02/01/2014 Look North (Yorkshire)

Campaigners say prices are rising three times faster than wages. That

is all from BBC Welcome to Thursday's Look North.

Tonight, the Yorkshire teacher still in a coma nearly two years after

being attacked working abroad. Adam Pickles' family is paying

hundreds of thousands of pounds for his medical treatment because his

insurance didn't cover him. Now there's a warning that many other

people who work abroad may not be properly insured.

Also tonight: and enormous hole has opened up in the Peak District.

The authorities are looking into it. And revving up ` meet the

Yorkshireman who's the best in the world at motorbike racing taken to

extremes. It was a beautiful sunrise which has

heralded a lovely day across Yorkshire but what is the next few

days looking like? Join me later to find out.

Welcome to the programme. And a very happy New Year. First tonight, a

teacher from West Yorkshire left in a coma after being attacked in

Thailand is starting to show small signs of recovery. Adam Pickles was

hit over the head with an iron bar nearly two years ago.

It's cost his family more than ?100,000 in medical bills and legal

fees because Adam's insurance didn't fully cover him. Now there's concern

that many other Britons working abroad may not be adequately

insured. More on that in a moment. First, Ian White met Adam's parents.

Add pickles left Yorkshire to start a new life teaching in Thailand ``

Adam Nichols. He had a young son out there but everything changed when he

was beaten over the head with an iron bar in a road rage attack. He

has been in a coma for two years and is looked after in a special camera

home recovery in Leeds. He picked my hand up at one point, and kissed it,

which was wonderful and a bit heartbreaking at the same time, and

he said mum. He made a sound. I was so shocked, I didn't quite believe

it. It is not just Adam's recovery that is low. The Thai legal process

to bring the person responsible to justice is dragging on Alsop bit is

16 months since it started. `` it is 16 months since it started, and we

are still to hear from two witnesses. It does make it

difficult, it makes it unpredictable. It is possible to

turn up and the hearing does not take place or the witness is not

there. It could drag on for years, we don't know. Legal fees, medical

care and flights for Thailand have cost them hundreds of thousands of

pounds. They have had to remortgage their home and want people thinking

of a career abroad to make sure they are properly insured. For the

viewers, this is something that happens to somebody else, so I would

urge all of the people going overseas to teach, do make sure you

are properly covered, because disaster can strike and it is a

terrible burden when it does. Adam's recovery is a huge hill to

climb. It is not known whether he will be able to see when he comes

around. His parents plan to return to Thailand in February for the

latest court hearing and also to visit their grandson.

Adam did have some insurance but nowhere near enough to cover him for

the massive medical bills needed to pay for his care.

A bed in a Thai hospital intensive care unit was costing ?2,000 a day

with charges for medication and X`rays on top.

The specialist air ambulance that brought him back to the UK cost

around ?68,000. In total, the Pickles needed to find around

?130,000 ` money they could only find by remortgaging their home.

So what should you do when taking up a job offer overseas? Hannah

Beechman is an expert specialising in finances for those living and

working abroad. She fears it's a situation many people could find

themselves in. I think the biggest flag I can wave here is that you

have got to look to see whether you are being offered domestic cover or

international cover. If you are travelling, if you are from not the

country that you are going to be working, look for international

cover, this is you want to ensure that all of the events that

surrounded an accident or illness or some kind of emergency are included

in the emergency policy insurance that is backing Europe. Adam thought

he had adequate cover from the school he worked at but it turned

out not to be the case. What could he have looked for. You have got to

look for the kind of benefits you most want in a policy and then check

they are included in that policy. Nobody is ever going to say they do

not want these benefits, it is just going to push the benefits it does

cover. You can look for emergency evacuation, there it is in the plan

and you think you're covered for being brought back home for

treatment is something happens such as in this particular case. Not so,

emergency evacuation will just get you from where you have had the

accident to the nearest hospital, not out of the country. You have to

look for the benefit labelled "repatriations" to make sure you are

covered for that. There are so many different policies, just some quick

advice if you could on how to work your way through that minefield.

Draw up a list about what you want covered, because no policy is the

same, no two policies are the same, no two countries run the same

schemes. Each one is completely individual, so put some thought into

it. If you start with a list of what you want covered and then ensure

that those on the list are in the policies that you can research.

Hannah, thank you for that great advice.

Next tonight: Police are warning drivers a

clamp`down on anti`social behaviour behind the wheel will continue. The

advice follows a spate of serious collisions over the festive season

here in Yorkshire. In one incident, a little girl was badly injured

after being knocked over by a suspected drink`driver. The number

of breath tests carried out following collisions has risen over

the last three years. In 2010, almost 24,000 were carried out in

the UK during December. The following year, that had risen

to just short of 25,000. And in 2012, that had increased to

more than 26,500. This year's figures are due out in the next

week. Police here in Yorkshire say there

are four things which significantly increase drivers becoming involved

in a serious collision. This report contains strobe lighting.

A high`speed drive to hospital under a police escort, an ambulance

rushing a critically injured man to Leeds General infirmary. And here is

the reason why. A car has smashed into a concrete wall on a slip road

to the M 621. More emergency services arrived to free the

victims. He is being stabilised, he's probably going to be seriously

injured, so the fire service will cut the roof so the paramedics can

assess him. We are struggling for witnesses so we will not know much

more until the roof comes off and we can assess how the chap in the car

is doing. West Yorkshire police say the four main causes of death on the

road speed, drink or drug driving, failing to wear a seat belt, or

being distracted while at the wheel. A few miles away in Bradford,

officers are dealing with another collision. A drunk driver has run

into the back`up of a BMW. The victim in this case has had a lucky

escape. The weather is getting a lot colder, the roads are very icy and

people don't realise how dangerous it is, particularly at this time of

year. Not only that, and having a drink as well, it is important you

don't drink and drive. As paramedics and fire crews battle to free the

trapped driver on the M621, investigators say he may not have

been wearing a seat belt, and all familiar to seem `` and all to seem

`` and altered racing. Offers a the clamp`down will continue, they say

this scene is one of those on a daily basis and it takes one second

of a lapse of concentration and the consequences can be catastrophic.

With the worst of the winter still to come, police are reminding all

motorists of their responsibility behind the wheel if they wish to

avoid scenes like this. Stay with us, because later...

Tanya is in Sheffield. I will be talking to the world's

no`one squash player, we are in his home club in Sheffield. We will be

reflecting on 20 13 and looking ahead to 2014, and talking about

some of the talent on show at the British Junior open.

Walkers are being asked to stay away from a huge sinkhole that's appeared

in the Peak District. The hole formed over Christmas beside an old

lead mine near the village of Foolow, near Hathersage.

The chasm is at least 160 feet wide and is getting bigger. Cathy Killick

reports. The Peak District, in all its

spectacular glory, looks like ageless least solid ground, but over

the last week also, huge sinkhole has appeared between the villages of

Foolow and Breton. The shale is prone to this kind of substance but

this particular hole is unusually large. The landowners stressed this

ground is very unstable. I am only here having been escorted under

strict supervision. It is extremely waterlogged and the sides of the

whole still very crumbly. I have seen soil cascading in since I have

been here. It is going to take a lot of work to make it safe.

A footpath that runs alongside the hole has been closed the walk in

case more land gives way and preparations are being made to try

and then I is the slippage, using loads of stone, but first monitoring

needs to be done to establish the cause of the subsidised. It is known

currently as to what caused it. Is it just the fact that it is an old

mine and it has collapsed because of the history of it and it is failed,

or is it related to the water issue, or is it related to the underground

mining? We just don't know, we have the research. Dean Smith is a local

resident who has been checking the sinkhole daily. Around here, it is

not actually limestone, it is shale, it is like an egg timer when it sets

of running. It is naturally unstable. There are always holes

opening up, left, right and centre. At the end of the day, the Peak

District is a mining area. It moves a lot of stuff. The local wildlife

can get the best view. This kestrel was taking advantage of the upheaval

below to hunt, but although it is tempting to take pictures, the

sinkhole is on private land and the police and county council are urging

sightseers to stick to public roads, where it is safe.

In other news, a reward of up to ?5,000 is being offered by

Crimestoppers for information about the murder of a father in Sheffield.

36`year`old Simon Holdsworth, who had a young son and was due to get

married in August, was found battered to death in the

Hackenthorpe area on December the 17th.

Police say they won't give up their search for a missing mother`of`three

who's believed to have been murdered. 25`year`old Rania Alayed,

from Manchester, vanished in June. Detectives believe her body was

buried in land off the A19 near Thirsk, in North Yorkshire. Today,

they showed her uncle Ali Aydi around the fields close to a lay`by

where they've been looking for her. Rail fares have gone up today, to

pay for more trains and improvements to stations. Northern Rail, East

Midlands Trains and First Transpennine Express have increased

prices by more than 2%. Meanwhile, East Coast Trains says prices are up

1% on average, but more than half of its fares to and from London will be

frozen. The Magna Centre in Rotherham is

likely to remain closed for much of January. It's after part of the roof

of the attraction was ripped off in high winds. It has been temporarily

fixed, but it'll be several weeks before it's open for business again.

We have had a crane in, which has levered the roof back over to stop

all of the water getting in. It is a temporary fix and the roof is

starting on the 13th of January. They will come in, there is a lot of

scaffolding to build up, it is 100 feet up in the air, and they will

take two to three weeks to repair it and we can reopen the attraction.

The granddaughter of a Yorkshire couple who died within hours of each

other over Christmas has told Look North they've left a living legacy

which has brought pleasure to millions.

Tom Salmon was the founder of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and

his wife Erica is also credited with much of its success. Joe Inwood has

been to speak to their family. It is a familiar, iconic site,

snaking through some of our region's most picturesque

countryside. North Yorkshire Moors Railway. But it would not exist

without this man, Tom Salmon, seen here signing the contract at its

inception and here celebrating its 40th birthday. At his side, his wife

of 66 years, Erica. The whole project was his idea and a huge part

of their lives. From the 1960s until the end of their lives, it played a

big part in their lives. My grandad, it was his vision to save the

railway from the Doctor Beeching cuts. My Nan was the greatest

support to him and he always said that, so both of them, it was

extremely important. Important as well for this part of Yorkshire.

Tom's vision eventually turned into the UK's most successful heritage

railway, carrying hundreds of thousands of passengers and

contributing millions to the local economy.

Tom's legacy is the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and the effect he has

had on thousands of peoples lives. It will never die. Tom will always

be with us. Tom and Erica passed away over Christmas, less than 24

hours apart. Without them, this railway would not exist. To honour

that, these red reads, a final tribute to the man they called the

father of the railway `` red wreaths.

A great couple, brought a lot of pleasure to a lot of people.

They have, and you couldn't imagine North Yorkshire without the North

Yorkshire Moors Railway. But before seven o'clock, the

rough`and`tumble of extreme Enduro, one of the toughest things to do on

two wheels. Sport now. 2014 should be another

big year for Sheffield's Nick Matthew.

He starts it as squash's world number one after a blistering end to

2013. Tanya's with him at the Hallamshire Club now. Can you.

`` Tanya. Yes, not only is it Nick's home club, it is caught,

named after him, and the young kids here, the British Junior open, have

you seen some new Nick Matthews coming through? I have seen some

great battles. There is a lull in the proceedings there, some practice

in between matches but it is just the first day, it goes on for five

days. There are kids from 36 countries and this is the 19th year

it has been in Sheffield, which makes me feel old, because I was

part of it 19 years ago, I played in the under 16s, so it shows you how

long and prestigious the tournament has been. Are you a bit sad to see

the back of 2013 pleasure it was good view on the court and special

of the court. It was a great year, I didn't want to drain. I married, got

the title back, world number one, so 2014 has a lot to live up to. But a

great start to see these kids and great to see them inspired and they

inspire me, hopefully they will be the same when they watch me

practice. 2014, one of the big tournaments a year is the

Commonwealth Games. It is because squash, we saw the elation on your

face when you won the gold medals back in Delhi. Yes, for squash, it

is our Olympic Games and it transcends more globally. I got a

lot more coverage for winning a medal than for getting to world

number one, for example. It is a very strong sport at Commonwealth

level. We might not have the Egyptians or the French but you have

a strong field, half of the top 20 in the world, so it will be one of

the strongest sports in Glasgow. And for you, when did you start your

season? I started training in the last couple of days, working off the

Christmas puddings. I had one to mince pies too many and I started in

New York at the Tournament Of Champions, , a fantastic venue, that

will be the 17th of January. And everyone will be after you. Yes, I

have that big X on my back, the world, one is just a bonus, though,

and I'm looking forward to the new challenges. All of the very best. If

he is smiling extra, it is because he is also a Sheffield Wednesday

fan. If one club has had a good Christmas and started 2014 well, it

is Sheffield Wednesday. A few others didn't enjoy New Year's Day quite so

much. Paul Ogden reports. Sheffield Wednesday found themselves

in some emergency gardening to play Blackpool, but it was worth it.

Connor Wickham pounds to put Wednesday ahead and then took on the

role of supplier. A 2`0 victory lifted them out of the relegation

zone. A perfect start to 2014. Replacing them in the bottom three

than our Doncaster Rovers, for whom striker Theo Robinson opened the

scoring at QPR. But the Londoners hit back to win 2`1.

Barnsley are still bottom but now but thanks to this curling free kick

from Jacob Melas, they managed a 1`1 draw at Birmingham.

Martin Paterson's could prevent a 3`2 defeat at Burnley and red

triumphed over White at Elland Road, with Leeds losing to Blackburn.

Lives got their goal through Matt Smith.

In league one, Rotherham took the lead against Coventry but the

referee then decided that this foul was inside the box. Yes, I know.

Commentary scored from the penalty and Rotherham missed one of their

own in a 3`1 defeat. Sheffield United's Chris Porter

provided the only bright spot in their loss to Walsall.

Bradford lost 3`0 at struggling Notts County.

And Chesterfield were rained off, but York city bagged a precious win

to give themselves hope for the New Year. Ryan Jarvis was the scorer in

a 1`0 success against Morecambe. And finally, a bit of cricket. Joe

Sayer has announced his retirement from the game today and also Gary

Ballance is expected to make his test debut for England down under in

the Ashes, alongside Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and possibly Tim Bresnan as

well. Fingers crossed England can end the Ashes on a high, because

they needed. Thank you very much `` they need it.

Well, we're going to continue the sports theme ` an extreme sport this

time. Off`road biking. I don't know if you fancy yourself

on this one. They're made for rough terrain, but powerful enough to go

uphill and clear whatever's in their way. The sport, extreme Enduro, is

one of the toughest things you can do on two wheels. We are not

insured, don't touch it. It's about timing. The fastest

competitor round the course wins. But it's carried out on different

types of surfaces, with gruelling courses that in some cases can take

days to complete, with a range of natural or man`made obstacles on its

route. It's still quite a young sport, it

began in 1998. And the best in the world is Graham Jarvis from Ripon.

We borrowed his bike to get a closer look. But over the holidays, Nick

Gemzoe went to see him in action. People have raced motorcycles of

road for over 100 years. `` off Road. But over the last few years,

organisers have been creating events so tough that only a handful can

finish them. You get professional riders against amateurs, they can

ride against their heroes. It has taken me to new places, like

Australia, South Africa. Every event is different every year. They make a

new course, C don't know what is ahead of you. Graham Jarvis keeps

winning extreme Enduros, like Red Bull events. But as new races are

created and the going gets tough to come he's more determined than ever

to keep winning. The year has really been good for me, I have at `` won

every event at least once. That comes from new riders coming into a

new competition and new events, so a lot to look forward to and I have

got to keep working hard and maybe harder than I ever have done to keep

up with the youngsters. When a careers adviser at school at Graham

what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said, " I'm going to be a

professional motorcycle rider". Now the second seasonal, proving the

second wasn't a fluke. By the age of 16, Graham had been semiprofessional

for five years. By 1993, he had reached fourth in the world trials

ranking. Ten years later, he had won nine Scots trials and for British

Championships. And at the age of 32, he considered calling it a day.

Then, just for fun, he had a go at a new time of writing `` a new type of

riding, extreme Enduro. But success comes at a cost. It is hard being

away from your family and home for long periods. But at the end of the

day, it is a job as well, so I go out there to win. Graham is moving

to a new sponsor for 2014, and he is ready to take on the challenge of

winning anything that extreme `` extreme Enduro can throw at him.

Can you imagine yourself on two wheels like that?

Not like that. Two wheels going very slowly...

We said we will go out with him next time.

I think we should. We can do it on one bike, who is going on the back?

Carry on! I don't know what presents you

received this Christmas. Did you get mine?

I didn't, is it in the post? Few people had a surprise quite like Zoe

Averianov. Amongst her gifts on Christmas

morning was a letter in strange handwriting.

More than two decades ago Zoe, from Hebden Bridge, dropped a message in

a bottle into the sea off Hull. The letter was to tell her it had

finally turned up hundreds of miles away. Stuart Flinders takes up the

story. Zoe Averianov was ten years old when

she headed off on a family holiday to Germany in 1990, on`board a North

Sea. As the ship left Hull, when nobody was looking, she popped a

letter into a bottle and threw it overboard. I probably would `` it

probably would have been quite late when I threw it over, knowing we

weren't supposed to do those sorts of things. Zoe had forgotten all

about it until, on Christmas Day, her father handed her a letter with

a foreign postmark that had arrived at her old home. Initially, I was a

little bit quiet, just looking at it, and they all expectantly looking

at me, thinking what is it? It contained the very letter she had

written 23 years ago. My name is Zoe, please will you

write to me, I like it a lot. I enjoy ballet, playing the piano, I

have a hamster and fish. The message in a bottle had

travelled about 350 miles to the Netherlands. Dear Zoe, yesterday on

one of my many walks with my wife, looking among the debris thrown by

the sea on the embankment, I found a little plastic bottle containing a

message. Your message, dated September the 12th 1990. The real

surprise, how it took so long to get there. It doesn't seem to have gone

that far. Perhaps it has been there and back a few times. Maybe.

What a heart`warming story. So I wonder where my present is...

Let's move on, shall we? Where'd all? Wet tonight, the first

tentative signs of something a bit more settled until the middle of

January. Let's have a look at some of the pictures you sent me over the

Christmas period. Bridlington at high tide yesterday afternoon. The

next one, a fantastic cumulonimbus cloud photographed over

Huddersfield. And this is the River Ouse in York this afternoon, it is

quite high. The River wharf was quite high as well when I drove past

Tadcaster this afternoon. So the Environment Agency will keep their

eye on that one. This is the address if you want to send pictures. More

rain tonight, tomorrow is windy with scattered showers, but you can see

there is another deep area of low pressure, bringing bands of rain

in. That is the overnight weather front, that feature bringing

prolonged showers on Saturday and the one behind will bring wet and

windy weather on Sunday, so unsettled. It has been beautiful

today, lots of sunshine around and we looked into the south`west,

MacLeod is no thickening and that will soon bring rain onto the

Pennines. `` the cloud. After a fine start, rain is spreading eastwards,

fairly fragmented and moving quickly, clear of all parts by 2am

or 3am. The wind will strengthen and we'll see the lowest temperatures

down to four or five Celsius, 39 Fahrenheit. So the sun will rise at

8:24am. The next high water time will be 5:22am in Filey. A very

windy day, the strong westerly wind well touch galeforce at times of

exposed parts of the Pennines. A scattering of showers, but the

further east, the dry it may be. Some places towards the coast may be

having a dry day but at times, the showers are frequent. A strong wind

making it feel cold despite the fact that temperatures are closer to

average for early January, around seven Celsius, 45 Fahrenheit. A very

unsettled weekend to follow, showers could become prolonged and possibly

wintry over the hills and it turns wet and windy through the course of

Sunday. That is the forecast. Oh, dear. It is good to be back out

that Christmas break, back to the routine.

I shall be back late with Paul at 10:25pm. We will see them.

Goodbye. Good night.