:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to North West Tonight with Annabel Tiffin -
:00:00. > :00:08.Oldham's University Technical College closes
:00:09. > :00:10.after just three years - not one child passed
:00:11. > :00:16.But the man in charge denies it was a failed experiment.
:00:17. > :00:20.Also tonight: Jail for the thugs who fed a pet hamster drugs -
:00:21. > :00:28.A bird flu case is confirmed at the Martin Mere Wetlands
:00:29. > :00:34.And the Normandy veteran still putting his best foot forward.
:00:35. > :00:51.Why Don's daily mountain hike keeps him fighting fit at 94.
:00:52. > :00:54.The Government spent tens of millions of pounds setting up
:00:55. > :00:56.new vocational colleges in the North West, but today
:00:57. > :00:58.a second University Technical College in our region
:00:59. > :01:05.UTCs allow children to leave school at 14 and concentrate on learning
:01:06. > :01:12.But Oldham's is the latest to fail due to low student numbers.
:01:13. > :01:27.It opened only three years ago, at a cost of ?9 million.
:01:28. > :01:30.But this university technical college in Oldham will
:01:31. > :01:34.The trustees in charge say too few teenagers wanted to study here,
:01:35. > :01:45.These students say they'd benefited from unintentionally small classes
:01:46. > :01:57.The people that were here were stuck here because they had no other
:01:58. > :02:01.choice. This year, the exams would be great because they are here for
:02:02. > :02:03.the right reasons and doing their best. At the beginning of the air,
:02:04. > :02:09.there wasn't as many students. One of the town's MPs
:02:10. > :02:20.has branded the project They are throwing money at it but
:02:21. > :02:24.not good at making sure the foundations put in place are solid
:02:25. > :02:29.and sustainable in the long term. What I want to see is a decent
:02:30. > :02:36.college funding. That the Met -- at the moment that isn't what we have
:02:37. > :02:42.got. It is working with the area to find more students. It is not the
:02:43. > :02:47.only place that will close in the summer. Birmingham's said it will
:02:48. > :02:52.close at the end of the year. Another engineering college with
:02:53. > :03:02.recruitment problems. This is one of our smaller studios.
:03:03. > :03:15.We are doing well in terms of our recruitment. We have 400 students
:03:16. > :03:19.and are on track to hit the target. Each UTC is different and is based
:03:20. > :03:24.on the infrastructure it has in place. We are fortunate and are
:03:25. > :03:29.based in the heart of media city and linked to the University of Salford.
:03:30. > :03:33.We have backing and the employers know we are here and working with
:03:34. > :03:35.this. That is what makes it successful.
:03:36. > :03:37.The Department for Education says its priority
:03:38. > :03:40.in Oldham is to minimise disruption for existing UTC students
:03:41. > :03:45.and to find an alternative educational use for the site.
:03:46. > :03:47.University Technical Colleges were the brainchild of the former
:03:48. > :03:54.The Baker Dearing Trust is now responsible for promoting
:03:55. > :04:04.Earlier I spoke to Charles Parker from the Trust.
:04:05. > :04:10.It is a new programme. It is something which has come into the
:04:11. > :04:14.English school system because of the terrible shortage of skills and
:04:15. > :04:18.because employers and universities have been saying to us that it
:04:19. > :04:23.doesn't matter what the school system is producing. It's not giving
:04:24. > :04:30.us what we need. What we have done with the backing of the government
:04:31. > :04:34.is to start these schools in areas where the skills requirement was so
:04:35. > :04:40.great. The employers were prepared to support. It sounds like you are
:04:41. > :04:44.just experimenting. This is an experiment and you are experimenting
:04:45. > :04:51.with children's futures. It was an experiment. That was the one thing
:04:52. > :04:56.that we were really concerned about. What is so great. Even in the case
:04:57. > :05:01.of this one, the students that have come to us have had a really good
:05:02. > :05:06.experience. Now that experience has ended and they are in the middle of
:05:07. > :05:11.their GCSEs and they have to find a new school. That is failing these
:05:12. > :05:15.children. Actually we know it will not be failing these children. We
:05:16. > :05:22.will know what we will do with each and every one of them. They will all
:05:23. > :05:27.find a proper place to go either to complete their education at the end
:05:28. > :05:31.of this year or to carry on for the following year. And you are failing
:05:32. > :05:36.and this UTC is failing these pupils because not one of them has achieved
:05:37. > :05:41.grade C or higher in both English and maths. That is failing those
:05:42. > :05:46.children. That is one way of looking at it. There is no other way of
:05:47. > :05:51.looking at it. If they are not coming out with maths and English,
:05:52. > :05:55.that is failing those children. I suggest that is another way of
:05:56. > :06:00.looking at it. The students who came to us had a really poor experience
:06:01. > :06:04.at what is called Key stage three from 11 to 13. They came to us
:06:05. > :06:08.because quite candidly the schools from which they came work content
:06:09. > :06:16.for them to leave. They came to us and have done remarkably well in
:06:17. > :06:21.terms of progress. How do you judge pupils failing maths and English as
:06:22. > :06:25.doing really well? The weight you judge children is by the progress
:06:26. > :06:31.they make. The children who have been at the Oldham UTC have done
:06:32. > :06:37.better in exams. They have done better in exams than they would have
:06:38. > :06:42.done well -- if they had stayed where they were. We can never know
:06:43. > :06:48.that the shore. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for having me.
:06:49. > :06:50.Greater Manchester Police say they've found no evidence of a cover
:06:51. > :06:52.up of sexual abuse at the former Knowl View Childrens
:06:53. > :06:55.They carried out a two year investigation, after allegations
:06:56. > :06:58.that abuse at the home in the 1960s and 70s had been
:06:59. > :07:01.The alleged abusers are said to have included the town's
:07:02. > :07:09.A man who abandoned his friend and left him to die after a police
:07:10. > :07:11.car chase has been been sentenced to six years in prison.
:07:12. > :07:14.21-year-old Declan Blackburne was a passenger in Mark McCormack's car
:07:15. > :07:20.After losing control of the vehicle and crashing
:07:21. > :07:22.into a lampost in Stockport, McCormack fled, leaving
:07:23. > :07:24.Mr Blackburne in the car with severe injuries.
:07:25. > :07:30.An independent investigation into the deaths of 13 premature
:07:31. > :07:33.babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit
:07:34. > :07:37.has found there was no single cause or factor behind the increase
:07:38. > :07:39.The review makes 24 recommendations to improve standards,
:07:40. > :07:52.including strengthened review procedures and incident reporting.
:07:53. > :07:54.The Martin Mere Wetland centre in West Lancashire is taking
:07:55. > :07:56.precautionary measures against bird flu after the disease
:07:57. > :08:01.The centre hasn't closed to the public and there are no plans
:08:02. > :08:04.Thousands of birds, including pheasants and ducks,
:08:05. > :08:06.have been killed at farms in Lancashire because of
:08:07. > :08:10.Our reporter Andy Gill joins us now from Martin Mere.
:08:11. > :08:18.Andy how much concern is there there this evening?
:08:19. > :08:26.The concern is for the welfare of birds and wild birds and domestic
:08:27. > :08:36.birds. It has tens of thousands of birds which come here overwinter.
:08:37. > :08:41.They have had one case of bird flu here in goose which is confirmed
:08:42. > :08:52.late last week. This is a strain of bird flu called H5N8. It has been
:08:53. > :08:57.making its way across Europe and arrived in December last year. It
:08:58. > :09:05.has been end farm premises north of here in Lancashire. It was found at
:09:06. > :09:12.pheasant farm and other premises. There are no plans for a cull here
:09:13. > :09:22.at Martin Mere. Mott measures to contain any possible risk being
:09:23. > :09:27.taken now? -- what measures? It can come through bird droppings. They
:09:28. > :09:30.have disinfectant mats for pedestrians and visitors going into
:09:31. > :09:35.the centre here and for vehicles going into other parts of the site.
:09:36. > :09:41.They are taking other precautions and I am joined by Nick Brooks who
:09:42. > :09:45.is the general manager here at Martin Mere. Tell us about the
:09:46. > :09:50.disinfectant mats. What are they supposed to do? We have put them
:09:51. > :09:55.down so people coming in, bring the disease into the site but also
:09:56. > :10:02.people coming out in case we do end up with another case on site, don't
:10:03. > :10:07.take it out. We know people around the area keep birds themselves and
:10:08. > :10:10.live on a farm and we don't want to infect their birds. We don't want
:10:11. > :10:15.their birds to infect our birds. That is the reason for going over
:10:16. > :10:21.the mats. You have wild birds here but also a zoo of domestic birds.
:10:22. > :10:27.You had to take some precautions with those also. The wildfowl
:10:28. > :10:34.collection is separate from the reserve birds. What we want to do is
:10:35. > :10:39.prevent as much as we can, a mixture between the wild birds and domestic
:10:40. > :10:44.birds. When we discovered the wild bird, the goose, had been discovered
:10:45. > :10:49.with the H5N8, we took the decision to stop selling birdseed to the
:10:50. > :10:55.public because that's one of the activities that people want to do.
:10:56. > :10:59.We decided to control how that feeding is done. If we can control
:11:00. > :11:05.that at specific times, we are better able to control wild birds
:11:06. > :11:10.coming in and trying to free loads on the birds in our collection.
:11:11. > :11:15.Thank you. From Martin Mere, back to you.
:11:16. > :11:17.Trading standards officers in Blackpool investigating a rogue
:11:18. > :11:20.trader needed three articulated lorries to move all the counterfeit
:11:21. > :11:24.They found more than a quarter of a million
:11:25. > :11:27.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle dolls at premises in Salford and London.
:11:28. > :11:29.Jacob Kahn was found guilty of trademarking offences
:11:30. > :11:34.He'll be sentenced at a later date.
:11:35. > :11:36.Former Liverpool footballer Jamie Carragher has
:11:37. > :11:38.helped launch an appeal - to raise 15 million pounds
:11:39. > :11:43.for a new dedicated cancer hospital on Merseyside.
:11:44. > :11:45.The Clatterbridge Centre in Wirral which treats more than
:11:46. > :11:50.28,000 patients a year wants to build a new
:11:51. > :12:02.Sad subject, really, it is something that affects us all
:12:03. > :12:04.whether individually or a family or a friend
:12:05. > :12:08.To have a facility like this in the heart of Liverpool can only
:12:09. > :12:15.A man from Lancaster has been jailed after feeding drugs to a hamster.
:12:16. > :12:18.RSPCA inspectors today said they had never seen a case like it
:12:19. > :12:20.and that they were sickened by the cruelty involved.
:12:21. > :12:33.This isn't an ordinary fizzy drink and it isn't being shaken as a
:12:34. > :12:37.prank. It is being mixed with the deadly drug LSD. The footer shows a
:12:38. > :12:45.group of men feeding the drug mixture to a hamster. Cannabis
:12:46. > :12:48.leaves were put through the cage. He was given four months in prison and
:12:49. > :12:54.banned from keeping animals for years. The other man got 80 hours
:12:55. > :13:00.community service and was banned from keeping animals for two years.
:13:01. > :13:03.It sickens me because they are defenceless animals may look to us
:13:04. > :13:09.to be looked after you stop it is sad because it willingly went up to
:13:10. > :13:16.them and had clearly got no idea. Obviously was made to suffer. The
:13:17. > :13:20.hamster has now been re-homed but he also owned two dogs. He pleaded
:13:21. > :13:26.guilty to failing to provide veterinary care for them after they
:13:27. > :13:30.sustained head injuries. Here at the RSP CAA -- RSPCA centre in
:13:31. > :13:34.Blackpool, they have made a good turnaround. Really happy with how
:13:35. > :13:41.they have come on. It is amazing how they can be so loyal to us with the
:13:42. > :13:45.way they have been treated. They have responded really well to our
:13:46. > :13:51.training. They are still excitable puppies. They are fantastic dogs,
:13:52. > :13:58.they really are. Be RSPCA that now the court case is over, both dogs
:13:59. > :14:03.will be able to find new homes and a new lease of life.
:14:04. > :14:07.We continue our countdown to the start of the new Super League
:14:08. > :14:10.season with two more of the region's top teams.
:14:11. > :14:27.How Don's daily mountain hike keeps the Normandy veteran in his prime.
:14:28. > :14:35.Is this getting your mouthwatering? Especially if you haven't eaten this
:14:36. > :14:38.morning -- this evening. The campaign has been launched by the
:14:39. > :14:40.RAF. Stuart Robinson from Morecambe
:14:41. > :14:42.sustained life changing injuries while serving in Afghanistan,
:14:43. > :14:55.including the loss of both legs. He was in the kitchen with a top
:14:56. > :14:59.chef earlier today. We have strict instructions not to get in the way.
:15:00. > :15:02.The Great British Sunday Lunch is calling on the country to get
:15:03. > :15:06.And it's a cause close to Stuart Robinson's heart.
:15:07. > :15:09.Sunday lunch is a Great British tradition that families can do
:15:10. > :15:13.together as one and why not do it in aid of the fund who I've been
:15:14. > :15:17.Support that began in 2013 after Stuart, then an RAF
:15:18. > :15:22.Regiment Corporal, lost both his legs following a Taliban
:15:23. > :15:28.Not only are you trying to come to terms with what happened
:15:29. > :15:30.and what injuries you sustained, it's then trying to focus
:15:31. > :15:36.They've had the fatal knock at the door, to deal with the whole
:15:37. > :15:43.Which means combining his role as a house husband and Dad to two
:15:44. > :15:47.children with winning wheelchair rugby medals for Britain
:15:48. > :15:52.Being from a forces background, you wear the Union Jack
:15:53. > :15:55.on your sleeve and to be able to go out there and do it again
:15:56. > :15:57.but in a sporting environment, it means an awful lot not just
:15:58. > :16:02.to myself but to prove that life goes on after injury.
:16:03. > :16:05.To be able to go there and win medals, it's kind
:16:06. > :16:11.This is a pearl barley broth and apparently your onions
:16:12. > :16:17.Underneath all these nice ingredients, yes.
:16:18. > :16:19.I feel like a poor man's Aynsley Harriet here.
:16:20. > :16:25.Also feeling good was happy chef, Michael.
:16:26. > :16:30.He's chopping the onions, sweating the onions really well.
:16:31. > :16:34.He's an inspirational person to have met.
:16:35. > :16:37.But how inspirational does his food taste?
:16:38. > :16:41.And the thoughts of his daughter, Amelia?
:16:42. > :16:47.There'll hopefully be more enthusiasm when Stuart cooks
:16:48. > :16:49.for the Great British Sunday Lunch on April 2nd.
:16:50. > :16:59.Ian Haslam, BBC North West Tonight, Morecambe.
:17:00. > :17:16.Looked good. Richard is here the sport. We are starting the countdown
:17:17. > :17:24.to the Super League season. We will do two and night for three nights.
:17:25. > :17:25.Tonight Rich we're looking at St Helens and Widnes Vikings?
:17:26. > :17:28.Yes, Saints will have their sights set on the big prize this year.
:17:29. > :17:30.They were knocked out in the semi-finals last season.
:17:31. > :17:33.Widnes Vikings will be looking to build on their last campaign.
:17:34. > :17:35.Denis Betts side made it into the Super 8's - the
:17:36. > :17:41.But both sides have big holes to fill due to injuries
:17:42. > :18:13.Season starts and very excited about it. St Helens score. At the
:18:14. > :18:19.weekends, you live them. You can't wait for them to come round again.
:18:20. > :18:21.St Helens were champions three seasons ago and a hungry first
:18:22. > :18:29.silverware and their fans are hopeful. Do you think they can win
:18:30. > :18:37.it this year? I think so. Looking for to them doing better than last
:18:38. > :18:43.time. I am like that. Matty Smith, a hero for Wigan Warriors will be key
:18:44. > :18:48.to their plans. A broken leg in a warm up game against Widnes Vikings
:18:49. > :18:53.will keep him out for a few weeks. To lose him is unfortunate. We
:18:54. > :19:00.thrive in adversity and have had it chucked at us now since I have been
:19:01. > :19:04.here. We dust ourselves down. Widnes Vikings are a team that has been
:19:05. > :19:09.progressing season by season although filling the big boots of
:19:10. > :19:14.Kevin Brown, now with the Warrington Wolves, won't be easy. Nor was his
:19:15. > :19:18.decision to leave. Couldn't have any more respect for my old coach,
:19:19. > :19:28.Dennis. He is someone I didn't want to let down on some of my best mates
:19:29. > :19:34.are there. To leave there was tough. It will be a tough one for Widnes
:19:35. > :19:39.Vikings. We have lost some personnel. I hope the youngsters
:19:40. > :19:48.come through. They are fighting for their places. Keep this group moving
:19:49. > :19:54.forward. You need to do the unsexy stuff which is work with the people
:19:55. > :19:59.that are of value to you and will enhance your organisation. With
:20:00. > :20:04.Saints kicking off tomorrow and Widnes Vikings against Huddersfield
:20:05. > :20:16.on Friday, both sides, the new season can't come quick enough.
:20:17. > :20:18.Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera says being in three
:20:19. > :20:20.cup competitions AND the race for a Champions League place proves
:20:21. > :20:24.They're currently sixth in the Premier League,
:20:25. > :20:26.but speaking at a sponsorship event today, Herrera thinks teams
:20:27. > :20:33.The first six teams in the league and I add also Everton because
:20:34. > :20:41.We all want to be in the top four and still a lot
:20:42. > :20:48.to play for but I think we are in a good moment.
:20:49. > :20:51.Onto football and it was a mixed night for Wigan who took
:20:52. > :20:54.an important point from a 2-2 home draw with play-off chasing Norwich.
:20:55. > :20:57.On the plus side, deadline day signing Omar Bogle scored both
:20:58. > :20:59.of The Latics' goals, his first for the club,
:21:00. > :21:04.The down side is that they couldn't hold on, the visitors equalising
:21:05. > :21:12.Life may be tough off the field for financially strapped Morecambe
:21:13. > :21:14.but the League Two side produced the highlight of the football night.
:21:15. > :21:17.It came courtesy of midfielder Paul Mullin who scored this
:21:18. > :21:20.Messi-esque winner in their 1-0 success away to Leyton Orient.
:21:21. > :21:24.The Shrimps are now unbeaten in five and ten points clear
:21:25. > :21:39.What a goal that was. It is amazing that Morecambe, with all these
:21:40. > :21:45.problems, Jim Bentley is still finding a way to get points.
:21:46. > :21:50.He is not to be trifled with. I know him reasonably well now. He
:21:51. > :21:53.is a gentle giant and you wouldn't want to cross him. Thank you very
:21:54. > :21:56.much. Don Austin has sent seven
:21:57. > :21:58.decades enjoying the great And he doesn't intend
:21:59. > :22:03.to let a small thing Don regularly strides out
:22:04. > :22:08.on the Lakeland hills - in fact he goes at least
:22:09. > :22:10.once each week. And today he took a comparative
:22:11. > :22:29.youngster with him. Many who reach their mid-90s might
:22:30. > :22:35.see it as a time to slow down a little. But not Don Austin. He's had
:22:36. > :22:38.a love affair with walking ever since been demobbed from the Army
:22:39. > :22:45.shortly after the Second World War. I had my old army boots with me and
:22:46. > :22:51.I went up Snowdon and it changed my life completely. He has kept diaries
:22:52. > :22:56.of his exploits and even at the age of 94, he has no plans to stop any
:22:57. > :23:00.time soon. Today he setting off on one of his favourite walks and he's
:23:01. > :23:10.allowed me to tag along to. We're heading near to his home in
:23:11. > :23:19.Windermere. I remember hearing somebody say something about my age.
:23:20. > :23:33.I love talking to people. Music plays. We have stopped for a rest.
:23:34. > :23:39.We have. The first one. I have a banana. You haven't got a spare one,
:23:40. > :23:45.have you? Thank you very much. We need some energy to keep us going.
:23:46. > :23:55.You never know who you are going to bump up to -- bump into a peer. The
:23:56. > :23:59.world and his wife comes up here. I can see why you do this. It is just
:24:00. > :24:20.beautiful. It is. I seemed to go better uphill and on
:24:21. > :24:26.the level. Are we nearly there yet? No, not yet. I don't like the look
:24:27. > :24:34.of those steps. You are surely not going to make that. It is a bit
:24:35. > :24:42.slippy up there so I always go by this wall. Here we are at the head.
:24:43. > :24:49.We've made it. How long do you think your carry on doing this? About
:24:50. > :24:54.three years probably. Till 100? I don't think so. We will see.
:24:55. > :25:05.Roger, a renowned fell walker was questioning Dave's attire. You don't
:25:06. > :25:09.walk in the hills in jeans. If it rains, they take forever to dry.
:25:10. > :25:17.They are really heavy. You are right. Why was that not our
:25:18. > :25:21.top story? Man wears wrong clothes to go out. I can see why you are
:25:22. > :25:30.incensed. As we head to the next couple of
:25:31. > :25:36.days, the cold air will make his presence felt. It has felt quite
:25:37. > :25:42.raw. West has been best in terms of sunshine and that will be the story
:25:43. > :25:46.through the next couple of days. Our weather watcher pictures are just
:25:47. > :25:50.glorious. Send us a picture. It is about the cold coming towards us
:25:51. > :25:54.from the continent. It will stick around and the whole of the weekend
:25:55. > :25:58.will be quite chilly. It is all about the wind direction. It is
:25:59. > :26:03.coming towards us from the continent. Weather fronts Rian short
:26:04. > :26:07.supply. It will be a largely dry picture stop because you have the
:26:08. > :26:11.cold air and the outcome towards us over the tops of the Pennines, any
:26:12. > :26:17.weather around would be wintry in nature. We not expecting any big
:26:18. > :26:21.deals out of it. You can see the map as it goes blue through the night.
:26:22. > :26:25.Just about everywhere away from the coast. We are talking about towns
:26:26. > :26:31.and cities down to zero or minus one. The rural areas will be colder
:26:32. > :26:37.than that. Widespread frost tomorrow morning. The Isle of Man is
:26:38. > :26:41.relatively warm. Three Celsius for you but a touch of frost over the
:26:42. > :26:47.high routes. Tomorrow, it isn't a brilliant picture. You can see how
:26:48. > :26:50.cold it will be. That cold weather stays around. There are some spells
:26:51. > :26:56.of sunshine around and down the coast, through the Merseyside coast
:26:57. > :27:01.into the Wirral, that is where the best of the sunshine will be. Closer
:27:02. > :27:05.to the Pennines comes this cloud. On the other side of the Pennines,
:27:06. > :27:10.there could be some wintry showers. A couple of those might top the tops
:27:11. > :27:16.of the Pennines. It is about the cloud cover and once it spreads, it
:27:17. > :27:20.is going to feel cold. The numbers on the chart are not impressive.
:27:21. > :27:27.Three and four Celsius at the very best.
:27:28. > :27:36.Dave edits and films a lot of his stuff. He filmed that himself today.
:27:37. > :27:40.What I'm wondering is if he got Don to carry his tripod. Thanks for
:27:41. > :28:13.watching. Goodbye. when farmers leave
:28:14. > :28:17.their daily routines behind... Right, here we come, Dorset!
:28:18. > :28:32...for a show day. When author
:28:33. > :28:35.Sir Terry Pratchett died,