25/07/2014 East Midlands Today

And now the news for the East Midlands.

The streets of Leicester were lined with thousands of well`wishdrs

today, all welcoming home the East Midlands' last frontline

The Royal Anglians 2nd Batt`lion spent eight months in Helmand

Province, and today exercisdd their freedom to march through thd city.

Our social affairs correspondent Jeremy Ball has more.

They packed the streets to say thank you. Thank you for putting xour

lives on the line, the final chance for this city to welcome its

soldiers home from a differdnt war. I feel tearful because I have three

grandchildren in the army. Very important. They risk their lives to

give us what we have got. Proud very proud. But proudest of all were

the soldiers who grew up here in Leicestershire because this is the

county's local infantry battalion. Some of those troops were only

starting primary school when the Royal Anglians were first ddployed

to Afghanistan and now the regiment is back for good. People wanted to

come today to show their support. I don't think a soldier among us did

not see that. We will be proud as punch tomorrow. The drummers were on

ceremonial duty today and a few weeks ago they were manning machine

guns. This is how the battalion trained for a role where thdy knew

they would come under fire. They were helping the British withdrawal

from Helmand Province by protecting front`line bases as their ddfences

were dismantled. The Royal @nglians were the last British troops in

Lashkar Gar, a city that local Afghan forces are now protecting on

their own. You see lots mord women, children around, business btstling,

especially on market days. People going about their day to dax

business like you would in ` place like Leicester. Today marks the end

of a long war for the front`line combat regiment. It has involved

thousands of soldiers from `cross the East Midlands. It has claimed

more than 20 local lives. The parents of a Leicestershire man

killed in the Ukraine plane disaster say they've been overwhelmed

by the messages of support left Richard Mayne had been raishng money

for the children's charity Kidasha. His parents have decided to close

the site from tomorrow and want future donations to go

instead to Leicestershire P`rents' Group Diabetes UK, which thdy say

supported Richard when he w`s Police are investigating

the death of a butler at Detectives say Arthur Mellor died

in an incident at the Lincolnshire The Health and Safety Executive

as well as the police, The Burghley estate says it's

cooperating fully with the hnquiry. Tributes have been paid to

a Derbyshire couple who died when their plane ditched

into the sea near Jersey. An inquest was held

into the deaths of Carl and The coroner heard Mr Whitelx,

piloting the light aircraft, From the Channel Islands,

Jen Smith reports. It was an emotional day for a Carl

Whitely and Kathryn Whitely's family. Their two daughters made the

trip to Jersey to find out dxactly what happened to their parents. The

couple died when their Cessna plane ditched into the sea on the approach

to Jersey airport. The deputy Viscount today broadly agredd with

an earlier error accident investigation. The pilot had become

disorientated in thick fog `nd it was when trying to recover that the

plane crashed. One of Carl Whitely's daughter wept as they

heard the evidence here tod`y. The family have said they had not

learned anything new but were grateful to Jersey's authorhties for

their help in the investigation Their daughter Sarah described the

family as close, living just a few hundred yards from each othdr in

Derbyshire. She said Carl and Kathryn was a life and soul of any

gathering, the very centre of the family. The Viscount said:

He also praised the search `nd rescue operation that day, which

included Jersey's Coast and lifeboats as well as a French

helicopter, a Royal Navy warship and a passenger ferry in the arda, which

all stopped to help, a comfort amid personal tragedy for the falily but

a timely reminder of the dangers of flying in fog. We have had two

medals in the pool at the Commonwealth Games and some records

broken as well. Let's round up the action. Liam Tancock was defending

the 100 metres backstroke thtle he has won for the last two

Commonwealth Games. In the dnd he had to settle the joint bronze but

it was a fantastic effort after a long injury nightmare. It h`s been a

tough couple of years. Plenty of fight left in this old dog xet. Two

years out from Rio, just to make this team so special, to cole away

with a medal, that is prettx amazing. There was also a mddal for

Loughborough's Adam Barrett, part of the 100 metres freestyle relay team

that got bronze. He got fourth place in the butterfly. Roberto P`voni

from Loughborough Universitx just missed out coming fourth in the

individual medley. Francesc` Hal Sall broke the record getting gold.

And Adam Peaty won his heat of the 100 metres breaststroke so big medal

potential from him. One to watch. Tonight and the next few daxs sees

the busiest weekend of the xear East Midlands Airport says passenger

numbers are up on last July, but travellers on the trains may be

hit by strike action. The holiday spirit was very much in

evidence at East Midlands Ahrport today as thousands of passengers set

off on their annual summer break. This is the busiest weekend of the

whole year for the airport. This weekend alone some 56,700 p`ssengers

will be flying in and out of East Midlands Airport. Over the whole of

the summer, there are expected to be 3.4 million passengers here, an

increase of 30,000 on last xear With the growth of the airport comes

a new job creation as well, which goes hand`in`hand with workhng with

our community really nicely so it is in our best