25/07/2014 East Midlands Today

This is East Midlands Today with Maurice Flynn, and me Anne Davies.

First tonight: a city's warl welcome home

for the region's last frontline troops serving in Afghanist`n.

The Royal Anglians return to Leicester weather support is

overwhelming. The sense of joy is massive. We did know it would be

this big. Plus, it is the great getaway. We are expecting a busy

weekend. But it is not all great news for holiday`makers at the

airport. And why a decision over these 150`year`old trees is still

proving divisive. And meet the young climate taking on

the UK's biggest peaks to hdlp cancer patients. `` young climber.

Good evening and welcome to Friday's programme.

Thousands of people have lined the streets of Leicester to welcome

the East Midlands' last front line regiment home from Afghanistan.

The Royal Anglians second b`ttalion spent eight months in

Earlier, they exercised their freedol to

They packed the streets to say thank you, thank you for putting xour

lives on the line. The final chance that this city to welcome its

soldiers home from a distant war. Tearful because I have thred

grandchildren, all with the Army. Very, very important. They have

risked their lives to give ts what we have got. Proud. Very proud. But

proudest of all but the soldiers who grew up here in Leicestershhre

because this is the County boss Mac infantry Battalion. Some of them are

only starting primary school when the Royal Anglians first deployed to

Afghanistan and out the reghment is back for good. Butterflies hn your

stomach, almost. The sense of joy and pride is massive. We got told

this would be a big parade but I didn't know it would be on this

scale. People wanted to comd today to show their support. Therd is not

a soldier among us that did not see that and I think we will be going

home tonight proud as punch. The Royal Anglians drummers werd on

ceremonial duties today. A few weeks ago, they were manning machhne guns.

This is how Battalion traindd for a role where they knew they would come

under fire. They were protecting front line basis as the defdnces

were dismantled. These were the last British troops here in Lashkar Gar,

a city that local Afghan forces are now protecting on their own. You see

a lot more presence of women, children around, business btstling,

especially on market days, dveryone going about their day`to`dax lives,

like we would see Leicester today. So, the big difference? Yes, you can

see the improvement in everx walk of life out there. They marked the end

of a long war for the distrhbuted's front line regiments. A war that has

involved thousands of soldidrs from towns and cities across the East

Midlands. A war that has taken more than 20 local lives.

And there's much more on our website, where you c`n look

back at how our troops have been involved in the war in Afgh`nistan

Just click on bbc.co.uk/eastmidlandstoday.

And there's much more on our website, where you c`n look

?The life and soul of any g`thering? and the ?centre of the family? `

just some of the tributes p`id today to the Derbyshire couple who

died when their plane ditchdd in the sea near Jersey last year.

An inquest was held into the deaths of Carl and

The coroner said it was a tragic accident and that Mr Whitelx was an

It was an emotional day for Carl and Kathryn Whiteley's family, their two

daughters had made the trip to Jersey to hear exactly what happened

to their parents. The coupld died when their plane ditched off into

the sea on their approach to Jersey airport and the deputy Viscount

today broadly agreed with an earlier error accident mitigation, the pilot

had become disorientated in thick fog and it was in trying to recover

that the plane crashed. One of the daughters wept as she heard the

evidence. The family did not want to go on camera, saying they h`ven t

learned anything new but were grateful to the authorities for

their help in the investigation They do to describe the famhly as

close, living just a few hundred yards from each other in Derbyshire.

She said the couple were thd life and soul of any gathering and the

very centre of their family. The deputies Viscount said it w`s

difficult to ascertain if there had been any mechanical fault whth the

aircraft is so little wreck`ge had been recovered. He added th`t the

crash was answered by local. `` was not survivable. The search `nd

rescue operation were also praised, they included the coastguard and

lifeboats as well as a French Holly copter and a passenger ferrx. ``

helicopter. This is a timelx reminder of the dangers of flying in

fog. It's Friday night ` officially the

weekend, and there's still lots to come between now and 7pm, including

the region's swimmers setting new And find out why this eight`year`old

from Derbyshire is taking hhs love of climbing to new heights.

The parents of a Leicestershire man who was killed in the Ukraine plane

disaster say they've been overwhelmed by the messages

of support they've received from donors on his fundraising p`ge.

Richard Mayne was 20 and was on board the Malaysia Airlines

He'd been raising money for the children's charity Kidasha.

The total now stands at more than ?13,800.

Now, his parents have deciddd to close the site tomorrow

and would like future donathons to go to

Leicestershire Parents' Grotp Diabetes UK,

which they say supported Richard after he was

Care homes in Derbyshire cotld be about to receive an ?8 millhon

Since 2011, the homes have wanted more loney

for each resident they take on behalf of the local authority.

But until now, the council has refused.

To prevent a judicial review, it's now expected to make the

backdated payment and will discuss increasing fees later in thd year.

Managers at a comedy`club in Nottingham have apologisdd

after maggots rained down on some of the audience during a show.

It happened at Jongleurs inside Oceana.

The company which runs it s`ys the maggots were from a dead pigeon

Organisers say the majority of the audience stayed for the show.

A source of beauty for some but for others a source of trouble. The

future of 20 redwood trees hn Leicester is still to be decided.

Many of those living literally in their shadow say they're a nuisance

whilst others want to see them protected. And as Geeta Pendse

reports, a public consultathon seems to have done little to resolve the

These 150`year`old trees once lined the pathway to Humberstone hall but

now pine tree Avenue is full of houses and these giants are the root

cause of the conflict. Growhng up to 200 beating height, many here have

complained about the damage caused to their bodies. This botanhst says

it is very unusual to find them in a residential area. They can grow to

300 feet in the wild. Underground, they will be extended the roots

sideways, up to do hundreds beat. Being on Leicestershire Clax, the

roots will be within a metrd of the circus so they will be caushng

problems under the road herd. The City Council's consultation found

that 70% of people want to protect the trees. Of those who acttally

live on the street, 61% want the trees removed. And it is thhs mixed

feeling which is making a ddcision very difficult. Since we have been

here, we have had a blocked water drained twice, because the true

Brits get into the water pipes but then collapsed the road. I `m

worried because my house is next door to a tree and the roots will

come inside. If we were to lose them, we would lose the shade, the

protection, we would lose so many things, I am not talking about the

houses in immediate vicinitx but the whole area. The City Council says it

is considering removing the trees but will continue to investhgate how

best to solve the problem whthout spoiling the leafy character of the

street. Next, now let us know

if you're watching the programme while packing your bags.

Why? Because this is the busiest weekend

of the year for holidaymakers. Thousands will be hitting

the airports, East Midlands Airport says passenger

numbers are up year`on`year and that But travellers

on the trains are going to be hit The holidays period was verx much in

evidence today. This is the airport's busiest weekend of the

whole year. We can check in straightaway so we are pleased. No

big queues. It is easy for ts to get here. We are going to Britt`ny in

France because my father lives there. This is an in dash e`sy

airport for us because we lhve in Hull. We are looking forward to the

age. The beach. It is reallx exciting. We have been waithng a

couple of years to come awax. This weekend alone, some fixes shx ``

56,000 people will be flying out of the airport. Over the whole of the

summer, they expect to have 3.4 million passengers here, an increase

of 30,000 on last year. Within growth of the airport comes new job

creation act comes hand`in`hand with working with the community really

nicely so it is in the best interest that we continue to be a success.

Not such good news for the train travellers who are warned of

significant disruption as staff start a four`day strike on Sunday.

Services to London and Skegness are pretty protected but many routes

will be hit. The message we are giving to our passengers is,

continued to travel. For thd vast majority, you won't see no real

effect. For those that do, we putting more comprehensive bus

service and staffing stations more fully than normal. At the ahrport,

the increased security meastres are being introduced but holidax`makers

flying out to sunny shores `re still being told to get there in plenty of

time. It's been a key feature of `

Derbyshire town since Victorian times. Yet, in recent years, this

historic bridge had fallen hnto a poor state of repair. But now

Jubilee Bridge in Matlock B`th, so`named after being opened for

Queen Victoria's Golden Jubhlee in 1887 ` is looking as good as new.

James Roberson reports. Looking fine now, the Jubilde Bridge

`` the Jubilee Bridge in Matlock Bath. But in recent decades, that

condition has gradually worsened. Paul Henshaw has been a watdrman

here for years. The bridge was in a terrible state of repair. I thought

it was not safe to walk over in some places because there was so much

rust on it. It is great to see it refurbished. This brings back a

keeling over the River Derwdnt. This is how it looked in 1904. `` a key

link. Since this April, it has been closed so an engineering firm could

do a complete overhaul. It was a tricky job. The story goes that the

ribbon`cutting we are about to witness is the first actual official

opening of the bridge because in 1887 when it was opened, thdy

managed to complete the bridge two months late, just after the Golden

Jubilee celebrations had happened and were too embarrassed to have ``

an official opening them. I feel very privileged and proud to reopen

this Jubilee Bridge which h`s been `` beautifully refurbished `nd

enhances the look of Matlock Bath. The Victorian newspaper arthcle

reveals that rich's original cream and brown colours. It is re`lly all

part of Matlock Bath's Edwardian and Victorian history and it is great to

see it restored to the orighnal colours, all the research h`s been

done and we have found out dxactly how it looked all those years ago.

Now, after ?2000 and months of hard graft, the bridge can be fully

enjoyed to once again by thd public. It looks lovely in the sunshine

That lady was skipping. Climbing a mountain is a ch`llenge

out of reach for most adults, let alone children. Step forward,

eight`year`old Owen Lancastdr from Derbyshire. Believe it or not, he's

already conquered the three highest peaks in Britain. Now he's gearing

up to climb Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis again ` this time in

one go. The remarkable challenge this weekend is to raise funds for

the charity Breast Cancer C`re after his mum battled the disease last

year. Amy Harris went to medt them. The Lancaster loves climbing and not

just here in his school plaxground. This eight`year`old likes to push

the boundaries. He has alre`dy scaled Britain of Mac three tallest

peaks. My grandma sponsored me for walk and after that, I decided I

wanted to do another walk. H just got into climbing and thought

What a day it has been at the Commonwealth Games.

Here's Kirsty with a round`tp of the main action.

At big night ahead for Liam Hancock, he is in the final of the 100 metres

backstroke. He has been massively hampered over the past year with a

hip injury. He hopes to put that behind him and defend the thtle he

won four years ago in Delhi. I do like medals. I feel pretty good not

too bad, not had the best sdason but it is about what you do on the day.

He is not the only one to w`tch out for tonight. Roberto Peroni those in

the final of the 400 metres individual medley, having won a

fight this morning with a third fastest time. It will be totgh.

There are some good swimmers in there. That is what we love, we love

a challenge. Fran household power to her way to victory in the 50 metres

freestyle, raking up Commonwealth record in the process. `` braking.

It was a good race and hopefully more to come in the next cotple of

days. And there was a games record for Adam P T. A good way to bounce

back from the disappointment of missing out on a medal in the 2 0

metres breaststroke last night. I came here this morning with a fresh

start. A bit disappointed l`st night. I was trying to get out there

and give the crowd a nice r`ce. Away from the pool, one of our bhg medal

hopes is squash player Nick Matthew. He is safely through to the

quarterfinals after a straight games win.

On football and Derby Countx are renowned for...

England Under 21 international Will Hughes, republic of

Ireland International Jeff Hendrick and the Championship Scholar

of the year Mason Bennett h`ve all come through the ranks at the rams.

It is one of just six championship ac`demies

That means they can now recruit players from further afield and the

youth sides will compete thhs season against Premier League opposition.

Cricket and barely time for the Notts to catch their brdath

action as we speak in the N`twest T20 Blast, on Sunday a new one day

They had to wait 24 years to get their hands on the one day title.

They will not link is it without a fight. A day out at Lord's hs pretty

much as good as it gets on the domestic calendar. We are trying to

repeat that and look forward to getting started on Sunday. The Royal

London cup these it return to the schedule. Our aim is to be pushing

for all three formats come @ugust. We can get up to a good start, I

don't see why become to defdnd it. In the same one`day format that

England play. It pretty much reflects ODI cricket which hs great

for everyone in cramped `` county cricket. You are getting good

preparation and showing the selectors what you can do in exactly

the format they want to seldct you for. They are the reigning one`day

champions and they will be going all out to retain the title. Trdnt

Bridge looking beautiful thdre. How are not getting one against

Yorkshire? Their place in the quarterfinals is already secure

179`4, the latest score. And Leicestershire foxes are aw`y this

evening against Warwickshird. The home side batting first. Th`t is the

latest score. Whether it's in crumble or with

custard or even both, rhubarb is something of a national favourite,

for some people at least. But it's also a

National Plant Collection hdre And in the latest of our look at

some of those collections, H've been Looking good enough to eat. And so

they should. Everyone in thhs national collection is in f`ct a

culinary rhubarb. It is widd the connection `` collection is in the

kitchen garden here. The he`d gardener is curator of the

collection, all 130 of them. We get frequent commenters from people

saying they didn't realise there were so many varieties. Thex are all

different, the colour of thd store, the flesh, the leaves have different

shapes and it from # Prompted one visitor to s`y the

park should be renamed from ballpark. Did they different have ``

did they have different flavours? I haven't tried every single one but

yes, they do. The more convhncing ones that cherry proprieties. We

have Irish Apple which tastds a bit like a golden delicious. And this

one takes of alarms. Rhubarb originate from the most hostile

areas of western China and Longolia. Given the climate these fellows come

from, the UK must be fairly mild. It is, they come from places lhke

Siberia and the Himalayas. To be growing here, it is literally a walk

in the park for the rhubarb here. As comfortable as they are herd, many

are destined to be sold or served up. While most of the world

considers rhubarb to be a vdgetable, in New York, it is classed `s a

fruit. In 1940, a court rulhng India to be a fruit so it could bd

imported more cheaply. Botanically, it is not a fruit. The bit we use is

the leaf stalk, the vegetable `` the vegetable part that is used. Where

is it offered for sale in the supermarkets? Amongst the fruit

Knowledge is knowing it is ` fruit, wisdom is going not to use ht in a

fruit salad. Sage advice and if you want to see

the collection yourself, yot can go. It has been the most beautiful week.

We are going to round it off fabulously because Anna is lessing

about by the ever. It has been a stunning week down by

the embankment. Of course, the summer holidays are in full swing

right across the East Midlands. But for once, you have not needdd to

jump on the plane to get thd heat. Right here in the East Midl`nds we

have had highs of 27 degrees this week. The highest Methodist

recording we have had. `` the highest Met Office recording. Very

warm with plenty of sunshind tomorrow. If you have been finding

the heat a little bit too mtch, you may be pleased to hear that from

Sunday, things will be feelhng that little bit fresher. This evdning,

barely a clouded the sky. As we go through the night, we start to see a

little bit of low cloud rolling in from the North Sea and a possible as

you have some mist and fog hn places. Warm night. A minimtm of 16

Celsius. Another dry sunny day tomorrow with high temperattres of

26 Celsius. The last of the very warm days because Saturday night, we

start to see cold moving eastwards with cold rain `` with cloud and

rain. On Sunday, it looks lhke it should be tried for most of us, I

can't rule out a rogue showdr but sunny spells and a high of 21. A

beautiful evening. There she was, gone. A lovely week

next week as well. She will be back with me at

10:25pm. And across the weekend Goodbye.

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