31/12/2013 Look East - West

on the BBC News Channel. I'm back with the News at Ten. Now it's

Good evening. And we start tonight with the New Year's Honours List in

this region. A former head teacher who now runs an education trust in

Norfolk is among those to be recognised. Rachel de Souza becomes

a Dame of the British Empire. The new boss of the East of England

Ambulance Service is also honoured. Simon Newton has this report.

From Norfolk to Bedfordshire, she has turned around failing schools,

and today Rachel de Souza becomes a Dame for services to education.

I really wasn't expecting it, I know everyone says that but it was a real

shock and then it just felt great, like ten Christmases had just come

at once! As an able Seaman, Edward Slater

from Colchester served on D`day. Chairman of the Normandy Veterans

Association, he is made an MBE. This is an honour to every man who

went to Normandy on six June 1944. This is their honour as well as

mine. Betty Baines from Diss in Norfolk

also gets a gong after 56 years of campanology, she is made an MBE for

services to bell`ringing. I'm over the moon, I'm so thrilled

and I can't believe it's happened for me, really.

Also honoured as Doctor Anthony Marsh, the new head of the East of

England Ambulance Service. He gets a Queen's Ambulance Medal.

And Professor David Neill, a cancer specialist at Addenbrooke's Hospital

receives a CBE. Gillian Wood, from Henlow in

Bedfordshire, has been involved in scouting for 40 years and is still

going strong. Her effort rewarded with the British Empire Medal.

I was just an ordinary person and I got this wonderful award and I just

still cannot believe it. From chief executives to charity

workers, more than 100 people from the East were named in today's New

Year's Honours List, recognition of their service to their communities

and the nation. A woman from Cambridge has been left

seriously injured after being attacked by a stag in the highlands

of Scotland. Kate Stone was airlifted to the Southern General

Hospital in Glasgow. She's understood to be in intensive care.

The incident happened in a village near Fort William in the early hours

of yesterday morning. Members of the Fire Brigades' Union

began their latest walk`out 15 minutes ago. The latest strike runs

from 6.30pm until half past midnight. In Essex those who take

part have been told they won't be paid for the rest of the shift.

Thousands of tonnes of sand is finally being cleared from the

seafront at Felixstowe ` more than three weeks after a massive tidal

surge hit the East Coast. The clean`up operation started almost

immediately, but work has been hampered by a new wave of storms.

Unlike other parts of our coastline, the title source left

thousands of pounds of sand on Felixstowe promenade, and is in the

process of being cleaned up. Is a problem we did not have on

Felixstowe before, prior to the sea defence work that was put in place,

we had a prayer. `` we had a predominantly single beach.

This is either promenade looked afterwards. The plants and seating

have also been covered. The clean`up operation has been constantly

hampered by the Guild force winds, blowing the sands back on the

promenade. We are trying to make the access to

the promenade safer. When there are projected high tides and severe

winds, we will carry on. They will discuss moving the sands

next week. A couple from Norfolk who went

without food in order to pay for Christmas are warning others about

the dangers of falling into debt. Donna and John Smith turned to the

charity 'Christians Against Poverty' for help. Two years ago, this

couple's lives were consumed by debt. When he lost his job, they

turned to credit cards for money. They found themselves ?45,000 in

debt and had to file for bankruptcy, not helped by the stress

of paying for Christmas. You feel obligated to buy your children and

relatives and everybody something nice, but she cannot afford. It is a

big worry. We have gone without a couple of meals to try to get some

money together. The couple turned to this charity

for financial advice and assistance. The charity says that its client in

the east are nearly ?12,000 in the East on average. The majority of

money owed on credit cards and loans, all things that mount up at

this time of year. This is generally our busiest time

of year because people do not want to think about it, they want to

provide an ace Christmas for their family, particularly if they have

children. They may use credit cards or other short`term borrowing to

provide Christmas. The couple are now managing their

money and get free `` get free debt free.

It is looking promising that you will welcome in the New Year under a

clear sky. The cloud has still not quite cleared from the eastern half

of the region. It should soon be out into the North Sea, leaving us with

a largely dry night. Some patchy cloud, with the chance of showers,

but they might just get into the Western Power so for most of us it

will probably be dry at midnight. Relatively mild until midnight, but

temperatures will drop after that. Perhaps a touch of ground frost in

places. Some further showers after midnight across the region. Then it

looks like a dry start to New Year's Day. Not for long. A wet and windy

day to come for New Year's Day. Mild array will raise temperatures, but

the rain and cloud and the strength of the wind will not make it feel

great. This will be a very persistent and heavy spell offering.

Thank you very much that is all from us this evening. Happy New Year.

Goodbye. us this evening. Happy New Year.

team, have a happy New Year. Good evening. It looks like mother

nature may provide her own pyrotechnics in the run-up to bid

night tonight. We have some heavy showers in western parts, starting

to ease a bit across Scotland and Northern Ireland. But the showers

further south are heavier, with some flashes of lightning as they move

eastwards. They do get a bit more hit and miss as we head towards

midnight, but a greater chance of getting wet in the south as we move

into 2014. Cardiff and London could see heavy downpours. Further north,

you could be greeting the New Year on a dry note. A touch of frost in

northern and eastern areas going into New Year's Day. A few