:00:01. > :00:05.Good evening. Welcome to NorthWest Tonight with Gordon Burns and
:00:05. > :00:10.Ranvir Singh. Our top story - relatives pay their respects after
:00:10. > :00:20.two women are found dead following a house fire. A member of the
:00:20. > :00:21.
:00:21. > :00:28.family is arrested on suspicious of murder. Very hard. We cannot
:00:28. > :00:34.understand why. Calls for a fire authority chairman to resign in a
:00:34. > :00:42.row over his expenses. The volunteers putting a smile back on
:00:42. > :00:47.the face of some very special children in Blackpool. To see all
:00:47. > :00:54.of the smiling faces on the kids, that is what we love are doing.
:00:54. > :01:04.Making them happy. Would you swap the beaches of Vanuatu for the
:01:04. > :01:12.
:01:12. > :01:16.Police in Lancashire are tonight launching a double murder inquiry
:01:16. > :01:21.following the deaths of an elderly woman and her daughter at their
:01:21. > :01:26.home near Preston. One of the or relatives has spent the day being
:01:26. > :01:32.questioned on suspicion of murder. -- one of their relatives. Dave
:01:32. > :01:38.Guest is there. What is happening? As you can see, a relatively
:01:38. > :01:43.peaceful scene tonight. It has been very busy throughout the day.
:01:43. > :01:47.Police and forensic scientists trying to piece together why this
:01:47. > :01:55.mother and daughter met their deaths. Family members were also
:01:55. > :02:03.here today. A relative's make a sad pilgrimage to lay flowers at the
:02:03. > :02:08.home where Maureen Allan lived. was a beautiful loving person. She
:02:08. > :02:14.helped everybody. Mrs Allen and her daughter Geraldine died here in
:02:14. > :02:22.mysterious circumstances early this morning. Emergency crews had been
:02:22. > :02:26.responding to reports of a fire when they discovered the bodies.
:02:26. > :02:32.Mother and daughter were inseparable. It is very hard. We
:02:32. > :02:37.cannot understand why. It is a big question. Outwardly there was no
:02:37. > :02:42.sign of the fire that happened within. Police confirmed that two
:02:42. > :02:46.women had suffered a number of injuries. The post mortem of -- the
:02:46. > :02:51.post mortems have not been carried out yet. They will be carried out
:02:51. > :02:55.this afternoon and will hopefully give us the cause of death. It 21-
:02:55. > :03:02.year-old man related to the women has been arrested and questioned on
:03:02. > :03:11.suspicion of murder. Among many here there is a sense of disbelief.
:03:11. > :03:17.Shocking. At cannot believe it. I cannot believe it. It is so quiet.
:03:17. > :03:24.I was told there were two people dead. Shocked. It does not happen
:03:24. > :03:30.around here. The fact is, something did happen here earlier today. The
:03:30. > :03:35.police must piece together what happened. As they continue that
:03:35. > :03:41.effort to piece together the events of this morning, they are appealing
:03:42. > :03:48.for any members of the public in Longfield yesterday, last night a
:03:48. > :03:52.or this morning, two come forward. They say information could prove
:03:52. > :03:55.useful in the long run. He's supposed to be overseeing Greater
:03:55. > :03:57.Manchester Fire Service. But today the Labour chairman of the
:03:57. > :04:00.authority, Councillor Fred Walker, found himself dousing down the
:04:00. > :04:05.flames around his own expenses record. Mr Walker is under pressure
:04:06. > :04:09.to resign after charging �20,000 for travel. And council leaders
:04:10. > :04:15.across Greater Manchester are privately asking him to go. Our
:04:15. > :04:18.political editor Arif Ansari is here with the details. Councillor
:04:18. > :04:25.Walker chairs the Greater Manchester Fire Authority, which is
:04:25. > :04:31.basically a council overseeing the fire and rescue service. He's
:04:31. > :04:33.claimed �20, 442 in travel expenses between April 2008 and October 2010.
:04:33. > :04:40.Compare that with the former chairman, Liberal Democrat Paul
:04:40. > :04:50.Shannon. He claimed �428 for the year 2010-2011. In fact, Councillor
:04:50. > :04:55.Shannon reformed the expenses system while he was in charge.
:04:55. > :05:03.have got to lead by example. Symbolism is everything in politics.
:05:03. > :05:08.He fought very hard to keep first- class rail travel. Now we know why.
:05:08. > :05:13.Standard class is cheaper to the tax payer. Thanks to his opposition
:05:13. > :05:17.I had to use my casting vote and only just managed to get the policy
:05:17. > :05:27.through. We haven't been able to speak to Fred Walker. But he has
:05:27. > :05:35.
:05:35. > :05:38.explained himself to his local So he set a very different example.
:05:38. > :05:43.The trips included 87 to London - many would have been First Class
:05:43. > :05:49.open returns costing as much as �345. And as Councillor Walker told
:05:49. > :05:53.his newspaper: Well, the Liberal Democrats have referred this to the
:05:53. > :05:55.watchdog, the District Auditor. But more significantly, I've been told
:05:55. > :06:05.that the eight Labour Council leaders in Greater Manchester are
:06:05. > :06:06.
:06:06. > :06:08.signing a letter asking Fred Walker to go. If he doesn't do so, then
:06:08. > :06:11.they're threatening to release it publicly. Councillor Walker is a
:06:11. > :06:20.former travel agent. I don't know but I'm guessing he sold some
:06:20. > :06:25.A 24-year-man has appeared in court after a teenager was murdered in
:06:25. > :06:28.Lancashire. Declan Eastwood, 17, was found with stab wounds in
:06:28. > :06:32.Haslingden yesterday morning. He died later at the Royal Blackburn
:06:32. > :06:37.Hospital. Sean Fell of George Street has been remanded in custody
:06:37. > :06:41.and will appear before Preston Crown Court later this week. Police
:06:41. > :06:44.have named the people who died in a collision in Manchester at the
:06:44. > :06:47.weekend. Seven-year-old Khin Thiri Myat Htin, Than Tutt, 86, and Naw
:06:47. > :06:56.Naw Khin, 52, died when the car they were travelling in overturned
:06:56. > :06:59.in Chadderton. When another worker died at Merseyside's Sonae factory
:06:59. > :07:03.on Saturday, the company's safety record was once again called into
:07:03. > :07:08.question. Not surprising, with two other deaths and scores of injuries
:07:08. > :07:14.there in the past 10 years. But police still aren't sure just how
:07:14. > :07:18.Dennis Kay died. Natural causes have not been ruled out. And if it
:07:18. > :07:22.is a safety incident, it is unclear at this stage who might be to blame.
:07:22. > :07:26.Here's Jayne Barrett. Sonae reopened today. It had been closed
:07:26. > :07:30.yesterday, as a mark of respect to Dennis Kay. The 62-year-old died on
:07:30. > :07:34.Saturday morning. His cause of death is not yet known. They claim
:07:34. > :07:38.ambitious targets for safety here. In fact, there have been three
:07:38. > :07:41.deaths and 44 injuries here since 2001. But if there are questions to
:07:41. > :07:51.be answered about safety, and there might not be, those questions are
:07:51. > :07:51.
:07:51. > :07:56.unlikely to fall here. Instead here at this family run a firm in
:07:56. > :08:00.Accrington, Andrew Connolly's demolition. I have just spoken to
:08:00. > :08:06.Andrew Connolly. He said that Mr Kay was a member of the family. He
:08:06. > :08:10.had been here for 16 years. At the time of the accident he said that
:08:10. > :08:15.Mr Kay was on a raised access platform. The site supervisor was
:08:15. > :08:19.down below. He did not fall, he was not crossed. The death is a total
:08:19. > :08:22.mystery, he said. Today Mr Kay's family asked the media not to
:08:22. > :08:26.contact them. It's the latest in a long line of incidents at the plant
:08:26. > :08:28.since 2001. They include the deaths of Thomas Elmer and James Bibby in
:08:28. > :08:32.December. They were dragged into machinery. In June, firefighters
:08:32. > :08:41.spent four days tackling a fire at the factory. That led to part of
:08:41. > :08:44.the plant being demolished. One of the demolition workers, Dennis Kay.
:08:44. > :08:47.Police will only know if this is a safety incident once the post
:08:47. > :08:50.mortem returns. That could take some time. The headquarters
:08:50. > :08:56.operations of the former Royal Liver Group are to move out of
:08:56. > :09:00.Liverpool after 161 years in the city. It will mean the loss locally
:09:00. > :09:03.of 220 jobs. It's thought half will be given the option to transfer to
:09:03. > :09:08.Wilmslow, where Royal London Group, which took over the society in June,
:09:08. > :09:12.has a base. The faces of some of Manchester's most wanted men are
:09:12. > :09:16.being displayed on the side of police vans to try and track them
:09:16. > :09:21.down. Officers are searching for the 12 men over a range of crimes
:09:21. > :09:26.including assault, robbery and burglary. A similar operation in
:09:26. > :09:30.March led to seven arrests. Fire crews in Lancashire have been
:09:30. > :09:35.called to an unusual rescue after reports a snake was trapped in a
:09:35. > :09:39.chair. Small tools and a crowbar were used to open it up, and the
:09:39. > :09:48.snake, a python called Brian, was gently pulled out. Despite his
:09:48. > :09:56.confinement, he appeared to be unharmed following his release.
:09:56. > :10:01.Still to come in North West Tonight: The red kites making a
:10:01. > :10:07.comeback in the Lake District. And what do you get when you combine
:10:07. > :10:17.Junior Masterchef with a Holiday Club? Find out later. Apparently
:10:17. > :10:17.
:10:17. > :10:20.Now, until recently, you'd be pretty lucky to see a Red Kite
:10:20. > :10:22.circling the skies around the North West. In the 1970s, these
:10:22. > :10:27.magnificent birds of prey were trapped and poisoned almost to
:10:27. > :10:31.extinction. Since then, there's been a national breeding programme
:10:31. > :10:35.for the birds. It began in the south of the country - now it's at
:10:35. > :10:41.its final stage here. Gill Dummigan has been to Grizedale forest in the
:10:41. > :10:45.Lake District to see the latest As a countryside retreat, it may
:10:45. > :10:48.not be the prettiest, but it does have its compensations. The views
:10:48. > :10:58.are great and there's absolutely no chance of being disturbed by the
:10:58. > :10:59.
:10:59. > :11:06.neighbours. We are in the heart of the Forest? That is right. We have
:11:06. > :11:11.to be careful given that the birds or open to persecution. We do not
:11:11. > :11:14.want Mischief. Over the years Red Kites have had a pretty hard time
:11:14. > :11:17.of it. At one point they were shot and poisoned almost to extinction.
:11:17. > :11:23.Even now there are only around 1500 breeding pairs - none of them
:11:23. > :11:26.around here. There was an empty area in the north-west of England
:11:26. > :11:29.without red kite. So this three- year project is an attempt to do
:11:29. > :11:32.something about that. These birds were brought up from Northampton
:11:32. > :11:40.six weeks ago. Now they're off to join the first birds released last
:11:40. > :11:45.year. And off they go, with a bit of help. They have finally flown
:11:45. > :11:49.the nest. What next? Well, they're all tagged and they're being radio
:11:49. > :11:58.tracked. Last year's release got as far as the south coast, although
:11:58. > :12:03.it's hoped many of them will make their way back That's the big hope.
:12:03. > :12:09.Another 30 will be released next year. By spring next year we hope
:12:09. > :12:12.we should see the first breeding pair. That is the big hope. For now,
:12:12. > :12:17.just getting these magnificent birds to settle in here will be
:12:17. > :12:22.enough. We've heard a lot recently about the Big Society, the
:12:22. > :12:26.Government's plan to give power to the people. But how are volunteers
:12:26. > :12:28.already making a difference? In the first of two reports, Radio
:12:28. > :12:38.Manchester breakfast presenter Allan Beswick met up with those
:12:38. > :12:42.
:12:42. > :12:46.helping to run a rather special It is a chance to dream in what is
:12:46. > :12:56.a desperate life. Three year-old Phoebe lives with an immune
:12:56. > :12:56.
:12:56. > :13:03.disorder. It has claimed the life of her 17 month-old sister, Elena.
:13:03. > :13:12.-- Delamar. Here his precious time in a Holiday home by the sea.
:13:12. > :13:17.are restricted. To let them have this time is massive. Phoebe is one
:13:17. > :13:20.of hundreds of children who come here. All of them have life-
:13:20. > :13:25.threatening or terminal illnesses. Here at least there is a guarantee
:13:25. > :13:29.of some happiness. He has had chemotherapy. We did not think he
:13:29. > :13:33.would make it. He has been fantastic here. I think it is
:13:33. > :13:41.amazing what so many people have done. Seeing the pictures of how it
:13:41. > :13:45.used to look at how it has changed is amazing. Children need to go to
:13:45. > :13:50.a specialised place. It is provided by these volunteers and a fantastic
:13:50. > :13:55.family. It is thanks to an amazing legacy. My daughter died of cancer
:13:55. > :14:02.when she was 20 years old. I opened a red box and she had left me three
:14:02. > :14:12.wishes. One of them was to open a holiday home in Blackpool. This is
:14:12. > :14:12.
:14:12. > :14:15.how the dream house came about. It gave me a reason. Fantasy transport
:14:15. > :14:25.for a special children given the freedom of all that Blackpool can
:14:25. > :14:26.
:14:26. > :14:35.offer. You cannot fail to be moved by what goes on here. None of it
:14:35. > :14:39.would happen if it was not for the dream makers. The volunteers.
:14:40. > :14:46.just putting a smile on the faces of the little kids. We had one this
:14:46. > :14:56.morning. She went in the little carriage. Her eyes were cleaning.
:14:56. > :14:56.
:14:56. > :15:01.Why do you volunteer to do what? is what I do. To see all the
:15:01. > :15:09.smiling faces on their kids. That is what we love are doing. Making
:15:09. > :15:14.them happy. The privilege of heading it all and being the
:15:14. > :15:18.captain of the ship, without all of the other volunteers, this dream
:15:18. > :15:28.house would not be here. They are the main source from all walks of
:15:28. > :15:29.
:15:29. > :15:33.life. Everybody is doing their part to fulfil one woman's dream. They
:15:33. > :15:35.do not get enough thanks, volunteers. And tomorrow night
:15:35. > :15:45.Allan will find finding out how volunteers are making a difference
:15:45. > :15:49.
:15:49. > :15:55.on an urban farm on the Wirral. We move on to sport. Richard is here.
:15:55. > :15:59.Back from holidays! We are going to top Manchester City. They may be
:15:59. > :16:04.the richest club in the country but they have some issues to sort out
:16:04. > :16:08.before the start of the season? They definitely have, yes. You
:16:08. > :16:14.would Ruth -- you would think the return of Carlos Tevez would be
:16:14. > :16:18.good news. But in some ways it is another problem after yesterday's
:16:18. > :16:23.defeat to Manchester United. Tevez returned to training today despite
:16:23. > :16:32.saying he does not like living in Manchester and wants to leave. If
:16:32. > :16:41.he is going, City want a big fee. They look like they need him. They
:16:41. > :16:46.were very close yesterday. They were 2-0 ahead by the break.
:16:46. > :16:50.Twitter was going crazy. A pretty lethargic 45 minutes and an
:16:50. > :16:56.impressive one from United turned the game on its head. The
:16:56. > :17:00.equalising goal was the highlight. Wayne Rooney and Tom Cleverley
:17:01. > :17:05.heavily involved. Rooney claimed his team had given City a
:17:05. > :17:10.footballing lesson. Stoking up nicely for the start of the Premier
:17:10. > :17:16.League season. Mixed news for the teams today. City goalkeeper Joe
:17:16. > :17:24.Hart has signed a new contract. United's allocation of tickets for
:17:24. > :17:28.the away match at Liverpool in October has been reduced. While the
:17:28. > :17:38.Premier League gets under way on Saturday, the Football League is
:17:38. > :17:42.under way. All 11 of our teams Hoping to bounce back to the
:17:42. > :17:46.Premier League. Blackpool got their season off to the perfect start.
:17:46. > :17:49.The man who got the opening goal of their campaign last season, Garry
:17:49. > :17:52.Taylor Fletcher, doing it again. A cracking finish late on at Hull,
:17:53. > :17:56.enough to take the points. Burnley took just a point at home to
:17:56. > :18:00.Watford, but it may well have felt like three for the Turf Moor
:18:00. > :18:04.faithful. New signing Keith Treacy came off the bench at 2-0 down to
:18:04. > :18:07.make the difference on his debut. Charlie Austin got the final touch
:18:07. > :18:10.to his shot to pull a goal back for the home side, before Treacy
:18:10. > :18:19.finished a flowing clarets move himself,.nodding in from a Ross
:18:19. > :18:26.Wallace cross. It was a really good fight back. It was always going to
:18:26. > :18:30.be difficult to come back. But Keith give us a real impetus.
:18:30. > :18:32.only winners in League One were a side not renowned for opening day
:18:32. > :18:35.victories. Tranmere Rovers have lost their first game in the last
:18:35. > :18:38.four seasons. A good time for Robbie Wier to grab his first
:18:38. > :18:42.senior goal. Promoted Bury will be delighted with their start as well
:18:42. > :18:46.after a 1-1 draw at promotion favourites Huddersfield. Ryan Lowe,
:18:46. > :18:48.27 league goals last season, already off the mark. No such early
:18:48. > :18:51.impetus for Oldham, defeated 2-0 at home to Sheffield United, or
:18:51. > :18:53.Rochdale, 2-0 at Sheffield Wednesday. Despite the return of
:18:53. > :18:56.terrace icon Graeme Alexander for his second spell, and this
:18:56. > :19:06.excellent Paul Coots goal, Preston North End lost 4-2 against
:19:06. > :19:11.
:19:11. > :19:21.Colchester at Deepdale. It would have been easy to come in for
:19:21. > :19:21.
:19:21. > :19:25.training and be really negative. We decided not to. League Two was a
:19:25. > :19:32.washout for the north-west. Accrington Stanley drew at
:19:32. > :19:34.Northampton. Macclesfield, Morecambe and Crewe all lost. It
:19:34. > :19:37.was the first chance today for some Wigan Warriors season ticket
:19:37. > :19:42.holders to get their hands on precious Challenge Cup Final
:19:42. > :19:45.tickets. Getting to the final would have been the talk of Wigan
:19:45. > :19:49.whatever the circumstances, but for many fans this one is extra special.
:19:49. > :19:52.Not only did the Warriors get the better of old rivals St Helens in a
:19:52. > :20:01.thrilling semi on Saturday, but it's their first Wembley final for
:20:01. > :20:09.13 years. Being back at Wembley is really good. I am just made up.
:20:09. > :20:15.Fantastic. I went to all the finals back to 1958. Brilliant. Second
:20:15. > :20:18.home. Back again. It is everything being back at Wembley. It is what
:20:18. > :20:21.rugby league is all about. region's sporting facilities will
:20:21. > :20:24.be home to athletes from around the world in the build up to next
:20:24. > :20:26.year's Olympics. But you'll struggle to find a more unusual
:20:26. > :20:29.link up than this one. Beach volleyball players Miller and
:20:29. > :20:32.Linlin from the South Pacific island of Vanuatu have swapped
:20:32. > :20:42.their beautiful beaches for one in Cheshire to help them prepare for
:20:42. > :20:45.
:20:45. > :20:51.the games. Stuart Pollitt explains. They come from a country blessed
:20:51. > :20:58.with miles of beaches. Named as the happiest place on earth. But for or
:20:58. > :21:08.Miller and Lin Lin happiness is found on a roundabout near Crewe.
:21:08. > :21:19.
:21:19. > :21:24.We're happy here. You get good We are hoping to get the girls to
:21:24. > :21:30.be the first female superstars in their country. To come from such a
:21:30. > :21:35.small place with a very shy personality is a huge challenge for
:21:35. > :21:40.the girls and myself personally. It is an amazing journey. Cheshire is
:21:40. > :21:44.known for many things. Beaches are not one of them. They have to rely
:21:44. > :21:49.on a friendly farmer or donating his dressage area. This year they
:21:49. > :21:56.have built a proper beach volleyball chord, using 100 tonnes
:21:56. > :22:04.of Cheshire sand. It is different. There are little bunnies hopping
:22:05. > :22:12.around. It is not the ocean but I love it. We're on the main road.
:22:12. > :22:16.People wonder what is going on. Tomorrow, Miller and Lin Lin FlyBe
:22:16. > :22:26.flag for their country at the Olympic test event in London. --
:22:26. > :22:32.
:22:32. > :22:38.Great story. Stuart chickened out of doing that peace in his trunks!
:22:38. > :22:46.Finally, BBC Radio Lancashire will have coverage of Lancashire's big
:22:46. > :22:56.Twenty20 quarter-final away to Sussex from 7pm. We wish them the
:22:56. > :22:57.
:22:57. > :23:07.very best of luck. I know the Rhys not an ocean in a crew -- Crewe,
:23:07. > :23:15.but I'm sure we can promise them We started the week on a N'Koulou
:23:15. > :23:20.theme. The best day will be tomorrow. -- a cool thing. Today
:23:20. > :23:25.has been a day of two halves. Wet through the morning. Fine weather
:23:25. > :23:30.to end the day. Through the night tonight it is patchy cloud, long
:23:30. > :23:35.and here spells. Over the weekend you probably noticed the nights
:23:36. > :23:45.were cool. Same story tonight. 8- nine degrees in some parts. All the
:23:46. > :23:49.
:23:49. > :23:54.places, 10-11. It feels chilly. Parts of Cheshire and Merseyside,
:23:54. > :23:58.an area of cloud moving in. That would bring a few spots of drizzle.
:23:58. > :24:02.That is how in this corner you will wake up. Everyone else is probably
:24:02. > :24:12.try and find. You're looking at a patchy cloud and sunny spells
:24:12. > :24:12.
:24:13. > :24:17.tomorrow. The sunshine comes and goes as the day goes on. All things
:24:17. > :24:22.considered, it is not a bad picture considering what is waiting in the
:24:22. > :24:28.wings. Enjoy that tomorrow. The sun at this time of the year is nice
:24:28. > :24:34.and strong. Because the wind is not too strong, it is not a bad day.
:24:34. > :24:37.After that, this is when the fun starts. Low pressure are moving in
:24:37. > :24:42.slowly and bringing a slow read their system for Wednesday. That
:24:42. > :24:52.will stick with us for the rest of the week. The rain could be heavy
:24:52. > :24:52.
:24:52. > :24:55.on Wednesday, particularly in What do you get when you combine
:24:55. > :24:58.Junior Masterchef with a school holiday club? Well if you're one of
:24:58. > :25:08.a lucky few children in Liverpool, a chance to hone your cooking
:25:08. > :25:10.
:25:10. > :25:13.skills and impress your mum and dad. You should have gone a long. Why?
:25:13. > :25:16.Mrs Burns told me! Over the next two weeks, 200 children from across
:25:16. > :25:18.Merseyside are taking part in a free cookery school. It's free
:25:18. > :25:22.because it's been sponsored by local businesses. So what's the
:25:22. > :25:28.catch? Well you have to feed those the sponsors at the end of the day!.
:25:28. > :25:33.Kate Simms reports This really is fast food. These children have just
:25:33. > :25:43.a few hours to learn and create three dishes from scratch. Welcome
:25:43. > :25:44.
:25:44. > :25:50.to the Junior Chefs Academy. Have fun with food. Basically we like to
:25:50. > :25:55.have fun with food. Drip-feed the healthy-eating message. We give
:25:55. > :25:58.kids the practical skills to take home for their families. So on the
:25:58. > :26:04.menu today, sundried tomato and basil bread with a pesto pasta
:26:04. > :26:10.salad, and Fair Trade tiramisu for a dessert. We have learned much
:26:10. > :26:18.more about vegetables. And more about a fair trade. We have also
:26:18. > :26:22.learnt how to cook. Were you cook for your mum and dad? Yes. He is
:26:22. > :26:26.going to cook for you later. There's theory though as well as
:26:26. > :26:34.practicals. It is a lot to take in. And then you have to impress the
:26:34. > :26:44.sponsors. Absolutely delicious. Really. Very well presented. Very
:26:44. > :26:45.
:26:45. > :26:51.nice. It is absolutely fantastic. The food is unbelievable. The food
:26:51. > :27:01.seems to be a success. But the proof they say is in the pudding.
:27:01. > :27:04.
:27:04. > :27:08.So, needs must. I can confirm, very good. She was digging in there. Mrs
:27:08. > :27:15.Burns has now been on the telephone to tell you that I am a really good