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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. I'm Kristen Hawthorne and here are your top
00:28stories on Friday the 19th of September. Calling for change. One Kent teacher says
00:34banning phones only solves part of the problem. And actually what we need to do is prioritise
00:39children, prioritise their safety and their well-being over the profits that these big
00:45tech companies are making. A county of hope. Kent and Medway prepare to welcome the only known
00:50physical symbol for mental health. We care about it all the time. We want people to know that we are
00:55here supporting them and there is community out there as well. And reuse before you recycle. Kent
01:02County Council opens new reuse shop to re-home pre-loved items at discount prices. So as you
01:08can see we've got all sorts of products from shoes to bags to camping gear and to furniture.
01:14First tonight, a Kent headteacher warns that banning smartphones in schools is only a partial solution
01:30to the damage social media is doing to young people's mental health. Damien Macbeth, head of
01:35the John Wallace Academy in Ashford, has joined a national campaign calling for urgent action
01:40against big tech. Employing a smartphone ban in his school last year, he still says that children
01:46suffer from disrupted sleep and lower detention spans due to online content. We spoke to him earlier
01:52and here's what he had to say on the matter. Children are seeing things that they should not
01:57be seeing at a young age. So I don't think this will be an easy thing to implement. But just because
02:03it's not easy doesn't mean it's not right. And actually what we need to do is prioritise children,
02:08prioritise their safety and their well-being over the profits that these big tech companies are
02:14making. And I think that's what we're asking the government to do is to put children first
02:18and to prioritise childhood. You can teach digital safety, you can teach digital awareness, but you do
02:24so in a computer lab where they are safe and where they are heavily monitored. What you don't do is put a
02:30supercomputer in the hands of a teenager and expect them to navigate the algorithms that are designed
02:39to keep them addicted to these devices. Now, two children were injured after a car mounted a pavement
02:45and crashed into a wall in Maidstone. Pictures show the Fiat 500 in a pile of bricks and witnesses say
02:52that they were shocked at the sight. The children believed to be injured were around 14 or 15 years old
02:57and from the St Augustine Academy. A spokesperson from the ambulance service say they were called
03:03out at about 3.30pm and that multiple crews attended the scene assessing the collision involving
03:09a vehicle and two pedestrians. Now, this coming Monday, the Baton of Hope will be touring through
03:16Kent and Medway for the first time. They will be raising awareness around suicide prevention as the
03:22Baton aims to bring hope throughout the county. Baton bearers will carry the torch from Medway to
03:27Margate. Our reporter Daisy Page has been speaking with one of those charities carrying the Baton on
03:32the day. The first known physical symbol for mental health is set to make its way through Kent and
03:38Medway this coming Monday. The Baton of Hope will start the day here in Medway before being carried by
03:44Baton bearers through Maidstone, Canterbury and finishing in Margate where the day will come to a close
03:50with the evening of Hope in Dreamland. Kent and Medway is just one of 20 UK stops for the Baton and the tour
03:56hopes to achieve education and awareness around mental wellbeing, help those affected by suicide and
04:02actively call for change. Each bearer carries the Baton with their own story. I will be carrying that on
04:08behalf of the 18 people through my career that I have lost to suicide. Two of those individuals were
04:14personal friends and the others were people that I'd worked in on the wards in the community and things
04:18like that. But I'm also carrying it to that lasting legacy because so many of our clients that we work
04:23with battle with these suicidal thoughts every day and I'm carrying it for them to show them that we
04:28need to carry on and we need to keep talking to bring forward the best outcomes. During the first
04:33national lockdown due to Covid-19, Alex was a second year mental health nurse. Recognising the loneliness
04:39within his community, he paired his fellow student nurses and volunteers with individuals to just
04:46have a chat, which was the start of his charity, the Keep Talking Services. Now it is making over 900
04:53calls a month, helping those who are experiencing loneliness or poor mental health. For the Keep
04:59Talking Services team, the Baton is more than a symbol for the day, but a message to last. With the
05:05development of the Gardens of Hope in Whitstable, Maidstone and Herne Bay, the gardens will be open
05:11to everyone. We're obviously creating the gardens, but if you can't come on the day, the space is there.
05:16It means that you can go when you please, when you feel like you need to. It's going to be a space
05:22where people can visit. It's not just about the day that it happens, it's a continuation of the message.
05:27We care about it all the time. We want people to know that we are here, supporting them and that
05:32is community out there as well. As the county prepares for the Baton's arrival, the message from
05:37the day will be lasting. Daisy Page for KMTV. If you have been affected by the issues raised in this
05:44report, the Samaritans can be reached on 116 123. Now, the Battle of Britain Memorial flight came to
05:54Kent today, flying over Chapel of Fearne at 11am this morning. It was originally planned to fly over on
06:01the Battle of Britain day, however, strong winds meant the event had to be called off. The fly
06:06pass consisted of two Spitfires, a hurricane and many more military aircraft taken to the skies
06:12and our reporter Ollie Spires was there to catch the view. I'm here today in Folkestone at the Battle
06:19of Britain Memorial Park. Now, today's fly pass honours the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain,
06:25paying tribute to the courage and sacrifice of the RAF aircrews who defended Britain in 1940.
06:31Now, these fly pass are more than just spectacle. They reconnect us with history, ensuring people
06:36remember the bravery, the loss and the significance of that turning point in defending our skies.
06:41This fly pass was originally planned for the 15th of September, which we commemorate as Battle of
06:46Britain Day, but the weather that day clearly wasn't flying weather. So, they moved it to today,
06:52and as you can see, lovely blue skies and sunshine, and they actually managed to do it to commemorate the
06:5785th anniversary of the battle. It's an important event really to commemorate, this being the 85th
07:03anniversary, as I've mentioned, but also the first time that we've not had any of the few alive. So,
07:08you know, the last one passed away early on this year. So, it is important that we do commemorate it
07:14and not to forget the few because it was a key battle during the Second World War.
07:18Now, one of Kent's biggest retro festivals is coming to an end after 18 years due to falling visitor numbers.
07:28The 40s Festival at the Historic Dockyard in Chatham is running one final time this weekend,
07:33on the 20th and the 21st of September. This year sees Glenn Miller Orchestra, D-Day darlings and many more
07:40acts, along with the Winston Churchill character giving a speech. A tribute to the 80th anniversary
07:45of VE Day and VG Day will also take place alongside a display of military vehicles and vintage market stalls.
07:56Now, Tasmin Jarrett from the Historic Dockyard in Chatham says she is grateful to everyone who
08:03supported the event for the past 18 years. Sorry, we're having some problems here. And we can actually
08:09hear from her now. The 18 years for any event is very good going. And, you know, during that time,
08:18lots and lots of people have enjoyed and sort of come and celebrated with us. But sadly, the visitors
08:26numbers have never kind of recovered since pre-COVID times. So, we have struggled since COVID to get back
08:33to the same visitor numbers that we were experiencing back, you know, before 2020. The event's been running
08:40for 18 years and this is the final salute. So, we're going to give this particular show, you know,
08:46it's going to go out with a bit of a bang.
08:50Sunday the 28th, volunteers across the UK will be participating in the Great British Beach Clean. That's hard to say.
08:58The event organised by the Marine Conservation Society aims to encourage communities to clean up their beaches
09:04and make a note of what sort of litter is found. The cleaning effort has been going on for over 20 years.
09:09But to tell us more, Etli Reynolds joins me now. So, can we get a bit more information on this then to start us off?
09:16Yeah. So, I'll start by saying Kent has some iconic beaches. You've got Margay, Hearn Bay, Whitstable.
09:23But this is an opportunity for you to do something for your local community. Now, as you said, the Great British Beach Cleanup,
09:31it's a bit of a mouthful, yeah, is organised by the Marine Conservation Society. And to get involved,
09:37all they say is you just need to simply find your nearest beach clean up or perhaps organise your own.
09:44From these beaches, they collect litter data as well as litter from the beach. And this collected litter
09:51data helps the Marine Conservation Society do their conservation work and it feeds into the
09:56international coastal clean up. So, not only will you be doing your bit for the community, you'll also
10:02be helping a wider issue. In 2024, volunteers collected over three quarters of a million pieces
10:09of single-use plastics. And that was in Kent? That was across the UK. So, the county definitely
10:15contributed to some of that, I believe. And it was a 9.5% increase from the year before. So, hopefully this
10:22year, even more people can get involved. And even more single-use plastics can be taken away from
10:27the beach. And we can be a bit more environmentally friendly down in the county.
10:31So, what is Kent doing then to get involved?
10:33So, there are a couple of collections happening over the county. A beach stretch in All Hallows
10:40is doing a beach collection between 9.30 and 10.30. And they actually only have one space left. So,
10:46you have to sign up for these beach collections. And the last time I checked, there was one space. That space
10:51might have been gone now. But if anybody at home would like to get involved in that area,
10:55you've got one more space. And the Plum Pudding Minus Beach in Bay in Birchington
11:02starts at the Northern Sea Wall Beaches, is again happening at 10am tomorrow. And they called for 50
11:08volunteers and actually have zero spaces left. So, if you wanted to take part in that, unfortunately,
11:14it doesn't seem to be any spaces left. But as the Marine Society said, this doesn't stop you from
11:19organising your own beach cleaning. And Kent sees a lot of tourism and often a lot of single-use plastic.
11:25So, this is a great opportunity, like I said, to get back to the community.
11:29Excellent. And I suppose if you don't get a space, you can always
11:32order one of those pick-up things from Amazon and do it yourself.
11:35Do it. All you need is a pair of gloves and a bin bag, I say.
11:39Exactly. All right. Well, that's time for a quick break coming up. But we will
11:44get back to you very soon and we'll see you then. Bye-bye.
11:58All right.
12:10Bye-bye.
12:11Bye-bye.
12:14Bye-bye.
12:20Bye.
12:23Bye-bye.
20:19And so that you'reover.
20:27are all issues that are endemic in our veteran population and anything like this
20:31where you welcome people in to a nice friendly warm environment and let's be
20:36honest feed them cake and give them drink it's always a good thing for them I think.
20:40The RBLI hopes veterans continue to thrive in Sibby Street letting them have
20:47their cake and eat it. Henry Luck for KMTV in Ellsford.
20:55Now I was out in Swanscombe today and it was very warm so let's take a look at
20:59the weather to see if it's cooling down or heating up.
21:01Well tonight then is looking partly cloudy with temperatures ranging from 16 to 19 degrees.
21:13Tomorrow morning we have cloudy weather across the county, bit of sun peaking through the clouds in
21:18the east, temperatures staying about the same as the day before and into the afternoon temperatures
21:23hitting 20 degrees with some light rain there up in Dartford, wind speeds hitting 14 miles per hour.
21:28Sunday we have 17 degrees with cloudy skies and rain, Monday we have 16 degrees cloudy skies
21:33and then Tuesday we have 16 degrees and cloudy skies and rain again.
21:36And now do you have any items lying around your house you've been meaning to take to the tip?
21:49Well Kent County Council's new reuse shop at Adlington Household Waste Recycling Centre might
21:56be a solution to re-home your pre-loved things. This is a new reuse shop and it's part of a wider
22:02initiative to encourage people to donate their used items allowing people across Kent to buy
22:07second-hand items at cheap prices. Our reporter Megan Shaw has more.
22:10Reduce and reuse before you recycle seems to be Kent County Council's new initiative following the
22:19opening of their new reuse shop at the Adlington Household Waste Recycling Centre. This follows a
22:24similar permanent reuse shop in New Romney. The sites allow members of the public to donate usable but
22:31unwanted household goods from shoes to gardening tools and allow others to buy them at a reduced price.
22:39It's a great way of getting really good value goods for very little money and from the Kent taxpayers
22:45point of view it means that they're not going into a furnace they're not being burnt they're not having
22:51to be disposed of which costs us a lot of money so it's doing good things and reusing great great reusable items.
23:00This comes as part of Kent County Council's nothing wasted campaign aiming to redirect usable items
23:07away from recycling so they can be rehomed. Additionally this shop is also raising money for
23:13Kent based charities Satida which supports victims of domestic abuse and the Young Lives Foundation
23:20supporting children in need. So the profits that the shop raise either go to the chairman's chosen
23:25charities and then what's left over goes back into reinvestment into the shops so that we can
23:31continue to grow reuse across Kent. Come along to the shop come and see what we've got for sale or if
23:38you've got items sitting at home bring them to one of our donation containers and become a part of the movement.
23:44What better way to make an environmental impact than to keep things in circulation for longer
23:49than to create no waste in the first place. Following Kent County Council's recent decision
23:54to attract its declaration of a climate emergency it no longer needs to consider reaching net zero emissions
24:01by 2050 when making decisions. Will then reuse shops like these continue to be a priority into the future?
24:09Well Megan joins me now to tell us a little bit more about that so we obviously see the scene there
24:19in your story different pictures of stuff that was there I'm sure you missed some things out what
24:24what things did they have there? Honestly all sorts there was lots and lots of furniture there were
24:29children's toys there were shoes there were DVDs there was quite a lot of clothes there was anything you
24:34could think of there was even like gardening tools and things like that so it's a really wide array of
24:39not only things that people had donated that but things that other people could buy. So something for
24:44everyone? Yeah definitely. Fabulous and then we mentioned that it's cheaper prices and stuff but what
24:50actually are the prices I mean are they actually much cheaper? They're definitely reasonable yeah you
24:55could it's a really good option for people who just moved somewhere maybe want to get the essentials on
25:01a budget and it's secondhand shopping I think it's always a win everything there like the electric
25:05the electricals have of course been pat tested everything was in working order so definitely a
25:10good shout I'd say. I suppose a lot of students are coming in this month anywhere aren't they this
25:14week or next week they'll be moving in so maybe it'll be good for them as well. Why do you think that
25:19this is important to Kent County Council then? It's part of a wider initiative they've got going to kind of
25:24encourage people to reuse like of course I think everyone's well aware we do try to recycle but
25:31reusing too I think rather than just recycling something straight away it's kind of part of this
25:36broader mission to try and repurpose things first and see if they could find a home somewhere else
25:40this is the second one of these reuse shops there was a one just earlier this year in New Romney so
25:46it definitely seems to be a theme that we're kind of pushing people to consider buying secondhand or
25:53donating. And then when oh yes we've got some Christmas decorations as well they're on screen so I
25:58suppose people can go down and get prepared for Christmas because I mean everything's expensive
26:03at Christmas really that's when people most struggle isn't it so I mean it seems that they
26:07have a bit of something something for everybody I'm trying to say it will come out but yeah fabulous so
26:12we'll keep that as as it follows and I'm sure it'll be very popular and you went to the opening?
26:17I did yes yes so it's open from today great and what do you know the hours? I don't know the hours no
26:23that's all right well we'll check on that anyway it might probably on Kent online but thank you so
26:28much Megan thank you all right you've been watching Kent tonight live here on KMTV but don't forget
26:34there's more news made just for you throughout the evening we'll be joining you here again at 8pm
26:38for a bulletin but from us for now we will see you very soon. Bye bye.
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