14/11/2013 North West Tonight

Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight, with Annabel Tiffin and

Roger Johnson. Our top story: 7 0 jobs under threat. The Leader of

Blackpool Council says they can t go on like this.

Blackpool is a very deprived area and we cannot afford this level of

cuts. How creative can one council be with

its cuts? We hear from those directly affected.

Accused of slapping a patient at a Lancashire nursing home. She denies

it, saying she was a model carer. We are impressed and where they are

getting ready to ship out age to those affect it by the typhoon in

the Philippines. `` aid. So there I was in the gym, and

you'll never guess who came in! The Manchester muscleman, who clearly

wasn't expecting a Royal visit. And the award goes to? Your chance

to nominate someone in our search for a star.

The lights went off in Blackpool last weekend when the illuminations

ended. But the gloom deepened today, with the local council announcing it

needs to cut 700 jobs over the next two years. It is struggling to make

savings of ?36 million.The council leader calls the cuts

incomprehensible and blames Government austerity measures.

The Government says local government is not being unfairly targeted.

Peter Marshall is here with more. For Britain's capital of fun, this

is no laughing matter. Next year, it has to save ?15.8 million. The year

after, ?19.8 million. That means losing 700 jobs. Staff are being

asked to consider voluntary redundancy, reduced hours, unpaid

leave and a pay freeze. The council leader says he faces an

almost impossible job. I think it is very important people

make their voices heard and they asked of questions of the

government. But Paul was a very deprived area and we cannot afford

this level of cuts. `` Blackpool is. They have pledged to protect front

line social workers. But all departments are expected to

make savings. So more services will rely on more and more volunteers.

So groups like the Blackpool Wellness Service, which runs group

walks, could find themselves needing more and more volunteers. I will be

sitting in the House now. Not out walking meeting people all it is

good. The council is being creative, to

save money. At the local tip, a shop has been set up, selling reclaimed

goods, with `` generated going back into the waste service.

Until the opening of this, a lot of the material would have gone into

the skip. Most of it would have gone to landfill.

Unions say the outlined cuts are deplorable.

That will have a long`term detrimental effect to the standard

of living in Blackpool. In response, the Department for

Communities and Local Government says: "Every bit of the public

sector needs to keep doing its bit to pay off the inherited deficit,

including local government, which accounts for a quarter of all public

spending." Thank you very much.

A senior member of staff accused of slapping a patient at a nursing home

in Lancashire today described herself as a model carer. A senior

member of staff accused of slapping a patient at a nursing home in

Lancashire today described herself as a model carer. Carol Ann Moore is

one of three staff accused of abusing patients at Hillcroft, a

home in Slyne with Hest, near Lancaster. A fourth is awaiting

sentence, after admitting eight offences. Stuart Flinders was at

Preston Crown Court. What was the court told?

The court heard today for the first time from one of the defendants

Carol Ann Moore, a senior carer at Hillcroft, a home for residents with

serious Alzheimer's among others. She denied running across a room to

slap a patient because his wife had made a complaint against her, she

said there was no complaint. She was asked if she had never `` had ever

slapped a complaint? She said, never. She also denied throwing

balls at patients because she was ordered off for entertainment and

she was asked about the frustrations of working with patients who could

sometimes the aggressive. She said...

Tell us about the other defendants. Darren Smith, from Lancaster, has

admitted abusing eight people at the home already and he is awaiting

sentence. Carol Ann Moore described him as, soft, and, a good carer She

said she was surprised to hear he had been abusing patients. Gemma

Pearson as a co`defendant and she denies tipping a resident out of his

chair. Carol Ann Moore described her as, lovely, very willing to learn.

Katie Cairns, from Morecambe, is accused of stamping on the foot of a

patient. Did Mrs Moore say why she thought

the allegations had been made against her?

She described herself in court, as, a model carer. She said there was an

atmosphere of itchiness at the home. She said that she knew what it was

like to be picked on. All three women do neither charges against

them and the trial continues tomorrow. `` denied the charges

Detectives investigating historical allegations of sex abuse at a school

in Rochdale say they have been given access to council files. Knowl View

was at the centre of claims against the former MP Sir Cyril Smith last

year. Since then, the force says it has been contacted by a number of

former pupils, and it has been investigating ten suspects.

Ian Stanton, from Merseyside, has been named on Britain's Most Wanted

list. He is suspected of smuggling ?90 million`worth of cocaine in a

shipment of frozen beef from Argentina. It is thought he may be

hiding in Spain. An Isle of Man food bank is being

launched to help tackle what is being described as the problem of

the hidden hungry. Last year, the Salvation Army provided food parcels

for 3,000 people. That figure is expected to rise.

When people think of the Isle of Man, they think of an affluent

place. And, yes. But we feel the difference between the very rich and

the very poorest, that gap may be quite large in comparison to other

countries. There are plans to open the set of

Coronation Street to the public next year, after filming moves to a new

site. A visitor attraction, allowing fans to walk down the cobbles, could

open for six months from next spring. It has been closed to

visitors since 1999. It has been called one of the worst

natural disasters of recent times, and although it is happening on the

other side of the world, people here in the North West are doing their

bit to help. An estimated 2,500 people have died as a result of

Typhoon Haiyan, in the Philippines, with thousands more left injured and

homeless. But such has been the support from our region, one local

charity is planning to send ?1 million`worth of aid from its base

in Preston. Ian Haslam reports. Thousands dead, thousands missing,

thousands in desperate need. According to the United Nations the

relief operation is gaining momentum. At this warehouse in

Preston, they are doing all they can.

It is wonderful to see the shelves fall but we want them empty and to

get the stuff out. The people of the north`west or always happy to

respond, they are some of the and most compassionate people you could

wish to meet. That is why international aid has been so

successful. The International Aid Trust is one

of many charities preparing to send donations to the Philippines.

Anything that can help is welcome, as volunteers pack the hundreds of

tonnes that it is hoped will be delivered later this month.

This is a part of the warehouse where they pack the clothes, things

like scarfs, heading and clothes for adult and children. Boxes of things

donated by the people of the north`west.

We have had telephone calls and e`mails from as far afield as

Manchester and beyond looking to drop things off, and some are coming

in at the weekend because they have no local drop`off points. They are

making special journeys to bring items.

Still, donations are coming in, including these parcels collected by

people in Leyland. It is heart`wrenching. It is still

something in you to want to help. `` it instils.

It will save lives. There is not a moment of the day our workers around

the world are not saving lives and changing lives for the better.

The Philippines will need overseas aid for years to come. Donations

from the North West will help provide relief from the devastation.

Wonderful to see the generosity of people here to help people so far

away. Definitely.

Still to come on North West Tonight: Found in a field, the hunt to return

this medal to the family of a World War I soldier.

OK, now, everybody, just act normal. Who is it? The Manchester muscleman

and a right Royal surprise! He is saying, who!

We will talk more about the Queen 's visit to Manchester later.

Merseyside's Police Commissioner, Jane Kennedy, has told North West

Tonight she fears crime might start rising if police numbers continue to

be cut. It is a year since Police Commissioners were first elected to

oversee our forces. Our political editor, Arif Ansari, has been

looking at what progress they have made.

Our Police Commissioners have spent the year establishing themselves in

new posts. They have set priorities and budgets. Merseyside's

Commissioner has cut her own office costs by a third.

That has released money and they have been able to start recruiting

new offices, fantastic. Had the police authority been in place, they

would not have been able to do that. And she is spreading the word, this

week meeting students from Hugh Baird College in Bootle.

You all know that man? Gotham city, there is a character called

Commissioner Gordon. Do you know him? That is me.

Yes, Commissioner. It is black widow!

She might not be battling the Black Widow, but Commissioner Kennedy is

trying to build better links between the police and the public.

She listens to us and we got a say about stuff.

Some things are good and other things are not perfect.

There have been difficulties. In Cumbria, Richard Rhodes paid back

?700 he claimed for two chauffeured car journeys. And Lancashire's Clive

Grunshaw is still being investigated over expenses he claimed before he

was elected. But one expert says it is still progress.

Police and Crime Commissioner is have maybe been getting attention

for the wrong things but I have been getting attention and that is the

beginnings of accountability. But our commissioners are worried

that as police numbers fall, crime might rise.

There is a fear on Merseyside that might happen. We have not seen it

yet. There other parts of the country where crime is starting to

go up. Will that happen here?

I fear that might happen here. Added pressure to the job.

Our political editor, Arif Ansari, joins us now. They did not have the

biggest mandate, has it been a good first year?

That is the point about the mandate because we start from such a low

base. Turnout for the elections was 15% or less, the lowest turnout in

British political history. So it could really be only up after that

and they have worked hard to establish themselves. If you look at

some of them, it has been a difficult year. Highest profile

Police Commissioner we have had is in Lancashire, Clive Crenshaw, but

for the wrong reasons about his expenses. `` Grunshaw.

He says he has done nothing wrong. But Jane Kennedy says she fears

crime might rise if numbers continue to be cut, which is almost certainly

the case, and she does not have access to a bat phone!

Very important! Thank you. The UK is expected to have nearly

one million people with dementia by the end of the decade and a new

project here in the North West is looking at ways to address the needs

of sufferers. Innovate Dementia is tackling misconceptions by helping

to develop services, with the help of people who will use them. Yunus

Mulla reports. They talk about you and around you,

they talk over you but they never talk to you. You feel the loneliest

person in the world. Tom was diagnosed with dementia two years

ago after a breakdown at work. His brain, he says, it is a bit like a

cassette. Only certain memories are not present because they were never

recorded. You think, I am not going to be able to feed myself and to

wash myself, but you do not lose your intelligence. That is the

starting point for it project run by Liverpool John Mills University ``

John Moores University, winking businesses together to shape

services. A smartphone application was being developed here for

museums. We have not done that as a society

but there is a greater movement to really listen. To listen to people

dementia who are living with this. A series of events are being held

next week across Liverpool. A way to reach out to Liverpool `` to people

living with dementia and an opportunity to influence the

services that they use. You feel you have lost your husband,

but he is there and when he is doing this work, it is him again. And

sometimes I think, I have got him back, and then I have not. But it

does not matter. You live for today. You take up away from anyone and you

have taken away their life will stop as `` hope. As a person with

dementia, I believe people will start to understand and it is

fantastic. It has been in the ground for nearly

100 years, a Victory medal for disorder who served in the first

world war. A metal detector wrist on the Isle of Man found it and now the

search is on to find the person it belonged to.

The World War I was one of the deadliest conflicts in history.

Those mobilised in any service were awarded with a Victory medal. Now,

almost 100 years on, this one has been found in a field on the Isle of

Man. I knew it was a medal and it was

only when I got home I realised it was a World War I medal.

Each one has the recipient's service number, rank, name and unit

impressed on the rim. His name is William Henry Bellingham

and he was in the Coldstream Guards. `` Gelling. I believe he was

shot and wounded in 1917 and he was medically discharged.

Official records show that 8,26 Manx men enlisted in the Armed

Forces, which was 82.3% of the Isle of Man's male population of military

age. Nearly 2,000 Manxmen were killed or injured in the World War

I. Many of them are remembered at the Cenotaph in Douglas.

It shows you the level of involvement in the war and no Manx

family would have been untouched, there would have had sons in the

Army Navy. The next step is to try and trace

any relatives. The last veteran died a couple of

years ago. So that generation has passed. But it could be this man

still has relatives on the Isle of Man, in the north`west or around the

world. If no family can be found, the medal

will be put on display in this museum on the Isle of Man.

Fascinating story, get in touch if you have any idea who the family of

the man might be. It is Children in Need tomorrow and

the Northwest will be on the television more than you would

expect because the new spotty BBC One ident was made here in Salford.

Here are the children from Chorlton High school who made it live on Blue

Peter tonight. Looks great. I was watching it out of the window.

I am surprised they made it so late, Children in Need is tomorrow, it

might have been raining! Now, thanks to everyone who is

planning to raise money for Children in Need, that money will make a

difference. It will make a difference to projects like the

Boathouse Youth charity, which is using the money to take local

children on summer camps. This year's was in the Ribble Valley

In 2010, my mother passed away. Through use of alcohol and drugs and

stuff. There are five of us and my dad was struggling so because I was

the oldest, I had to help out. Winfield Ward is statistically one

of the most deprived wards in the UK `` Bloomfield. It's on `` it suffers

deprivation, poor housing, there is not a good school in the area, there

are no facilities for young people other than what we are providing.

I got in with the wrong crowd and I started to move away from that. Then

I came to the youth club more and I started helping out to move away

from this stuff. They keep me off the streets and out

of trouble. They helped me to quit smoking.

It has given me a place to go and be with my friends, other than on the

streets and getting into trouble. It is a place I could go when I was

having a bad time at home and it is just a really nice place to be.

For many of these young people, this will be the only time they go away

this year and maybe the only time they come out of the area. It could

be the only time they have been on a train or a coach. The money is going

towards changing the lives of young people, we try to be a constant

positives in the lives of these children.

`` positive. If you are happy and you know it and

you really want to show it! Fantastic. One of the projects which

benefits from your money for Children in Need. If you are doing

something, take a photograph on your phone and camera and e`mail it to

us. We will put together a montage and we might feature it. Thank you

in advance for every penny you raise. Children in Need is not the

only time people do special things for people. Every day, people right

across our region go the extra mile when it comes to helping others

This Christmas, we want to recognise their kindness, but we need you to

tell us about them. Abbie Jones can tell us more.

Yes, Christmas is coming, and we want to reward people across the

North West who have really helped someone, who have really made a

difference, with something special to go on top of their tree this

year. This is it. A Star Award. Wouldn't you fancy giving this to

someone this Christmas? So we want to know about a loved one, a

neighbour, a colleague, a teacher, a stranger even who has done something

so unique, so special, that they deserve a big thank you. Perhaps

they have gone above and beyond in doing you a favour, or you have been

touched by a random act of kindness. Tell us your story, we will come and

film with you, and we will present, where possible, that special person

with this award. Fantastic. It is not up bout

necessarily people doing caring as a profession. `` it is not about. So

what do people have to do then if they have a star person in mind

Well, we want you to email us because we want to know a little bit

about your story, about the person you are nominating. Tell us how they

have gone that extra mile for you and a bit about the person. Email us

at [email protected]. I am sure we all know somebody who has done something

special. You may not think it, but hopefully... It would be great to

say about thank you. Listen to this. Top quality! It is

the sentiment. Thank you. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh

were in Manchester today for a whistle`stop tour of the city.

And the crowds turned out in force. They may have only been here for a

few hours, but there was plenty to do, as Beccy Meehan reports.

Even the Monarch isn't spared the vagaries of the rail network. The

Royal train pulled in to Manchester Piccadilly this morning six minutes

late. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were welcomed by the Lord

Lieutenant of Manchester and hundreds of well`wishers.

Really excited. Absolutely brilliant. Getting better every

time. I tried to get the early train but I missed it because the Queen

was there! I had a nice lot in the window. `` look.

And for some, the excitement was almost overwhelming. I got weak at

the knees. She really is stunning. And the Duke! It has made my day. It

is surprising all the people who do not say they like her have turned

up. Next, the Queen and Duke of

Edinburgh headed to Manchester's Angel Square to formally open the

new Co`Operative Group headquarters. Before heading to Harpurhey, to tour

the Factory Youth Zone, a sports, arts and recreation centre for young

people in one of the most deprived areas in the country. The youth

centre has almost 2,500 members and some of those demonstrating the gym

facilities today seemed quite taken aback by the Royal arrival.

It was a short visit, but one that brought smiles to many faces.

I cannot see that enough, it makes me laugh! He said, who is that? !

The Royal couple had lunch at Gorton monastery, eatable, which we have

reported a watt. Security was tight, apparently. Some

people got in! I do not know how! We look like a happily married

couple who have just signed the register!

That is one way of looking at it! It was very exciting, and you got to

shake her hand. I did, and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Shall we move on to whether royalty? I was going to say, stop it, you

will start a rumour! It was a bitterly cold day with a

bitterly wind that took the edge of the temperatures. Not a one day and

with the wind, it felt like six seven Celsius. The temperatures will

stay the same but we change the wind direction. Over the weekend, it will

hopefully be mild with temperatures in double figures, but a watt of

cloud. Hardly any cloud tonight A quiet night. `` a lot. Patchy

grassed frost by Dawn. `` grass Lots of Cumbria will see low

temperatures. All change tomorrow. We will hang on to the cloud all

day. Clouds will edge in after a dry start tomorrow. It should be mostly

dry tomorrow. Lighter winds, and tomorrow, still plenty more cloud

and they will continue to thicken to bring rain. It will be a milder

night. Seven, eight Celsius. But some rain. Into Saturday, this

weather front will edge in and it will bring light and patchy rain

initially, but rain will come in from Sunday night into Monday. That

could be an issue. It will not be particularly one, but it could be

heavy. `` long. So for the weekend, it will be cloudy. Temperatures not

great, nine or 10 Celsius, but not as windy as today. Enjoy it. Thank

you very much. Don't forget, if you have someone in mind to nominate for

a Star Award this Christmas, this is the address. And tell others about

their act of kindness. Same e`mail address if you are raising money for

Children in Need. Good evening.