Former hostage Terry Waite opens charity in South Shields

The former Beruit hostage Terry Waite, who has dedicated his life to helping others since his release, opened a charity providing bedrooms for homeless people in South Shields today.

Terry Waite is the president of the Emmaus Federation in the UK and has written several books about his five years as a hostage in Lebanon, his work as an envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and his work as a hostage negotiator.

He was there to open Emmaus North East, a new residence at Stanhope Road in South Shields, which will provide accommodation for 15 formerly homeless people.

They'll live in the accommodation and work in the charity's social enterprise, as Jessica Nevin reports: