16/03/2017 Look North (Yorkshire)

Good evening and welcome to the late Look North.

Living with dementia - the wife of a former sports star

tells us of her despair at losing a loved one to Alzheimer's.

A multi-million-pound investment in Yorkshire's steel industry

to keep Sheffield at the cutting edge.

We've got some spells of wet and windy weather to come

through Friday and the weekend, so things are turning

I'll be back later in the programme with your full live update.

Tonight, the wife of former Leeds Rugby League star

John Atkinson has told the BBC there've been times when she's

She says the strain of coping with her husband's dementia has

John developed Alzheimer's about five years ago,

and in that time has become entirely dependent on Carol.

She's now decided to share their story and here

Are we going to have a shower? No.

It's now mid-March and he's had two showers since the 2nd of January,

but it seems that it's quite common that they develop

That's a good scrub you're giving them.

He's still very sweet and very gentle, and there are parts of John

that I still recognise, but the saddest thing is, mostly,

It's just hard, because he is still, despite everything, he's still got

that resemblance of that big strong man, but it's... He's...

That's gone - the thing that made John John has gone.

Just go up the path and it's on the road.

I feel like I'm the mother of a 6-foot tall,

Might he need to go to the loo before we leave this

So it's really like being the mum of a small child.

Good morning. How are you?

I don't think you have, because you've not spilled

I never, ever understood really what what hopeless meant,

until this happened, and this absolute total lack of hope...

Is your ankle bothering you? No.

Nothing is going to get better until the person dies,

but you don't want the person to die, you just want them to get

I have got you some clean pyjamas out.

I don't want John to go into a home, because he can do exactly

what he wants here and he has got a happy life.

I don't think carers have happy lives.

Whilst I sit here and I can say I have no intention

of taking my life, it does get fairly hopeless sometimes,

and it comforts me to know that, if I need to, I can step away.

I could never leave him, but I could finish both of us off,

And if you've been affected by Carol's situation,

you can go to the BBC's Action Line website, where there

are contact details for organisations who can help.

Tonight, parents of pupils at a South Yorkshire school

were told that their children's school is losing ?1,000 a day.

The headteacher of Penistone Grammar School says a lack of cash means

staff have been made redundant and class sizes have grown.

The Government is currently consulting on proposals to change

the way schools are funded, but teachers warn it won't solve

Tonight, parents were told just how serious the school's

Penistone Grammar is currently losing ?1000 a day.

The headteacher claims it's the fourth worst funded school

One of our governors really likened our situation to holding

a ticking time bomb, and it really does feel like that.

I'm very concerned about the pressures that

puts our staff under, and we are at the absolute limit

40 staff have been made redundant here over the last five years,

and the learning support centre has closed.

Penistone Grammar is a popular school -

it's oversubscribed and it's rated as good by Ofsted -

but, with the current funding problems, parents and staff

are worried about maintaining those high standards.

Less extracurricular activities, class sizes have gone up...

We want them to have the same level of education as other schools.

It is clearly quite shocking, and clearly there is something

fundamentally wrong with how funding has been managed across the country.

It's a tragedy, really, because it's such a good school,

and the simple fact is, facing the problems it is facing

economically, the standards that it has upheld for so many years,

which have been excellent, are going to dip.

The Government is proposing a new way of working out

how schools are funded, and the consultation is under way.

But the headteacher here says even that won't address the shortfall

Abi Jaiyeola, BBC Look North, Penistone.

A ?6 million investment in one of Sheffield's oldest

William Cook Holdings designs and manufactures components

for blue-chip customers in the energy, defence,

Today a new factory has been officially opened,

which is home to cutting-edge technology that will help

Our business correspondent Danni Hewson reports.

Since the 1800s, this company has been steel-casting,

crafting world-class products used in trains, planes,

There have been many changes, and many challenges,

and the last couple of years are no exception.

Faced with competition from places like China,

many manufacturers have had to think hard about the future.

Many people say, why don't you just pack it in?

This is my life's work and I want it to last after I'm long gone.

I have invested to give this company a future and to give

and, if you like, to give British manufacturing a future,

So, when you reason it like that, the decision, after all,

?6 million has brought new toys, including the world's largest

Those invited to the official opening of the factory

were shown how the technology will change the business.

Guest of honour, double Olympic champion Lord Sebastien Coe,

whose father once worked at a Sheffield cutlers'.

We need more young people to want to think the manufacturing

We want more young people to become engineers, particularly women,

So this is very much a part of what I've always been

I'm not an engineer, I'm an economist by profession.

Most of the engineers in my family thought that was a bit of a copout

and wasn't really a proper job, but, having said that, this

While Lord Coe thinks back, workers here are looking forward.

200 jobs safeguarded, another chapter begun

Danni Hewson, BBC Look North, Sheffield.

Now let's take a look at the weather.

And this evening and it is now cleared away, and we are having a

fine night at the moment. Temperatures across the deals around

three Celsius. A chilly night to come with a touch of frost in

places, especially rural relief. A cool start to the day tomorrow and

cooler throughout, the breeze picking up and strong in places.

Some rain around, more especially across the hills. A bit further east

as well. A general theme of the next few days, as you can tell from the

pressure chart, and unsettled one. Not a complete wash-out, Duval way

from the hill is there will be some dry and possibly bright weather, but

a breezy start to the weekend and weather friends to content with.

Fine at the moment with temperatures low across the place, and cloud more

later but a touch of frost brulee with temperatures down to around two

or five Celsius. A cold start to the day tomorrow and generally tomorrow

a lot of cloud around, patchy rain across the deals and Pennines at

first. More persistent and it will make its way further east. Like and

patchy away from the hills and more persistent and heavy spells across

the West and up slopes, and a breezy day. A fresh to strong and gusty

south westerly breeze, and cooler than it has been as well. Midweek up

to 16 Celsius, so named Celsius with a fresh breeze it will feel quite

chilly. Looking further ahead, the weekend looks unsettled. Not a

complete wash-out but some spells of wet and windy weather. Named Celsius

Friday. Breezy to start next week. That's it from us.

there will be rain around, most occurring overnight.

Good evening, quite a range of whether an offer earlier today in

the north and north-west of the UK quite a lot of showers around,

lively ones, little bit of sunshine in between. The best of the sunshine

to be found at the other end of the country towards the south-east in

Kent, lovely picture here from one of our weather watchers. A range of

temperatures, too. 17 degrees for a few, on the other side of the

weather front, only seven or 8 degrees. Showers in the north and

west. The fresh air will win out over tonight coming in behind the

cold front, which isn't bringing much rain but it will bring some,

clearing away towards the continent, cold air following behind, as do the

showers. Wintry weather over the hills in northern Scotland. A much

colder night than it has been recently. Into single figures, touch

of frost in raw parts. Some icy patches in northern Scotland, where