BBC Local Live: Staffordshire & Cheshire on Friday 2 June 2017

Summary

Beauty spot pool death: Victim named by coroner
Doctor who treated bomb victims feared second attack
World's top women cyclists to ride through West Midlands
Thousands expected for literary festival
Updates on Friday 2 June 2017

Live Reporting

Allen Cook

World's top women cyclists to ride through West Midlandspublished at 17:16 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
The provisional list of all 102 riders set to take part in next week's Women's Tour, external has been released.
Nine of the world's top ten ranked riders will take part in the five day race, which starts in Daventry next Wednesday and passes through Stoke-on-Trent and Warwickshire before concluding in London.
All three previous champions of the event will take part, with Lizzie Deignan hoping to defend her title.
Quote Message
The line-up for the OVO Energy Women's Tour is exceptional and fans can now look forward to watching five days of action-packed, exciting racing."
Mick Bennett, Race director
Tamworth woman 'lucky to be alive' after inferno destroys gardenpublished at 17:10 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Tamworth Herald
A Tamworth woman is lucky to be alive after an explosion ripped through her garden, external just seconds after she walked away.
Doctor who treated bomb victims feared second attackpublished at 16:58 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Liz Ellis
Presenter, BBC Radio Stoke
A doctor from Staffordshire who treated victims of the Manchester bombing says he thought he might not come back alive after being called to the attack.
Dr Richard Smith works at the Royal Stoke University Hospital's Trauma Centre but also volunteers as a first responder., external
Image source, UHNM
The 22 May attack at the Manchester Arena killed 22 people and left dozens seriously hurt.
Dr Smith says he treated people as young as 10 who'd been hurt, but was concerned there could have been another bomb.
Quote Message
I did feel worried, there was that concern that, in the initial stages of that attack, information is very sketchy, it's a very confused picture which emerges and it's unclear whether there might be something else to come and I did worry that this might be an incident I wouldn't come back from."
Dr Richard Smith, Anaesthetist with Royal Stoke University Hospital
Queen's Award given to domestic abuse charitypublished at 16:45 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Sarah Robertson
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke
A charity helping victims of domestic abuse in Staffordshire's been honoured for its work.
Staffordshire Women's Aid, external, which turns 40 this year, has been awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.
Image source, Thinkstock
It's the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK for their work in the community.
Last year, the charity says it opened a new refuge in Stafford for vulnerable women and children fleeing violence.
BBC Weather Watcher pictures: Rain and grey skiespublished at 16:32 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
BBC Weather Watchers
It's a different story today to earlier in the week - sunshine and warmth replaced by grey skies and rain in places.
But that's still being reflected in the pictures taken by our BBC Weather Watchers - these two are from users Angus and Me in Hednesford, Staffordshire and Sky Watcher in Wybunbury, Cheshire.
Image source, Angus and Me
Image source, Sky Watcher
Football: First professional contract for Port Vale youngsterpublished at 16:17 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Lee Blakeman
Port Vale commentator, BBC Radio Stoke
Port Vale have handed a first professional contract to 17-year-old youth defender Luke Dennis. , external
He was on the substitutes' bench last season for the Checkatrade Trophy against Mansfield Town.
Security stepped up for Robbie Williams' concertspublished at 16:04 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
Security, including armed police officers, has been tightened up in Manchester for two concerts by the Stoke-on-Trent-born, external singer Robbie Williams.
Image source, Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images
He's due to play two shows at the Etihad Stadium tonight and tomorrow.
Greater Manchester Police says they've reviewed security following the bombing last week and will have a "significant number" of officers from across the country patrolling in and around the venue.
Weston Park opens cellars to visitorspublished at 15:53 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
The cellars at Weston Park are going to be opened up to the public for the first time next Thursday.
They're one of the oldest parts of the stately home and are thought to date back to medieval times.
Image source, Weston Park
In the past, they stored the wine for the house, but these days they contain a pool table and are only seen by outsiders when the house is rented out for private parties.
There will be a second open day on 16 July.
Beauty spot pool death: Victim named by coronerpublished at 15:40 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Sarah Robertson
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke
A coroner's opened an investigation into the death of a woman from Staffordshire at a lake in Gwynedd.
Image source, Geograph/Confusion
She's also been named by the North West Wales Coroners Office as Sarah Brewster, 21, from the Stafford area.
The incident, which happened at Blue Lake quarry, at Friog near Fairbourne, on Wednesday, is being treated as an accident by police.
Rail passengers face Champions League Final disruptionpublished at 15:20 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Nantwich News
Rail users in Nantwich and Crewe face travel problems this weekend , external- caused by the Champions League Final 150 miles away in Cardiff.
Image source, Nantwich News
Father nervous over return for One Love Manchester concertpublished at 14:54 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
BBC WM
A father from Lichfield says he'll be taking his daughter to this weekend's One Love Manchester benefit concert, despite his nerves about returning to the arena.
David Wright took his daughter Zinni to last week's Ariana Grande concert before a bomb went off, killing 22 people.
Image source, Ariane Grande/Twitter
Take That, Niall Horan, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber will join Grande, who is returning to the city for the show.
Mr Wright told BBC WM he was determined his daughter should go back for the concert.
Quote Message
I'm going to show a united face and be strong for her because, at the end of the day, she's just a 14-year-old girl so, as a parent, there's a high degree of anxiety there."
David Wright, Father from Lichfield
'Very big smile' for Stoke fan on flag's return from spacepublished at 14:28 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Jennie Aitken
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke
The man who campaigned to get a Stoke City flag into space says he had a "very big smile" when he found it'd been sent back to him in the post.
Media caption,
The return of the Stoke City flag from space
Lifelong Potters fan Andy Rushton had persuaded British astronaut Tim Peake to take it to the International Space Station and unwrap it in December 2015.
It's now been sent back to Andy and he says he's now "quietly confident" he'll get the astronaut to a Stoke game next season to officially give the flag to the football team.
Teenage victim of fatal crash named by policepublished at 14:06 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
A cyclist who died in a crash with a large van in Staffordshire on Wednesday's been named by police. , external
Image source, Google
Joseph Guy, 16, from the Willenhall area of Walsall died at the scene of the collision on Straight Mile, at the junction of Vicarage Road in Four Ashes, external.
Staffordshire Police says it is continuing to investigate the crash and that Joseph's family is being supported by trained officers.
Festival to fundraise for Manchester bombing victimspublished at 13:31 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Sarah Robertson
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke
A special festival is going to be held in Newcastle-under-Lyme in aid of the Manchester bombing victims. , external
Image source, CHRIS J RATCLIFFE/AFP/Getty Images
It's been organised by some of the town's businesses who say they wanted to do something positive after the attack.
They say funds raised will go to help the families of the 22 people killed and those injured last Monday.
Football: Stoke City paid £107m by Premier League for finishing 13thpublished at 13:09 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
BBC Sport
Stoke City were paid £107m by the Premier League for finishing 13th in 2016-17.
Image source, Gareth Copley/Getty Images
The 2016-17 season was the first of the latest TV deal and saw a total of almost £2.4bn paid to the 20 clubs - up from £1.6bn last season.
The figures are based on broadcast and commercial deals plus prize money.
If Stoke had managed to finish ninth, their position for the previous three seasons, they would have been paid £118.2m.
A selection of audience pictures for Fridaypublished at 12:33 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
You keep sending in great pictures of Staffordshire and Cheshire and here are six more from across the area.
You can share your photos too of the area by email or, if you use Instagram, external, put them there with the tag #bbcstoke as that shows you agree to share them.
Media caption,
Your pictures
General election 2017: Debate tackles school fundingpublished at 12:14 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Stuart George
Presenter, BBC Radio Stoke
School funding in Cheshire was one of the main talking points in BBC Radio Stoke's election debate in Crewe last night.
In the past few months, the government announced measures for allocating funding to schools, responding to years of complaints about regional inequalities.
Parents in Cheshire had campaigned, saying the proposals would leave their children worse off.
In the debate last night:
- Conservative Edward Timpson said his party would keep increasing the funding for schools to give a "real terms increase every year"
- UKIP's Michael Stanley said schools should be fully funded so children could get a proper education to develop their skills
- Laura Smith for Labour said the area had been under-funded and the proposed funding formula needed to consider the needs of every single child
- Gwyn Griffiths, representing the Liberal Democrats on the night, said his party would put additional money towards school funding so no school loses out from changes to the funding formula
If you missed the debate, you can hear it again on the iPlayer or watch it on the BBC Radio Stoke Facebook page here, external.
Army descends on Stafford for training exercisepublished at 11:51 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Express and Star
Hundreds of British soldiers have taken part in an Army exercise, external as they tested their skills alongside their French counterparts.
Image source, Express and Star
'Record-equalling' visitor numbers for county showpublished at 11:25 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
About 70,000 people visited this year's Staffordshire County Show, external with organisers saying the figure equals their highest-recorded visitor numbers.
Media caption,
This year's county show
The two-day event, on the outskirts of Stafford, saw 1,200 horses and 650 sheep exhibited along with live music, animal shows and a motorbike display team.
Organisers say 35 cows were also judged at the event through "virtual judging", with the animal filmed at its farm and not having to appear at the show.
General election 2017: Food banks debated by Crewe and Nantwich candidatespublished at 10:58 British Summer Time 2 June 2017
Chris King
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke
The candidates fighting it out to be the next MP for Crewe and Nantwich were quizzed on food banks at a BBC Radio Stoke debate last night.
They were asked what they would do to stop people needing to use food banks in the area.
- Gwyn Griffiths, representing the Liberal Democrats on the night, said his party would reverse benefit cuts, restore housing benefits to young people and overturn caps on public sector pay increases
- Labour's Laura Smith said the previous government hadn't done enough to help struggling people and wanted to make sure nurses didn't need to use food banks
- Michael Stanley for UKIP said people were taxed too much with too many bills
- Edward Timpson, standing for the Conservative party, said more needed to be done to improve the payment of benefits and also to get more people into work
If you missed the debate, you can hear it again on the iPlayer or watch it on the BBC Radio Stoke Facebook page here, external.