26/10/2011 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Look North. Tonight: We can't survive on �500 a week in benefits.

The Newcastle family who say they're having to chose between

buying food or paying the bills. We've a special report. Also

tonight. Caught on camera. The shopkeeper who tackled an armed man

pointing a gun at him. More than a quarter of a million to

fish here. The angling rights that have netted a great deal of

interest. Expensive. This is not expensive. If you get a couple of

mates to come in with you, it is not expensive. And it's the kitchen

which talks back to the chef, in French too.

A bit closer to home, Steve Cram launches a new marathon race for

the region. And while Newcastle go for Cup glory - Carlisle's players

show just how to bounce back from a bad result.

We can't survive on �500 a week in benefits. That's the controversial

message from one Tyneside family. The Wilsons say Government plans to

limit benefits to �500 a week for most families would leave them

struggling to survive. But critics say that's more than many families

get for a full working week. Our Political Correspondent, Mark

Denten, has this special report. The Meadowell estate, North

Tyneside. Terry knows this area well. A former shipyard electrician.

He's now on benefits but so is most of this community. I know for a

fact that there are third generation of people unemployed.

People with no chance in life that will never do a day's work. They

will be on benefits for all their lives. A recent survey found 90 %

of families had no one in full-time work. Over 20 % of households had

someone on long-term invalidity benefit. Changes to the benefit

system FX sell it -- thousands of people right across the country but

the simple fact is the matter most in areas like this. The government

is shaking up the welfare system. Ministers say they want to make

sure that no-one's better off on benefits than in work. They also

want to make the system simpler by combining most existing benefits

into one universal credit. And crucially there will be a �500 a

week limit to the amount most people can claim. No-one's worked

in the Wilson family for a decade. But all told, Dave and Emma get

nearly �490 a week in benefits for themselves and their three children.

But the family say they still face a choice, pay the bills or buy food.

A lot of the time it is a struggle to pay the bills. Sometimes we have

to miss a couple of pills because we do not get enough money. But the

Wilson family's getting bigger - another baby's on the way. They'll

get even more benefits then but that will take them over the �500

pound a week limit. I don't think it's fair. The government to not

know what people are going through. When the baby is born, we will

struggle even more to survive, basically. But supporters of the

welfare plans say it's vital money's saved from the system.

per week is around -- the equivalent of earning around

�35,000. Nobody should be taking this in benefits. It is a lot of

money. We have to remember that every penny the government spends

is coming from hard-working taxpayers' pockets. Ministers say

areas like this will get most from changing the welfare system-as

people get back to work. But some here aren't convinced they'll

benefit. And tomorrow on Look North we'll

continue asking our Big Question about the Government's welfare

changes, "Who Benefits?" We'll hear how lone parents are affected and

how a Government scheme could get people back to work. And don't

forget your BBC local radio station will be looking at a range of

benefits issues throughout this week.

It's the nightmare of every shop worker. You're doing your job when

an armed man points a gun at you demanding money. Well, that

happened to a Sunderland shop worker one evening. But instead of

paying up, Rasaratnam Rahulan stood up to the robber and it was all

caught on camera. There's some dramatic scenes in Keith Akehurst's

report. Rasaratnam Rahulan serves a

customer in the off-licence and newsagents in Sunderland. The

Newcastle University graduate has worked in this shop in Roker for

more than five years. But one evening in August he was confronted

by an armed robber. And what happened was captured on eight

closed circuit TV cameras. The man, now known to be 32-year-old John

Buckley, pulled a gun and demanded I didn't want to give him the money.

But he just turned his head a little bit and I managed to grab

the gun nothing. I thought I could manage to get the care nothing. --

to get the gun off him. Weren't you worried about your safety? I did

not think about my safety. Bravely Mr Rahulan grabbed the gun, banging

the attacker's hand on the counter making him release his grip.

Another mystery customer grabbed the man around the neck from behind

and pulled him to the floor. He did a great job. I do not think many

customers would have done that. But he was in the army. I think he

might know what to do. The police came within three minutes.

Afterwards it was realised the gun was in fact a replica. The jovial

Mr Rahulan is a reluctant hero. is not a frightening situation for

me. But you worry reluctant, brave hero? I think so. Buckley, of no

fixed abode, admitted attempted robbery and having an imitation

firearm at Newcastle Crown Court. He's been remanded in custody until

Now, how much would you pay for a week's fishing? How about this -

�825,000. That's the asking price for three places in a salmon

fishing syndicate - �275,000 per angler. It gets you a week's

fishing, a week every year admittedly, and even in these

economic times, the three places are expected to be snapped up. To

find out more, our Chief Reporter, Chris Stewart, has been to the

north of our region, to the River Tweed near Coldstream.

What makes it worth all that money? There is one answer. And there is

another. This is some of the finest salmon fishing in the world.

Anglers from all around the world are winning to pay what it takes. -

- willing. There are spaces for three and has added will cost them

�275,000 each. It is very good though. I pointed out that over 27

1/2 years, that works out at only �1,000 a week. But then it was

pointed out that I had missed a nought off! The agent believes the

view was open to challenge. If you gape -- if you get a couple of

mates to come in with you, it is not expensive. You would go on a

holiday as spend that sort of money. It is an expensive holiday but it's

this is not expensive. It is! definitely not! It will keep pace

with inflation -- keep pace with inflation. My missus told me to

grow up. Well change your missus! This man says you have to be

fortunate to be able to enjoy the fishing. Yes, it is true. You have

to be fortunate. But you are getting some of the best fishing in

the world. And if fishing is important, plus it is an

environmental thing, you are with very good people and just enjoying

yourselves. That is an important part of one's life. For the other

man in the boat, it is his life and his livelihood. It is not a job, it

is a way of life. It is not about clocking in and clocking out, you

start when you start and finish when you finish. Whether you can

afford it or not and whether you like it or not, it does make a big

difference to the economy in this part of the world. If you are

waiting for a salmon to be caught, it did not happen while we were

there. We have a diverse programme for you

this evening. A family struggling on benefits and those gentlemen!

The jury at the Grayrigg train crash inquest has been given a

detailed description of the final moments before the train crashed.

Margaret Masson, who was 84, was killed when the train came off the

tracks north of Kendal in Cumbria in February 2007. Today jury

members were shown how the front carriage in which she was

travelling jack-knifed before rolling down an embankment. A 32-

year-old man's in hospital with serious head injuries and a broken

shoulder after three men with baseball bats attacked him at a

Carlisle garage. It happened at Whiteclosegate on the outskirts of

the city just after 7:00am. The men are believed to have driven off in

a Subaru car which was later found burnt out nearby.

All I've seen is the CCTV and it is a horrific assault. The victim is

not armed in any way, shape or form. The men that attack him, two of

them have baseball bat. He is pushed to the floor and then they

said about assaulting him. It is horrendous. It is one of the worst

I have seen on CCTV. A mobile crane overturned today, narrowly missing

a bungalow. It happened at Ebchester near Consett this morning.

It's suggested the brakes on the crane failed as the driver came

down a nearby hill. The vehicle came to a rest completely upside

down. The driver escaped unhurt. There's still plenty more to come

in the programme. Jeff with news of a new Sunderland marathon.

President Nicolas Sarkozy Learning the lingo while learning to cook.

We give a new computer programme a try that can do just that. And I

will have a full weather forecast. Over the past week, the North East

has been fully established on the arts map of Britain, with people

continuing to queue to see the Turner Prize exhibition at the

Baltic in Gateshead. Well, now another of the region's attractions

is planning on making a name for itself. The National Glass Centre

in Sunderland is to undergo a major revamp to bring world class

exhibitions to the city and create a new line in Sunderland-made

glassware. Chris Storey reports. The National Glass Centre in

Sunderland has had a bumpy history. The first recipient of Arts Lottery

Funding, it was the brainchild of the now defunct Tyne and Wear

Development Corporation. It was charged with creating a truly

national arts attraction that also brought alive Sunderland's 1,300

year glass making heritage. Its new boss concedes, it's achieved

neither. I think one of the recurring themes that we get back

in terms of visitor feedback is, where it is the glass? I am afraid

that at the moment, they go away a little disappointed because we do

not have the physical capacity to be able to show enough exhibitions.

At the moment, we are a little bit of a one-trick pony. It's now under

the wing of Sunderland University and has received a vote of

confidence in the shape of �1.1 million of funding from Arts

Council England. The plan is to extend the main gallery to bring in

regular exhibitions of some of the world's great glass collections. A

reconfigured upper gallery will enhance the Sunderland glass making

story. The popular glass-blowing sessions and courses will be

increased. And next Easter, the first master glass blower will

arrive to create a new range of made in Sunderland glass. One of

the many things that has been missing is a clear identity in our

production and in the shop of glass made in Sunderland. In future, you

will be buying Sunderland Glass. Working on the telly, I sometimes

feel like I'm living my life in a shop window but two young men in

Harrogate have gone one stage further. They're doing it quite

literally. They call themselves the Harrogate mannequins and their week

long sojourn in an empty shop is all in aid of charity. Peter Lugg

has been keeping an eye on them. Yes, they may look a couple of

dummies prancing around in a Harrogate shop window but Ben and

Jason are also raising thousands for charity just by living out

their lives in public. You have got to remember that people can see all

the time. There is always a small crowd of people that you have to be

careful what you are doing! My mum gave us a knitting lesson before we

came in here. Reminders of what it is all in aid of. We are raising

money for the local cat -- cancer hospital. They need to raise �3.5

million just from fund-raising every year. The mannequins'

exploits have attracted a huge following on the internet. Day or

night they're always on full view and what exploits these boys get up

I think it is wicked, what they are doing. They are good friends of

mine and they are passionate about what they do. What would you find

the tough as part? The people outside banging on the windows!

spectacle lasts till Sunday. Be sure not to miss it. I could not

do that! It looked like fun! Last night we

told you about the region's first managerial casualty. Tonight we can

tell you about the second. Jimmy Crease has resigned as manager of

Berwick Rangers, who were dumped out of the Scottish Cup by the

Highland League club, Deveronvale, at the weekend. Coach and assistant

manager Alan Little will take charge until Rangers appoint a

successor. Not quite a quarter of the Premier

League season gone and already fourth-placed Newcastle have picked

up around half the points needed to avoid relegation. So tonight's

Carling Cup tie at Blackburn would seem to be a welcome distraction.

But manager Alan Pardew may be tempted to put out a strong side

with a quarter-final place at stake. Here's Mark Tulip. They used to

work together at Reading. Steve Keenan's Blackburn need to win.

is tough for the team. It is a tough agenda for them. It is not

something that they cannot come through. It is important that they

get a result. I feel that they will be very strong. At the level we are

playing at, there will be nothing between us. It is about desire and

on the night, making sure that you do your job as best you can and

hopefully win the game. They have an advantage, they are the home

side. It is a tough game for us. The Newcastle boss has been tight-

lipped all week about his selection. Injuries were in force some of

squad rotation. I don't like to think of it being an injury getting

me an opportunity. But you want to be part of a team that is

successful. To be like that, it is excellent. Everyone is playing well

and everyone is fit at the moment, most people are fit. Everyone is

fighting for their place. It is good for me. It's a wonderful

feeling. Football's about enjoying yourself and living the dream.

Those were the words of the Carlisle manager, Greg Abbott,

after his team's superb second-half comeback against one of League

One's big hitters Sheffield Wednesday at Brunton Park last

night. Having been thumped by leaders Charlton, Carlisle were

looking for a big improvement against third top Sheffield

Wednesday. They could have gone in front too but James Berett was

denied here. And they were made to pay when Ben Marshall's precise

finish found the net. But for some desperate defending Wednesday would

have gone further ahead. The Cumbrians though started the second

half well with three goals in fourteen minutes, the first from

centre-back Lubo Michalik. Then two fine finishes for the 6,000 crowd

to admire. Rory Loy's was a peach, even though opinion was divided on

the acrobatic celebration. Liam Noble made it 3-1 before Carlisle

old boy Gary Madine was sent off for a second yellow card. And,

although Wednesday pulled one back late on to ensure a nervy finish,

Carlisle got the win that takes them up to eighth. Two places and

two points behind are Hartlepool. Just over 5,000 at Victoria Park

hoping their side could build on Saturday's away win. Who knows what

would have happened if Mick Wadsworth's men had taken the lead

with just over a minute gone. But two second half goals put in-form

Tranmere in charge. Andy Monkhouse was close to pulling one back but

Hartlepool's nine match unbeaten start seems a long time ago.

Now, you would have thought, after all the fuss about the runner who

took a bus to finish the 26-mile course round Kielder, Steve Cram

would have had enough of marathons. He organised that race, of course,

and spent the next week taking press calls from around the world.

Well, now he's offering up a new marathon on Wearside. It'll be the

centrepiece to a weekend of festivities, running alongside the

Sunderland 10k and the junior race, which the former Olympic medallist

set up last summer. The Marathon of the North will wind its way through

the city streets and the coastline on May the 6th. Don't worry, that

means you still have more than six months to get in shape. The title

is giving a clue as to what we want to do. We are trying to broaden out

the appeal. Hopefully it will attract people from wider afield.

Sadly, it may have to take place without two of Sunderland's most

prominent citizens. I have knocked -- I have not run a step for about

six weeks. I am hoping to start back running tomorrow. We have

plenty of time to get fit and healthy and my plans are the London

Marathon next year, in the hope of making the Olympic team. I wish I

could but I am just not fit enough. I will be supporting people and

cheering from the sidelines, definitely. Yes, you are allowed to

catch a bus, but only to get to the start on time and to take you home

when you finish! We had been checking the bus timetables. We are

pretty sure that no one will be able to cheat on this occasion. The

story went worldwide and I was doing interviews for American

newspapers and radio stations and Australian television. A lot of

people now know about this. We will be looking forward to welcoming

some of them next year! We will never hear the end of that story!

know you're a good cook, but are you any good at French? If you want

to improve your cooking and learn French at the same time, then

Newcastle University could have the answer. Yes, they've designed a

talking kitchen to help you do both. The computer gives the recipe

instructions in French, then acts like a satnav to guide the chef

through the process. Peter Harris can't cook or speak French. So we

sent him along. So you cannot speak French and you cannot cook. This

will be the kitchen for you. interesting thing about the project

is that you were learning two skills at the same time, cooking

and French. The big picture is that fewer people are studying foreign

languages at the moment and we are hoping to tap into some of the

motivations that we know that people have in order to reverse

It is telling each step, what I have to do. There are also things

on the screen that will show you and demonstrate what you're

It is going really well! What?! Don't forget the flour. And if this

catches on, the university wants talking kitchens in lots of other

languages as well. Do I give this to Colin or Carol? It depends which

That looked quite good. Not too bad. We were not quite sure what it was

but I am sure it is delicious. What about the weather forecast?

Lots to talk about. It is half-term week. Let's have a look at what we

are in for. Tomorrow, Bright to start us off. Thank you to Michael,

for this photo. Thursday, cloudy with some rain. That rain spreading

in some places this evening. Quite cold at first tonight. Through the

night and into the early hours of tomorrow morning, it turns wet from

the south. Seven Celsius. And then through the morning, a wet walk to

work in the morning. Not drive along. By mid-afternoon, it is wet

for most of the region. Just 11 degrees Celsius. That is below

average, even for this time of year. In the West, some dry patches but

through the evening, that rain is likely to scratch its way across

the entire region. -- splash its way.

A bit of a disappointing day tomorrow. There is better weather

on the way. Friday looks bright. But on Friday morning, as the rain

clears overnight, the clear skies will allow it to get quite misty.

First thing Friday, it could be a bit disappointing. But by about

10am. -- that mist and fog starts to clear and it is a bright day for

much of the rest of Friday. Saturday also looks good. Dry

across the North-East. Some rain to come in the West but then every Wed

tries out for Sunday. Everyone ending half-term. Enjoy being out

and about. The temperatures just a little bit higher by the time we

get to the end of the week. Wet tomorrow but much brighter for

Friday and Saturday. Thank you very much.

Let's have tonight's main news again. European leaders in Brussels

tried to finalise details of a plan to tackle the Euros on debt crisis.

And a family living on �500 a week on benefit say they are struggling

to pay the bills and things will get worse.

Last night, we told you the intriguing story about some strange

substance found but in the Lake District. This is it. We have had

some interesting theories on e-mail. We have one from Julian. He says it

is from otters. We have another one from John, a

local gamekeeper told him it comes from India.