:00:03. > :00:06.Welcome to Friday's Look North. In tonight's headlines - the big
:00:06. > :00:07.giveaway. A millionaire businessman passes his fortune over to the
:00:07. > :00:11.community. His daughters will not inherit the
:00:11. > :00:15.company. Of course I thought a bit about it
:00:15. > :00:18.and what it meant to me, but it is the right thing to do. It is a
:00:18. > :00:24.fantastic thing to do. Investigations after a 16-year-old
:00:24. > :00:31.girl was found at this house and died shortly afterwards.
:00:31. > :00:35.A new heart for Lana - then it stopped for 63 minutes.
:00:35. > :00:37.This baby's a fighter and now she's heading home. And a '60s classic is
:00:37. > :00:40.revived for the stage. We speak to celebrated playwright
:00:40. > :00:43.Lee Hall about Close The Coalhouse Door.
:00:43. > :00:46.In sport, it's crunch time for Newcastle Falcons in their battle
:00:46. > :00:56.for premiership survival. And we meet the men winning awards
:00:56. > :01:03.
:01:03. > :01:07.on the pitch, but not for their It has been called the �30 million
:01:07. > :01:10.giveaway. A North East multi- millionaire has decided to invest
:01:10. > :01:17.his riches in his local community rather than passing on his fortune
:01:17. > :01:20.to his children. John Elliot is the boss of Ebac in County Durham. This
:01:20. > :01:30.afternoon, he signed away his business. Andy Smythe joins us live
:01:30. > :01:34.now from Newton Aycliffe. Andy, tell us more.
:01:34. > :01:39.The production line is not moving. The machines have been switched off.
:01:39. > :01:45.But it is only for this weekend because the future for this company
:01:45. > :01:52.it is a cure for generations to come. Ebac is a business which is
:01:52. > :01:58.worth around �30 million, but today, its owner, John Elliott, assigned
:01:58. > :02:04.the whole they are a way for nothing to a trust. Let's have a
:02:04. > :02:07.look at the moment the business was signed over.
:02:07. > :02:14.This is John Elliott signing away his life's work and his personal
:02:14. > :02:20.fortune. These are his workers, for whom it means total job security.
:02:20. > :02:25.In the current job climate, we are all very happy the way he is
:02:25. > :02:35.handling things. Eggar's as job security. It is a big relief to
:02:35. > :02:42.
:02:42. > :02:50.know that our jobs are safe. E back makes de humidifiers and water
:02:50. > :03:00.coolers. The trustees will have to make sure it is never sold now.
:03:00. > :03:00.
:03:00. > :03:03.There are people who work here and they made this business what it is.
:03:03. > :03:08.It's such a fairytale that even former business minister Lord Digby
:03:08. > :03:16.Jones came along for a look. not every day that you hear of an
:03:16. > :03:22.entrepreneur giving all his money away. If a business is going to
:03:22. > :03:25.succeed, it has to persuade society that it is sustainable within the
:03:25. > :03:29.community. There is nothing wrong with creating wealth, it is what
:03:29. > :03:32.you do with that. Make no mistake, John Elliott's
:03:32. > :03:34.vision is all about business growth. But it's some watercooler
:03:34. > :03:44.conversation - did you hear the one about the multi-millionaire who
:03:44. > :03:45.
:03:45. > :03:49.gave away his fortune? Thanks, Andy. But what do his
:03:49. > :03:52.daughters to be a think about it? That is the big question. One of
:03:52. > :03:59.his daughters is the managing director here. What do you think
:03:59. > :04:07.about it. I think it is fantastic. What we are doing is securing the
:04:07. > :04:16.future of Ebac. It will be run in the way that we wanted to run.
:04:16. > :04:21.you discuss it with your family? Not directly. But I have no doubt
:04:21. > :04:28.it is the right thing. What will the foundation actually do?
:04:28. > :04:32.objectives are to run this business well in this part of County Durham.
:04:32. > :04:35.But you are keen to keep manufacturing in this area.
:04:35. > :04:39.Manufacturing is something that we need to do more of in the North
:04:39. > :04:47.East and in the UK. That is the one thing that is going to strengthen
:04:47. > :04:56.our our economy. It is your job to keep pressing forward and bring
:04:56. > :04:59.their Ebac Foundation on a bed. Do you feel the pressure of this?
:05:00. > :05:06.has always been the case. It is what we have to do to keep the
:05:06. > :05:10.people here employed and busy and productive and making a profit.
:05:10. > :05:15.That does not really changed and best not to worry about that too
:05:15. > :05:18.much and just concentrate on getting the job done. The next
:05:18. > :05:22.thing they want to make your is washing-machines. There are no
:05:22. > :05:26.washing machines it made in the United Kingdom any more. To do that,
:05:26. > :05:36.they will have to get government funding from the regional growth
:05:36. > :05:36.
:05:36. > :05:44.fund. If they do that, they may be able to double the And you can see
:05:44. > :05:47.what people are saying about this story on our Facebook page.
:05:47. > :05:53.A care home worker's been charged with the assault and neglect of an
:05:53. > :05:55.elderly woman in York. The charges relate to the treatment of an 85-
:05:55. > :05:58.year-old resident of The Lodge in Heslington. A 54-year-old woman's
:05:58. > :06:04.due before York Magistrates court on May the 9th charged with assault
:06:04. > :06:07.by beating and wilfully neglecting a person without capacity.
:06:07. > :06:15.Two people are being questioned by the police tonight after the death
:06:15. > :06:18.of a teenager in York. It's thought she may have taken drugs. She has
:06:18. > :06:21.been named as 16-year-old Poppy Rodgers. Police say a 21-year-old
:06:21. > :06:26.man is also in a serious condition in York Hospital. He is also being
:06:26. > :06:29.linked with the death. Phil Bodmer has more.
:06:29. > :06:35.A police committee support officer stands behind a cordon as inquiries
:06:35. > :06:39.continue into death of a 16-year- old girl last night. Police were
:06:39. > :06:44.called to this terraced house at around half past midnight after
:06:44. > :06:48.being contacted by the ambulance service to report a critically ill
:06:48. > :06:51.teenager. She was rushed to your cost what will but died in the
:06:51. > :06:56.early hours of this morning despite the best efforts of medical staff
:06:56. > :07:06.who tried to resuscitate her. The victim has been named as popular
:07:06. > :07:16.Rodgers who was a student at York College. -- probably Rodgers. --
:07:16. > :07:17.
:07:17. > :07:21.Poppy. First thing I knew about it is when my wife shouted to tell me
:07:21. > :07:28.that there was police activity outside the house. It was all take
:07:28. > :07:33.off quo stop now I have heard what has happened, it is tragic. If it
:07:33. > :07:41.is drugs-related, should we have noticed more? It is absolutely
:07:41. > :07:44.tragic. The poor child's parents it must be distraught. This afternoon,
:07:44. > :07:53.police have revealed that a 21- year-old is also in a serious but
:07:53. > :08:00.stable condition at your -- York hospital. A 26-year-old woman was
:08:00. > :08:08.arrested this afternoon and is being questioned along with a 23-
:08:08. > :08:11.year-old man on suspicion of supplying a controlled drug.
:08:11. > :08:13.The Prime Minister has been in Cumbria today where he promised to
:08:13. > :08:15.tackle what he described as snobbery against vocational
:08:15. > :08:21.education. David Cameron wants to make apprenticeships a more
:08:21. > :08:23.attractive alternative to university for young people. He was
:08:23. > :08:24.speaking to Conservative party members near Carlisle and
:08:24. > :08:27.reiterated the Government's commitment to apprenticeships to
:08:27. > :08:30.address youth unemployment. Emily Unia reports.
:08:30. > :08:40.On the local election campaign trail. The Prime Minister rallied
:08:40. > :08:42.
:08:42. > :08:44.party members near Carlisle with a renewed commitment to
:08:44. > :08:47.apprenticeships There's absolutely no complacency, we've got to step
:08:47. > :08:51.up the pace of job creation, boost training and we've got to really
:08:52. > :08:55.drive up the standards that that training involves. Mr Cameron
:08:55. > :09:01.attacked what he called alphabetti spaghetti courses for wasting time
:09:01. > :09:05.and money and said his government was strong on creating a real job
:09:05. > :09:08.opportunities. The government has massively expanded apprenticeships.
:09:08. > :09:11.There is an extra �1.5 billion going into apprenticeships. Even at
:09:11. > :09:14.a time when we have had to make difficult decisions elsewhere. And
:09:14. > :09:17.our work programme will help every young person who has been out of
:09:17. > :09:20.work find them opportunities and the jobs they need. With his
:09:20. > :09:22.Government under fire from all directions, David Cameron was keen
:09:22. > :09:25.to highlight some Government success stories today. But with the
:09:25. > :09:28.local elections just around the corner, his critics are not hard to
:09:28. > :09:31.find. The number of schemes that this government has rolled out
:09:31. > :09:34.gives me no confidence whatsoever in this government, whether it is
:09:34. > :09:37.in employment or any other area. They certainly have no awareness of
:09:37. > :09:39.the needs of the people of Carlisle, either locally or nationally.
:09:40. > :09:44.But other city politicians were rather more keen to share ownership
:09:44. > :09:47.of the drive to increase vocational training. We have increased it by
:09:47. > :09:50.50% in 2010-11, as compared with the previous years and Liberal
:09:50. > :10:00.Democrats did push for this policy, it was one of their main planks, so
:10:00. > :10:03.we've had some success in that regard.
:10:03. > :10:06.The Labour leader visited Carlisle at the start of the month and hot
:10:06. > :10:08.on his heels comes the Prime Minister. With less than a
:10:09. > :10:12.fortnight to go until the local elections, the battle to control
:10:12. > :10:21.Carlisle City Council is clearly intensifying. Emily Unia BBC Look
:10:21. > :10:25.North Carlisle. She's been through so much in her
:10:25. > :10:30.short life. The wait for a heart transplant. Then the operation.
:10:30. > :10:40.Then a setback when her new heart stopped for 63 minutes. But now
:10:40. > :10:58.
:10:58. > :11:02.Llana Qazi, whose family is from She is only 11 months old, but
:11:02. > :11:06.seven of those moms have been spent in need of a new heart. But now she
:11:06. > :11:14.has got it and will soon be going home, but that is an you challenge
:11:14. > :11:19.for her. She knows that the staff here, if I am not here, she does
:11:19. > :11:25.not mind at all. It will be strange for her when we take her home
:11:25. > :11:31.because she just knows this as her family. They have been marvellous.
:11:31. > :11:38.Another success story for Freeman Hospital, but what if the unit that
:11:38. > :11:48.saved her was too close? Would it be met same success, different
:11:48. > :11:50.
:11:50. > :12:00.location? No. You would need about 10 or 20 years to create the same
:12:00. > :12:01.
:12:01. > :12:09.team that we have here. She has been through a lot. She has been in
:12:09. > :12:19.so many bad places, such a bad situation. She was very poorly. But
:12:19. > :12:26.
:12:26. > :12:29.now, yes. Yes, see for yourself. A Government decision to sell off
:12:29. > :12:32.council houses at a reduced rate in our region has been criticised.
:12:32. > :12:35.From this month, thousands of tenants here are able to buy their
:12:35. > :12:37.council homes more cheaply. Ministers say reviving the Right to
:12:37. > :12:40.Buy policy will encourage more people onto the property ladder.
:12:40. > :12:44.But Darlington Council is worried the move will worsen the housing
:12:44. > :12:53.shortage. Our political reporter Luke Walton has more.
:12:53. > :12:58.1987. Madonna was in the charts. Mrs Thatcher won a third term. And
:12:58. > :13:02.the Goodchilds bought their Middlesbrough council house. It was
:13:02. > :13:06.about security, about getting on the property ladder and the fact
:13:06. > :13:16.that I loved were arrested. I love it here other wanted to buy a house
:13:16. > :13:18.
:13:18. > :13:21.here. -- I loved where I stayed. But after its '80s and '90s heyday,
:13:21. > :13:24.the numbers using their right to buy have fallen. So the Coalition
:13:24. > :13:27.Government wants to give the policy another lease of life. They are
:13:27. > :13:29.increasing the discount for buyers from �22,000 in the north east to
:13:29. > :13:32.�75,000 below the market value. Ministers talk of encouraging more
:13:32. > :13:39.people on to the property ladder. But here in Darlington, the council
:13:39. > :13:44.worries that the homes sold will be hard to replace.
:13:44. > :13:51.We have 15 or 18 properties we advertise every week and we get
:13:51. > :13:59.about 400 people applying for those properties. If we are going to sell
:13:59. > :14:02.our most popular properties, that will cause problems.
:14:02. > :14:05.Ministers promise for every council house sold, a new affordable home
:14:05. > :14:08.will be built. But in the past, Right to Buy has been blamed for
:14:08. > :14:11.worsening the housing shortage. And there remains a fear that the
:14:11. > :14:13.policy's revival will make the situation worse. Luke Walton, BBC
:14:13. > :14:19.Look North, Darlington. There's more on this story in
:14:19. > :14:25.Sunday Politics this week, on at the later time of 2pm on BBC One.
:14:25. > :14:28.There's plenty more to come in tonight's Look North. Dawn's here
:14:28. > :14:31.with the weekend sport. There's national awards for Carlisle and
:14:31. > :14:35.Middlesbrough despite disappointing results.
:14:35. > :14:44.And make the most of the bright spells while the last and try to
:14:44. > :14:47.avoid those big, black shower clouds.
:14:47. > :14:50.It's a play about gutsy, northern spirit and strikes at the very
:14:50. > :14:53.heart of the North East. Alan Plater's classic work Close The
:14:53. > :14:56.Coalhouse Door made its debut more than four decades ago and has now
:14:56. > :15:06.been revived for the Tyneside stage by two leading lights of British
:15:06. > :15:07.
:15:07. > :15:17.theatre. Here's our arts reporter Sharuna Sagar. My man is a union
:15:17. > :15:19.
:15:19. > :15:22.man. This isn't history, this is family.
:15:22. > :15:32.Alan Plater's celebrated 1968 play Close the Coal House Door runs
:15:32. > :15:44.
:15:44. > :15:47.through the North East like a rich The latest version, a co-production
:15:47. > :15:50.between Newcastle's Northern Stage and Live Theatre, is in memory of
:15:50. > :15:54.the late playwright, a friend and mentor of Lee Hall of Billy Elliot
:15:54. > :15:57.and The Pitmen Painters fame, he was brought in to bring the play up
:15:57. > :16:00.to date. It is one of the first place that I came across that
:16:00. > :16:06.really expressed what it is like to be a Geordie. It is funny. It is
:16:06. > :16:11.really funny. The people are like people that you know. There will be
:16:11. > :16:19.someone in your family who is like one of the characters. It is smart,
:16:19. > :16:22.it is intelligent, it is witty and moving. It's a story based in a
:16:22. > :16:29.mining community, but it isn't just about pitmen. And as art imitates
:16:29. > :16:36.life and life imitates art, the play has great relevance today.
:16:36. > :16:41.When we started this play, we thought it would be a proper way of
:16:41. > :16:44.remembering and honouring a disappearing and murdered industry.
:16:44. > :16:52.But also, the same thing seems to be happening nowadays that was
:16:52. > :16:58.happening at the time. People exploiting those who work hardest
:16:58. > :17:02.for least. It is a play dealing with austerity, political control
:17:02. > :17:11.that comes from down south and from Westminster, and it deals with how
:17:11. > :17:16.people up here resisted that. us is not just a story for the
:17:16. > :17:26.people who lived here, it is a way of life, it is a memory and it is
:17:26. > :17:45.
:17:45. > :17:48.# Close the coalhouse door, lad. There's bairns inside. #
:17:48. > :17:50.Time for sport and a very important night for Newcastle Falcons but,
:17:50. > :17:53.first, what's with the silly glasses, Dawn?
:17:53. > :17:56.Yes, they're not the latest fashion accessory, clearly, but you'll need
:17:56. > :18:01.a pair of these if you're going to be reading the Newcastle programme
:18:01. > :18:04.this weekend because it's in 3D. They are the first Premier League
:18:04. > :18:08.club to produce their programme in this format. It's just a one off,
:18:08. > :18:11.but it's actually quite effective. Well, Newcastle could find
:18:11. > :18:14.themselves in a Champions League spot this time tomorrow if they
:18:14. > :18:19.beat Stoke on Tyneside. As you can see, Arsenal's defeat on Monday has
:18:19. > :18:24.left the Magpies handily placed for Europe's top table. Of course,
:18:24. > :18:27.fourth might still not be enough to guarantee it. After five wins in a
:18:27. > :18:30.row, United are on a roll, but after watching Stoke this season,
:18:30. > :18:36.they appreciate only too well what effect European football could have
:18:36. > :18:41.on their next league season. They have done exceptionally well. You
:18:41. > :18:47.cannot say that that Europa League has not put paid to a position, a
:18:47. > :18:51.better position in their Premier League. Stoker would be higher in
:18:51. > :18:56.the leak. In some ways, we are trying to go past their
:18:56. > :19:01.achievements. But this European qualification is about as
:19:01. > :19:04.complicated as it gets. Martin O'Neill is confident he can
:19:04. > :19:07.achieve with Sunderland what he did at Aston Villa and establish them
:19:07. > :19:11.as a top-six club. O'Neill tomorrow returns to Villa Park for the first
:19:11. > :19:20.time since his untimely exit just five days before the start of the
:19:20. > :19:26.Premier League season in August 2010. The 4th here turned a little
:19:26. > :19:35.bit sour, I must admit, and that is unfortunate. Ironically, it
:19:35. > :19:42.happened to be our most successful year as well. I have very fond
:19:42. > :19:48.memories of the police, but I am part of Aston Villa's past now and
:19:48. > :19:51.they hope to be part of Sunderland's future.
:19:51. > :19:53.Meanwhile Sunderland have been fined �30,000 by the FA for
:19:53. > :20:00.misconduct after several players surrounded the referee during the
:20:00. > :20:03.3-all draw at Manchester City. Elsewhere mid-table Hartlepool are
:20:03. > :20:06.at Tranmere. And it's an away day in the Conference Premier for play-
:20:06. > :20:08.off hopefuls York City and Gateshead.
:20:08. > :20:13.Disappointing midweek results have left their promotion play-off hopes
:20:13. > :20:16.hanging by a thread. But both Middlesbrough and Carlisle have
:20:16. > :20:23.been able to boast national awards - for their groundsmen. Mark Tulip
:20:23. > :20:26.explains. With Carlisle at high-flying
:20:26. > :20:31.Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow, the groundsman of the year Dave
:20:31. > :20:36.Mitchell and his team have a bet of respite to prepare the pitch for
:20:36. > :20:41.the final game of the season. The winter was not as bad as feared,
:20:41. > :20:47.but David is staring at the finishing line of a long campaign.
:20:47. > :20:55.It can be a long haul. But we knuckle down as a team and get on
:20:55. > :21:03.with it and work with the manager. But as you can see here today, we
:21:03. > :21:08.have just about got here. Whether that is in league one or the
:21:08. > :21:14.Championship remains endowed. Middlesbrough may have blown their
:21:14. > :21:18.promotion prospects, but they cannot blame the pitch. When they
:21:18. > :21:24.give this award, things like location are taken into
:21:24. > :21:28.consideration. We are in the North East of England, we often get snow
:21:28. > :21:38.and it is not always very pleasant. But these things we have to deal
:21:38. > :21:48.
:21:48. > :21:52.with as groundsman -- groundsmen. The Falcons last home game of the
:21:52. > :21:55.season tonight will be a real nailbiter. Off the back of their
:21:55. > :21:58.first victory at Gloucester in 14 years, the league's bottom club
:21:58. > :22:01.take on reigning champions Saracens. But momentum and belief might not
:22:01. > :22:04.be enough if Newcastle don't do at least as well as relegation rivals
:22:04. > :22:07.Wasps, as the teams play each other on the final day of the season.
:22:07. > :22:11.Bottom of the league, four points adrift, you might expect doom and
:22:11. > :22:13.gloom, but not at all! New kit, new shirt sponsor, new belief - the
:22:13. > :22:17.mood is upbeat. The future is looking very bright at Newcastle.
:22:17. > :22:20.It is a good team to be a part of. We have to make sure that we are in
:22:20. > :22:24.the right place next year to go forward in the Premiership.
:22:24. > :22:26.They are a team transformed under Gary Gold and the others, but they
:22:26. > :22:29.can't afford to dwell on last weekend's victory at Kingsholm.
:22:29. > :22:31.Although external factors may yet save their premiership status, the
:22:31. > :22:38.Falcons would rather save themselves and they are hoping the
:22:38. > :22:42.Kingston Park factor might make a difference. It is a very difficult
:22:42. > :22:51.place to come a way to, it is a long distance for the London boys
:22:51. > :22:54.to come to. We have got a fantastic crowd to get behind us. It is
:22:54. > :23:04.normally not warm in Newcastle on a Friday night, so those are fighters
:23:04. > :23:05.
:23:05. > :23:09.they will have to deal with. -- those are factors. It is only a
:23:09. > :23:18.tenner a ticket, so we hope to get 10,000 into the park. That will be
:23:18. > :23:21.massive of -- of massive it. Cricket and after rain prevented
:23:21. > :23:23.any play yesterday, Durham had a fantastic start this morning to
:23:23. > :23:27.their County Championship game against Middlesex - reducing the
:23:27. > :23:29.home side to three for three at one stage before they steadied the ship.
:23:29. > :23:39.And Yorkshire have taken a commanding lead in their game
:23:39. > :23:40.
:23:40. > :23:45.against Essex. If it the look behind us here, that
:23:45. > :23:55.is a clue about the weather forecast. We have sent Paul up on
:23:55. > :23:55.
:23:55. > :24:05.I have managed it to avoid the showers so far. If you are out and
:24:05. > :24:07.
:24:07. > :24:17.about over the weekend, you must factor the showers into your plans.
:24:17. > :24:18.
:24:18. > :24:28.The meeting at Newcastle Racecourse has been postponed. Sunday, there
:24:28. > :24:28.
:24:28. > :24:32.will be our charity football match and family day... There will be
:24:32. > :24:36.some sunshine over the weekend, but more of these heavy showers that we
:24:36. > :24:44.have seen over the last few days. This evening and overnight, there
:24:44. > :24:51.are some heavy showers around. Some big black clouds around. And it
:24:51. > :24:57.will be a chilly night. 5 or six Celsius in the cities, two or three
:24:57. > :25:01.degrees in outlying areas. Some brightness first thing in the
:25:01. > :25:06.morning, but the shower clouds will soon get going again and they will
:25:06. > :25:14.be widespread showers. That will also be a slow-moving and there
:25:14. > :25:20.could be some thunder and hail in amongst them. Temperatures up to
:25:20. > :25:23.about 12 Celsius. The low pressure that has kept this changeable
:25:23. > :25:29.weather is gradually starting to move to the east through the course
:25:29. > :25:39.of the weekend. So the showers might die away, but by Monday, the
:25:39. > :25:39.
:25:39. > :25:43.next Atlantic Lord moves in with its weather front and the rain.
:25:43. > :25:53.Monday stars of dry but becomes wet and windy from the south-west of
:25:53. > :25:53.
:25:53. > :25:57.throughout the course of the day. Keep the umbrella handy.
:25:57. > :25:59.Thanks Paul. Now for a last look at tonight's headlines. The Bahraini
:25:59. > :26:02.government and Formula One bosses have insisted this weekend's Grand
:26:02. > :26:04.Prix will go ahead despite renewed clashes between security forces and
:26:04. > :26:07.anti-government protestors. And a North East millionaire has