:00:11. > :00:13.Their country's been torn apart by a brutal civil war,
:00:14. > :00:17.but hundreds of Syrian refugees have found sanctuary in our region.
:00:18. > :00:20.The Government's 'vulnerable persons resettlement programme' will offer
:00:21. > :00:24.new homes to 20,000 Syrians in the UK by 2020.
:00:25. > :00:28.Gateshead Council has taken 121 people so far,
:00:29. > :00:30.making it the local authority with the third highest
:00:31. > :00:36.But other councils in the region haven't taken a single refugee.
:00:37. > :00:39.Our News Correspondent Mark Denten met one Syrian family
:00:40. > :00:46.The Al Jamal family savouring the simple pleasures of Christmas.
:00:47. > :00:48.They fled from the Syrian capital Damascus as a war
:00:49. > :00:57.TRANSLATION: Every day is bombs and a different army in Syria.
:00:58. > :01:04.The family came to Gateshead under a government programme designed
:01:05. > :01:11.to bring 20,000 vulnerable Syrians to the UK by 2020.
:01:12. > :01:15.TRANSLATION: The war and the bombs very dangerous
:01:16. > :01:25.Her mother died from the war in her country.
:01:26. > :01:32.Overall, 318 Syrians have now resettled in the north-east.
:01:33. > :01:40.Gateshead has taken 121, Newcastle 72 and Redcar and Cleveland 34.
:01:41. > :01:43.But both Middlesbrough and Stockton haven't taken any.
:01:44. > :01:46.Both councils say they already support a significant number
:01:47. > :01:52.The Government pays full resettlement costs under
:01:53. > :01:54.the scheme for a year, but are the Al Jamals
:01:55. > :01:57.in a house that could have gone to a local person?
:01:58. > :02:00.In terms of people really needing housing, having
:02:01. > :02:06.an urgent need for housing, we are able to respond.
:02:07. > :02:09.We need to meet the needs of the people of Gateshead
:02:10. > :02:20.The UK has taken in 0.1% of the total Syrian refugees
:02:21. > :02:26.Well earlier I asked Mark how the families
:02:27. > :02:32.were selected for resettlement in the region, and beyond.
:02:33. > :02:34.They haven't just turned up on our doorsteps.
:02:35. > :02:38.They have been selected by the British government from refugee
:02:39. > :02:46.They have been security vetted there and come over here,
:02:47. > :02:49.so they haven't just turned up, they have been selected,
:02:50. > :02:53.partly to avoid the tragic scenes we have seen in the last couple
:02:54. > :02:58.of years of people using overcrowded boats and with the tragic loss
:02:59. > :03:06.The Government will pay local authorities ?8,500 per refugee
:03:07. > :03:13.After five years that just drops to just ?1000 and some
:03:14. > :03:17.other figures involved, 10,500 school places according
:03:18. > :03:20.to the National Audit Office will be needed if we are going to have those
:03:21. > :03:28.A bus driver who's been charged with causing the death
:03:29. > :03:30.of a pensioner in Darlington has appeared in court.
:03:31. > :03:33.82-year-old Eileen Brennan died after the accident
:03:34. > :03:38.Michael Gilbert, of Middleton St George, near Darlington,
:03:39. > :03:41.appeared before Newton Aycliffe magistrates and the case
:03:42. > :03:45.was adjourned to Teesside Crown Court in January.
:03:46. > :03:49.A County Durham man who siphoned over a quarter of a million pounds
:03:50. > :03:57.from the estates of deceased clients has been jailed for four years.
:03:58. > :03:59.67-year-old John Dowson from Ingleton ran a will writing
:04:00. > :04:01.and probate business, but when his company hit financial
:04:02. > :04:03.trouble around six years ago he began dipping
:04:04. > :04:07.Durham Crown Court was told he's selling the family home
:04:08. > :04:13.Now, he's the lad from County Durham who's really unlocked
:04:14. > :04:16.Five-year-old Bradley Lowery has a rare cancer, but his cheerful
:04:17. > :04:21.attitude has endeared him to so many people that truckfulls of Christmas
:04:22. > :04:28.cards have been sent from around the world -
:04:29. > :04:30.and he's now received more than 200,000!
:04:31. > :04:34.The total surged again today with further mail deliveries
:04:35. > :04:36.to his home village of Blackhall Colliery.
:04:37. > :04:38.These were the scenes at his local community centre tonight.
:04:39. > :04:43.It just means that Brad's going to leave a little bit of a legacy.
:04:44. > :04:52.That means a lot for us, because obviously it's
:04:53. > :04:56.All this, everything that's happening, just means that he's
:04:57. > :04:58.going to leave name and hopefully help other children that's
:04:59. > :05:01.This has really brought the community together, hasn't it?
:05:02. > :05:05.Like I say, one post on Facebook, everybody's decided they're
:05:06. > :05:07.going to come out, so close to Christmas as well,
:05:08. > :05:09.people are very busy time of year for people.
:05:10. > :05:12.And they still took the time out to come and help.
:05:13. > :05:16.The bells of York Minster rang out tonight, for the first time
:05:17. > :05:18.since its entire team of bell-ringers was
:05:19. > :05:21.The bells were expected to be silent at Christmas -
:05:22. > :05:23.something which hasn't happened for hundreds of years.
:05:24. > :05:27.But that was averted this evening, as Abi Jaeyola reports.
:05:28. > :05:30.This is the sound is York has been missing for the last two months.
:05:31. > :05:32.For centuries, the bells of the Minster have chimed
:05:33. > :05:47.The very thing I said to you two days after the group was stood down,
:05:48. > :05:50.that we were hoping before long the bills would ring again.
:05:51. > :05:52.We're very grateful for the courageous and generous
:05:53. > :05:55.ringers from within the city and across the country who have come
:05:56. > :05:58.forward to try and help us move forward and are ringing for us over
:05:59. > :06:09.The volunteer bell-ringers were dismissed in over concerns
:06:10. > :06:12.It came after one of the ringers was accused of indecent assault
:06:13. > :06:17.Since then, the Minster has struggled to find replacement
:06:18. > :06:19.volunteers to take over, with accusations of intimidation
:06:20. > :06:25.The previous bell-ringing team have denied any involvement
:06:26. > :06:27.in that intimidation, and said they had tried
:06:28. > :06:35.The Minster are now working towards a permanent solution with team.
:06:36. > :06:39.We're going to be creating a new band in the New Year, so yes,
:06:40. > :06:43.we've had some volunteers specially for this Christmas season.
:06:44. > :06:46.So yes, it's in interim to make sure that for the benefit of all those
:06:47. > :06:49.coming to worship and the citizens of York, they know that there
:06:50. > :07:00.is a very special service for Christmas happening tonight.
:07:01. > :07:02.It was great to hear the bells again.
:07:03. > :07:04.And the service was wonderful as well.
:07:05. > :07:11.I thought it was absolutely wonderful.
:07:12. > :07:14.It was great to hear them ringing out again across York.
:07:15. > :07:20.And, you know, it is a time for forgiveness, and let's hope
:07:21. > :07:22.that's what's happened and they've sorted things out.
:07:23. > :07:24.Now, Peggy Ashcroft, Cleo Laine and even a young
:07:25. > :07:28.A Cumbrian theatre built by a flamboyant Hungarian will soon
:07:29. > :07:34.Almost ?3 million has been spent giving the Rosehill Theatre
:07:35. > :07:40.Built in an age before hard hats and high-vis,
:07:41. > :07:43.Rosehill was once at the centre of Britain's theatrical circuit.
:07:44. > :07:45.Today plans to bring it back into the limelight
:07:46. > :07:51.We go through here, which is the main new entrance,
:07:52. > :07:53.where you will come into the theatre.
:07:54. > :07:55.Or to the restaurant or any of the other facilities.
:07:56. > :07:59.This is the box office reception area there.
:08:00. > :08:02.And a lift to go up to the first floor or a second floor,
:08:03. > :08:04.where there's a restaurant, kitchen and restaurant with
:08:05. > :08:09.The old theatre goes back to 1959, this is a new building,
:08:10. > :08:12.There's still some challenges ahead in getting everything
:08:13. > :08:15.open and up and running, but very exciting and all the more
:08:16. > :08:18.so because of the great community engagement and great community
:08:19. > :08:21.The theatre was the idea Sir Nicholas Sekers,
:08:22. > :08:23.a Hungarian immigrant who founded West Cumbria's once
:08:24. > :08:31.He worked with Oliver Messel, one of the foremost stage designers
:08:32. > :08:35.of the 20th Century to create Rosehill's unique performance space.
:08:36. > :08:39.The seats have gone down to near Warrington to be refurbished.
:08:40. > :08:41.The Sekers fabrics that's on the walls, they will all come
:08:42. > :08:43.down and be replaced by a new generation
:08:44. > :08:48.We've also got, rather wonderfully, in the stalls, an orchestra pit,
:08:49. > :08:51.a small orchestra pit, so it's been given a new lease
:08:52. > :08:54.of life based on this remarkable history.
:08:55. > :09:03.The theatre is expected to reopen early next year.
:09:04. > :09:05.Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has decided not
:09:06. > :09:07.to appeal against his five-match ban after being found guilty
:09:08. > :09:09.of a Football Association misconduct charge.
:09:10. > :09:12.The 24-year-old continues to deny using racially aggravated language
:09:13. > :09:19.towards an opponent but has decided not to take the case further.
:09:20. > :09:21.He says he's "disappointed and frustrated" but believes
:09:22. > :09:30.an appeal would be unlikely to change the panel's decision.
:09:31. > :09:37.That it from me this evening. Not great news and weather, but here is
:09:38. > :09:41.some good news, three sleeps till Christmas. What a weather to fit
:09:42. > :09:45.into those three sleeps! Stormy weather on the way, relatively quiet
:09:46. > :09:49.today. One of two showers here and there, clear spells between. By the
:09:50. > :09:55.end of the night, the wind will pick up, especially in the West. Lowest
:09:56. > :09:58.temperature down to three or four Celsius. Tomorrow things will start
:09:59. > :10:03.to pick up wind wise especially. Met Office warning as storm Barbara
:10:04. > :10:10.poachers. Wet and windy weather spreading from the West. These black
:10:11. > :10:13.arrows indicate the gust speeds. This weather comes in from the West
:10:14. > :10:17.at lunchtime bringing the heaviest rain. By the end of the afternoon,
:10:18. > :10:21.the more persistent rain will have cleared away bringing bright
:10:22. > :10:24.intervals, scattered blustery showers and the wind is telling more
:10:25. > :10:32.westerly. Temperatures peaked at a reasonably mild 11 Celsius. As the
:10:33. > :10:36.storm pulls away, it stays windy as we had through Christmas Eve. We are
:10:37. > :10:40.watching another Atlantic low coming in by Christmas Day, which will
:10:41. > :10:46.bring even windier weather for many of us. But some mild conditions as
:10:47. > :10:52.well for Christmas Day. Christmas eve, between those systems, it will
:10:53. > :10:55.stay windy. Generally dry, just the odd shower. Temperatures cooler,
:10:56. > :11:00.staying in single figures through the day. Christmas Day, very windy
:11:01. > :11:02.and mild. Temperatures heading up towards the mid-teens. I will leave
:11:03. > :11:10.itself, it's not white, but it's warm. Temperatures could reach 15.
:11:11. > :11:16.I suppose you could say today was the calm before the storm. A winter
:11:17. > :11:17.chill, plenty of sunshine, but more wintry showers