:00:06. > :00:09.Good evening. Welcome to NorthWest Tonight. Our top stories:
:00:09. > :00:11.Police appeal for calm after a grooming court case in Liverpool
:00:11. > :00:14.triggers attacks on Asian shops in Rochdale.
:00:14. > :00:17.We are live in Rochdale, where there is an increased police
:00:17. > :00:20.presence tonight. Also in the programme:
:00:20. > :00:25.The Chief Executive of the troubled Morecambe NHS Trust resigns after
:00:25. > :00:29.months of criticism and pressure to leave.
:00:29. > :00:39.Is this huge development the face of the future or an affront to
:00:39. > :00:41.
:00:41. > :00:51.Liverpool's heritage? Should teenagers be able to visit a museum
:00:51. > :00:51.
:00:51. > :00:56.on their own? Meet the children turned away. I am so angry. And the
:00:56. > :01:06.stunning views from the top of the North West's tallest tree. And it
:01:06. > :01:16.
:01:16. > :01:21.A court case heard in Liverpool today has triggered attacks on
:01:21. > :01:28.Asian shops. Eight men who were accused of --
:01:28. > :01:33.have been accused of having sex with white girls. Use have gathered
:01:33. > :01:37.near a takeaway shop. Our correspondent joins us.
:01:37. > :01:43.The police are appealing for calm, but there is certainly no evidence
:01:43. > :01:47.of the tensions that last night spilled into violence here.
:01:47. > :01:51.The police say it was a demonstration that got out of hand.
:01:51. > :01:59.One officer suffered minor injuries and there were two arrests. The
:01:59. > :02:05.windows of a takeaway were smashed. The main focus, this shop. 11 Asian
:02:05. > :02:08.men are accused of grooming young girls for sex here. There have been
:02:08. > :02:13.demonstrations by the English Defence League and the BNP in
:02:13. > :02:16.recent days. The men denied the charges. The current owners of this
:02:16. > :02:20.takeaway have nothing to do with the case now going on in Liverpool.
:02:20. > :02:25.They only took over the premises after the incidents alleged to have
:02:25. > :02:33.taken place here. The police blame media reporting of the trial for
:02:33. > :02:36.the disturbances. The press and its right to publish that has raised
:02:36. > :02:45.the knowledge to the wider communication -- community of
:02:45. > :02:48.Rochdale. The trial is ongoing and the day-to-day coverage of the
:02:48. > :02:55.trial adds tension in the community. One of those present last night
:02:55. > :03:01.denied it was anything other than a peaceful protest. The children
:03:01. > :03:08.organised it. A what about the BNP? They were here. Did they organise
:03:08. > :03:12.it? Be it was mostly children. Asian shopkeepers here are
:03:12. > :03:19.reluctant to go on camera and played down suggestions of racial
:03:19. > :03:26.tension. Is there a racial problem here? No. Not with me. Not in this
:03:26. > :03:33.area. People here are so good, so nice. Since I bought the shop,
:03:33. > :03:39.there is no trouble. To night, the police are appealing for calm in
:03:39. > :03:43.the area. The BNP say they do not have anything to do with organising
:03:43. > :03:47.the event last night. They are distributing leaflets with their
:03:47. > :03:53.take on the events from last night. The English Defence League will be
:03:53. > :03:59.holding a rally tomorrow. The police say they will be organising
:03:59. > :04:02.a robust operation there. Later tonight we will have the story of
:04:02. > :04:06.one Asian shop owner who has nothing but praise for the white
:04:06. > :04:10.people in this town. He said that he feared for his property after
:04:10. > :04:15.the disturbances broke out. It was as white customers that came to
:04:15. > :04:18.stand with him when he -- to see that he was all right.
:04:18. > :04:20.The man in charge of South Cumbria and Lancaster's beleaguered
:04:20. > :04:24.hospitals has stepped down today despite insisting for months he was
:04:24. > :04:26.the person to turn things around. The Trust has been warned about its
:04:26. > :04:29.maternity services, its emergency services, and has had huge problems
:04:29. > :04:32.with its appointments system. It is also the subject of a police
:04:32. > :04:42.investigation into the deaths of a number of mums and babies at
:04:42. > :04:43.
:04:43. > :04:49.Furness General. Our health If you don't sort this out will you
:04:49. > :04:52.resign? For months Tony Halsall has refused to leave his job.
:04:52. > :04:55.After every critical report, every serious warning for his hospitals,
:04:55. > :04:58.his answer always the same. course my head is on the block, but
:04:58. > :05:02.what we have got to do is keep this organisation focused on improving.
:05:02. > :05:06.That is my focus and it has to stay on that focus.
:05:06. > :05:11.And he certainly had plenty to focus on.
:05:11. > :05:14.First into the spotlight were the trust's maternity services. A
:05:14. > :05:16.critical inquest into the death of baby Joshua Titcombe prompted a
:05:16. > :05:20.police investigation at Furness General. And countless warnings
:05:20. > :05:24.from NHS regulators. North West Tonight then discovered problems
:05:24. > :05:33.with the trust's appointment system. In all, 37,000 appointments missed
:05:33. > :05:36.for 14,000 patients, some seriously ill with cancer. Next, an
:05:36. > :05:39.investigation into the hospitals' A and E services was begun after
:05:39. > :05:44.patients were left in corridors, or had to wait more than six hours to
:05:44. > :05:47.be seen. Then, just a few weeks ago, new board members were imposed on
:05:47. > :05:55.the trust. Those in charge no longer trusted to run it alone. And
:05:55. > :06:01.so today the man at the top, Tony Halsall, stepped down. There should
:06:01. > :06:05.be a change in leadership at the top of the trust. It is important
:06:05. > :06:10.to acknowledge that he is a decent man and we cannot lay the entire
:06:11. > :06:13.blame at his door. Tony Hallsall said today that he believes
:06:13. > :06:17.considerable progress has been made in recent months but that he
:06:17. > :06:24.recognises it is now appropriate for the lead to be taken by a new
:06:24. > :06:27.Chief Executive. Whoever takes on this job, hugely
:06:27. > :06:30.difficult for them? Very much so. Make no mistake these
:06:30. > :06:32.are still hospitals with serious problems. Just a few months ago yet
:06:32. > :06:36.another damning report said that mums and babies at Furness General
:06:36. > :06:38.were still at significant risk. All sorts of problems from a lack of
:06:38. > :06:41.equipment to low staffing and poor management. Still ongoing as well,
:06:42. > :06:44.this 14 week investigation into A and E services with a serious
:06:44. > :06:46.warning hanging over the hospitals' head if they don't make significant
:06:47. > :06:50.improvements. And still, this backlog of appointments that won't
:06:50. > :06:53.be completely cleared till the end of march. So a very difficult job.
:06:53. > :06:55.On the positive side, it is clear from today's announcement that Sir
:06:55. > :06:58.David Henshaw and the newly strengthened board who remember
:06:58. > :07:00.have only been in post for a couple of weeks aren't wasting any time
:07:00. > :07:03.and are prepared to make big decisions.
:07:03. > :07:06.A taxi driver has appeared in court charged with the murders of two
:07:06. > :07:09.elderly women in Southport. Andrew Flood, who is 43 and from Clifton
:07:09. > :07:10.Road in the town, is charged with killing 78-year-old Margaret
:07:10. > :07:13.Biddolph and 88-year-old Annie Leyland.
:07:13. > :07:16.A 2,500 strong petition has been handed in to the national park
:07:16. > :07:18.today opposing its plans to cull hundreds of Canada Geese on
:07:19. > :07:20.Windermere. The National Park Authority says the geese are an
:07:20. > :07:23.environmental pest and other control methods haven't worked.
:07:23. > :07:32.Objectors say those alternative methods haven't been given a fair
:07:32. > :07:36.chance. The gloves are coming off in one of
:07:36. > :07:38.the biggest planning battles the North West has seen for years. The
:07:38. > :07:44.development company Peel says if its Liverpool Waters scheme is
:07:44. > :07:47.referred to a public enquiry, it will pull the plug. Peel wants to
:07:47. > :07:50.build shops, offices and flats on a huge area of derelict dockland just
:07:50. > :07:55.north of Liverpool city centre. But English Heritage say the sky
:07:55. > :07:57.scrapers will overwhelm an area that has World Heritage Status. Our
:07:57. > :08:07.Merseyside Reporter is at Liverpool's Pier Head now to guide
:08:07. > :08:13.
:08:13. > :08:18.us through this story. This is part of the United Nations World
:08:18. > :08:23.Heritage Site. Peel helped develop this. On one hand, they say they
:08:23. > :08:27.will bring more disparity, and on the other, they are -- there are
:08:27. > :08:32.people who say that he is building skyscrapers and that Liverpool will
:08:32. > :08:38.have fewer tourists. This is a battle that is going -- been going
:08:38. > :08:41.on for a few years now, but this could be the final round.
:08:41. > :08:45.Peel has released new computer images of what Liverpool Waters
:08:45. > :08:48.might look like. There are fewer skyscrapers than the original plan.
:08:48. > :08:51.But not so few as to appease all objectors. Peel has come out
:08:51. > :08:54.fighting. It has hired a shop in Liverpool to show off its plans.
:08:54. > :08:57.And soften you up with free pens and chocolate. Peel say the plans
:08:57. > :09:05.could create 20,0000 jobs over 30 years. Enough to win over the
:09:05. > :09:11.people? I think it is brilliant. We need to move forward. This is the
:09:11. > :09:17.way to go. A balance must be drawn the 20 -- between this kind of the
:09:17. > :09:27.government and the Heritage kind. It's not enough for English
:09:27. > :09:27.
:09:28. > :09:30.Heritage. It says it supports regeneration. But as it stands it
:09:30. > :09:33.believes, "The density and scale of the waterfront development will
:09:33. > :09:36.compromise and unbalance the historic urban landscape. English
:09:36. > :09:39.Heritage has not said there should be a public enquiry. But a public
:09:39. > :09:45.enquiry is a possibility. And if that happens, Peel says it is
:09:45. > :09:48.walking away. I have got Chinese investors are lining up to look at
:09:48. > :09:54.this region and if the Government says that we have to have a public
:09:54. > :09:59.enquiry, what message does that send back? It says, as a government,
:09:59. > :10:04.we are not very sure. That is just not the way it is. Liverpool
:10:04. > :10:07.Council's planners will make their decision on March 6th.
:10:07. > :10:09.Well down the river from here, heading away from the UNESCO site,
:10:09. > :10:14.is another Peel project causing some controversy. A new commercial
:10:14. > :10:22.terminal. Peel might be one of the UK's most successful companies, but
:10:22. > :10:24.they get plenty of public money. And a grant heading up there to
:10:24. > :10:29.Seaforth could see Merseyside wade into another water wars with
:10:29. > :10:34.Southampton. Here is our Economics Correspondent.
:10:35. > :10:40.Peel get things done. But behind a lot of what they have done is a lot
:10:40. > :10:43.of public money. One of the latest ventures here at Seaforth. Peel is
:10:43. > :10:46.getting �35 million to dredge the River. It will allow them to
:10:46. > :10:51.develop this. A new terminal for the next generation of super-
:10:51. > :10:55.tankers. Peel will not talk about it with us. They say it is nothing
:10:55. > :11:04.to do with them as the bid for public cash has come from Sefton
:11:04. > :11:06.Council. Sefton Council won't talk about it with us. This they say
:11:07. > :11:09.this is Peel's project. So, cue round two in Merseyside's
:11:09. > :11:12.water wars with Southampton. First it was the Cruise Line terminal.
:11:13. > :11:18.Now it's the Commercial terminal. To be fair, it cannot be allowed to
:11:18. > :11:21.go unchallenged. I am in Brussels next week and I am going to lobby
:11:22. > :11:24.the South East MP about this and we will try and get this raised within
:11:25. > :11:27.the European parliament because it is clearly a case of state aided
:11:27. > :11:29.disadvantaging one part of the UK against another. Sefton say the
:11:29. > :11:32.project will create 5,000 jobs in a decade.
:11:32. > :11:35.But should one of the UK's most successful companies tap into
:11:35. > :11:40.public money? This businessman, who helps others tap into pots of
:11:40. > :11:43.public cash, thinks Peel and other big companies should not.
:11:43. > :11:46.You are concerned that these jobs would have been created with or
:11:46. > :11:49.without the public money? Yes, in many cases it is clear to see that
:11:49. > :11:52.large corporations who have already made the decision to make the
:11:52. > :11:57.investment and actually the Government funding is just cream on
:11:57. > :12:00.top of the cake. Unilever, Pirrelli and Volkswagon
:12:00. > :12:02.the owners of Bentley are other big names that will benefit from the
:12:02. > :12:06.Regional Growth Fund here in the North West.
:12:06. > :12:09.A fund that will give Peel a second slice of cash to develop Port
:12:09. > :12:12.Salford. Deputy PM Nick Clegg was promoting
:12:12. > :12:17.the fund just yesterday. He says big bucks spent with big companies
:12:17. > :12:26.is money well spent. It's important that we back success.
:12:26. > :12:28.Success breeds success. Success breeds jobs which breed more jobs.
:12:28. > :12:37.It's about delivering cash to companies that deliver jobs. Peel
:12:37. > :12:41.has a track record. We spoke to appeal today about
:12:41. > :12:48.whether they wanted public money and they said they would because it
:12:48. > :12:57.would happen more quickly and create more jobs.
:12:57. > :13:02.Still to come on North West Tonight: Stephen Europe prepares to
:13:02. > :13:12.face his cousin at Wembley. And could this be the biggest tree
:13:12. > :13:23.
:13:23. > :13:26.in the North West? We will show you the view from the top.
:13:26. > :13:29.It is an age old problem, how to while away the school holidays. Two
:13:29. > :13:32.young teenagers thought they had found the ideal solution, spending
:13:32. > :13:35.an odd hour in Salford Museum and Art Gallery. But they were turned
:13:35. > :13:38.away because they were not with an adult. The youngsters were outraged,
:13:38. > :13:41.and so were their parents. So we have been finding out more about
:13:41. > :13:44.where youngsters are welcome on their own and where they are not.
:13:44. > :13:46.Ashley and Emily are interested in history and art. Emily's mother
:13:46. > :13:49.works at Salford University. When she had to pop into work during the
:13:49. > :13:53.half-term holiday, the girls went with them, planning to visit a
:13:53. > :13:58.nearby art gallery. But they were turned away because they are the
:13:58. > :14:04.only 13 and were not with an adult. I was very disappointed and I felt
:14:04. > :14:11.angry because they would not let me in. What did you think? First of
:14:11. > :14:18.all I said, were you misbehaving? They were really indignant when I
:14:18. > :14:25.asked that. They said they were obviously not misbehaving. They
:14:25. > :14:31.asked us if we were over 13 and -- 16, and we were told them we were
:14:31. > :14:34.13 and they said no. The Museum and Art Gallery said they actively
:14:34. > :14:38.welcome young people and fully endorse the kids in museums
:14:38. > :14:42.manifesto, but they say that youngsters under the age of 16
:14:42. > :14:46.should be accompanied by an adult for their own safety. The museum
:14:46. > :14:51.say that this is a policy adopted in many places across Greater
:14:51. > :14:55.Manchester. Indeed, the Museum of Science and Industry told us they
:14:55. > :15:01.have the same policy. But the Imperial War Museum said they would
:15:01. > :15:08.accept anyone over 12 without an adult. The Museum of Liverpool said
:15:08. > :15:14.they allowed children over 11 without adults. Salford's policy is
:15:14. > :15:19.counter-productive, according to Emily's mother. You are holding
:15:19. > :15:27.yourself up to the fact that they will not come at all. At least now
:15:27. > :15:31.the girls know where they can and cannot go in the future. A studious
:15:31. > :15:34.pair as well. This is a story which has struck a
:15:34. > :15:36.chord with many of you, and visitors to our Facebook page have
:15:36. > :15:39.been giving some varied opinions this afternoon. Carol Ingleby,
:15:39. > :15:41.Caroline Hurlock and Pauline Worsley all made a similar point,
:15:41. > :15:46.that if the girls were not misbehaving they should have been
:15:46. > :15:48.allowed to stay. But museums should not be used as some kind of
:15:49. > :15:51.childcare facility, so say Mark Jarman, Sue Barlow, Robert Langton
:15:51. > :15:54.and Jean Grundy. And a number of people, like Andy Sexton, Helen
:15:54. > :15:57.Cameron and Jenny Leonard, made the point that they used to visit
:15:58. > :16:00.museums as youngsters and never had any problems. Jenny also adds that
:16:00. > :16:10.if her 12-year-old daughters went into museums rather than jewellery
:16:10. > :16:11.
:16:11. > :16:18.and shoe shops when they go out together, she'd be delighted! It
:16:18. > :16:21.would be a bit cheaper! In the last year we have seen
:16:21. > :16:24.thousands of jobs go and millions of pounds chopped from the budgets
:16:24. > :16:26.of local councils. Now those same councils are moving into a
:16:26. > :16:30.difficult second round of cuts, setting next year's budgets under
:16:30. > :16:33.similar tight constraints. So how do they go about it? And how
:16:33. > :16:36.difficult is it for our elected councillors to make decisions that
:16:36. > :16:40.can leave people without jobs or services? We have been behind the
:16:40. > :16:43.scenes at Blackpool Council to find out more.
:16:43. > :16:48.Last year, in these rooms, councillors had to work out how to
:16:48. > :16:55.save �27 million. This year it is �10 million. Big numbers, big
:16:55. > :17:00.decisions. We are about to make a very significant decision about
:17:00. > :17:03.whether we can have two senior managers are made redundant.
:17:03. > :17:08.The Labour run council has pledged to cut back office staff to protect
:17:08. > :17:15.front lines services. Is everybody composed? In the end the
:17:15. > :17:19.redundancies are agreed, but is it a false economy? He is the driving
:17:19. > :17:26.force with them that department, and to say that his understudy
:17:26. > :17:30.could do the same job, I do not accept.
:17:30. > :17:33.Fast forward a few weeks. It is early February and the council
:17:33. > :17:36.cabinet meets to fine tune the final budget they will put to the
:17:36. > :17:43.full council. This time it is miserable news for an awful lot of
:17:43. > :17:47.people, especially those who will lose their jobs as a direct effect
:17:47. > :17:50.of this project. It is decided to put forward a
:17:50. > :17:56.budget of �144.2 million, a saving of �10.6 million. 75 posts will
:17:56. > :17:59.have to go. There could be around 20 compulsory redundancies.
:17:59. > :18:03.develop quite a black sense of humour when you deal with these
:18:03. > :18:09.things every day. If I did not have a sense of humour in my job, I
:18:09. > :18:13.would slit my wrists, because of some of the jobs we have to make. -
:18:13. > :18:19.- decisions we have to make. Today, the full council formally
:18:19. > :18:24.adopted that budget. Sometimes there could be for meetings in a
:18:24. > :18:34.day with different officers and departments. I saw tears in their
:18:34. > :18:36.
:18:36. > :18:40.eyes and it was heartbreaking. course, it is not over. The council
:18:40. > :18:46.expects to have to save 9 million to �11 million next year. You could
:18:46. > :18:48.feel the headiness in that room. Sport now, and Tony, it's the
:18:48. > :18:52.Carling Cup final on Sunday, and the Liverpool manager Kenny
:18:52. > :18:59.Dalglish is on the verge of a remarkable achievement? If his side
:18:59. > :19:01.beat Cardiff he'll clock up an incredible record. He'll become
:19:01. > :19:04.just the third manager ever, following Sir Alex ferguson and
:19:04. > :19:07.Jose Mourinhio, to complete a domestic clean sweep of trophies -
:19:07. > :19:11.League Cup, FA Cup and league title. But he will go one better than
:19:11. > :19:14.those two because he has already picked up all three as a player as
:19:14. > :19:17.well. Not the first though. George Graham has already beaten him too
:19:17. > :19:20.it. It is not all about Kenny this weekend though as he himself points
:19:20. > :19:23.out. It is Liverpool's first visit to Wembley since 1996 and, as
:19:23. > :19:33.Richard Askam's been finding out, fans and players are determined to
:19:33. > :19:38.In the 70s and 80s, Liverpool made the Wembley journey so often the
:19:38. > :19:48.fans used to call it Anfield South. And 16 years on from their last
:19:48. > :19:58.
:19:58. > :20:03.visit, they can't wait. Liverpool! There is a feeling for the fans
:20:03. > :20:07.that this could lead to a whole new era of success. But some of the
:20:07. > :20:13.fans are definitely getting carried away. No disrespect for Cardiff,
:20:13. > :20:21.but we are going to win, aren't we? Do we are going to beat them for
:20:21. > :20:23.male -- 4 - 1. Normally united behind Liverpool's
:20:23. > :20:26.talismanic skipper. On Sunday there will be divided loyalties in the
:20:26. > :20:29.Gerrard family. Steven's cousin Anthony plays for Cardiff and used
:20:29. > :20:39.to kick about with his famous relative in their gran's back
:20:39. > :20:40.
:20:40. > :20:48.garden. We had kickabout as kids. That is about as far as our paths
:20:48. > :20:54.have crossed. To be in the finals, what can I say? It is good to hear
:20:54. > :20:57.he made it. There will be mixed emotions for
:20:57. > :21:06.Ex-Cardiff player Craig Bellamy as well, who will be facing former
:21:06. > :21:10.team mates and his home town club. It will be a strange situation
:21:10. > :21:15.because it will be the first time I ever played them. It is not
:21:15. > :21:24.something I am looking forward to doing. My father is a card of fan
:21:24. > :21:28.and by family, it is the club we went to when I was very young. It
:21:28. > :21:38.is great to have this occasion to add to a history and trophies we
:21:38. > :21:43.
:21:43. > :21:49.have already been able to amass It is going to be a nerve-wracking
:21:49. > :21:52.day. It's going to be a nerve-wracking
:21:52. > :21:55.day for BBC Radio Merseyside sports presenter Peter McDowell. He will
:21:55. > :21:58.be on the pitch at Wembley to introduce the singing of You'll
:21:58. > :22:01.Never Walk Alone. Radio Merseyside will be broadcasting live from
:22:01. > :22:04.Wembley Way, talking to fans in the build-up from 1pm, and of course
:22:04. > :22:06.providing full commentary on the match itself. The game is being
:22:06. > :22:08.televised live on BBC One, with comedian John Bishop, an avid
:22:08. > :22:11.Liverpool fan, among the programme's special guests. We
:22:11. > :22:14.could still be on for an all- Manchester final in the Europa
:22:14. > :22:17.League after Manchester United survived a nasty scare to qualify
:22:17. > :22:21.for the last 16 last night. Already leading Ajax two- nil from the
:22:21. > :22:23.first leg, it looked like it was going to be easy for United when
:22:23. > :22:27.Javier Hernandez put them further ahead. But a deflected shot from
:22:27. > :22:30.Aras Ozbiliz and a header from Toby Alderveireld made it two-one to the
:22:30. > :22:33.Dutch side on the night. A great save from David de Gea stopped it
:22:33. > :22:38.being a disaster for Sir Alex Ferguson's side, who face Atlethic
:22:38. > :22:44.Bilbao in the next round. United's title rivals City face Blackburn
:22:44. > :22:46.Rovers in tomorrow night's teatime kick off. Rovers are in talks to
:22:46. > :22:55.sell defender Chris Samba to the Russian side Anzhi Makachkalla. The
:22:55. > :22:58.27-year-old put in a transfer request last month. A deal will
:22:58. > :23:04.have to be completed before the Russian transfer window closes at
:23:04. > :23:11.9:00pm tonight. Finally there's Superleague action tonight for two
:23:11. > :23:14.of our teams. Salford will be hoping for their second win of the
:23:14. > :23:17.season in their home match against Hull while St Helens could overtake
:23:17. > :23:20.Warrington at the top if they beat Catalan Dragons at their new home
:23:20. > :23:23.Langtree Park. Saints will be hoping for a more convincing show
:23:23. > :23:25.than last week's incredible last kick draw at Hull KR with coach
:23:25. > :23:35.Royce Simmons confirming he requires a strong performance from
:23:35. > :23:44.
:23:44. > :23:50.his side. Rangers have found what they think is the tallest truck - a
:23:50. > :24:00.retreat in the North West. We had been to size it up. -- tallest tree
:24:00. > :24:06.in the North West. 57.8 metres, to be precise. Up a steep hillside
:24:06. > :24:10.near Ambleside the Grand Fir towers above the other trees. To find its
:24:10. > :24:13.true height, tree surgeons were brought in to climb it. From the
:24:13. > :24:18.top they dropped a line down to get an accurate measure of it's true
:24:18. > :24:28.height. The views from the top are spectacular. With a birds-eye
:24:28. > :24:29.
:24:29. > :24:32.picture of Windermere and the surrounding fells. For the
:24:32. > :24:37.record,the tree is nearly 190 feet or just short of 58 metres, taller
:24:37. > :24:41.than a dozen double decker buses. It does not have as much soil, but
:24:41. > :24:48.if you look around, there are a plenty of big trees. There is
:24:48. > :24:51.something in the climate that allows these trees to grow so tall.
:24:51. > :24:57.The Grand Fir originated in Canada and is widespread across North
:24:57. > :25:01.America but no so common here. The tree would have been brought over
:25:02. > :25:10.here from North America and the Rangers you wanted something very
:25:10. > :25:13.special. -- and the Rangers here wanted something very special. The
:25:13. > :25:18.tree's in Skelghyll Woods which is managed by the National Trust.
:25:18. > :25:21.They're are planning to put up a plaque to mark it's great height.
:25:21. > :25:31.plaque to mark it's great height. Beautiful. We should take a look at
:25:31. > :25:31.
:25:31. > :25:38.the weather. I should have been up that tree doing the weather!
:25:38. > :25:43.It is definitely getting cooler but Saturday should be dry and bright.
:25:43. > :25:47.It could be damper on Sunday but there is nothing dreadful going on.
:25:47. > :25:52.If you fancy a bit of star-gazing, you could see Venus tomorrow
:25:52. > :25:56.evening just as the sun is setting. It sets a bit later now but if you
:25:56. > :26:04.look to the left of the Crescent min, that is where you should see
:26:05. > :26:09.it. Something to look forward in the skies. We saw a fair bit of a
:26:09. > :26:14.cloud and drizzly rain today. Every night tonight, it is a case of an
:26:14. > :26:19.awful lot of clear weather just about everywhere. A little bit of
:26:19. > :26:26.Patti cloud, but there are lots of clear skies through the night. --
:26:27. > :26:33.patchy cloud. It could go down to one or two Celsius tonight. That is
:26:33. > :26:37.a nippy enough but it will be three or four or in towns and cities. It
:26:37. > :26:44.is a very straight for Road Day tomorrow. Patchy cloud, it sunny
:26:44. > :26:48.spells. -- straightforward day tomorrow. I think we will all see a
:26:48. > :26:55.bit of sunshine through bidet. I cannot promise a huge amount, but
:26:55. > :27:00.it will be enough to make a difference. -- sunshine through the
:27:00. > :27:05.day. There will be some north- westerly wind to take us through.
:27:05. > :27:11.Not as strong as it was today. Temperatures will be at eight or
:27:11. > :27:18.nine at the best. Saturday night is another cold one. On Sunday, a more
:27:18. > :27:26.cloud cover. But it is the weekend! Who cares? Be to cycle to work
:27:26. > :27:33.today? I did! -- did you cycle to work today? I did! I wore a lot of