11/04/2014 East Midlands Today

murdering 29 people in the Omagh bombing. The Co-Op Bank has

This is East Midlands Today with Dominic Heale and me, Anne Davies.

If Tonight, the South Wigston schoolgirl who gave Adrian Mole to

the world. Tributes are paid to the author Sue

Townsend. You are the she was a lovely person.

Another blow to Rosemary Conley's troubled food and fitness empire.

A drawing protests. Protesters set up camp in North Nottinghamshire.

And the London Marathon. We will catch up with some of the runners

taking part, including our very own Mel Coles.

Good evening and welcome to Friday's programme. First tonight, she was as

proud of Leicester as Leicester was of her. Today a host of tributes

have been paid to Sue Townsend, the author, who's died at the age of 68.

Born and raised in the East Midlands, Sue spent most of her life

in Leicester, using it as a setting for her most famous work ` the

Adrian Mole series. Amy Harris reports.

Hapless hero Adrian Mole brought to life on television. He is the

creation of Sue Townsend, whose hugely popular series follows him

from adolescence to maturity, all set in and around her home city. She

charted social history in an ordinary town that was not London.

Over the course of 30 years. She is a national treasure. Adrian Mole

made her name but her the role was originally called something else and

at the University of Leicester's library lies the evidence. This is

one of our prize possessions. This is the only draft manuscript of The

Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole. You will notice that it is actually

Nigel Mole. This presenter met her before the release of the brick and

they have been friends since. I still get overwhelmed thinking about

it. To be just a tiny part in those incredibly well wonderfully funny

and much loved book 's is just wonderful. She achieved worldwide

success following the publication of Adrian Mole books. She was left

blind by diabetes and died after a stroke. She was able to touch people

's hearts through her story telling. She was a real person. Her honesty

came across in her books which have entertained and enchanted millions

of readers. She will go down in history as the Leicestershire

schoolgirl who gave Adrian Mole to the world.

As you heard in Amy's piece, tributes have been paid from across

the country and here's just a few of those quotes from Twitter today.

JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, said she was "so sad

to hear about Sue Townsend. She gave me so many laughs." Comedian Sarah

Millican said she was just about to start reading Sue's most recent

novel, The Woman Who Went To Bed For A Year, and will "do so now with a

heavier heart". The actor David Walliams described her as a "comedy

genius" and "a lovely lady". And finally, the writer Caitlin Moran

said she was "one of the funniest women who ever lived".

The Leicestershire`based Rosemary Conley Health And Fitness Company is

terminating its contracts with all franchisees across the country. The

business is already in administration but a lack of cash

coming in has prompted the move. Simon Ward is outside the company's

headquarters at Quorn in Leicestershire. Simon, what's led to

the decision today? There are various parts of the

business empire up for sale. During the recession, less people went to

fitness classes and it has been hard to find new members. Rosemary Conley

and the administrators remain confident and hope they will find a

new buyer. But at the moment the process of terminating contracts is

going ahead. It's a famous brand that is getting

into difficulties. Already in administration, parts of the company

are up for sale. Now it has been revealed more than 120 franchisees

who run Rosemary Conley Food And Fitness clubs are having their

contracts terminated because some were not paying regular fees. The

business requires an income from management services fees payable by

the individual franchisees. A number have not been able to pay for one

reason or another. That means the company cannot continue providing

support to franchisees. Sharon Perdue is one of the franchisees in

Nottingham. She has operated for 19 years. We have been going to classes

for the last ten weeks, trying to keep the smile on our face. The last

week, Rosemary told us on Monday that we would be able to walk away

from our contract. Yesterday, we knew the date, which will be the

17th of April. That was a bit of a relief because we had been in limbo.

Then it was a little scary as well. Rosemary Conley herself is

travelling out of the UK but spoke on the phone. Discussions are

ongoing with a number of parties who are interested in taking the

franchise operation forward. If that doesn't work out, there is a real

opportunity for franchisees to be able to use my name under licence.

Administrators hope the company founder is right and someone steps

in to rescue the business. What is the timescale now?

From next Thursday, business support is being withdrawn from people who

run the clubs. From the 25th of April, the contract will be

terminated. At that point, people will have to stop using the Rosemary

Conley branding although they are hoping to licence the name in

future. There trying to find a buyer for part of the company at least so

it is likely to be a crucial month. Still to come: the row over

freemasonry that sparked a walk`out by county councillors.

And all set for a festival of cycling in Derbyshire. I'm off to

join the fun. A man has been charged with the

murder of a woman in the Normanton area of Derby. Yvette Hallsworth was

found dead on Sunday morning at the back of houses on Hartington Street.

The 36`year`old died of stab wounds. 18`year`old Mateusz Kosecki appeared

before magistrates in the city today and is due to appear again at

Nottingham Crown Court on Monday. A Nottinghamshire Police officer who

was sacked after he was wrongly convicted of rape has been

reinstated today. Trevor Gray was dismissed after being sentenced to

eight years for attacking a woman at her home. That conviction was later

quashed and he was subsequently cleared at a retrial. Yesterday, the

Police Appeals Tribunal ruled that Mr Gray could return to his job.

A teenager from Loughborough has denied preparing a terrorist attack

on his own home town. Today Michael Piggin told the Old

Bailey that he was influenced by the Columbine High School killers. But

he said he only wrote about repeating the attack as a way to

cope with bullying. Our social affairs correspondent, Jeremy Ball,

was in court and joins us from London. What happened today?

Today he was giving evidence for the first time in this trial. He went

into the witness box wearing an Arctic Monkeys t`shirt. And he

quietly took the jury through his side of the story, led by questions

from his barrister. The central plank of Michael Piggin's defence.

That he was simply a bullied teenager who fantasised about

killing as a coping mechanism. But who never intended to go through

with it. What did he say about the claim that

he planned to copy the notorious Columbine high school massacre?

Michael Piggin told the jury that he was influenced by the Columbine

killers. And he admitted that he felt sorry for them because, like

him, they'd been bullied. And he talked about a central piece of

evidence in this case. Detailed notes he wrote called Plans And

Tactics For Operation: The New Columbine. His barrister, Ali Bajwa

QC, asked, "Is this a genuine plan?" Michael Piggin replied, "Of course

not". And he was asked, "Did you approve of what they did?" The

teenager said, "Of course not, no". He also denied that he was serious

about attacking Loughborough mosque, and other targets that he'd named on

a hit`list. And what did he say about weapons

and videos that have been shown to the jury?

Well, he's denied stockpiling weapons for an attack. Instead, he

said he collected airguns and knives, because it was cool. And a

crossbow found by the police was a Christmas present from his nan. He

was also asked about this evidence. A petrol bomb test. He said that was

something he did with his friends, simply for entertainment. And

finally those videos where he made threats on behalf of the Urban

Revolutionary Army. Michael Piggin said they wanted to be seen as an

anti`extremist group, to defend people. But he suggested it was just

teenage bravado. He'll be back in the witness box next week, to face

questions from the prosecution. Anti`fracking campaigners have set

up an eco camp in Nottinghamshire. It's an attempt to block plans to

drill for shale gas at Daneshill, in the north of the county.

The campaigners claim the first application for underground fracking

in the East Midlands is now just weeks away. This report from the

Sunday Politics reporter Helen McCulloch.

In a wood in the north Nottinghamshire, a protest camp is

growing. Ic ame from Scotland and I heard they were setting up here and

I thought with the Robin Hood legends and stuff and the nature

reserve, this would be a good place to try to turn the tide. At the

moment, they are objecting to drilling to extract methane gas from

the coalbed below the ground. With this area potentially rich in shale

gas, it could soon become the next battle ground in the fight against

fracking. We have been told the first application in the East

Midlands could come as soon as the next two weeks. Protesters here are

making plans. Would you like some leaflets? Kat Boettge from the Green

Party is a regular visitor to the camp. She shares concerns voiced by

protesters here. We need strict regulations in place. It is a joke,

isn't it? An absolute joke. To produce 10% of the gas we need in

this country, we are talking about 300 wells every year for the next

ten years. That is 3000 wells drilled over ten years. You tell me

how you will regulate when you drill one mile down, turn left and drill

for another mile. How do you regulate that? But fracking

companies have the backing of the Prime Minister and are casting their

eyes over the East Midlands. The first thing is we have to explore

and establish the presence of shale and ascertain whether or not it is

economically attractive. That will entail at some point having to frack

the well in order to get the gas to flow. Our expectation is that

probably will occur sometime in 2015. Protesters are heading to the

region and the battle lines are being drawn.

And the issue will be debated on the Sunday Politics for the East

Midlands with MPs Jessica Lee and Jon Ashworth. Join Marie Ashby at

the later time of 2.30 this Sunday here on BBC One.

Plans to make it compulsory for councillors to declare if they're a

freemason has led to a walk`out by elected members at one authority.

The man behind the plan says it's to promote greater transparency. But

the Conservative group on Derbyshire County Council says the idea's been

poorly thought out. Simon Hare reports.

Conservative county councillors in Derbyshire walk out of this week's

full meeting of the authority. It follows a motion tabled by Labour's

Andy Botham who feels if she has to declare his membership of a trade

union, others should declare if they are a Freemason. The motion was

passed unanimously and supported by the third majority party. The

Conservatives have walked away and I don't know when they are coming

back. No one from the Conservative group was available for interview

but they made a statement saying that the motion had been thoroughly

worded and was unconstructive and they have not had the chance to

debate it properly. This solicitor has been a Freemason for 50 years.

He says it is nonpolitical and members cannot use it in their self

interest. We must declare an interest if any conflict arises. You

can't ask a Freemason to declare himself when he is involved in any

walk of life. Its ties to the human rights act. Freemasons are proud of

what we do and should promote it but if they are hiding behind secrecy

how can they do that? It will be taken to another council committee

before being confirmed as policy. Yesterday, we had a look inside

Derby's new partly completed velodrome. And it seems if you're a

serious cycling enthusiast or just want to get fitter this summer then

Derby and Derbyshire are the place to be.

Over 100 separate events will take place throughout the city and

county, in a festival of cycling. Some will be light` hearted ` a

celebration of old bikes, good food and fine wine. Others, more serious,

including the gruelling and ultra`competitive Tour de France.

James Roberson reports. Typical. You wait for one Olympian

and two come along at once. Annie Last, who did well at her mountain

biking event in the London Olympics knows all about the value of cycling

in the Peak District. She grew up there. Having great trails and

accessibility on my doorstep meant it was easy to get out and have

great fun and good training and bike riding. The Olympics have hugely

boosted cycling's popularity. Now dozens of events in Derbyshire at

this summer will raise its profile further and hopefully bring visitors

and money to the area. Tourism is already worth about ?1 billion per

annum here so it is big business. The range of events being staged

here over the summer are of national and international importance. It is

hugely important to the national park because this is a cycling

festival that celebrates the landscape, local food, local

communities and heritage. They will be focusing on well dressing, cheese

and the fantastic beer that comes from the Peak District and our

landscape. That's the great thing about it. But it's not just in the

Peak District. Both the opening of the new velodrome and a new bike hub

are happening in Derby this summer. We are very excited that the

velodrome is opening in Derby so that will add another facility to

claim we are a great place for cycling. The highlight must be the

Tour de France. Three times Paralympic gold medal winner Anthony

Katz from Derbyshire says in its brief visit to the Peak District,

the steepest path will be unmissable. Whether you know about

cycling or not, everyone knows the Tour de France. It is such a

spectacle and opportunity to see the best riders in the world going

through the area. Anyone who has the opportunity to have a look, you have

to take the opportunity. We are all set for a summer of cycling. I'm off

on a bicycle made for two, or maybe 3000, with a Paralympian on the

back. Coming later on the programme:

limbering up for the London Marathon.

Hundreds of East Midlanders will be taking part ` among them, our very

own Mel Coles. Find out why, later. And will it be perfect weather for

the marathon or outdoor plans this weekend? Your detailed forecast

shortly. First, Derby County could confirm

their place in the play`offs tomorrow at home to Huddersfield in

front of their home fans. For striker Johnny Russell it would be

so sweet after a tough season with three bad injuries in less than a

year. Kirsty Edwards reports. Just another day on the Derby

training ground but there's one player here who doesn't take a

minute for granted. Johnny Russell is all smiles now. Back in the team

and enjoying their great position in the league. In the past year, he

suffered three serious injuries. It has been a pretty rubbish year, to

be honest. I hadn't missed any games or training through injury and then

I had the leg breaks and a fractured cheekbone and all in the space of

about a year. The latest injury, a nasty fractured cheekbone, saw him

having to wear a protective mask for a while but not even that could

change his approach to the game. I would give 100%. I would never pull

out of a tackle or shy away from anything just because I'd been

injured before. He has been unlucky. His first game, he scored two goals

and breaks his leg. Comes back and gets another injury. He has been one

of the unluckiest players. When he is fit and playing he is a great

asset for us. He says this past year has been his most frustrating but

also the best. The dream of promotion is still very much alive.

Derby is a Premier League team so that's where we want to be. I signed

to be a part of the team that got us back up there. There is still a long

way to go but we feel we are in a good position and hopefully we can

go for it. Fingers crossed all the injuries are now well and truly

behind him. They come in threes, they say. Hopefully that's it done

with. So Derby up in third. Nottingham

Forest meanwhile are down in tenth place without a win in 11 games. But

they are still just four points off the playoff places and up against

QPR tomorrow. Caretaker manager Gary Brazil believes their luck will

change. It is frustrating because obviously when you are doing

something you want to do it well. There is definitely momentum on the

training ground and in the place. I think we need to that win to pick it

up and make it more visible to people outside the club who aren't

there day`to`day. In League One, Notts County continue

their battle to avoid the drop as they face Port Vale at Meadow Lane.

And Mansfield Town are at home to Rochdale.

Rugby, and Geoff Parling will be back in contention for the first

time in months as Tigers take on London Wasps. He has recovered from

a long term shoulder injury and joins Niall Morris on the bench.

In golf Nottinghamshire Lee Westwood is level par after the second round

in the US Masters. On to cycling, and the news that Sir

Dave Brailsford has stepped down as performance director for British

Cycling. Brailsford, from Derbyshire, led the GB team to

unprecedented success including eight gold medals in Beijing and the

London Olympics. After ten years in the role he is leaving to

concentrate on his work for Team Sky which he helped establish and led to

victory in the Tour de France with both Bradley Wiggins and Chris

Froome. What an ambassador for the area.

It's the London Marathon this weekend and hundreds of runners from

the East Midlands will be taking part, many of them raising money for

incredibly special causes. And that includes our very own

weather presenter, Mel Coles. Mel is raising money for a cause very close

to her heart. Also running for a personal reason is father of two

Andrew Dawkins. Sarah Teale has their stories.

A beautiful morning for a final training run for the big day itself.

East Midlands Today weather presenter Mel Coles will be

competing with thousands of others in the London Marathon on Sunday.

She has forecast a tough race but she will be spurred on by a very

special little girl. She is raising money for three`year`old Iris. She

suffers from a rare form of muscular dystrophy.

How much training have you done? A lot. It has taken every bit of spare

time. I've had to get out there and run and I know that her parents

would love to see her get up one more day. I think in those dark

moments where it has been painful or cold, to get out there on the start

line and be running for Iris means the world, actually. Raising money

for another incredibly personal cause is Andrew Dawkins from

Hucknall. He is running for his sons Freddie and Louie, the only

identical twins in the world with Batten disease. Now aged eight, they

are autistic and blind. Andrew is raising ?20,000 to fund critical

research. Looking for therapies which could come from different

parts of drugs treatment. That's what they're looking for, but

ultimately a cure. In the past four years, researchhas come on so much

more than we would ever imagine. We have hope now and we've got to fight

back. We're going to make a difference for our children and

other children with this disease. We are determined, aren't we? Yeah.

That is something that that Iris's parents can understand. Mel's

marathon run has already helped to raise almost ?4000 for the Muscular

Dystrophy Campaign. They are very close to breakthroughs on a lot of

research that is going on so it can make a huge difference to a lot of

people who do struggle and have quite bleak outlooks. It is hugely

important. Mel is hoping to complete the marathon in under four hours and

there is one factor which will help to put an extra spring in her step

along the route. Your husband is racing as well,

isn't he? How important is it that you beat him? Obviously, it is

critical. I have to beat him. And she will be backed every step of the

way by Iris and her family. Good luck, Mel!

Good luck to everyone who's running, including our athletes like

Paralympian Richard Whitehead and Leicester's long distance runner

Gemma Steel, who's competing in her first ever competitive marathon.

So many worthy fundraisers taking part like Ady Turton from Nottingham

who's running for Beating Bowel Cancer in memory of his mum and

grandfather. If Good luck also to Mansfield District Council

electrician Craig Stinson, Richard Norton who's running a year after

being in an accident at work and Stewart Sale who's running for Hope

Against Cancer. And shout`outs to Gareth Laking raising money for

Brake Road Safety, Colin Brown from Narborough running for the MS

Society, Amy Williams from Buxton competing for Cancer Research.

Send us your pictures too. We'd love to see them. You could put them on

our Facebook page. Time for the weather now.

It is not looking too bad for Sunday. We have some weather

pictures for you. Blue skies and cumulus clouds.

The weekend is looking largely dry with just a little bit of rain

tomorrow briefly. The cloud at the moment will melt away this evening

giving us clear skies through the night which will allow temperatures

to drop. We expect around six Celsius in towns and cities or two

or three Celsius in rural spots. In the Peak District you may get a

little frost. This weather front moves south east as we go through

the afternoon tomorrow bringing more cloud and sunlight, patchy rain for

a time. But it won't amount to much. Saturday starts bright and sunny.

First, we see high clouds developing making the sunshine hazy. Just a few

spots of rain in the afternoon but some of us will get away with a dry

day. A south`westerly breeze. Sunday looks like the sunniest day are of

the weekend. Dry on Sunday, broken cloud with sunshine. A bit more

fresh with the wind on Sunday. High pressure stays with us next week. So

good news for the school holidays. This time next week it is Good

Friday. Will you feel nervous

when this is unveiled? In 2013, the public voted for

a portrait of At times he's interesting,

at times he's very funny, My life is a very happy life

and I'm a very happy person. Will you feel nervous

when this is unveiled? I suppose being the centre

of attention but for ever.