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Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Kristin Hawthorne.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
00:27I'm Kristen Hawthorne and hear your top stories on Monday the 15th of September.
00:32Left in disrepair, residents of a Sheppey housing estate say they face difficult choices after discovering large debt.
00:40We have no money because, first of all, I haven't put any money over.
00:44So apart from the people that pay monthly, you know, we have some funds coming in.
00:49Feeling the squeeze, family-owned greengrocers in Westgate-on-Sea is on the brink of closure
00:54as customers prioritise cheaper supermarkets.
00:57The worst year we've had so far. We totally understand the cost of living crisis.
01:02I know it's hard out there. We just aren't making enough to cover bills.
01:08And a day to remember in Chatham as volunteers create over 20,000 handmade poppies.
01:14We were looking at originally at 11,000. The community have done phenomenal work.
01:19And we've now got over 20,000, which is remarkable.
01:21First tonight, residents of Queensborough Estate on the Isle of Sheppey have said that they've been left in up to £13,000 worth of debt.
01:41This comes after they made the move to take over running it themselves after what they say was years' worth of problems
01:48with the previous management. They now have been left to make tough decisions.
01:53And our local democracy reporter, Ollie Leader, has been finding out more.
01:58Broken ground lights, weeds and disrepair. Just some of the reasons that residents here on the Isle of Sheppey
02:04decided to do away with their estate management company, Firstport, from their development for good.
02:11Repairs, what has and hasn't been done. It was just getting worse. It went up and up and up from the jobs that needed doing.
02:17And we're continually chasing them. And then we just decided, we've had enough. We just don't want you anymore.
02:23When Neil and his colleague Stuart became directors of the residence management company that oversees maintenance of the Queensboro Phase 1 development last year,
02:34they tried giving Firstport the benefit of the doubt. But it was only after ditching the company that they discovered they've been left in more than £18,000 of debt,
02:44essentially wiping out their reserve fund. Though that initial figure has since been reduced by several thousand pounds.
02:52We were informed that there was no service charge debt with the account in February. That was unfounded in the end.
02:59It works out about £12,000 to £13,000 of service charge debt, which now obviously prevents us with repair work moving forwards.
03:08We've got to prioritise and get urgent repairs or health and safety related repairs done now, as opposed to just cracking on through the estate.
03:17Firstport say that a number of homeowners did not make service charge payments following the news that there was going to be a change of managing agent,
03:27resulting in a shortfall of funds and impacting the works that could be undertaken.
03:34Neil and Stuart now worry with pressure on the reserve fund whether they themselves will be able to undertake these repairs in a timely manner.
03:44We have no money because Firstport haven't put any money over. So apart from the people that pay monthly, you know, we have some funds coming in.
03:54Unfortunately, luckily we sold some land and we have a fund of about £9,000, which is literally keeping the estate going.
04:03Firstport say they're working through the handover process within the required timeframe.
04:10But with more money needed to plug the gap on the estate, difficult choices and potential service fee increases could be on the table.
04:20Over to Ramsgate now where a failed pub turned restaurant with 150 years of history could be changed back into a pub under new plans.
04:32The Ravensgate Arms in King Street, Ramsgate, which dates back to at least 1867, shut in April 2023 before being turned into Eats and Beats restaurant, which then shut in August due to costs.
04:47But now plans have been revealed to convert it back into a pub, except smaller than before, with proposals to convert the first floor into a self-contained flat.
04:56But a decision is yet to be made on the scheme by Tunbridge Borough Council.
05:01Next, a grammar school in Chatham has had to close for two days after a fire broke out.
05:08Six fire engines were called to Fort Pitt Grammar School for girls on Sunday morning after a fire started in the canteen.
05:15No injuries were reported and it's believed the cause was an electrical fault.
05:19Fire services arrived at around 1am and left at 2.30.
05:23In an email sent to parents, the school confirmed that the site will be closed today and tomorrow.
05:29In a statement, the school said that the fire had been contained to the canteen, but smoke had spread requiring them to close for ventilation and cleaning.
05:40Next, a mother in Deal who lost her partner to a building site accident launches a charity for bereaved children.
05:47David Archer, who suffered fatal injuries two years ago at an unfinished housing estate in Ramsgate, left behind his wife and two children.
05:56His partner Rachel said that their lives have completely changed since losing David, but that she's been open with the children about her emotions and that now they're thriving.
06:07Rachel then founded the AUGA Foundation Brave to help other children like her own in March of 2024.
06:14And the group meet on the last Thursday of every month to provide a safe and welcoming environment for children.
06:20Next, a family owned green grocers in Westgate-on-Sea is facing closure after having its worst year on record.
06:30In a Facebook post earlier this month, CJ Pentes explained that it is losing customers to bigger supermarkets as the cost of living crisis continues to worsen.
06:40This forms part of a wider trend across Kent of high street shops losing sales to online retailers and cheaper supermarkets.
06:48We sent our reporter Megan Shaw across to Thanet to find out more.
06:53Slowly but surely, Kent's high street seemed to be flagging as independent businesses struggled to keep up with bigger chains.
07:00Green grocers, in particular, are feeling the brunt of this.
07:03In 1997, there were 6,916 registered green grocers in the UK.
07:09By 2021, there were just 2,595.
07:13I tend to buy from supermarkets mostly, usually Lidl or Aldi.
07:19What influences you to shop at those places?
07:21Price.
07:22There's not really like a butcher's or a grocer's that near me, so I tend to just pop to like a little Tesco or something.
07:27I only go to Tesco's or Waitrose because I might not have a choice, but I'd rather personalise my local shops as best as I could.
07:37As the cost of living crisis continues, we're all still feeling the pinch.
07:41Despite a strong community here on Westgate-on-Sea, where locals are wanting to shop independently,
07:46small businesses are still struggling against high street giants.
07:49Abby Evans, owner of the Westgate-CJ Apprentice branch, is fighting for her business' survival.
07:55We are a locally owned fruit and veg shop.
07:59We sell a variety of fruit and vegetables and salad stuff.
08:03This year has been the worst year we've had so far.
08:07We totally understand the cost of living crisis.
08:10I am a mum of five. I know it is hard out there.
08:13We just aren't making enough to cover bills, to cover stock.
08:19It's never been like this.
08:21If I had independent, like, grocers and stuff near me, I'd be much more inclined to support them than a supermarket.
08:27I like to support the local, but I like their produce. You can rely on it, so you get what you pay for.
08:36We are well aware we are more expensive than the supermarkets, but all we ask is that people maybe give us a thought before they have to go three miles out of their way to get stuff.
08:4560% of our stuff is from local farms. Like, we only don't travel too far, so more money into the local town.
08:53Everything that gets spent here just gets put straight back into the shop.
08:57Just down the road, Nicola Bradshaw, owner of the Gothic bakery at Borking & Bakes, is also battling with larger online competition.
09:04Yeah, I think we're up against, obviously, online everything.
09:09I think people are, hate to say it, a little bit lazy now, and they want everything brought to them, and it's not something that we currently can offer.
09:19The bricks and mortar shops do need the support, definitely.
09:24CJ Prentice Westgate still swings the balance over whether it will see another year.
09:30This is Megan Shaw for CAME TV in Westgate.
09:34Well, Megan joins me now to tell us more.
09:38So, we said there that CJ Prentice put something on Facebook where they threatened the closure.
09:43Can you tell me what happened and what they said?
09:45Yeah, so, CJ Prentice and their owner, Abby, of the Westgate store, put a post on Facebook where they explain that they've had the worst summer the shop has had in four years.
09:55And not one of those days in summer, they were able to cover the cost of the produce that was coming in.
10:00So, they're really worried, and they're worried this might be their last month where they're still selling.
10:05It is quite surprising because, you know, we had quite a hot summer there, and you would think that maybe people would tend to go for more fresh fruits during the summer on that health kick.
10:14But no, apparently not, and this is the fourth year, you've said.
10:18What are the benefits then of trying to shop local?
10:21So, as we can see there in that package, you do get the benefit of supporting your local community, like the people on your high street, your friends, your family who might be involved in those businesses.
10:32The produce there is often always ripe as well, which has benefits as well if you're shopping in summer.
10:38You don't need to wait for your tomatoes to taste nice.
10:40And again, a lot of that kind of stuff is local as well, especially in Kent where we've got lots of farmers that we want to be supporting.
10:47We're able to support those rather than get something imported in, which again is better for the environment to shop local.
10:53Yeah, and support, you know, where the fruit's grown in the Garden of England, you know, it would make sense.
10:58Does this seem to be a wider pattern across Kent and maybe even the country?
11:02Well, a YouGov survey has been tracking where Brits are buying their fruit and vegetables from.
11:07So, in July of this year, 78% of Brits are buying their fruit and veg from supermarkets, either in person or online.
11:13So, just 4% are shopping from a specialist vendor, so that would be a greengrocer, which is a slight decrease from 5% last year.
11:20Which I do think is quite surprising, because I do think there is a movement of shopping British and backing British, especially after, like, Clarkson's Farm.
11:27But, I mean, as discussed in the package, it does seem to be a huge consequence of the cost of living.
11:33It's not really if people want to, it's people are just not able to support those places.
11:384% is quite surprising, but we'll return back to your package in just a minute.
11:44But that's it for now. Quick break coming up, but we will see you in just a few minutes.
11:49So, we'll see you then.
11:57We'll see you then.
12:57Bye.
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14:28Bye.
14:57Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
15:15Now, if you've been out and about today, you've probably noticed the wind.
15:20A yellow weather warning has been issued for Kent today, with winds expected to reach up to 27 miles per hour.
15:26The Met Office has told people to expect possible delays to road, rail, air and ferry services, absolutely everything,
15:32along with the potential risk of power cuts.
15:34Our reporter, Maisie Walker, sent us this report earlier today where she was battling the wind.
15:39The Met Office issued a yellow warning earlier today due to strong winds,
15:45which are likely to cause travel disruption across Kent.
15:49People are being warned to expect possible delays to road, rail, air and ferry services.
15:55Power cuts are also a very real possibility during this period of bad weather.
16:01So it's a good idea to have essentials ready, such as torches, spare batteries and a charged power pack just in case.
16:11The yellow warning is expected to remain in place until 6 o'clock this evening.
16:17And for those living near the coast in places like Margate, large waves and sea sprays are also expected.
16:25In fact, I spoke to the Met Office earlier today about what to do to stay safe.
16:30Well, there's always a hazard, particularly around the coast to do with debris being blown onto coastlines and large waves, as well as traffic disruption.
16:41As I say, the winds through the rest of the week, not quite as strong as we've seen during Monday.
16:47But, you know, with trees in full leaf and a lot of wet weather around as well, there's always some risk of things being blown about and some damage done.
16:59Always worth paying close attention to the weather forecast, any warnings that might be issued.
17:05And of course, checking traffic conditions on the roads before heading out.
17:08There is something on the horizon that indicates more improved weather conditions through next week, higher pressure beginning to build in from the Atlantic.
17:18So there's an end in sight to this unsettled spell, but it may not be until around the middle of next week.
17:25So can you tell me how the wind has affected Kent then throughout the day?
17:29Yeah.
17:30Yeah.
17:31So even though the weather warning ended at six this evening, it probably won't be the last one Kent sees this month, with rain expected this Wednesday in the early hours of the morning.
17:43And just to clarify for our viewers at home, a yellow weather warning is when it is advised to check the details of the forecast
17:51and consider taking steps to minimize the impacts of the minimize the impacts for you and your household.
17:59And even in a yellow warning area, people will see disruption to a greater or lesser extent.
18:07So it is important to check the details and see which steps you could take to prepare.
18:13But today, as the Met Office did warn, rail passengers faced delays across Kent this afternoon due to several trees on the tracks.
18:24These trains were unable to run between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings due to the fallen tree at Roberts Bridge Railway Station,
18:34including the high speed service between Gravesend and Strood.
18:39It was also blocked.
18:41People using any disrupted routes are being advised to travel later if possible.
18:47Thank you so much.
18:49And with that yellow weather warning for wind ending at 6pm tonight, you've just got about just over 10 minutes.
18:54Let's take a look at the weather for the coming days.
19:03Tonight, a yellow weather warning in place for wind that will come in to end at 6pm.
19:07Like I've just said, those wind speeds will be hitting 16 and 17 miles an hour with temperatures around 13.
19:13Into tomorrow morning, clear sunny skies with temperatures around 14 and 13.
19:17And then into tomorrow afternoon, then clouds scattered across the county with temperatures rising to 19.
19:25And then for the rest of the week, we've got 22 on Friday, 22 on Thursday and 19 on Wednesday.
19:31Next, Canterbury is hosting the Great Star River Fest for the third time, bringing a week of celebrations, boat tours and even a duck race.
19:46Starting from the 21st of September and finishing on the 28th, thousands of visitors will gather at the riverbanks around Canterbury for guided walks and countless events being held, all starting with the Canterbury Duck Race, which has been around for 25 years.
20:01Yellow ducks will be sent floating down the river from Westgate Gardens to mark the start of the festival, with several more activities lined up such as riverside tai chi, free boat tours and craft markets.
20:13Most of the events are free, but some must be booked in advance and you can find out about those events on Kent Online, as well as a full programme on the Canterbury website.
20:25But now, don't forget you can keep up to date with all our latest stories across Kemp by logging on to our website at KMTV.co.uk.
20:32There you'll find all reports, including this one, about the St John's Ambulance brass band on the Isle of Sheppey, who found a temporary new home on the island.
20:41The last nationwide brass band of the St John Ambulance are still standing, but only for a few weeks longer.
20:57They were granted a goodwill extension by the organisation and are now due to be evicted on the 23rd of September.
21:07Very sad. Disappointed, but the good work that our bandmaster and other members of the band to see what they're trying to do to save our headquarters, of course it hurts.
21:24When you think you've given your life up for them and it's just taken away and it hurts very, very much.
21:33All the members of the Isle of Sheppey St John Ambulance Brass Band have written on the wall behind me to leave a lasting message and a memorial of a building that has hosted many years of music, fun and most importantly, family.
21:53However, they've been granted temporary accommodation at the Sheppey rugby club, but they're still looking for a permanent place for next year.
22:04St John have confirmed that this is a temporary solution for the band until a more central spot higher for the network as they call it now can be found, but they did confirm that they will not be on Sheppey.
22:19The Brass Band is also receiving help from a Kent County Council councillor who is fighting to preserve this iconic piece of Sheppey history by keeping it where it is.
22:33It is our ambition to get over 5,000 signatures and then go to the headquarters of St John Ambulance and put it on their desk to those officials.
22:41Their decision has undermined not only this band, this brilliant, brilliant band, but the people of the Isle of Sheppey and we will not stand for it whatsoever.
22:48St John Ambulance say they are continuing to work with the brass band and local volunteers to find a suitable space in Sheppey whilst finding more permanent solutions across the county.
23:03The choice to close the unit came following a review of the building which confirmed it was no longer suitable for the charity's needs.
23:12It's clear that no matter whether they stay or move to a different place, this brass band is determined to keep playing the same tune.
23:22Henry Luck for Cain TV on the Isle of Sheppey.
23:32And now the historic dockyard in Chatham opened their Remembrance Threads project today where thousands of handmade poppies covered the HMS Cavalier.
23:41The last surviving Royal Navy destroyer of the Second World War to honour the lives lost in the war.
23:48We sent our reporter Holly Spires out in Chatham today to find out more about the memorial and the stories behind the poppies.
23:56Remembrance Threads is a powerful community-led exhibition weaving together stories of service, sacrifice and memory, all through the medium of textile art.
24:07Thousands of handmade poppies, each one a symbol of remembrance, sown with care, now stand beyond HMS Cavalier, the last surviving Royal Navy destroyer of the Second World War.
24:19Each poppy is handmade by volunteers, each with their own individual story.
24:24Well, we heard that they were looking for volunteers from the community to make up to 11,000 poppies for this Threads of Remembrance event.
24:33We are knitters, we are also members of Medway and Maidens Seroptimist group and sometimes get involved in knitting projects with them to improve lives of women and children and things like this.
24:44So we decided to get involved and we actually made 136 poppies, but there was a significance to that and I'll let my sister explain.
24:52Our grandfather, maternal grandfather was born in 1889 until present day now would be 136 and he served in the First World War and the Second World War with the Royal Navy.
25:03And he was actually based here in 1942 in Chatham, so the fact that he could have been somewhere around here, we felt it was really nice to be part of that.
25:15The project, which is supported by Medway Council, aims to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Second World War.
25:22This has been a phenomenal community project. The Dockyard working with many other different organisations and individuals who have taken their time to create poppies to place here.
25:33We were looking at originally at 11,000. The community have done phenomenal work and we've now got over 20,000, which is remarkable.
25:42I've been chatting to some residents today, some people have taken part and what's been really interesting for me, some people have produced lots of poppies, but some have produced a very specific number.
25:51So for example, one resident who I was speaking to, her dad served in the Royal Navy for 22 years, so she produced 22 poppies.
26:00So you can see there lots of individual stories and experiences that have fed into this project.
26:06I'm incredibly proud of the work that's happened here and I pay tribute to everyone who's played their part in making sure that the Threads of Remembrance here at the Dockyard is such a poignant exhibition for everyone to take on board.
26:20Each poppy here speaks without words, a small act of love in memory of lives never forgotten.
26:27Holly Spires for KMCV in Chatham.
26:30Brilliant report from Holly there and she'll be joining us just a little bit later in the show to tell us more.
26:37But for now, we've got a quick break coming up, but we will be recapping the headlines when we're back.
26:42Such as the story about residents in Queenborough Estate on the Isle of Sheppey, who said they've been left with £13,000 of debt after running the estate themselves.
26:52See you then.
27:22Bye.
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29:52KMTV.
30:08Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
30:14live on KMTV. I'm Kristen Hawthorne and here's a recap of your stories on Monday the 15th
30:19of September. Left in disrepair, residents of a Sheppey housing estate say they face
30:25difficult choices after discovering large debt. Feeling the squeeze, family-owned green
30:31grocers in Weskey-on-Sea is on the brink of closure. And a day in Chatham, a day to remember
30:39in Chatham as volunteers create over 20,000 handmade poppies. But first, residents of
30:46Queensborough estate on the Isle of Sheppey have said that they have been left with up
30:50to £13,000 worth of debt. This comes after they made the move to take over running it
30:56themselves, after what they say was years of problems with previous management. They now
31:01have been left to deal, left to make tough decisions and our local democracy reporter
31:05Ollie Leder has been finding out more. Broken ground lights, weeds and disrepair. Just some
31:12of the reasons that residents here on the Isle of Sheppey decided to do away with their estate
31:17management company, Firstport, from their development for good. Repairs, what has and hasn't been
31:23done, it was just getting worse. It went up and up and up from the jobs that needed doing
31:28and we're continually chasing them and then we just decided we've had enough, we just don't
31:34want you anymore. When Neil and his colleague Stuart became directors of the Residence Management
31:39Company that oversees maintenance of the Queens Borough Phase 1 development last year, they
31:44tried giving Firstport the benefit of the doubt. But it was only after ditching the company
31:50that they discovered they've been left in more than £18,000 of debt, essentially wiping
31:56out their reserve fund. Though that initial figure has since been reduced by several thousand
32:01pounds. We were informed that there was no service charge debt with the account in February.
32:08That was unfounded in the end. Works out about £12,000 to £13,000 of service charge debt,
32:14which now obviously prevents us with repair work moving forwards. We've got to prioritise
32:20and get urgent repairs or health and safety related repairs done now, as opposed to just cracking
32:26on through the estate. Firstport say that a number of homeowners did not make service charge payments,
32:32following the news that there was going to be a change of managing agent, resulting in
32:38a shortfall of funds and impacting the works that could be undertaken. Neil and Stuart now
32:45worry with pressure on the reserve fund whether they themselves will be able to undertake these
32:52repairs in a timely manner. We have no money because Firstport haven't put any money over. So apart
32:59from the people that pay monthly, you know, we have some funds coming in. Unfortunately, we
33:06luckily we sold some land and we have a fund of about £9,000 which is literally keeping the estate
33:13going. Firstport say they're working through the handover process within the required time frame.
33:20But with more money needed to plug the gap on the estate, difficult choices and potential
33:26service fee increases could be on the table. Olly Leader in Queensborough.
33:34Next, calls for the redevelopment of a landmark office block have been made in Canterbury.
33:39The former BT call centre office called Beckett House has ran empty for almost two years and
33:45Tyrell Terrill Terrillium, the owners of the building, have been asked to spruce up the eyesore.
33:51The city councillor, Connie Nolan, states that it is a landmark building in a prominent location,
33:57but it is now quite a sorry site. The four-storey building was originally planned to turn into a
34:03block of flats but was rejected over the loss of office space. However, they're now seeking to
34:09redevelop the site alongside the local authorities. Now, a family-owned green grocers in Westgate-on-Sea
34:17is facing closure after having its worst year on record. In a Facebook post earlier this month,
34:23CJ Pentes explained that it is losing customers to bigger supermarkets as the cost of living crisis
34:29continues to worsen. This forms part of a wider trend across Kent of high street shops losing sales to
34:35online retailers and cheaper supermarkets. We sent our reporter, Megan Shaw, across to Thanet to find out more.
34:43Slowly but surely, Kent's high street seemed to be flagging as independent businesses struggled to
34:48keep up with bigger chains. Green grocers, in particular, are feeling the brunt of this. In 1997,
34:54there were 6,916 registered green grocers in the UK. By 2021, there were just 2,595.
35:02I tend to buy, yeah, from supermarkets mostly, usually Lidl or Aldi. What influences you to shop
35:10at those places? Price. There's not really like a butcher's or a grocer's that near me,
35:15so I tend to just pop to like a little Tesco or something. I only go to Tesco's or Waitrose because
35:20I might not have a choice, but rather personalise my local shops as best as I could. As the cost of
35:27living crisis continues, we're all still feeling the pinch. Despite a strong community here on
35:32Westgate-on-Sea, where locals are wanting to shop independently, small businesses are still
35:37struggling against high street giants. Abby Evans, owner of the Westgate-CJ Apprentice branch,
35:43is fighting for her business' survival. We are a locally owned fruit and veg shop. We sell a variety of
35:51fruit and vegetables and salad stuff. This year has been the worst year we've had so far. We totally
35:58understand the cost of living crisis. I am a mum of five. I know it is hard out there. We just aren't
36:05making enough to cover bills, to cover stock. It's never been like this. If I had independent like
36:13grocers and stuff near me, I'd be much more inclined to support them than a supermarket. I like to support
36:18the local, but I like their produce. You can rely on it, so you get what you pay for. We are well aware
36:27we are more expensive than the supermarkets, but all we ask is that people maybe give us a thought
36:31before they have to go three miles out of their way to get stuff. 60% of our stuff is from local farms,
36:38like we only don't travel too far, so more money into the local town. Everything that gets spent here
36:44just gets put straight back into the shop. Just down the road, Nicola Bradshaw, owner of the Gothic
36:49bakery at Borking and Bakes, is also battling with larger online competition. Yeah, I think we're up
36:55against obviously online everything. I think people are, I hate to say it, a little bit lazy now and they
37:03want everything brought to them and it's not something that we currently can offer. The bricks and mortar
37:11shops do need the support, definitely. CJ Prentice Westgate still swings the balance over whether it
37:18will see another year. This is Megan Shaw for CAME TV in Westgate. Now two projects, one at Walpole Bay
37:28and one in Cliftonville, Margate, are amongst the schemes backed by the £22.2 million Margate Town deal.
37:36Vanek District Council secured the deal in 2021 and plans to introduce a new cafe and a creative hub.
37:43Both aim to impact the community in a positive way, both socially and economically. But to tell us more,
37:49Etli Reynolds joins me now. So, I mean, what are the proposed plans then?
37:54So you said there, there's a cafe and a creative hub. So the new cafe will be at Walpole Bay. Now,
38:01plans for a new cafe emerged about two years ago for this new cafe, but since have been reworked. We
38:09can kind of see on the screen now a bit about what it might look like in the future. So designs have been
38:15proposed for a two storey cafe and a separate community space that was converted, will be converted,
38:23sorry, from an old shipping container. It's a bit of reusing and recycling there. There will also be
38:29two undercover outdoor showers and these outdoor showers are planned to deter anti-social behaviour.
38:38It's been described as a robust but minimal set of facilities and they want to ensure that these
38:44new facilities can work with the current facilities and that the current facilities can respond flexibly
38:51to demand. Now, the cafe will be built alongside a restoration of the old cliff lift. And this was
38:59first built back in the 1930s. We'll get a bit onto the history about that after. But on top of this,
39:07Margret Creative Land Trust is looking to launch a creative hub. Now, this will be at the former
39:13St. George's Garage. I think we saw it a second ago on screen there. And that has been allocated around
39:19£6.7 million of funding. And it hopes to create both a high quality creative workshops and sustainable
39:27employment opportunities to contribute both socially and positively economically to the local community
39:34around. As we can see there, there are a bit more plans for that creative hub. And now we can see where
39:41that creative hub will be built. Quite a change that's going to happen. It is. Yeah. Yeah. Very exciting.
39:47And, you know, it's always good to get creative things into a community and then people can start
39:53doing their art and it'll really add to the culture really of the area. What did that area look like
39:58historically then? So Warple Bay has been a hot spot for seaside goers for hundreds of years now. As I
40:06mentioned earlier, there is that cliff lift, which was actually installed by the health ministry back in
40:111930s. Now, the cliff lift takes people from the promenade down to the beach. And in the 1930s,
40:17it was thought that this kind of beach area was pretty good for health, both mental and physical
40:24benefits. Get a bit of sea air in you would help a lot of problems. And they're bringing that back,
40:29which is really lovely to see. And around the Warple Bay area as well in the 1920s, it saw a
40:36pavilion and a number of different facilities to kind of help people go down to the seaside.
40:41Unfortunately, in the 1950s, due to a series of storms, a lot of these facilities were destroyed.
40:48But these new ones like the cafe and the creative hub kind of look to breathe this extra air of life
40:54that we may have seen back in the 1920s. And additionally, Warple Bay has their tidal bay
41:01pool, tidal pool, sorry. And in 2027, so just two years time, that will be celebrating its 90th birthday.
41:10So it's really got a lot of rich history and Margate in general has a lot of history. Yeah.
41:16Yeah. And hopefully, you know, with the new buildings, they'll be more, they'll be able to
41:20withstand the weather more because, I mean, we've only had the wind. Yeah. I mean, the wind today.
41:24Yeah. Exactly. So it'll be quite good. And it's always good to see new things. And then,
41:28do we know when it's going to be done by or do we not know that yet?
41:31Oh, there's no definite date. These sketches and these plans are recent new proposals and recent
41:36new ideas for the area. But fingers crossed that it shouldn't take too long because, like we said,
41:41these could really add both social and economic benefits to the local community.
41:46Fabulous. We'll keep an eye out. That's it for this evening.
41:49Not this evening, but now. We'll see you in a few minutes.
42:19Thanks.
42:20Thanks, guys.
42:21Thanks, guys, guys.
42:22Thanks, guys.
42:23Thanks, guys.
42:25I'm on my mind.
42:28Bye.
42:29Bye.
42:31Bye.
42:32Bye.
42:36Bye.
42:37Bye.
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45:46confidence and perseverance. They have made significant improvements thanks to new leadership.
45:52The CEO of the Trust, which the school is part of, has said that they are immensely
45:57proud of the children and staff and governors for the outstanding achievement.
46:04Now a taxi driver was left shocked after coming across a rare white wallaby, that's very
46:09difficult to say, crossing a road in Dartford. The driver was travelling near a junction
46:15when he spotted the strange white animal, which he initially thought was a white kangaroo.
46:20It has since been confirmed to be an albino wallaby and police were called to the scene
46:25to safely reunite the animal with its owner. It's however not the first time this animal
46:30was spotted walking around as it previously escaped twice in one week back in April with
46:36specialists from the RSPCA being sent in to help catch it.
46:42Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all our latest stories across Kent by logging
46:46on to our website at chemtv.co.uk. There you'll find all our reports, including this one, about
46:53the University of Kent and Greenwich working together in a first of its kind structure.
46:59Two universities stood together in one campus, each a part of wider institutions, to become
47:05what they are calling the UK's first super university. Coming together under one structure,
47:10each will remain individual with their brand, identity and community presence. But with financial
47:16concerns in the past, leading to some courses being phased out, some question the reasoning
47:21of the announcement.
47:22So it's no secret that there's been lots of financial pressures for the University of Kent,
47:27but also for many other universities in the sector. And we've seen universities respond to this
47:31in different ways. Again, you know, at the University of Kent, we've had to make a number of changes
47:37to ensure that we're in a better financial position. But this new collaboration is about much more than
47:44that. So this is actually about how we can create new growth and opportunity, that we can really make
47:49sure we're in a position that we've got security and resilience. And that enables us to continue that
47:54academic excellence and provision for our students. But also we hope provide our staff with more security,
48:01more certainty and better prospects in the future.
48:04Informed through email, some staff said they were also messaged over Teams. And others,
48:09including the MP, found out through social media and news outlets, leaving a feeling of uncertainty.
48:14I think, you know, I have regular meetings with the University. I have far more meetings with the
48:18University student, the union reps and the student union groups, who have all been really concerned and
48:26really affected by all of the waves of redundancies that we've had over the last few years.
48:32It's often quite hard to get straight or direct answers from the university management.
48:36And yet again, this is going to make the staff and probably the students feel that everything is
48:41done behind closed doors. It's a public institution using public money, and they really need to be more transparent.
48:48There was an all staff briefing at both institutions today. We know at the Kent briefing,
48:52no questions were taken, but there is a planned question forum for all staff tomorrow.
48:57It is quiet on the University of Kent Canterbury campus, as many students are still set to return
49:02from their summer holidays. But this morning, students and staff found out about the collaboration
49:07of the two universities. For those who have spoken to me, they've said that they've been left
49:11unsure what this means for them and their future. At the moment, it has no implications. For the next year,
49:18things will go on as usual. After that, we don't know. The whole sector is in a crisis, so I think it's safe
49:29to assume that all jobs are ever so slightly at risk across the sector in the UK. While there is said
49:38to be no changes for students, some on the campus see the prospects of the plans to help keep them
49:43studying in Kent. I'm part of the University of Kent, but my med school is already a collaboration
49:47between lots of different people, so I don't necessarily see it as a bad thing. The university
49:54has struggled previously, so I think it would be nice if that means that it can keep going.
49:59I walked into the lab this morning, my co-worker said that we're collaborating with them now, so I'm
50:06it gets excited. We'll see. I'll pop over there, see what facilities they have and see if I can
50:12make use of it. Now that we collaborate, you know, it's only fair. If you combine two or three
50:16universities together and become one super uni, as I think it was scored on one of the posts,
50:21it would just have better management. If approved, it would be established for the academic year
50:26beginning autumn 2026. The change brings hope and concern for the future of Kent's higher education.
50:32Daisy Page for KMTV in Canterbury. Now it's time to take a quick look at the weather for the coming days.
50:47So we've got 13 degrees in Royal Tunbridge Wells and then 14 up in Margate tomorrow morning, 14 in Dover,
50:5414 in Margate, wind speeds of 16 and 17 miles per hour. Into the afternoon then some clouds scattered
51:00across the county with temperatures rising to 19, wind speeds hitting 13 and 15, so lowering
51:05a little bit. Wednesday we've got 19 degrees, Thursday 22, the same on Friday with cloudy skies
51:11on Thursday and Friday and rain on Wednesday.
51:13And now the historic dockyard in Chatham opened their Remembrance Threads project today where
51:27thousands of handmade poppies covered the HMS Cavalier, the last surviving Royal Navy destroyer
51:33of the Second World War to honour the lives lost. We sent our reporter Holly Spires out in Chatham today to
51:40find out more about the memorial and the stories behind the poppies.
51:44Remembrance Threads is a powerful community-led exhibition weaving together stories of service,
51:50sacrifice and memory, all through the medium of textile art. Thousands of handmade poppies,
51:57each one a symbol of remembrance, sewn with care, now stand beyond HMS Cavalier,
52:03the last surviving Royal Navy destroyer of the Second World War. Each poppy is handmade by volunteers,
52:10each with their own individual story. Well we heard that they were looking for volunteers from
52:15the community to make up to 11,000 poppies for this Threads of Remembrance event. We are knitters,
52:22we are also members of Medway and Maidens Seroptimist group and sometimes get involved in knitting
52:27projects with them to improve lives of women and children and things like this. So we decided to
52:33get involved and we actually made 136 poppies but there was a significance to that and I'll let my
52:39sister explain. Our grandfather, maternal grandfather was born in 1889 until present day now would be 136
52:47and he served in the First World War and the Second World War with the Royal Navy. And he was actually based
52:53here in 1942 in Chatham. So the fact that you know he could have been somewhere around here we felt it
53:01was really nice to be part of that. The project which is supported by Medway Council aims to commemorate
53:07the 80th anniversary of the Second World War. This has been a phenomenal community project. The dockyard
53:13working with many other different organisations and individuals who have taken their time to create
53:18poppies to place here. We were looking at originally at 11,000. The community have done phenomenal work
53:26and we've now got over 20,000 which is remarkable. I've been chatting to some residents today, some people
53:32have taken part and what's been really interesting for me, some people have produced lots of poppies but
53:37some have produced a very specific number. So for example, one resident who I was speaking to, her dad served
53:43in the Royal Navy for 22 years. So she produced 22 poppies. So you can see there lots of individual
53:50stories and experiences that have fed into this project. I'm incredibly proud of the work that's
53:56happened here and I pay tribute to everyone who's played their part in making sure that the Threads of
54:01Remembrance here at the Dockyard is such a poignant exhibition for everyone to take on board.
54:08Each poppy here speaks without words, a small act of love in memory of lives never forgotten. Holly Spires
54:16for KMCV in Chatham. Holly joins me now to tell us more about that Ben. So it looks like a very
54:23powerful tribute. Here's just some of the pictures here of the Crochet's poppies. What was it like to
54:28see them in person? So it was a really moving memorial, Kristen. The sheer number of poppies was just
54:33amazing. There was about 20,000 there and initially the plan was just to make 11,000 to mark every
54:39single man that had died in the Royal Navy. Yeah, in the Royal Navy in that incident. But yeah, it was
54:49just a really moving tribute to see and it was amazing to see the sheer amount of people that were
54:52actually there. So it seems like they got maybe double what they expected to get. So it's quite a
54:57success really. Fabulous. So who was behind this idea and how did the community know to get involved?
55:03So it was organised by Chatham Historic Dockyard and they reached out to local knitting groups,
55:08care homes and lots of community centres and the response was absolutely incredible. Most of the
55:13contributors are older residents of lots of care homes and a lot of family members of the people in
55:20the war, with many of them tributes to the military and this gave them a meaningful way to reflect and
55:26honour loved ones. And is this display open to the public then and how long will it be in show?
55:32Where can people see it? Yeah, so it's open to the public now at Chatham Dockyard and it'll be on
55:37display through to November, including during the Remembrance Weekend and they're expecting a really
55:43strong turnout, especially from families and lots of veterans groups. So it's a really, really, really
55:49nice memorial to go and see. I'd really go and recommend it. It's just nice to honour the people
55:53that fought for us in the war, I think. And I assume you maybe spoke to some people there. What
55:59was the atmosphere like? Were people pleased to see such a display close to home? Yeah, it was a really
56:04busy atmosphere. A lot of people who have family members in the war were there and a lot of people
56:08that made the poppies did it for that reason to honour family members. As you can see, there were
56:14so many beautiful poppies that were handmade, crocheted, knitted by people that had family
56:20members in the war. And it was just really lovely to see. There were lots of people there, lots of
56:23press. It was just really lovely to go and see. Brilliant, and I'm sure it'd be quite emotional as
56:28well, but thank you so much, Holly. We'll keep up to date on that as it comes. Thank you.
56:33All right, you've been watching Kent Tonight Live on KMTV, but there's more
56:38news made just for you throughout the evening. I'll see you here tonight at 8pm for more news.
56:43So goodbye for now, I suppose.
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