:00:08. > :00:12.Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight with Gordon Burns.
:00:12. > :00:17.And Ranvir Singh. Our top story: 650 nuclear workers in Cumbria lose
:00:17. > :00:20.their jobs as a whole plant at Sellafield is shut down.
:00:20. > :00:23.We'll be examining the impact on the South Cumbria economy.
:00:23. > :00:26.Also: A new expenses row - the chairman
:00:26. > :00:30.of Mersey Travel under pressure for using taxpayers' money to attend
:00:30. > :00:35.Labour Party conferences. Within an inch of his life - Arnie
:00:36. > :00:39.miraculously survives being stabbed with a five-inch blade.
:00:39. > :00:47.Fun at an American zoo for six- year-old Kieron, but ahead is the
:00:47. > :00:52.big operation that could transform his life. He knows exactly what's
:00:52. > :00:56.going to happen. He's quite clued up, I would say. And how often do
:00:56. > :01:02.you get to see a world-record- breaking athlete right on your
:01:02. > :01:12.doorstep? You get to meet the north-west's newest champion later
:01:12. > :01:14.
:01:14. > :01:17.Also tonight, Tony's here, and he's getting quite excited.
:01:17. > :01:19.I am, yes. 11 teams, thousands of fans and
:01:19. > :01:22.just 72 hours till the Football League's back. Actually, it's 48
:01:22. > :01:26.hours if you count Blackpool at Hull on Friday night! Tonight we
:01:26. > :01:36.begin our look at all our team's fortunes. Join me later to see
:01:36. > :01:38.
:01:38. > :01:41.what's being said about your side. First a month ago we reported how
:01:41. > :01:45.councillors on Merseytravel were setting their own allowances and
:01:45. > :01:50.had created numerous paid posts. Critics dubbed it a gravy train,
:01:50. > :01:54.and now there is a fresh attack. But this time it's focused on the
:01:54. > :01:57.expenses claimed by its Labour chairman, councillor Mark Dowd, as
:01:57. > :02:07.our political editor reports. Some want him to consider resigning
:02:07. > :02:09.
:02:09. > :02:13.after using public money to attend Labour Party Conferences.
:02:13. > :02:21.Critics say Mark Dowd himself needs to steer a safer course. His
:02:21. > :02:25.corporate credit card statements show he's claimed public money for
:02:25. > :02:29.party conferences. I think it's an inappropriate use of the public
:02:29. > :02:33.purse. I have no problem with - I do believe people should pay for
:02:33. > :02:37.their own conference fees and accommodation. And these payments
:02:37. > :02:41.were never declared. At the moment, there is a system where supposedly
:02:41. > :02:46.every trip to a conference is supposed to be reported to a
:02:46. > :02:49.committee which is chaired by Councillor Dowd. He's sat there
:02:49. > :02:56.chairing those meetings completely in the knowledge he's accepted this
:02:56. > :03:06.money to go to conferences and not reporting it.
:03:06. > :03:18.
:03:18. > :03:22.The Councillor again refused an But this will be his first year at
:03:22. > :03:26.a Conservative conference. He normally only attends Labour
:03:26. > :03:33.conferences - even last year when the party was in opposition. He's
:03:33. > :03:36.used the public credit card for personal transactions, which is
:03:36. > :03:40.allowed - �422 for theatre tickets, �53 for a day trip to the famous
:03:40. > :03:42.Alcatraz prison - all properly paid back, plus a total of �862 to the
:03:42. > :03:49.Labour Party, which he didn't. Independent experts believe there's
:03:49. > :03:53.a problem with the culture of the organisation. The councillor is one
:03:53. > :03:57.of the highest paid in the country as a consequence of his work for
:03:57. > :04:00.Merseytravel. He may be a very hardworking councillor, but the
:04:00. > :04:05.lack of accountability is what's telling here. If there is nothing
:04:05. > :04:09.to hide, then why not publish all the details? Why not have this
:04:09. > :04:14.panel deciding what level should be paid and why not? If there is
:04:14. > :04:18.nothing to hide, get on with it. After defending its allowances
:04:18. > :04:23.system, Merseytravel is now defending its chairman's expenses,
:04:23. > :04:25.but the district auditor is considering whether to launch a
:04:25. > :04:35.formal investigation. There are certainly important questions here
:04:35. > :04:35.
:04:35. > :04:41.that Mark Dowd is yet to answer. Part of the Sellafield nuclear site
:04:41. > :04:46.is to close with the loss of 650 jobs. The closure of the MOX fuel
:04:46. > :04:50.plant is largely due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
:04:50. > :04:53.One union has described the move, though, as ill-conceived and
:04:53. > :04:59.shortsighted. It's hoped most of the workers will be given new jobs
:04:59. > :05:09.at Sellafield, but there are fears that many redundancies - or any
:05:09. > :05:10.
:05:10. > :05:14.redundancies - will harm the wider economy.
:05:14. > :05:20.The company's main customer for Japan is in crisis. The Fukushima
:05:20. > :05:24.power plant remains closed and the country's nuclear future is
:05:24. > :05:29.uncertain. Terrible events in Japan have meant our first customer for
:05:29. > :05:34.fuel from SNP is no longer able to take it. There were further delays
:05:34. > :05:38.in Japan, and as a result of that, it's no longer practical to
:05:38. > :05:42.continue operating the plant as it is. With deep regret we have had to
:05:42. > :05:47.inform the workforce. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which
:05:47. > :05:53.runs the plant, says 600 jobs are at risk. Some say the figure is
:05:53. > :05:55.closer to 800, but there is hope many will be deployed within the
:05:55. > :06:02.Sellafield complex. We have 600 families who will be concerned. We
:06:02. > :06:06.need to reassure them that we will work on their behalf and try to get
:06:06. > :06:11.them redeployed. The company are confident they can redeploy them.
:06:11. > :06:15.In south Cumbrian towns like Barrow the loss of any skilled jobs is a
:06:15. > :06:19.cause for concern. It's really bad news. I got a lot of family that
:06:19. > :06:25.work up there. There is enough job losses in this area, so yes, we
:06:25. > :06:29.need it. Cumbria has always been a set rich and income poor and I
:06:29. > :06:34.think to lose the employer would be a tragedy. The nuclear industry is
:06:34. > :06:42.extremely important to this area. Therefore, any job losses there
:06:42. > :06:49.will impact throughout Cumbria as well as just barrow infurnes.
:06:49. > :06:52.Economic development experts insist the area is well placed with the
:06:52. > :06:56.submarine-building industry. They're one of the few programmes
:06:56. > :07:00.in the strategic defence review that was secure. I don't see it as
:07:00. > :07:04.a negative impact. For ourselves we need to be concerned, but obviously
:07:04. > :07:13.we're concerned for the people being made redundant in west
:07:13. > :07:15.Cumbria. The closure of the MOX plant will take several months.
:07:15. > :07:18.More news stories from around the north-west:
:07:18. > :07:21.Two brothers have been jailed for the killing of a care worker in
:07:21. > :07:24.Salford. Adam Steele was murdered in the early hours of New Year's
:07:24. > :07:27.Day. 17-year-old Direece Roche, who had already pleaded guilty to
:07:27. > :07:31.murder, was jailed for life. His older brother Owen Roche was given
:07:32. > :07:35.an indeterminate sentence for public protection.
:07:35. > :07:38.A man's died after being hit by a train on the West Coast Main Line
:07:38. > :07:40.near Kendal in Cumbria. The accident happened a short distance
:07:40. > :07:43.north of Kendal's mainline station, Oxenholme, on the Manchester to
:07:43. > :07:53.Glasgow service. The line is likely to be closed for several hours,
:07:53. > :07:55.
:07:55. > :08:03.which is could cause major delays to Virgin and TPE services.
:08:03. > :08:05.More than 60 people took their deck chairs to the street to stage a
:08:05. > :08:08.demonstration in Congleton today. They were protesting against
:08:08. > :08:11.Cheshire East Council's demand that every business with an outdoor
:08:11. > :08:15.eating area pays up to �550 for a license. The council says they're
:08:15. > :08:18.enforcing a safety law which has existed for more than 30 years. But
:08:19. > :08:24.protestors say the fees will cripple business.
:08:24. > :08:29.I sell tea at �1.30. How long is it going to take me to recoup �550?
:08:29. > :08:34.It's going to take longer than four, six months, and you're only going
:08:34. > :08:37.to get two months of decent weather. It's impractical and not something
:08:37. > :08:40.I can afford. Vets say a pet dog is lucky to be
:08:40. > :08:43.alive after being found on a Manchester street with a five-inch
:08:43. > :08:46.knife sticking out from his side. Arnie, a six-year-old bull mastiff,
:08:46. > :08:54.was stabbed at the weekend. The blade came within an inch of his
:08:54. > :08:57.heart. Abbie Jones reports. After three days of treatment,
:08:57. > :09:04.Arnie is now on the mend. But it could easily have been a different
:09:04. > :09:08.story. It was about kind of five inches long, and this is probably
:09:08. > :09:12.the outline of his heart here. It's slightly difficult to tell. It's
:09:12. > :09:16.very close. It's come very close to his heart, which would have been a
:09:16. > :09:19.fatal injury. He's a very lucky boy. Lucky too that he was found by 92-
:09:19. > :09:21.year-old Mary Coughlan. Arnie had got out of the family home in
:09:21. > :09:31.Wythenshawe before he was stabbed. Mary and her granddaughter rang an
:09:31. > :09:35.
:09:35. > :09:41.animal charity. "Granny, he's injured" she said, a very bad cut,
:09:41. > :09:44.and obviously, he was well cared for, but he was definitely in pain.
:09:44. > :09:51.When Arnie arrived at this Worsley vets, the blade was still sticking
:09:51. > :09:55.out from his side. We see some horrendous things kind of in here
:09:55. > :10:00.from time to time. It's amazing what people will do to animals, but
:10:00. > :10:06.yeah, it just really shocks you to your core. Arnie's owner is too
:10:06. > :10:11.upset to talk to us on camera, but she said she can't understand how
:10:11. > :10:15.somebody could do something so awful to a dog. She said he's a big
:10:15. > :10:18.softy who loves children. He's already been around to thank Mary.
:10:18. > :10:24.Arnie is the second dog to be treated at the vets for stab
:10:24. > :10:34.injuries in two days. Thankfully, he'll make a full recovery. He
:10:34. > :10:39.
:10:39. > :10:41.should be reunited with his owner today. When five-year-old Kieran
:10:41. > :10:44.Forde-Thain appeared on this programme a few months ago, there
:10:44. > :10:47.wasn't a heart that didn't melt. Keiran's personality and cheeky
:10:47. > :10:49.smile also persuaded hundreds of you to help him raise thousands for
:10:49. > :10:52.a life-changing operation. He has cerebral palsy and struggles
:10:52. > :10:54.with walking and needed to go to America for pioneering surgery,
:10:54. > :10:57.which isn't available here. And thanks to the generosity of North
:10:57. > :11:04.West Tonight viewers, he's made it to St Louis in Missouri. Elaine
:11:04. > :11:08.Dunkley's been following his progress.
:11:08. > :11:14.St Louis, Missouri is famous for rhythm and blues and the tallest
:11:14. > :11:23.monument in the USA, but it's the zoo which has Kieron excited.
:11:23. > :11:33.all the way across - MUSIC
:11:33. > :11:33.
:11:33. > :11:36.Animals! Wow! I'm glad that we've got a day in. You know, before the
:11:36. > :11:42.surgery, before all the hospital appointments, I am glad we have
:11:42. > :11:45.been able to get him out for a day. It has been really warm and hard
:11:45. > :11:50.work, but the zoo is really fantastic. He's really enjoyed it.
:11:50. > :11:57.I think we all have really. What do you think his name is?
:11:57. > :12:06.Ralph the rhino? George. George! Did you see him? Like that. See?
:12:06. > :12:14.yeah! And it's thirsty work. Temperatures have reached 40C. St
:12:14. > :12:21.Louis is in the grip of a heatwave. It's really sunny, and I need to
:12:21. > :12:26.wag my hat to make it cold. trip has helped to keep his mind
:12:26. > :12:31.off the operation. He knows exactly what is going to happen. Whether -
:12:31. > :12:35.how that is in his mind, I don't know, but, you know, he's quite
:12:35. > :12:40.clued up, I would say. following day he meets the doctor
:12:40. > :12:45.who will perform the surgery to help him improve his mobility.
:12:45. > :12:52.has very good arm function. Let me see. Move this foot up. And Kieron
:12:52. > :12:56.has a surprise for him. Show me. Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! Look at
:12:56. > :13:02.that oh, my goodness. Obviously, he's a very active child,
:13:02. > :13:07.and he learns how to compensate with his limitations, so he could
:13:07. > :13:11.flip over on his head. It's just amazing. After the surgery, he'll
:13:11. > :13:16.be able to use his legs better. I think he'll be able to learn how to
:13:16. > :13:23.use his legs very effectively. is an emotional time for the family.
:13:23. > :13:27.Thousands of miles away from home and in just 24 hours, Kieron will
:13:28. > :13:37.undergo surgery. Find out how he gets on tomorrow on BBC North West
:13:38. > :13:38.
:13:38. > :13:40.Tonight. Still to come in North West
:13:40. > :13:42.Tonight: The ups and downs of the Football
:13:42. > :13:45.League. How will YOUR side cope with the weekend's big kick-off?
:13:45. > :13:49.And flying high - the north-west's newest sporting champion who broke
:13:49. > :13:54.a few records on his way to the top flight. I went there expecting the
:13:54. > :13:59.top three or four places, but to win every day with world records
:13:59. > :14:01.every day is just a dream. Holidaymakers turning up at
:14:01. > :14:05.Manchester Airport tonight for a flight to Turkey with the company
:14:05. > :14:07.Holidays 4 U are in a for a big disappointment. The firm's gone
:14:07. > :14:10.into administration, and they won't be going anywhere. Manchester was
:14:10. > :14:14.one of several UK airports from which the Brighton-based company
:14:14. > :14:18.operated. It currently has around 12,000 holidaymakers overseas. Our
:14:18. > :14:25.chief reporter, Dave Guest, is at the airport now. And Dave, how many
:14:25. > :14:29.of those people are likely to have flown from Manchester?
:14:30. > :14:35.As you say, there was a flight due out at 9.00pm tonight. There has
:14:35. > :14:39.been publicity saying this company has gone under. Not everybody heard
:14:39. > :14:43.how it would affect one family. They were expecting to fly out at
:14:43. > :14:47.9.00pm. It fell to me to tell them they wouldn't be going anywhere.
:14:47. > :14:53.Yeah? We didn't know that. We paid for a holiday and were looking
:14:53. > :14:56.forward to it. We're just not going now. How many of those 12,000 that
:14:56. > :14:59.were going abroad will have flown through Manchester? It has to be
:14:59. > :15:03.said this wasn't the biggest company operating from Manchester.
:15:03. > :15:07.It's one of more than a dozen airports that this particular
:15:07. > :15:10.company uses, but it did operate seven flights a week from here.
:15:10. > :15:15.It's fair to say several hundred of the people in Turkey at the moment
:15:15. > :15:19.will have started their holidays from Manchester. What'll happen to
:15:19. > :15:23.them? The Civil Aviation Authority says they will all get back under
:15:23. > :15:25.the terms of the ATOL protection scheme, so they're arranging
:15:25. > :15:30.flights to bring everybody back. Nobody should be stranded.
:15:30. > :15:33.those who have spent money and are going no-where, how long will it
:15:33. > :15:36.take to get their money back? That's the big question because
:15:36. > :15:41.people will get their money back from holidays they have booked and
:15:41. > :15:45.not been able to go on, such as the chap we heard from earlier, but the
:15:45. > :15:50.CAA say they have 20,000 bookings they have to deal with, so it's
:15:50. > :15:53.going to take several months, so in the short term, there will be a lot
:15:53. > :15:57.of disappointed people. They'll get their money back eventually, but
:15:57. > :16:01.they won't be flying today. It's not the summer holiday they wanted.
:16:01. > :16:04.Thank you very much, David Guest. We move on the sport with Tony here.
:16:04. > :16:07.Well, it hardly seems a moment since the Football League season
:16:07. > :16:10.ended, but it's back on Friday night, and the question is, will
:16:10. > :16:15.there be as much drama this season as last? Too long. And believe it
:16:15. > :16:19.or not, it starts again this Friday. Well, we had Blackpool relegated
:16:19. > :16:27.from the Premier League to the Championship. They kick off on
:16:27. > :16:31.Friday at Hull. A lot happened. I think yes, we'll get similar
:16:31. > :16:34.excitement this time around. Every fan is optimistic at this
:16:34. > :16:39.point in the season. Who are the favourites for promotion and
:16:39. > :16:45.relegation? I haven't a clue. Thanks for coming along! That's why
:16:45. > :16:48.I get paid. No. Over the next three nights we've got three famous faces
:16:48. > :16:53.to say how THEY think our clubs will fare.
:16:54. > :16:57.When it comes to the Football League few have more experience
:16:57. > :17:06.than former Rochdale player Paul Simpson. How does he see the season
:17:06. > :17:09.in League 2? Last year Accrington had an unbelievable season. I
:17:09. > :17:12.thought they were absolutely superb football-wise and getting to finish
:17:12. > :17:19.fifth in the table. They did really well. Over the summer there has
:17:19. > :17:25.been a turnaround of players. They have lost the likes of Ryan and
:17:25. > :17:29.Garnel to Shrewsbury, but they have made good signings as well with
:17:29. > :17:33.McIntyre coming in. I think they'll get off to a slow start, but as the
:17:33. > :17:38.season gets going, I think they'll be up there again. Last year was
:17:38. > :17:42.really disappointing for them, finishing 20th. It was a tough,
:17:42. > :17:46.long season for MacIll Roy. They have a new management team in place.
:17:46. > :17:50.They'll be fresh and enthusiastic, not been a massive change in
:17:50. > :17:54.players to date, but I would imagine there will be more deals
:17:54. > :17:58.that'll be done before the end of the transfer window. I am sure
:17:58. > :18:02.Bentley's enthusiasm and passion he played with will rub off on the
:18:02. > :18:06.players, and they'll be a tough side to play against.
:18:06. > :18:10.Last season finishing 15th, they would have been reasonably
:18:10. > :18:13.satisfied with that so on the field things were okay, but off the field
:18:13. > :18:17.they had another traumatic season and some terrible things going on
:18:17. > :18:22.around the club. I am sure they'll be looking for a more settled
:18:22. > :18:27.season this year. I think Gary has made good signings with Scott Kaye
:18:27. > :18:30.coming in from Manchester City, so he seems to be going along the line
:18:30. > :18:35.of young players. Hopefully they'll be able to bed in and do well for
:18:35. > :18:39.the club and hopefully make a bit of money for the club in the long
:18:39. > :18:43.term as well. Dario Gradi has bags of experience
:18:43. > :18:48.in League football, so I am sure he'll be look forward to the season
:18:48. > :18:52.again. They have had a very good preseason results-wise. Not been
:18:52. > :18:56.Mavis turnaround in players but the big loss will be Donaldson leaving.
:18:56. > :19:00.As the winter comes in, they could struggle with a lot of young
:19:00. > :19:02.players, and I think it could be a tough season for them, but I would
:19:02. > :19:05.still expect them to catch a few teams out.
:19:05. > :19:08.Tomorrow I'll be discussing the prospects for our League One teams
:19:08. > :19:10.with Andy Ritchie. And League One is where Graham Alexander will be
:19:10. > :19:13.playing next season after re- signing for Preston. The 39-year-
:19:13. > :19:16.old defender played his 1,000th professional match for Burnley last
:19:16. > :19:23.season. He had been released by the Clarets, and has agreed a one-year
:19:23. > :19:26.deal to return to Deepdale where he played for North End 400 times.
:19:26. > :19:28.Liverpool have paraded their summer signings today. The Reds snapped up
:19:28. > :19:31.Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing and goalkeeper
:19:31. > :19:41.Alexander Doni. Manager Kenny Dalglish is pleased with the
:19:41. > :19:45.business he's done in the transfer window. Everybody you bring in you
:19:45. > :19:49.hope is going to improve the quality you already have here and
:19:49. > :19:53.enhance what's already here. That's what I'll be hoping for tomorrow -
:19:53. > :19:55.for them to be themselves, go about the work as they did at their
:19:55. > :19:57.previous clubs, and that'll do us fine.
:19:57. > :20:00.Lancashire have awarded their England paceman Jimmy Anderson a
:20:00. > :20:03.benefit next year. The Burnley Express, who's now ranked second
:20:03. > :20:06.best bowler in the world, joined Lancs in 2002 and has taken more
:20:06. > :20:09.than 200 wickets for the county despite spending most of the summer
:20:09. > :20:12.on England duty. And Lancashire could do with Jimmy
:20:12. > :20:14.tomorrow as they press for victory over Warwickshire in their county
:20:14. > :20:18.championship match at Liverpool. A century from Steven Croft and 91
:20:18. > :20:28.from Karl Brown helped Lancs into a healthy lead of at going to
:20:28. > :20:33.
:20:33. > :20:36.A lead of 283 into the final day. Well done.
:20:36. > :20:39.They've come from all over the world for a very Victorian
:20:39. > :20:42.celebration. The Gilbert and Sullivan Festival at Buxton is
:20:42. > :20:45.attracting record audiences as organisers mark the centenary of
:20:45. > :20:55.the death of WS Gilbert. But just what is it about the music that has
:20:55. > :21:05.
:21:05. > :21:11.such lasting appeal? David Sillitoe We're in Buxton for a celebration
:21:11. > :21:16.of Gilbert and Sullivan. It's magic if you like good music and singers,
:21:17. > :21:24.if you like to laugh and be entertained, I can't think of
:21:24. > :21:32.anywhere else to go. SINGING And everywhere you go, it's final
:21:32. > :21:42.rehearsal time. That was one - HMS pin that fore.
:21:42. > :21:42.
:21:42. > :21:51.This is another - HMS Pinafor. Meanwhile, next door, they're
:21:51. > :21:56.rehearsing the Mercado. Here we are backstage for the Yeoman of the
:21:56. > :22:00.Guard. And it is for the festival director, Ian Smith, a record
:22:00. > :22:09.breaker. How many productions altogether? In total in Buxton this
:22:09. > :22:14.production, we'll have 50 full- scale productions. 50 operas, 2,000
:22:14. > :22:18.costumes and an audience with high standards. It's quite nerve
:22:18. > :22:22.Wragging, but the atmosphere - because they know their Gilbert and
:22:22. > :22:28.Sullivan inside out - there are people with scores on their lapse
:22:28. > :22:34.turning the pages as you sing the song, which is rather off-putting.
:22:34. > :22:40.So 50 casts - some young, some not so young - professional, amateur,
:22:40. > :22:47.British, American, Australian - all for operas, deeply Victorian and
:22:47. > :22:57.very, very English. That's fantastic. Pretty amazing, isn't
:22:57. > :23:01.it? The weather is not making us We'll wake you up over the next
:23:01. > :23:04.couple of days because it's all about to change. Good evening. A
:23:04. > :23:08.perfect English summer day. We had an awful lot of sunshine. A bit of
:23:08. > :23:13.patchy cloud from time to time. We had, as we always do in the English
:23:13. > :23:17.summer one or two showers. They have moved across the region. Some
:23:17. > :23:20.showed up on the radar over the afternoon - didn't manage to hit
:23:20. > :23:25.the ground. They evaporated. This lot running up the coast weren't as
:23:25. > :23:29.bad as they look. Temperatures were exceptional today - 25C, 77 in
:23:29. > :23:33.Fahrenheit, but it cools off over the next couple of days. Even
:23:34. > :23:37.Friday at 21, that's the magical 70 in Fahrenheit. That's still a
:23:37. > :23:40.pretty good temperature. We're just adding a bit of rain to the mix.
:23:40. > :23:43.This is Manchester City centre now. It's probably similar where you are.
:23:43. > :23:47.We have fine weather to end the day. All the way through the night the
:23:47. > :23:50.cloud will be moving in from the Irish Sea because we have quite an
:23:50. > :23:54.area of weather that's going to push its way across as we head
:23:54. > :23:58.through the early hours of the morning into breakfast time and
:23:58. > :24:02.lunch time. Watch it moving in - probably into the coast by the time
:24:02. > :24:08.we get to 3.00pm. That's quite a big area of rain - does not cool
:24:08. > :24:11.your temperatures off. Overnight once again warm and humid - 15-16C,
:24:11. > :24:15.but probably the last mild night for some time. Temperatures falling
:24:15. > :24:18.away, so becoming more bearable. That's what you wake up to - an
:24:18. > :24:21.awful lot of cloud cover, and that line of rain is moving around
:24:21. > :24:26.across the north-west of England tomorrow morning, but I think it
:24:26. > :24:29.will be with many places up until about 11.00am. It starts to leave
:24:29. > :24:33.the coast, then following across towards the Pennines and clearing
:24:33. > :24:37.out of the way. Into the afternoon, sunny spells start to return, so
:24:37. > :24:44.the temperatures aren't too bad - between 19C and 22C. Back to you.
:24:44. > :24:47.Now, it's not often that someone breaks a world record four times in
:24:47. > :24:50.a single event. But that's exactly what Ken Morrisey from Cheadle did
:24:50. > :25:00.when he was crowned European champion in the F2A speed class in
:25:00. > :25:00.
:25:00. > :25:03.Poland last week. To you and me that means he's the
:25:03. > :25:06.best in Europe at flying model planes very fast. Kate Simms went
:25:06. > :25:16.to meet the regions newest champion Mark Cavendish, Amir Kahn, Beth
:25:16. > :25:22.
:25:22. > :25:25.Tweddle - north-west champions all - and now Ken Morrisey. This is the
:25:25. > :25:28.Formula One of the model flying world. Ken is its European champion,
:25:28. > :25:35.coaxing his craft to fly at faster and faster- breaking the world
:25:35. > :25:39.record four times and reaching 191mph. I went there expecting the
:25:39. > :25:47.top three or four places, but to win every day with world records
:25:47. > :25:50.every day is just a dream. Ken has been working on his plane two years.
:25:50. > :25:53.This is a physically demanding sport, so he exersises for six
:25:53. > :25:56.hours a week. But he attributes much of his success to the
:25:56. > :26:00.facilities of his flying club at Barton Aerodrome. It's as good as
:26:00. > :26:04.anything that's around the world, and without this I would not have
:26:04. > :26:10.achieved what I have achieved, honestly. It's fantastic. For two
:26:10. > :26:16.years of training here to become world and European champion, what
:26:16. > :26:20.records at this site. All the club members build their
:26:20. > :26:23.own planes. They fly in four different classes. It's a sport
:26:23. > :26:27.that takes skill, determination and athleticism. But they're not
:26:27. > :26:31.getting any younger. I'm worried, really, that we're not
:26:31. > :26:36.going to have another generation coming behind us. There's a gap at
:26:36. > :26:41.the moment that if we had some young people in the age range 20 to
:26:41. > :26:46.30 that would be superb for the sport. We have the expertise. We
:26:46. > :26:53.need to develop the youngsters. Ken isn't ready to have his wings
:26:53. > :27:00.clipped yet. He has his sights set on the World Championship next year.
:27:00. > :27:06.Who knew, eh? Not me.Er With all a bit stunned by that. Anyway, who is
:27:06. > :27:11.the new girl? Old girl. No, you're better than that old girl we used
:27:11. > :27:16.to have on before. I am glad we can finally talk about her. She were
:27:16. > :27:22.rubbish. It's nice to be back. you were at home, were you watching
:27:22. > :27:29.the cosy little... I was actually, thinking, who is that girl in my
:27:30. > :27:34.chair? I have known Kate for years. But it's glad to be back on the