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Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Meghan Shaw.
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00:00hello and welcome to Kent tonight live on KMTV I'm Megan Shaw and here are your top stories on
00:18Wednesday the 7th of January iced out cold weather causes chaos in Tunbridge wells as
00:25water boss faces frosty reception in Parliament lots of small treatment supply in local communities
00:31in Tunbridge Wells is a classic example of that it's a rely on one single source millions missing
00:38in Medway as cash-strapped council seeking exceptional financial support from government
00:44people know that we've been in a really challenging financial set of circumstances
00:49we're continuing to work through that and we've never seen anything like this
00:54Maidstone Goat Sanctuary rescues newborn goats abandoned in a bin
01:06our top story tonight from late November to mid-December last year households in Tunbridge
01:15Wells were subjected to weeks of issues with their water supply and now around 500 homes have
01:20had the issues return these problems occurred while the CEO of southeast water David Hinton
01:25was being questioned by committee at the houses of parliament and Finn is down at one of the report
01:30water supply stations in Biggora just outside of the town now so Finn you're down there now so tell us
01:37what's happened and talk us through the timeline of these water issues in Tunbridge Wells well that's right Meg
01:44I'm here at the Bidborough Village Hall where one of these supply stations has been set up you can
01:49probably hear some cars going past and people have been turning up from what as far as I've been here
01:55to collect their water and it's like you say 500 homes and southeast water have actually recently stated that's
02:01closer to 4,000 customers who have been without water today many here in Tunbridge Wells thought it's a new year a fresh start
02:09but these water issues have returned they aren't to the same scale that they were back in 2025
02:16but it is still concerning for some of the locals here and you may notice my signal might be a bit patchy
02:22and that's because Bidborough is quite a rural area it's 20 minutes away from the town centre of Tunbridge
02:28Wells and there's also areas to the south of Tunbridge Wells that are being affected including the area of
02:32frant now you mentioned the timeline there in terms of tonight and the recent events 11pm last night
02:41southeast water updated their aqua alert website saying they expected supplies to return this morning
02:46they said however it's likely to be intermittent throughout the day and as of right now we don't
02:50know exactly when this will return but for locals here in Tunbridge Wells it seems like more of the same
02:56thing obviously back in the 29th of November through to the 12th of December there were frequent water issues
03:02including a boil notice that was wrapped up around the 12th of December once that boil notice was lifted
03:07but it's as you say and for 4,000 customers here in these rural areas of Tunbridge Wells they have been affected
03:14and Finn these new supply issues have actually come alongside the southeast water CEO have been questioned in parliament yesterday
03:22so tell us what do we know so far
03:24that's absolutely right so we contacted southeast water for a statement about the new water issues
03:35obviously alongside the CEO David Hinton being questioned in parliament they told us that this new supply issue
03:41is due to a series of burst water mains in the Tunbridge Wells area following the cold weather
03:46we actually have more on this as our reporter Naila Mohammed has been in the area finding out more about these new issues
03:52hi can you hear me
04:16and we can hear more from Naila Mohammed now
04:24you may remember at the end of November Tunbridge Wells lost its water supply
04:29around 24,000 homes and businesses didn't have access to clean water
04:34due to a bad batch of treatment chemicals which led to a water outage
04:39and yesterday three weeks after the boil water ban was lifted David Hinton the CEO of southeast water appeared in parliament
04:47where he answered questions from EFRA and MPs
04:50the response was by far and away the biggest response we've ever done the amount of resources we put on it
04:56was by far and away the largest we've ever put
04:58well it was probably the biggest failure you've ever had is it not
05:02in terms of customers impacted this wasn't the biggest impact
05:05the effects of the water crisis are still being felt in Tunbridge Wells today
05:09Mr. Hinton rated how southeast water dealt with the situation an 8 out of 10 and claims that it was unavoidable
05:16and he takes ultimate responsibility for it
05:18but what do the people of Tunbridge Wells really think
05:22they were a bit backwards in coming forwards I think you know the CEO should have got out there on on TV
05:29and informed the town
05:32he should invest quite a lot of money in the local infrastructure
05:39in our local water supply the mains the reservoirs so this doesn't happen again
05:44they need to look at that they need to get their systems engineers on it and assess what went wrong
05:51um do a modification to their system so it doesn't happen again
05:57Local MP Mike Martin has even called for Mr. Hinton to resign
06:01Dr. Rink who's the chief drinking water inspector for England and Wales said that the incident was actually known about for several months
06:08rather than a surprise as Dave Hinton said
06:12it was avoidable rather than unavoidable
06:14and DWI actually issued advice to southeast water in the months preceding the incident
06:20about what they needed to do and had they followed that advice
06:24um they would have avoided this incident
06:28In a statement David Hinton says the priority is to improve southeast water
06:32and is committed to delivering the infrastructure needed
06:35This is not the first time Tunbridge Wells has seen water outages
06:39and now with David Hinton being held accountable
06:42will things change?
06:44Naila Mahamud for KMTV
06:47And in other news, Medway Council is set to ask for exceptional financial support from the government
06:52after a multi-million pound funding boost that didn't go far enough
06:55The authority has a £7.9 million gap to fill as fair funding didn't meet officer expectations
07:02Local democracy reporter Oli Lieder has been finding out
07:05The government is giving Medway Council £23 million more
07:11But the council was expecting more
07:14They've now got a nearly £8 million gap to fill
07:18The local authority says the increase they receive is not enough to stave off effective bankruptcy
07:25Without exceptional financial support from Whitehall to balance the books
07:30This is when we first wrote to them some time back now
07:34We said we anticipated that EFS for Medway
07:38And it's different for every council
07:39Would be a three year programme
07:41We're in year three of that
07:42So it was an ambition to hopefully not have to use EFS
07:46We regrettably will have to use it I believe now
07:50But we'll do so in a way recognising that the figure is reducing year on year
07:55This would not be the first time Medway Council has asked the government for additional financial support
08:01They say they're facing extraordinary pressures around adult social care
08:06And they say they're trying to find efficiencies and savings in that last two months before their budget is due
08:13It's very key that word exceptional, exceptional financial support
08:16Which is designed to ensure that the council effectively has a pathway, borrowing
08:21To allow the council to have a pathway back to financial sustainability
08:24But the current medium term financial statements show that that's never going to happen
08:28Effectively it's going to be borrowing, borrowing, borrowing
08:30Up until the council effectively is reorganised as part of local government reorganisation
08:36With no clear plan in terms of how this authority will get out of that
08:40So we're deeply concerned
08:42Medway Council hopes income generation and efficiency savings will help financially
08:49But with the council set to vote on the final budget in February
08:54Time is of the essence
08:57Olly Leda at Gunwharf
08:59And I'm joined now by our local democracy reporter Olly Leda
09:03To break this down for us a little bit more
09:05So Olly, you've drawn out those broad strokes of what that means in terms of funding and the council
09:11But what would it mean for everyday people across Medway?
09:14So the big issue here for Medway Council is adult social care
09:19It is a huge area for a unitary authority or an upper tier authority to be dealing with
09:25That covers so much from care homes to support for the homeless
09:28And it's made a constituent part
09:31Obviously people are living longer, growing older
09:34There's a cost of living going on at the moment
09:37All of this is driving up costs for the council
09:40Both in the services it supplies
09:42But also the demand for those services as well
09:45So it's a big issue for the council
09:47And what this really means in practice
09:50Is the council needs to get additional support from the government
09:53This is exceptional financial support
09:56It's nothing new for Medway
09:58For the last two years before this one
10:00They've been applying for this from the government
10:02And it's an issue for lots of councils across the UK
10:06As well as around 30 councils that get exceptional financial support from the government on a regular basis
10:11And not all of them are poorly financially managed
10:16Without the argument from people in charge of Medway
10:19Though the opposition do have their concerns around how the budget is being managed
10:25They say there could be bigger efficiency savings
10:28There could be money not being spent on big projects
10:32That this isn't a forgotten conclusion that Medway Council has to apply for this
10:37The leader of Medway Council would disagree
10:40This is an issue for councils across the country
10:43Adult social care, S-E-N-D, that's Special Educational Needs and Disability Support
10:49For young people in the five towns and beyond
10:52It is a huge issue for councils
10:54And essentially if they don't get this exceptional financial support
10:57The councils say they won't be able to deliver a balanced budget
11:00That is a statutory obligation
11:02They have to do it
11:03If they don't do it
11:04They will have to file for effective bankruptcy
11:07It's a section 116 notice
11:09Which basically means they don't know how to manage their money
11:12The government will send in an administrator to manage all the money on their behalf
11:18And they tend to be pretty brutal with their cuts as well
11:21Thank you so much Oli for bringing us that story
11:24Well, it's time for a short break now
11:26But coming up we've got plenty more
11:28As Kent continues to experience a cold climate
11:30So we've got all the information you need to keep safe in that ice and frost
11:34We'll catch you later
11:35Thank you
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14:58Hello and welcome back to Kent tonight live here on KMTV
15:02Now some drone and body cam footage reveals the moment a missing man was located near the M20 Maidstone services.
15:10The 30-year-old, who was suspected of having a mental health crisis, was found in the early hours on the 20th of December.
15:16He made his way into a heavily wooded area near the railway line, removing his upper clothing in very cold conditions.
15:23PC Andy Green used a thermal drone to point the handler, PC Tony Vaughan, and police dog Oscar in the right direction,
15:30where they found the man and were able to lead him to safety.
15:34Now the waste firm Veolia has had to apologise after footage shows some of their workers taking a homeless woman's belongings in Dover Town Centre.
15:43The onlooker told Kent Online she watched in horror as the workmen disposed of the Roth sleeper's belongings,
15:48with her saying she's now going to come back and have nothing.
15:52The waste contractor says its street cleaning crews will now undertake refresher training to stop a repeat of such incidents.
15:58Kent Online shared the footage with Dover District Council, which has sparked an investigation into the situation.
16:05And now, let's take a look at this week's weather.
16:09Looking at this evening, we can see an average of 4 degrees, partly cloudy skies across Kent.
16:14Some high winds picking up tomorrow morning.
16:17Things are not improving too much, light rain all over.
16:19Average of 4 degrees, those winds dropping to 5 miles per hour.
16:23Tomorrow evening, that rain only getting heavier, temperatures rising a little and winds picking up as the day goes on.
16:29And for your outlook over the weekend, Friday, unfortunately rainy, but a clear weekend ahead.
16:344 degrees on Saturday, 5 on Sunday, a bit of sun peeking through, finally, after all that frost.
16:39And we've had a very cold start to 2026 so far, with many areas across Kent being hit by snow in the past week.
16:49With that, it's come very chilly nights and cold days, particularly around the coast of the county.
16:54So what should we be doing to make sure we're being as safe as possible in these icy conditions?
16:59Well, senior reporter Charlotte Phillips has more.
17:01Snow has fallen across the county over the past week, with sheets of ice laying on top of roads and bodies of water freezing over.
17:10The Met Office says that while we've had a very cold start to 2026, daytime temperatures should be a little bit milder in the coming weeks.
17:17We will be holding on to that cold weather into next week.
17:21Now, it's not going to be quite as cold, though.
17:23Daytime temperatures will be a little bit milder.
17:26It's not going to be quite as frosty at night.
17:28There will be some frost every now and again, but it's not going to be that harsh frost, that thick layer of ice on your car.
17:35There have been several road traffic incidents across Kent today as the cold spell continues.
17:40In Great Chart, near Ashford, a stagecoach bus carrying children to school crashed into a ditch amid the icy conditions.
17:47Police, firefighters and paramedics were all called to the scene where no injuries were reported.
17:52A car also overturned on the M20 this morning, just after the Maidstone services.
17:57The incident was on the hard shoulder of the coastbound carriageway and led to two miles of traffic with three fire engines attending the scene.
18:05The AA is advising drivers to leave plenty of room between vehicles and to use headlights in heavy snow.
18:12If you do start skidding, stay calm, steer into the skid and avoid sudden movements like hitting the brakes.
18:16It's not just the roads that are a cause for concern as the cold weather continues, with footage being shared of people standing on a frozen pond.
18:24Headcorn Parish Council has issued a warning to parents after its CCTV captured groups of teenagers and children near a water source in the village.
18:31I think it's important to warn parents that in this frozen weather that they need to let their kids know that the frozen overbodies of water are dangerous and they're potentially lethal.
18:43You're talking about minutes, two, three minutes that hypothermia and things set in.
18:49You know, you've come through the ice, you might drop your phone.
18:52You've got to rely on shouting for help and someone hearing you.
18:57With icy conditions remaining across Kent, make sure to take care and wrap up in the coming weeks.
19:02Charlotte Phillips for KMTV.
19:05And as Charlotte just said there, that frosty weather is continuing over the week.
19:08So how else can we ensure we're staying safe?
19:10With some advice, suggest to even walk like a penguin along icy paths to reduce the risk of falling.
19:16And to break down these health headlines, I've got Dr Julian Spinks in the studio with me now.
19:22So, as we were saying before, I have seen some advice online saying to waddle like a penguin to keep safe.
19:34What is this about?
19:35This seems very strange, doesn't it?
19:37But of course, penguins spend their life walking on ice and snow.
19:41And what it is, is changing the way you walk slightly.
19:43Typically, typical walking is actually permanently falling forward.
19:46The trouble is, if your foot slips, you will go down.
19:49This technique, you bend your knees slightly, you put your feet out,
19:52you put your weight much more over your front leg, and you slightly waddle, I'm afraid.
19:58But what that means is that your weight is over your feet all the time,
20:01and you're not falling forward, and you're less likely to slip and fall over.
20:06Can't completely prevent it, so there's other things you can do,
20:08like making sure you've got footwear with grip on the bottom.
20:11And just avoiding, obviously, icy parts if you can.
20:14I see.
20:15So, it's definitely worth looking a little bit silly to avoid a trip to A&E then.
20:19I'm afraid so, yes.
20:20Walk like a penguin, not like an Egyptian.
20:22And as well, how can we keep warm this winter?
20:25So, we're walking safely.
20:27Are we wearing a coat, a scarf?
20:28What should we do?
20:29I think the secret is layers.
20:32What you're trying to do is trap air between the layers of your clothing.
20:35So, often, multiple layers of thin material may be better than a single chunky thing with it.
20:42And if you do those layers, the added advantage is if you get too hot,
20:45you can take one layer off and carry on that way.
20:48Interestingly, in Japan, where their houses are very poorly insulated,
20:53they often wear outdoor clothing inside.
20:55So, you know, just because you're inside doesn't mean you can't wear a coat.
20:59When you're inside, you've got to try and keep warm.
21:02Some people can't afford to heat the whole house,
21:04so maybe heat one room and keep that warm.
21:07And don't forget what our parents and grandparents used to do,
21:11which is use blankets and other things to keep you warm.
21:14So, you get your own little huddle to keep yourself warm.
21:17And on that topic, keeping warm inside the home alongside blankets,
21:21some people like to use a hot water bottle.
21:23But I've heard that there might be some kind of safety risk there.
21:26Is that true?
21:27Well, there is.
21:29Because if you're actually pouring boiling water in,
21:31which you shouldn't do with a hot water bottle anyway,
21:33into it, especially if it's one of the ones where it's sort of bare rubber,
21:37you can burn yourself from it.
21:39And, in fact, at the very least, what you end up with is a strange rash
21:42called erythema abigna.
21:45Which sort of a bottle rash where you put that hot water bottle.
21:48So, make sure that the water is off boiling,
21:51even if you've got to go back and reheat it.
21:53There are sort of electrical ones and various other ones.
21:56I don't think you have to go that fancy.
21:58But if you're going to put boiling water into your hot water bottle,
22:00you're in danger.
22:02I see.
22:03And you mentioned there that, unfortunately,
22:04not everyone can heat their homes
22:06or at least perhaps have the heating on throughout the day.
22:09So, is there kind of a technique to this
22:11to keep your house as warm as possible?
22:12Should we be putting our heating on at certain times of the day
22:15to maximise that warmth?
22:17Well, obviously, it gets warmer as you go through the day
22:19and then it cools down again when you're getting to late afternoon.
22:22So, if you're going to have to pick when you put the heating on,
22:25it's going to be first thing in the morning when you're getting up
22:26and to warm the house up,
22:28and then mid-afternoon onwards.
22:29Other things you can do, really simple,
22:31and that is to draw the curtains when the sun goes down,
22:34sort of four or five,
22:36and that will keep some of the warmth in the house.
22:38If you can get lined curtains, that's even better.
22:41So, it's all simple techniques you can do.
22:43If you've got a drafty house, if you can reduce the drafts,
22:46that's going to keep the warmth in as well.
22:48And we don't have much time, Julian,
22:50but I certainly love a hot coffee, a hot tea.
22:52Will that help me stay warm?
22:54Well, it will temporarily warm you up,
22:56and you can warm your hands around it so you'll feel a bit better,
22:59but it's not a permanent solution by any means.
23:01Of course.
23:02I'll keep that in mind when I'm wearing my many layers.
23:05Thank you very much, Dr Spinks.
23:06And with more going on across the county sports scene,
23:15here's the sports round-up with Josh Columbale.
23:32Now, a quick look at today's sports round-up.
23:34First up, Gillingham's managing director has made comments
23:37on the January transfer window with a reduced budget in League Two.
23:41Joe Compa admits that they've previously been the club
23:43forking out money during the mid-season
23:45in the pursuit of instant results,
23:47but that won't be happening now.
23:48Compa stated,
23:49We need to keep our heads.
23:50We can't panic and we can't go back to what we've done in the past,
23:53trying to solve problems immediately
23:55because we suffer from them years down the line.
23:57Manager Gareth Ainsworth has outlined his desire
24:00to up the goals within the Gilles squad,
24:02but has already admitted that the money being spent elsewhere this month is crazy,
24:06something that Joel Compa has also backed.
24:08Next up, we're looking at Sheppie United,
24:10who signed a loan with Kieran Agbebi from Dover Athletic.
24:14Agbebi spent a professional season at Gillingham a few years ago
24:17and is showcasing what he can do by joining the Sheppie team
24:20at the local derby in Swale against Sittingbourne.
24:23Sheppie's assistant boss, Tommy Osborne, says,
24:25Sittingbourne did everything they possibly could to get the game on,
24:28but when I was walking around out there,
24:30it would have been a difficult playing surface
24:31and I could see it was very doubtful.
24:33Unfortunately, the game was cancelled due to icy conditions,
24:36but the team found a positive from the match being called off.
24:39They've been given the chance to train with the new addition.
24:41Finally, in some more football news,
24:43Sittingbourne's manager, Rhys Prestige,
24:45is working on new signings amidst their trip
24:47to promotion rivals AFC Whiteleaf.
24:50With the Brickies being on a superb run of eight wins and a draw in nine games,
24:53Prestige is looking to strengthen their squad
24:55even when faced with a competitive market.
24:57He commented saying,
24:58you're in that January period where teams at the top want to strengthen,
25:01teams at the bottom want to strengthen to try and get out of it.
25:03They've climbed the ranks from 12th to 5th in the Istamian South East
25:07and are visiting fourth-placed AFC Whiteleaf on Saturday at 3pm.
25:11Seeing all those sports players in shorts and T-shirts this time of year
25:23makes me feel cold and I'm wearing three layers
25:26as Dr Julian Spinks was advising us all to do.
25:29But, unfortunately, that's all we have time for at the moment.
25:33But stay with us as we'll be bringing you plenty more news
25:36across the county after the break,
25:39including revisiting our top story with Finn McDermid
25:42bringing you the latest updates
25:44as Tunbridge Wells residents are without water again
25:47while the South East Water CEO is questioned in the Houses of Parliament.
25:53We've also got a package, or we've also got a report, sorry,
25:56on a lady from Chatham who makes jewellery with her mouth.
26:00Listen to it. Stay with me on this one.
26:02Now, paralysed, she innovated and found a way.
26:06She has her own small business from her house in Chatham,
26:10ran solely from her bedroom.
26:12Although, unfortunately, set to go blind,
26:15she's trying to sell off her jewellery while she can.
26:18Coming up, we've also got the sports headlines
26:21from across the county, unless you,
26:23if you missed the ones from before.
26:25All that and more coming up after the break.
26:28A great show ahead.
26:30Stay with us. We'll see you soon.
30:59absolutely megan yeah i'm here at bidborough village hall it's a small village about 20
31:08minutes from the town center of tunbridge wells and many people here in tunbridge wells might
31:12have thought well it's 2026 it's a new year but these water issues are still happening at 3 p.m
31:19yesterday southeast water told residents that about 4 000 customers in certain areas around
31:25tunbridge wells specifically quite rural ones like bidborough and also some areas to the south
31:30have been affected by supply issues and you mentioned that timeline there this comes obviously
31:35with all the context of what happened between november and december in tunbridge wells where
31:3924 000 customers were left without water or having some water issues over a period of about two weeks
31:47including a notice where they had to boil their water and uh southeast water today uh said they
31:53sorry at 11 p.m i should say last night they updated their aqua alert website saying they
31:59expected supplies to return this very morning however it it is now later in the day uh they
32:05said these are likely to be intermittent throughout the day but at this point we have no exact timeline
32:10as to when this issue will be resolved
32:12i see and and now this actually comes amid david hinton so the ceo of southeast water who was
32:21questioned yesterday so tell us what do we know what we heard from david and southeast water at the
32:27the houses of parliament there
32:28that's right uh david hinton uh the ceo of southeast water was questioned in parliament in front of the
32:37environment food and rural affairs committee all around those supply issues back in 2025 he began
32:44with an apology to his customers saying he knows how inconvenient the lack of water is and he thanked
32:50the resilience forum the local mp mike martin and the supply chain now we contacted southeast water for a
32:57statement about the new water issues and incident manager nick bell got back to us and said a series of
33:03burst water mains in the tunbridge wells area following the cold weather has resulted in our
33:07drinking water storage tanks running extremely low we are very sorry that 4 000 customers in south
33:14tunbridge wells and frant areas are currently without water water supplies in bidborough will
33:18be intermittent through the remainder of the day while those in south tunbridge wells and frant
33:22are unlikely to see their supplies restored until later this evening when water levels in the tanks have
33:28recovered our customer care team is delivering bottled water to the customers in our priority
33:33services register who are most in need and that's what's happening right here around me
33:38local residents here for bidborough have been turning up and been getting bottled water and i mentioned how
33:45rural rural of an area this is it's extremely important that these stations are here to give them
33:50that water as without it they'd be you know it would definitely affect their day-to-day lives their work
33:56their family and yeah as i've been standing here people have been turning up very consistently so
34:01much needed and as i say we don't yet know the timeline on when water will be fully restored
34:07to the residents here in certain areas of rural tunbridge wells our reporter nela mohammed has been
34:13finding out more about this story we can hear from her now you may remember at the end of november
34:19tunbridge wells lost its water supply around 24 000 homes and businesses didn't have access to clean
34:26water due to a bad batch of treatment chemicals which led to a water outage and yesterday three
34:33weeks after the boil water ban was lifted david hinton the ceo of southeast water appeared in
34:39parliament where he answered questions from efra and mps the the response um was by far and away the
34:46biggest response we've ever done the amount of resources we put on it was by far and away the
34:49largest we've ever put well it was probably the biggest failure you've ever had is it no in terms
34:55of customers impacted this wasn't the biggest uh impact the effects of the water crisis are still
35:00being felt in tunbridge wells today mr hinton rated how southeastern water dealt with the situation
35:05at eight out of ten and claims that it was unavoidable and he takes ultimate responsibility for it
35:11but what do the people of tunbridge wells really think they were a bit backwards in coming forwards
35:16i think um you know the ceo should have got out there on on tv and informed the town he should
35:27invest quite a lot of money in the local infrastructure in our local water supply the
35:33mains the reservoirs so this doesn't happen again they need to look at that they need to get their
35:38systems engineers on it and assess what went wrong um do a modification to their
35:46system so it doesn't happen again local mp mike martin has even called for mr hinton to resign
35:53dr rink who's the chief drinking water inspector for england and wales said that the incident was
35:58actually known about for several months rather than a surprise as dave hinton said it was avoidable
36:05rather than unavoidable and dwi actually issued advice to southeast water in the months preceding the
36:12incident about what they needed to do and had they followed that advice um they would have avoided this
36:19incident in a statement david hinton says the priority is to improve southeast water and is
36:25committed to delivering the infrastructure needed this is not the first time tunbridge wells has seen
36:30water outages and now with david hinton being held accountable will things change nela mahomed for kmtv
36:40nela mohammed there and we'll be following that story as it continues at kmtv and kent online
36:46now resident artist of the university of kent isabel defoe is renowned for her works as a writer director and
36:53theater maker specializing in verbatim her performance was wildly received and will be performed in
36:59parliament that was this evening but what is verbatim theater that's a question i had for isabel defoe
37:06when she joined us earlier to tell us more so generation fomo is a verbatim play uh so just to
37:14put everyone on the same page i i'm a verbatim playwright and verbatim is where i um create a script
37:22around interviews that i conduct and then i weave those stories together to create my narrative arc
37:28so nothing in the play comes from my head nothing is um you know fictional it is all based around
37:34interviews that i conducted with young people a lot of young people um ranging from the ages of about 10
37:40to 25 26 something like that and would you say it's these kind of interviews that really shaped the
37:47body of the play and that and that gave you kind of that inspiration there totally yeah the all you
37:55know the the play is completely shaped by the interviews and by what the young people were
38:02sharing with me and they were sharing so candidly because they know that their interviews are anonymous
38:08that their words are going to be revoiced by actors so they could be as honest as possible about what
38:14they consume online for example you know the difficulties of growing up online um and they
38:19could be honest because yeah they know that they're anonymous and the play of course is around kind of
38:26moving away from smartphones and the internet and things like that were you all surprised by the
38:32responses of young people i feel like i mean as a fairly young person myself there is this kind of
38:38stereotype that we love our phones and we're glued to them were you surprised by the responses
38:42yeah i mean i was really surprised about how much young people seem to want our help they seem to
38:51want restrictions around their phones um i was really surprised about how they know they're addicted
38:58they put the word addiction on the table uh they feel that uh they have no attention span and they are
39:06angry with the tech companies because they know that the tech companies have got their attention span like
39:11that that really surprised me that 14 year olds could be so angry uh and knowing that that's what's going
39:17on i see and of course today is quite a special day for you so how does it feel for your play to be
39:25played in parliament this evening oh my gosh it means everything it means everything for those young voices
39:32you know for those young people that spoke to me and shared their experiences for them to be heard in
39:38parliament means absolutely everything and as a verbatim theater maker i believe that verbatim has the
39:45power to create social change and it feels like we're doing that tonight right absolutely and it's not
39:53just parliament where you where your play um will be shown where else um is your play being being uh
39:59being put on so um we started out so i am a theater company that's based uh here at the university of
40:07kent we're supported by the drama department here or we have a residency here and so the play started
40:13off uh here on campus and and it's grown we've been on tour twice last year with it uh we went on tour
40:23mainly to secondary schools all around kent and it's the response has been huge
40:30and thank you for your insightful responses so far we have one last question so
40:34in general what would you say is the message you want to share through this production here
40:40i think the main thing is we have to normalize the conversation around what our children are consuming
40:45online and and you know they're finding it difficult to digest such difficult content and
40:51they're not sharing the content that they're you know that they're watching online because they're
40:56they're nervous that their phones will get taken away from them we can't take away the tech from
41:01them we've given them the tech and tech is here to stay it's not about being anti-tech it is about us
41:07as grown-ups supporting our young people and that's all we've got time for on this part before the break
41:14but stay with us as coming up we've got plenty more we'll go from theater to the farm where henry
41:21look our community reporter will be reporting on goats that were rescued from kidnapping well not
41:27kidnapping apologies we'll be speaking some goats we'll also be speaking to a woman from chatham
41:33who makes jewelry with her mouth all that more see you later
42:03you
42:19you
48:07a look at some more stories over at Kent Online. We'll be taking a look at the drone footage
48:12which shows the work being done at the Warren in Folkestone. We'll also hear from the owner
48:17of a new community space that opened back in July. And Etterley Reynolds joins me now
48:22to go into more detail. So Etterley, tell me, what's going on at the Warren?
48:28So we do have some drone footage which shows sea defence work happening at the Warren in
48:33Folkestone. Now, the Warren saw huge cracks appears on the promenade and landslips nearby
48:39in 2024. It is a railway line and to help protect this that runs between Dover and Folkestone
48:46Station, Network Rail began this work yesterday and it's set to finish in April. The Western
48:52Beach and walkway have been temporarily closed and Southeastern Railway Chief Operating Officer
48:58David Davidson has said this major intervention is a protective step to protect both the railway
49:04and the Warren. As well as this work on the Warren, the draining systems on the cliff is
49:09also set to be repaired.
49:11I see. Thank you, Etterley. And could you also tell me a bit more about the loft in Folkestone?
49:16Yes. So moving on to the next story. Back in June, the Petticoat Emporium opened and above
49:22it, so did the loft. It was created by Cairo Woodward, who said the idea emerged after becoming,
49:29he became a father. Now, the space was opened July, so a month after the Emporium, and it
49:35was originally a photography space, but it has evolved into a multi-use space described as
49:41having three pillars. And you've got that, haven't you, first? Yes, we do.
49:44So I think what pushed us to create the loft is a communal need for a space to create.
49:51All back to me. Not a space that's necessarily told, not necessarily a space in which you're
49:56told what you can do, but a space in which you're invited to see what you'd like to do
50:02and how far you can really push that. And I think that is the main thing that I think Folkestone needs,
50:08or this town needs as a space that is not capped by somebody, by a company or by people telling you
50:15you can't do something. I really want people to see how far the limits of their imagination
50:19can take them in this space. We are going back to you.
50:24And now, Megan, how much do you love a roast dinner? Well, I used to love one,
50:28and I've been vegetarian for five years, and it's just never been the same since.
50:32Well, you might be missing out here because celebrity chef Mark Sargent plans to kind of,
50:38I don't know if it's an event, but open a roast dinner delivery service in which he will make
50:43and deliver the dinners to people. Now, these dinners will be delivered on a Saturday,
50:49so families can reheat on a Sunday. And in a social media post, he said that this will start out as a
50:55limited service, but he hopes that it will go throughout Kent. So dinner's right to your front door.
51:01That sounds so exciting. I'm kind of tempted to go back to beef and chicken for that.
51:05Maybe there'll be a vegetarian version.
51:08Thank you, Etale. Now, don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories
51:13across Kent by logging onto our website, kmtv.co.uk. There you'll find all our reports, including this one.
51:23In most sports, they say the sky is the limit, but for 16-year-old skateboarding sensation Tay Cunningham,
51:29it's actually the ceiling. He's training with one goal in mind, the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
51:36He's gotten to the stage of his training where he says he needs a vertical ramp to drop in from
51:40in order to fight on the international stage, but his local venue doesn't have the space. So,
51:46he's decided to make his own. The money for the GoFundMe currently is going towards the LA 2028
51:52Games for me to try and make it to there and just qualify and get better and travel to see all these
51:59people that are better than me to inspire me so I can get better at skateboarding and improve. And then
52:04also for the vert ramp in my local community. I've currently bought a vert ramp, but I need to
52:09get, fund the money to get new surface for it so that it's long lasting, not just for me,
52:15for the whole community, because our closest vert ramp is in Surrey and I would love to have one in
52:21Kent, not just for me, for the whole community so everyone can get better and to inspire little kids.
52:26Since he got permission from the town council, the ramp will be installed at
52:29Limington Park in Westgate, but for Tay's dad, it's just another step in a long road for the young
52:34athlete. So Tay, it became really obvious that Tay was really good. I mean, he entered a few comps,
52:41won them all and then he went to a nationals comp and he didn't do that well on the first one,
52:48but while everybody else was skating the final, Tay was learning 540s and he got in the car and said to me,
52:54you know, basically, I can do everything they can do. I can honestly say within about three months,
53:03I could not believe how far along he's come. Ted is currently fundraising online and is also looking
53:08to run 50 kilometres to raise the seven grand needed for the ramp, with any additional funds
53:12going towards travel, coaching and competitions. Watching Tay, I thought I'd demonstrate how high
53:17level he is by having a go myself. Now, it's my turn. Now, Tay here has been skateboarding for about
53:2612 years. I have very little experience in skateboarding. I can just about cruise around.
53:31I can't even do an ollie. So, Tay is going to be taking me to the beginner area to see if I can go
53:36down a ramp. Now, how easy is that to do for quite a beginner? Here at Rev, in the beginner room,
53:42it's perfect because every ramp is really small. So, you should be just fine. All right, brilliant.
53:47Well, fingers crossed.
53:57I think now's a good time to hang up my board and leave it to Tay and the next generation.
54:02If Tay wants to make it to the very top of skateboarding, he knows he doesn't just need
54:05to ramp up his training, but ramp up his equipment as well. Finn McDermott for KMTV in Broadstairs.
54:13And a goat sanctuary has just rescued two newborn goats, which were abandoned in a bin.
54:18The Buttercup Sanctuary for Goats in Maidstone were alerted to the presence of Veolia and Biffer
54:23by a member of the public. The goats were so young that their umbilical cords were still attached.
54:29While the animals are in safe hands, the sanctuary owners were shocked by the situation.
54:34And our community reporter, Henry Luke, has the story.
54:36Baby goats in the bin. That's what Buttercup's Sanctuary for Goats near Maidstone had the misfortune
54:47of discovering after they were alerted on Monday afternoon after a member of the public found them.
54:57Veolia and Biffer were able to survive the ordeal thanks to the help of vets and a local sheep farm.
55:05The farmer was able to give them colostrum, milk that provides vital antibodies.
55:13This, specifically, I've never heard of anything quite like this. Abuse and neglect cases do come
55:21around. They are, I would say, slightly less common than Once Upon a Time, maybe. But still far too
55:29common for anyone's liking. I mean, one case is far too many. And it's one of those things like,
55:34just when being in this sort of job, you see a lot of odd things. And just when you think you've seen
55:41it all, something like this will come along and make you realise that, you know, you haven't.
55:44Biffer is currently experiencing lung problems and Viola is still trying to support her own weight.
55:52But the sanctuary says they're showing strong character. The public can support goats like
55:59Velia and Biffer by donating to the sanctuary's website.
56:05Henry Luck for KMTV in Maidstone.
56:10You've been watching Kent and I live on KMTV. There's more news made just for Kent throughout
56:16the evening. Don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest news across your county
56:21by logging on to kmtv.co.uk. And you can keep us on our social timelines as well on Facebook
56:28and TikTok. But until then, for now, good evening, goodbye.
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