20/12/2016 Look North (Yorkshire)

of the German flag in tribute to those who lost their lives

How one family plus my course has sparked a campaign to get more men

talking about mental health. We continue to look at how our

communities are coping since last year's floods.

And the weather in the run-up to Christmas is potentially very

stormy. I'll be back later with your full live forecast.

Yorkshire has the highest rate of male suicides in England

and the family of a man who took his own life

earlier this year are trying to get more young men

Andy Roberts was one of 430 men who killed themselves

His brother in law started Andy's Man Club in his memory.

Andy's mum Elaine starts this report from Tanya Arnold.

I was upstairs and there was a knock on the door. I thought it was a

delivery man. I saw the jacket and ran to the door and it was a

policeman. As soon as I for him, I knew. I knew. I said no, not Andrew,

the country. He said, I'm sorry. There has been a death. He was just

so full of life. I know he was having problems seeing his little

girl but we would have solved it. He was talking to his sister about it

in a jovial manner. She knew that he was having problems but we never

knew how much it was getting to him. No idea whatsoever. In April, Andy

Roberts took his own life in this wood in Halifax and on that day, his

brother-in-law decided he had to try and make a difference. I realised at

that point there was nothing we could do to bring Andy back. All the

little things that do, having to ring people and tell people, I

remember the destruction and complete devastation that has left.

Luke started the campaign and the Luke started the campaign and the

first club opened in Halifax five months ago. These men agreed to talk

to us about why they went. I had broken up with my ex girlfriend, the

mother of my son. Wasn't seeing him every day any more. My mother passed

away in April this year and unexpectedly. I spoke to her at five

o'clock one night. By seven o'clock, she was more or less con. I didn't

have anywhere to live for about eight months. It came to about

February this year and I got my own place. Just as I was settling in, if

you of my friends died. They were if you have them in the space of a

couple of months. It would took its toll on me. I thought I could fight

it but obviously, I didn't want to speak out to anyone. It got to the

point where I was going to dark places. After just a few weeks, the

benefits are clear. It's had a promise -- positive effect on my

life. Knowing there are 20 or 30 other men going through a similar

thing, knowing the is someone who's got my back. We have 200 men now

across the groups. That could be 200 brothers, dads, uncles, sons,

cousins, best friends who are still here today. That is the main goal.

Earlier this evening I spoke to Professor Alan White, who's

an expert in men's health and well being.

He says men's mental health is becoming a priority.

Historically, we haven't recognised men's health needs. If you look back

to the war period, when men were returning with shell-shocked or post

traumatic stress, it wasn't seen as traumatic stress, it wasn't seen as

important. They were seen as strange. As we have gone on to the

time, the last decade or two, we've recognised that men's mental health

is important. Not everyone has caught on to that but certainly in

terms of the suicide figures, people are now sitting up and saying, hang

on the second, safely is going on here. These club started as one

group known -- five months ago. There are now five groups across the

country. Is it that simple, men talking to men, rather than

one-on-one? If men talking a group situation and they feel confident

and safe, it's amazing what they will share. Some of these guys are

now talking about things they've never spoken about to anyone. They

wouldn't want to bother their families, their wives or partners.

Sometimes they don't have anyone to talk to. And of course an

opportunity to talk safely, yes, they are taking it and we've seen

this with these groups and clubs that have been set up around the

country. For someone watching at home, if they feel they would like

to talk to someone, what should I do? If they are at crisis point, the

Samaritans are always there. 116123. That is the number if you are not

desperate point. The BBC action line website has information as well.

Thank you for your time. Thank you. A brief look at some

of the day's other stories. Campaigners from North Yorkshire

have lost a legal challenge against one of the first planning

applications to carry out They held a peaceful demonstration

outside Ryedale Council's offices The High Court has dismissed

an application for a judicial review of a decision to allow the company,

Third Energy, to frack for shale gas The county council welcomed

the decision but campaigners said We fought long and hard to try and

stop fracking in Ryedale. We feel it will damage our air, water and

environment and health as well. A strike by baggage handlers

at Leeds Bradford and Doncaster Workers had been due to walk out

in the run up to Christmas as part Today the Unite union

announced industrial action Now to the second of our special

reports looking at the legacy Tonight we're in York where 600

properties were flooded. The damage was so severe

because the Foss Barrier, which manages York's

two rivers, went wrong. This barrier is placed where you

walk's two rivers meet. It's basically a big door, a plug that

stops this river when it's getting stops this river when it's getting

too high from flowing the wrong way and flooding the city centre. Last

year it was basically doing its job very well, until water started

getting into the control centre, coming up through the floor. Very

quickly, a decision needed to be made. Do they keep the barrier in

place and leave York vulnerable or do they raise the Faria and leave

York vulnerable to flooding from the other river?

They decided to raise the barrier. This is what happens when the

barrier fails. Home after home wrecked. Businesses and lives

disrupted. As Price your account to pay last Christmas. No one wants to

see it happen again so the barrier has been improved. Eight new pumps

arrived in September. They can shift nearly double the water of the old

ones. They've been tested and the Environment Agency are keen to show

off what they can do. The pumping station now works to a higher

capacity than it did. Knowing it can handle the sort of floods we had

last year, that should give people a great sense of relief coming up to

the anniversary. Certainly, within five years, when we've finished the

works in Yorks, I would have thought York would be one of the best

protected cities in the country. Emergency power generators have also

been stalled and raised out of the watermark. York has been given ?45

million of government money to make further defences. It is reassuring

news for people living on Huntington Road, who are just about returning

to normal. Back in March, Tony was making new skirting boards while his

home dried out. Now, the decorating is done but he is not sitting

comfortably yet. What he has been through will stay with him. It's

going to be a quiet Christmas because the forecast for the weather

is reasonable and they forgot the new pumps, show we should be all

right this Christmas. It's the Christmas after that the one after

that, until the flood defences for the whole of York and the river have

been implemented, then we are all on borrowed time. York is old and it

needs to note -- it knows how to look after itself. It has survived

for centuries. The undercroft of this hall was inundated by the meaty

waters of the river. It is now dry but is damaged and needs

restoration. In the meantime, the venue is open for weddings and

events. The flood for now it's part of the halls, -- Hall's very long

history. I will leave you now with the weather.

I know all this talk of storms over the next few days will have people

very nervous. We are concerned about the wind, the strength of the wind

in these storms over the next few days, rather than the rain. But it's

going to be rather unsettled in the run up to Christmas. Tomorrow, some

sunshine to the morning and towards the end of the day. Then, shall we

through the middle part of the day. Quite breezy, too. This is Friday's

pressure chart. This is storm Barbra which will bring some very strong

winds across the UK. At the moment, a yellow warning. It is cold at the

moment. They forced this evening but more cloudy overnight. Patchy rain

is sinking south-eastwards. Dry by the end of the night when

temperatures will be 4 degrees. Some sunshine to start the day tomorrow

but we are going to see clouds gather with a small band of rain

whizzing through during the middle part of the day. There will be some

showery rain. Quite brisk winds, too. Drier and brighter through the

afternoon. Temperatures at seven or 8 degrees. He very windy day on

Friday. Take care if you are travelling. Keep up-to-date with a

forecast because there may be some changes. That's it.

country it's worth knowing the national forecast. Over now to

country it's worth knowing the Tomasz.

So, the weather's going to blow a few cobwebs away in the coming days

and maybe a few other things, as well. How stormy is it going to get?

For most of us probably not too terrible. It is, however, going to

be very nasty across parts of Scotland on Friday. The clouds are

racing across the Atlantic and we will see a storm by the time we get

to around about Friday and then Friday night.

At the moment we have a weather front crossing the country, we have

had dreadful weather in the north-west, it was cold and raining

in Northern Ireland and western Scotland. This band of rain will be

somewhere here by the end of the night. Behind it a shot of cooler

air, colder air and frequent showers. This is what