23/10/2016 North West Tonight

Good evening.

Charities in Liverpool have today been thanked for helping people

struggling with a range of problems as public spending is reduced.

This year's Civic Service was dedicated to those who've

supported the most vulnerable.

Our reporter, Katie Walderman, met a former soldier who says

one charity saved his life.

Sef was 16 when he joined the Army.

But the real battle began when he left.

I thought I wouldn't be able to have any purpose in life

then, or do any good.

So I started getting feelings back of suicide again, which I had

in the early stages of PTSD.

And I knew that something had to be done.

He turned to Tom Harrison House, and he now works for the charity

that helped him beat his addictions.

They've been a godsend, a life-saver, to tell you the truth.

As soon as I plucked up the courage to walk into Tom Harrison House for

an assessment, I felt so at home.

The camaraderie was still there.

It has given me purpose back, to have empathy and support

for fellow comrades.

I've seen them struggle.

I can put myself in their shoes.

I know that there is hope.

And today the charity, and countless others in Liverpool,

have been thanked for the support they've given the city's people

in times of austerity.

This year's Lord Mayor's Annual Civic Service has been

dedicated specially to them.

In this age of austerity when we've got massive cutbacks,

I think the charities have really stepped up to the mark,

in this city and others, to make it safe for people.

Should it be down to the likes of charities to pick up the tab?

Shouldn't local charities and the government be doing more?

I don't think government or local government is ever going to be able

to pick up all the pieces that we need to treat

people properly.

But it's important that charities carry on doing that and I just

want to thank them for what they've done over a long period of time.

As council budgets continue to tighten, it appears the work

of these charities is invaluable.

An 86-year-old man has died after being struck by a van

while walking in Swinton.

Police are appealing for witnesses after the collision on Worsley Road

at 19:30 last night.

It's thought the vehicle did stop at the scene.

Two teenagers are recovering after being shot near

a church on Merseyside.

A boy and girl, both aged 17, escaped with minor injuries

after being fired at with a shotgun in Netherton on Friday night.

Police are examining CCTV to try to find out

who was responsible.

Three North West councils are facing criticism after asking newsagents

not to sell The Sun newspaper, because of the lies it published

about the Hillsborough tragedy.

Liverpool, Wirral and West Lancashire Councils are urging

retailers not to stock the paper.

Campaigners say it should never be forgiven.

But some Conservative politicians say there should be

freedom to choose.

It was a long time ago now.

How many of the staff are still on The Sun?

I believe an individual has the right to decide

which newspaper they want to read.

The fact is that they printed a lie that had massive impacts

throughout the 90s on the economy of Merseyside,

and the people of Merseyside.

As you may've heard in the national news, the North West MEP

Paul Nuttall has annouced he's going to stand in Ukip's

leadership election.

A history lecturer born and brought up in Bootle,

he joined Ukip 12 years ago and, until recently, was the party's

deputy leader under Nigel Farage.

The 39-year-old says he can heal the party's divisions and stop

it destroying itself.

Ukip is facing an existential crisis.

What's happened over the summer has put us on - we could be

getting onto a spiral which we couldn't get off.

But I believe that I am the man to bring the factions together.

To create unity within the party.

And to build and restructure and get us ready for the year,

for the coming challenges.

Firefighters have spent a third day tackling a huge mound of burning

scrap metal and plastic at Seaforth Docks near Bootle.

When the blaze was at its height, people living nearby

were advised to keep their doors and windows closed.

Fire crews today broke up the pile of re-cycling material and say

the fire is now under control.

Dozens of school crossings in Manchester could lose

their "lollipop" patrols if councillors approve

a cost-cutting option which would save half a million pounds.

The city council is looking at new traffic calming measures

which it believes would remove the need for lollipop staff.

It's also discussing whether to get rid of the Town Hall's giant Santa.

Football, and Jose Mourinho suffered a humiliating

return to Stamford Bridge as Manchester United were beaten 4-0

by his old club Chelsea.

Earlier, Manchester City's 1-1 draw at Southampton

put them back at the top of the Premier League table.

But it's only goal difference which keeps them ahead

of Arsenal and Liverpool.

Time now for a look at the weather.

Good evening.

Despite being quite a cool day today, we did see some blue skies

through this afternoon.

As we move through this evening and overnight,

we will see some clear skies.

Varying amounts of cloud with temperatures falling

to an overnight low of around 4-5 Celsius in the north.

More like 7 Celsius in towns and cities down in the south.

It is looking to be largely dry overnight and it should be dry

to start first thing tomorrow.

A little bit more in the way of cloud than we've seen today,

but plenty of bright spells as well, and some sunny spells, too.

We will see more in the way of low cloud pushing in from the south

into the afternoon.

Highs tomorrow of 12 Celsius with a north-easterly breeze.

I will leave you with the outlook.

A cool start to the week tomorrow, but we will start to see

the temperatures creeping up by the time we get to

the end of the week.

That's it from me.

We're back late tonight with an update.

Have a good evening.