03/04/2014 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

effort to put people off smoking. That is all from the BBC News at

The people of Morpeth should have something to celebrate this

Christmas. Six years after the River Wansbeck flooded 1,000 propdrties in

the town, a new dam upstreal will protect them from any repethtion.

The initial budget was ?21 lillion. Now it could be more like ?27

million. So who's making up the shortfall? Our Environment

Correspondent. Adrian Pitchds, is in Morpeth now.

Yes, this is Morpeth, right beside the river. This was badly affected

by those floods. You can sed the construction of flood walls behind

me. Those walls have taken tp a substantial amount of the btdget.

Once complete, theoreticallx, we will never see a repeat of those

floods. They're building a dam that will prevent a one in 137`ydar

flood. That was the scale of the September 2008 flood in Morpeth

1,000 homes and businesses were inundated in a few hours and, ever

since, the townspeople have campaigned to prevent a repdtition.

The statistics of the civil engineering project taking shape

upstream are impressive. It's probably about the sizd of two

football fields. The height of it is about 40 metres from the riverbed to

the highest point in the dal. It's about 70,000 cubic metres. The

ponded water water, if the dam is full, is about 1.4 million cubic

metres. It's quite a size. In Morpeth itself, new walls to

protect riverfront homes have been built. And as new weak spots to

defend are identified, the bill for the work has spiralled. It's now ?6

million over budget. Will it go even higher?

No, it won't go further than that. It's actually the scheme has

developed in time. Some parts have changed. It's not unusual for a

project of this complexity to cost more than you thought at thd outset.

We're really happy with progress. Is the funding there in the budget We

work in close partnership whth Northumberland County Counchl, we're

a partnership. Between us, the funding has been made avail`ble to

finish the scheme. Locals are concerned that the final

bill will land on their doormats. They know that there is an

overspend. The budget has increased or an overspend. We have to find out

who is going to pay for this and let's hope it won't be put onto

Northumberland County Counchl, affecting taxpayers.

How that bill will be paid hs the main item on the agenda at the

Environment Agency flood colmittee meeting in Newcastle tomorrow. The

big question is, can the Government bail out the Somerset Levels and

ignore Northumberland? There is a lot of money involved.

Adrian, a substantial part of the budget has gone to an unlikdly

recipient? Yes, to the former chairman of

Newcastle Freddy Shepherd. He is a landowner whom and he has to be

compensated for the work. And for the disruption. I understand it is a

seven figure sum. The funding shortfall will have to be mdt from

either council taxpayers or government, or by a mixture of both.

We should find that out tomorrow. Police divers are again searching

the River Ouse in York. This time, they're looking for an 18`ydar`old

man who's thought to have gone into the river early this morning. Heidi

Tomlinson reports. The underwater unit arrived at a

familiar location, the liver River Ouse in York. `` River. Thex are

looking for an 18`year`old lan who was seen to enter the river ball

entirely and did not emerge. A mountain rescue team was called out.

`` enter the river ball had only `` voluntarily. We have been sdarching

the river banks and underwater where we can to see if there is anything

in the water. For the third time this year, police divers begin a

search in York for our body. Last week, it was decided a patrol scheme

should be put in place to ilprove student safety on nights out. One

month ago, Megan Roberts was found. 22`year`old Ben Clarkson disappeared

in similar circumstances. Hd was seen outside a nightclub at the

beginning of March. Two weeks later, his body was found. Today, the boats

begin yet another underwater search in York with the divers all too

aware it could be a slow process. It's been revealed there's now a

critical shortage of senior consultants at the West Cumberland

Hospital in Whitehaven. Thrde junior doctors have had to be removed

because there was no`one senior to supervise them. Seven vacancies are

having to be filled by temporary, and costly, locums. And the hospital

is already in special measures. Our health reporter Sharon Barbour joins

me now. What's happening? These doctors have been removed

because of a lack of senior doctors to oversee their work. In rdsponse,

the trust has announced tod`y that the law, or temporary doctors will

be recruited. `` locum. Thex are trying to find consultants to work

in elderly care, emergency care and anaesthetics. This is causing real

problems for a school that `` for a hospital but was already in special

measures. A Care Quality Colmission inspection is due later this month,

putting great pressure on the trust. The local MP and Shadow Health

Secretary Jamie Reid feels that the quitting locums as a short`term fix

until after the... Bringing in locums to run the hospital hs pretty

much like bringing in supplx teachers to run a school or fetching

in people on short`term contracts to run a business. There is no plan for

the future in doing that. Mx fear is that by bringing people in on

short`term basis on a locum basis, it will only provide short`term the

assurance to get the hospit`l trust beyond acquisition stage and it is

then that we will see significant change, service withdrawal

happening. We need to see that clarity now and that permandnce now.

If we don't see that permandnce I think there will be more trouble

ahead. The Royal College of Nursing have

told us in a statement that the use of locum doctors is not sustainable

and is expensive for a trust already facing a bleak financial future

adding they must get to grips with recruiting consultant doctors and

nurses. It remains a challenging issue. The trust say they h`ve

attracted some fantastic clhnicians and are beginning a recruitlent

campaign. Another health story today. A new

cluster of measles cases on Tyneside, what can you tell us about

that? Yes, six cases have been confirmed.

But we understand 2000 children have not been given the MMR vacchnation.

If you are concerned about xour child, say your GP.

Thank you. A man has died after an alldged

assault in the Cumbrian town of Egremont. 46`year`old Andrew

Armstrong, from Egremont, w`s taken to hospital on Sunday but dhed

today. Two men were arrested on suspicion of attempted murddr, but

have been released on bail. Police investigating alleged fraud

at a County Durham academy have arrested two men and a woman. It

comes after concerns were r`ised about alleged financial

irregularities at Glendene @rts Academy in Easington, which caters

for pupils who have learning difficulties.

Now, it's a scheme that's staggering in the size of its ambition. A 100

million leisure park, planndd on more than 100 acres of land in

Bishop Auckland, below its historic castle. Details of the Elevdn Arches

project were unveiled today. And it's a scheme that promises to bring

jobs, money and tourists to the County Durham town. Our Bushness

Correspondent, Ian Reeve, rdports. Could this really happen in Bishop

Auckland. This is Puy Du Fot, a French theme park. The plan is to

replicate its light shows, historic recreations, music and fireworks on

a former golf course in the town. It's the idea of Jonathan Rtffer.

Millionaire. Philanthropist. And owner of Auckland Castle. Pty du

Fou, which operates in one of the world's great armpits, miles from

anywhere, can get 14,000 people every time they do it. They are sold

out. This is the site of thd proposed leisure Park. 800,000

visitors a year might come here The scheme will be developed in two

phases. The first is a light show, up and running by 2016. Ten jobs

will be created. But 600 local volunteers will also be needed. The

second phase will celebrate the region and the country's history. By

2024, it's hoped that 300 jobs will have been generated. But how will

this Auckland attraction be funded? We are trying to get grants for what

is basically a not`for`profht venture. We hope to get EU funding

as well, community funding `nd charity funding.

There will certainly be somd scepticism about the project. It

will be built on a flood pl`in, new roads will be needed. But some in

Bishop Auckland can't wait. It can do nothing but be very good for

business. We are in a very good position.

And the fear of some, that the tranquility of the nearby c`stle `

former home to the Bishops of Durham ` will be disturbed, is forcefully

dismissed. The tranquillity of Bishop @uckland

is to some degree the silence of the tomb. What they need is vibrancy.

Young people don't want tranquillity. What they want is life

and that is what this will bring Disneyland comes to Dylan.

John Campbell. 92 years old. A Second World War veteran who died

without any living relatives. But the people of Whitley Bay ddcided

his passing deserved better than a few lines in the local paper. And

more than 500 of them turned out this afternoon at the town's

crematorium to pay their respects. Our Chief Reporter, Chris Stewart,

was there too. It was thought nobody would remember

him, but that is not quite how it worked out. Local people who had

seen the death notice in thd paper were there, people who knew him from

when he was fit enough to vhsit local pubs, and other veter`ns were

there too. Like 89`year`old Bill who fought at Normandy. We have a

special bond when we meet. Ht's great to come and pay our l`st

respects to this lad. I didn't know him, but I respect what he did.

There is only one photograph of John Campbell and this is it. His

discharge papers show he was awarded the Burma Star and that he continued

to serve with the Cameron Highlanders until 1951. Among those

who knew him from the town's pubs, a man who helped organise tod`y's

turnout. I just spread the word on Facebook. I drove round the pubs in

Whitby telling the regulars that Wacky Jacky, as we knew him, he d

gone. So an old soldier remembered in a

way that reflected upon him and on those who made this special effort.

A lovely tribute. Coming up next, Franz Ferdinand rock

Sunderland. Well, part of it. And the story of one of Cumbria s

best`loved landscape artists, ahead of a unique exhibition of hdr work.

It's not all good news in the weather, but is this weather front

moves away, it introduces south`westerly wind.

What would you do if you made a record but had nowhere to sdll it?

Well, Wearside band Frankie and the Heartstrings came up with a simple

solution ` open a shop. But their shop, Pop Recs, is more than just

that. It's staged live performances by stars like Badly Drawn Boy and

Maximo Park. And for tonight's Look North Report, Sharuna Sagar was

given exclusive access to the biggest band to play there so far.

# Nothing is going our Way... # That's how Frankie and the

Heartstrings felt this time last year.

With record shops closing and a new album to shift, the Mackem hndie

band was worried they wouldn't have anywhere to sell it.

That's when they decided to open their own record shop right here in

Sunderland. And that's when things started to go their way. We thought

that if we were going to opdn this place, we wanted it to be

multipurpose. We wanted to offer a place for travelling bands `nd local

artists to play. And local `rtists have been putting their work on the

walls. Local musicians have been able to come in here to sell their

produce. Originally a pop up, it's now a stay up that's been going for

ten months. We have had a lot of wreckers donated by the people of

Sunderland to like what we `re doing.

Times have changed since thd record buying hey days of the '60s and '70s

when millions of discs were sold every year. Despite a recent vinyl

revival, the Entertainment Retail Association says the number of

record shops on the high street has dropped by two thirds in a decade.

It seems survival these days is about much more than selling

records. It's the best thing in the Sunderland for years. It's `n

amazing place. I have been coming since the opening. It's been good

for Sunderland. Bringing music into the town centre instead of `lways in

Newcastle. Pop Recs' reputation is sprdading

and the big names are asking to play here. Like Franz Ferdinand ` their

first gig in the city. It was too good an opportunhty to

miss. It is a bit of a homecoming for me as well. I used to lhve in

Sunderland myself and I still have a lot of family in the north`dast

It's good to support the guxs here. It doesn't seem to be just ` shop,

but a focal point for the community. Not just artists and record buyers,

it is just bringing people together. Every city needs something like

that. # Make somebody love me... # it s

lovely to see a band so big that seem so genuine.

It's really good for the shop as well. It's great that the spaces

have been used for things lhke this. The thought that all these great

artists have been passing through one of the Main Street is in

Sunderland is really good. Well done, boys. Great idea.

A unique exhibition of work by the Cumbrian artist, Sheila Fell, is

going on display in Cockermouth later this month. Just a few weeks

ago, three of her paintings sold at an auction in the town for lore than

?60,000. Alison Freeman reports Shelia Fell's work reflected how she

felt about Cumbria. She bucked artistic trends of the

'50s and '60s by becoming an acclaimed landscape painter. And

next month an exhibition in Cockermouth will give fans the

chance to see and buy some of her work.

If you look at what contemporary artists at the time were dohng, it

was very different. But it hs what she wanted to do. She found fame and

critical success painting what was a lost generation type of art.

Sheila Fell was born and rahsed in Aspatria but moved away to study and

work. But every year she and her friend and mentor LS Lowry would

return to the town to so thd could get inspiration from the Culbrian

countryside. She never painted anything other

than Cumbria. Cumbria was what she got up in the morning to pahnt. It's

not like this every day. Shd painted how it makes you feel to st`nd on

that landscape and have the wind blowing against you, to havd the

majesty of everything around you. It was about her communicating what it

is like to live in Cumbria. That makes it quite special.

The exhibition will also fe`ture two portraits of Fell's mother. She

always generally showed one of those paintings, like a talisman hn each

exhibition she had. But thex were never shown together.

Sheila Fell died in 1979 at the age of just 48. But her popularhty lives

on and the exhibition is expected to bring art lovers from across the UK

to west Cumbria. Last night, we were asking hf

Newcastle would refund fans ticket money.

The Newcastle United manager says everyone in the camp is detdrmined

to put the crushing defeat `t Southampton behind them. Thdy take

on Manchester United on Sattrday. But the Norwich city reimbursing

their fans for ticket money, but Alan Pardew Dashwood Alan P`rdew do

the same thing? I'm urging ly players to put in a better

performance than they did on Saturday. That is the most hmportant

thing for me. You get disappointments in the Premher

League. We've had them before. The matter is very simple. We nded a

reaction to that performancd in terms of energy levels, continuity

in the team and a desire to win the game. Our fans are the best in the

world and to give them that performance was not acceptable. We

have to put it right on the pitch. I think the answer is, don't hold

your breath. Now it's always a bonus to have a

sporting success story from the region and there's one sport in

particular where we seem to be excelling! Squash! The U15 girls

from Dame Allans School in Newcastle have just become National Schools

Champions, while the U19's were runners up for the third tile.

Remarkable achievements when you consider five years ago the school

didn't even have a girls te`m! Coach Jane Dennis is the lady who's

made it all happen. As sports coach at Dame Allan's junior school she's

been spotting talent in children as young as three! There are no courts

at school so Jane puts them through their paces at the Northumbdrland

Club in Jesmond where she's also squash coach. She started the girls

team just five years ago so how big an achievement is it to havd beaten

some of the top public schools in the country? Massive. Massive. Two

of the coaches from Millfield said well done, fabulous girls, really

good match, where are they from And it was a really nice feeling to say

Newcastle. Everyone was so overwhelmed, so happy. I thhnk

everyone was delighted they had won and all the hard work was ptt to the

test. And future success is almost

guaranteed with girls like ten`year`old Jessica alreadx playing

for the U15's. They beat thd holders Gosforth Academy in the all north

east final, which shows just how strong the sport is in the region.

Some of these girls will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of

Massaro who won the world thtle in Malaysia ten days. Indeed spuash is

the only sport in which Britain boasts the mens' and womens'

Champions. But it's still not an Olympic sport and was rejected for

the 2020 games, something which frustrates the up and coming talent.

It's a bit disappointing. Wd've got the top players in the world from

England so it would be really good for us. It's just some technical

problems that are stopping ht. Get there eventually.

But Olympic future or not coach Jane couldn't be any happier.

I'm just so proud of them. H'm getting very emotional. A vdry

emotional time. She nearly had me in tears `s well.

Fantastic achievement. Any chance of the fog going?

Things will change. Here ard a few interesting weather pictures.

Thanks for all of your weather pictures. There is a change on the

way. This weather front introduces a change in the wind direction

tomorrow. Not all good news. The wind is coming from the south`west,

but there will be a lot of cloud and some rain around as well. Btt

eastern areas will lose that wind. Outbreaks of rain in the West,

especially in the early part of the night. That will move eastw`rds

through the night. It will be a mild night. Temperatures around six

Celsius. Tomorrow, things start to change. It will be a grey and murky

start again. The afternoon becomes much drier, brighter in places as

well. Mainly because of a change in the wind direction. It is a light

went for the afternoon, comhng in from the west. `` light wind. As we

headed through the next few days, there will be a lot of cloud around,

especially in the West. A lot of cloud across Cumbria for thd

weekend. Been is never that far away. The wind will be gustx Andy

Green quite heavy `` the rahn is never that far away. The wind will

be gusty and the rain will be quite heavy. Keep up to date with the

weather forecast on the website That is all for now.

I'm not sure who's on the l`te bulletin. We will see you soon.