:00:00. > :00:00.let-up. Thank you. That is all from the BBC News at Six. Goodbye. Now
:00:00. > :00:09.Hello and welcome to Wednesday's Look North.
:00:10. > :00:11.Tonight... Why the North has seen a dramatic fall in the number of
:00:12. > :00:15.people dying of cancer. On trial... The former chairman of
:00:16. > :00:19.the Cleveland Police Authority is accused of intimidating a witness.
:00:20. > :00:24.A world first... The panto being beamed from our region to 150
:00:25. > :00:28.hospitals across the country. Travellers' fare... The festive
:00:29. > :00:31.feast cooked on the foot plate of a steam train.
:00:32. > :00:35.And we meet the calendar boys baring all in a bid to get their local
:00:36. > :00:39.railway station re`opened. In sport it's heart`break for
:00:40. > :00:43.Hartlepool as they miss out on a third round FA Cup tie, but no way,
:00:44. > :01:00.Jose! It's Sunderland who have the 'Ki' to the League Cup semi`finals.
:01:01. > :01:03.Cancer can be beaten. That's the message from a leading cancer
:01:04. > :01:06.charity on the day new figures suggest fewer people are dying of
:01:07. > :01:10.the disease here in the North compared with 20 years ago. 261
:01:11. > :01:13.people in every 100,000 died of cancer in the early 1990's in the
:01:14. > :01:19.North East. That figure has fallen to 198 people in every 100,000, a
:01:20. > :01:22.drop of 24%. But nearly 15,000 people are still diagnosed with
:01:23. > :01:26.cancer in the North East every year, so the battle to beat it is far from
:01:27. > :01:29.over. More on Cancer Research UK's latest campaign to fight the disease
:01:30. > :01:33.in a moment. But first Alison Freeman has been to meet one woman
:01:34. > :01:46.who's conquered the cancer with the lowest survival rate.
:01:47. > :01:50.Getting ready for another Christmas. But three and a half years ago
:01:51. > :01:54.Marion Brown didn't think she'd be here. Her daughter noticed she'd
:01:55. > :02:07.been wheezing so she went to the doctors and eventually was diagnosed
:02:08. > :02:16.with lung cancer. I was very offhand about it. She sent me for an x`ray.
:02:17. > :02:23.Are you glad you took the step? Yes. I do not think I would be here now
:02:24. > :02:27.if I hadn't. Soon after diagnosis Marion had an
:02:28. > :02:30.operation to remove the top third of her right lung, then had
:02:31. > :02:37.chemotherapy. She's been cancer free ever since. I was very lucky it was
:02:38. > :02:44.caught early because I had no idea. I was totally shocked. I did not
:02:45. > :02:52.have a cough. I was well. I was devastated. But I thought I'd just
:02:53. > :03:00.have to get on with this and do it. My life was in their hands.
:03:01. > :03:04.Fortunately they were excellent. Marion still has check ups every
:03:05. > :03:07.three months and makes the most of life, travelling with husband Kevin.
:03:08. > :03:13.Both believe early diagnosis, and a positive attitude have been key to
:03:14. > :03:17.her well`being. We are three years now and are looking good. We have in
:03:18. > :03:25.very fortunate and every day is special. Did you think you would be
:03:26. > :03:32.today? Know I did not. But I hope to be here for a long term to come.
:03:33. > :03:35.Alison Freeman joins me now. A 24% drop in people dying from cancer in
:03:36. > :03:42.the North East seems remarkable. What do they put it down to? As you
:03:43. > :03:47.heard, that lung cancer was caught early and demonstrates a greater
:03:48. > :03:52.awareness and need to check. But all that would mean nothing if effective
:03:53. > :04:01.treatment was not available. Cancer Research UK says spending money on
:04:02. > :04:05.research is vital. It is not always clear why some areas have better
:04:06. > :04:10.rates than others. What is probably behind this is things like the level
:04:11. > :04:14.of research that happens in the north`east. There are some really
:04:15. > :04:18.amazing institutes there which are developing new drugs. That helps
:04:19. > :04:21.because patients there can get involved in new trials and
:04:22. > :04:27.treatments and it is also down to things like better diagnosis, making
:04:28. > :04:31.sure we catch cancer earlier. Alison Freeman joins me now. A 24%
:04:32. > :04:40.drop in people dying from cancer in the North East seems remarkable.
:04:41. > :04:46.There is going to be a new campaign by Cancer Research UK. You'll act
:04:47. > :04:49.yes. It will investigate how much progress has been made and the
:04:50. > :04:52.message they are trying to get across is that people donate to
:04:53. > :05:02.research, eventually cancer will be beaten.
:05:03. > :05:05.A court has heard claims that the former chairman of Cleveland Police
:05:06. > :05:08.Authority threatened a man he feared would give evidence against him.
:05:09. > :05:11.52`year`old Dave McLuckie denies a charge of intimidating a witness. Mr
:05:12. > :05:14.McLuckie was said to have been aggressive towards Peter Blyth,
:05:15. > :05:21.telling him, ''You don't know what I can do.'' Stuart Whincup sent this
:05:22. > :05:24.report from Newcastle Crown Court. Dave McLuckie was described in court
:05:25. > :05:28.as a well known figure, an important man who had an air of authority
:05:29. > :05:31.about him. The former chairman of Cleveland Police Authority was under
:05:32. > :05:33.investigation as part of Operation Sacristy, a major inquiry examining
:05:34. > :05:40.allegations of corruption at the Authority, at a time when he was its
:05:41. > :05:44.chairman. The prosecution claim Mr McLuckie became angry when he learnt
:05:45. > :05:48.Peter Blyth, a former taxi driver ` seen here at the back, on the left
:05:49. > :05:59.with grey hair ` had been speaking to officers about the lifts he had
:06:00. > :06:03.given him and his friends. The prosecution said Mr McCluskey went
:06:04. > :06:08.round to the home of Peter Blythe to see if the police had been round.
:06:09. > :06:13.They say he tried to put the frighteners on him and made veiled
:06:14. > :06:19.threats against him. David McLetchie said that maggot was said, had been
:06:20. > :06:23.running an unlicensed taxi and a found out, could lose his house. The
:06:24. > :06:26.court heard McLuckie was convicted of a separate offence in June of
:06:27. > :06:30.perverting the course of justice, after he persuaded a friend to take
:06:31. > :06:33.his penalty points, so he could avoid a driving ban. But he denies
:06:34. > :06:43.intimidating or threatening Mr Blyth and the trial continues tomorrow.
:06:44. > :06:46.More than 120 people have now told police they were subjected to sexual
:06:47. > :06:49.and physical abuse while serving at a detention centre in County Durham
:06:50. > :06:53.in the 1970's and '80s. The claims have been made by men who served
:06:54. > :06:57.time as teenagers at the Medomsley Detention Centre, near Consett,
:06:58. > :07:04.which closed in 1988. Two former warders were jailed for rape and
:07:05. > :07:08.have since died. Police have confirmed that a body
:07:09. > :07:10.found in West Cumbria yesterday was that of a teenager who'd gone
:07:11. > :07:13.missing from Maryport. Officers searching for 17`year`old Callum
:07:14. > :07:17.Chapman were called to the Maryport Golf Club yesterday after a member
:07:18. > :07:20.of the public found a body on the beach. The teenager, from Grimsby,
:07:21. > :07:28.had been staying with a relative. Police say there are no suspicious
:07:29. > :07:30.circumstances. A former Durham Police Chief
:07:31. > :07:34.Superintendent has been formally suspended from the House of Lords
:07:35. > :07:37.for six months. Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate was exposed by the
:07:38. > :07:39.Sunday Times when he sought payment for providing access to Parliament
:07:40. > :07:42.and parliamentary facilities. The Committee for Privileges and Conduct
:07:43. > :07:52.found he'd committed four breaches of the peers' code of conduct.
:07:53. > :07:55.Sailor has been arrested on suspicion of drink`driving after a
:07:56. > :07:59.fishing boat crashed into the South Pier in the mouth of the Tyne
:08:00. > :08:02.yesterday morning. The ship was escorted to the Little Haven beach
:08:03. > :08:11.at South Shields by other local boats. The skipper was taken to the
:08:12. > :08:15.RVI in Newcastle for treatment. A former teacher from York has added
:08:16. > :08:18.her voice to the campaign for assisted suicide. Margaret John has
:08:19. > :08:21.terminal cancer and wants the law changed to allow doctors to help
:08:22. > :08:23.people like herself "die with dignity". Written evidence from
:08:24. > :08:27.Margaret was heard in the Supreme Court today as part of the case
:08:28. > :08:30.being taken by Paul Lamb, who was paralysed after a road accident.
:08:31. > :08:39.Charlotte Leeming's been to meet her. 72`year`old Margaret was
:08:40. > :08:42.diagnosed with ovarian cancer four years ago. When she learned it was
:08:43. > :08:47.spreading she went to her doctor and asked him which drug might offer her
:08:48. > :08:51.the most peaceful way to die. I went to see him and I said I know you
:08:52. > :08:56.cannot talk about assisted suicide because that is not permissible but
:08:57. > :09:02.I want to discuss what happens at the end of life and he said, let's
:09:03. > :09:06.start off from the premise I do not kill people. I do not want to go
:09:07. > :09:16.into a hospice and I want to die at home with my own things around me,
:09:17. > :09:22.preferably to some classical music. I want to go out with things playing
:09:23. > :09:25.very loud. People will empathise with you but few people will know
:09:26. > :09:29.what you are going through. Tell us about your health and why you feel
:09:30. > :09:35.so strongly about this. If people were aware that I doctor had
:09:36. > :09:39.discussed it with me, there is some dizzy body somewhere who will accuse
:09:40. > :09:43.him of assisting suicide and breaking the law. My doctor is very
:09:44. > :09:49.caring. He has been very honest and open with me and I do not want him
:09:50. > :09:55.to be at risk of seclusion. You have two grown`up children stop tell us
:09:56. > :09:59.what they think about your wishes. They will not give me anything, they
:10:00. > :10:04.will not help me but on the other hand I do not think they would try
:10:05. > :10:08.to have me revived. They know how I feel. Do you feel confident you will
:10:09. > :10:14.know when it's the end and how would you like to be when it does come? I
:10:15. > :10:20.have always felt great sympathy for people who are in a persistent
:10:21. > :10:22.vegetative state, who are kept on ventilators and fed through tubes
:10:23. > :10:27.simply because it is possible because that is not living, that is
:10:28. > :10:37.in existence. I want to go on living as long as possible!
:10:38. > :10:40.Unemployment in the region has fallen. Latest figures show there
:10:41. > :10:44.are 133,000 people out of work in the North East ` a drop of 3,000 on
:10:45. > :10:49.last month. Cumbria's jobless total fell to just over 6,350, the lowest
:10:50. > :10:52.it's been for five years. Our councils have been told today
:10:53. > :10:55.just how much government money they'll get next year. And there'll
:10:56. > :10:58.be no respite from cuts, with some of the North's local authorities
:10:59. > :11:02.amongst the biggest losers. They'll now have to decide where to make
:11:03. > :11:05.savings and whether or not to raise council tax. Our Political Editor
:11:06. > :11:15.Richard moss is at Newcastle Civic Centre. There are losers, but were
:11:16. > :11:18.there any winners? It is fair to say that our local authorities will not
:11:19. > :11:24.be sending Eric Pickles a Christmas card. Let us look white. Some of our
:11:25. > :11:29.councils are among the biggest losers in the country. These are the
:11:30. > :11:49.figures and the councils and what they will lose. The top and bottom
:11:50. > :11:54.but, say the trade unions, or job losses and pro`service. The
:11:55. > :12:01.government needs to fundamentally rethink its approach. They need to
:12:02. > :12:05.rethink their austerities measures and the devastating impact their
:12:06. > :12:09.happening in public services, particularly in our region where we
:12:10. > :12:18.are seeing a disproportionate impact in terms of public sector job cuts.
:12:19. > :12:21.What has the government said? Eric Pickles said the settlement was
:12:22. > :12:30.reasonable and fair. He quoted a figure. Newcastle Council, he said
:12:31. > :12:35.after the cuts, will be able to spend ?2406 per household. Here they
:12:36. > :12:43.say that as a non`comparison because Newcastle is deprived and can raise
:12:44. > :12:48.less money. Eric Nichols found some extra money to provide an incentive
:12:49. > :12:53.for local authorities to freeze rates. There are some people who
:12:54. > :12:59.believe that people should pay a little bit more to protect services.
:13:00. > :13:01.You'll make Eric Pickles. People were not active they wanted to pay a
:13:02. > :13:06.little bit more to keep services open and I think they should have
:13:07. > :13:17.been. It is only right. What's owed of democracy is this? `` Ford sort
:13:18. > :13:24.of. `` what. They should be given the chance. Are councils were given
:13:25. > :13:28.a glimpse of what will happen in 2015 and for some the situation gets
:13:29. > :13:33.better. For Newcastle and Middlesbrough it gets worse. Plenty
:13:34. > :13:39.for them to consider over Christmas. Still to come, a sports round`up
:13:40. > :13:46.plus railway workers stripping off in a campaign to get the local
:13:47. > :13:50.stationery opened. It is where the two be wrapped up. We have wet and
:13:51. > :13:59.windy conditions tonight and it will turn bitterly cold tomorrow.
:14:00. > :14:02.It's panto season, of course, but this year one production in our
:14:03. > :14:05.region will get a nationwide audience. In a world first, the
:14:06. > :14:08.Theatre Royal in Newcastle is beaming Jack and the Beanstalk
:14:09. > :14:11.direct to 150 hospitals across the country. It's hoped the cast will
:14:12. > :14:20.bring some festive cheer to those facing Christmas on the wards. Peter
:14:21. > :14:24.Harris reports. They can't go to the panto, so this
:14:25. > :14:27.year the panto will come to them. 152 hospitals across Britain are
:14:28. > :14:44.receiving a broadcast of Jack and the Beanstalk from Newcastle's
:14:45. > :14:51.Theatre Royal. It is a world first and has never had been done before
:14:52. > :14:59.anywhere. `` has never been done. Let's hope they understand what is
:15:00. > :15:12.going on! What is the difference between act kangaroo...
:15:13. > :15:19.The show will be beamed to hospital bed TV screens. Last year the panto
:15:20. > :15:24.was shown in hospitals in this region. On Saturday, virtually the
:15:25. > :15:27.entire NHS will take it. These children cannot get to the pantomime
:15:28. > :15:32.so this is the reason we are doing this, to give them a taste of the
:15:33. > :15:38.festive season. Hopefully it will bring a bit of sunshine into the day
:15:39. > :15:51.for them. The older people like it as well, the entire hospital. There
:15:52. > :15:54.may not let you out of here! And with the show going nationwide,
:15:55. > :15:58.audiences will get the chance to shout he is behind you. The old ones
:15:59. > :16:02.are the best. And wherever in Britain the panto is
:16:03. > :16:30.seen, at least everyone knows the words. Is smell the blood of an
:16:31. > :16:34.Englishman! `` is smell. They're baring all for a cheeky fund
:16:35. > :16:37.raising calendar as part of a campaign to re`open their local
:16:38. > :16:39.railway station. The station in the village of Gilsland on the
:16:40. > :16:43.Northumberland Cumbria border is on the Newcastle to Carlisle line and
:16:44. > :16:47.it closed nearly half a century ago. But now the men of Gilsland are
:16:48. > :16:50.showing just what they're made of in the hope that the train service can
:16:51. > :16:52.be restored. Graham moss has the story.
:16:53. > :16:55.Welcome the men of Gilsland, men of community action, throwing their all
:16:56. > :16:59.behind a campaign to re`open the village's railway station. To that
:17:00. > :17:02.end and also to raise money for the local school the men of Gilsland
:17:03. > :17:05.decided to show what they were made of. Hello. We want the station to
:17:06. > :17:23.stay over `` stay open. It would mean a great deal for local people.
:17:24. > :17:29.It was strange. I was worrying about the hot fat, but apart from that it
:17:30. > :17:39.was all right! It was a all round. I am keeping my clothes on. A station
:17:40. > :17:48.further along closed in 1967, but reopened in 1981. People are losing
:17:49. > :17:53.buses, they want to keep the trains and they love it here. They love it
:17:54. > :17:59.here! But they need to get out and about as well. It will help the
:18:00. > :18:08.tourist industry. The station is right beside the wall. This Hadrian
:18:09. > :18:13.swore. It will make a change to the village and deserves something good.
:18:14. > :18:18.It seems the calendar is hot property. They had done a wonderful
:18:19. > :18:24.job. All credit to that the dog River for keeping a straight face.
:18:25. > :18:34.Would you do it again? Next year, I will think about it. `` the
:18:35. > :18:38.photographer. But they were a little shy to take
:18:39. > :18:51.up the TV challenge until... Ah, thank you, Mr March! I think I would
:18:52. > :18:54.buy a calendar with Joe on it! A week today we'll probably all be
:18:55. > :18:57.suffering a little, after too much turkey and Christmas pudding. We
:18:58. > :19:01.haven't decided who'll be cooking it in our house yet. Probably best if I
:19:02. > :19:05.leave that bit to my husband, but it'll definitely be done in the oven
:19:06. > :19:09.and not on the footplate of a steam engine, though I think he'd quite
:19:10. > :19:12.like that! Danny Carpenter has been to the National Railway Museum in
:19:13. > :19:15.York where a traditional festive feast has been cooked up in a rather
:19:16. > :19:21.unusual place. This made the traditional, sort of all stop this
:19:22. > :19:29.is best of their and engine drivers in days gone by would have sorted
:19:30. > :19:37.out a hot breakfast on a cold day. You have got a frying pan, hob, why
:19:38. > :19:43.not! But this is surely pushing your luck, a full Christmas dinner. That
:19:44. > :19:48.is going in the smoke box. Is it ambitious? Apparently not. We can do
:19:49. > :19:53.this every single day if we want. The type of work is suited to
:19:54. > :19:58.cooking that type of thing. If you wanted to do that sort of thing on a
:19:59. > :20:01.big engined you would not be able to because they are working too hard
:20:02. > :20:06.and they are too hot. You are working them too long and you end up
:20:07. > :20:12.burning them. The fire is lit and the dinner is on. Now it just needs
:20:13. > :20:22.some cooking time. Three hours or so. Here comes dinner. And the
:20:23. > :20:27.moment of truth is truly momentous. Whilst, mouthwatering, cooked to
:20:28. > :20:33.perfection. That is how to take the hassle out of the big day and finish
:20:34. > :20:49.up with a Christmas pudding that has been truly steamed! 14 train
:20:50. > :21:01.enthusiasts everywhere. `` that is one for.
:21:02. > :21:04.Time for a sports update. They may be bottom of the Premier
:21:05. > :21:06.League and favourites for relegation. But Sunderland showed
:21:07. > :21:09.real fighting spirit to launch a dramatic comeback against Jose
:21:10. > :21:13.Mouriniho's Chelsea last night and book a place in the semi`finals of
:21:14. > :21:16.the Capital One League Cup. There was little to suggest in the
:21:17. > :21:20.early part of the evening that this cup tie would erupt into life in
:21:21. > :21:22.such dramatic fashion. Despite reduced ticket prices, a crowd of
:21:23. > :21:25.under 21,000 may have been influenced by Christmas shopping,
:21:26. > :21:28.live TV and the feeling that Chelsea's defence couldn't be as
:21:29. > :21:31.generous as in the league a fortnight earlier. This penalty
:21:32. > :21:35.shout was as interesting as it got in a low key but fairly even first
:21:36. > :21:39.half. Straight after the interval the home side were behind to a sixth
:21:40. > :21:42.own goal in 11 games, as the otherwise excellent Lee Cattermole
:21:43. > :21:45.and Frank Lampard both slid in for the ball. Well over the line but the
:21:46. > :21:49.first goalline technology ruling in the League Cup. It was one way
:21:50. > :21:51.traffic in the second half after that with this glaring miss from
:21:52. > :21:55.Chelsea's Samuel Eto'o the Londoners' best chance to kill the
:21:56. > :21:59.game off. But just when it looked as though Sunderland were heading for a
:22:00. > :22:02.dispiriting loss ahead of the vital league game against Norwich, up
:22:03. > :22:05.popped derby hero Fabio Borini to give the Black Cats unexpected hope.
:22:06. > :22:09.The Italian could even have won it in stoppage time. It was end`to`end
:22:10. > :22:12.stuff in the extra half hour with chances at both ends including Ki's
:22:13. > :22:15.header kept out by former Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer as a resurgent
:22:16. > :22:18.Sunderland belatedly sensed an upset. Two minutes from the end,
:22:19. > :22:21.Borini set up Ki for the South Korean to spoil Mourinho's night and
:22:22. > :22:31.possibly kick`start the Wearsiders' season. They were hammering us. They
:22:32. > :22:33.were on top. We stuck it out. I thought we were going to be
:22:34. > :22:41.disappointed but at the end, it was a good call and it lifted the entire
:22:42. > :22:46.team. `` a good goal. I think if we were off to Wembley again it would
:22:47. > :22:51.be fantastic. It would kick`start the season. Another win on Saturday.
:22:52. > :22:56.Get some more points and get off the bottom. We will be safe. So, the
:22:57. > :23:01.Wembley cup dream lives on but what about the rest of the season? I want
:23:02. > :23:07.to transform the mentality of these players and become winners. When you
:23:08. > :23:11.play against the best in the country and you can prove that you can do
:23:12. > :23:17.it, you should do the same against other teams. It is important. I hope
:23:18. > :23:27.we can recover physically and be ready. We shall see.
:23:28. > :23:30.Hartlepool United are out of the FA Cup after losing to Coventry City in
:23:31. > :23:33.equally dramatic fashion last night. Coventry's Leon Clarke put the Sky
:23:34. > :23:37.Blues ahead before the break and they continued to have the better of
:23:38. > :23:40.the play, but Pool's keeper Scott Flinders was in top form. It looked
:23:41. > :23:44.like defender Jack Baldwin had forced the game into extra time when
:23:45. > :23:48.he got on the end of Matty Dolan's corner to equalise in the 88th
:23:49. > :23:51.minute, but in the third minute of stoppage time Clarke struck again to
:23:52. > :24:01.deny Hartlepool a third round tie at Barnsley. A trip to Barnsley they
:24:02. > :24:13.would have had. Time for a weather update. There is interesting and
:24:14. > :24:18.eventful weather on the way. You can see this lovely view of the quayside
:24:19. > :24:22.in Newcastle. The already taking place with much more volatile
:24:23. > :24:28.weather coming in. Overnight tonight will have gales and heavy rain for
:24:29. > :24:32.most of us. It will feel much colder as well. Rain is spreading in from
:24:33. > :24:40.the west and there are some heavy bursts. It will clear away from most
:24:41. > :24:49.places by about 11 o'clock tonight. Guests will be in the region of 60
:24:50. > :24:56.miles an hour. `` the wind gusts. The rain clears away and leaves some
:24:57. > :25:10.spells. There could be someone tree showers. `` someone tree. Tomorrow
:25:11. > :25:16.it will be a cold day and showers will come in from the west.
:25:17. > :25:33.Temperatures will struggle tomorrow with a dusty at `` gusty
:25:34. > :25:39.south`westerly wind. Towards the end of the week it will be Sheryll
:25:40. > :25:43.Murray with cold air moving in. On Friday, the next hand of wet and
:25:44. > :25:59.windy weather comes in from the west. There will be some showers and
:26:00. > :26:06.they will be on the wintry side. On Thursday there will be some bright
:26:07. > :26:17.spells and showers. Here you can see the temperatures reaching no higher
:26:18. > :26:23.than nine degrees. For the north`east, the showers will tend to
:26:24. > :26:28.be few and far between on Thursday. The rain will get to north`eastern
:26:29. > :26:32.parts late on Friday. Overall, it will be a spell of wet and windy
:26:33. > :26:39.weather and on the tops of the hills, some sleet and snow showers
:26:40. > :26:51.are possible. Keep up`to`date and BBC Look North radio for all your
:26:52. > :27:00.weather news. `` on BBC local radio. Thank you.
:27:01. > :27:03.Just before we go tonight, BBC Newcastle will tomorrow be
:27:04. > :27:07.investigating why so many people are using A when they don't need to.
:27:08. > :27:11.As the service faces extra pressure at this time of year many people are
:27:12. > :27:30.confused about where to go for help. What do they do? `` I do? Who is the
:27:31. > :27:35.best person to get in touch with? Tune in to BBC Newcastle tomorrow
:27:36. > :27:40.from 7am. That's all for now. Thanks for
:27:41. > :27:43.joining us. Good evening.