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00:29Hello and welcome to Kent tonight, live on Kane TV.
00:33I'm Megan Shaw and here are your top stories on Thursday the 22nd of January.
00:39Still awaiting answers.
00:41Frustration grows over water outages at Tunbridge Wells meeting.
00:46Unfortunately, it's been a nightmare really.
00:49We don't yet know the cost.
00:51Tunbridge Wells takeaway suffers damage and financial loss after vandalism.
00:56I got a phone call from a member of the staff, said a random man just started smashing the shop up.
01:03I did get here as soon as possible.
01:05And walking for awareness.
01:08We're speaking with Pride in Medway award winner about his work educating people about prostate cancer.
01:13Our top story tonight.
01:27Pressure is mounting on southeast water as Tunbridge Wells residents demanded answers at a public meeting over water outages that caused chaos earlier this month.
01:37The meeting was organised by Dry Wells Water with those in attendance voicing their frustration at the water company not even attending.
01:46But South East Water say an investigation is underway and there will be transparency around what happened in the future.
01:53Local democracy reporter Olly Leder was at the old auction house for us to hear some of the local concern.
01:59What was the real cause of this problem and what are they doing to fix it?
02:04That's the question on everyone's lips at this public meeting in Tunbridge Wells.
02:09A week on from outages that closed schools and businesses and left 30,000 homes across Kent without running water for days on end.
02:20There's many, many businesses.
02:22We're talking hundreds and hundreds which have lost tens of thousands of pounds because it's one, two, three thousand a day.
02:27And it's just devastating.
02:29On one occasion I had to cancel my morning activity and drive my kids down to East Point so they could have water at my parents' place down there.
02:36And so unfortunately it's been a nightmare really.
02:41There's been real anger in this room tonight.
02:43More than a hundred people turning out demanding answers from South East Water who aren't here in attendance.
02:50This town really has had enough in terms of the way they've been treated by this truly appalling company.
02:58And the message to South East Water from this meeting is you need to up your game.
03:03You need to invest in infrastructure and you need to not let us down again because we will be watching you.
03:09South East Water say the company was investigating what happened in January and that it's too early to confirm what went wrong.
03:18Though they have promised a public meeting in the future.
03:21This is not the first time water shortages have broken out in the borough.
03:27December saw chaos before Christmas and similar outages happened back in 2022.
03:34Everybody's saying this can't surely be happening again.
03:37This is impossible.
03:38You know, so where now what seems to happen is everybody has lost complete faith in everything.
03:46They may not be here tonight, but South East Water will still have to face tough questions from Tunbridge Wells councillors on Monday.
03:56When they're grilled by the borough's overview and scrutiny committee.
04:00Until then, those expecting answers for a month of misery will be left high and dry.
04:08Ollie Leda in Tunbridge Wells.
04:09Next, a much-loved beauty queen aged just 21 has died in a tragic accident.
04:17Today, the Faversham Carnival Club announced the shocking news that Alicia Skinner, who was Miss Faversham in 2022, has sadly passed away.
04:26She's been described as a truly lovely girl with an infectious smile.
04:30And Kristen Hawthorne joins me now to tell me more about this heartbreaking story.
04:34So, Kristen, there was a statement released today by the Faversham Carnival Club.
04:39So, what was that?
04:41Yes, so the club said that it was with deep regret and sadness that they announced the death of their beautiful Miss Faversham 2022, Alicia Skinner, who we can see her picture here.
04:51They confirmed she died on January 8th following what they described as a tragic incident.
04:55The club said Alicia was a fantastic ambassador for Faversham and a truly lovely girl, adding that she will be missed by many and that their thoughts are with her friends and family.
05:06I see.
05:07I'm sure this has rippled through the community, near and far.
05:11So, have there been any other tributes for her?
05:13Many tributes have been shared online with friends describing Alicia as a beautiful soul with an infectious smile.
05:19One tribute said she always spoke about love, about her family, while another described her as the heart of the carnival and thanked her for the memories they shared.
05:27Others said it was a privilege to know her during the years that she was Miss Faversham.
05:32I see.
05:33And if I'm correct there, I think there's been a fundraiser launched in her name.
05:38So, can you tell us a bit more about that one there?
05:40Yes.
05:40So, for the audience, you would have seen a picture of the fundraiser on screen just a minute ago that was launched in her name to support the Thames Valley Air Ambulance, which her family said in response was fantastic.
05:53They added that because of the response from the emergency services, they were then able to spend Alicia's last few days with her.
06:00And as well, almost £2,000 has already been raised in that fundraiser.
06:05A celebration of Alicia's life will take place on Friday, February 6th at 2.30pm at St Mary's, at St Mary of Charity Church in Faversham, followed by a week at Judd's Folly.
06:19I see.
06:20And Kristen, thank you so much for giving us those updates there around Alicia.
06:25Next, a dealer from Maidstone has been jailed for more than three years after being caught with drugs in his shed.
06:37Police officers were sent to Jake Ervert's home in Hubbard's Lane in Luce after reports of a disturbance.
06:44They searched the property and found cocaine, cannabis and around £25,000 in cash.
06:50Scales and money-counting machines were also discovered in a shed in the back garden.
06:56He pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to three years and six months in prison.
07:03And here is the moment the 34-year-old was arrested by police at the scene.
07:09That's lots of cash on the side.
07:12Get your hands out your pockets for me.
07:15Right, this time, out pockets, please.
07:18No, I'm not. I'm sorry for that.
07:20At this time, I'm arresting your possession.
07:22We've been sent to supply. Do not have to say anything.
07:24I'm going to find you back, please.
07:25It may harm your sense.
07:26If you do not mention any questions, then you're late with the line at court.
07:28If you do so, maybe give it evidence.
07:30Okay.
07:34Cash, scales.
07:36Locked locks.
07:40And next, a disposal order has been put in place this weekend
07:44to deter anti-social behaviour in Chatham.
07:48It's set to cover the dockside area, including Maritime Way and Western Avenue,
07:55all the way to the water's edge, as you can see there on the screen.
07:59And it's been brought in following ongoing issues caused by a small group of young people.
08:05It will allow officers to approach anyone causing a nuisance in the area and, if necessary, make arrests.
08:12The order will come into effect at 6pm on Friday, the 23rd of January
08:17and will remain in place until Sunday, the 25th of January, 2026.
08:23And a takeaway in Tunbridge Wells suffered a broken window, smashed ornaments and a damaged
08:32counter at the weekend after a man vandalised the store, all of which was recorded on the
08:38store's CCTV.
08:40The Happy Fryer had to close the same day and are adding up the costs of their lost trade
08:47and repairs as they reopen to customers again.
08:50And Finn McDermid went down to the takeaway to see some of the damage for himself.
08:55Customers were coming through the doors, chefs were cooking in the kitchen and delivery drivers
09:01were picking up meals, all a normal Sunday evening for the Happy Fryer takeaway in Tunbridge
09:05Wells.
09:06But when one customer came in, things changed and the CCTV cameras recorded him damaging the
09:12property.
09:13Many of the workers at Happy Fryer are quite elderly and told the owner they were quite frightened
09:18at the time.
09:19Yeah, they are quite old, but they are very professional chefs, yeah.
09:25And just reinsuring them, yeah, this is actually safe to work here.
09:30So I got a phone call from a member of the staff, said a random man just started smashing the
09:36shop up.
09:37I did get here as soon as possible.
09:39So I managed to get here within maybe five minutes.
09:42When I got here, there was a customer waiting outside, the food still needs passing out to
09:51the delivery driver, the police was here, and so I didn't really know what happened, but
09:58the place just looked mad and dangerous.
10:00The loss from closure and repairs to the damaged computer totals £800, and that doesn't yet
10:05include repairs to the windows, counter and vase.
10:08The value of them isn't yet known.
10:10I haven't got a chance to look into it yet, because I was quite busy to fix the computer
10:16and the phone and the printer is all being smashed up, just quickly get that done and
10:23we'll start calling for the repair, get the window glass changed.
10:30She added they've never seen this kind of behaviour before, they've had others being disorderly,
10:34but never had any damage or had to call the authorities.
10:37In a statement, Kent Police said they received a report of criminal damage at a commercial
10:41premises in Friars Way in Tunbridge Wells at around 5.40pm on Sunday 18 January 2026.
10:48Officers attended and a man was arrested.
10:50Ashley Inglis, 35 of Bracken Road, Tunbridge Wells, has been charged with criminal damage.
10:54He's due to appear at West Kent Magistrates Court on 18 March 2026.
10:59The shop reopened a few days later with the owner, Zenyu, saying that despite the damage
11:03to their building, their recipes weren't affected and they were operating just as they were before.
11:07Finn McDermid for KMTV in Tunbridge Wells.
11:10Finn McDermid there.
11:13Now it's time for a quick break, but coming up, don't worry, we've got plenty more.
11:18We'll be taking a look at all the latest sporting news across the county, from football to rugby
11:25with Keris Hammond.
11:27Joining us later will have Professor David Rees from the Mid-Kent Astronomical Society tell
11:33us about the Northern Lights.
11:35Last night being visible as far south as Kent, which doesn't sound very northern to me and
11:39I would know.
11:40And after we'll learn why a Kent Wildlife Trust has won a Great British Wildlife Restoration
11:47Award.
11:48So plenty more to look forward to.
11:50Don't move, we'll catch you after the break, so I'll see you later.
22:02And where there was a little cloud cover people along the Kent coast retreated to a light show last night.
22:08The northern lights caused by particles from the sun hitting the Earth's atmosphere were visible even in the far south of the county, with many residents sharing photos on social media.
22:19And joining us now is Professor David Rees from the Midken Astrology Society to tell us more.
22:26Hello, David, how are you?
22:29Hi there, one correction, Astronomical Society.
22:32Astronomical, apologies, my bad.
22:33So for anyone that did miss it, how rare was last night's display for Kent?
22:40Well, we've had several of these displays over the last three or four years, been high solar activity.
22:47And basically, we were just waiting for the sun to throw off what's called a coronal mass ejection, which if it's sent out in the right direction,
22:54hits the Earth, compresses the Earth's magnetic field, and then creates this fantastic array of aurora, which we then are very, very pleased to see in the night sky.
23:05Obviously, clouds are a major problem.
23:08We were totally clouded out here during the entire event.
23:11I poked my head outside about a dozen times during the night.
23:15Rain, clouds, and all sorts of mess.
23:17But those people who were able to see it, I think, had a wonderful display.
23:21And as I said, we have seen several of these displays.
23:24And I've been very lucky to see some of them myself and being able to take images comparable to the ones that you're showing at the moment.
23:30So it's a rare event.
23:32If we're lucky, it occurs maybe about once every three months, but only during the period of high solar activity.
23:39And the solar activity is now decreasing.
23:40So the chances of seeing these events over the next few years will be decreasing.
23:45But we still do see them from time to time.
23:48This last event started about 1800 in the evening of the 19th and went on for 42 hours, which is an unusually long event.
23:56As I said, it started with the coronal mass ejection, traveling from the sun, hitting the Earth, magnetic field, compressing magnetic field,
24:04and setting off all those wonderful displays of the aurora.
24:06So I hope we will get more of these displays over the next few years, but less probably than we've been having recently.
24:13So it's a matter of luck.
24:16Absolutely.
24:17And I suppose when I hear the northern lights, I don't often think of Kent.
24:20So what exactly caused them to be visible as far south as our county?
24:26Well, I had a nice display that unfortunately you were unable to show,
24:30which showed the compression of the Earth's magnetic field by the effects of the coronal mass ejection.
24:36This means that the aurora occurs much further south than it normally does.
24:41For example, one event in May 2024, I was able to image the aurora from where I live in Rye,
24:48as far south as the north coast of Morocco.
24:53So that's very, very unusual.
24:56That was an extreme event, even more powerful than the event we saw this week.
24:59But a 42-hour-long event is really quite unusual.
25:03We probably will see some more.
25:05I mean, just the week previous, I was on a cruise with Fred Olsen, Borealis,
25:12to Narvik in northern Norway, where we saw the northern lights, as we had expected, in the far north.
25:18So it's very unusual to see these events, really, over southern the UK and further south than that.
25:25I think this event was seen over northern France, for example.
25:30And we've not got much time, Professor, but what advice would you give to people who might be hoping to catch a glimpse next time?
25:36Well, there's a good NOAA website, which gives predictions of these events,
25:43and also the UK Met Office has a prediction service as well.
25:48So it's worth keeping an eye on these.
25:50I usually look out every day, see what's about to happen,
25:53and then, if it's appropriate, get a camera ready, get outside, put warm clothing on,
25:58and get outside and enjoy the event.
26:00Absolutely. Thank you so much, Professor David.
26:03And on that note, let's look at the weather.
26:06It's a cold start tonight.
26:13Temperatures dropping to 7 degrees, highs of 9 in Dover, under mostly clear skies.
26:18Into the morning, turning slightly cooler, temperatures peaking at 7 degrees,
26:22heavy rain expected across the county.
26:25The rain cleans into the afternoon, highs of 9 degrees, most of the areas, though,
26:29Margie, looking a little cooler at 8.
26:31And your outlook for the coming days.
26:349 degrees on Saturday, nice and clear, but clouds coming in on Sunday.
26:39Back to overcast on Monday at 7 degrees.
26:42And now, it's time for a quick break, but coming up, we've got plenty more.
26:52We'll catch you then.
26:54I'll see you later.
26:54Thanks gonna be right now.
26:55Bye.
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30:43water outages at Tunbridge Wells meeting but unfortunately it's been it's
30:47been a nightmare really we don't yet know the cost Tunbridge Wells take away
30:53suffers damage and financial loss after vandalism I've got phone call from a
30:58member of the staff said a random man just that's smashing the shop up I did
31:03get here as it's possible and walking for awareness we're speaking with pride
31:09in medway award-winner about his work educating people about prostate cancer
31:21a look back at our top story tonight pressure is mounting on southeast water
31:29as Tunbridge Wells residents demanded answers at a public meeting of a water
31:34outages that caused chaos earlier this month the meeting was organized by
31:39dry wells water with those in attendance voicing their frustration at the water
31:43company not even attending but South Eastwater say an investigation is
31:48underway and there'll be transparency about what happened in the future local
31:53democracy reporter Olly Leda was at the old auction house for us to hear some of
31:57the local concern what was the real cause of this problem and what are they doing
32:03to fix it that's the question on everyone's lips at this public meeting in
32:08Tunbridge Wells a week on from outages that closed schools and businesses and
32:13left 30,000 homes across Kent without running water for days on end there's many
32:20many businesses we're talking hundreds and hundreds which have lost tens of
32:23thousands of pounds because it's one two three thousand a day and it's just
32:27devastating on one occasion I had to cancel my morning activity and drive my
32:32kids down to East Point so they could have water at my parents place down there
32:35and so unfortunately it's been it's been a nightmare really there's been real
32:41anger in this room tonight more than a hundred people turning out demanding
32:46answers from South Eastwater who aren't here in attendance this town really has had
32:52enough in terms of the way they've been treated by this truly appalling company
32:57and the message to South Eastwater from this meeting is you need to up your game
33:02you need to invest in infrastructure and you need to not let us down again
33:07because we will be watching you South Eastwater say the company was
33:11investigating what happened in January and that is too early to confirm what went
33:17wrong though they have promised a public meeting in the future this is not
33:22the first time water shortages have broken out in the borough December saw
33:27chaos before Christmas and similar outages happened back in 2022 everybody
33:34saying this can't surely be happening again this is impossible you know so where
33:39now what seems to happen is everybody has lost complete faith in everything they
33:46may not be here tonight but South Eastwater will still have to face tough
33:51questions from Tunbridge Wells counsellors on Monday when they're grilled by the
33:57borough's overview and scrutiny committee until then those expecting answers for a
34:03month of misery will be left high and dry Olly leader in Tunbridge Wells next a
34:11midwife has made an emotional plea for help to raise thousands of pounds to adapt her
34:16familyhood instrued after her husband's was diagnosed with motor neuron disease
34:21Sarah Tucker's husband Danny was just 39 when he was told he had the terminal
34:26neurological condition in March the fundraiser was launched as a last effort
34:31to prepare for his deteriorating condition after their pleas for help
34:34making alterations to their home were rejected by Medway council twice so far more
34:40than twenty one thousand pounds has been raised despite the family's target was
34:44originally just six thousand pounds next the success of Thanet Parkway station near
34:52Ramsgate has proved doubters wrong newly released figures from the office for
34:56road and rail show a hundred and sixteen percent increase from just over fifty
35:01seven thousand between March twenty twenty three and March twenty twenty four to
35:06over one hundred and twenty three thousand in the following year making it
35:10the fastest growing station in the southeastern network the cost of the
35:14station raised a number of eyebrows during its launch in twenty twenty three
35:17ending up at forty four million pounds four times larger than anticipated
35:22despite this southeastern says the grain popularity of the train station proves it
35:26was the right decision now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your
35:32latest stories across Kent by logging on to our website kmtv.co.uk there you find
35:38all our reports including this one about residents in Kent taking up Veganuary as
35:42their New Year's resolution aside from some poor weather January brings plenty of
35:47New Year's resolutions whether it's quitting smoking picking up some weights or
35:51even reducing your screen time but here in Kent and across the country people
35:56taking on a new challenge for this month Veganuary is where you become vegan for
36:00the full month of January you're not allowed to eat any meat or meat products
36:04for the whole month but in Kent are there enough places vegan people to actually
36:08eat the quills restaurant in Rochester started adding meat product free options
36:13to their menus around 2020 to be fair some people are basically demand so
36:17people was coming and asking do you do something vegan and I was saying okay we
36:21can make you vegan if you take this this this off from there from the dish but the
36:28people was asking more and more so we said you know what we're gonna put down a
36:32menu which is comes vegan and then we labeled as a vegan so it would be just
36:36easier for us and for a chef and for a customer and then whoever wants vegan they
36:41know where to go now I love meat as much as the next person I don't think I'd be
36:46able to go vegan for a full month but restaurants making it a little bit easier
36:50they've started adding more vegan friendly meals to their menu and I'm not just
36:54talking about salads like the one I have here burgers full breakfasts even but
36:59going into a restaurant and ordering something vegan friendly is wholly
37:02different from being one you need special kinds of milk special kinds of
37:06cream special kinds of butter even some Prosecco's aren't vegan friendly this
37:10one is but not all of them are so how easy is it to actually commit to not
37:15eating meat or meat based products for a whole month or longer I would say that
37:19actually it's probably one of the more challenging diets really to make sure
37:24that you're getting all of the nutrition the vitamins and minerals that you need
37:27to get to be as healthy as you can possibly be so it's definitely possible in
37:33terms of a you know like a quick sort of fad way of eating it wouldn't
37:40necessarily be my first choice and I would always recommend that there is research
37:45and planning and forethought gone into it beforehand and if it's done in that way
37:50then absolutely you can get everything you need from a vegan diet just requires
37:54some planning 6.3 percent of UK adults are planning to follow a vegan diet in
37:592026 that's about 3.6 million people according to some new data just less than
38:05half for already vegan by the new year while 3.2 percent weren't but have decided to
38:10make the transition at the end of the day while restaurants and shops are
38:14becoming more accommodating it's up to us to see can we stick with veganuary as
38:18well as we stick with our other New Year's resolutions
38:20Finn McDermid for KMTV in Rochester next an English ash tree in who has been cut
38:28down and green residents and local councillors alike this is part of a
38:32housing development with the tree being specifically exempt from being felled but
38:37Jones Homes Development and Medway Council both offer different reasons for
38:41why the tree needed to be cut prompting anger among the community as I've been
38:46finding out it's a clear view to ongoing development in who which only last week
38:53were obscured by a large English ash tree now all that remains is sawdust and a
38:58reminder of the trees middle age and you can see the remnants of the tree behind me
39:04an ash tree estimated to be at least 50 years old originally the plan included
39:09felling the tree though Michael successfully lobbied to have the plan
39:13explicitly say that it wouldn't be chopped down however why has the tree
39:18been felled it seems to have left residents distressed and stopped I
39:22couldn't believe it the other day when I heard the noise of the chainsaws and I
39:27looked out the window and they were demolishing the tree and I literally I
39:32was in tears watching it happen and it's heartbreaking you know when I first came
39:37down here ten years ago it was a lovely little village then it's become a town
39:42and now it's going into a city and it's frightening I came up and questioned them
39:46about you know who's given the order to do this and they said well it's on the
39:51plan now the plan that was approved was the one that was agreed that the tree
39:56would stay and so a second plan has been developed which has got the tree circled
40:01we're all up in arms about this tree being cut down because it was with
40:05promise that it wouldn't be destroyed and just that the countryside has been
40:09decimated the planning application for development stated that the existing
40:15mature tree on Stoke Road will be spared but when we contacted Jones homes for
40:20comment they explained that the tree had ash dieback and therefore needed to be
40:24cut down to limit the spread of disease they claim that this was approved by Medway
40:28council and 116 new trees a part of Abbots Grange development in recompense but
40:35correspondence between independent group councillor Michael Pierce and Medway
40:40council planning officers cited difficulty with drainage requirements and
40:44internal roads as the reason the tree couldn't be retained no mention of a
40:49disease I think it's an absolute disgrace I spoke to Michael at the site and he
40:54joined me later when different explanations came to light well this is a
40:58week after the tree was felled and like you say it that you we've got two
41:02stories which are not adding up we've got the council saying the tree was
41:07felled because of the road layout and drainage and Jones home saying that it had
41:12to be felled because it was a safety concern and the tree was diseased although
41:16when I was there on site it didn't look diseased to me and so yeah both stories not
41:21adding up all I do know is that residents are absolutely furious that this tree has
41:25been felled when I asked Medway council for comments they confirmed the tree was
41:30cut down due to drainage requirements and internal roads and while the tree may be
41:35gone forever all Michael and his residents can do is route for more trees
41:40being planted in the future Megan Shaw for KMTV in who well that's all we've got
41:47time for for now but be sure to stick around as we'll have another special
41:51guest who will be discussing his own experiences with prostate cancer and his
41:55work to raise awareness we'll catch you then
42:17thank you
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45:57Now, the annual National Garden Scheme returns this spring with 19 new blooming private gardens
46:05joining the more than 100 already here in Kent.
46:08The scheme includes floral displays at multiple locations including seaside and cottage sites
46:14in Whitstable and Folkestone and Highth.
46:18The National Garden Scheme Kent County organiser Nick Danoon Duncan has celebrated the results,
46:24adding that this achievement has been a result of successful community engagement.
46:28A full list of the gardens in Kent can be found on the National Garden Scheme website.
46:34And Gravesham Light Festival will be returning at the end of the month with giant fibre puppet
46:40and bioluminescent garden display.
46:43We can expect to see dazzling lights brightening up the skies on Friday, January 30th and Saturday
46:50from 5.30pm to 8.30pm at various venues in and around Gravesend.
46:55This year's theme, Light and Life, focuses on wildlife and nature with exhibitions, concerts
47:00and family entertainment taking place all over the town.
47:03From glowing river monsters and colour-changing dancers to guided lantern tours, it's sure
47:08to be a fun one.
47:10And now let's take a look at the weather.
47:17It's a cold start tonight, temperatures dropping to 7 degrees, highs of 9 in Dover under mostly
47:22clear skies.
47:24Into the morning, turning slightly cooler, temperatures peaking at 7 degrees but heavy rain expected
47:28across the county.
47:30The rain clearing moving into the afternoon, highs of 9 for most of Kentville, Margate at 8
47:35degrees, slightly cooler.
47:37And for your outlet, look Saturday we'll see some sunshine developing, highs of 9, cloudy
47:42throughout on the Sunday, sun peaking through and 7 degrees on the Monday, cloudy skies.
47:54Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent by logging
47:58on to our website kmtv.co.uk.
48:00There you'll find all our reports, including this one, about a school in Gravesend, organising
48:06a sponsored walk to raise awareness about mental health struggles in the community.
48:115, 4, 3, 2, 1, this was the moment that hundreds of people walked for mental health awareness
48:30in Gravesend.
48:31Organised by the Shears Green Junior School, this sponsored walk raised funds for mental
48:36health awareness and support services in the community.
48:41And the theme?
48:42Glow in the dark.
48:43But how did this come about?
48:44Well earlier in the day, I spoke to the women behind it all.
48:48Just before Christmas, I decided that we needed to do something to build up on mental health,
48:54bring the community together.
48:56I think mental health affects quite a lot of us, probably a lot of us not even realising
49:02how much it affects everyone, especially like children as well.
49:06So I just really wanted to put something together.
49:08So when I spoke to Matt, our head teacher and said, look, why don't our staff do like a sponsored
49:13walk?
49:14And he was like, yeah, I think that's a great idea.
49:16And then it started off something so small.
49:18And tonight we are here at the Cyclo Park.
49:20People of all ages turned up to walk as many laps as they could around the circuit,
49:25with Hannah saying their mental health awareness should start from a young age.
49:29If you work with them now and work with how to express their feelings and be able to even
49:36get parents to be able to have that conversation, because I think it's quite hard.
49:39And I think some parents might not know how to tackle some of the conversations.
49:44Some of the kids might say things, but they might not quite understand what it actually means.
49:48So to just open their eyes to what it means now, and then hopefully we can stop them
49:54from going through life and struggling more when they are older.
49:58The walk was hosted at the Cyclo Park, who say the community events like this are vital.
50:04So it's really important to have events like this to raise awareness, to put profile on the
50:11the fact that there are such high levels, but also to try and help people find solutions to this as well.
50:19It was an evening of face paints, glow sticks, music, and even a group workout.
50:27Let's go. Step. Step. That's it. Give it a little dance. Come on.
50:33Let's see those hips move.
50:36Hundreds of people have shown up here to show their support to the sponsored walk here at the Cyclo Park.
50:41All of them here to help raise awareness to the mental health crisis that's here in Kent.
50:46In fact, Kent has some of the highest mental health cases across the entire country, which is why organizers say community events like this are just so, so important.
50:55In fact, every penny gained here tonight will be going to various mental health charities, both on a county level and nationwide.
51:02For many here today, every step taken was a reminder that mental health matters and that no one has to walk the journey alone.
51:09Nayla Muhammad for KMTV in Gravesend.
51:14Now, after his diagnosis with prostate cancer in 2021, Paul Dennington of Hempstead has completed a 588 mile walk across England in aid of Prostate Cancer UK.
51:26He began on the 3rd of August 2015 at North Shields, where he was born 2025, apologies, and finished 36 later at Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre in Gillingham.
51:37And Paul joins me in the studio now. So, Paul, we can see your award here.
51:42So you won the Pride in Medway Award. So tell us about this. Why is that so important?
51:48Well, I think, you know, Medway gets a lot of bad press some of the time.
51:52And yet, as a community, what I've found is it's full of some really wonderful people who do some amazing work.
52:00And I think, you know, that is such a positive and to have something that celebrates that work is super important.
52:08You know, so I think there are a lot of people out there that they probably won't have started looking for recognition when they start doing the work in the community.
52:16But I think everybody, you know, when they get a little bit of that recognition, it's a great motivator and it's really positive.
52:22So I would recommend anybody who knows people are doing stuff to help people, to help make the community a better place, to raise money,
52:30to get some nominations in, because if you get to the event, it's a great event, a great evening.
52:35And as I say, it's a real boost for your motivation if you're doing that work to carry on and to do more.
52:40Absolutely. And as the winner, you won that for a brilliant reason.
52:44So tell us about, obviously, your literal journey and then the other journey you went on, too, with your diagnosis.
52:50So tell us all about that.
52:52So, well, if I stop my actual diagnosis that got me into all of this work.
52:57So that was back in 2021.
52:59And I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and it's what they call metastatic prostate cancer.
53:05So it had already spread and unfortunately I was caught too late for it to be cured.
53:09So at the time I was given five to eight years to live.
53:13And, you know, I never criticise anybody for the way they would respond to a cancer diagnosis.
53:18It's a pretty tough thing.
53:20But apart from feeling a lot of guilt, because I was going to put my family through this,
53:24I actually felt very, very lucky.
53:26And I was, you know, blessed with a wonderful kind of wife, family and friends, super supportive.
53:32I was given this amazing five to eight year focus to do something that most people will never get.
53:38So what I really wanted to do was create great memories, drive awareness in the hope that people would,
53:45or I could stop some men in their families going through the same journey.
53:48And to raise funds for all the amazing work the Prostate Cancer UK do.
53:52And hopefully in the process be a bit of a role model for the kids.
53:55So that's how I got started.
53:57Of course.
53:58And we saw some images on the screen there of you.
54:00You've glitzed up your head and you've done all sorts.
54:03And your long walk, that's 23 million steps.
54:06How was that?
54:07Well, yeah, it was actually, I've not quite finished it yet because it was a 25 million step challenge.
54:12So that was the very first fundraising challenge I set.
54:15I wanted something that would grab people's attention.
54:17And so it's a big number.
54:20And it works out as the equivalent of doing 14,000 steps a day every day of the year for five years.
54:26And that would get me equivalent from here to New Zealand.
54:29And also that would be about 12,000 miles, which is about the same number of people that die every year sadly from prostate cancer in the UK.
54:35So it was a great event.
54:37It's challenging to do that many steps every day.
54:40But getting there, I'd say 23 million done so far, just the 2 million to go.
54:45Only 2 million.
54:47Yeah.
54:48And we can see some photos of your journey on the screen now.
54:52Any ideas how you're going to get that next 2 million?
54:55Have you got something else planned?
54:57Well, actually, on Saturday I'm doing a 26 miles, so a marathon walk on Saturday.
55:03So that one is in London.
55:05And then I will do, hopefully, I think on the 8th of August, I'm going to do what I call a sunrise to sunset walk around the Hempstead area.
55:12So I literally walk from first daylight till the close of light in the evening.
55:18So I normally get around 40 to 45 miles on that one.
55:22And then I'm hoping to do an ultra-challenge march in September on the Thames Path, which is 100 kilometres or 63 miles within 24 hours.
55:31So that will be a tough one to see if I can do that.
55:35I've never walked that far in a day.
55:37I definitely haven't either, so all my respect to you.
55:40And for all our viewers at home, I'm sure a lot of people might be moved and might want to follow your journey or maybe even contribute and help you out in some ways.
55:47Is there a way for our viewers to be able to do that?
55:50Oh, yeah, absolutely.
55:51I mean, it's been a great journey, as you said.
55:54I mean, I've raised, I think, £130,000 so far.
55:57And if people would like to support that and boost that cause, then JustGiving.
56:04You can search my name, Paul Dennington, on JustGiving, and you'll find my current page is on there.
56:08You can probably find me on Facebook or Instagram and stuff if people want to message me that way as well.
56:13I'd love to hear from people.
56:17And the nominations for Pride in Medway, are they open for any nominees who might be, just quickly, keen on entering themselves?
56:24Yes, I believe that the nominations are open until, I think, the closing date is the 30th.
56:29So you've still got time to put it in.
56:31And, you know, I say anybody, no matter how big or small, if they're making a difference, then please nominate them,
56:36because people deserve it.
56:38And we need to be encouraging people to do more and more to help the community.
56:41Absolutely.
56:42A worthy award there.
56:43Thank you so much.
56:45Paul, you've been watching Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
56:49That's all we've got time for for now, but we'll catch you later.
56:57Bye.
56:58Bye.
56:59Bye.
57:01Bye.
57:04Bye.
57:05Bye.
57:08.
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