:00:01. > :00:03.Hello and welcome to Friday's Look North.
:00:03. > :00:07.Tonight: 1,000 new jobs for the North in the
:00:07. > :00:11.offshore windfarm industry. All systems go! Teesside's
:00:11. > :00:14.mothballed blast furnace will be fired up this weekend.
:00:14. > :00:18.Also tonight, the �5 million bill to treat obesity in the North East
:00:18. > :00:22.and Cumbria. We join Beefy on his Great British
:00:22. > :00:26.Walk for charity as it passes through our region.
:00:26. > :00:31.And seeing red - why volunteers are being asked to count these little
:00:31. > :00:34.creatures for a special census. In sport, Sunderland could go back
:00:34. > :00:36.into the Premier League's top ten this weekend.
:00:36. > :00:46.And a night to remember for these England schoolboys as north-east
:00:46. > :00:54.
:00:54. > :00:57.players take centre stage in It may well be Friday the 13th but
:00:57. > :01:04.the North has today received a major economic boost, creating or
:01:04. > :01:06.safeguarding nearly 2,000 jobs on both Teesside and Tyneside. Firstly,
:01:06. > :01:10.the engineering firm Offshore Group Newcastle is to build the
:01:10. > :01:15.foundations for large wind turbine generators at its yard in Wallsend.
:01:15. > :01:18.The company says it'll create up to 1,000 jobs. It's been helped by a
:01:18. > :01:24.government grant of �640,000 and construction work will begin later
:01:24. > :01:28.this year. Meanwhile, the blast furnace at the former Corus
:01:28. > :01:33.steelworks on Teesside is to be relit over the weekend. It'll mean
:01:33. > :01:36.a return to steelmaking there after a break of two years. 800 workers
:01:36. > :01:41.have been taken on, many had lost their jobs when the site was
:01:41. > :01:51.mothballed. More on that in a moment. But first, those new jobs
:01:51. > :01:52.
:01:52. > :01:57.in the offshore wind farm industry. Good evening. This is a good day
:01:57. > :02:02.for the north, I am here at the yard where the night shift is under
:02:02. > :02:06.way and the whole workforce is celebrating the award of this
:02:06. > :02:09.�640,000 grant which will help them to design and build a prototype for
:02:09. > :02:19.a foundation that will accommodate these enormous offshore wind
:02:19. > :02:20.
:02:20. > :02:26.turbines. This is an area which has been heavily caught by the
:02:26. > :02:31.Government. The director says this will enable them to compete for a
:02:31. > :02:35.healthy share of the market. grant is the first step, it is a
:02:35. > :02:41.great boost to us, we have our own ideas and to the design features
:02:41. > :02:51.which we think will reduce the cost of the foundations. Hence the
:02:51. > :02:52.
:02:52. > :03:00.ground. Because of the scale thing, week have committed to 6,000, we
:03:00. > :03:03.have to be installing around 600 a year. In terms of competition it is
:03:03. > :03:08.about coming up with a solution that is easy and cheap to install.
:03:08. > :03:12.No one company will dominate this market but we want our fair share.
:03:12. > :03:18.This is an area of the North East which is crying out for new
:03:18. > :03:23.employment opportunities. The mere prospect of this many jobs has been
:03:23. > :03:30.welcomed with open arms by everyone who lives here. There is nothing
:03:30. > :03:34.here, so many jobs have been lost. The high street is empty, the
:03:34. > :03:42.shopping centre is nearly empty so it is good news for the region.
:03:42. > :03:47.Fantastic, we need it. It is dead, nobody has buried it yet. A lot of
:03:47. > :03:50.shops are shutting because there is no work, nobody has any money.
:03:50. > :03:58.Everybody is going to London or further afield to find work because
:03:58. > :04:03.there is nothing here at all. on the prototype will begin later
:04:03. > :04:07.this year and then hopefully that prototype and design will translate
:04:07. > :04:11.into real jobs here on the ground by 2014.
:04:11. > :04:14.Thanks, Damian. Well on Teesside it's been announced the Thai steel
:04:14. > :04:17.company SSI will fire up the mothballed blast furnace over the
:04:17. > :04:21.weekend. 1,600 jobs went at the Redcar plant in February 2010 when
:04:21. > :04:25.the former owner, Corus, had to close it after the loss of a ten-
:04:25. > :04:31.year steel supply agreement. However, SSI paid �290 million for
:04:31. > :04:34.the facility, taking it over in March last year. About 800 people
:04:34. > :04:38.work there at the moment but SSI has said, eventually, it wants to
:04:38. > :04:47.employ 1,800 workers at the site. Earlier I spoke to the Redcar MP
:04:47. > :04:53.Ian Swales and I asked him for his reaction to today's announcement.
:04:53. > :04:58.It is every year since SSI took over the site, we knew there was a
:04:58. > :05:02.lot of work to do. It felt like the town was dying when the steelworks
:05:03. > :05:10.closed and I feels like it is coming back to life again. It is
:05:10. > :05:16.fantastic. 800 people are working there were the moment, SSI are
:05:16. > :05:20.hoping to pick it up to 1800. worry lot of jobs there at the
:05:20. > :05:24.moment and there will be more because some of the jobs relate to
:05:24. > :05:30.the actual production. SSI are ambitious, they want to do more
:05:30. > :05:33.there, but let us walk before we run. They want to be there long
:05:33. > :05:38.term and have invested a lot of money on this side. We are
:05:38. > :05:43.optimistic for the future, supporting them as well as we can.
:05:43. > :05:48.I suppose the worry is given that Corus Steelworks could not make a
:05:48. > :05:57.go of it what will be different? This will be different because I
:05:57. > :06:05.have been to SSI's site and they need this much steel, they will
:06:05. > :06:08.take it to SSI's site in Thailand. I think this will be different.
:06:08. > :06:11.Well, those employed by SSI are expected to accept new ways of
:06:11. > :06:15.working. The Thai company has said it doesn't want entrenched steel
:06:15. > :06:17.industry attitudes on its site. And it's been trying to recruit a lot
:06:17. > :06:21.of newcomers to the industry. Our Business Correspondent, Ian Reeve,
:06:21. > :06:25.has been following one of the new boys from day one.
:06:25. > :06:27.This was the first day at work for some of the new workers at SSI. No
:06:27. > :06:30.molten iron in sight, rather an autumn day at Middlesbrough
:06:30. > :06:40.Football Club last year and an introduction to the values of the
:06:40. > :06:44.owner of the blast furnace. I felt the first day had to be an
:06:44. > :06:49.important day where they get an understanding of perhaps the way
:06:49. > :06:53.the world used to be and the way the world needs to be in the future.
:06:53. > :06:55.A SSI has employed former workers but it wants a new mindset on site,
:06:55. > :07:05.not entrenched with old steel industry values. It wants people
:07:05. > :07:10.like Daniel, in his 20s and new to the business. Stability is going to
:07:10. > :07:15.be there for the whole family, it is going to be massive. A massive
:07:15. > :07:18.future really. I would like to be part of that.
:07:18. > :07:24.Three months on and the job has captivated Daniel. He's training on
:07:24. > :07:30.the coke ovens, an important part of the steel making process.
:07:30. > :07:34.lads, the team leaders, everybody is there for you. If there are any
:07:34. > :07:41.questions you need answered they stop did what they are doing to
:07:41. > :07:46.help. And the boss also thinks he's coming along pretty well. He is
:07:46. > :07:50.doing very well. Like all of the new boys they are taking to it like
:07:50. > :07:52.a duck to water. And two weeks ago, Daniel finished his training. The
:07:52. > :08:00.control room now his domain. He's still happy possibly because his
:08:01. > :08:04.pay rise has kicked in. What we have heard of management and stuff
:08:04. > :08:08.like that we have finished off brilliantly. It looks really good.
:08:08. > :08:10.Daniel is just one of 800 workers taken on so far. But his youth and
:08:10. > :08:20.enthusiasm mixed with the experience of some old hands is
:08:20. > :08:25.
:08:25. > :08:32.what SSI is hoping will make this Ian, if Corus couldn't make the
:08:32. > :08:37.blast furnace work, what's the difference this time with SSI?
:08:37. > :08:42.we know, SSI is a Thai company and it intends to export or the steel
:08:42. > :08:46.that it makes here on Teesside back to Thailand. It is going to be used
:08:46. > :08:50.in the automotive industry making cars and the car industry in
:08:50. > :08:54.Thailand is booming, they made something like 1.6 million cars
:08:54. > :09:00.last year. There is also a demand from the rest of south-east Asia
:09:00. > :09:06.for the foreseeable short term, at least the next two or three years.
:09:06. > :09:10.We may also seek SSI branching out and supplying steel to UK wind
:09:10. > :09:20.farms to make those big wind turbines. We might see Teesside
:09:20. > :09:22.
:09:22. > :09:26.It's emerged that nearly �5 million a year is now being spent in our
:09:26. > :09:30.region on gastric surgery for obese people. And the bill is likely to
:09:30. > :09:33.rise. Operations for people from across the North East and Cumbria
:09:33. > :09:36.are carried out in Sunderland at the regional centre of excellence
:09:36. > :09:39.for bariatrics, that's the treatment of obesity. Our Chief
:09:39. > :09:45.Reporter Chris Stewart's been to the city and met a man who used to
:09:45. > :09:53.eat so much, it could have killed him.
:09:53. > :09:57.This is one I am on holiday, 33 stone. He is less than half the man
:09:58. > :10:04.he was and he sets a gastric bypass was his only option. If I had never
:10:04. > :10:08.got it down, I would be dead. Darren is 44 and the steward of a
:10:08. > :10:12.working man's club. He had to remortgage his home for his
:10:12. > :10:17.operation, six years ago the NHS would not do it. He still has
:10:17. > :10:22.excess weight, but ironically it is made up of the excess skin he has
:10:22. > :10:27.been left with. The NHS has now set him that what he sees as an
:10:27. > :10:32.impossible target to have that skin removed. You have got to be 12
:10:32. > :10:37.stone. I am not going to get down to 12 stone and I cannot afford to
:10:37. > :10:43.get it done privately. It is around �10,000. I could not afford to get
:10:43. > :10:47.it done privately. Perhaps he should not have to. So says the man
:10:47. > :10:50.at the top at Sunderland Royal. Patients are brought here from
:10:50. > :10:55.across the North and as the population gets heavier and heavier
:10:55. > :11:01.there is now a potential caseload of 1000 patients a year. We think
:11:01. > :11:07.it is something we have to face up to and address. Week are
:11:07. > :11:12.considering offering that as a secondary treatment to patients who
:11:12. > :11:18.are successful. That means more demands on your purse strings.
:11:19. > :11:22.does indeed. But we spend our money wisely and well. We are doing the
:11:22. > :11:27.population a good service. option to do nothing is not an
:11:27. > :11:32.option at all, he says. Spent nothing on bariatrics and the
:11:32. > :11:36.resulting bill for diabetes and heart problems will be even higher.
:11:36. > :11:39.More of our region's soldiers were honoured today. They were each
:11:39. > :11:42.awarded their first Afghan service medal at a ceremony in Newcastle.
:11:42. > :11:44.Officers and soldiers from 132 Battery of 39 Regiment Royal
:11:44. > :11:49.Artillery paraded in front of friends and families at Albermarle
:11:49. > :11:54.Barracks. They've been on a six- month tour of duty in Helmand
:11:54. > :12:01.Province. The proud heroes return. After
:12:01. > :12:04.months in one of the most volatile countries in the world. Medals were
:12:04. > :12:12.awarded for more than half of the 72 service personnel who've just
:12:12. > :12:18.served their first tour in Afghanistan. I have been really
:12:18. > :12:26.proud of myself and for my family to see me get the medal. It means a
:12:26. > :12:33.lot. It can be quite scary up there. A was a scary at times in
:12:33. > :12:37.Afghanistan? Yes. Yes, it was. soldiers and officers have only
:12:37. > :12:43.been back in their families for one week following a six-month tour in
:12:43. > :12:47.Afghanistan. Their job there is very specific, to provide firepower
:12:47. > :12:52.support using machines such as that one, a high-tech multiple rocket
:12:52. > :12:56.launcher system. While Sri are not needed, we are not used in
:12:56. > :13:00.Afghanistan every single day, week are ready every single day to
:13:00. > :13:03.provide that specific targeting and we can destroy the threat.
:13:03. > :13:06.The battery returns to Afghanistan in two years' time. They'll be the
:13:06. > :13:10.last to serve there before troops are pulled out at the end of 2014.
:13:10. > :13:20.In the meantime nine weeks leave means all are now catching up on
:13:20. > :13:20.
:13:20. > :13:30.moments missed. Missed Christmas again and miss the youngest's
:13:30. > :13:32.
:13:32. > :13:35.birthday. We had a great party, didn't we? Great to see them safely
:13:35. > :13:38.home. The cricketing legend Sir Ian
:13:38. > :13:41.Botham was on Tyneside today for the second leg of his latest
:13:41. > :13:44.charity trek. Beefy's Great British Walk 2012 takes in ten cities from
:13:44. > :13:47.Glasgow to London. Sir Ian, who played for Durham in the early '90s,
:13:47. > :13:57.is raising money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. Andy Smythe
:13:57. > :13:59.
:13:59. > :14:07.caught up with him, or tried to, I am side by side with the
:14:07. > :14:15.England's best cricketer. Better say something clubber. You got a
:14:15. > :14:21.fair pace. Why take longer than you have to? A I am an idiot. What
:14:21. > :14:29.keeps you inspired? Winning a battle. Forget year-old Ben
:14:29. > :14:39.Charlton is winning the battle. He was diagnosed with leukaemia.
:14:39. > :14:41.
:14:41. > :14:49.great that I have beaten the cancer. It is his way of saying thank you.
:14:49. > :14:58.It is saving lives. Sir Ian Botham began his walks in the 80s.
:14:58. > :15:04.Leukaemia are is more survivable -- survive rubble. That is now and 90
:15:04. > :15:13.tower at -- 92 % chance. It took two-and-a-half hours or Beefy to
:15:13. > :15:20.meet the finish. How many squirrels have you seen
:15:20. > :15:30.lately? A new conservation group which is dedicated to saving the
:15:30. > :15:31.
:15:31. > :15:37.red squirrel has launched its first region worried squirrels senses. --
:15:37. > :15:45.region worried. Red squirrels are now restricted to
:15:45. > :15:55.Northumberland and Cumbria. People like Emma and Richard are to turn
:15:55. > :15:56.
:15:56. > :16:06.the tide. Squirrels love sunflower seeds. Red squirrels are not easy
:16:06. > :16:09.
:16:09. > :16:14.to see but there are ways to detect them. We have remote cameras that
:16:14. > :16:24.we attach to trees. Everything that comes to the feeder box will
:16:24. > :16:25.
:16:25. > :16:32.trigger the camera. We can see everything that visits the box.
:16:32. > :16:39.These pick up the hearers from visiting squirrels. We can pit the
:16:39. > :16:49.hairs under a microscope. A degree squirrel is blamed -- the grey
:16:49. > :16:50.
:16:50. > :16:56.squirrel is blamed for their it decline of the it red squirrel.
:16:56. > :17:02.numbers trapped are 50 % of what I have had in previous years. There
:17:02. > :17:10.was a bonus this week when for the first time in two-and-a-half years,
:17:10. > :17:18.there was a red squirrel on my patch. The results will be known by
:17:18. > :17:28.July. It is hoped the account will be happily in the red.
:17:28. > :17:32.
:17:32. > :17:36.If you have spotted a red squirrel, let us know one or Facebook page.
:17:36. > :17:44.It is well known many children spend more time in front of a
:17:44. > :17:53.computer than playing out side. The National Trust wants to change that.
:17:53. > :17:59.They have given a list of what children can do before reaching 10.
:17:59. > :18:04.I am Jonathan and I am 10. adjoining children building again.
:18:04. > :18:10.It is one of the 50 tasks the National Trust is encouraging
:18:10. > :18:20.children to do. I have done the majority and I have 11 yes -- left
:18:20. > :18:28.
:18:28. > :18:33.to do. I enjoy making dens. You can run wild. Get some branches.
:18:33. > :18:43.find that people are struggling to engage with the countryside. I do
:18:43. > :18:50.not know what that is not welcoming enough. It is valuable. It gives
:18:50. > :18:58.them a sense of independence. don't get out and about. They need
:18:58. > :19:07.fresh air. A scheme is in response to a new response -- research.
:19:07. > :19:12.Fewer than one in 10 children play and wild spaces. If you know
:19:12. > :19:22.someone who has some items left on their list, the doors are opening
:19:22. > :19:27.
:19:27. > :19:37.again next weekend. There is nothing like it. It could
:19:37. > :19:38.
:19:38. > :19:41.BDDP for Darlington. Craig Liddle says he will not be
:19:41. > :19:46.manager next season whatever happens.
:19:46. > :19:56.With Newcastle not playing this weekend, Sunderland Barrault only
:19:56. > :19:58.
:19:58. > :20:02.hope. We're taking on wolves. It was the reverse fixture at
:20:02. > :20:12.Molineux when Martin O'Neill realised what a bad job he had
:20:12. > :20:13.
:20:13. > :20:19.taken on. Plenty of demand gloom. It has been a wonderful pick up
:20:19. > :20:26.from the supporters. They have galvanised the club again. There
:20:26. > :20:36.are stronger now. Sunderland going to tomorrow's came after a
:20:36. > :20:39.
:20:39. > :20:48.difficult Easter. The around a lot of difficulty. They have to win a
:20:48. > :20:58.number of these games to perform a mini miracle. We want that to start
:20:58. > :21:05.
:21:05. > :21:09.at the Stadium of Light. They need to put in a performance.
:21:09. > :21:16.Middlesbrough desperately needed victory to get in the championships.
:21:17. > :21:26.It is a real six-pointer this weekend. I hugely disappointing
:21:26. > :21:35.week. Tony Mowbray says his side must win three of their last four
:21:35. > :21:43.games. We shot ourselves in the foot. The positives are that some
:21:43. > :21:53.results have gone for us. We had a great result on Easter Monday. We
:21:53. > :21:54.
:21:54. > :22:04.cannot worry too much and we must look ahead. Carlyle could move back
:22:04. > :22:05.
:22:05. > :22:10.into... Hartlepool have a great chance to pick up points.
:22:10. > :22:20.It was a night to remember for a local lads as England schoolboys
:22:20. > :22:22.
:22:22. > :22:29.bet -- beat Scotland 2-0. Michael Sweet from Darlington and another
:22:29. > :22:34.scoring the goals. Newcastle Falcons survival
:22:34. > :22:44.continues to hang in the balance. If the Wasps when, they will finish
:22:44. > :22:44.
:22:44. > :22:53.bottom of the league. The Falcons are eight points adrift.
:22:53. > :22:57.Gary Gold has the utmost respect for his side. I have seen teams
:22:58. > :23:05.before or from a distance that have capitulated in this position. They
:23:06. > :23:15.have hung in there. They have a never-say-die attitude. They are
:23:15. > :23:20.doing everything in their power. Even if they finish bottom of the
:23:20. > :23:28.league, they will still have an agonising wait to find out if they
:23:28. > :23:37.are relegated. They would stay up ith financially troubled Wasps go
:23:37. > :23:44.into administration. If that is because other team's misfortune, if
:23:44. > :23:53.something comes along and helps us, if not, we take the responsibility.
:23:53. > :24:01.It is a big challenge Cup weekend. There has been mixed news for
:24:01. > :24:07.Olympic hopefuls. Savannah Marshall has been picked in China. She has
:24:07. > :24:14.reached the semi-finals to compete in London. There is no place for
:24:14. > :24:24.Amanda Coulson. On the second day of their County
:24:24. > :24:34.
:24:34. > :24:44.Championship, not Durham have had a It will be a tough day tomorrow.
:24:44. > :24:50.
:24:50. > :25:00.Too many of us -- not too many of us will be disappointed. It is a
:25:00. > :25:01.
:25:01. > :25:11.good chance to enjoy the daffodils. If you are joining the first of the
:25:11. > :25:12.
:25:12. > :25:22.crisis -- cruises are out of the time, you can see the blue sky and
:25:22. > :25:31.
:25:31. > :25:41.the seat. This evening, we have seen some showers. After midnight,
:25:41. > :25:42.
:25:42. > :25:52.keep an eye on the North East corner. That rain will turn wintry.
:25:52. > :25:52.
:25:52. > :26:02.There could be see off for a centimeters of snow. -- three or
:26:02. > :26:07.
:26:08. > :26:17.four. Temperatures will go down to zero. On Saturday, these showers
:26:18. > :26:19.
:26:19. > :26:29.will continue. They will fade-out to the south. In the afternoon,
:26:29. > :26:49.
:26:49. > :26:59.looking more settled. Along the coastline, it will be chilly. The
:26:59. > :27:02.
:27:02. > :27:12.northerly wind will bring in this cold air. Sunday looks like the
:27:12. > :27:25.