91Èȱ¬

Ten-year-old Mitchell is doing something remarkable - he's walking with his heels flat on the ground.

What's all the fuss about? Well, the Hartlepool youngster has spent all his life until now on tip-toes. He was able to play a bit of football kick-about with me but he soon tired.

Cerebral Palsy tightens the muscles so he cannot flex his legs fully and as he grows it only gets worse. has offered all sorts of treatments, but there is no cure and when his parents heard about an operation in the States that could change his life they decided to go for it.

In the latest episode of Inside Out we follow Mitchell, dad Phil and mum Deborah as they head to the which treats UK children as the operation is hardly ever carried out in Britain. You can see the programme at 7.30pm on 29 November 2010 on 91Èȱ¬ One - but I'd better warn you it's a tear-jerker as their journey is an emotional roller coaster.

(SDR for short) involves the surgeon opening the spine to identify nerves that are causing the spasticity in the patient's legs. The faulty nerves are then severed. In Mitchell's case it freed his limbs, but years of walking on tip toe meant he had to have a second operation to lengthen his heel cord and hamstrings.

I'm delighted to say that today (29 November, 2010) his dad told me he is now walking unaided for the first time since he returned home to Hartlepool.

If you want to know more there is a .

I'd love to hear what you made of the story so feel free to leave your comments here on the blog.

Also in tonight's programme takes us on a tour of her home town to reveal a fascinating tour round former grounds.

Melanie takes us on a trip round all seven previous grounds which have been marked with blue plaques by Rob Mason. He's an avid fan and also edits the club's matchday programmes. What he doesn't know about the club isn't worth knowing about.

If you want to know more about the individual grounds and where to find the blue plaques I'll be adding a special blog on this later in the week.

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Darlington based is the largest care home provider in Britain but an Inside Out investigation being screened November 22 2010 at 7.30pm on 91Èȱ¬1 reveals a catalogue of distressing lapses in care.

• The dementia unit at Armstrong House in Gateshead deemed by the local council unable to provide safe long term care.


• An elderly resident sent to hospital by himself and subsequently left to die without his family being properly informed.
• A poorly treated ulcer which got so bad the resident was caused unecessary pain in the lead up to his death.


• A member of staff falsifying records to make a resident's care appear better than it was.

These were four separate cases in four separate homes in the North East. In the case of Armstrong House suspicious relatives took the distressing decision not to intervene, just to see how bad things would get. Their loved one ended up wearing the same clothes for ten days without being changed.

Southern Cross has apologised for each of these incidents and says they are unacceptable. The company insists these cases do not represent the care that people can expect in their homes.

If you want to share you experiences about having to place a relative into a care home then please add your comments to this blog.


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When earlier this year, thousands of people flocked to the latest stately home to open its doors to the masses.

For Inside Out we've been following the Trust as it broke its usual rules to get the newest property ready for the public. It all happened at breakneck speed but did the Trust bite off more than it could chew? You can find out at 7.30pm on 91Èȱ¬1 on 15 November 2010.

I was among the thousands who went along to snoop around the grand house and grounds near , but little did I realise my connection with Seaton Delaval Hall.

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In fact I only found out myself last Saturday when I met up with a long lost cousin who'd done our family history. It turns out our grand parents were married in the fabulous Norman which sits close to the hall.

It was originally the family chapel, but one of the Delavals gifted it to the and so it became the local parish church.

Grandma was born in as her dad was a carpenter in the local pit.

The picture of my Nan and Grandpa on their wedding day was obviously taken somewhere else in the area, as the background is definitely not the church itself. I have yet to work out where that was taken.

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A word to the newly married: Let the Husband

• 1) Be patient and considerate to his wife.
• 2) Let him not leave her all the work to do.
• 3) Let him cheer her up when he sees that she is getting disheartened.

Let the wife remember that her first duties are at home

• 1) To submit to her husband.
• 2) To make his home cheerful and happy.
• 3) To make him after God the first in her thoughts.

When we filmed over the Summer months I had no idea I was walking around in my folks' footsteps.

As you will see in our programme the trust took a leap of faith in opening the part ruined hall so soon. The aim is for it to be a proper part of the local community. Have you been as a visitor and what did you think?

Let me know by adding your comments to this blog..

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We've another interesting mix of stories on the latest episode of Inside Out which is on 91Èȱ¬1 at 7.30pm on 08 November 2010.

Hayley Adamson

An officer was heard to say: "that's one less Scotchy scum bag".

This was revealed after internal documents were obtained by Inside Out. have apologised to the family and told us the officer involved is facing disciplinary action.

But how does a community and the local police re-establish trust and respect?

Let me know what you think by adding your comments to this blog.

Also in the programme we feature at the only which is in Cumbria.

When we last filmed with her we also had her on a horse on . A dog ran up and bit her horse on the leg. It reared and threw poor Kirsten to the ground.

Full marks to her though. When we rather sheepishly said we'd like her to present another one of our stories, on errrr, ahem, horses she didn't flinch.

And if you liked the work of County Durham's own pitman painter Tom Lamb, you can browse some of his artwork in . There are also some video extras with Tom on our programme page.

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That's the question we have to ask ourselves as the government's programme of cuts starts to bite.

In our latest episode of Inside Out we take a look at the work of . Youngsters who have fallen through the net of other agencies and who are possibly heading towards a life of crime are given a tough regime of challenges.

It includes roughing it in the Lakes, but from what we saw it does inspire the young people with the confidence to take greater control of their own lives.

It's not cheap and you have to spend the money with no guarantee each person will respond. In a tough climate of spending cuts, can Fairbridge expect continued funding from local and national government? The charity argues it's cheaper than letting them drift into the prison system.

What do you think? Just add your comments to this blog.

Also in the show:

Some welcome diversion for the folks of Sunderland after . Wearside has something to sing about as of celebrates the city's musical talents. Below is a video extra of Baz talking about how he joined the punk band.

And we look at before he was famous. Stuart Maconie follows in his early footsteps.

It was great to be able to film our links for this week's programme in the Lake District. If you're wondering where we got that fantastic opening shot, it's on top of near . It's remarkably accessible, even Steve the Cameraman loaded down with kit made it up onto the fell top!

Cameraman Steve carrying his equipment up Latrigg

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