:00:00. > :00:09.Hello, and welcome to Friday's Look North. Tonight's headlines: A
:00:09. > :00:19.television appeal brings new leads in the case of a little girl
:00:19. > :00:25.murdered 21 years ago. Just hoping it is not a hoax. The emotions have
:00:25. > :00:29.all come back and I was worried about my other three children.
:00:29. > :00:31.Eight years after an heiress went missing, a man appears in court
:00:31. > :00:36.charged with murder. Why the home of Blue Peter has found
:00:36. > :00:39.a new home on Wearside. And doing it for Dad — the
:00:39. > :00:52.first—time Great North Runner following in her father's footsteps.
:00:52. > :01:02.And I am live in Gateshead with Mo Farah.
:01:02. > :01:05.It's hoped the 21—year—old murder of a little girl in Sunderland can
:01:05. > :01:10.still be solved, after a renewed appeal was made on the BBC's
:01:10. > :01:14.Crimewatch programme. Nikki Allan, who was seven, was stabbed and
:01:14. > :01:18.beaten to death in the Wear Garth area of Sunderland in 1992. Her
:01:19. > :01:21.distraught mother has since fought a long battle to keep the
:01:21. > :01:26.investigation alive after one man was tried and acquitted of Nikki's
:01:26. > :01:29.murder. Well, after last night's reconstruction, police say they're
:01:29. > :01:36.following up a number of fresh leads. Mark McAlindon reports.
:01:36. > :01:40.Last night's Crimewatch reconstruction captured the moments
:01:40. > :01:44.which led up to the killing of Nikki Allan, a little girl making her way
:01:45. > :01:47.home one October evening. It's 21 years since she skipped innocently
:01:47. > :01:57.through familiar streets, but time may as well have stood still for her
:01:57. > :02:08.mother. I have been in mental hospitals, and when it all came to a
:02:09. > :02:13.head, I lost weight and got drugs from the doctor, but I still have
:02:13. > :02:15.the strength to carry on. One man, a neighbour, did stand trial for
:02:15. > :02:18.Nikki's murder, but a taped confession was ruled inadmissible
:02:18. > :02:23.and he was cleared. Since then, Sharon has battled hard to keep the
:02:23. > :02:30.investigation alive. And last night there was one call to the programme
:02:30. > :02:36.which offered hope. We got a call from someone local, who actually
:02:36. > :02:42.spoke to the enquiry team at the time, but have contacted us today to
:02:42. > :02:45.say they withheld information that may be potentially significant. We
:02:45. > :02:48.have officers of speaking to them now. And so far, there's been a
:02:48. > :03:00.promising response. In 1992, these buildings were
:03:00. > :03:07.derelict. The police are hoping to trace people who may have used
:03:07. > :03:12.them, to see if they can remember anything that might help them catch
:03:12. > :03:18.Nikki's Keller. We are positive about the whole enquiry. There was a
:03:18. > :03:21.number of people arrested at the time but acquitted, and we will be
:03:21. > :03:26.looking at all aspects of the enquiry. Sharon knows she can't get
:03:26. > :03:29.her hopes up — not after 21 years of frustration. So, last night she
:03:29. > :03:37.watched with friends from a support group. She feels alone, and it is
:03:37. > :03:47.always helpful to have someone to listen. That's what friends do. They
:03:47. > :03:51.understand what I'm going through. They have kept me alive, because I
:03:51. > :03:55.would have committed suicide by now. Sharon must now wait to see if calls
:03:55. > :03:58.from the appeal do yield crucial evidence. After 21 years, she's used
:03:58. > :04:07.to it, although it doesn't make it any easier.
:04:07. > :04:11.Police are investigating after a woman was found dead on South
:04:11. > :04:16.Tyneside. They were called to a home in Church View in Boldon around 11
:04:16. > :04:19.this morning. Officers found the body of a woman there. A 32—year—old
:04:19. > :04:23.man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and police are appealing
:04:23. > :04:26.for anyone with any information to get in touch with them. It's
:04:26. > :04:28.believed the man and woman were known to each other.
:04:28. > :04:31.Detectives investigating the death of Durham solicitor Peter Maine are
:04:31. > :04:36.revisiting the spot where he was found, exactly two weeks after his
:04:36. > :04:39.death, to try to trace witnesses. Mr Maine was found near Maiden Castle
:04:39. > :04:44.sports centre in Durham early on Sunday September first, with stab
:04:44. > :04:47.wounds to his chest. Police are treating his death as suspicious and
:04:47. > :04:54.unexplained. They'll be talking to members of the public at the spot
:04:54. > :04:57.this Sunday. A man's appeared in court this
:04:57. > :05:00.afternoon, charged with the murder of an heiress who went missing eight
:05:01. > :05:03.years ago. Janet Brown had been living near Hexham in
:05:03. > :05:11.Northumberland. Her body has never been found. Our Chief Reporter Chris
:05:11. > :05:19.Stewart has the story. Janet Brown would be 53 now. She was
:05:19. > :05:22.last seen in July 2005. Four years after that, Northumbria Police began
:05:22. > :05:24.a fraud and missing person investigation when a bank reported
:05:25. > :05:28.irregularities in a bank account that had been held by her late
:05:28. > :05:31.parents. Earlier this year, there was an extensive search of land
:05:31. > :05:34.between Allenheads and Allendale in Northumberland. To date, no body has
:05:34. > :05:37.been recovered in the investigation. Today, a 59—year—old man and a
:05:37. > :05:43.51—year—old woman, both of Seaton Delaval in Northumberland, appeared
:05:43. > :05:46.before court. Donald Graham faces a charge of murder, two counts of
:05:46. > :06:00.obtaining money transfer by deception, and 13 counts of fraud.
:06:00. > :06:03.Together, Donald Graham and Elizabeth Todd charged with forgery,
:06:03. > :06:10.conspiracy to commit fraud and perverting the course of drug tarmac
:06:10. > :06:12.justice. They were released on bail and will appear before a court next
:06:12. > :06:18.Tuesday. The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
:06:18. > :06:23.says the North East doesn't necessarily need its own minister.
:06:23. > :06:28.Labour MPs believe appointing one would help the region fight its
:06:28. > :06:31.corner in Government. But the Liberal Democrat leader says he is
:06:31. > :06:37.already making sure the North East gets a good deal to boost its
:06:37. > :06:42.economy and create jobs. I can knock heads together and make sure that we
:06:42. > :06:48.are decisions are getting stuck, they are unstuck. That is the way to
:06:48. > :06:53.serve the North East the best, and I am a passionate supporter and
:06:53. > :07:00.admirer of fisheries Dominic region. I hope everything from the city
:07:00. > :07:05.deals and offshore wind farms will over time help the North East
:07:05. > :07:09.recover fully economically. ?NEWLINE And you can hear more of that
:07:09. > :07:16.interview on Sunday Politics at the later time of 1.30pm on BBC One this
:07:16. > :07:20.Sunday. It's claimed an increasing number of
:07:20. > :07:23.children in the North East are going to school without any breakfast. A
:07:23. > :07:26.new report claims a quarter of teachers said they've seen more
:07:26. > :07:29.pupils coming in hungry in the last year, and primary school children
:07:29. > :07:32.are losing eight weeks of their education due to hunger in the
:07:32. > :07:35.classroom. Many schools are holding breakfast clubs to tackle the
:07:35. > :07:43.problem, and Stephanie Cleasby's been to one in Sunderland.
:07:43. > :07:48.Breakfast time. Setting children opt for the day. But according to
:07:48. > :07:52.research, an increasing number of children skipping sexist and
:07:52. > :07:57.teachers say it is having an impact on the ability to learn. More than
:07:57. > :08:03.one quarter of children are coming to school without eating breakfast,
:08:03. > :08:07.and shockingly, it quarter of teachers review children have fallen
:08:07. > :08:14.asleep in class due to hunger. Some students we have had to wake up, and
:08:14. > :08:23.they are drowsy and peeled. —— appeal. They are hungry and not
:08:23. > :08:26.learning. It has an impact on the class. Children coming to school
:08:26. > :08:36.hungry, and it is a large number of children, are losing eight weeks of
:08:36. > :08:40.their education as a result of being hungry. School breakfast clubs like
:08:40. > :08:53.this are one way of filling the food gap. Sexist is subsidised, super £1,
:08:53. > :09:02.children can eat as much they want. We had cereal and chocolate and
:09:02. > :09:11.bread. Do you feel better?Yes, I feel good. I like eating with my
:09:11. > :09:17.friends. Now they are ready to learn. Another positive that has
:09:17. > :09:24.come from less is that hardly any children are no late for class.
:09:24. > :09:32.It's a piece of TV history — the studio set for the children's
:09:32. > :09:35.programme Blue Peter. It was recently put up for auction, and now
:09:35. > :09:38.it's out on display after being bought by one of the region's
:09:38. > :09:52.universities. Here's one Stuart Whincup made earlier.
:09:52. > :09:59.This used to be haunted the world longest—running children's
:09:59. > :10:03.television programme. Blue Peter has been running for 55 years, but when
:10:03. > :10:08.the programme moved from London to Salford, the set was put up for
:10:08. > :10:15.sale. It was bought by the University of Sunderland. I'm left
:10:15. > :10:21.with one question, what about this set? Well, I thought it was a great
:10:21. > :10:34.opportunity to acquire something with real heritage, that all our
:10:34. > :10:39.students recognised. It meant students would be able to utilise
:10:39. > :10:44.it. What has the feedback been like?
:10:44. > :10:51.Really, really positive. It was quite a big risk, and something that
:10:51. > :10:56.universities don't tend to do, but I think we have real leadership in
:10:56. > :11:00.what we do here, and what we wanted to do was create a different
:11:00. > :11:04.environment, and the social media has been amazing. The students have
:11:04. > :11:10.been putting up Facebook and Twitter messages, and the feedback has been
:11:10. > :11:16.amazing. The one question you are left with, is how much did this
:11:16. > :11:33.cost? £2400. The university says this is great value.
:11:33. > :11:36.Plenty more to come in tonight's programme: Jeff's live in Gateshead
:11:36. > :11:40.with two elite athletes preparing for the Great North Run. And we meet
:11:40. > :11:44.another runner — inspired by her dad — who took part in the very first
:11:44. > :11:47.one. Next month sees York stage one of
:11:47. > :11:51.the biggest theatrical productions in the country this year. It's
:11:51. > :11:54.called Blood and Chocolate and is being produced by the same team that
:11:54. > :11:58.put on a successful production of The Railway Children at the Railway
:11:58. > :12:11.Museum. That play featured a real steam train — this one will feature
:12:12. > :12:16.the whole of the city of York. Visit Europe before October, and
:12:17. > :12:20.you're likely to see a lot of this. 200 volunteers are rehearsing their
:12:20. > :12:27.production called blood and she chocolate. Look closely, and you
:12:27. > :12:33.will see the cast are weaving earphones and getting instructions
:12:33. > :12:38.from their director. When it comes to the performance, the audience
:12:38. > :12:44.will wear headphones so they could hear the actors. The show's producer
:12:45. > :12:52.gives a demonstration. Without headphones, you are none the wiser,
:12:52. > :12:56.but you can hear this when you put them on. These people are going to
:12:56. > :13:07.be wearing headphones and looking at people in costume will stop that is
:13:07. > :13:10.the scale we are talking about. For the audience, it is an adventurer,
:13:10. > :13:15.because they have no idea where they are going on what has gone to happen
:13:15. > :13:22.to them. The play has been inspired by the changes in your's chocolate
:13:22. > :13:26.factories. The city and their inhabitants were transformed by it.
:13:26. > :13:41.As the men left to go to the front, the women were moved to doing the
:13:41. > :13:45.heart, the —— hard, industrial work. As the show's trailer promises, it
:13:45. > :13:55.will be the theatrical event of the year.
:13:55. > :13:59.The wait is almost over for the thousands of people preparing to
:13:59. > :14:02.take part in this year's Great North Run. And this year's race will bring
:14:02. > :14:06.back memories for Fleck Ditchburn from Cumbria. He ran in the first
:14:06. > :14:09.Great North Run in 1981. On Sunday, his daughter's running for a cause
:14:09. > :14:11.close to the family's heart. Megan Paterson has been to meet them in
:14:11. > :14:15.Cumbria. Fleck Ditchburn was the man with the
:14:15. > :14:24.arrow, keen to be spotted and raising money for his local church.
:14:24. > :14:30.The first rate North run was exceptional. It is so exhilarating.
:14:30. > :14:34.There are so many people around you during this same event are different
:14:34. > :14:41.charities. Everybody talks to one another, it you can't explain it
:14:41. > :14:45.unless you have done it. I am loving it all again with Gemma, and it's
:14:45. > :14:48.brilliant. Fleck's daughter Gemma is running the Great North Run to raise
:14:48. > :14:54.funds for motor neurone disease, a condition that cost her dad his
:14:54. > :14:58.movement. It has been a roller—coaster for the last four
:14:58. > :15:03.years. There were times we thought we were going to lose him, and if we
:15:03. > :15:07.could stop another family going through that by funding research,
:15:07. > :15:10.that is what we're aiming to do. Gemma's one of 253 runners raising
:15:10. > :15:14.funds for research into the condition at this years event. She's
:15:14. > :15:17.passed on the opportunity to lug the family arrow, opting instead to
:15:17. > :15:27.carry a bit of her dad's determination. Every time I hit the
:15:27. > :15:34.wall, and I am struggling, my dad is there with me, and a fight on. There
:15:34. > :15:38.has been many times when we thought this was it, especially when he
:15:38. > :15:42.spent six months in intensive care. A lot of the doctors had written him
:15:42. > :15:47.off, but he fought and proved everyone wrong. Gemma hopes to run a
:15:47. > :15:51.time nearly as good as her dad's effort back in '81, as well as
:15:51. > :15:56.raising money to help other families fight motor neurone disease in the
:15:56. > :15:59.future. There will be Great North Run
:15:59. > :16:05.updates throughout Sunday on our website, including runners' stories
:16:05. > :16:08.and pictures. BBC Newcastle will be on the start line. Join Alfie Joey
:16:08. > :16:14.and Sue Sweeney from 9am this Sunday. And live coverage on BBC One
:16:14. > :16:26.from 9.30am, presented by Jonathan Edwards. Now, it's time to join
:16:26. > :16:34.Jeff, and he is quite excited, because it is a massive weekend. You
:16:34. > :16:41.might remember a couple of years ago, before the great norms —— Great
:16:41. > :16:45.North Run, the rain was pouring down, and we are small fire when he
:16:45. > :16:55.was going to come and run the Great North Run. It is this year. I
:16:55. > :17:03.managed to catch up with Mo Farah before he disappeared. Welcome back
:17:03. > :17:12.to Tyneside. How was it? It was great. I love running, and the fans
:17:12. > :17:18.get behind you. It is a great event. What a year it has been for you
:17:18. > :17:26.again! Yes, and hopefully I will ended on a high. Did Brendan have
:17:26. > :17:34.two twist your arm to get you to do this? No, I promised him I would do
:17:34. > :17:41.it when here, and it is this your! The Great North Run is a big event,
:17:41. > :17:52.over 56,000 people, so it's one of the biggest races in the world, in
:17:52. > :17:58.terms of half marathons. It's great. I don't want to put pressure on you,
:17:58. > :18:18.but there has been no British winner since Steve Kenyon in 1985! Can you
:18:18. > :18:27.do it? We'll seeC! It should be a good race. I am in this race as
:18:27. > :18:37.well. I don't know how I got this number! How did I end up with 2012?
:18:37. > :18:47.You will finish well ahead of me, well ahead of everyone! Good luck!
:18:47. > :18:51.56,000 people have applied for the chance to run a cross that bridge,
:18:51. > :18:58.and as we said, one of them will be Mo Farah. Brendan, how did you
:18:58. > :19:03.manage to get him to run it? Well, he's always said to me that he will
:19:03. > :19:12.run across that bridge in the Leeds one day, and we'll see no! I'm
:19:12. > :19:17.really pleased that everyone is here, and at the end of the day, is
:19:17. > :19:27.only important that we have a good race. 56,000 people are expected,
:19:27. > :19:32.and we want them to all have a good time will stop including number
:19:32. > :19:41.2012! Yes, number 2012.Can we have some good weather as well? Now, as
:19:41. > :19:43.well as all the Great North events this weekend ,we also have the
:19:43. > :19:47.world's fastest wheelchair race tonight. The 13th Tyne Tunnel 2K
:19:47. > :19:50.sets off at 8.30 in Tyne Tunnel one, which will be closed to traffic.
:19:50. > :19:54.Paralympic champion David Weir will take on last years tunnel and Great
:19:54. > :20:00.North Run winner Josh Cassidy from Canada before they go head—to—head
:20:00. > :20:05.on Sunday. This speeds, I have never hit anything like that in any other
:20:05. > :20:09.race. It is that sort of adrenaline rush and the challenge of the poll
:20:09. > :20:15.claimed that makes it enticing for people to come. Is it scary when you
:20:15. > :20:25.are going at that speed? Oh, definitely. Your brakes don't really
:20:25. > :20:30.do much, so you are at the mercy of, well, things going well.
:20:30. > :20:33.On to football, and after a week's break, the Premier League returns
:20:33. > :20:35.tomorrow, with Newcastle away at Aston Villa, and Mo Farah's
:20:36. > :20:39.favourite team, Arsenal, at the Stadium of Light, where Sunderland
:20:39. > :20:42.could do with a bit of a lift, after losing badly at Crystal Palace last
:20:42. > :20:45.time out. So, who was to blame for that
:20:45. > :20:49.fruitless trip to Selhurst Park? The head coach pointed the finger at
:20:49. > :20:53.himself, but also, in his post—match press conference, at a couple of his
:20:53. > :20:56.players. Overall, though, he says he wasn't as disappointed as most fans
:20:56. > :21:01.and football writers seemed to think. And while the national focus
:21:01. > :21:04.tomorrow will be on the Gunners' new £42 million man, Mesut Ozil, Di
:21:04. > :21:07.Canio is set to give last season's top scorer Steven Fletcher his first
:21:07. > :21:19.start since March, even if he doesn't expect him to last the whole
:21:19. > :21:27.game. It is very difficult to see him as being fit for 95 minutes. But
:21:27. > :21:31.he is fit enough to score a goal, and to score problems for the
:21:31. > :21:35.opponents, and give more belief to our players. Newcastle supporters
:21:35. > :21:38.are wanting to believe manager Allan Pardew when he says their squad can
:21:38. > :21:41.cope with the coming season, despite director of football Joe Kinnear
:21:41. > :21:52.failing to come up with the extra striker the Magpies' boss was hoping
:21:52. > :21:58.for. As much as the media and some of our fans have reacted, I am not
:21:58. > :22:04.so much. I think I have a good side, and with everyone fit and training
:22:04. > :22:11.really well, we're in good shape. It would be nice to get another
:22:11. > :22:15.offensive player, which we didn't manage to do, but we still have a
:22:15. > :22:19.strong team, and I look forward to the next period of games.
:22:19. > :22:22.In the Championship, Tony Mowbray takes his Middlesbrough side to
:22:22. > :22:25.Ipswich, one of his old clubs. And after the sacking of Greg Abbott,
:22:25. > :22:28.caretaker boss Graham Kavanagh will lead Carlisle this weekend. The
:22:28. > :22:31.Blues could get themselves out of the League One relegation zone if
:22:31. > :22:34.they beat fellow strugglers Sheffield United. In League Two,
:22:34. > :22:37.Hartlepool — like Carlisle, looking for their first victory — play
:22:37. > :22:40.Accrington Stanley, the only team below them, while York could move
:22:40. > :22:43.away from the danger zone with a victory over Portsmouth. And you can
:22:43. > :22:45.hear live commentary on all those games on your local BBC Radio
:22:45. > :22:48.station. In rugby union, Newcastle Falcons'
:22:48. > :22:52.centre Tane Tu'ipulotu has been forced to retire from the game
:22:52. > :22:55.because of a knee injury. It's a big blow to Dean Richards' side, who
:22:55. > :22:58.play Sale Sharks in just over an hour. They'll be hoping for better
:22:58. > :23:02.weather in Salford, after losing 21—0 at home to Bath in horrendous
:23:02. > :23:06.conditions at Kingston Park last week. Sale, on the other hand,
:23:06. > :23:23.pulled off the shock win of the weekend. The first game in the
:23:23. > :23:27.season, was a massive one to win. They are going to be up for a it and
:23:27. > :23:29.looking for a good start to the season. We like to move the ball
:23:29. > :23:36.around a bit, and fortunately, the conditions and Freddie did not allow
:23:36. > :23:38.us to do that. The forecast is supposed to be better.
:23:38. > :23:42.In cricket, Chester—le—Street playing Ormskirk at The Ovalor for
:23:42. > :23:46.the right to meet Wimbledon in the final of the National Club T20 had
:23:46. > :23:55.to go to a bowl out after rain stopped play.
:23:55. > :23:59.In the County Championship, leaders Durham reached 257—4 before bad
:23:59. > :24:02.light cut the day short at Derby. And second—placed Yorkshire earned a
:24:02. > :24:08.34—run first innings lead over Sussex, who closed on 48—2. Both
:24:08. > :24:18.those games look like ending in a draw.
:24:18. > :24:20.And after 138 years at the same ground, Burnopfield Cricket Club —
:24:20. > :24:24.where North East legend Colin Milburn grew up — are playing their
:24:24. > :24:27.last home games over the weekend, before moving to a new ground next
:24:27. > :24:37.season. Let's hope the weather holds for them — and for every Great North
:24:37. > :24:43.Runner. I must say, this incoming storm is interfering with our
:24:43. > :24:46.silent. —— sound Well, the weather with Hannah in a moment, but the
:24:46. > :24:49.forecast over the weekend has already put paid to a couple of big
:24:49. > :24:51.events. In Cumbria, the Jennings Rivers
:24:51. > :24:55.Ride, which has around 1000 cyclists, has been postponed. It was
:24:55. > :24:59.due to be held on Sunday, starting in Keswick. And Sunday's Tyne Swim
:24:59. > :25:02.has had to be called off. It's a water—based equivalent of the Great
:25:02. > :25:05.North Run, with around 30 hardy swimmers swimming ten miles along
:25:05. > :25:10.the River Tyne from the Quayside to South Shields, to raise money for
:25:10. > :25:17.the RNLI. Such a shame, but the weather atrocious, sums it up? Yes,
:25:17. > :25:22.for Sunday, a weather warning for Cumbria. First of all, let's take a
:25:22. > :25:26.little look at the weather forecast for an event that the weather will
:25:26. > :25:37.not spoil. Harrogate Flower Show is on
:25:37. > :25:44.Saturday, and will be wet, but coverage on Harvest 2013. Onto the
:25:44. > :25:48.forecast for the weekend, we are expecting it to be wet and windy on
:25:48. > :25:55.Sunday, with the first of the autumn deals. A spell of rain will clear in
:25:55. > :26:03.the south of the region, and most spots will be dry with some clear
:26:03. > :26:09.spells by Dawn, temperatures low around seven degrees. It is looking
:26:09. > :26:16.good for the mini and Junior runs tomorrow. Lovely blue skies and
:26:16. > :26:25.Cumbria through Saturday. Temperatures tomorrow probably no
:26:25. > :26:32.higher than around 30 to 15 Celsius. —— 13 to 15 Celsius. Turning
:26:32. > :26:38.westwards, it is likely Cumbria will have the best on Saturday and the
:26:38. > :26:45.worst on Sunday. The forecast for those great North events, the city
:26:45. > :26:51.games taking place on the Newcastle Gateshead quayside. Cool and all
:26:51. > :26:57.coverage will be on BBC One and the BBC website. The big picture shows
:26:57. > :27:04.high pressure, but things go downhill through Sunday, with a
:27:04. > :27:10.squeeze on the isobars is this complex area shows us a windy end to
:27:10. > :27:17.the weekend. For the Great North Run, it will rain heavily as the
:27:17. > :27:24.runners set off, and the winds will be strong by 12pm. It is a tailwind,
:27:24. > :27:28.and by the end of the afternoon, when most people will be starting to
:27:28. > :27:34.finish, it should be still wet and windy, and it is wettest and Wendy
:27:34. > :27:41.are set across Cumbria. A weather warning from 3pm on Sunday
:27:41. > :27:46.afternoon. Look at the BBC website for more details. That's it from us
:27:46. > :27:46.tonight. Good night.