24/12/2013 North West Tonight

Good evening. Local campaigners have welcomed

today's news that the Second World War code`breaker Alan Turing, who

worked at Manchester University has received a posthumous royal pardon.

Dr Turing was convicted in 1952 for homosexual activity, which was

illegal at the time. He killed himself two years later. There's

been a long campaign, largely based in Manchester, to secure his pardon.

We've certainly adopted him as one of our own. He spent a lot of time

working here, he lived here, he loved the city, and the city loved

Alan Turing. That is evident in street names, buildings, statues,

bridges. For him to be celebrated today means an awful lot to

Manchester. Lancashire Police are continuing

their investigation after a man s body was discovered in a street in

Chorley. He's believed to have been aged in his fifties, and his death

is being treated as unexplained at the moment. His body was found in

Gillibrand Walks near the town centre, early this morning.

The government has given its support to a smartphone app which will allow

cyclists to report potholes. The idea was announced by Roads

Minister Robert Goodwill who has been in Oldham, looking at the

problem. It will enable the councils, particularly older which

is one of the best in terms of its strategy for maintaining roads.

"Lest we forget", the inscription on memorials dating back to the First

World War. As the years go by though, many of those named have

been forgotten. But 12`year`old Beth McGivern is determined that one man

from Liverpool, who died at the Somme, will be remembered. She's our

final Christmas star. This is a story of a kind of

friendship, a soldier and a school born a century apart. Both from

Liverpool, they never met. The soldier was Sidney Harris, he lived

in egg birth. When the First World War came along, he joined one of the

liveable battalions. In 1916, when he was 24, he died at the Battle of

the Somme. Sidney Harris's grave was derelict, until discovered by Beth

McGivern. She is 12. Bethany thought, this man is a war

hero, nobody is looking after his grave. She looks after him all the

time. These mementos on the grave. Beth has raved ?1000 towards a

memorial to the battalion in Liverpool. We would like to give

this Christmas star to Bethany on our behalf.

That is beautiful, she will really appreciate that.

We would like to say we are so proud of what you have done. Why is it

important to remember soldiers? Because they gave their lives for

us. As the centenary of the Great War pictures, Beth McGivern is

determined one`man's sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Eno's here to tell us about the Christmas weather.

Good evening. A windy afternoon but mostly dry. 12 showers sneaking

through by late afternoon. We still have four flood warnings from the

Environment Agency. And we hang onto that yellow weather warning for

strong winds from the wet `` the Met Office. Showers continue to feed

through. They will ease away after midnight. Dreyer, the winds will

fade. Clear skies. A chilly night, temperatures dropping to two

Celsius. Some frost on Christmas morning. Thankfully, Christmas Day

looks much quieter. We start on a dry and bright note tomorrow. I

don't think we will see hardly any showers. Plenty of sunshine in the

afternoon, not particularly warm, eight Celsius may be. Boxing Day

looks really good. For the time being, your local radio can update

you on travel. That's all from us tonight. Our next

bulletin's at 1pm on Boxing Day From everyone at North West Tonight,

Hello. The weather has been a little kinder today to travellers and

last-minute Christmas shoppers across England and Wales. Not as bad

as we feared across Northern Ireland. We have a warning out

across parts of Scott and for that strong wind through this evening. Up

to 80 miles an hour across the far north of Scotland for a