06/06/2014 Look East - West

And the remarkable story of the pacifist who served

Determined not to fight but determined to help.

Two men appear in court acctsed of perverting the course

of justice over the death of a worker on a farm.

And expansion plans at Southend Airport.

The target, five million passengers a year, by the end of the ddcade.

70 years ago today the Allidd invasion of Europe began

Special events have been taking place across the region tod`y to

70 years ago today the Allidd invasion of Europe began

by landing thousands of soldiers on the beaches of Normandy.

It is promising 1,500 jobs and a boost to the local economy

A new Center Parcs holiday resort has opened in Bedfordshire with the

In total, the centre will cater for around

The numbers certainly look impressive, but will it givd the

Let's go live there now to our Business Correspondent.

And an even bigger splash for Center Parcs.

The swimming complex alone cost ?20 million.

The swimming complex alone cost ?28 million.

Plenty for the first paying guests to get stuck into today.

We have been coming to Centdr Parcs since the early 1990s.

We wanted to try the new facilities here.

There is a 75 bedroom hotel, and a full range of indoor

Center Parcs already has fotr holiday villages in England.

This is a massive project. ?250 million. Two years of construction.

It will inject ?20 million dvery year into the local economy. We have

generated thousands of perm`nent jobs. 90% of our employees live

within 15 miles of the site. It is brilliant. They are letting me work

as many hours as I need and I can fit in my childcare. Bedfordshire

has an underdeveloped to list injury `` tourist industry. Just 7$ of the

tourism market in our region. Many people pass through Bedfordshire and

we need to create reasons for them to stay in the county, stay longer

and spend more money. The cdntre parks development is exactlx the

right thing for this area. They are expecting to draw most of their

visitors from London and thd south`east. With that part of the

country booming, this could be very well timed.

Let's look at how much monex our region makes through totrism.

Out in front is Cambridgeshhre with ?1.2 billion a year,

boosted by huge numbers of overseas visitors to Cambridge.

Hertfordshire makes 773 million a year.

Followed by Northamptonshird at 588 million.

Bedfordshire has a much smaller share of the market,

Earlier, I spoke to Sally Everett, a tourism expert, and asked her how

much of a boost Center Parcs will really give to Bedfordshire?

I think where Bedfordshire has perhaps fallen down,

as opposed to other regions, it hasn?t had a unique sellhng

So I think Center Parcs shotld attract a lot more jobs to the area,

and the multiply effect that tourism creates.

So people will come into the region itself.

They tend to be quite isolated units.

Is it really going to filter out into benefits in the local dconomy?

There has been some research in the past.

How many times does someone go out of that isolated arena?

It is important to ensure that the visitors that come to

Use local suppliers and buy different resources

You cannot force a big organisation like Center Parcs to buy local.

You cannot, but the signs are good in terms of what they have done

They have a commitment to sourcing local food.

We would hope that they would have engagement with the local f`rmers

markets and producers, so they could showcase food in their

restaurants and encourage pdople to go out and buy it for themsdlves,

A protest has taken place in Milton Keynes,

calling for changes to council tax and the so`called bedroom t`x.

It is more than a year sincd new rules on benefits were brought in.

But with a change in power at the local council,

protestors are calling for ` better deal for low income families.

This woman says she doesn't have much spare time, but for how this

protest is personal. She is a to her disabled brother and used to be

exempt from paying council tax. But changes to that and housing benefit

meant she lost ?25 a week. To help her, the council covers the

shortfall. That is discretionary and reviewed each year. If that stops, I

will have to be council tax. I will get into arrears. If they evict me,

it means myself and my brother and my grandchildren will be holeless.

Either that, or pay it, and don t eat. Changes to housing bendfit and

welfare are decisions for the national government. The co`lition

says savings must be made. Counsellors here have no power over

that. But no Labour are running the council, protesters are tryhng to

put pressure on the new leader to make some changes. Last year, the

pass a motion that no one would be evicted due to changes in bdnefits.

We are now asking them to honour that. But the protesters sax the

protesters have misunderstood. It would be the wrong thing to do to

allow people to go into debt. We need to differentiate betwedn can't

pay and won't pay. There were protests when the changes wdre first

introduced. One year on, thd protests continue.

Five babies in the region are still recovering

after they developed blood poisoning from a suspected contaminatdd drip.

The babies at Addenbrooke?s, the Luton and Dunstable

and Peterborough City Hospitals are all said to be in a stable condition

A reduction in the number of prison officers at a jail in Milton Keynes

may have led to the death of an inmate.

21 year old Sean Brock commhtted suicide in his cell at Woodhill

Prison last November. Today the prison governor told the Coronor

cuts in staff in the past fhve years has had a negative impact on

inmates. The coroner will now write to the Secretary of State.

Infertility clinics in the region are reporting

a rise in the number of samd sex couples wanting to have a b`by.

The Bourn Hall Clinic ` which has just opened

a new centre in Peterborough ` says demand is up by a third.

In the last five years, the number of single sex couples seeking help

Robin and Billy are now 15`months`old.

Their mothers decided to st`rt a family

I suppose, years ago, it was not the norm people would say.

Now it is out in the open, I think more people will go for it.

A lot of people would say, if you are in the same sex

relationship you will not h`ve family and you will miss out.

At this new centre in Peterborough, they say changes

in lifestyle mean that more same`sex couples are seeking their hdlp.

They form their relationships much yotnger and

therefore family is much up more on the agenda than it was a generation

Civil partnership has also `ssisted in terms

of formalising those relationships and liberating treatment services

For both partners to be leg`l parents, they need to have

the relationship legally recognised and conceive at a licensed clinic.

The sperm donor?s details are recorded.

The child can have them when they turn 18.

I would always say it is better to get it sorted out properly, simply,

sign the right paperwork and then you can move forwards happily.

Becoming a parent doesn't come cheap.

It is not available for same`sex couples on the NHS

But for Sophie Greenwood who carried the twins,

The couple have no plans for more children, saying

Questions have been raised over the decision to arrest the parents of an

The couple from King's Lynn have been accused by police

The association representing directors of council`run chhldren's

services says the police should not be involved because action should

Villagers have been giving their views about plans for a new power

station in Bedfordshire. Thd site had been earmarked for a gi`nt

incinerator. Those plans have now been shelved. Instead, 150

construction jobs and 15 full`time jobs will be created with a new

power station. First back to Stewart with lore

on this memorable day. Still to come, how the codebreakers

misled the Germans about whdre the attack would be.

But first the remarkable story of a man who served on

the beaches of Normandy but refused to fight or even carry a gun.

David Briggs had a strong Christian faith.

He was one of 60,000 people in Britain who refused to fhght `

But as a medic in the army, he chose to be in the teeth of the b`ttle.

Alex Dunlop has been to meet him at home in Bedford.

David Briggs is your quintessential gentleman. Now 96, the formdr

schoolmaster recounts how at 16 he decided he could never go to war. I

said, this isn't right, whatever the answer is, war isn't the answer I

felt that the enemy wasn't really her killer, the enemy was w`r

itself. Yet David did go to war as an Army medic. I wanted to save

life, for me the medical corps was the answer. I didn't want to be

thought a coward and to be ` coward, it was against the grain with me.

But I must be a part of it. So in June that in 44 with this armband is

only means of defence, David approached the beaches of Normandy.

The first thing I saw was the dead body of a Canadian, lying in the

sea. You were under fire copy had no gun, you must have felt verx

vulnerable. It sounds silly, but the whole thing was so I'm real, in a

way, we didn't have time to think `` unreal. How do you square away that

non`resistance with all the thousands of Christians who went and

bought and died, fighting what they thought was against evil? I find

this very difficult. This is what my friend Frank and I were constantly

talking of. David's best frhend Frank was an Army 's soldier, this

wartime letter is from him. I admire your actions immensely though I

don't agree with your views. In a wide sense, of course, I thhnk you

are right. I hate and detest war. He felt that it was right and H felt it

was wrong. There is no bridge between those two convictions,

really. Anyway, I trust we shall soon have an end of the whole

horrible business. And what appealed they will be us to work in.

Tragically, that would never happen. Frank was killed in Normandx in

1944. His faith and his wifd Mary kept David Strong but he won't

forget the monkey told his son that he refused to carry a gun. He took

me aside and said, you know what happens to people who disobdy

orders, don't you? And that was the end of the conversation. Wh`t you

think thinking meant by that? To be frank, I thought I would be shot for

not agreeing to carry a gun. Mercifully, that order was

overwritten next day. David received his long service medals but

conscientious objectors werdn't decorated nor could they rise

through the ranks. Young corporal Briggs put himself in harm 's way

but he says, you put his conscience first.

10,000 soldiers were killed on the beaches but it could have bden so

much worse. British intelligence managed to

persuade the Nazis that the invasion could come at Calais

and not in Normandy. But how did the Allies know that

the Germans had taken the b`it? Because Bletchley Park

in Buckinghamshire was decrxpting It was in these humble little huts

that the codebreakers of Bldtchley Park decrypted, translated `nd

sorted messages. Some of thd information gleaned help st`ff plot

the movement of enemy shipphng as well as allied forces in thd English

Channel in the run`up to D`Day. It was very exciting, of coursd, we

knew about all the Mulberrys row and the bits of harbour, of course the

German E boats, they would be a great deal of trouble to us. There

was a tremendous amount of `ctivity going on. There was so much work

that sometimes you couldn't go home at the end and there was quhte a bit

of pressure. We felt very responsible because we did feel that

if we didn't keep things up`to`date, it could even mdan

people being killed. To givd that landing on the beaches of Normandy

the best possible chance, D`Day decoy operation had been pl`nned.

Double agent codenamed Garbo was one of a network of spies feeding the

Germans force information. That the invasion would be at Calais. We were

intercepting the German translations and bankrupting them, could see

whether they had followed the bait we had given them. The mess`ges

behind this tell us about the fact that the elaborate decoy was huge in

D`Day success, Bletchley Park allowed to British intelligdnce to

monitor what was being said so the lies and false information was being

believed. It kept the Germans sitting in Calais up until @ugust,

when we attacked them there. They were still waiting for the hnvasion

across the sea that never h`ppened. Such was the secrecy at Bletchley

that even when the end came, it was another 30 years before Jean and her

colleagues were able to tell their families exactly what they did in

the war. Colbourne is from the Imperial War Museum. We havd heard a

lot about the beaches and the soldiers on the beaches but this

region was important for thd part it played from airbases. It certainly

was. Cases like Duxford, if you imagine the carpet of airfidlds all

around East Anglia, they had a huge role to play in this operathon. That

is beforehand in terms of softening up the German air force, ensuring

that when they looked up, it was one of theirs, doing work behind the

beach as well. Duxford's pilots did a lot of work attacking marshalling

yards, targets behind the areas to ensure the Germans couldn't

reinforce those areas. And of course bombing and attacking areas in the

paddock. `` in Calais. I max get a lot of veterans coming to you at the

Imperial War Mrs. Today is hmportant for all of them. It certainly is. It

is privilege to meet these guys We have met veterans from Amerhca, from

the UK, they are all getting old now, a lot of people said on the 60s

anniversary that it was one of the last times they would assemble in

large numbers but I wouldn't bet against them being there for the

80th! There are some strong characters they're! They make doing

this job a real pledge. Do xou think we will carry on remembering when

those old soldiers are gone or do you think it will become solething

as part of history and we w`nt market in the way we have done

today? I hope that doesn't happen, I hope we do continue to remelber it,

if you think of our region particularly, the legacy thdse guys

left behind, those historic airfields, all around, the lemorials

to their sacrifice. All of these places, D`Day marks a huge turning

point in the war. This country is still very interested in thd Second

World War, and I genuinely see that continuing. Thank you.

You've probably heard of or seen the 1952 film

Singin? In The Rain ` an Amdrican musical comedy starring Gend Kelly,

It's the story of showbiz Hollywood in the 1920s, when silent movies

finally found their voice. @ film often described as one of the best

ever musicals. Now Singin' Hn The Rain has been brought to thd Theatre

Royal in Norwich, more than 60 years after the film came out. Thdy have

been many productions of Singin In The Rain about this one in

particular, I feel, the production values are so high, it's be`utiful

to look at. It has everything from the film plus a couple of extra

songs that weren't in the fhlm originally. The show has kept the

comedy, the glamour and recreated Gene Kelly's iconic song and dance

scene and the man who has to fill his shoes is James Lisa. It's a

unique situation, I have never danced in the rain before, to give

the audience involved, it's wonderful. It's from Reeva lost

physically challenging show I have done. They have a special stage they

have brought in. Underneath is a tank full of water, the writers up

and can drain off, because ht's not just a shower but 12,000 litres of

water they will be dancing hn. We have three water tanks in total We

feel to it for times before it goes on stage and gets to the cast. To be

nice to be cast in the colddr months, we do hate the rain to 0

degrees. `` hate the rain. This is what he has to perform in, `nd when

he is dancing and singing in the rain, if you are in the front few

rows, you're guaranteed to get a bit wet.

Just time for some of your stories about D`Day. A nice one frol Douglas

Smith called near Lowestoft, he flew a Halifax in the days during the

run`up to D`Day to soften up the German positions, he says, there are

not many of us left. Brian from the Chelmsford regimental Assochation

wants us to mention Albert Wilson who was 90 in March and topped

capture Pegasus Bridge. And he not from Rosemary who says, my dad

Frederik Piper was in the Royal Navy during World War II, he was

transferring soldiers from the ships to the beach and the family filmed

him back there. He has now sadly died but she says, I only rdalised

today the first time what a very special film we have which we can

show our grandchildren. Thank you to everybody. Time for the weather

Lots of sunshine across the region, that heat and humidity will

eventually bring thunderstorms as we head into tomorrow. It doesn't even

out there, lots of sunshine to end the day, and try initially. Later,

the risk of some storms comhng up. Further east, staying dry at least

at this stage. As you can sde, quite a mucky night. But tomorrow, it s

all about this one, humid ahr coming up from Spain and France,

interacting with this cold front. It will bring * of some thunderstorms.

It looks like we will see some storms across the morning, then the

region focuses to the West. The Met office have a yellow warning out for

that for the risk of some sdvere thunderstorms. The potential for

some large hail and gusty whnds Through the course of tomorrow, we

will see areas of thunderstorms working their way northwards. Some

uncertainty as to how far e`st they will tend to be. They will clear

northwards, there will be a dry spell late morning with a spell of

hazy sunshine and then the real risk of some nasty storms as we head

through the afternoon and into the evening. Some of those could have

some large hail and gusty whnds Temperatures will be variable,

getting up to maybe 25 degrdes. Where you are underneath those

storms, they could be lower and cooler along the coast. Into

tomorrow, the showers and storms clear, a fine end to the dax. Then

things to quieten down for Sunday. Much of the day will be dry across

the bulk of the region, the risk of one or two showers. Has begtn

through Sunday night into Monday, more thundery weather across the

region, particularly the East. A lot of uncertainty about the tiling of

it. The outlook doesn't thundery at times but some dry weather to be

had, especially on Sunday. Ht could linger into Monday night as well. At

this stage, Tuesday licking mainly dry.

A word about the Sunday polhtics this weekend. They may not have done

it in you work but the UKIP caused an earthquake a couple of wdeks ago,

but many of our town halls they are having to deal with the fallout We

are looking at the inch stick alliances which have sprung up, but

are they good for democracy? And Charles Clarke tells what hd thinks

about UKIP and why it's important that all politicians to work more

closely together. The average person moves home

eight times during their life. So that's eight times

we have to move the sofa. Eight times

we have to redecorate. Eight times

we have to locate the stopcock But there's one thing

that's easy to do when you move - you can switch your TV licence

online.