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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:28I'm Finn McDermid and here are your top stories on Monday the 13th of October.
00:33Building up to a big birthday as Major Medway Construction Project Development Company celebrates
00:38five years.
00:39Really it's just great to see money being invested into the area.
00:45Council crackdown.
00:46Gravesend tenant condemns local council over repeated failures to fill exterior damage
00:50on his home.
00:51The gaps are seven mil, six to seven mil wide and I could put my farm in the gaps.
00:58And helping out gentle giants, RSPCA in Leybourne urge public to adopt larger dogs as part of
01:04Adoptober.
01:05So we've got 40 dogs at the moment at this centre, ranging from large to small and some
01:12of them are available for rehoming and some of them aren't.
01:17But first tonight, the local democracy reporting service has been given an exclusive look inside
01:31regeneration efforts in Chatham.
01:33This all comes as the Medway Development Company, which is leading the charge on the wave of
01:38affordable housing, celebrates five years in business.
01:41But with fears that the flats could be filled with so-called down-from-Londoners, Olly Leader
01:47has been taking a look at what the development mill mean for the region.
01:55Balloons and festivities at Chatham bus station.
01:58A small tribute to five years of towering regeneration work, visible right in the heart of the five towns.
02:06Since it was launched by the council in 2020, the Medway Development Company has built nearly
02:11400 new homes in the local area, but are they for locals or catering to London commuters?
02:20Well, so people who've moved into these developments are predominantly from Medway, so 65% of residents
02:26are from Medway and that figure is high for our rented portfolio as well.
02:30So I think it shows that investment is being made into Chatham.
02:34The last major investment was the Pentagon in the 70s when it was built and really it's just
02:42great to see money being invested into the area to sort of improve the experience of people
02:49coming to the area.
02:51But it's not just about providing affordable housing.
02:54We went inside Mountbatten House on top of the Pentagon Centre.
02:59It's an empty office block now being turned into 164 new apartments and much more besides.
03:07I think for me it's about recognising not just the fact that these will be, you know, really
03:12good quality homes in the middle of our town centre, but also it's part of a wider piece
03:16of regeneration where there used to be a bus ramp.
03:20There will now be, you know, shops, restaurants and other things improving that late night offer
03:25which Chatham has to a degree, but certainly we need to make further progress on.
03:30Mountbatten House is the final piece in the puzzle for the Riverside area and is expected
03:37to be complete by early 2027.
03:41But with further developments set for the Strews Civic Centre, the Medway Development Company
03:47aren't putting away their high-vis just yet.
03:50Olly Leader in Chatham.
03:56Next, a Gravesend resident feels he's been let down by Gravesham Borough Council.
04:00He says they've continued to neglect essential repairs since 2019.
04:05Sunda Catan has shown us gaps almost a centimetre wide running from ground to roof, which have
04:11led to issues of damp and mould throughout the property.
04:14The council have refused to comment due to ongoing legal action.
04:18Well, our reporter Megan Shaw has more.
04:21Cracks from floor to ceiling and a sinking home.
04:24Just a few of Sunda Catan's issues that are yet to be fully resolved by Gravesham Council.
04:30The mid-terrace property, off Windmill Street in Gravesend, has been occupied by Mr. Catan
04:35since July 2019, when he was told that existing cracks would be monitored every three months.
04:41Mr Catan said the council, in fact, did not come for two years.
04:45Despite reporting the issue to local authorities multiple times.
04:49From the soil samples, they said that the foundations on a low-strength material, Gerd
04:56Ip Gatora from the Gravesham Borough Council wrote me a letter saying there's nothing to
05:02be alarmed about when there's everything to be alarmed about.
05:05I thought to myself, if it was your house, wouldn't you be alarmed if it was on low-strength
05:11material.
05:12The council claimed the cracks were one to two millimetres wide, but Sunda measured them
05:17much larger.
05:18I sent them letters with photographs in there saying that the actual gaps were six to seven
05:25mill wide.
05:26And I could put my farm in the gaps.
05:29Despite raising the issue multiple times, Mr. Catan was forced to seek legal assistance,
05:35where a court settlement gave authorities 56 days to rectify cracks in and out of the
05:41house, alongside consequential damp and mould issues.
05:45The council painted over and filled the gaps, even though such problems were caused by subsidence,
05:51where the ground sinks and foundations shift. For Sunda, the repairs are both insufficient
05:57and not a viable solution.
05:59They covered all the gap, basically a cover-up job, they breached the settlement, and now I'm
06:06taking legal action again. The local council are supposed to be law holders, law upholders,
06:13they're supposed to be obeyed by the rules, obeyed by the laws, they're supposed to uphold
06:16the law, they haven't. Something has to be done, you know, because they're going around
06:21being slum landlords, basically.
06:23We approached Gravesham Council for comment, but they said they were unable to at this time,
06:29as legal proceedings are ongoing. Sunda hopes a more concrete answer will follow, but until
06:34now remains disillusioned with a sticking-plaster solution. Megan Shaw, for KMTV, in Gravesend.
06:43Next runners are being forced to travel along a flooded footpath in Maidstone, all from a
06:47blocked culvert.
06:49Unicum Lane in Fant near Maidstone has a nearby pond that overflows into the lane, spreading
06:55water across the path, while a culvert, which should divert the water, only lets a trickle
07:00through. Alan Newman is a dedicated runner who lives nearby, and he says the problem should
07:04be an easy fix. Yet, he added, no one is willing to take responsibility. A spokesperson
07:09for Network Rail previously said they weren't the owners of the culvert, while the leader
07:13of Maidstone Council said the matter was one for Kent County Council, who in turn said it
07:18was the responsibility of Network Rail.
07:21Next, thousands of Vodafone customers across Kent and the UK have reported problems as the
07:27broadband and mobile service provider has experienced what it calls a major outage.
07:32More than 130,000 people are believed to have been affected, and Vodafone said in a statement
07:37it was aware of a major issue on their network, affecting broadband, 4G and 5G services. They
07:43added, they do appreciate customers' patience while they work to resolve this as soon as possible.
07:50And in some more news, sorry, it will be a slow process and take commitment from all sides.
07:55That's how a politics lecturer from Canterbury Christchurch University has viewed the latest
07:59developments in the war in Gaza. This morning, the last living hostages held by Hamas were moved
08:05back to Israel after more than two years in captivity, with Israel releasing almost 2,000
08:10Palestinian prisoners and detainees. This all comes as world leaders gather in Egypt for a peace
08:15summit, which American President Donald Trump says will signal the end to the conflict. But there is
08:20still more to be done to maintain the peace, as Dr Sarah Lieberman told us earlier.
08:26The first stage today was hostages being released, the hostages that were taken on the 7th of October
08:33two years ago. After that, Israel was going to release all detainees that were being held in
08:41Israel, so Palestinian detainees and people from Gaza. After that, there's more and more steps that
08:48will happen, but it will be a slow process. And these are states, these are people who've been at war
08:53for two whole years. Expecting to click your fingers and there be instant peace is very optimistic. This
09:01will take commitment on all sides. And so far, Hamas have said publicly that they're not willing to disarm.
09:12And in some more local news, a drunk driver who crashed into a village pub in Dungeness has avoided prison,
09:19despite causing £50,000 worth of damage. Howard Sargent was captured on the Pilot Inn's CCTV camera,
09:27crashing his Toyota into the restaurant area of the pub before leaving the scene. Our reporter,
09:33Chloe Brewster, joined me earlier to talk us through what happened in Folkestone's Magistrate's Court
09:37and how the Pilot Inn is coping with the damage.
09:41So, Chloe, tell us a bit about where this all started.
09:44So, Howard Sargent is a 54-year-old local builder. On the early morning of August 10th,
09:50police visited his home and described him as unsteady on his feet and smelling of alcohol.
09:55The court heard he'd been drinking all day before he got into his Toyota and careered off a sharp bend
10:00in the village, almost entirely destroying the veranda area of the Pilot Inn. He was then described
10:05by witnesses as walking calmly out of the vehicle before police later tracked him down at his home.
10:09Sargent initially faced two charges, one he admitted to, which was driving unfit through drink,
10:15and a separate, more specific charge for the amount of alcohol on breath, which was later dropped.
10:20In court today, Sargent was handed a 28-month driving ban, which can be reduced by 25%
10:25if he completes a drink-driving rehabilitation scheme, as well as a 12-month community order.
10:30I see. And we've got some images here of the damage. I'm aware there's also some CCTV footage of the incident.
10:38Can you tell us a bit about how this has impacted the pub?
10:42So, despite the veranda almost being entirely destroyed, as we can actually see right there,
10:46the pub reopened later that day following a cleaning effort by members of the community,
10:50with the building actually entirely rebuilt just 11 days later after the crash.
10:55Due to this matter being dealt with in a magistrate's court, compensation for the incident is a matter of civil court,
11:00but the true cost of the damages is said to be up to £50,000.
11:03So, some CCTV footage was shown in court today, which we can see right now.
11:08Yes, yeah, we can see the car just hitting into the veranda there.
11:12I see. Well, thank you for that.
11:14And very quickly before we go, how did he defend himself in court?
11:18So, John Service, who was mitigating today's case, told the court the incident had impacted Sargent and his partner catastrophically,
11:24adding the couple thought they'd been ostracised by society as a result of the incident.
11:28I see. Thank you so much for bringing us this story, Chloe.
11:31Well, that's all we have time for on this part of the show.
11:35But coming up after the break, we'll hear about a BMW crash that police are on lookout for.
11:41We'll also hear about Tommy Robinson, who's under threat of a terrorism charge.
11:45And Alfie Rowe will join us from the Beauville Stadium, all about Chatham Town's FA Cup.
11:50Well, we'll see this in a bit.
11:51We'll see you next time.
12:51We'll see you next time.
13:21We'll see you next time.
13:51We'll see you next time.
14:21We'll see you next time.
14:51We'll see you next time.
15:21The incident happened near Otterham Quay Lane this morning and affected the route between Favisham and Gillingham.
15:27No southeastern trains were called to the scene at about 6 o'clock in the morning and a British transport police spokesperson said officers were called at around 6am this morning to report of a casualty on the tracks in the Raynham area.
15:45Officers responded with paramedic.
15:51We'll see you next time.
15:52Next, police are on lookout for runaway suspects after a roundabout crash on the A2 near Gravesend.
15:57Officers stopped.
15:58Officers stopped a suspicious BMW in the car.
16:04A man later collided with a man later collided with a man later collided with another car.
16:06Two people then left the scene on foot, with a man later arrested in connection and then released without charge.
16:11A man and a child from the hit vehicle were taken to a local hospital by paramedics as a precaution.
16:16Police are continuing to carry out inquiries to identify those involved in the pursuit.
16:23Tommy Robinson faces Westminster Magistrates Court today under a terrorism charge following an incident at the Channel Tunnel.
16:31He charged the 42-year-old far-right figurehead with frustration of counter-terrorism powers after he allegedly refused to provide his phone pin to officers back in July last year.
16:43They can stop anyone passing through a UK port who they suspect might be concerned in an act of terrorism, with those detained legally obliged to cooperate.
16:51If found guilty, Robinson could be jailed for up to three months or receive a £2,500 fine.
16:58And now to some sport news. Spirits are high in Chatham, with the town's football club, Chatham Town, reaching the first round of the FA Cup for the first time in almost a century.
17:07Chatham fans have gathered at their sports ground today for the big reveal this evening of who they will play in the next round.
17:13Well, we can hear now from Alf Huro at Beauville Stadium.
17:18I'm at Beauville Stadium where the atmosphere is buzzing and everyone is very excited.
17:23After all, Chatham Town just got to the FA Cup for the first time in 97 years.
17:28Now, in order to do so, they beat a fellow Kent club, Tunbridge Angels 3-1, coming from behind in the process.
17:35Now, this achievement is extra impressive because Tunbridge Angels play in the league above, the National League South.
17:41And so there's a lot for players and fans to celebrate.
17:44And in this vein, I sat down with Stanley Oldfield, who is the club's best goalscorer across all competitions this season, and got some sense of how he is feeling.
17:53Yeah, listen, I think we'll obviously prepare right. And yeah, whoever we get, we're going to go in with high hopes.
18:01We know our strengths. So yeah, hopefully we'll go and win another game. So yeah, feeling buzzing. Yeah, it's great feeling.
18:07Good results Saturday, and I can't wait to see who we got tonight.
18:10Now, what to expect? Well, it's a bit of a dilemma for fans because after all, if they get a big team, it's more likely they're going to be streamed on the BBC,
18:20which brings a lot of exposure, which the club would really want to have.
18:24However, on the other hand, if they do win the first round of the FA Cup, which they intend to, they get a sum prize of over 20 grand.
18:32So is it a big team for the exposure or a small team in order to try and get some prize money and on through to the FA Cup?
18:39This is the decision and the aspirations which the fans will have to grapple with before the draw this evening.
18:45However, it must be said that they are not the only Kent club which has reached this point because three Kent County clubs have actually got into the FA Cup this year.
18:53First, we have Chaston Town, which is where I am here today.
18:56We also have EBS Fleet United, which is a fellow non-league team, which beat the Solihull Moors in order to qualify here today.
19:03Lastly, we have Gilligan FC, which are in League Two.
19:07Now, they were actually in the FA Cup last time and lost in the first round.
19:11However, the season before, they got all the way to the third round before being knocked out 4-0 by Sheffield United.
19:18However, I think what everyone wants is for this reason.
19:21There is the possibility that in the FA Cup in this round, there could be a Kent derby,
19:26which I think I speak for everyone in Kent when I say it would be a very exciting possibility.
19:31Back to you in the studio.
19:33Great stuff from Alfie there, and good luck to all the Chatham Town fans.
19:38Fingers crossed you get a good draw.
19:40Now, don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent by logging on to our website.
19:45That's kmtv.com.uk.
19:47You can find all our reports there, including this one.
19:51A town that has got a history of well over a thousand years, and this high street is quite depressing.
19:58Yeah, I'm just looking up and down the high street.
20:00They're really not an inspiring set of shops at all.
20:03If I didn't live here, would I come and visit? No.
20:06The resounding feeling on the streets of Dover, once a bustling town centre, now filled with empty shopfronts,
20:15and the increasingly familiar neon signs and blacked-out windows of vape shops and gambling stores
20:23that are fast becoming the defining image of Kent's urban decline.
20:28Well, no, there's too many of them at the moment.
20:31And, you know, there isn't any decent clothes shops around here at all.
20:35People are not going to come to visit a vape and a barbers, are they?
20:39But there is hope at last that local councils will soon have the powers to turn things around.
20:46As the government have announced a new Pride in Place programme that will give our authorities who manage planning matters the power to veto or limit bookies,
20:57dodgy barbers and vape shops, which are a common sight even in the most affluent places.
21:03Even Canterbury, Kent's Cathedral City, still has a few telltale signs of urban decline, such as the old vacant nation's department store.
21:13But councillors here hope the Pride in Place strategy will give them the powers to do something about this.
21:19You know, every new shop seems to be a vaping shop. The council will be able to have regulations around that.
21:25But the thing that I'm most passionate about is that it will give councils the powers, if a premises has been empty for two years, to put those premises up for auction.
21:37With councils like Canterbury set to get expanded powers to compulsorily purchase abandoned buildings and block certain businesses, do locals share the excitement?
21:49Well, I welcome it if they did it, but they don't get on with doing any of this, it's just promises.
21:56I've been looking at decline now for about seven years, maybe eight. I want to see this building used, I want to see that building used, but for what purpose?
22:04But the new powers may not be the short-term fix people here are looking for.
22:10I think they're potentially important tools in some parts of the country, but they're not a solution on their own.
22:18The idea that we need to, as a community, come together and find out, look, why are these units vacant?
22:25Who is the property owner? What can be done about that? I think that that is important for us.
22:31And there are some who don't welcome the plans at all, with concerns that legitimate vape shops will be lumped in with other cash-intensive businesses associated with money laundering.
22:45The eyesore on the high street are those rogue traders, and that's what needs to be dealt with.
22:49And once they are gone from the high street, then you can really rejuvenate the high street, bring other start-ups and businesses in and really build that community which we all want to have and see back on the high street.
23:01I think councils will struggle to differentiate between the reputable retailers and the rogue traders.
23:08The devil will be in the detail about how these new powers work. But with such strong feelings from across the county, there might finally be some sunshine for Kent's high streets as the autumn skies set in.
23:24Olly Lieder in Canterbury.
23:27Now it's time to take a quick look at the weather.
23:31Kent will see cloudy skies tonight with chilly winds up to 17 miles per hour in Dartford, temperatures hovering around 15 with highs of 16 there.
23:43Then into tomorrow morning, we will see some temperatures around 12 to 13 degrees, lows of 11 in Ashford.
23:50Then into tomorrow afternoon, highs of 17 up there in Dartford with some more cloud hanging around.
23:56And here's your outlook for the rest of the week, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
24:01All cloudy, highs of 16 going down to 15.
24:12Next, the RSPCA hope it's go big and go home as they're urging people to bring larger dogs back to their homes as part of Adoptober.
24:21The charity is facing record numbers of dogs in its care at the Laybourne Animal Centre.
24:26The charity reached a crisis point this summer.
24:29Well, Maisie Walker can tell us more about that crisis.
24:38Can you hear that?
24:40It's the sound of dogs that have been abandoned, abused and neglected.
24:44All looking for one thing.
24:46A brand new start in a loving home.
24:49This month is Adoptober, a time to raise awareness as the RSPCA faces a significant challenge.
24:55The Laybourne Animal Centre near Westmalling is currently overwhelmed.
24:59The charity caring for a record number of dogs.
25:02So the aim of it really is to try and raise awareness of adoption as a concept and to try and get some of our animals that need adoption, that need homes, in front of the public that might be available to take them home and provide them homes.
25:20Adoption is really at the centre of what we do.
25:24It's really why we do what we do.
25:26So all the animals that come into the centres have come from cases of cruelty or neglect.
25:33And the ultimate aim for us is to find them a forever home that they can then live a happy and normal life.
25:41We've got 40 dogs at the moment at this centre, ranging from large to small and some of them are available for rehoming and some of them aren't.
25:51Recent data from the RSPCA shows that larger breeds can wait up to seven times longer than smaller dogs to be adopted.
25:58Elsa arrived at RSPCA care back in February, but came to Laybourne in July and has been looking for a home since August.
26:06Despite Elsa's age, she's very energetic, but be aware, she is very affectionate.
26:12Huskies feature in the top 20 breeds of dogs which wait longest to find a home.
26:18A pet behaviour expert at the RSPCA said,
26:21we desperately need adopters now more than ever, so we can continue to rescue and care for the animals who need us.
26:28Maisie Walker for KMTV, West Morling.
26:31A great story there from Maisie, but we've got some more coming up as well, like regeneration efforts in Chatham
26:45and some uproar in Gravesham from a local tenant complaining of property damage.
26:49All that after this short break.
29:51Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
30:17I'll be bringing you all your stories from around Kent, but first let's have a look at our headlines.
30:22Building up to a big birthday as Major Medway Construction Project Development Company celebrates five years.
30:30Council crackdown.
30:32Gravesend tenant condemns local council over repeated failures to fill exterior damage on his home.
30:38And helping out some gentle giants.
30:41RSPCA in Laybourne urge public to adopt larger dogs as part of Adoptober.
30:46But first, the local democracy reporting service has been given an exclusive look inside regeneration efforts in Chatham.
30:52It comes as the Medway Development Company, which is leading the charge on the wave of affordable housing,
30:57celebrates five years in business.
30:59But as Ollie Leder has discovered, there is still more work to be done.
31:03Let's have a look.
31:04Hooray!
31:05Balloons and festivities at Chatham bus station.
31:10A small tribute to five years of towering regeneration work visible right in the heart of the five towns.
31:18Since it was launched by the council in 2020, the Medway Development Company has built nearly 400 new homes in the local area.
31:28But are they for locals or catering to London commuters?
31:32Well, so people who've moved into these developments are predominantly from Medway.
31:36So 65% of residents are from Medway.
31:39And that figure is high for our rented portfolio as well.
31:42So I think it shows that investment is being made into Chatham.
31:47You know, the last major investment was the Pentagon in the 70s when it was built.
31:52And really, it's just great to see money being invested into the area to sort of improve the experience of people coming to the area.
32:03But it's not just about providing affordable housing.
32:06We went inside Mountbatten House on top of the Pentagon Centre, once an empty office block,
32:12now being turned into 164 new apartments and much more besides.
32:19I think for me it's about recognising not just the fact that these will be, you know,
32:24really good quality homes in the middle of our town centre, but also it's part of a wider piece of regeneration
32:30where there used to be a bus ramp. There will now be, you know, shops, restaurants and other things.
32:35Improving that late night offer, which Chatham has to a degree, but certainly we need to make further progress on.
32:42Mountbatten House is the final piece in the puzzle for the Riverside area
32:48and is expected to be complete by early 2027.
32:53But with further developments set for the Strews Civic Centre,
32:57the Medway Development Company aren't putting away their high-vis just yet.
33:03Olly Leader in Chatham.
33:08Next, a tenant in Gravesham feels cheated by the local council,
33:12who, he says, have insufficiently repaired extensive structural failures to his house.
33:16Sundar Kutun of Gravesend has logged multiple complaints to the local authorities,
33:20who, after two years to initially address the wide cracks, have not repaired them in full.
33:25The 48-year-old believes the council did not provide a conclusive solution, as Megan Short has been finding out.
33:31Cracks from floor to ceiling and a sinking home.
33:35Just a few of Sundar Kutun's issues that are yet to be fully resolved by Gravesham Council.
33:40The mid-terrace property, off Windmill Street in Gravesend, has been occupied by Mr Kutun since July 2019,
33:47when he was told that existing cracks would be monitored every three months.
33:51Mr Kutun said the council, in fact, did not come for two years,
33:56despite reporting the issue to local authorities multiple times.
34:00From the soil samples, they said that the foundations on a low-strength material,
34:05Gurdip Kutun from the Gravesend Borough Council wrote me a letter saying
34:12there's nothing to be alarmed about when there's everything to be alarmed about.
34:16And I thought to myself, if it was your house, wouldn't you be alarmed if it was on low-strength material?
34:22The council claimed the cracks were one to two millimetres wide, but Sundar measured them much larger.
34:29I sent them letters with photographs in there saying that the actual gaps were six to seven mill wide
34:37and I could put my farm in the gaps.
34:40Despite raising the issue multiple times, Mr Kutun was forced to seek legal assistance,
34:45where a court settlement gave authorities 56 days to rectify cracks in and out of the house,
34:53alongside consequential damp and mould issues.
34:56The council painted over and filled the gaps, even though such problems were caused by subsidence,
35:02where the ground sinks and foundations shift.
35:05For Sundar, the repairs are both insufficient and not a viable solution.
35:10They covered all the gap, basically a cover-up job.
35:14They breached the settlement.
35:16And now I'm taking legal action again.
35:18The local council are supposed to be law holders, law upholders.
35:23They're supposed to be obeyed by the rules, obeyed by the laws.
35:26They're supposed to uphold the law.
35:28They haven't.
35:29Something has to be done, you know, because they're going around being slum landlords, basically.
35:34We approached Gravesham Council for comment, but they said they were unable to at this time
35:39as legal proceedings are ongoing.
35:42Sundar hopes a more concrete answer will follow, but until now remains disillusioned with a sticking-plaster solution.
35:49Megan Shaw, for Kame TV, in Gravesend.
35:55It will be a slow process and take commitment from all sides.
35:59That's how a politics lecturer from Canterbury Christchurch University has viewed the latest developments in the war in Gaza.
36:05This morning, the last living hostages held by Hamas were moved back to Israel after more than two years in captivity,
36:12with Israel releasing almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
36:17Well, there is still more to be done to maintain this peace, according to Dr. Sarah Lieberman.
36:24The first stage today was hostages being released, the hostages that were taken on the 7th of October, two years ago.
36:32After that, Israel was going to release all detainees that were being held in Israel,
36:39Palestinian detainees and people from Gaza.
36:42After that, there's more and more steps that will happen, but it will be a slow process.
36:48And these are states, these are people who've been at war for two whole years.
36:53Expecting to click your fingers and there be instant peace is very optimistic.
36:59This will take commitment on all sides.
37:02And so far, Hamas have said publicly that they're not willing to disarm.
37:09In other news, a local honey-making business is to take part at the National Honey Show next month.
37:15The National Honey Show is an annual British show of honey and other bee products.
37:19It actually first took place in 1923.
37:22Arms Apiaries are taking part this year.
37:24They have 40 hives in various locations throughout Kent.
37:28And it's run by Jason Arms, his daughter and helper Emily.
37:31Well, Jason actually joins me now.
37:33Thank you so much for your time.
37:34You're welcome.
37:35So, talk us through a bit of the journey that's led to you making some award-winning honey.
37:40Well, it's no thanks to me.
37:42It's thanks to the bees at the end of the day.
37:44I'll just spin it out of the hives.
37:46But yeah, no, it's fantastic.
37:48We've had a brilliant year this year, without a doubt.
37:50Far better than last year.
37:52Many beekeepers last year didn't have much of a crop of honey.
37:55But yeah, this year the weather's been so much better.
37:57The forage has been so much better.
37:59So yeah, the bees have managed to produce a much better quality of honey this year.
38:05So yeah, it's fantastic.
38:06That's amazing.
38:07And what goes into producing that high-quality honey?
38:09You mentioned the conditions there.
38:11Is it the environment, the care, the flowers?
38:13Talk us through it.
38:14Yeah, it's all the flowers.
38:15Basically, it's the environment and the weather.
38:17Obviously, the better the weather produces better flowers, which then produce better nectar,
38:21which obviously the bees can forage on.
38:22More nectar being produced.
38:24High, better quality.
38:25You can see some of our, this is our award-winning honey from our local honey show.
38:29So it's very light, very crystal clear.
38:32And that is literally straight out the hive.
38:34That's incredible.
38:35That's our light honey from our Hadlow apiary.
38:38Amazing.
38:39And a much darker, but still very clear from our balming apiary.
38:43So two very different shows of honey there.
38:47And you mentioned it's clear.
38:48That's a good sign?
38:49Oh yeah, yeah, definitely.
38:50Yeah.
38:51I mean, we have, we can have cloudy honey, but yeah, to come out so crystal clear like that,
38:55straight out of the hive, just goes to show that the quality of the forage available,
38:59the quality of, you know, the plant life that we've got, that the bees are, you know,
39:03been harvesting the nectar from.
39:04It's just incredible this year.
39:05I mean, Kent is called the Garden of England for a year.
39:07Yeah, yeah, exactly.
39:08Brilliant, exactly.
39:09Right.
39:10You've also mentioned on your website about how COVID threw a spanner in the works in terms
39:13of making the honey.
39:14Could you expand on that?
39:15Talk us through how exactly you were in place.
39:16Well, I'd started beekeeping before COVID and then obviously COVID kicked in and it
39:21put quite a delay on things.
39:23It shut down obviously all our local beekeeping associations running their classes and the
39:29apiaries, teaching apiaries that the Laddington District have.
39:33So yeah, it put a bit of a back burner on it.
39:35But at which point beekeepers were allowed to move around and manage their colonies because
39:40they're basically classed as livestock.
39:42So it didn't stop me in that process, at which point I managed to put a colony of bees on
39:46a local farm.
39:47And even though because of COVID a lot of people weren't allowed to move around, as a beekeeper
39:51I was allowed to.
39:52So yeah, it just helped, you know, reinforce doing the beekeeping because I was allowed to
39:56get out and do the bees.
39:57So, which was great.
39:58It's fantastic.
39:59Amazing.
40:00I suppose from then to now, what was your reaction, your family's reaction when you
40:04found out you'd be participating in the show?
40:06Yeah, fantastic.
40:07I think it was a bit of a shock because obviously last year we were having such a good result
40:11out of the local show that we had with this one.
40:14Yeah, it's like, well, why not?
40:15Let's give the national honey a show.
40:17Yeah, I think the wife, my wife, she's like, oh, well, why not?
40:22You know, you managed to get some prizes out of this competition, why not to go for the
40:26nationals?
40:27Obviously there's a lot more people now.
40:29The critique in the nationals is far more higher end than what the local beekeeping associations
40:35is.
40:36So, but yeah, we'll have to see.
40:37We'll have to see.
40:38Keep my fingers crossed.
40:39Absolutely.
40:40And I'm sure you get asked this question all the time.
40:42How often do you get stung?
40:44Dare I say, with my managed colonies, not a lot.
40:47But obviously, because I specialise in the removal of established colonies from properties,
40:51where you deal with feral colonies who don't know the temperament of them, unfortunately
40:55at times we do get stung quite a lot.
40:57Some of these feral colonies, they've been left to their own devices.
41:01They've never had human intervention with them.
41:03I mean, I can manage my bees on a weekly basis and know the temperament of them.
41:07Some colonies, I can even manage them without a veil on or a full bee suit.
41:11But the feral colonies are a totally different scenario.
41:14I see.
41:15So, sorry, a feral colony is one where someone might call in and say, I've got an infestation
41:18of bees, whereas a managed colony, talk about that.
41:21A managed colony are basically my hives on my apiaries.
41:25They're the colonies that I manage on a weekly basis.
41:28They're the colonies that I extract honey from.
41:30But yeah, feral colonies are colonies that aren't managed by anyone.
41:34They live in someone's chimney, roof, wall or tree somewhere.
41:38So they're feral colonies, just like feral cats running around.
41:41So yeah, the difference is with those.
41:43I see.
41:44Well, that's all the time we have, I'm afraid.
41:45But best of luck at the show.
41:47Thank you so much for joining us.
41:48Brilliant, thank you.
41:49We'll see you after this very short break.
42:26Bye.
42:27Bye.
42:28Bye.
42:56Bye.
42:57Bye.
43:26Bye.
43:56Bye.
43:57Bye.
44:26Bye.
44:27Bye.
44:56Bye.
45:03Hello, and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
45:11Now, residents across Kent have been campaigning all against government plans to remove the legal requirement for alcohol licensing applications to be published in local newspapers.
45:25The consultation wants such notices to only appear on public council websites, but some
45:31fear that many people would be digitally excluded, should they no longer need to be printed
45:35in papers.
45:36The government consultation will run until the 6th of November, with Jan Parle, Vice
45:40President of the Canterbury Society, branding it deplorable.
45:46In some other news now, more than £6,000 has been raised in memory of a five-year-old
45:50girl who suddenly died last Saturday.
45:53The tribute for Luna Ivy Webster from Medway saw family and friends celebrate and remember
45:58the short life of the young girl.
46:00Luna was born with hyperplastic left heart syndrome where the left side of the heart was underdeveloped
46:05and had her third and final open heart surgery in September.
46:09Sadly on the 4th of October, Luna passed away, with money raised going towards her funeral
46:15and other financial burdens.
46:17In some other news now, a man has been arrested following two police car chases involving a
46:22stolen Mercedes-Benz.
46:24The car was first reported stolen from Standard Quay in Faversham at around 7.30am on Saturday
46:30morning and was later pursued in Hurston just before 10am where it hit three other cars.
46:35The next day the vehicle was seen again in a police chase in Faversham and collided with
46:39another car, injuring the driver.
46:41The 25-year-old local was arrested on suspicion of theft, failing to stop, dangerous driving
46:46and failing to provide a specimen.
46:49And now to some sports, spirits are high in Chatham with Chatham Town Football Club reaching
46:53the very first round of the FA Cup for the first time in almost a century.
46:57Chatham fans have gathered at their sports ground today for the big reveal this evening
47:01of who they will play in the next round.
47:03Well, we heard a little bit from Alfie Rowe at the Boreville Stadium earlier who's following
47:07the draw with fans.
47:08I'm at Boreville Stadium where the atmosphere is buzzing and everyone is very excited.
47:14After all, Chatham Town just got to the FA Cup for the first time in 97 years.
47:19Now, in order to do so, they beat a fellow Kent club, Tombridge Angels 3-1 coming from behind
47:25in the process.
47:26Now, this achievement is extra impressive because Tombridge Angels play in the league
47:30above, the National League South.
47:33And so there's a lot for players and fans to celebrate and in this vein, I sat down with
47:37Stanley Oldfield who is the club's best goalscorer across all competitions this season and got
47:43some sense of how he is feeling.
47:45Yeah, listen, I think we'll obviously prepare right and yeah, whoever we get, we're going
47:50to go in with high hopes, we know our strengths, so yeah, hopefully we'll go and win another
47:55game.
47:56Feeling buzzing.
47:57Yeah, it's a great feeling.
47:58It's a good result Saturday and I can't wait to see what we've got tonight.
48:02Now what to expect?
48:04Well it's a bit of a dilemma for fans because after all, if they get a big team, it's more
48:09likely they're going to be streamed on the BBC which brings a lot of exposure which the
48:13club would really want to have.
48:15However, on the other hand, if they do win the first round of the FA Cup, which they intend
48:20to, they get a sum prize of over 20 grand.
48:24So is it a big team for the exposure or a small team in order to try and get some prize
48:28money and on through to the FA Cup?
48:30This is the decision and the aspirations which the fans will have to grapple with before the
48:34draw this evening.
48:36However, it must be said that they are not the only Kent club which has reached this point
48:40because three Kent County clubs have actually got into the FA Cup this year.
48:45First we have Shaston Town, which is where I am here today.
48:48We also have EBS Fleet United, which is a fellow non-league team which beat the Solihull
48:52Moors in order to qualify here today.
48:55Lastly, we have Gilligan FC which are in League Two.
48:59Now they lost, they were actually in the FA Cup last time and lost in the first round.
49:03However, the season before, they got all the way to the third round before being knocked
49:07out 4-0 by Sheffield United.
49:09However, I think what everyone wants is for this reason.
49:13There is the possibility that in the FA Cup this round, there could be a Kent derby, which
49:18I think I speak for everyone in Kent when I say it would be a very exciting possibility.
49:23Back to you in the studio.
49:26And in some more sports news, cricket scene bowler Jaz Singh has signed a new deal for Kent.
49:31The 23-year-old had been out of contract at the end of the season, but will now be at
49:36least until 2027.
49:38He made a strong start to life under head coach Adam Hollyoak, taking nine wickets in
49:43Kent's first three county championship division two matches of the campaign, but then sustained
49:47a season-ending ankle injury.
49:49He's a product of Kent Crickets Academy.
49:51Singh made his county debut during the 169th Canterbury Cricket Week in 2021, after multiple
49:57first-team players were ruled out due to Covid isolation protocols.
50:01Now don't forget, you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent by
50:04logging onto our website, kmtv.co.uk.
50:07There, you'll find all our reports, including this one, where Boki the Bear at Herne Bay's
50:11Wildwood Trust was celebrating his one-year life-saving brain surgery.
50:16Isn't every day you celebrate one year after having brain surgery?
50:20And Boki the Bear made no bones about commemorating.
50:23It's right here where Boki the Bear has lived for almost two years.
50:28And thanks to life-saving brain surgery, he has the chance to live many more.
50:32Young Boki, who is almost four years old, was the first European brown bear to undergo brain
50:38surgery, after frequent seizures revealed he had a condition that filled his brain with
50:43spinal fluid. One year on, he has made a miraculous full recovery, and his keepers are amazed the
50:50trailblazing operation went so smoothly.
50:53This is massive for us and for Boki, so this is a year on since he had pioneering brain surgery
50:59to treat his hydrocephalus, and he was the first brown bear to ever be diagnosed with hydrocephalus,
51:03and he was the first brown bear to ever have brain surgery. So to get him recovered from all
51:07of that and to go a full year on from that is absolutely amazing and he's doing so well.
51:13He's happy, he's healthy, he's back to himself, he's climbing trees, he's swimming, he's playing
51:19with the other bears, he's digging, he's doing everything he's supposed to be.
51:22And how did he celebrate? With a cake, made of sweet potatoes, seeds, nuts and dog biscuits,
51:29which went down a treat. Boki is preparing to enter torpor, a lighter form of hibernation,
51:35for the second time in his short life, and has gained weight in preparation. All signs of
51:41a healthy bear. Boki was taken in by the Wildwood Trust after his family rejected him, but quickly
51:46found a home in Kent with the two other bears that live there, brothers Scruff and Fluff.
51:53Although the surgery itself was novel, treating and caring for sick animals is something the
51:58Wildwood Trust is no stranger to. In fact, the zoo's own vet, Elliot Simpson-Brown, anaestheticised
52:05Boki himself. Animal Behaviour Management Officer Becky is confident about Boki's future.
52:11He is back to his usual self, he's back to being cheeky, active, climbing his trees, doing
52:16all the things he did before. We're still monitoring though, we're not saying it's that's it done,
52:21end of. We're still keeping a close eye on him, but for everything that we were doing for him before,
52:26he doesn't need his medication anymore. So all things going to plan, there shouldn't need to be any future
52:30surgeries, unless there might be a blockage with the shunt or something like that. We'll keep an eye out
52:36and that will happen. The future might be uncertain for Boki, but for now, he seems more than happy to
52:42have his cake and eat it. Megan Shaw for KMTV in Hearn Bay. Good to see that Boki's doing well. Let's
52:50have a quick look at the weather. Well, tonight it's looking warm up there in
53:00Dartford. Well, warmish, 16 degrees, then lows of 13 in more central areas. Still quite cloudy as we go
53:06into tomorrow morning, but definitely cooling down, highs of 14 in Dover with some fast wind speeds in
53:11the east. Then it's 15, 16 and 17 degrees across the board in tomorrow's evening, staying with that
53:17high wind speed. And here's your outlook for the rest of the week. Cloudy through Wednesday to Friday,
53:23highs of 16 cooling ever so slightly to 15 for Friday.
53:34Now, they might not be as big as Boki the Bear, but the RSPCA is urging people to consider adopting
53:39larger dogs this Adoptober, as the charity is facing record numbers of dogs in its care at the
53:44Laybourne Animal Centre. The charity reached a crisis point this summer, with record numbers of rescued
53:49dogs in their care. And to help ease the pressure, the charity is making an urgent appeal for adopters
53:54to consider harder to re-home large breed dogs, like Huskies, who often wait up to seven times longer
54:01than smaller dogs to end up finding their forever homes. Well, our reporter Maisie Walker went down to
54:06Laybourne to find out more about these larger dogs and their need for a new home.
54:17Can you hear that? It's the sound of dogs that have been abandoned, abused and neglected,
54:23all looking for one thing, a brand new start in a loving home.
54:28This month is Adoptober, a time to raise awareness as the RSPCA faces a significant challenge.
54:34The Laybourne Animal Centre near West Mawling is currently overwhelmed,
54:38the charity caring for a record number of dogs. So the aim of it really is to try and raise awareness
54:45of adoption as a concept, and to try and get some of our animals that need adoption, that need homes,
54:53in front of the public that might be available to take them home and provide them homes.
54:59Adoption is really at the centre of what we do. It's really why we do what we do.
55:05So all the animals that come into the centres have come from cases of cruelty or neglect,
55:13and the ultimate aim for us is to find them a forever home that they can then live a happy and
55:19normal life. We've got 40 dogs at the moment at this centre, ranging from large to small, and some of
55:27them are available for rehoming and some of them aren't. Recent data from the RSPCA shows that larger
55:33breeds can wait up to seven times longer than smaller dogs to be adopted. Elsa arrived at RSPCA
55:39Care back in February, but came to Laybourne in July and has been looking for a home since August.
55:45Despite Elsa's age, she's very energetic, but be aware, she is very affectionate.
55:51Huskies feature in the top 20 breeds of dogs which wait longest to find a home. A pet behaviour expert at
55:58the RSPCA said, we desperately need adopters now more than ever, so we can continue to rescue and
56:05care for the animals who need us. Maisie Walker for KMTV, West Morling.
56:10Great story from Maisie there, but that is unfortunately all the time we have. You've
56:20been watching Kent Tonight Live here on KMTV, and there's more news made just for Kent throughout
56:25the evening. Don't forget you can always keep up to date with the latest news across your county
56:29by logging onto our website, kmtv.co.uk. You can also keep us on your social timelines by liking us on
56:35Facebook and following us on TikTok. Like I say, all the time we have for now, but join us after this
56:41for another episode of Victor Sport. See you soon.
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