:00:17. > :00:19.Good evening and welcome to BBC Look North. The headlines tonight.
:00:19. > :00:23.We stand by our decision, a primary-school defends pulling out
:00:23. > :00:29.of a show featuring a gay character. Angry protests at a decision to
:00:29. > :00:36.close care homes for the elderly. Delayed, disrupted and indirect.
:00:36. > :00:38.The train firm struggling to get its services to London. And the
:00:38. > :00:47.football tournament with a difference about to be staged in
:00:47. > :00:55.Hull. And if the weather is now turning much more unsettled. The
:00:55. > :00:57.very latest his later in the programme. The head of an East
:00:57. > :01:07.Yorkshire primary school is tonight defending her decision to pull the
:01:07. > :01:07.
:01:08. > :01:12.plug on children's opera featuring a leading character who's gay.
:01:12. > :01:16.Tonight, the head of Bay Primary had said she never wanted to see
:01:16. > :01:26.that character taking out of the play that the use of the word clear
:01:26. > :01:28.
:01:28. > :01:38.in the script was something she would never allow in her playground.
:01:38. > :01:40.
:01:40. > :01:45.-- queer. Hundreds of her pupils were due to be involved in the
:01:45. > :01:48.production due to open in Bridlington later this month. Anne
:01:48. > :01:55.Marie Tasker has been speaking exclusively to the head of the
:01:55. > :02:03.school. The school said words in the scripts were sexually
:02:03. > :02:13.suggestive. The writer of the opera has not spoken to them but he has
:02:13. > :02:17.
:02:17. > :02:24.spoken to television. That is the only line that you know that the
:02:24. > :02:30.character is D. What can be wrong with kids being in a play with a
:02:30. > :02:36.gay character, whatever age they are? Thousands of internet users
:02:37. > :02:43.back the writer online but the head teacher of the school say people
:02:43. > :02:49.misunderstand why she has taken her 300 pupils, some as young as four
:02:49. > :02:52.year sold out of the shore. We had no intention to censor a gay
:02:52. > :02:59.character but there was one word that we had trouble with children
:02:59. > :03:03.as young as this saying in a performance. If they said it in the
:03:03. > :03:09.playground we would be stopping them and seeing it is not a nice
:03:09. > :03:15.word to use. In the playground many parents back to the head teacher
:03:15. > :03:20.was my decision. To see it is former pop it is ridiculous. I do
:03:20. > :03:26.not think clear is the correct word to be using, it gives children the
:03:26. > :03:30.wrong impression. It is not teach appropriate for them. But others
:03:30. > :03:34.who found out about the row in a letter to the school yesterday see
:03:35. > :03:37.it is an over-reaction. children have worked very hard and
:03:38. > :03:45.if the school have a concern they should have got in touch with
:03:45. > :03:54.parents to ask our opinion. You hear worse words in the playground,
:03:54. > :03:59.that is my opinion. There is nothing wrong with it. The row
:03:59. > :04:09.continues to rumble on. Richard Lane is from the gay and lesbian
:04:09. > :04:10.
:04:10. > :04:15.campaign group Stonewall. He gave me his reaction. We are obviously
:04:15. > :04:20.very concerned by the reports that the opera and production has been
:04:20. > :04:26.cancelled due to homophobia. I think it brings up wider issues
:04:26. > :04:30.about schools being able to discuss age appropriate education
:04:30. > :04:35.surrounding gay and bisexual issues within school. Do you think it is
:04:36. > :04:41.right that children as young as four are discussing the issues in
:04:41. > :04:44.drama groups? I do not think it is about eight per se but about
:04:44. > :04:50.discussions in schools that some people have different families,
:04:50. > :04:55.some people have two mums or two dads, some are brought up by their
:04:55. > :05:05.grandparents and it is about having all of that reflected in school.
:05:05. > :05:08.the line he said I am aware of which is why I left here. Well some
:05:08. > :05:14.people be disappointed that children are hearing phrases like
:05:14. > :05:16.that? It's the work with schools across the country and our
:05:16. > :05:21.different families report that speaking to young people who have
:05:21. > :05:26.gay or lesbian parents often feel very isolated within schools that
:05:26. > :05:30.actually their families who support and love them are not reflected in
:05:30. > :05:35.schools. It is about teachers teaching pupils of all ages in the
:05:35. > :05:40.age appropriate ways that are using the word gay as an insult is always
:05:40. > :05:47.wrong. If you are a parent and you have no gay or lesbian people in
:05:47. > :05:50.the family, can you understand why those parents would not be happy?
:05:50. > :05:53.think the skills have to take responsibility and we know that
:05:53. > :05:58.pretty much every school in the country will have a pupil with a
:05:58. > :06:04.gay family member on a gay friend. It is about ensuring that everyone
:06:04. > :06:08.is included in education. Some say this is homophobia in the name of
:06:08. > :06:15.child protection, would you go along with this? I think what is
:06:15. > :06:21.child protection is that our research shows that nine out of 10
:06:21. > :06:31.secondary school teachers and many primary school teachers regularly
:06:31. > :06:35.hear a homophobic abuse. Were these skills right to call at an day on
:06:35. > :06:39.this and Laura were the wrong? think people need to understand the
:06:39. > :06:43.issues and the language that is being used and to ensure that the
:06:43. > :06:48.curriculum is inclusive for all pupils. Was the skill right or
:06:48. > :06:53.wrong? It is about them having intervention with parents at the
:06:53. > :06:58.earliest possible stage, I will not going to the details of the six
:06:58. > :07:01.that decision but we were with schools and pupils who experience
:07:01. > :07:06.warm-up for be and it is about insuring every school takes their
:07:06. > :07:12.responsibility to communicate these issues seriously. He would not
:07:12. > :07:16.answer that one, maybe you well. Do you think the school was right to
:07:16. > :07:21.pull-out of the production? If you wear a parent would you be happy
:07:21. > :07:31.about language like that being used in a script for those aged between
:07:31. > :07:47.
:07:47. > :07:51.In a moment: A 24 hour vigil against a mobile phone mast reaches
:07:51. > :07:54.its 10th week. A decision to close some care homes in Lincolnshire was
:07:54. > :07:57.today met with angry protests. At a meeting this morning, the county
:07:57. > :08:00.council pushed through a plan which will see five homes shut in the
:08:00. > :08:03.next three months, with another three closing from next year.
:08:03. > :08:07.Campaigners say the authority is trying to make money at the expense
:08:07. > :08:17.of their elderly relatives. Our community correspondent Vicky
:08:17. > :08:22.
:08:22. > :08:28.Johnson has more. They were not many in number but protesters made
:08:28. > :08:32.loud and clear their opposition to the care home closures. It does not
:08:32. > :08:38.just affect families with people in care homes and the moment but it
:08:38. > :08:41.affects those who will need care in the future. I think it is appalling,
:08:41. > :08:49.they are abdicating their responsibility to the frail and
:08:49. > :08:54.elderly people of this county. council executive heard at this
:08:54. > :08:59.morning that changes are needed to modernise the service. These homes
:08:59. > :09:05.were built 40 years ago and they are past their best, we think we
:09:05. > :09:12.can provide a better service in other menus. But those in the
:09:12. > :09:17.public gallery were not convinced. It is all about cuts and finance.
:09:17. > :09:23.As it was voted in favour of the closures some claimed it was less
:09:23. > :09:29.about modernisation and more about saving money. It will all produce a
:09:29. > :09:34.capital receipt, that is, money from the sale of the homes between
:09:34. > :09:40.two and four million pounds. idea is that individuals will
:09:40. > :09:46.receive a personalised budget which they can spend how they wish rather
:09:46. > :09:52.than council deciding how they will be cared for. 50% of councils and
:09:52. > :09:59.Lincolnshire currently receive personalised budgets, the target is
:09:59. > :10:05.100% by 2013. This is deeply ironic, it is denying choice, it is giving
:10:05. > :10:14.people a personal budget which they can choose where to spend it accept
:10:14. > :10:20.in their own home. This and another warm will remain open and tell next
:10:20. > :10:27.April at least then it is intended to develop the site as a learning
:10:27. > :10:31.hub for those with dementia. In an unusual move as a High Court
:10:31. > :10:39.hearing has been held at a Lincolnshire farmer Judy. The case
:10:39. > :10:45.will decide whether the couple who live there are the victims of wind
:10:45. > :10:52.farm noise. Two companies and two landowners deny that the couple
:10:52. > :11:02.were forced to leave their home in 2007. Today was simply putting it
:11:02. > :11:07.in context with the judge, where the left, -- where they left. The
:11:07. > :11:13.farmhouse where they were living, the turbines themselves and the
:11:13. > :11:21.character of the general area. There has been a morning of
:11:21. > :11:26.disruption because of problems with First Hull Trains. It caused delays
:11:26. > :11:30.in places like Hull and Grantham as passengers were left waiting for
:11:30. > :11:35.services. First Hull Trains has blamed the disruption on an engine
:11:35. > :11:41.failure. This morning cos my problems were caused by an
:11:41. > :11:47.overnight engine failure in one of the four hull first trains units.
:11:47. > :11:51.By lunchtime the direct service to the capital was back to normal.
:11:51. > :11:55.was shocked at first because of all the luggage I have to take with me
:11:55. > :12:00.but fortunately they have told me that my train is running on time so
:12:00. > :12:10.it is fine now. Fortunately we do not have to make a connection at
:12:10. > :12:11.
:12:11. > :12:16.the other time but often we do so we are very fortunate today.
:12:16. > :12:21.train company has masses of rolling stock sat in the sidelines waiting
:12:21. > :12:26.for something to happen. We have been transferring people over to
:12:26. > :12:32.Doncaster this morning, there are delays of 10 to 15 minutes in most
:12:32. > :12:39.cases. Some say the company is struggling with poor-quality
:12:39. > :12:45.rolling stock. The problem with these trains is the have been in
:12:45. > :12:49.use for over a decade but have never been constantly reliable.
:12:49. > :12:54.Keeping the fleet rolling is something First Hull Trains has
:12:54. > :12:59.said it is committed to doing. The company pointed out that only last
:12:59. > :13:05.week the top and national poll for customer satisfaction. Our reporter
:13:05. > :13:15.is at a station in Hull right now, why does this keep happening to
:13:15. > :13:29.
:13:29. > :13:33.There are issues with the trains themselves. They have also told us
:13:33. > :13:36.tonight that the destruction experienced it today could
:13:36. > :13:46.potentially travel into tomorrow. There advising travellers to check
:13:46. > :13:51.before setting out their journeys. Still ahead tonight:
:13:51. > :13:54.A 24-hour vigil against a mobile phone mast reaches its tenth week.
:13:54. > :14:04.And teams from more than 30 countries prepare for a World Cup
:14:04. > :14:09.
:14:09. > :14:16.with a difference. This is Goodmanham Wold near Market
:14:16. > :14:23.Weighton taken by Jennifer Naylor. Thank you very much indeed. If you
:14:23. > :14:27.have a picture you're proud of, send it in. A story in the papers
:14:27. > :14:33.today about whether forecasters having sleepless nights. One
:14:33. > :14:43.national forecasters said he cannot go to bed until he gets the
:14:43. > :14:53.broadcast rights. Others don't get the Jeremy Paxman style
:14:53. > :14:53.
:14:53. > :14:56.the Jeremy Paxman style interrogation of a new like I did.
:14:56. > :15:03.Sunny intervals and scattered showers for tomorrow, a locally
:15:03. > :15:06.heavy with the risk of thunder. The low pressure will remain anchored
:15:06. > :15:15.across as for the next few days, bringing showers and even the risk
:15:15. > :15:19.of longer spells of rain. This is a cold front which is introducing
:15:19. > :15:23.change to the west, but it is pathetically weak just now, giving
:15:23. > :15:28.only some patchy rain. The very light and patchy, I think the
:15:28. > :15:35.graphics are overdoing it. It may become more intense as we head into
:15:35. > :15:40.the night, so the chance of some heavy bursts of rain. If I was the
:15:40. > :15:50.pick somewhere that would get the heaviest rain, it would be the East
:15:50. > :15:51.
:15:51. > :15:59.Yorkshire coastline later tonight. The sun will rise in the morning.
:15:59. > :16:05.Any rain towards the Yorkshire coast, moving offshore, and that
:16:05. > :16:08.there are cloudy start there will be sunny spells. Not a complete
:16:08. > :16:15.washout at all. There will be some days in a brighter spells in
:16:15. > :16:21.between those showers. A moderate south-west wind and top
:16:21. > :16:29.temperatures across East Yorkshire of around 19 Celsius. 20 Celsius in
:16:29. > :16:38.parts of Lincolnshire. The outlook is dominated by low-pressure,
:16:38. > :16:44.meaning scattered showers and in places thundery.
:16:44. > :16:54.Do you: have sleepless nights? I am not making this up it was in the
:16:54. > :16:56.
:16:56. > :16:59.national news today. A group of Hull residents are so
:16:59. > :17:03.determined to stop a mobile phone mast from being built on their
:17:03. > :17:05.doorstep that they've been camping out 24 hours a day for the last
:17:05. > :17:08.nine weeks. They're worried the transmitter will damage their
:17:08. > :17:17.health -despite experts claiming there is no hard evidence that
:17:17. > :17:21.these masts are a danger to the public. Leanne Brown reports.
:17:21. > :17:31.They've been here all day and all night for the past 9 weeks, with no
:17:31. > :17:31.
:17:31. > :17:36.sign of giving up: We've organised at 24 hours a day sit-in on the
:17:36. > :17:40.site. We have a lot of with people coming for an hour or two at the
:17:40. > :17:43.time. If anyone comes to start doing any work at all, we send a
:17:43. > :17:50.warning signal out and get as many people as we can down to the side
:17:50. > :17:53.as quickly as possible. All-too and Vodafone want to build the master
:17:53. > :17:57.idea where this benches. It is in the middle of a residential area
:17:57. > :18:03.and next to a busy junction. Residents like Dave are concerned
:18:03. > :18:12.about the possible health risks, so he's made this tent his new bed.
:18:12. > :18:15.get a bit of company from the foxes. You get all sorts around here.
:18:15. > :18:18.Health Protection Agency says there is no hard scientific evidence to
:18:18. > :18:20.suggest it would pose a risk to public health, but Silvia from
:18:20. > :18:30.Horncastle disputes that, and she is undergoing scientific tests
:18:30. > :18:37.after living near one. They radiation is so powerful that you
:18:37. > :18:40.just feel tired for no reason and you cannot sleep. You wake up
:18:40. > :18:47.feeling hot, numb and sometimes there is a ringing in the years. A
:18:47. > :18:52.feeling generally sit at, as if you're about to throw up. 85% of
:18:52. > :18:57.the population owned a mobile, but there are mixed views on the High
:18:57. > :19:00.Street as to whether the mast should be built. We have to think
:19:00. > :19:04.about the school's close by. Anything that improves the phone
:19:04. > :19:09.signal be good for people with more will phones. In a statement the
:19:09. > :19:12.phone companies told us: We have identified that we both need to
:19:12. > :19:15.improve the 3G coverage to customers in Hull, so that they are
:19:15. > :19:17.able to access high-speed mobile broadband services. All our base
:19:17. > :19:23.stations are designed, built and operated in accordance with
:19:23. > :19:33.stringent international guidelines. But residents say they're not going
:19:33. > :19:40.
:19:40. > :19:43.away until the plans are scrapped. Strong feelings there. Earlier, I
:19:43. > :19:49.spoke to Hazel Nunn from Cancer Research UK. I asked her if people
:19:49. > :19:53.were right to be worried? In terms of scientific studies,
:19:53. > :19:57.there is little evidence letting mobile-phone mast to cancer are
:19:57. > :20:01.other serious outcomes. That does not mean it is not right for people
:20:01. > :20:05.to be worried about their health. It is only natural, and sometimes
:20:05. > :20:09.even though the signs is incredibly good and takes us to a certain
:20:09. > :20:13.stage, we cannot be certain about what sign socialism the future, so
:20:13. > :20:17.I will not condemn anyone for tried to protect their health and the
:20:17. > :20:23.health of their children. Of course, we also don't know what will happen
:20:23. > :20:26.down the line, things could be different and 15 or 20 years' time?
:20:26. > :20:30.With mobile phone Nast, their evidence has only been emerging for
:20:30. > :20:34.the last five or 10 years, and similarly, with mobile phone is,
:20:34. > :20:37.only five years longer than that. The evidence that is coming out is
:20:37. > :20:42.quite strongly suggesting there is no reason to think that mobile
:20:42. > :20:46.phones or their masts should be linked to cancer, but it is a new
:20:47. > :20:51.area. Even if there was a link, people would continue to use their
:20:51. > :20:56.phones. One of the reasons why there is so much hype around the
:20:56. > :21:00.model phones is that it is such a new technology. 20 years ago,
:21:00. > :21:05.hardly anyone had won and now almost everyone does. That is why
:21:05. > :21:08.there is a lot of interest in this area and a lot of study still
:21:08. > :21:12.ongoing. There are a lot of other bigger things to worry about in
:21:12. > :21:16.terms of cancer risks than more will phones. Do we need to be
:21:16. > :21:22.spending what -- or large amounts of money to get proper research
:21:22. > :21:25.done to find it once and for all? There will only be large
:21:25. > :21:29.epidemiological studies, studies that take large groups of people
:21:29. > :21:33.and look at the list of cancer, if there is a biological reason why we
:21:33. > :21:36.think there might be a link. For mobile phone is a mobile phone base
:21:36. > :21:41.stations, there isn't really any plausible biological mechanism by
:21:41. > :21:45.which we think they could cause cancer. That said, formal will
:21:45. > :21:48.phones there is a lot of research going on at the moment, and in
:21:48. > :21:52.children, there is not very much research at the moment, so there is
:21:52. > :21:56.a lot of Mark -- work being put into this. We will have to wait
:21:56. > :22:00.longer to find out what that shows. On the basis of the good research
:22:00. > :22:05.we have at the moment, there is no real cause for concern, and it is
:22:05. > :22:08.only a pragmatic approach that would invite people to be cautious,
:22:08. > :22:18.perhaps to ask their children to limit their call times and only use
:22:18. > :22:21.
:22:21. > :22:31.their mobiles for emergencies. Thank you for talking to us.
:22:31. > :22:34.
:22:34. > :22:37.If you want it e-mail about that, contact is the usual way. Lots of
:22:37. > :22:41.you have been in touch with us on the subject of bringing back
:22:41. > :22:44.smoking in pubs. The East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight wants a change in
:22:44. > :22:47.the law to allow pubs and clubs to provide areas for people to light
:22:47. > :22:50.up. He claims the smoking ban is behind a record number of pub
:22:50. > :22:53.closures across the country. Trevor called us to say, We should
:22:53. > :22:57.definitely not go back to having smoking in pubs. It is a disgusting
:22:57. > :23:00.habit and they want to keep it the same as it is. Peter says, I'm a
:23:00. > :23:04.reformed smoker and I think they should bring back smoking rooms in
:23:04. > :23:07.pubs. With proper extraction and air conditioning, it would bring
:23:07. > :23:13.life back to pubs which are dying, Rick on Twitter says, smoking is a
:23:13. > :23:16.disgusting habit. Has anyone thought about the health of the
:23:16. > :23:19.staff that have to clean the smoking room out? Craig also
:23:19. > :23:22.tweeted, I don't agree with smoking in pubs and clubs, I like going
:23:22. > :23:25.home smelling fresh after a night out, not like a used ashtray!
:23:26. > :23:33.Vanessa on Twitter says, I welcome smoking rooms as a smoker. They
:23:34. > :23:38.should remove groups of smokers from pavements. There were loads of
:23:38. > :23:40.those and thank you very much. Grimsby Town and Lincoln City today
:23:40. > :23:44.received their fixtures for next season's Blue Square Premier
:23:44. > :23:49.campaign. The Mariners open their season at home to Fleetwood Town on
:23:49. > :23:52.the 13th of August while the Imps are away at Southport. The
:23:52. > :24:02.Lincolnshire derbies are in the space of a few festive days, with
:24:02. > :24:07.
:24:07. > :24:11.the teams going head-to-head on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
:24:11. > :24:17.This Sunday, a unique version of the World Cup will be held in Hull
:24:17. > :24:21.to bring together and different nationalities from across the city.
:24:21. > :24:25.Football crosses many boundaries, and here in Hull, players are
:24:25. > :24:31.training for a special World Cup. The Holland East Yorkshire version,
:24:31. > :24:34.which aims to bridge differences in culture and language. We have had a
:24:35. > :24:38.huge influx of new faces and new communities within the city of are
:24:38. > :24:43.the last few years. This event is about promoting integration, making
:24:43. > :24:47.sure people get on and understand each other's cultures. This unique
:24:47. > :24:50.football tournament will bring together 32 definitions. Those
:24:50. > :24:55.playing are either foreign students here or have moved to the area
:24:55. > :25:04.permanently. Football, it seems, is the one language it they all
:25:04. > :25:10.understand. As with any World Cup, an official
:25:10. > :25:18.football song has been written. It has been penned by the former House
:25:18. > :25:26.martins member, Ted keen. It has the most important thing: eye-
:25:26. > :25:32.catcher one-line chorus. There are a lot of countries that rhyme, so
:25:32. > :25:39.it has not been too difficult. The ethos of the song is that football
:25:39. > :25:44.should be for everyone. It is the tournament's second year with the
:25:44. > :25:49.Kurdish team last year clinching victory over Iraq. This time, 12
:25:49. > :25:54.law countries are playing, including Sudan, China and Ghana.
:25:54. > :26:02.We want to score, we want to win, but apart from that, it is about
:26:02. > :26:07.the team spirit. The World Cup takes place at the KC Stadium on
:26:07. > :26:17.10th July. Football and singing an effective and the easy way to unite
:26:17. > :26:17.
:26:17. > :26:19.communities. Let's get a recap of the national
:26:19. > :26:21.and regional headlines: The parents of murdered schoolgirls
:26:22. > :26:24.Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman have been contacted by police
:26:24. > :26:27.investigating the News of the World phone hacking scandal.
:26:27. > :26:31.The head of a primary school has defended her decision to pull out
:26:31. > :26:34.of an opera because of explicit language about a gay character.
:26:34. > :26:36.Overnight rain towards the Yorkshire coast soon clearing, then
:26:36. > :26:39.all areas seeing a mixture of sunny spells and scattered showers,
:26:39. > :26:46.locally heavy with a risk of thunder. Maximum temperature of 20
:26:46. > :26:54.Celsius. Now, not surprisingly, a big
:26:54. > :26:56.response to our top story: the head teacher said there was no problem
:26:56. > :27:01.with children discussing homosexuality. It was the use of
:27:01. > :27:04.the word clear she objected to, and I completely agree. It is as
:27:04. > :27:07.acceptable to use that word because children will then use it in the
:27:07. > :27:12.playground without knowing why it is wrong. It seems everyone has
:27:12. > :27:15.missed the point including the writer of the play. The head
:27:15. > :27:18.teacher did say to is that the school talks to his children about
:27:18. > :27:23.homosexuality and also the issues around it.
:27:23. > :27:26.Another one here: when it comes to the problem of children hearing
:27:26. > :27:32.that line within the play, most children would not understand or