0:00:00 > 0:00:00Newsnight is coming up on BBC Two.
0:00:00 > 0:00:01Here on BBC One, it's time for the news where you are.
0:00:12 > 0:00:13Good evening.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16A new group is looking to harness people power to change lives
0:00:16 > 0:00:17in the North East.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Tyne and Wear Citizens already has more than
0:00:19 > 0:00:21a thousand people signed up.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23It's aiming to tackle issues like poverty,
0:00:23 > 0:00:25racism and mental health.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28But there'll be no party politics and it won't contest elections.
0:00:28 > 0:00:34Our political editor Richard Moss reports.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37More than 1,000 people packed into Newcastle's Tyne Theatre,
0:00:37 > 0:00:41not for a band or a comedian, but to talk politics.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43This was the launch of Tyne and Wear Citizens.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46People here want to see change in their community,
0:00:46 > 0:00:48but they're not looking for politicians to do it.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50They want to do it themselves.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53People are saying we haven't got time to wait for another election
0:00:53 > 0:00:57or to wait and see what's going to happen with devolution.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Things are too important in our communities right now.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01People are going hungry right now.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03People are struggling day-to-day right now and so the energie
0:01:03 > 0:01:04is around people saying,
0:01:04 > 0:01:06"Right, OK, let's see what we can do,
0:01:06 > 0:01:08let's do something about it now."
0:01:08 > 0:01:10This is a very personal politics too.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Jack from North Shields came to talk about mental health.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18I'm here to speak about how some young people with poor mental health
0:01:18 > 0:01:22have had to fight way too hard to get the treatment they deserve.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27Racial abuse, though, was the focus for Maryam Khan from Newcastle.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30So, hopping onto a bus to the town might seem like nothing to most
0:01:30 > 0:01:33of you in the audience today, but to myself, my family,
0:01:33 > 0:01:35my friends and other Muslim women in particular,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38tasks like these seem like mammoth decisions to make.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Is it worth the risk of being harassed or racially abused today?
0:01:42 > 0:01:45But Tyne and Wear Citizens say this not just about listing problems.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Seeking solutions is vital so, for Mariam, there was a chance
0:01:48 > 0:01:51to ask for action from those who run the metro.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Will you lead the way and set an example
0:01:53 > 0:01:55and stand up to hate crime?
0:01:55 > 0:01:59Yes, we do have a hate crime policy in public transport.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Citizens groups have had success in other countries
0:02:01 > 0:02:02and parts of Britain.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Although the approach feels new, it also looks
0:02:04 > 0:02:08to tap into traditions we may have forgotten.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12This area used to be volatile, full of public meetings
0:02:12 > 0:02:14going on about anti-slavery and so on,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17and we are reviving that tradition.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20But did the audience feel enthused?
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Incredible seeing so many people come together
0:02:22 > 0:02:27of different faiths, generations, yeah, and background.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29It was quite emotional.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Really shows that people in the north-east are committed
0:02:31 > 0:02:32to making some change in the area.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36It's a positive hopeful message and it's what we need to hear.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40Of course, enthusiasm will only last if it produces results.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43But perhaps it's not surprising that people are seeking a different kind
0:02:43 > 0:02:48of politics to what's currenly going on in Westminster.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Well, earlier our political editor Richard Moss told me
0:02:50 > 0:02:53what they hope to achieve.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Well, it's the members that set the priorities and they're looking
0:02:56 > 0:02:57at three issues in particular -
0:02:57 > 0:02:59poverty, mental health and hate crime.
0:02:59 > 0:03:00Now, they're very big issues.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02I don't have to tell you that, but the aim
0:03:02 > 0:03:05is to focus on individual changes within those so, for instance,
0:03:05 > 0:03:07you saw the campaign on trying to stop racial harassment
0:03:07 > 0:03:08on buses and metros.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11On mental health, they want to get commitments from local health trusts
0:03:11 > 0:03:13on improving treatment of young people.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Jack, who you saw there, it took three GP appointments
0:03:15 > 0:03:18before he got any help for his mental health problems.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20On poverty, they want to reform the school meals system.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23They also want to persuade more employers to pay what they call
0:03:23 > 0:03:25the real living wage, that's above the Government's level,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27so, for instance, they have already secured a meeting with
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Virgin Money which employs 3000 people in the region
0:03:30 > 0:03:31to explore committing to that.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33They're learning from the experiences of other groups
0:03:33 > 0:03:34around the country, but the key now,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37this is the big push, use weight of numbers
0:03:37 > 0:03:39to get action, to get organisations and politicians
0:03:39 > 0:03:41to listen to them and persuade more people that politics isn't something
0:03:41 > 0:03:43that's just done to them,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46it's something that they can take part in.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48When Jack Kane was told he had just weeks to live,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51he married his girlfriend in a hospital chapel.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55But Jack, from Billingham, stunned friends at the reception
0:03:55 > 0:03:59by revealing the latest tests showed he wasn't dying after all
0:03:59 > 0:04:03and was actually suffering from a rare but survivable condition.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Peter Harris reports.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08Jack had always planned to marry Emma
0:04:08 > 0:04:13and apparently terminal cancer diagnosis meant it was now or never.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Like, you've got two months.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18As much as I put in myself I wasn't going anywhere,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21we then had that time frame where we had to squeeze
0:04:21 > 0:04:23the best times of our life into that time
0:04:23 > 0:04:26in case the worst comes to the worst.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29We kept hold of the 1% of hope that it wasn't what
0:04:29 > 0:04:31they said it was, it wasn't going to be terminal.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Jack's problems began when shooting pains eventually led to him
0:04:35 > 0:04:37being unable to use his legs.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Tests indicated a tumour on the spine and just weeks to live.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44Days later came the wedding but, in the meantime, more tests showed
0:04:44 > 0:04:48it was more likely to be the rare Devic's disease.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50He told Emma and close family and then at the reception,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52told everyone else.
0:04:52 > 0:05:00I'm not terminal. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:05:00 > 0:05:02The room exploded.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03It went absolutely crazy.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04The roof went off.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08Everyone just jumped up and screamed and...
0:05:08 > 0:05:09And it was big.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12To Jack and Emma. CHEERING
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Everybody burst into tears or they were cheering.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15Or both.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Yeah, or a bit of both!
0:05:17 > 0:05:19I'll never forget it.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Middlesborough's James Cook Hospital stresses the original scans only
0:05:23 > 0:05:25indicated a tumour on the spine.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29A definitive diagnosis was awaited.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Basically, my legs might come back and might not
0:05:32 > 0:05:34and that's all they can give me.
0:05:34 > 0:05:35But that's not a problem.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Life in a wheelchair is not a bad life.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43There's no difference between normal and that.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45You just adapt.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48You can still drive, you can still work, you can
0:05:48 > 0:05:51still have a normal life and live in your own home.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Your life kind of flashes before your eyes
0:05:53 > 0:05:54whether it's mine or yours
0:05:54 > 0:05:57or our life together, but we were lucky.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01We are lucky we got a second chance at life, really.
0:06:01 > 0:06:11Well, I'm not a registrar, but you may now kiss the bride.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15A policeman from Tyneside has been killed while on duty in Canada.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20PC John Davidson, who was 53, died while trying to arrest
0:06:20 > 0:06:23a suspect in Abbotsford in British Columbia on Monday.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26The former Northumbria Police officer was described by the force
0:06:26 > 0:06:32as a "hero" and "dedicated and devoted" policeman.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Tributes have been paid to the Sunderland City Council
0:06:34 > 0:06:37leader Paul Watson who has died at the age of 63.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39He'd been suffering from cancer.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42The Labour councillor played a leading role in bringing new jobs
0:06:42 > 0:06:44and investment to the city.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48Today a local Labour MP was one of those paying tribute.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Well, as a person, Paul cared passionately about Sunderland
0:06:51 > 0:06:53and that came through whatever he was talking about,
0:06:53 > 0:06:54whatever he was doing.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57As a politician, he's been a huge figure and a huge driving force
0:06:57 > 0:07:02in our city for two decades now.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04A bus has been destroyed after it went up in flames.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07The fire happened just after nine o'clock this morning,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11on the A693 in County Durham between Consett and Stanley,
0:07:11 > 0:07:12causing the road to be closed.
0:07:12 > 0:07:18The bus wasn't in service at the time and no one was injured.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21During Storm Desmond two years ago, the bridge at Pooley Bridge
0:07:21 > 0:07:24in the Lake District was completely washed away,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26cutting communities in two.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29But tonight, people living there got the chance to see the proposed
0:07:29 > 0:07:30design for a permanent bridge
0:07:30 > 0:07:33to replace the temporary crossing on Ullswater.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Mark McAlindon reports.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40The old sandstone structure stood here for 250 years
0:07:40 > 0:07:43before the weight of water washed it away.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46What it left behind became one of storm-bashed Cumbria's
0:07:46 > 0:07:48most startling images.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51It then took 16-weeks to slide a temporary crossing
0:07:51 > 0:07:54into place and now, two years on, we can reveal
0:07:54 > 0:07:58how a new, permanent crossing is likely to look.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00It's modern.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02It's got fairly graceful curves.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04One of the very good things they've done is where
0:08:04 > 0:08:07the footpath is on either side of the bridge
0:08:07 > 0:08:10they're going to make them bulge in the middle so there will be
0:08:10 > 0:08:12room for people to stand and take photographs.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Miles MacInnes has already had a sneak preview.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16People at a public meeting in Pooley Bridge will see
0:08:16 > 0:08:17the proposed design themselves.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20It's good that it's been pushed forward and we're actually
0:08:20 > 0:08:26going to get an iconic bridge to last 250 years plus hopefully.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30But - and there is a but - building a bridge on the same site
0:08:30 > 0:08:32means road closures and disruption.
0:08:32 > 0:08:33So, for how long?
0:08:33 > 0:08:35We're going to be starting work next year.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39We would hope to be completed, new bridge in place and out
0:08:39 > 0:08:47of Pooley Bridge, contractors-wise, by sort of mid-to-late 2019.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Back in the village, shop owner Darren Todd
0:08:49 > 0:08:52is worried about that, but thinks it can be overcome.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56With the right sort of media marketing, use of the web,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59local papers and things to say that you can still get here,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02then it might not affect us as much.
0:09:02 > 0:09:10The county council has promised to do just that.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13In tonight's football action - in the EFL Trophy group games,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Carlisle lost 2-1 at home to Fleetwood.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Sunderland's youngsters drew 1-1 at Grimsby.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22It went to penalties, and Sunderland won 7-6.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26They go through.
0:09:26 > 0:09:27That's all from me tonight.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Time now for the weather with Paul Mooney.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Well, last night was a cold, frosty, clear night. Tonight is a different
0:09:38 > 0:09:42story. Lots of cloud around, producing some patchy rain on and
0:09:42 > 0:09:47off through the night and there's a lot of low crowd soul bird
0:09:47 > 0:09:49visibility, generally misty conditions but it all adds up and
0:09:49 > 0:09:53combines with the westerly breeze to hold the temperatures are well above
0:09:53 > 0:09:57freezing so Norfrost worry about for tomorrow morning. If you are up very
0:09:57 > 0:10:00early you will see the last remnants of that overnight rain clearing to
0:10:00 > 0:10:06the south but most of us will rise to a dry day. Five breaking up
0:10:06 > 0:10:10nicely with good sunny spells for most of us to the date and mostly
0:10:10 > 0:10:12sustainable dry them. Temperatures will make it into double figures
0:10:12 > 0:10:17with a high of 11 or 12 Celsius. 12 Celsius is 54 Fahrenheit. Westerly
0:10:17 > 0:10:20breeze beginning to turn Modra north-westerly as it eases through
0:10:20 > 0:10:24the afternoon. There is more wins, cloud and rain on its way tomorrow
0:10:24 > 0:10:28night courtesy of this next frontal system which pulls away to leave a
0:10:28 > 0:10:32drier pictures through Friday. Breezy with its bill and then for
0:10:32 > 0:10:35the weekend, the breeze is certainly a feature. It holds north-westerly
0:10:35 > 0:10:39with lots of dry weather through the weekend but that's cold
0:10:39 > 0:10:44north-westerly winds will make its presence felt. On Friday, early rain
0:10:44 > 0:10:47cleared to basis try through the day. Eventually more rain comes
0:10:47 > 0:10:52through to western areas later and the brisk wind starts to turn a bit
0:10:52 > 0:10:55more north-westerly. Temperatures struggling for stock single figure
0:10:55 > 0:10:59is likely on Friday afternoon. Similar figures for Saturday and
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Sunday, but drier and brighter but called on the wind. I will leave you