24/01/2017 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Hello and welcome to Tuesday's Look North.

In tonight's headlines: Medical marvels - the cancer survivors

who are living proof of a remarkable clinical trial.

Think I think I just thought there isn't another option. 17 years

later, it never occurred to me I would still be alive.

Tall story - he was banned for standing up while driving,

but this 6ft 7 driver claimed he was sitting down.

How a steep hike in rural business rates could force this

And, Toon on film - a special report on the North East's

In football, a new signing for Sunderland, but the top striker

from their ladies team is on the move.

And, we look at plans for a major new sports ground

17 years ago, a group of patients with a rare form of blood cancer

They decided to take part in a clinical trial in Newcastle

and now many have lived to see children grow up and

Remarkably, some are now thought to be cured -

something doctors never thought possible.

The long term results of the trial have just been accepted

for publication and the patients have been speaking

Time with family is something Jean Boyd never takes for granted.

Diagnosed with chronic myloid leukaemia 21 years ago,

she was told she had just a few years to live.

She was offered a place on a clinical trial in the year 2000.

I think I just thought there isn't another option, really.

I think, 17 years later, it never occurred to me

It never occurred to me I would see my family grow up.

I thought by 50 I would be dead, so I am thrilled.

It makes you realise that every single day you have almost been

You know, we could have grown up very differently.

He could have grown up without seeing his grandmother.

The long term results of the study, which Newcastle doctors helped

lead, have just been accepted for publication.

This trial has really led to a complete change

This class of drugs, which are TKIs, there are now about 30 or 40

being used to treat anything from lung cancer to

When the trial got underway in the year 2000, doctors

were hopeful they'd be able to extend patients' lives,

but what they didn't foresee was that some

Like Margaret, the very first patient on the trial.

I had a brother who had died, and even if he had been alive

and been a match, I would have been too old to have a bone

I would have danced with the devil to have extra time.

I have seen seven grandchildren being born.

I can't believe I would have lasted for 17 years,

and that the disease would have gone.

Now the Freeman Hospital is involved in a follow-up study where, so far,

more than 90% of the patients have shown no evidence of relapsing

a year after reducing their dosage, with some coming off

Up to half of the patients don't need to remain on the drug,

and therefore we are stopping the drug for patients

The patient loses the side effects, the NHS loses the drug bill.

Since the year 2000, Newcastle hospitals have been

involved in more than 400 cancer treatment trials, featuring more

than 11,000 of their patients - something doctors here

Without research, half the patients with this disease would have

died after five years, but now they have a normal life span.

So it is painful and expensive to do research, it takes a lot of time,

I feel lucky, very blessed to have been in Newcastle at a time

For the most part, on the drugs I've been on, within a few months

Three men from Carlisle have been banned from all football grounds

for their part in a brawl with stewards at a match

between Carlisle and Hartlepool last October.

Magistrates heard that trouble flared when Carlisle scored and fans

Luke Hodgson, who's 18, Stephen Neaves, who's 25

and Carl Swan who's 24, were banned from football

A 56-year-old grandfather escaped a ban, despite throwing a punch.

Look North has learned health managers who are closing

Hartlepool Hospital's licensed fertility unit rejected a bid

from a company that's already run fertility services there.

Earlier this month, the local Clinical Commissioning Group

announced that licensed fertility treatment will end, meaning

patients will have to travel as far as Newcastle.

Managers said they couldn't find a new organisation to run

the service, but they'd already rejected a bid from a firm running

Health managers wanted to close car people's fertility unit last year.

At an emotional meeting last summer it was saved. Now those same

managers say licensed fertility treatment here must end. With all

those twists and turns it must be hard for local patients to keep up

with what is happening. But the local clinical commissioning group

said they had a limited response from organisations that actually

wanted to run the fertility services here. Quality standards were not met

either. But we have learned that one organisation that was bidding to run

services here has actually been running some fertility services at

this hospital for several months. It was what the council had to say

about their concerns earlier this month. I am extremely angry. Right

back in October, we were contacted by some interested parties who were

finding it extremely difficult to get the information that they

required to put the bits together. We now know who that interested

party was. This video is from the care fertility group. They have 15

clinics up and down Britain, and were already supporting services in

Hartlepool. The local clinical commissioning group decided they did

not pass muster in the bidding process, which means people like

Jodie, waiting for licensed fertility treatment for six years,

cannot have it in Hartlepool. The top and bottom of it is I have to

have fertility treatment to have children, and as the years go on and

the months pass on, my body clock is slowing down. The care fertility

group are not mincing their words either. They say:

It must be disappointing for everyone who was waiting to undergo

fertility treatment. But it is as though they have

already made their minds up. Well, Mark joins me

now from Hartlepool. So, another twist at

the town's fertility unit. What are the managers

saying tonight? The sign behind me, K outside the

hospital, says no emergency department, and no licensed

fertility services either, much to the consternation of people like

Jodie. The local clinical commissioning group, no comment from

them so far tonight, but in the past they have said the rules for

procurement are strict, and due process was followed in this case.

One little footnote, I understand this whole affair will be discussed

at a scrutiny panel next month. Perhaps more to come.

Thank you. A 6ft 7 inch car dealer

from Newcastle has been banned from driving for 12 months

after pleading guilty to dangerous driving,

but he maintains it was all down 26-year-old Adam Elliott was accused

of standing up while he was driving a convertible Ford Ka

on the Tyne Bridge a year ago, but he insists he was

sitting down at the time. This incident took place

in January last year, when car dealer Adam Elliot

was on his way back from buying He had the roof down,

and he's accused of standing up in the car while he was driving over

the Tyne Bridge. Although he insists

that he was sitting down and it was just his 6'7 stature that

made him look like he was standing, he took the advice of his lawyer

and pleaded guilty to dangerous But I was too tall for the car,

and that has caused a distraction Well, I was playing up to people

that were waving, but I would say They were waving

at me, I waved back. Mr Elliot has 12 previous

convictions of driving while disqualified, and he now has

to wait until next month I am worried, but I have been

honest and I have accepted what I have done is wrong,

so I can only hope for the best and hope they realise

it was a bit of foolishness. The judge gave Mr Elliott credit,

saying he sensibly pleaded guilty But he went on to say,

"It was obvious that you were showing off,

demonstrating your height, and distracting other drivers

in a small open topped vehicle." Mr Elliott will be sentenced

the week commencing 27th February. A North Yorkshire farmers' mart

that's been in existence for over 100 years says it doesn't know

if it can survive a big hike Hawes Mart sells 100,000 sheep

a year, but will see its rates bill leap from ?7,500 a year

to ?47,000 from April. It's just one rural enterprise that

will be disproportionately hit by a new government revaluation

of premises - something that's Our Business Correspondent

Ian Reeve reports. Sheep have been sold at this auction

mart in Hawes for 103 years. It has seen its business

rates shoot up. The revaluation means a big

bill is coming in April. We have been paying business rates

of about ?7,000, ?7,500, It means that the mart

is not going to be viable. The profits that we make

are not substantial. It is going to be touch and go

whether we can survive. Business rates have been

reset across the country. Some properties will see a fall,

but rural enterprises are the worst hit in the first revaluation

for seven years. The figures are compiled by

Whitehall's Valuation Office Agency, a London body threatening

the existence and jobs of an obscure Have done a survey of the marts

in the North of England, and most of them have received

an increase of around 100%, and some 200%, but nobody has had

a rise like ours of 600%. 100,000 sheep are sold

here every year, including The mart is an essential

part of the process I almost regard it as

insurance, the auction. You send things into an abattoir

and you are certainly not as safe, But, if the mart goes,

it won't only be farmers Stuart's guesthouse offers a stay

for mart buyers and sellers. September and October are busy

months anyway in Hawes, but the mart adds something to it

because you get farmers from all And then you get the visitors

who find it a huge attraction as well, so it is a big part

of Hawes, the market. In its defence, the Valuation Office

Agency says it sets rateable values fairly and equally,

but there is an appeal process. Time enough for the mart to no

longer be at the heart A new type of recruitment drive

is taking place in Cumbria to help avoid future staff shortages

in the NHS and emergency services. 600 schoolchildren are taking part

in sessions which give a taste of what it's like to work

for the county's most A school time lesson in saving a

life, which could start a passion for a future career. Cumbria's

Ambulance Service needs new recruits. Current staff are helping

find them. We want to encourage young people to join us in the

ambience service and all the emergency services, and we want to

encourage people who live in Umbria to stay and work in Cumbria. We have

some trouble keeping them here sometimes, but we encourage people

who live and work here and understand the area to join us.

Rural geography and career opportunities can make recruitment

difficult in Cumbria. Finding ways to ease those problems now and in

the future are crucial. Everyone always says we have got a crisis

right now, what will we do? Maybe if we had done something like this five

years ago we would be in a better situation. The ultimate aim is to

encourage some of our students into our health care professions. From

health care options to policing and social work, the feedback from

students so far is positive. I want to work in the police when I am

older, and I have learned more information about what it is like to

be in the police force. Very useful because I did not think about

paramedics until I came. Now I am debating about what I want to do

with my future. Quite useful, to be fair. I have got to learn quite a

bit of stuff that I didn't know and that will be useful in the future. I

want to be a midwife, and be University of Cumbria has got the

best course to do it in the local area. For Maddie, today has helped

confirm her career choice as a paramedic. I think it will be a

rewarding job, going home and thinking I have done something

worthwhile. Next week, the recruitment event heads to Carlisle,

with the hope of finding more pupils like Maddie to staff our services in

the future. A Tyneside entrepreneur

who launched her business empire on a ?90 budget while juggling three

jobs has been singled out by Forbes magazine as being one of the names

to watch after making the 30 under 28-year-old Alice Hall set up

the online fashion retailer The company now turns over

?9 million annually, shipping out over 4,000 products

a day from its Newcastle factory with plans to expand

to America and Australia. I just got an e-mail saying I had

been nominated for this 30 under 30 for Europe in retail, so I sent over

some figures and I was in the list. It is just absolutely overwhelming.

An amazing surprise. I just can't believe it.

With Ken Loach's "I Daniel Blake" gearing up for the final lap

of the awards season, Tyneside can once again pride itself

And its popularity with film and TV crews is being celebrated

in a new book written by a former producer of "The Tube."

Our arts reporter, Sharuna Sagar, has been taking a closer look

at what makes Newcastle a lead location.

It is an incredibly gritty and authentic film,

Get Carter, one of the all-time gangster greats.

The feature film was shot on location in and around Newcastle.

Released in 1971, it put the city on the cinematic map.

This is where, literally, Michael Caine's ghost walks straight

This is where Sting and Tommy Lee Jones walk

And the Tyne Bridge, that is where Mr James Bond himself,

Daniel Craig, makes that last walk with oasis playing

in the background, in the epic Our Friends in the North.

It's a moment, the location manager will never forget.

I was able, with police permission, to stop the traffic

for about two minutes on the Tyne Bridge completely.

You must have some somewhere stashed away.

That pig hasn't had a penny up its backside in about ten years.

But it was Bob and Terry who first brought a North East sensibility

into the nations living rooms back in 1964.

You have to remember that the north-east was not

acknowledged on the screen until The Likely Lads.

And then When the Boat Comes in, which also feature James Brolin.

Over the five decades since, the region has been used to great

I have worked on so many productions going back years.

Our Friends in the North, Billy Elliot, Catherine Cookson

Each one has got a different set of demands, from modern to period.

Newcastle and the north-east offer everything they could ever want,

Most recently, the city's streets were used in the new Transformers

movie that was also filmed in Alnwick and Bamburgh.

From science fiction to social realism, it was also the backdrop

for arguably the biggest British film to come out of

I am just down from the Central library.

And, for those of you familiar with the film, you might

The story of a man struggling to survive in a welfare system

could have been set anywhere, but director Ken Loach

Jesus Christ, who is first in this queue?

Do you mind if this young lass signs on first?

The landscape and the architecture are spectacular.

Newcastle has got some of the finest city buildings,

and also I have to say some of the worst.

What drew us was the character and the language, and this sense

With no film fund currently in place, the health of the region's

TV and film industry is down to the allure of its natural assets.

In 2015, the region's film and TV industry generated about ?30 million

Just imagine what we could do if we had those funds again.

The future lies firmly in the lap of the film gods.

And maybe a Geordie soap or a romcom will be the answer to local

You mentioned last night about reports of an overseas bid

to buy a major stake in Middlesbrough football club.

Well, no official reaction from the club, but we do believe

it s been rejected by the chairman, Steve Gibson, who, of course,

has been in sole charge of the club since 1994.

It's thought the offer is from a combined

The group is headed by a businessman called Chien Lee, who owns Nice

He previously tried, and failed, to buy Hull City.

It's understood the consortium has also had talks with both

Newcastle and Sunderland, but they made an offer to buy a 50%

But that deal has been turned down by Steve Gibson.

It's thought he is keen to attract overseas investment,

Joleon Lescott has become Sunderland's first signing

The defender has joined the Black Cats on a short-term contract.

The 34-year-old, who spent three years with David Moyes at Everton,

has been training on Wearside for the last couple of weeks.

He's signed a deal until the end of the season, after being

And it's not just the men's team which is struggling.

Sunderland ladies star, Beth Mead, has signed for Arsenal.

The England U23 striker was the top scorer in

She's the first high profile player to leave the club

since the announcement that the Lady Black Cats

England's northernmost town is hoping to build

The idea is it would serve both the local community and possibly

the town's football team, Berwick Rangers.

The Berwick Stadium Trust has found last near East Ord

which it wants to develop, to inspire a future generation

Dawn Thewlis has been for a look around.

If you build it, they will come. The famous line from the Kevin Costner

film, field of dreams. This is Berwick's field of dreams, where

they want to create the best sporting facility for miles around.

In real life it is never quite as simple as that, and it is still very

much just a dream. We have got an option on this site, a fantastic

location state of the bypass, and we are working from an idea on a piece

of paper to make it reality. It is taking quite a long time to get to

this stage, so I would not be deluded enough to think it will

happen immediately, but already there has been a groundswell of

support, and all it takes is the right people to speak to each other

desire getting things done on the ground. The semiprofessional

football part of it would be that stadium there with a grassed pitch.

Triple facilities are a big heart of the plan. The home of Berwick

Rangers has seen Berwick Billy Macri better days. The project is not

dependent on the Scottish League 2 side moving there. John is also a

director of the club, so how has the idea been received so far? I think a

cautious welcome to the idea. At the minute it is an idea. It is my job

as the person who is pushing this forward to put it into an idea that

is well thought out and costed. All we are concerned about at the moment

is making it a realistic option. It is about much more than football. As

well as artificial pitches, indoor and outdoor, that would be a

gymnastics hall, multisports court and a full-sized running track. We

spoke to guide early on in the process and he travels thousands of

miles each year to get a good track to train on. Everyone who will come

after him in the world of athletics would welcome a new track here. Now

the hard work begins finding financial backing and support from

the town county council to turn Eric's Field of dreams into reality.

We have got another piece on Berwick club later in the week. There is a

big anniversary coming up. I will say no more.

Man of mystery! Now, the weather. It feels like it

is turning colder. It is, and it will continue to turn

colder over the next few days. Today, weather-wise, in Cumbria

things are fairly cloudy and damp, but the snowdrops are thriving on

it. Further east, the cloud is more broken which has led to some nice

sunset again. The next few days, you will notice things turning colder.

Generally dry, but the breeze will make things feel colder still as we

head towards the end of the working week. Overnight tonight, a lot of

cloud around. It will produce some patchy rain and drizzle, mostly in

the West. Eastern areas tending to stay dry, but enough cloud and

breeze to keep most cases frost free. The late-night roundabout to

or three Celsius, but most places will escape a frost. Any cloud

breaks could allow a localised touch of frost, but many of us will remain

frost free overnight. A cloudy start to tomorrow, but it should break up.

Most places will stay dry and we should see some decent bright spells

on and off through the day. It will never be unbroken blue sky, but a

bright picture for most of us. A top ten at of eight or nine Celsius, but

the wind is quite strong at times coming up from the south, and that

will take the edge of the numbers, making it feel colder than those

figures suggest. The wind will feature in the weather as we head

through tomorrow and into Thursday and the weekend. Lots of isobars on

the chart. Things start to turn a bit milder as we head towards the

weekend. But it is complicated by thickening cloud and patchy rain

towards the weekend. Thursday, a raw feel to things. That south-easterly

wind really peddling the chapters back. A lot of cloud around at

times. In the East, Tebbutt is only just above freezing. Less cold in

the West, but still cold if you are exposed to the breeze. Friday will

be a dry, bright day, Tebbutt is slightly up. Dash-macro

temperatures. The wind eases the weekend, and daytime temperatures

recover. But there will also be patchy rain. We will keep you

updated. Friday looks like a day for a

bracing walk along the coast. That's it from us tonight. Goodbye.

You might get the impression that history is just a record

Very often, the line between fact and fiction

In this series, I'm exploring how three turning points in our history

have been manipulated to become our greatest historical legends.

I want to be entertained. Entertain me.