BLUE PROG

Leeds Hatch Radio News reports on three main topics. First, the issue of fallen leaves disrupting train services in Leeds due to the slippery residue they create on the tracks. Train services are implementing technology to combat this problem. Second, Leeds City Council calls for increased funding for special educational needs (SEND) children in West Yorkshire, as there is a funding gap of over £15 million. Lastly, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is approaching, and the importance of early detection and breast cancer screening is highlighted. Additionally, a petition in Bradford aims to ban disruptive firework usage, and Leeds celebrates its cinematic history with a film festival. Good afternoon, it's 3.30, I'm Joe Thorne. And I'm Sophie Nicholson and this is Leeds Hatch Radio News. On today's programme we find out why wearing a pimp can go a long way to helping those with breast cancer. How new ways to combat leaves on the line will keep trains on time. And we catch up with the fastest growing sport in the United Kingdom. But first, as autumn arrives, falling leaves are significantly disrupting train services. Sophie Carroll is at Leeds Railway Station to find out why this is such an issue. So Sophie, why are leaves creating such a problem for rail services? Thank you Sophie. Yes, I'm here at Leeds Railway Station where thousands of trees line the tracks that lead this station. And as we approach the autumn months, this is only going to become a concern for rail drivers. Yes, that's right, you heard me correctly. We're talking about leaves here. As the trains compress the wet leaves onto the rail, this creates a kind of, well, like a slippery residue. They call it leaf mulch. And it's this leaf mulch substance that causes the trains to slide, which of course presents a risk to passengers. So how exactly does this leaf mulch affect the train services then, Sophie? Well Joe, I caught up with Nathan Hyde, who's a spokesperson for Northern Rail. Perhaps he can give us a better insight into the scale of this problem. The drivers have to adapt. They have to travel at slower speeds, they have to brake earlier. What can also happen as well is when the wheels of the train slide, then that can bend the wheel and sort of distort it and bend it out of shape. And then when that happens, we have to take trains out of service. So in 2022-23, Leeds was ranked the 12th most used station in Great Britain, and that's out of 2,575. That's according to railwaydata.co.uk. So you can imagine the reaction of all of these people coming in and out of this station on a daily basis when they hear that it's leaves that are holding up their travels. I do travel for work about three to four times a week via train, and obviously delays are not an unusual thing, so I do expect that. But for it to be Leeds, I didn't really think that would happen. I thought it would be more ice or the rain or flooding and things like that. That was Amelia Francis there, who like many of us, sees Leeds as quite a seemingly unlikely culprit for delays. But as Nathan reminded us, this is still an issue that we should be taking seriously. So what are train services doing to tackle this problem then? Well, Nathan says that Northern run 2,500 services a day, so they're trying to update and roll out technology on as many of those trains as possible. We've got water track equipment, which blasts the leaves off the line. We've got these things called double variable sanders, and they deploy high quantities of sand. That improves friction. And then we've also got wheel slide prevention technology, so it prevents the wheels from blocking out. We're hoping we're going to see quite a noticeable difference in this year. So it would seem that the beauty of autumn does come with a cost for the railway. Well, I don't know about you, Sophie, but I have been struggling with trains recently. So have I, Joe. It can be a nightmare in the run-up to winter. Up next, a recent report by the Leeds City Council has called for an increase in funding for special educational needs children in West Yorkshire. Demand for SEND support is growing and is putting huge financial pressure on their budget, with a funding gap of over £15 million this year. Jacob Rowland, a teacher from an SEND school, speaks about the problem. Funding is a major, major issue because a lot of our money is spent on TAs, but we haven't really got much money to put anywhere else. And we're really struggling with things like incentives because we can't afford to take them on a trip, or we can't afford to buy them all ice cream. Budget cuts of over £39 million are said to be necessary in the next three years. Rowland speaks more about the implications of such a gap in the funding. The main issues that we face are in terms of replacing broken property. We've got next to no funding for that. We try and build parents. When we do build parents, they refuse to pay. Also in terms of specialist provision. So, for example, we're a specialist school. Realistically, we've got no specialist provision at all. So we've got no access to wellbeing facilities, to things like padded rooms. Wakefield Council also issued a warning regarding tough decisions they face due to an £88 million gap over the next five years. Local Labour leader James Scullion said the demand for SEND support is their number one ask of the government. And as Breast Cancer Awareness Month commences, Wear It Pink is approaching. Wear It Pink is one of the biggest fundraising events in the UK, taking place in schools and workplaces to make life-changing research happen. Sonia Rutherford, breast cancer survivor, shares her experience. I am a five-year survivor of breast cancer. I think it's absolutely imperative that every lady out there checks their boobies. We all know our own body. We all know when something isn't right. Even if it's a niggle, go get it checked, girls. Go get it checked. So with over 160 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed every day, this week is a stark reminder that anyone can suffer from the illness. Nigel Pinchbeck shares the importance of breast cancer screening after it saved the lives of some of his relatives. It affects so many people. To keep that awareness really at the forefront of people's minds because, you know, there's the breast cancer screening programme. So it's important that if women are called for that, they go for it. Because I know women who have breast cancer that's only been picked up because they went for screening and that's essentially, I suppose, saved their lives. Ellie Davidson has just been for her routine mammogram and explains. Well, now that I've reached 50, I'm eligible for three yearly mammograms. And although it's always a bit of a worry, you know, I wouldn't not go for my mammogram. And obviously it's really important in between mammograms to examine my own breasts and be aware of any changes. A petition in Bradford has reached nearly 25,000 signatures in advocacy for the improper use of fireworks. Residents are trying to gain the attention of the council to assist with the noise disruption. Sophia Kenny has more. Campaigners in Bradford are attempting to ban disrupted firework usage. A petition has been created by a resident in Ayrshire who is aiming to support those who are sensitive to the sounds of the explosions. There's been a lot of distress and it's not the occasional fireworks. We're hearing them every night, two to three times in a night and sometimes as late as 2am. We've spent weeks and days, well actually I've spent years campaigning against late night use of fireworks and no more. However, Jonathan Thompson, a firework display artist, has a different opinion. I think banning fireworks would have many unintended consequences including a black market of dangerous imported fireworks, people stockpiling fireworks at home, homemade fireworks, lost revenue for charities and schools putting on events. The petition currently has 24,835 signatures with 364 people signing today. This could mean that the council may take action over this matter. Every year on the 14th of October, Leeds gets the chance to celebrate its cinematic history. It marks the anniversary of the first ever film, Round A Garden Scene, being made by Louis Le Prince. Leeds celebrates cinema and its community spirits at indie cinemas throughout its film festival which is held every year. Fling Colony visited Le Prince's blue plaque. I'm stood at the Louis Le Prince plaque at the end of Brigitte and I'll just quickly read to you what it says. In 1888 he purchased a one lens camera with which he filmed Leeds Bridge from the British Waterways building. These were probably the world's first successful moving pictures. Le Prince played a key part in putting together the origins of cinema and what we know today about it. Nathan Shipley speaks about indie cinemas in Leeds. We want the support of the world for film and cinema going into experience and by and large our programmes are different. On occasions we do share the same films but we've got so much more in common. Le Prince is just one small example of Leeds' rich cinematic history. There's been great advancement in the technology since Le Prince's era. The real question is are the advancements in technology paying off? To find out how important film is to the people of Leeds we asked them exactly that. Really important. We watched films like every single night when I was growing up so it's like family bonding and everything. And it's fun to go to the cinema. I think it's really important. I think it gives you time to like wind down at the end of the day. Just some things to relax to. Watching something like Spark The Birkin or just something relaxing. Watch it with someone. Watch it on your own. Yeah. I think it's like a little wind down. It's nice to plan when a good film is coming out with your friends. Have a little like Nando's and a bit of a party. It's like a mix. And I like a lot of foreign movies as well. So I like when you can see stuff from other cultures and stuff like that. Entertainment. Instead of being bored all the time. I love films. I watch them. I try and watch one every week if I can. But I love films. The 14th of October being the anniversary of the Roundhay Garden scene, it's important to look back at how far cinema has come since then. Next up, the sport that has taken the United Kingdom by storm, paddle, has arrived in Leeds. Our reporter Ben Dinnan went out to find more. Slytherin Paddle Club opened in Seacroft on Friday last week and is the first of its kind in the north of England. The club has 12 world class courts, a state of the art warm up area and a paddle pro shop. There's even a bar for some post-match refreshments. For those who aren't as familiar with the sport, paddle combines the basics of squash and tennis creating a hybrid game that has quickly become the fastest growing sport in the UK. Jason Cullen is a manager at Slytherin Paddle Club and he's got first hand experience of the vast interest in the sport. As a sport I think it's just going to continue to grow. Especially if we can get more venues like this, more indoor facilities so that people can play all year round. Councillor David Jenkins represents the Seacroft Ward and is yet to be convinced by the latest sporting craze. I think it's a little bit problematic. There's two issues, cost and too familiarity, finding people you want to play with. According to Sport England, paddle is one of the only two racquet sports to have an ever increasing participation rate. While all other racquet sports have shown consistent declines for the past seven years. This is Leigh Tacks Radio News. It's twenty to four.