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ITV News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- ITV News
Inside Norwich Prison: How teaching fellow inmates to read saved Toby's life
ITV News Anglia was given rare access inside Norwich Prison to see how prisoners are helping each other learn to read, as part of our literacy series A Word's Worth. Rob Setchell reports. The nonsense verse of Lewis Carroll's 'Jabberwocky' is scrawled on a white-brick wall, posters champion the benefits of meditation and the enchanting melodies of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra drift down the corridor. All in all, it is not the welcome I expected inside Norwich Prison. We've got rare access to see how inmates are turning their lives around by teaching each other to read - but before we can talk literacy, music is on the agenda. In the room next to the library, members of the Royal Philharmonic are performing songs written by prisoners for the children they are separated from. The Lullaby Project, delivered alongside the Irene Taylor Trust, leaves many sat watching in tears. Toby Bunting's song is dedicated to his godson. He called it "Beacon of Hope". The 52-year-old looks vaguely familiar. He soon tells me why. His case was featured on Channel 4's 24 Hours in Police Custody. He was caught red-handed on the A47 with thousands of pounds worth of crystal meth and cocaine. He was jailed for 30 months. A year on, he is a mentor co-ordinator for the Shannon Trust, a charity which runs reading programmes in prisons. He has been allowed to transform an old storage room into an area where he can mentor other prisoners with their reading - a job, he says, that has saved his life. "I'd given up," he said. "I'd made some mistakes, made some stupid decisions and I threw away a 24-year career in the NHS. "This room is my saviour. This room and doing the teaching. I do it non-stop, seven days a week. "There are several learners that I've got that came in with a mental age of about seven. They couldn't string together a basic sentence. "But some of them come in two hours every day and do sessions. That's just amazing." About 70% of people in prison can't read - or struggle to. Many have awful memories of school. Studies show prisoners who engage in education inside are less likely to reoffend when they get out. The Shannon Trust says it's often the introduction to reading that can start to turn a life around. "Most of them have never picked up a book," says programme manager Courtenay Amis. "They've never been to a library. They've never read a newspaper. "Once they start doing those things - when they start achieving what we would think of as small things but for them it's a huge achievement - they get involved in other worlds that they wouldn't have been able to. "We've got a lot of people who love music and they want to start writing music and they want to look at a career when they go out because they've opened that door." Toby is due to get out soon - but he wants to continue his tutoring. He has a new desire, he says, to "fix people". He has a new appreciation for the power of words. And, most importantly, he has new hope.
ITV News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- ITV News
Suffolk family host festival in tribute to father killed in Tunisia terror attacks 10 years ago
Natalie Gray speaks to the Cullen family 10 years on from the terror attack which killed Stuart Cullen The family of a man who was shot and killed in a terror attack at a Tunisian holiday resort a decade ago say a festival they have organised is a fitting way to celebrate his memory. Stuart Cullen, 52, was on holiday with his wife Christine in the resort of Sousse when a gunman opened fire, killing him and 37 other, mostly British tourists, on 26 June 2015. Ten years on, Mrs Cullen, who also sustained injuries during the massacre, and the couple's daughter Emma-Jayne Herbert, 32, are hosting a special event to mark the 10th anniversary of his death. The event, called Here Comes The Sun - Stu's Festival will be held at The Plough at Blundeston in Suffolk on Saturday with all proceeds going to the child bereavement charity Nelson's Journey. Recalling the events of 2015, Mrs Cullen, from Carlton Colville in Suffolk, told ITV News Anglia: "We were running out of the front of the hotel. We were almost to safety. "The bomb went off and I could see, because of the amount of blood that was there that there was nothing I could do and I just looked at him and I said 'I love you' and he said 'I love you too' and then he slipped away." Their daughter was back in the UK working as a freelance photographer in London during the attack. She said she instinctively knew something terrible had happened. Mrs Herbert said: "It was definitely the hardest day I've ever experienced in my life - just galling not knowing but yet knowing something is wrong. "I guess the whole world stood still and I could feel it in my bones that I had lost someone." The family were very close and referred to themselves as The Three Musketeers but Mrs Cullen believes her late husband would be proud that the pair were holding a music festival. She said: "He would love it and the fact we are having a beer and listening to great music - even better." Mrs Herbert added: "He would want us to spread light and positivity and not be wallowing and be by ourselves. "He would want us to be surrounded by our family and friends and having a good time." The event will include "live music, activities for all the family, and the largest raffle you've ever seen" according to the Facebook page. Nelson's Journey - a bereavement charity helping children - will be the beneficiaries. Mrs Herbert said: "My mum and I wouldn't have gotten through the past 10 years without the support of charities, our family liaison officers and family and friends, so Nelson's Journey feels close to our hearts, offering the support that we know is so imperative for others to move forward and continue to live their lives after a huge bereavement." When Mrs Herbert got married, her mother gave her away in an outfit she had made from one of her Mr Cullen's suits. Now, she is expecting her first baby, and admits that not having her father around is difficult. She said: "Without Dad the life milestones are definitely so much harder. Even now, with the new baby on the way we know that we keep Dad alive by adopting his values. "Although he won't be here to see it he'll still be very much a part of it."
ITV News
19-06-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Bedfordshire could generate extra £5bn a year for UK economy after Universal and Luton Airport plans
A building boom across one of the UK's fastest-growing counties is set to add up to five billion pounds a year to the UK economy, ITV News Anglia can reveal. Europe's newest theme park, an airport expansion and a raft of other investment projects promise to trigger a gold rush in Bedfordshire, with tens of thousands of new jobs created in construction, hospitality and associated industries. Figures compiled for ITV News by the Bedford Chamber of Commerce suggest that up to an additional £5bn a year will be generated by projects which include the redevelopment of Luton Hoo, a golf venue and hotel hoping to host the sport's Ryder Cup, upgrading of the key A421 route and building of the East-West rail link. Now locals and business leaders - including construction firms, pubs and farms - are working to make sure the "once-in-a-lifetime" benefits can be felt evenly across communities. ITV News Anglia is exploring and explaining how the investment could change the face of the county in a special programme being broadcast on Thursday, 19 June. A time of change in Bedfordshire Universal In April, Universal announced it would turn a sprawling 476-acre disused brickworks in Stewartby, near Bedford, into one of Europe's largest tourist attractions, set to open in 2031. Bosses hope the theme park - located six miles south of Bedford in the hamlet of Kempston Hardwick - will see more than 8.5 million visitors in its first year, and the project is estimated to be worth £50 billion to the UK economy over the course of 30 years. The construction is set to create 20,000 jobs, with over 5,000 workers needed on-site at the peak of the building work, and the resort and theme park is expected to create 8,000 new jobs in the hospitality and creative industries. NBCUniversal has said 80% of these jobs should go to people in Bedfordshire and the surrounding area. Back to top Luton Airport Less than a week before the Universal announcement, the government approved plans to expand Luton Airport in a move that could nearly double its annual capacity to 32 million passengers, with a new terminal and an extension to the current airfield platform. According to Luton Borough Council, the expansion could create up to 11,000 jobs nationally, with 6,000 of those in the counties of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. Back to top Vauxhall plant closure The announcement came less than a week after Vauxhall's van-making factory in Luton was closed by parent company Stellantis, putting up to 1,100 jobs at risk 120 years after the company first came to Luton. The last van rolled off the production line in March, with pictures from inside the plant showing emotional workers gathered round as the final vehicle was finished. Outside, people spoke of their sadness at the end of an era and the loss of a community which they described as "like a family". Back to top Transport upgrades In January, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced transport in the region would also see significant investment, with the East West Rail project planned to deliver new and upgraded lines between Oxford and Cambridge - including improvements to the existing line between Bedford and Bletchley. She also announced a new railway station at Tempsford, east of Bedford, to connect the East Coast Main Line and East West Rail, as well as an upgrade to the A428 to cut journey times between Milton Keynes and Cambridge. Back to top Businesses in the area are already keen to make the most of the opportunities presented by the investment boom. "The impact has to be right, the infrastructure has to be right to accommodate projects of this size," said Justin Richardson, from the Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce. "But it's a once in a generation project that will bring a huge amount of benefits to Bedfordshire.' Daniel Coyle, chief executive of Ryebridge Construction, agreed that both the airport expansion and Universal theme park meant it was a good time to be a construction company in Bedfordshire. "It gives us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand as a business, but also to take on apprentices," he said. For Pete Pestell, head chef and landlord of a pub in Felmersham, it was an "exciting" chance to welcome new visitors drawn in by the Universal theme park. "The villagers will continue to support us and we'll continue to be their pub," he told ITV News Anglia. "But pubs are closing, and hospitality is in a mess around the UK, so this could help us to give something special and a bit of a golden ticket compared to some of the other counties." And it's not just pubs and restaurants but the land around the site which could be about to see the benefits. Laura Ibbet, who owns the Sun Inn & Wild Berry Farm which produces food for the pub, wants to create a glamping site for theme park tourists. "I think we've got a really unique area here in the Ouse Valley, on the farm particularly," she explained. "Beautiful lakes, grassland, wildflower meadows, and people coming over for Universal are looking for more than just a one-night stay. "They're looking for an experience and I think we can offer that here."
ITV News
12-06-2025
- Health
- ITV News
Family of autistic man who died after 10 days in mental health detention call for change
ITV News Anglia's Katie Ridley reports on Declan Morrison's family's call for change after his death. The family of an autistic man who died after being kept in a mental health detention suite for 10 days have called for changes to how people with learning disabilities are treated in the mental health system. An inquest which concluded in October last year found that Declan Morrison, 26, died from "catastrophic" injuries after banging his head repeatedly against a wall in the detention suite which should only have been used for 48 hours. Mr Morrison, from Cambourne near Cambridge, was non-verbal and required 24-hour care for his autism, ADHD, severe learning disabilities and bipolar disorder. He had lived in private placements sourced by Cambridgeshire County Council, but by the end of 2021 his placement was unable to meet his needs and the council could not find anywhere suitable for him to go. In March 2022, Mr Morrison was detained under the Mental Health Act and taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital, then transferred to a suite at Fulbourn Hospital where he was kept for 10 days. His mother, Samantha Morrison, told ITV News Anglia: "He was lost, he was alone, he was left, he was frightened, he was under-stimulated. And he was misunderstood. "The biggest thing is that he was alone." A Prevention of Future Deaths report issued by the coroner after his inquest stated the suite was not suitable for someone with Mr Morrison's needs. His family wants to stop people with learning disabilities being detained in these spaces - and they now have the support of their local MP, Ian Sollom. The Liberal Democrat MP for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire told ITV News Anglia: "There's over 2,000 people who are either autistic or have learning disabilities who are currently detained under the Mental Health Act, and that's just far too many, and for far too long as well." Tim Nicholls, policy director at the National autistic Society, said that while autism is not a mental health condition, many autistic people develop mental health problems and can get into crisis. He added: "What is absolutely vital is that the mental health system is better equipped with the right environments and staff training to really support people." The Department for Health and Social Care said the number of people with learning disabilities in mental health hospitals is "unacceptable". It told ITV News Anglia: "Our proposed reforms in the Mental Health Bill will limit the scope to detain people with a learning disability and autistic people, ensuring their needs are met in the community."
ITV News
02-06-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Norfolk villagers angry after letter says their homes could be 'required' for East Pye solar farm
A great-grandmother has told ITV News she feels "overwhelmed" after dozens of residents in her village received a letter saying their homes "may be required" by a solar farm developer. The East Pye Solar Project would see more than 2,500 acres of countryside across 100 fields in south Norfolk turned into one of the UK's biggest solar farms, affecting villages including Hempnall, Saxlingham and Tasburgh. Proposed last year, it would power around 115,000 homes and a statutory consultation will begin this summer. But 89-year-old Yvonne Davy and dozens of fellow residents have received a letter from developer Island Green Power's lawyers which has left them "alarmed". The letter, from firm Dalcour Maclaren, said East Pye Solar Ltd believe they may have an interest in the residents' land or property, which could be "required for the project". Ms Davy told ITV News Anglia she was "absolutely appalled" to receive the letter, which she feels implies residents' property could be acquired. The great-grandmother, who has solar panels on her roof and drives an electric car, said: "I thought, they'll get my property over my dead body, which is a bit extreme but it would really damage me a great deal. "I'm just overwhelmed by it, really." The project is deemed to be of national significance, meaning the final decision will be made by the Planning Inspectorate. That could give the developer the power to compulsory purchase land, but they have said their intention is to deliver the scheme without doing that. "It left me feeling unsettled": Rob Setchell spoke to Hempnall residents who received the letter The parish council said residents felt "harassed" after residents were also contacted on their personal mobile phones. David Hook, chairman of Hempnall Parish Council, told ITV News Anglia the power to compulsory purchase property and land is "a very worrying thing". He said: "Everyone should love the countryside, it's a precious national asset. "We should be protecting it, not destroying it. "It's everybody's legacy." Island Green Power said: "East Pye Solar will be undertaking Land Interest Questionnaires (LIQ) to identify people and organisations that have a legal interest in land or property that may potentially be impacted by the Scheme. "This is a statutory obligation under the 2008 Planning Act and is routine for helping to identify those with legal interest in land. "Completing land referencing questionnaires allows these stakeholders to be consulted on the Development Consent Order (DCO) application and ensures they receive formal notification such as when the Scheme is accepted for examination." It said East Pye is crucial for meeting climate targets to triple solar power by 2030. Around three quarters of people who responded to the first local consultation last autumn were against the plan.
