of this.
:15:48. > :15:52.What is it like to be a former supreme champion? It had a huge
:15:53. > :15:57.impact on our business. People nationally acclaimed aware of the
:15:58. > :16:02.beers we brew in the East Midlands. Now Derby is on the map. Sadly the
:16:03. > :16:07.supreme winner was not local this year but the festival most
:16:08. > :16:16.definitely is. It is like Nirvana, beer Nirvana.
:16:17. > :16:21.I want to see if I can make my glass do that thing with the lights!
:16:22. > :16:27.I am sure there will be plenty of beer at the football match tonight.
:16:28. > :16:33.Let us check out the weather. My advice is to take your waterproof.
:16:34. > :16:35.You might need it as you head home. On the plus side, it will be mild.
:16:36. > :16:47.More details later. Time for sport and there's a big
:16:48. > :16:50.game tonight for two of our teams, so the sports team are out and
:16:51. > :16:54.about. Here's Natalie. Yes, a big night for two our cities
:16:55. > :17:04.football teams as Nottingham Forest take on Leicester City here at the
:17:05. > :17:08.City Ground. The shirts are out inside the dressing rooms, the teams
:17:09. > :17:16.are ready. Why is it so important? Well, both teams want promotion.
:17:17. > :17:22.They want to go to the Premier League. This is Lester's dressing
:17:23. > :17:29.room, the away dressing room, at the city ground. A win for Leicester
:17:30. > :17:46.will put them ten points clear at the top of the table. If Nottingham
:17:47. > :17:55.Forest when, they will go within one win of the top two. We got the
:17:56. > :18:00.bragging rights in the first game. This is another challenge for both
:18:01. > :18:05.clubs. Leicester City are going very well. It should be a very exciting
:18:06. > :18:09.game. We have got an awful lot to play for the season and Nottingham
:18:10. > :18:15.Forest are in good form themselves and they have got themselves into a
:18:16. > :18:18.really good position. Of course, it being a local derby, it gives an
:18:19. > :18:23.added spice. We are all looking forward to it. We want to try and
:18:24. > :18:29.get our performance right and continue with our good form. Outside
:18:30. > :18:32.the picture is looking good. Leicester City and Nottingham Forest
:18:33. > :18:37.are both in top form at the moment. So too are Derby County. We are the
:18:38. > :18:41.best in the East Midlands at the moment. All teams in the top six and
:18:42. > :18:47.what a victory last night at Sheffield Wednesday. They are now
:18:48. > :18:51.third. The players that Derby are having a
:18:52. > :18:57.well earned day off today. Another huge win for them last night. All
:18:58. > :19:02.courtesy of a moment of magic. It was a goal worthy of winning any
:19:03. > :19:09.game. Patrick Bamford has been in fine form but this was his finest
:19:10. > :19:11.goal yet. Derby had arrived at Sheffield Wednesday in confident
:19:12. > :19:17.mood and why not? They were unbeaten in their last five and flying high
:19:18. > :19:23.in the league. At times, they were having to dig deep. Twice they had
:19:24. > :19:27.to clear chances off the line. With the game seemingly headed for a
:19:28. > :19:35.draw, up stepped Patrick Bamford. I knew I would shoot as soon as I got
:19:36. > :19:39.it. It was my only chance. People were talking about pushing for
:19:40. > :19:42.automatic promotion, I would not know out of experience, but picking
:19:43. > :19:50.up the three points, that is what you have got to do. Derby are up to
:19:51. > :19:55.third in the table, just two points off an automatic promotion place.
:19:56. > :20:06.There is a very real possibility we could be seeing Premier League
:20:07. > :20:11.football here next season. Now it is time for the latest in our
:20:12. > :20:18.series in life after sport. Tonight, Helen is with Loughborough athlete
:20:19. > :20:22.Steve Backley. Steve Backley is one of our finest
:20:23. > :20:28.sportsmen. It is a new Olympic record! Here is the only British
:20:29. > :20:32.athlete to have one medals in three consecutive Olympic Games. `` to
:20:33. > :20:37.have won medals. Nowadays, you are more likely to find him here at the
:20:38. > :20:46.golf club. I love it. Golf grabs you and it fills a void of not being an
:20:47. > :20:50.athlete anymore in a lot of ways. He retired from sport in 2004. It was a
:20:51. > :20:57.couple of days before he knew what he wanted to do next `` it was a
:20:58. > :21:02.couple of years. I started out in retirement going, what now? You go
:21:03. > :21:05.damage of centre and say, retired javelin thrower. What are your
:21:06. > :21:12.skills? I can throw the javelin a long way. That is not an option.
:21:13. > :21:19.Where do you begin? I came away from the Olympics... He announced rules
:21:20. > :21:25.`` he now draws from his Olympic experience. I hope my work helps
:21:26. > :21:29.people. You are very selfish as an athlete. You have to be
:21:30. > :21:33.single`minded. I genuinely love the fact that the workshops we do, the
:21:34. > :21:36.presentations we do, they help people fulfil their dreams and
:21:37. > :21:42.overcome challenges and we help people enjoy the journey as well.
:21:43. > :21:47.Which is better, life now or life as an athlete? That is a tough
:21:48. > :21:53.question. Let me put it into context. Waking up in the middle of
:21:54. > :21:59.winter in the southern hemisphere summer and training, that is tough
:22:00. > :22:07.to beat. Really tough. I love what I do now, but you can't beat living as
:22:08. > :22:11.an athlete. My advice would be, don't try and beat it and don't try
:22:12. > :22:17.and compare it. That is just about it from the city ground. The work of
:22:18. > :22:22.the kit men is just about over as kick`off is fast approaching. Just
:22:23. > :22:29.time to say congratulations to the Nottingham Panthers. They beat the
:22:30. > :22:33.Sheffield Steelers last night. It means they are in the final for the
:22:34. > :22:39.first time in a row and they will play the Belfast Giants. Good night
:22:40. > :22:45.from the city ground. You can see all of the goals, Nottingham Forest
:22:46. > :22:51.against Leicester City, in the late bulletin at 10:25pm. We hope there
:22:52. > :22:59.will be calls. We are sure there will be. `` we hope there will be
:23:00. > :23:02.goals. One of the region's principal
:23:03. > :23:04.tourist sites has enlisted a local schoolgirl to help develop
:23:05. > :23:07.child`friendly attractions. Maddie Ball from Bingham is already the
:23:08. > :23:10.youngest volunteer at Southwell Workhouse and now she's been
:23:11. > :23:13.recruited as a junior consultant. The workhouse reopened for its new
:23:14. > :23:16.season today and Paul Bradshaw went along to find out more.
:23:17. > :23:21.Welcome to the workhouse. Meet Maddie Ball greeting youngsters at
:23:22. > :23:24.the workhouse. She has helped come up with a new visitor guide to
:23:25. > :23:32.encourage more young people to visit. We made a character who leads
:23:33. > :23:36.the children around the workhouse. We made her a mouse because she can
:23:37. > :23:42.go everywhere and she understands the segregation which makes the
:23:43. > :23:47.children understand segregation from families as well. She is the third
:23:48. > :23:49.generation to work here. Her mum and grandmother also volunteer. A
:23:50. > :23:57.fascination with the past, it seems, is in the blood. We have an interest
:23:58. > :24:02.as a family in history. I am not surprised she came up with the idea
:24:03. > :24:08.and it worked. She worked with the design team on the Trail. It is good
:24:09. > :24:16.to work with children. They are so inspiring. Their ideas about what
:24:17. > :24:22.workhouse life was like. I took the opportunity to invite Heron and to
:24:23. > :24:25.get a child's point of view `` I took the opportunity to invite her
:24:26. > :24:32.in. It is not just children learning more. Lily Brown was born here when
:24:33. > :24:38.it was known as a public assistance institution. Today was her first
:24:39. > :24:44.visit back. I think it is an eye`opener to think how people lived
:24:45. > :24:52.in my generation. I did not realise just how they did live. How these
:24:53. > :24:58.workhouses were. That was the biggest eye`opener. As helps guide
:24:59. > :25:09.more visitors around, this could be the start of a memorable career in
:25:10. > :25:12.history for one young girl `` as Maddie Ball helps guide more
:25:13. > :25:17.visitors around. I think I spotted a bit of blue sky
:25:18. > :25:22.in that piece. Have we got any more in store?
:25:23. > :25:28.It is looking more unsettled. If you were lucky to get out in the
:25:29. > :25:35.sunshine today, there was a little hint of spring. Thank you very much
:25:36. > :25:41.to Julie for sending this in. The perfect rainbow yesterday. If you
:25:42. > :25:47.have any pictures to send in, e`mail them to us. A few of your photos
:25:48. > :25:51.will be put onto our Facebook page in the coming days. Overnight, it is
:25:52. > :25:57.turning unsettled. Rain heading our way. Winds strengthening and quite
:25:58. > :26:02.mild. This is the weather front pushing in overnight. Bringing us an
:26:03. > :26:08.early spell of rain, quite patchy in nature. Heavier in the early hours.
:26:09. > :26:13.The isobars are squeezing together. Gusts up to 40 miles an hour. Not as
:26:14. > :26:19.extreme as anything over the last few weeks. This evening, fairly
:26:20. > :26:24.decent so far. The cloud has been increasing. One or two light patchy
:26:25. > :26:28.showers around. Then the rain starts to push in. Quite patchy but it will
:26:29. > :26:32.be quite heavy at times. It is remaining mild overnight.
:26:33. > :26:38.Temperatures will drop to seven degrees only. More like a daytime
:26:39. > :26:41.temperature at this time of year. Remaining very windy with strong
:26:42. > :26:45.winds through Thursday morning. The rain will slowly clear away to the
:26:46. > :26:52.East. But I did, decent dry spells in the afternoon `` behind it. Also
:26:53. > :27:00.sharp showers around. Remaining breezy. Still quite windy on Friday.
:27:01. > :27:06.The good news is it will be largely dry with a few showers. A lot of dry
:27:07. > :27:13.weather to be had. But watch out, it will be fairly windy at times.
:27:14. > :27:16.We will be back at 10:25pm. Have a good evening.