08/11/2017 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Newsnight is coming up on BBC Two.

Here on BBC One, it's time

for the news where you are.

Good evening.

A new group is looking to harness

people power to change lives

in the North East.

Tyne and Wear Citizens

already has more than

a thousand people signed up.

It's aiming to tackle

issues like poverty,

racism and mental health.

But there'll be no party politics

and it won't contest elections.

Our political editor

Richard Moss reports.

More than 1,000 people packed

into Newcastle's Tyne Theatre,

not for a band or a comedian,

but to talk politics.

This was the launch

of Tyne and Wear Citizens.

People here want to see

change in their community,

but they're not looking

for politicians to do it.

They want to do it themselves.

People are saying we haven't got

time to wait for another election

or to wait and see what's

going to happen with devolution.

Things are too important

in our communities right now.

People are going hungry right now.

People are struggling day-to-day

right now and so the energie

is around people saying,

"Right, OK, let's see

what we can do,

let's do something about it now."

This is a very

personal politics too.

Jack from North Shields came to talk

about mental health.

I'm here to speak about how some

young people with poor mental health

have had to fight way too hard

to get the treatment they deserve.

Racial abuse, though, was the focus

for Maryam Khan from Newcastle.

So, hopping onto a bus to the town

might seem like nothing to most

of you in the audience today,

but to myself, my family,

my friends and other

Muslim women in particular,

tasks like these seem

like mammoth decisions to make.

Is it worth the risk of being

harassed or racially abused today?

But Tyne and Wear Citizens say this

not just about listing problems.

Seeking solutions is vital so,

for Mariam, there was a chance

to ask for action from those

who run the metro.

Will you lead the way

and set an example

and stand up to hate crime?

Yes, we do have a hate crime policy

in public transport.

Citizens groups have had

success in other countries

and parts of Britain.

Although the approach

feels new, it also looks

to tap into traditions

we may have forgotten.

This area used to be volatile,

full of public meetings

going on about anti-slavery

and so on,

and we are reviving that tradition.

But did the audience feel enthused?

Incredible seeing so many

people come together

of different faiths,

generations, yeah, and background.

It was quite emotional.

Really shows that people

in the north-east are committed

to making some change in the area.

It's a positive hopeful message

and it's what we need to hear.

Of course, enthusiasm will only last

if it produces results.

But perhaps it's not surprising that

people are seeking a different kind

of politics to what's currenly

going on in Westminster.

Well, earlier our political editor

Richard Moss told me

what they hope to achieve.

Well, it's the members that set

the priorities and they're looking

at three issues in particular -

poverty, mental health

and hate crime.

Now, they're very big issues.

I don't have to tell

you that, but the aim

is to focus on individual changes

within those so, for instance,

you saw the campaign on trying

to stop racial harassment

on buses and metros.

On mental health, they want to get

commitments from local health trusts

on improving treatment

of young people.

Jack, who you saw there, it took

three GP appointments

before he got any help

for his mental health problems.

On poverty, they want to reform

the school meals system.

They also want to persuade more

employers to pay what they call

the real living wage,

that's above the Government's level,

so, for instance, they have

already secured a meeting with

Virgin Money which employs

3000 people in the region

to explore committing to that.

They're learning from

the experiences of other groups

around the country,

but the key now,

this is the big push,

use weight of numbers

to get action, to get

organisations and politicians

to listen to them and persuade more

people that politics isn't something

that's just done to them,

it's something

that they can take part in.

When Jack Kane was told

he had just weeks to live,

he married his girlfriend

in a hospital chapel.

But Jack, from Billingham,

stunned friends at the reception

by revealing the latest tests showed

he wasn't dying after all

and was actually suffering from

a rare but survivable condition.

Peter Harris reports.

Jack had always

planned to marry Emma

and apparently terminal cancer

diagnosis meant it was now or never.

Like, you've got two months.

As much as I put in myself

I wasn't going anywhere,

we then had that time frame

where we had to squeeze

the best times of our life into

that time

in case the worst comes

to the worst.

We kept hold of the 1% of hope

that it wasn't what

they said it was, it wasn't

going to be terminal.

Jack's problems began when shooting

pains eventually led to him

being unable to use his legs.

Tests indicated a tumour

on the spine and just weeks to live.

Days later came the wedding but,

in the meantime, more tests showed

it was more likely to be

the rare Devic's disease.

He told Emma and close family

and then at the reception,

told everyone else.

I'm not terminal.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

The room exploded.

It went absolutely crazy.

The roof went off.

Everyone just jumped

up and screamed and...

And it was big.

To Jack and Emma.

CHEERING

Everybody burst into tears

or they were cheering.

Or both.

Yeah, or a bit of both!

I'll never forget it.

Middlesborough's James Cook Hospital

stresses the original scans only

indicated a tumour on the spine.

A definitive

diagnosis was awaited.

Basically, my legs might

come back and might not

and that's all they can give me.

But that's not a problem.

Life in a wheelchair

is not a bad life.

There's no difference

between normal and that.

You just adapt.

You can still drive,

you can still work, you can

still have a normal life and live

in your own home.

Your life kind of flashes

before your eyes

whether it's mine or yours

or our life together,

but we were lucky.

We are lucky we got a second

chance at life, really.

Well, I'm not a registrar,

but you may now kiss the bride.

A policeman from Tyneside has been

killed while on duty in Canada.

PC John Davidson, who was 53,

died while trying to arrest

a suspect in Abbotsford

in British Columbia on Monday.

The former Northumbria Police

officer was described by the force

as a "hero" and "dedicated

and devoted" policeman.

Tributes have been paid

to the Sunderland City Council

leader Paul Watson who has died

at the age of 63.

He'd been suffering from cancer.

The Labour councillor played

a leading role in bringing new jobs

and investment to the city.

Today a local Labour MP was one

of those paying tribute.

Well, as a person, Paul cared

passionately about Sunderland

and that came through

whatever he was talking about,

whatever he was doing.

As a politician, he's been a huge

figure and a huge driving force

in our city for two decades now.

A bus has been destroyed

after it went up in flames.

The fire happened just after

nine o'clock this morning,

on the A693 in County Durham

between Consett and Stanley,

causing the road to be closed.

The bus wasn't in service

at the time and no one was injured.

During Storm Desmond two years ago,

the bridge at Pooley Bridge

in the Lake District

was completely washed away,

cutting communities in two.

But tonight, people living there got

the chance to see the proposed

design for a permanent bridge

to replace the temporary

crossing on Ullswater.

Mark McAlindon reports.

The old sandstone structure

stood here for 250 years

before the weight

of water washed it away.

What it left behind became

one of storm-bashed Cumbria's

most startling images.

It then took 16-weeks

to slide a temporary crossing

into place and now,

two years on, we can reveal

how a new, permanent

crossing is likely to look.

It's modern.

It's got fairly graceful curves.

One of the very good things

they've done is where

the footpath is on either

side of the bridge

they're going to make them bulge

in the middle so there will be

room for people to stand

and take photographs.

Miles MacInnes has already

had a sneak preview.

People at a public meeting

in Pooley Bridge will see

the proposed design themselves.

It's good that it's been pushed

forward and we're actually

going to get an iconic bridge

to last 250 years plus hopefully.

But - and there is a but -

building a bridge on the same site

means road closures and disruption.

So, for how long?

We're going to be

starting work next year.

We would hope to be completed,

new bridge in place and out

of Pooley Bridge, contractors-wise,

by sort of mid-to-late 2019.

Back in the village,

shop owner Darren Todd

is worried about that,

but thinks it can be overcome.

With the right sort of media

marketing, use of the web,

local papers and things to say

that you can still get here,

then it might not affect us as much.

The county council has

promised to do just that.

In tonight's football action -

in the EFL Trophy group games,

Carlisle lost 2-1

at home to Fleetwood.

Sunderland's youngsters

drew 1-1 at Grimsby.

It went to penalties,

and Sunderland won 7-6.

They go through.

That's all from me tonight.

Time now for the weather

with Paul Mooney.

Well, last night was a cold, frosty,

clear night. Tonight is a different

story. Lots of cloud around,

producing some patchy rain on and

off through the night and there's a

lot of low crowd soul bird

visibility, generally misty

conditions but it all adds up and

combines with the westerly breeze to

hold the temperatures are well above

freezing so Norfrost worry about for

tomorrow morning. If you are up very

early you will see the last remnants

of that overnight rain clearing to

the south but most of us will rise

to a dry day. Five breaking up

nicely with good sunny spells for

most of us to the date and mostly

sustainable dry them. Temperatures

will make it into double figures

with a high of 11 or 12 Celsius. 12

Celsius is 54 Fahrenheit. Westerly

breeze beginning to turn Modra

north-westerly as it eases through

the afternoon. There is more wins,

cloud and rain on its way tomorrow

night courtesy of this next frontal

system which pulls away to leave a

drier pictures through Friday.

Breezy with its bill and then for

the weekend, the breeze is certainly

a feature. It holds north-westerly

with lots of dry weather through the

weekend but that's cold

north-westerly winds will make its

presence felt. On Friday, early rain

cleared to basis try through the

day. Eventually more rain comes

through to western areas later and

the brisk wind starts to turn a bit

more north-westerly. Temperatures

struggling for stock single figure

is likely on Friday afternoon.

Similar figures for Saturday and

Sunday, but drier and brighter but

called on the wind. I will leave you