19/05/2017 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Smith.

Police put Hazelwick school in Crawley into lockdown

after a group of travellers park up on the playing field.

Given a terminal cancer diagnosis

but now in remission - this Kent woman says new clinical

I could walk again, I was getting my strength back and I gradually it was

coming back into the human race, when I thought I was dying.

Also in tonight's programme: A Kent man held on death row in the Congo

for eight years is finally released - we have an exclusive report.

A year on from re-opening, Hasting Pier celebrates

its successes, and appeals for help in keeping it going.

Celebrating the colours of the C indoors. Artist Simon Patterson

brings a major exhibition to the Sussex coast.

A school in Crawley was put into lockdown this afternoon,

after up to 30 caravans and vehicles belonging to a group of travellers

A padlock was cut off the gates of Hazelwick School just

The headteacher took the decision to keep the pupils,

some of whom are in the middle of exams, inside for

The traveller was quickly occupied the school sports field adjacent

classrooms. The school with them to lock down saying they were concerned

for people safety. Students sitting Latin and PE exams had to take them

in another school hall and three year groups who would normally leave

school to get lunch had to remain in their classrooms. I am angered and

frustrated. There is absolutely no getting away from the fact it has

been a very difficult day and certainly having that number of

people illegally on your ground is very annoying. And worrying? Very,

yes. The school said it did not tell periods immediately what was

happening because it focused on child safety but the lack of

information cause concern for some parents. To get messages from my son

that there were people on the premises and we are locked in a

classroom or are in lockdown, to use the word, and when asked them what

they can do he said we can go to the toilet if there are four of us. You

were worried? Yes, I was. By 5pm the travellers began to go and they were

served with a notice which required them to leave immediately. The

Conservative parliamentary candidate for the -- praised the police for

their swift response. They clearly did not have concerns about the

impact this has on the students, many of whom are taking exams and

saw any disruption to that is unacceptable and I am glad Sussex

Police acted quickly to move them on. I tried talking to the

travellers as they left, one told me they would not have set up camp

there if they knew it was school property.

Jon Hunt is at the school for us now.

Jon, are the travellers still there?

They are still leaving and it is taking some time for some of the

people to return to the site. They have returned, hooked up the

caravans and complying with the requirement to leave. It would

appear the traveller I spoke to earlier did not want to appear and

give me an interview but he did say they are now moving to Scotland. He

said they had been at a party locally and he complained he said

they had been told to go but they have nowhere to go. The school says

it is happy he emergency procedures worked and it could minimise the

impact on the school day. A Kent woman who has been

battling mesothelioma - a form of cancer

that is usually deadly - for almost a decade is finally

in remission, after an experimental Mavis Nye from Whitstable had

already been through four rounds of chemotherapy

after being diagnosed in 2008. She was told there were no more

treatment options left when she was offered the chance

to go on the trial. Two years later, there

is no sign of the cancer, and she says it feels

like she is back with the human race, where she had

felt she was dying. Our health correspondent

Mark Norman has more. Around eight years ago Mavis Nye

was told she had just three months to live

after being diagnosed She underwent four years

of chemotherapy, and after each I couldn't walk, I had

a walking frame, I just Her husband, Ray, had worked

at Chatham Dockyard in the 1950s. Mavis believes she inhaled asbestos

dust when washing his clothes. Mesothelioma is frequently

a death sentence. It's a cancer that typically

develops in the lining of the lungs, It can take up for 30 years

to emerge and we are seeing a spike in numbers -

more than 2600 people Asbestos used in the dockyard

and schools in our region has caused More sufferers have received

financial compensation here than any other part of the UK,

and over a 10-year period almost Mavis and Ray had all but given up

hope of beating the cancer when Mavis took part

in a clinical trial. She finished that trial last

June and, remarkably, I could walk again,

I was getting my strength back and gradually I would come back

into the human race, Incredibly good news

for Mavis and her family, and all the more remarkable

as when we spoke to her three years ago she expressed her desire to help

find a cure, any cure. The scientists conducting this trial

are now moving to a third and final stage based on that success

and they are recruiting more The science tells us in theory this

could work so we will undertake this trial and hopefully that evidence

will be used to make the decision whether all our future patients

in the setting of failed in terms of previous treatments,

should have immunotherapy We are very excited

about immunotherapy as a new area of cancer research, and being able

to harness the power of the body's own immune system and turn

that against cancer. Mavis says she owes her life

to the NHS and she hopes the new trial will bring hope

to others suffering And lets be clear -

a clinical trial should not Of course it should not. It might

give doctors a opportunity to see how we can treat a particular

disease in the future and patients may benefit from a future treatment

but it may be no better or worse than what we have had. Many patients

end trials like this have exhausted all treatment avenues and patients

often have -- may have to give up its future of time to take part in

clinical trials. But what is potentially so exciting is it helps

doctors find yours. These sorts of things can predict I think and we

wish them the best of what with it. -- can help doctors find cures.

In a moment, the first film showing the true horror

of the First World War is given a live musical accompaniment

A former soldier from Kent who has been held on death row

in the Democratic Republic of Congo for 8 years has

He was jailed in 2009, accused of spying and murder.

He's always maintained his innocence, and insists confessions

Joshua French is now in hospital in Norway,

Today, his mother spoke exclusively to this programme about her relief.

Joshua French back in better health, but with a death

After almost eight years in a Congolese prison his condition

His mother, who had campaigned tirelessly for his release,

was this week told by Norway's Prime Minister her son

I feel like laughing the whole time because I'm so happy.

We are kind of in a state of unbelief that this

Joshua and his friend was sentenced to death in 2009 after a driver

Both men said they had been ambushed by unknown gunmen.

In 2013 Joshua's friend was found dead in the cell they shared.

A postmortem found suicide as the cause of death but in 2014

Joshua was found guilty of his murder and given

Throughout his time in prison there had been a high-profile

campaign in Norway to try and secure his release and yesterday

the Norwegian Prime Minister announced they had come

to an agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Joshua French has spent eight years in prison under a very tough

conditions and it has been a very trying experience for him, his

family and all those close to him. It has also been a very demanding

case for both Congo and Norway and we are happy we have now found a

solution. Surviving on death row has taken its toll. Joshua had been

slipping on a dirty mattress in the corridor and on one occasion harmed

himself so badly other inmates had to perform surgery on him. He was

released on humanitarian grounds. He was not eating and he would not have

gone on much longer because he was not ingesting food so that was one

of the major problems and lack -- connected to the stress he was under

was having a serious impact on his mental and physical health.

For the back home he is now receiving medical care he so

A 17-year-old boy from Medway has died -- free and back home.

A 17-year-old boy from Medway has died

A pickup truck hit a parked car and a garden wall

on the A2 London Road in Newington just before 10'oclock last night.

The teenager was a passenger in the truck and died at the scene.

Three other people were injured and are being treated in hospital.

Water services were restored today to around 3500

households near Lewes, after a mains pipe burst overnight.

Six schools had to close as a result.

It's the second major incident to affect the same stretch

South East Water say they will consider compensation

on a "case by case basis" if people contact them.

Education is being seen as one of the major policy battlegrounds

during this general election campaign, with the Conservatives

pledging to maintain budgets and allow the expansion of grammars

- a topic that's especially hotly debated in the south-east.

The other parties accuse the Tories of having cut budgets in real

terms in recent years, and claim they can't be trusted

Our education correspondent Bryony MacKenzie has been talking

to candidates about their policies and how they want to get your vote.

In a way the school canteen is a bit like the big education

It's all about selection and funding.

Talking to schools over the past year, we have heard about parents

being asked to pay for more than just the usual snacks.

According to the National Audit Office, who scrutinise spending,

they found schools face 8% real terms spending cuts,

The parties have got their payment cards out, but will their figures

6.9 billion on additional education funding, both

Britain now has 134 billionaires, and we would be looking to tax some

more of those people at a more appropriate rate.

While it's tempting to say we will make the corporate giants

pay for it, we'll make business pay for it, the fact is that there

Kent has the highest number of grammars in any county,

and Sussex children are applying for places too.

On average, 3% of children at Kent grammars are on free school

meals, compared to 13% in the county's

How do parties feel about selection and education?

I think grammar schools are the complete antithesis

of everything I believe that education should be for and about.

I believe education is about young people

and parents choosing a school, it is not about a school

These would not be the grammar schools of old.

I went to the secondary modern myself, which was more

These will be a mix of schools, probably in metropolitan areas,

where those who are academically gifted will have more of a chance

The canteen brings us back to that old adage -

there's no such thing as a free lunch.

The Conservatives say never mind lunch, it's free

With education a key issue, and with clear differences,

there is lots of choice on offer for.

Bryony is outside the Weald of Kent grammar school in Tonbridge tonight.

Bryony, grammars is huge issue this election?

Absolutely. In 2015 that there was a practical radio silence on grammar

schools and David Cameron's Conservatives said they were not

very interested in expanding grammars and then the school was

allowed to build an annex down the road and now these have become key

issues for the parties, especially the Conservatives and Labour. The

other big issue is funding and the Conservatives yesterday announced ?4

billion, Labour said ?5 billion and the Lib Dems have said ?7 billion

more funding for schools if they are elected. We are still to hear from

you tip and the And greens but there have been some big promises and we

can expect to hear more on that. -- yet to hear from Ukip. A school in

Crawley was put into locked down this afternoon after a group of

travellers parked up in the playing fields.

Also tonight, Hastings celebrates one year since opening its peer and

setbacks -- they ask for help to maintain it.

And today we have thunder and lightning and many finish with

sunshine. Does not bode well for the weekend? I will tell you later in

the fourth cast. -- does that bode well?

As the First World War raged in 1916, a film was shown in halls

It was the first time cameras had been sent into the trenches,

and revealed the horror of the Battle of the Somme.

It's said some people fainted as they watched.

One of the pioneer cameramen was Geoffrey Malins,

On Sunday his silent film will be accompanied by a live

orchestra at the showing at St Mary in the Castle.

Robin Gibson has tonight's special report.

They're simple, stark and shocking, even today, after 100 years of news

documentaries and feature films which tell the same story.

The Battle of the Somme was a first for the British public.

In August was its first public screening, 1916.

And within six weeks of its release something like 50% of the then UK

Geoffrey Malins, who came from Hastings, was the most prominent

His silent film was accompanied by an orchestra or piano

The Imperial War Museum commission this new score as it restored

I was involved with the restoration of the film back in the mid 2000s.

And I obviously knew about Malins and the fact

he was born in Hastings, and I thought at some point it

would be fitting to bring it back to his hometown.

So it will be a unique moment on Sunday, when the restored version

of the film plays in the period surroundings of St Mary

in the Castle to the sound of the Hastings Sinfonia.

Our conductor is to play with a click track so the music is

We can't be playing explosions seconds behind the film.

So I know our conductor has been practising a lot

in his garden in London, trying to get it exactly right.

We know the great film-maker never returned home here to the town

But after 100 years, his greatest achievement is coming

home to be seen and heard in the way was intended.

The newly-rebuilt Hastings Pier is celebrating its one year

anniversary this weekend - an extraordinary year which has seen

the pier nominated for a prestigious architectural award,

seen 350,000 visitors and played host to numerous events.

But the pier costs just under ?800,000 a year to run.

A large chunk of that money goes towards replacing 2,000 nuts

and bolts each year - as they become worn down by the sea.

All of that money is raised entirely voluntarily by 5,000

Chrissie Reidy joins us from Hastings -

Chrissie this is a huge amount of money to raise every year.

Are the trustees of the pier confident it can be found?

Bullock, getting the pier to point it is financially viable is a tall

order and trustees today told me there have been teething problems

but it is effectively a new business that relies solely on public

donations. Trustees estimate it will be four years until the pier is self

funding. Risen from the ashes Hastings Pier

has been brought back to life. It is a pier for the people paid for by

the people, costing ?800,000 each year to keep afloat it has been a

challenging first 12 months. When that's not some things have worked

very well, others not so well and know we have a plan in place for a

format your project were we will make it completely self funding. You

get around 100 days a year to make it a money to fund 365 days. It is

more of a venue than most peers and visitors have visited but it is a

20,000 nuts and bolts underneath holding it together. The sea is

dissolving it and saw that as 20,000 nuts and bolts and we will have to

check close. Who, apart from the Victorians, would be crazy enough to

build a structure in such a corrosive environment that could be

subject to an earthquake 's 365 days of the year? Built mostly using a

lot of lottery funding, the pier was about breaking the mould. It needed

reinvention, it had become obsolete. In effect, the previous 19th-century

model had reached the end of its, it had reached itself by date. Voted

pier of the year age a few months ago has not disappointed. The

building you can see behind me is very important and it fits very

well. It is what Hastings is about, blank canvases for everyone to work

on and it is a wonderful space. Historically there were a lot of

concerts and tea dances and you meet lots of lovely men and women who let

their partners -- they met their partners here so I think we should

have some more tea dancing! The weather may not have been in the

mood for celebration but the people's the pier has a bright

future. If you have never been here it

really is vast different, a vast, venue space. When it comes to

encouraging people onto the pier it means they can think outside the

box. It got pier of the year if you months ago and is up for another

war, the equivalent of the Oscars in the architectural world. They will

find out in the next few months -- up for another award.

From the Museum of Modern Art in New York to the Tate -

British artist and Turner Prize nominee Simon Patterson's work has

featured in some of the world's most famous collections.

His most known work is his map of the Stars, The Great Bear,

a re-imagining of the famous London Tube map, with famous names

He's now behind the new exhibition at the De La Warr Pavilion

in Bexhill - his first solo show in the UK for almost a decade,

and made with the help of Bexhill Sailing Club.

and made with the help of Bexhill Sailing Club.

Using the sea of Bexhill as a blank canvas seascape is the artistic

spectacle which looks set to draw clouds to the De La Warr Pavilion

pavilion this Saturday. We have smoked bones with different coloured

smoke and the idea of that is we let them off so the detainees go between

the smoke and the smoke is different colours and it will be out very

interesting and fascinating spectacle -- the boats go between

them. It features an anthology of work from Turner prize nominee Simon

Patterson. It gives a nod to local fraudsters, charlatans and

fantasists including Charles Dawson, and Grey owl, the top name of

Hastings born Archibald Laney who passed himself off as a Native

American. Making art, sometimes the way everyone thinks of artists as

charlatans but they are not. The problem is artists often struggle

much more with what is the value of what they do, what is the purpose,

what is the function of it? The show takes the visitor on a mini safari

through pavilion using drawings, sculptures, photographs and video.

In keeping with the travel theme this is one of the highlights, the

Yuri Gagarin count. It symbolises his expeditions as an astronaut.

What is the significance of the kites? It is more about the idea of

sculpture and naming an object. To nail the name on the wall is a

ridiculous exercise. So if you fancy exploring the

unusual you can take a safari at the De La Warr Pavilion until the 3rd of

September. Looks rather lovely. Well, what will

be whether to? Georgina is with us. The weekend is not looking too bad.

We have all sorts, thunder, hailstorms, lightning. But it looks

much better for the weekend. Let's look at some of our weather watcher

pictures. Very grey sky, I imagine it is actually raining in that

picture. Later in the day in the late afternoon we started to see

blue sky coming through and many finishing the day with some late

sunshine. Thank you for those pictures and keep those coming in.

As we head through tonight, most of the showers should clean away and we

are left with clear spells, still a favourite of cloud through the

night. -- fear come out. If you're an early bird tomorrow it

is likely to be chilly frosting, some showers but they are pretty

isolated so you could miss them all together and lots of sunshine.

Sunshine and showers tomorrow but you may have a dry day. A bit more

breezy tomorrow also. That drops off through Saturday night and a further

quiet night, largely dry and quite good for stargazing. Sunday and lots

of sunshine, looking largely dry, a lovely day to get out and about with

temperatures reaching 18 Celsius and a lot less breezy as well so quite

pleasant on Sunday. I want to quickly showed you the temperature

is what it is Monday's temperatures that are of most interest and we

could see them reaching the low 20s. A bit more closely on Monday but

still pretty warm start to the week. We like lots of sunshine over the

weekend! Before we go - here's Natalie Graham

with the details of our special It is a political battle over

security, trade and immigration. It is a battle over the future of the

NHS. And it is a battle over how to fund and run our schools.

Politicians from the main five parties will be fighting it out here

on bank holiday Monday, maybe 29th, and we would like you to be part of

the debate. -- maybe 29th. If you live or work

in the South East, and you'd like to be in the audience,

send an email to... That is on bank holiday Monday.

Right, that's it from me for this week.

I will see you on Monday. And I am back at 10:30pm. Have a nice.

dazzling designs and inspiring ideas.

Daily coverage of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2017.