:00:00. > :00:10.resulted in the arrest of up to 600 suspected paedophiles.
:00:11. > :00:11.Welcome to Look North. In the programme tonight:
:00:12. > :00:15.Why does the North East appdar to be going in the opposite direction
:00:16. > :00:19.Hopes are rising that Lakeland's Blencathra could still
:00:20. > :00:26.The tea party where guests had to be at least 100 years old
:00:27. > :00:31.And we're live from the preliere of the latest BBC series to be
:00:32. > :00:40.In sport, find out why the Commonwealth Games will givd the
:00:41. > :00:43.region's top table tennis player the chance to catch up with his wife.
:00:44. > :00:46.Here's a clue ` he's the England men's number two, and she's
:00:47. > :01:01.Unemployment has risen again in the North East.
:01:02. > :01:04.The quarterly figure rose bx 5, 00 to 129,000 between March and May `
:01:05. > :01:14.Cumbria remains unchanged, at 13,000.
:01:15. > :01:17.Scotland and the South West also saw a rise, but everywhere else, there's
:01:18. > :01:21.Nationally, there are 2.1 million out of work `
:01:22. > :01:25.But the North East still has the highest unemployment rate
:01:26. > :01:33.And in the 16`24 age group, almost one in four is looking for work
:01:34. > :01:36.Andrew Hartley's been to a training centre on Tyneside
:01:37. > :01:46.to meet a group of young people determined to get their first job.
:01:47. > :01:48.In sight, a fresh start. Sara left education at 13.
:01:49. > :01:52.Five years on, she's being given a second chance.
:01:53. > :01:58.I got kicked out of school in year nine.
:01:59. > :02:03.Then I did nothing until I was 6. I school with nothing, so this gives
:02:04. > :02:11.you the qualifications to gdt the job. Guess you prepared for work.
:02:12. > :02:14.Sara is one of 65 learners at the NACRO Education Centre
:02:15. > :02:23.She's studying Maths and English and animal care.
:02:24. > :02:30.We look at personal and sochal development and diversity skills and
:02:31. > :02:34.employment skills. Part of the course is to get them out on
:02:35. > :02:43.volunteer placements, so th`t they can get hands`on experience in a
:02:44. > :02:46.real`life setting. What is ht about the way that people here trdat you
:02:47. > :02:54.that is better you have been treated before? They treat me like H am an
:02:55. > :02:58.adult, not a kid. One in fotr young people in this region are unable to
:02:59. > :03:01.find work. And the north`east economy is said to be the
:03:02. > :03:06.fastest`growing in the country. That should mean more jobs. Which should
:03:07. > :03:10.enable this place to help these young people find work. Each one of
:03:11. > :03:16.them knows what they want in the long`term. But sometimes thdy have a
:03:17. > :03:22.bit of fear of pursuing it. We just support them in driving tow`rds
:03:23. > :03:24.those goals and those long`term plans.
:03:25. > :03:27.No`one's pretending it'll bd easy to find work ` but this
:03:28. > :03:36.at least is another shot for a group of young people who might
:03:37. > :03:38.have fallen through the cracks otherwise.
:03:39. > :03:41.Our Political Correspondent Mark Denten's with me now.
:03:42. > :03:48.Mark, nationally, the unemployment figures paint an optimistic picture.
:03:49. > :03:57.Why do we keep bucking the trend in the north east?
:03:58. > :03:59.Well one level it certainly is the case nationally unemployment rate
:04:00. > :04:09.In the north`east it's gone up to .6%
:04:10. > :04:17.But here's the thing, every month, the Office Of National Stathstics
:04:18. > :04:19.presents a whole smorgasboard of stats on employment
:04:20. > :04:37.You pay your money and you take your choice.
:04:38. > :04:42.And employment up and unemployment up in the north`east.
:04:43. > :04:44.Help us out with that ` how can that happen?
:04:45. > :04:48.Actually what's happening is in simple terms,
:04:49. > :04:50.the pot of economically acthve number of people has grown.
:04:51. > :04:55.But although the employment rate's gone up, it hasn't gone up dnough to
:04:56. > :04:57.absorb all those job hunters, hence unemployment and employment in what
:04:58. > :05:00.looks like a massive contradiction, with both going up and the
:05:01. > :05:02.politicians, surprise surprhse, picking and choosing which bits
:05:03. > :05:06.As you might have seen, more than 600 arrests have been made
:05:07. > :05:08.in a nationwide police oper`tion targeting people accessing
:05:09. > :05:13.45 police forces were involved, including those from our region
:05:14. > :05:17.Stuart Whincup's in our Tees newsroom now.
:05:18. > :05:21.Stuart, this has been a major operation
:05:22. > :05:29.That is right. It has been six months in planning. The biggest ever
:05:30. > :05:34.crackdown on people suspectdd of accessing child abuse images online.
:05:35. > :05:41.Among those arrested are doctors, teachers and police officers. In
:05:42. > :05:45.this region, Northumbria has made the most arrests, 19 arrests. Durham
:05:46. > :05:54.has made five arrests. North Yorkshire, 11, Cleveland, 12, and
:05:55. > :05:57.Cumbria has made four arrests. Following those raids this lorning a
:05:58. > :06:01.number of children have been moved to different addresses for their own
:06:02. > :06:06.safety. It seems like this has become a growing problem in recent
:06:07. > :06:10.years. The National crime agency says it believes there are 40,0 0
:06:11. > :06:22.people around the country sharing images of child abuse. In Cleveland,
:06:23. > :06:27.sexual exploitation has been set up. It is photographs of young girls
:06:28. > :06:33.inappropriately dressed or not dressed at all, right through to
:06:34. > :06:37.people watching act 's, usu`lly of a sexual nature but sometimes
:06:38. > :06:40.violence, taking place betwden adults and young people, and people
:06:41. > :06:45.watch it live, and I don't understand that. How anybodx could
:06:46. > :06:53.want to do it, or watch it. But we will find these people and they will
:06:54. > :06:58.be dealt with. Paedophiles watching child abuse images often fedl that
:06:59. > :07:05.they are going unnoticed, btt this action today shows that thex are
:07:06. > :07:07.being. It still feels like a relathvely new
:07:08. > :07:12.technology ` but it's now 50 years since Sellafield started a new way
:07:13. > :07:15.of dealing with nuclear waste. Magnox re`processing began on the
:07:16. > :07:18.site in West Cumbria back in 19 4. Over the past five decades,
:07:19. > :07:20.it's processed To mark the anniversary,
:07:21. > :07:23.old workers were invited back to mix with present day staff and see
:07:24. > :07:35.if anything much had changed. This plant is a direct link with
:07:36. > :07:38.Britain's nuclear past. Reprocessing fuel from Magnox reactors which once
:07:39. > :07:44.produced plutonium for the nuclear weapons programme. Today it is still
:07:45. > :07:49.dealing with that legacy. The final Magnox plan are still making power
:07:50. > :07:52.for about another year, then that will close and we will take the fuel
:07:53. > :08:01.from that and the process it as part of an ageing off the UK Magnox
:08:02. > :08:07.programme. James followed hhs father into the same trade in the same
:08:08. > :08:12.place. For the family's sanhty we were never here at the same time.
:08:13. > :08:17.That was helpful. Former employees were invited back to share lemories.
:08:18. > :08:22.Very nostalgic. I have only been retired for six months. It hs as if
:08:23. > :08:27.I have not left the place. Was it like you were getting up for a shift
:08:28. > :08:31.this morning? Yes, that's rhght It is good to see a few of the old
:08:32. > :08:36.faces. Not a lot has changed. Just a few things have been tweaked here
:08:37. > :08:46.and there. Very similar to when I left the place. Absolutely
:08:47. > :08:51.brilliant. The thing that I do miss is craic with old colleagues. With
:08:52. > :08:55.only one reactor remaining `t Anglesey in North Wales, thdre is a
:08:56. > :09:00.shelf life to the amount of reposting sing that can be done
:09:01. > :09:04.here. It does not mean that work. . Less than 3000 tonnes left to go.
:09:05. > :09:07.That's all take another six years to finish that remaining fuel, then
:09:08. > :09:09.this facility will move into decommissioning, it will be cleaned
:09:10. > :09:18.out and decommissioned. Just when it looked all over,
:09:19. > :09:21.there's fresh hope for a colmunity group which wants to buy thd
:09:22. > :09:23.Cumbrian mountain, Blencathra. The group says it's back in talks with
:09:24. > :09:29.the landowner over the sale despite the news a few weeks ago th`t the
:09:30. > :09:33.mountain had been sold to a private bidder. The Friends of Blencathra
:09:34. > :09:36.are now saying they've made a new offer which is believed to be of
:09:37. > :09:39."significant interest" to the seller. Alison Freeman joins us from
:09:40. > :09:41.our Carlisle studio now. Alison, are
:09:42. > :09:47.they really in with a chancd? They certainly believe
:09:48. > :09:50.that they are. Saying they have been in
:09:51. > :09:52.negotiations with the current owner and now have an offer on thd table
:09:53. > :09:56.that they believe will be accepted. But this story has had
:09:57. > :09:58.many twists and turns. Starting at the beginning,
:09:59. > :10:01.Blencathra was put up for s`le with a guide price of ?1.75 millhon by
:10:02. > :10:04.the current owner, Lord Lonsdale, to The Friends of Blencathra c`mpaigned
:10:05. > :10:08.publicly to raise the cash. But a couple of weeks ago it
:10:09. > :10:11.was announced a sale had bedn Then days after that
:10:12. > :10:17.Eden District Council designated it a community asset ` which mdant
:10:18. > :10:20.the group could be given more time to raise the money ` but didn't
:10:21. > :10:23.guarantee them first refusal. Last night however the Friends
:10:24. > :10:26.of Blencathra took the bold step of saying they would have
:10:27. > :10:28.a positive announcement abott The founder of the friends told
:10:29. > :10:42.me how they were feeling. It is clearly within touching
:10:43. > :10:46.distance now. We are thrilldd with the announcement last night. The
:10:47. > :10:50.response is one of total excitement and happiness. We know that we can
:10:51. > :10:59.get this and then start doing some really good work on the mountain.
:11:00. > :11:05.So what do land agents have to say about the claims of the Fridnds
:11:06. > :11:08.They would not say who they were moving towards an exchange
:11:09. > :11:11.of contracts with and whethdr the Friends were still in whth a
:11:12. > :11:15.They also said there would be no further comment
:11:16. > :11:21.So until then we won't know who has made the successful bid.
:11:22. > :11:23.The way to beating loneliness is through the stomach.
:11:24. > :11:30.That's the idea behind a ?1 million scheme that s up
:11:31. > :11:33.for a National Lottery award and could be used across the cotntry.
:11:34. > :11:35.It's even got the backing of John Torode `
:11:36. > :11:39.He's been to meet pensioners at East Stanley in County Durh`m.
:11:40. > :11:52.John the road is best known for appearing on Masterchef Allsop now
:11:53. > :11:55.he finds himself in County Durham, eating mince and dumplings. He's
:11:56. > :12:01.part of a scheme to get the older generation working together. Many
:12:02. > :12:05.older people can be isolated and the ethos of this project is about
:12:06. > :12:09.enabling them to get togethdr over food and make friends and gdnerally
:12:10. > :12:14.better social networks and have a good time together. The ment might
:12:15. > :12:19.not be as fancy as Masterchdf but Jonty Rhodes says it a good idea.
:12:20. > :12:25.Good food is not just about eating well. It is also about King sociable
:12:26. > :12:31.and reigniting a life for pdople, flicking a switch that says life is
:12:32. > :12:33.not about setting in a room by myself feeling lonely and e`ting
:12:34. > :12:38.toast every single day. And what these guys have been nominated for
:12:39. > :12:44.one of seven national lottery awards that are programmes, and I hope that
:12:45. > :12:50.they get it. Pat was married for 18 years but has been now living alone
:12:51. > :12:54.for over 30 years. You hear about lots of issues that you havd been
:12:55. > :12:59.thinking about and discussing and you have nobody to talk to. It is
:13:00. > :13:01.hoped that this idea will bd used in other parts of the country. People
:13:02. > :13:08.say that it has made a big difference to their lives.
:13:09. > :13:12.And in Northumberland, they've been trying a different
:13:13. > :13:26.quite special. More than a hundred centenarians from across thd
:13:27. > :13:30.north`east were invited and the oldest was 107! It's all part of the
:13:31. > :13:32.Elderberries Project at the visitor attraction, which works to help
:13:33. > :13:34.those who find themselves isolated in their old age.
:13:35. > :13:49.This was quite possibly the biggest of gathering of centenarians, and
:13:50. > :13:53.definitely the happiest. I do not often get to things like thhs so it
:13:54. > :14:00.was a great excitement for `n old person. Nobody was expecting this
:14:01. > :14:13.impromptu performance from 107`year`old Danny.
:14:14. > :14:26.I did a course as an armourdr with the RAF. But because of my singing I
:14:27. > :14:34.worked with the RAF band. In of the great war, many guests have memories
:14:35. > :14:40.to share. I was eight. It w`s the day after my birthday. And H was
:14:41. > :14:45.allowed to go up the church tower, and we lived near Milford H`ven and
:14:46. > :14:55.I saw all the ships in Milford Haven, dressed with their flags and
:14:56. > :15:00.everything. It was really something, quite a memory. H
:15:01. > :15:12.remember when the First World War was finishing, and the zeppdlins
:15:13. > :15:18.would fly over here from Germany trying to bomb here. And I saw them.
:15:19. > :15:21.The party is linked to the centenary of the First World War, but it is
:15:22. > :15:25.also about looking forward `nd tackling social exclusion and making
:15:26. > :15:30.the older generation visibld. Sometimes when you speak to them
:15:31. > :15:36.they have now been out for ` year, or ten years. Just sending them an
:15:37. > :15:40.invitation for today, we have had people saying, that is the first
:15:41. > :15:44.invitation I have had in 20 years. I think it is a good idea. To
:15:45. > :15:56.celebrate what people have done That is the thing to do. Not the
:15:57. > :16:04.glory of war. APPLAUSE
:16:05. > :16:09.Some great stories and memories there from Alnwick
:16:10. > :16:11.And of course many children played astonishing roles
:16:12. > :16:21.And that's the inspiration for a new CBBC drama ` filmdd in
:16:22. > :16:25.It's part of the BBC's Great War commemorations.
:16:26. > :16:28.And there's a special screening in Gateshead tonight.
:16:29. > :16:44.Our arts reporter Sharuna S`gar joins us live from the Quayside now.
:16:45. > :16:47.Daniel Buren installation on the windows. But inside the Baltic,
:16:48. > :16:51.in half an hour, a special screening has been organised by the Royal
:16:52. > :16:56.Television Society and Northern film and Media of a brand new chhldren's
:16:57. > :17:04.drama set during world war one and filmed in the region.
:17:05. > :17:11.What do you reckon? Do not be daft, you will not pass for 19.
:17:12. > :17:14.Harriet's Army ` is the story of a group of children keeping the home
:17:15. > :17:18.front while their fathers and brothers fought in the trenches
:17:19. > :17:24.It is interesting because it shows children how children helped with
:17:25. > :17:27.the war effort. You do not get many things that show how childrdn
:17:28. > :17:32.helped. It is about all the soldiers, the adults involvdd, but
:17:33. > :17:34.it is fresh to get it from ` child's perspective.
:17:35. > :17:37.Not many people know that scouts and the guides were the second line of
:17:38. > :17:40.defence in the war effort. But in this storyline Harridt is
:17:41. > :17:45.thrown out of the guides for fighting.
:17:46. > :18:04.And so she forms her army of misfits and forms a new friendship `long the
:18:05. > :18:11.I play the love interest and that has given me a bit of an ego boost.
:18:12. > :18:13.It is a bit embarrassing soletimes, to be honest, but it is a good
:18:14. > :18:19.feeling. Filming close to home has got to
:18:20. > :18:29.help. The starting point was the leans. It
:18:30. > :18:35.is such a wonderful place to use. That was the basis for our town And
:18:36. > :18:40.we radiated out from there to other places. Earlier, special prdview for
:18:41. > :18:48.young viewers in the region took days, but the show will be `ired on
:18:49. > :18:53.CBBC at the beginning of August I'm joined by the head of CBBC
:18:54. > :19:03.productions. Harriet's Army was the latest children's, to be filmed
:19:04. > :19:08.here. Can we surely call ourselves the capital of children's drama
:19:09. > :19:13.here in the north`east? You can call yourselves a centre of excellence.
:19:14. > :19:16.Bearing in mind that CBBC dramas filmed in the north, Liverpool,
:19:17. > :19:22.Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle so spanning that great corridor of
:19:23. > :19:27.northern creativity. I do not want to cause any row between thd great
:19:28. > :19:33.urban centres of the North. What attracts two`year time and time
:19:34. > :19:36.again? Tracy beaker returns. We have had the most marvellous timd working
:19:37. > :19:43.in the north`east the craft base, the community of talented pdople who
:19:44. > :19:47.help us make dramas, is rem`rkable. Tied in with the warm welcole that
:19:48. > :19:51.we get from everybody. And did events this evening is just one
:19:52. > :19:57.example. And a little bird tells me there is another production in the
:19:58. > :20:16.pipeline. We will be using the village around Bamburgh Castle.
:20:17. > :20:19.A poisonous wild flower which was thought to be virtually exthnct
:20:20. > :20:22.in the wild has been discovdred growing in South Shields.
:20:23. > :20:24.The corncockle flower was used in folk remedies and even whtchcraft
:20:25. > :20:27.in the Middle Ages but was wiped out by modern farming.
:20:28. > :20:29.A National Trust ranger found the dark pink flower flourishing
:20:30. > :20:39.Delicate but deadly, the corncockle, Latin name Agrostemma githago,
:20:40. > :20:43.growing in fields a short w`lk from the beach.
:20:44. > :20:45.Its leaves and petals can cause sickness
:20:46. > :20:48.and headache if broken and daten, while a pinch of corncockle seed can
:20:49. > :20:57.The flower was discovered near Souter Lighthouse here
:20:58. > :21:08.I spend lots of time down hdre. I know the area well. I am always
:21:09. > :21:12.looking out for unusual things. And this is what I turned up on the day.
:21:13. > :21:18.It is quite a good find, I `m pleased. We have had calls from the
:21:19. > :21:21.press and newspapers. It has been great for The National Trust, and we
:21:22. > :21:23.are pleased to have it on the property.
:21:24. > :21:26.The plant was once a common sight on the edge of grain fields,
:21:27. > :21:30.but modern herbicides led to the species being almost wiped out.
:21:31. > :21:38.We cannot touch it, it is vdry rare, we have just gone along to see. We
:21:39. > :21:45.have had lots of interest in the flour, and it has put South Tyneside
:21:46. > :21:48.on the map. When the siege drop they will settle in fresh soil and
:21:49. > :21:53.hopefully we will get more plants next year. As long as you do not
:21:54. > :21:55.take it home and put it in xour salad, you will be all right.
:21:56. > :21:57.The wardens hope more corncockles will grown here
:21:58. > :22:06.But they are warning the public to look but not touch.
:22:07. > :22:14.Pretty little thing, but absolutely lethal. Transfer news, something is
:22:15. > :22:19.hotting up. We were hoping to bring you some concrete news on ndw
:22:20. > :22:26.signings for Newcastle Unitdd. They expect to formally announced two
:22:27. > :22:29.signings in the next 24 hours. We will be able to show you three new
:22:30. > :22:36.Sunderland signings because they are unveiling them tomorrow morning
:22:37. > :22:44.Competitors at the Commonwe`lth games, in 11 days in Glasgow, will
:22:45. > :22:50.be trying to focus on bringhng back a medal, but for one of our top
:22:51. > :22:53.table tennis players, from Cleveland, it is a rare chance to
:22:54. > :22:57.spend some quality time with his wife. The youngest national champion
:22:58. > :23:02.in the country when he won the 007 title aged 17, Paul spends `
:23:03. > :23:09.lifetime at the table. Last year, the England and is number two found
:23:10. > :23:12.time to marry Joanna Parker, the England women's number one. And now
:23:13. > :23:15.the couple are packing their bags for a family trip north of the
:23:16. > :23:20.border. Because we both do ht to both travel what and we do not see a
:23:21. > :23:25.lot of each other, which is a shame, but that is how it has to bd. On the
:23:26. > :23:29.other side of it, we get to experience things like the
:23:30. > :23:33.Commonwealth games, together, and not many couples can say th`t. We
:23:34. > :23:38.understand what the other is going through when I am away in Gdrmany,
:23:39. > :23:44.and then the next week, she is in France. And it is going good. And
:23:45. > :23:48.you can sort of enjoy the good and go through the bad times together.
:23:49. > :23:55.It helps that we both understand exactly what we're going through.
:23:56. > :23:58.Not surprisingly there is a lot of table tennis chat in the hotsehold,
:23:59. > :24:03.but what are the chances of the couple bringing her medals? I think
:24:04. > :24:15.to be honest the entire teal can do very well. We have got good chances
:24:16. > :24:18.and we will be fighting for medals. The Premiership sevens serids is
:24:19. > :24:23.being moved from Kingston P`rk to the Darlington Arena becausd the
:24:24. > :24:29.Newcastle Falcons ground is having a new pitch laid and will not be ready
:24:30. > :24:34.in time. It will host the fourth leg of the series on August two. Big
:24:35. > :24:36.crowds are expected for the event which will see Newcastle Falcons
:24:37. > :24:44.play in a group with Leicester Tigers, Sale Sharks and London
:24:45. > :24:52.Welsh. The National forecast had 29 Celsius, maybe even more. In London
:24:53. > :24:56.on Thursday. It is not going to be pleasant, it is going to be hot and
:24:57. > :25:03.humid. We are going to be 18, are we not? Not quite that cold as the
:25:04. > :25:09.nation Mark it as King to bd worn over the next few days. If xou're up
:25:10. > :25:12.early enough, you might havd caught that lovely sunrise and red sky in
:25:13. > :25:16.the morning off the coast of County Durham. Thank you to Dan Mydrs for
:25:17. > :25:22.that shot. Tomorrow, a diffdrent sort of day.
:25:23. > :25:27.It will be pretty warm inland tomorrow. We have seen rain coming
:25:28. > :25:35.in from the west today. One or two bright echoes on the radar. As we
:25:36. > :25:39.head into the evening, showdrs will become fewer and further between. It
:25:40. > :25:43.will be a dry night to come with clouds breaking and clear spells.
:25:44. > :25:50.Some patches of mist formally went there with temperatures rem`ining"
:25:51. > :25:57.is. `` patches of missed forming, he went there. And Ted Richards
:25:58. > :26:01.remaining in double figures `` temperatures remaining in double
:26:02. > :26:06.figures. Most places will stay dry tomorrow with broken cloud,
:26:07. > :26:14.expecting good, sunny spells and high afternoon temperatures as well.
:26:15. > :26:18.In the afternoon you're looking at the high teens on the coast, then it
:26:19. > :26:25.will edge up into the mid`20s in parts of Cumbria, up to 25 Celsius,
:26:26. > :26:31.that is knocking on the door of 80 degrees. It is pretty warm tomorrow.
:26:32. > :26:35.Courtesy of this high presstre. Over the next few days this area of low
:26:36. > :26:39.pressure to the West will start to mess things up a little bit. Because
:26:40. > :26:47.of those weather fronts, hulidity is rising as well. As we head hnto the
:26:48. > :26:52.weekend, itself. An early w`rning from The Met office for somd
:26:53. > :26:55.potential heavy downpours and thunderstorms and some hail and
:26:56. > :27:01.amongst them as well. Not exactly sure where we will see thosd most
:27:02. > :27:05.frequent showers, but we ard certain that we will see some of thdm across
:27:06. > :27:09.the country. We will keep you updated on how that are shaping up
:27:10. > :27:15.over the next couple of days. Friday and Saturday, the risk of some heavy
:27:16. > :27:18.showers on Friday, but headhng into Saturday, it looks like the rain
:27:19. > :27:22.will become more widespread with thunder and lightning and
:27:23. > :27:27.hailstones, even though the temperatures remain in the low to
:27:28. > :27:39.mid 20s. Warm and humid as we head towards the weekend. 25 degrees
:27:40. > :27:47.tomorrow? Maybe that is too hot That's it from us, good night.