23/12/2011 Look North (North East and Cumbria)


23/12/2011

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Hello, and welcome to the last Look North before Christmas. Coming up.

:00:03.:00:07.

Deck the halls. A welcome Christmas present for the campaign to keep

:00:07.:00:11.

the Zurbarans hanging here. Silent night. The aluminium line at Alcan

:00:11.:00:18.

remains out of action as bosses ponder its future. In the deep

:00:18.:00:22.

midwinter. After last year's big freeze, you're more likely to be

:00:22.:00:25.

turning the heating down on Sunday. And a miracle at Christmas. The

:00:25.:00:31.

little girl who defied the odds, and amazed medical experts. In

:00:31.:00:34.

sport, we look ahead to the busy festive programme, which could be

:00:34.:00:38.

make or break for so many teams. And we're reaching for the stars as

:00:38.:00:48.
:00:48.:00:51.

one of the longest-running football fanzines hits a landmark edition.

:00:52.:00:55.

It's the Christmas news campaigners dreamed of. A collection of

:00:55.:00:57.

historic paintings that hold the key to regenerating part of our

:00:57.:01:02.

area are set to be saved after all. A �15 million deal to keep the

:01:02.:01:09.

Zurbarans in County Durham was in doubt. But now it's back on and set

:01:09.:01:13.

to bring a huge boost to our region for years to come. Peter Harris

:01:13.:01:23.
:01:23.:01:23.

reports. 13 Spanish works of art. And why should we care if they stay

:01:23.:01:29.

here? It was feared they would be sold and with them gone, the future

:01:29.:01:35.

of historic Auckland Castle was in doubt. And then a saviour. At the

:01:35.:01:39.

time, Jonathan Ruffer have not seen them but offered to buy them for

:01:39.:01:46.

the region for �50 million. And the castle could become an art gallery.

:01:46.:01:52.

A brand new tourist attraction. Deal done. Not quite. In December

:01:52.:01:56.

it was announced that Jonathan Ruffer was in dispute with the

:01:56.:02:01.

Church Commissioners and The Deal was off and the future of the

:02:01.:02:05.

paintings and the castle was in doubt. But now good news with the

:02:06.:02:09.

Bishop of Durham saying that Jonathan Ruffer and the

:02:09.:02:13.

commissioners, who owned the paintings and the castle, have

:02:13.:02:18.

struck a deal. The biggest likelihood is that this turns into

:02:18.:02:26.

a really exciting centre for visitors as they begin their

:02:26.:02:31.

journey through County Durham and into Northumbria. It will be a

:02:31.:02:35.

boost to tourism if we can get it off the ground. What the painting

:02:35.:02:40.

safe, part of the Christian heritage of the region is protected

:02:40.:02:44.

and the castle could possibly be a prestigious gallery. To I would

:02:44.:02:49.

hope we could see pictures from the National Gallery or rather

:02:49.:02:52.

collections in Bishop Auckland because that would be a wonderful

:02:52.:02:57.

thing for the area. They are going into Christmas

:02:57.:03:01.

knowing that their jobs are going anyway, but it could be even worse.

:03:01.:03:03.

The Alcan aluminium smelter at Lynemouth in Northumberland was

:03:03.:03:07.

earmarked for closure by its owners last month. Then came a power cut

:03:07.:03:10.

at the plant, causing damage which might not be in the owners'

:03:10.:03:18.

interests to put right. Chris Stewart has the story.

:03:18.:03:24.

In it could not have happened at a worse time. Alcan had announced the

:03:24.:03:27.

plant would close and now it must decide whether it is worth spending

:03:27.:03:32.

money to get it working properly again for the time it has left.

:03:32.:03:42.
:03:42.:03:43.

Aluminium is made in huge ovens. There are two at Alcan. After a few

:03:43.:03:48.

hours without power the aluminium inside solidify us and that has

:03:48.:03:52.

happened on all of one line and a quarter of the other. The aluminium

:03:53.:03:58.

would now have to be dug out, which is expensive. And the huge amount

:03:58.:04:01.

of electricity the plant uses means it would have to be restored

:04:01.:04:06.

gradually, which is also expensive. They have been two previous power

:04:06.:04:12.

cuts at the plant and both times the pots were dug out, but that was

:04:12.:04:16.

at a time when market prices for aluminium meant the owners would

:04:16.:04:20.

get their money back. But with the plant having a limited life anyway,

:04:20.:04:25.

its days of production might have gone. Decisions will be made in

:04:25.:04:34.

India. -- in the new year. A security guard has been injured

:04:34.:04:37.

in a robbery at a branch of Asda on Tyneside. Shoppers were locked

:04:37.:04:40.

inside the supermarket in Benton for around 25 minutes after a

:04:40.:04:42.

Tannoy announcement warning them they were being kept inside for

:04:42.:04:45.

their own safety. The robbers attacked a security van which was

:04:45.:04:48.

taking cash from the branch. 900 Sellafield workers are being

:04:48.:04:51.

transferred to Whitehaven, in a move that it is hoped will

:04:51.:04:55.

revitalise the Cumbrian town. The deal was signed this week, but it

:04:55.:04:58.

will be two years before the staff are housed in Albion Square, a new

:04:59.:05:06.

$20 million office complex. Across the North today, towns and

:05:06.:05:09.

cities were full of glassy-eyed men wandering around shops looking

:05:09.:05:19.
:05:19.:05:22.

stressed and clueless. Christmas Day it surprises them every year.

:05:22.:05:25.

Not every man in the world leaves the Christmas shopping until the

:05:25.:05:28.

last minute, but it is probably fair to say many do. Why? Damian

:05:28.:05:32.

O'Neil tried to find out. Before you get indignant, some men

:05:32.:05:37.

do their shopping in good time. Some women to leave it to the last

:05:37.:05:41.

minute. The old stereotype of the last minute male shopper does hold

:05:41.:05:49.

water. I do not know, maybe it is the bottom of their priorities.

:05:49.:05:57.

Money -- women are more organised. Why are you shopping today? Why are

:05:57.:06:01.

you so useless at this? It is the way I am. Everything and the last

:06:01.:06:09.

minute. Women like doing it. It was one last thing. I am trying to see

:06:09.:06:14.

if I can pick up a late bargain. A everything is mainly down. One

:06:14.:06:20.

thing has not arrived. The internet let me down. You have done the rest

:06:20.:06:25.

of it? And I have most of it down. Just little bits for my daughter.

:06:25.:06:29.

Traditionally, do you leave it to the last minute? I am pretty

:06:29.:06:36.

organised. I'd do stuff on the last day. I am not a typical bloke.

:06:36.:06:40.

Waiting for the pay cheque to come in. That is the only reason,

:06:40.:06:48.

waiting for the money to come in. have to get my mum presence. Just

:06:48.:06:53.

my mum maiming. Do you feel useless leaving it to the last minute?

:06:53.:07:03.

what are you trying to say?! In is this a man thing? By think it is.

:07:03.:07:08.

Because Christmas is on Sunday, it means he men have another day

:07:08.:07:14.

tomorrow to do last minute shopping. -- un men. But if you leave it too

:07:14.:07:17.

late and by from the filling station, she will know about it and

:07:17.:07:21.

you might as well pack your bags now!

:07:21.:07:25.

Barring a miracle, it's not likely to be a white Christmas in any part

:07:25.:07:31.

of the North this year. Temperatures here on the big day

:07:31.:07:41.

are nudging towards as high as they have be that this time of year. And

:07:41.:07:44.

that's a very different story from the last two years, when it snowed

:07:45.:07:51.

and snowed around Christmas. Chris Storey reports.

:07:51.:07:55.

After a couple of cold Christmases, there is something going on down at

:07:56.:08:01.

the beach. The from -- footprints in the sand shows how busy the

:08:01.:08:07.

beach is. This time last year, they were footprints in the snow.

:08:07.:08:13.

Temperatures at the coast were below freezing. It was not just the

:08:13.:08:19.

shoreline, it was the snow line. This time last year, paddling in

:08:19.:08:24.

the snow. Struggling to drive our car. There was snow on the beach on

:08:24.:08:29.

Christmas Day last year. The sand was frozen. You are not exactly

:08:29.:08:35.

wrapped up. It is really mild today. We have come up for Christmas for a

:08:35.:08:39.

few years to visit relatives and this is the most mild I have seen

:08:39.:08:47.

it. Last Christmas, Tyneside dropped to -12 degrees. This year,

:08:47.:08:53.

is expected to be seven degrees before daylight and 12 degrees on

:08:53.:08:57.

Christmas Day, which could equal the warmest temperature in the

:08:57.:09:04.

region recorded in 2003 in Gainford in County Durham. With temperatures

:09:04.:09:12.

such as these, there is no need to head for Australia. If it does get

:09:12.:09:22.
:09:22.:09:25.

too cold, do what others do, I will simply filed my arms. -- thought my

:09:25.:09:30.

arms. We are saving a fortune in our bills. Coming up next, all I

:09:30.:09:33.

will say is it's a real Christmas heart-warmer. And later, find out

:09:33.:09:37.

what has been happening to some of the stars of our Metro The Musical

:09:37.:09:44.

video. And find out what will happen in the weather forecast for

:09:44.:09:50.

the Christmas weekend. We've brought you many reports on

:09:50.:09:52.

the work done at the Freeman Hospital transplant unit in

:09:52.:09:57.

Newcastle. Some of the most delicate operations there are

:09:57.:10:02.

carried out on children and babies. But, sometimes, the odds are really

:10:02.:10:06.

stacked against them. This little lady, Scarlett Ungers, from Seaton

:10:06.:10:09.

Delaval in Northumberland, was just six months old when she was

:10:09.:10:12.

admitted with a badly damaged heart. Her parents were preparing for the

:10:12.:10:15.

worst, when something remarkable happened. Our health reporter has

:10:15.:10:20.

the story. Here is Scarlett. Critically ill

:10:21.:10:28.

and being kept alive by a mechanical heart. She had been a

:10:28.:10:34.

healthy baby but was struck down by a virus. They did an X-ray because

:10:34.:10:40.

they thought she might have a lung infection. When they looked at her

:10:40.:10:43.

lungs, the heart was really enlarged. They referred us to the

:10:43.:10:52.

Freeman Hospital. The doctor broke the news she was really ill.

:10:52.:10:55.

heart no longer working, as doctors prepared to put her on the Berlin

:10:55.:10:58.

heart and put her on the urgent list for a transplant, things went

:10:58.:11:07.

from bad to worse. Scarlett had a heart attack. I ran out when she

:11:07.:11:11.

had a cardiac arrest. I did not want to see. I sat in a room and

:11:12.:11:19.

thought the next person I see will say she is dead. For six weeks, she

:11:19.:11:22.

was kept alive on a Berlin, or mechanical, heart, waiting for a

:11:22.:11:26.

donor. Doctors wanted then to do tests to see how well her own heart

:11:26.:11:33.

was performing. They made a remarkable discovery. When we were

:11:33.:11:36.

looking six weeks ago, the heart muscle was not contracting, there

:11:36.:11:39.

was no squeezing of the heart muscle and some of the blood was

:11:39.:11:44.

flowing backwards through her leaky valves. When we did the test on her,

:11:44.:11:47.

we found the heart muscle was working again, contracting and

:11:47.:11:52.

squeezing strongly, and the leaking back had got better. The Freeman

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Hospital in Newcastle is the only hospital in the country to

:11:55.:12:02.

undertake a test to see if the heart has recovered. Nobody wants a

:12:02.:12:05.

transplant if they can avoid it. For her to keep her own heart is

:12:05.:12:11.

the best chance of having a long and healthy life. Now at home, it

:12:11.:12:16.

is a Christmas gift her mother did not dare contemplate. We did not

:12:16.:12:22.

know she would be here. We thought possibly we would be in hospital.

:12:22.:12:32.
:12:32.:12:34.

We are looking forward to a quiet Christmas, and enjoying her.

:12:34.:12:38.

Another good reason why that unit should stay here.

:12:38.:12:41.

A Christmas get-together is at the heart of the festive season for

:12:41.:12:44.

many. But for some older people, it can be a lonely time.That's where

:12:44.:12:47.

organisations like Age UK and its volunteers play a vital role.

:12:47.:12:50.

People such as retired driver John Bannister, who has spent the last

:12:50.:12:53.

ten years helping a lunch club in Dalston in Cumbria. Julie Smith has

:12:53.:13:03.
:13:03.:13:13.

the last of our reports on the true spirit of Christmas.

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Familiar sight some Christmas, the tree, the trimmings and the family

:13:17.:13:27.
:13:27.:13:28.

dinner. But not the reality for some older people. An estimated

:13:28.:13:37.

500,000 of them will spend Christmas alone this year. Making

:13:37.:13:43.

all the difference is John and Graham. They are reliable

:13:43.:13:48.

volunteers. The lift they give to the community is priceless. The

:13:48.:13:54.

selfless gift of time. If somebody had said the year ago that we would

:13:54.:14:00.

enjoy going out, in our eighties and nineties, I would have said, do

:14:00.:14:08.

not be so silly. I thoroughly enjoy it. Really good company. We look

:14:08.:14:14.

forward to it. We are looking after them in general. We take them out.

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If we did not do it, nobody else would. We doubt volunteers helping

:14:22.:14:28.

the staff, -- without volunteers, they would still be at home in

:14:28.:14:34.

their own four walls or as one person said, he would still be

:14:34.:14:41.

staring out of the window. If I were at home, I would be very bored.

:14:41.:14:47.

My wife does the garden, but no hobbies. This is my life.

:14:47.:14:57.
:14:57.:14:58.

Definitely. Merry Christmas! It has certainly been a year of

:14:58.:15:01.

anniversaries. We've had the 100th anniversary of the Transporter

:15:02.:15:04.

Bridge in Middlesbrough, the 25th anniversary of the Metro Centre in

:15:04.:15:07.

Gateshead and 2011 was also the 30th anniversary of the Tyne & Wear

:15:08.:15:12.

Metro. You might remember, Look North helped commemorate that

:15:12.:15:16.

birthday by commissioning a musical video. Metro the Musical, which

:15:16.:15:21.

premiered at the Sage in March. The stars were you, the Look North

:15:21.:15:25.

viewers, who auditioned to take part. We have been finding out

:15:25.:15:35.
:15:35.:15:42.

what's happened to some of them. 1980, a year of unemployment and

:15:42.:15:52.
:15:52.:15:59.

cold war darkness. 1980 and emerging from a winter of harshness.

:15:59.:16:09.
:16:09.:16:11.

In the baking heat. The Metro. In cadmium yellow. Just got back from

:16:11.:16:17.

six months in Spain. I continued singing after the musical. The

:16:17.:16:21.

dream was the West End and this will give me the confidence to go

:16:22.:16:26.

for that. I cannot believe it is 12 months since I got the part.

:16:26.:16:36.
:16:36.:16:45.

Everything has changed. It has been such a good year. I am fairly

:16:45.:16:49.

instantly recognisable in this, but since the musical has been

:16:49.:16:54.

broadcast, my profile has gone up and I have had a great time meeting

:16:54.:16:57.

people all over the region. The musical was one of the best things

:16:58.:17:07.
:17:08.:17:11.

I have done in my life. It has been almost two years since

:17:11.:17:17.

we did the musical. I have changed. I am more confident and have more

:17:17.:17:23.

friends. I go out and neighbours say, are you on the television

:17:23.:17:33.
:17:33.:17:34.

and?! It has completely changed my life. So since the musical, I have

:17:34.:17:40.

a management company in London. My group is now on a four of the major

:17:40.:17:45.

TV stations and we have record label interest. It has been a great

:17:45.:17:49.

year and the start of it was Metro The Musical. It boosted my profile

:17:49.:17:56.

in the local area. It was good to see myself on the local news.

:17:56.:18:03.

heavily pregnant. Two weeks later this little bundle came along. He

:18:03.:18:08.

was listening to Metro The Musical. We still sing it to this day. We

:18:08.:18:18.
:18:18.:18:24.

sing it in a car. What are we saying? Metro The Musical!

:18:24.:18:31.

It has been an amazing year. Especially for myself. This will

:18:31.:18:36.

give us the confidence to go for it. Brilliant. I would do it again in

:18:36.:18:46.
:18:46.:18:59.

an minute. -- a minute. I always wanted a solo! Let's Go,

:18:59.:19:09.
:19:09.:19:12.

Metro. That is high energy. I am exhausted! Talking of anniversaries,

:19:12.:19:18.

happy anniversary. 23 years. Dear me. We have been

:19:18.:19:25.

changed together -- chained together. On to sport. There are so

:19:25.:19:30.

many games in the Christmas period. The time can have a major bearing

:19:30.:19:36.

on a football team's entire season. Newcastle will hope for a change of

:19:36.:19:42.

luck while Sunderland fans will think that Santa has already been.

:19:42.:19:47.

It is still early days, but after two victories out of three games,

:19:47.:19:53.

as many as Steve Bruce are managed in 14 attempts, the arrival of

:19:53.:20:02.

Martin O'Neill looks like a good thing for Sunderland. I think it is

:20:02.:20:12.
:20:12.:20:14.

so traditional, it is fantastic. I am the first one to talk about to

:20:14.:20:19.

break in the new year, I was never talking about forgoing games such

:20:19.:20:27.

as Boxing Day. It was later in January. Rather selfish of me.

:20:27.:20:32.

Newcastle's winter stumble has seen them take two points from a

:20:32.:20:38.

possible 18. Alan Pardew could still be granted his Christmas wish.

:20:38.:20:43.

I wanted 30 points for Christmas dinner. But the Boxing Day dinner

:20:43.:20:50.

will be OK. I will accept that. We have had a fantastic first half of

:20:50.:20:55.

the season and we are looking to build on that. That was a great

:20:55.:21:03.

hacked! Tony Mo Gray returned to bring Middlesbrough out of the mire

:21:03.:21:13.

-- Tony Mowbray. They have a tough fixture list. Return to the Premier

:21:13.:21:22.

League is the wish of bosses, and also Rob Nichols, the editor of Fly

:21:23.:21:27.

Me To The Moon. The title was taken from the quote

:21:27.:21:33.

of Bruce Rioch, who said if he had to fly To the Moon, he would take

:21:33.:21:38.

Tony Mowbray with him. It is humbling to have a fanzine that has

:21:38.:21:44.

been going for 25 years. With your name attached to it, it is a

:21:44.:21:50.

humbling thing. It is amazing how it has changed. There was a

:21:50.:21:56.

typewriter with a missing letter. Your hat to be created. Fly Me To

:21:56.:22:01.

The Moon Is at an often light hearted take on all things to do

:22:01.:22:07.

with Middlesbrough. It has even contained a cartoon who had a crush

:22:07.:22:15.

on a certain TV presenter. The it reflects the times. There is

:22:15.:22:19.

probably more humour in it again, perhaps there was dark humour last

:22:19.:22:26.

season before Tony arrived. Most of the criticism is against opposition.

:22:26.:22:30.

It shows the strength of the humour in the town that it still goes and

:22:30.:22:35.

people want to buy it. There is only one thing they want for

:22:35.:22:39.

Christmas. Promotion to the Premier League is the big dream.

:22:39.:22:45.

pressure. We will enjoy the challenge. It is not much to ask.

:22:45.:22:50.

League One sides also have a busy time. Two of Carlisle's games are

:22:51.:23:00.

away against top-four opposition. Hartlepool will try to break their

:23:00.:23:06.

losing streak. We are now going to the tree that

:23:06.:23:11.

has been delivered to Newcastle from the way. Is that right?

:23:11.:23:18.

That is right. The town is packed. We have come to a quiet corner to

:23:18.:23:28.
:23:28.:23:29.

give you the forecast. It will not be a white Christmas. But we will

:23:29.:23:36.

have a wet and windy Christmas. It will also be incredibly mild. We

:23:36.:23:41.

might just have record-breaking temperatures. We will not have the

:23:41.:23:47.

coldest Christmas, which was in 1878, when we reached -18 Celsius

:23:47.:23:53.

at Durham. We might challenge for the mark this Christmas, 2003, when

:23:53.:23:59.

we reached 12 degrees. So look out on your thermometers on Christmas

:23:59.:24:02.

on your thermometers on Christmas Day. Tonight it is cold. The rain

:24:02.:24:08.

went through during the day. We have clear skies around the region.

:24:08.:24:18.
:24:18.:24:19.

It will be a cold night. There is a chance of a frost and perhaps I see

:24:19.:24:24.

stretchers on the roads first thing tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is

:24:24.:24:30.

Christmas Eve it. We will start dry, particularly in the North East. In

:24:30.:24:35.

Cumbria, cloud will bring wet weather through the day. It could

:24:35.:24:40.

turn heavy in Cumbria. It will move into the North East, but it will

:24:40.:24:44.

always be lighter east of the Pennines. And with the wind picking

:24:44.:24:51.

up, it will not feel so mild. We can look at the pressure chart for

:24:51.:24:59.

Christmas Day. It will be windy. The blue of the rain showing up

:24:59.:25:04.

across Cumbria in particular. On Boxing Day, it will be mild, and

:25:04.:25:12.

windy. So, the summary, it will stay mild. We will be looking for

:25:12.:25:17.

the record, but it will also be windy and wet. I could not find my

:25:17.:25:22.

mistletoe. And so I have brought a blow up Christmas tree in the hope

:25:22.:25:25.

of getting a kiss on the way home. of getting a kiss on the way home.

:25:25.:25:26.

of getting a kiss on the way home. I am off to finish my Christmas

:25:26.:25:33.

shopping! Shoppers beware! It is always nice

:25:33.:25:37.

to receive Christmas greetings from viewers. One message has to take

:25:37.:25:45.

the biscuit. Andy Taylor and Scott two are

:25:45.:25:49.

Geordies who are divers in the North Sea. They have to use a mix

:25:49.:25:54.

of helium and oxygen, which plays havoc with their voices. They have

:25:54.:25:57.

just finished a dive and will have to spend five days in a

:25:57.:26:03.

decompression unit. This is why their fellow diver cent this

:26:03.:26:13.
:26:13.:26:20.

seasonal offering. THEY SING WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS IN HIGH-

:26:20.:26:30.
:26:30.:26:31.

PICHED VOICES. Bless them. Happy Christmas. Andy said they will have

:26:31.:26:36.

Turkey, but no crackers, because there is a risk they could cause an

:26:36.:26:41.

explosion. We would like to finish with our Christmas greeting, which

:26:41.:26:51.
:26:51.:26:58.

comes courtesy of the town crier. Oyez!! Oyez!! Santa is coming on

:26:58.:27:08.
:27:08.:27:15.

his slave. What a wondrous sight that will be -- on his sleigh.

:27:15.:27:21.

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