Tyne Tees News

A disabled pensioner, who was attacked outside his own home, and the woman who set up a fundraising page to help him, met today for the very first time. See Jonny Blair's full report here, which contains flash photography:

Katie Cutler has given her reaction to the generosity shown to Alan Barnes, the disabled pensioner who was attacked outside his Gateshead home last week.

The fund raising web page she set up have made more than £230 thousand.

A new programme to encourage people to cycle more is underway on Tyneside thanks to a multi million pound grant from the Department for Transport.

Newcastle City Council has begun its Cycling in the City scheme to try to encourage people to get on their bikes.

Cycling levels in the North East are among the lowest in the UK so the authority is investing in projects to encourage people to use bikes.

Alan Barnes says that he and Katie Cutler, who he met for the first time today, will be friends for life.

Alan Barnes says he is absolutely amazed and overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity which has seen thousands donated to help him move home.

The 67-year-old says he is too sacred to return home after being attacked as he took the bins out.

Today he met with Katie Cutler, the local 21-year-old who set up web page to try to raise £500. That total is now more than £200 thousand.

Alan Barnes said he had only just met Katie Cutler but that she would be a friend for life. Watch the moment they met for the first time here.

Alan Barnes, the 67-year-old who was attacked outside Gateshead home, says the woman who helped raise more that £220 thousand to help him move home will always be a friend.

21-year-old Katie Cutler set up a fund raising which originally had a target of just £500.

Mr Barnes said: "I have just met her [Katie] but she will be my friend for life."

Regional and national press have turned out in force to witness the moment that Alan Barnes met Katie Cutler.

67-year-old Alan was attacked while taking out his bins at his Gateshead home last week.

Katie started a fund raising web page hoping to make just £500. It has now made thousands.

The story has spread across the world with donations from as far away as New Zealand.

A disabled pensioner left badly hurt after being attacked outside his home last week has met the woman who helped raised more than £220,000 on his behalf for the first time.

Beautician Katie Cutler, 21, set up the web page after hearing that 67-year-old Alan Barnes was too scared to return to his home following the attack, which happened as he took the bins out.

The total money raised by the website has now topped £220,000, thanks to more than 17,000 generous donors.

Mr Barnes told ITV Tyne Tees he was overwhelmed by the generosity he has been shown.

He said: "It's hard to think of the words to say what I feel for [Katie], how kind she was."