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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent's Night
00:29live on Kame TV. I'm Megan Shaw and here are your top stories on Monday the 9th of February.
00:37Keep Kia here. Ashford MP Sojourn Joseph backs the Kia Starmer despite further calls for resignation.
00:45I have my full support for Kia Starmer. I would love him to continue as Prime Minister of this country.
00:53Marketing goals. Gillingham Football Club supports local business with free sponsorship deal.
01:00Obviously we're frequent visitors to come and watch the games as well.
01:04So to be able to be sitting and seeing our brand around the stadium in front of so many people is a fantastic opportunity for us.
01:11And pushing for gold. Kent's own bobsled star Taylor Lawrence prepares to hit the Olympic track in Milan.
01:19The standard answer is to go and do your best and obviously that's what we want to go and do.
01:23But ultimately we're going there as medal hopefuls.
01:28But first, our top story tonight.
01:41Cabinet ministers have backed Sir Keir Starmer amid growing tensions in the Labour Party calling for the PM to resign.
01:48But what do Kent MPs think?
01:49It comes as pressure grows on the PM after Starmer appointed Peter Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to the US who's now been exposed for his relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
02:02And I've been finding out today.
02:03Calls for the resignation of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer flooding in.
02:08There's one clear question here in Kent.
02:11Are Labour MPs backing him or out for sacking him?
02:15We approached them all to find out.
02:17The only MP that got back to us was Sojan Joseph, the MP for Ashford.
02:21I have my full support for Keir Starmer.
02:25I would love him to continue as Prime Minister of this country.
02:30Lauren Sullivan confirmed she supported the PM.
02:33Lauren Edwards and Tris Osborne were both unable to comment within the time frame.
02:39And no other MPs have given comment.
02:41This comes as two senior members of Keir's team have resigned over Peter Mandelson, who was appointed as US ambassador in 2024, despite knowledge of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
02:54I haven't had faith in the government for a long time.
02:57I feel like this is just what's going to bring everything over the edge.
03:00I hope.
03:01And I hope we see Keir Starmer resign.
03:03And I don't even think anyone else taking power will be better, but it will be better than someone that knew about thick people, such as Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein.
03:14I wasn't very faithful in the current government as it is anyway, so just another notch in its demise, I think.
03:23How I feel, I feel is like how everyone else feels.
03:25And I feel that everyone else is actually just sick of it.
03:28I'm not just by myself when I say that there is a majority of people that have had enough.
03:38Although Mandelson was sacked in September, recent Epstein files have found he shared confidential information with the paedophile in 2009.
03:47Now, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sawa has joined the rally for Starmer to step down.
03:53But so far, no Kent MPs have joined his ranks.
03:56Megan Shaw for Kame TV.
04:00And to speak further about this, I'm joined by Kame TV's Channel Director and Journalist, Andy Richards.
04:06So, Andy, you've been following this all day.
04:08What's the latest update?
04:10All day?
04:10How about all year?
04:11It's been a huge story.
04:14Do you know what, though, Meg?
04:15What's quite interesting is that nothing ever seems to surprise you anymore, particularly with government.
04:20So, Keir Starmer ran on change.
04:25There was going to be integrity.
04:28It would be a very straightforward front bench.
04:32And what do we have?
04:34Resignation calls.
04:35It feels like the same situation with the Conservatives not so long ago when they were in power.
04:42I think what's very interesting, Kent's always a great barometer for what's going on nationally.
04:46And it's been really interesting to see the reaction from the Kent MPs this afternoon as they basically react to what's going on.
04:57Keir Starmer is known for being pretty severe in terms of we saw right at the beginning of his time as PM removing the whip from MPs who didn't follow the party line.
05:13So, maybe that's why some of the Kent MPs haven't quite said so much at the moment other than one who's come out to back the PM.
05:21Of course.
05:21And we've seen, I suppose, Soja, and they've been first MP in Kent to come out in support.
05:26But also, we've not heard a lot at all from Kent MPs.
05:29What do you make of that?
05:30Yeah, I'm not surprised.
05:32I think they're all trying to react to what's going on.
05:34I think if you look at voting records with Kent MPs or Labour MPs, that's the important thing to say as well.
05:40They seem to have gone along with Sir Keir Starmer and the government on most occasions.
05:47So, they're probably waiting to see a little bit.
05:50It'll be quite interesting to see what Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield's making of the situation.
05:55She's now independent, was formerly of the Labour Party.
05:58But I wonder if that could change, if there's a change of leader in the front bench.
06:03Extremely interesting time in national and local politics.
06:07But, hey, what else is new?
06:08Absolutely.
06:09Well, thank you so much, Annie, for bringing us those updates.
06:11Definitely something we'll be following.
06:13Hopefully, as more Kent MPs, Kent Labour MPs speak out in support or call for a resignation of the PM.
06:18So, thank you so much.
06:19Thanks, Megan.
06:20Next, a small business from Gillingham has won the opportunity to become a season-long sponsor of their local football team.
06:29Couple Simon and Sian from Monarch Mortgages are big fans of Gillingham Football Club.
06:34And after winning a competition, will now see their logo adorn players' jackets and appear on the scoreboard.
06:41And Chloe Brewster headed to Priestfield to speak to them and one of the players about this opportunity.
06:46For many small businesses, good marketing opportunities would be leafleting or even a billboard.
06:52But for Monarch Mortgages from Gillingham, they've been invited to join the big boys in football sponsorship.
06:57After winning the Behind the Badge campaign by Sage, owners Simon and Sian have received an exclusive sponsorship package of Gillingham FC,
07:05which will see their branding illuminate pitch side all season long.
07:09For us as a local business, as a small local business, it's massive.
07:13Obviously, we're frequent visitors to come and watch the games as well.
07:16So, to be able to be sitting and seeing our brand around the stadium in front of so many people is a fantastic opportunity for us.
07:23We've been around for six years or so now.
07:26But to get that presence out there and to see that we're representing our community and seeing that in that space is massive for us.
07:35A lot of our business at the moment is word of mouth.
07:37But we're hoping by the kind of marketing that we'll get here that that will obviously grow it even more.
07:42Because we are just a, you know, quite a small family, one business that we're literally about 10 minutes from here.
07:48So, yeah, it'll be great to get the word out.
07:50We try and get to as many games as we can.
07:53But obviously, thanks to Sage, we'll now be able to do that even more often.
08:00We're going to sort of block some weekends out and, yeah, get down to as many home games as we can.
08:04With the stadium nettle right here in the centre of Gillingham, there's not much better marketing you can get,
08:10especially as that marketing is totally free.
08:12I think it's, you know, massive, especially for a club like ourselves, you know, to have the, you know,
08:17businesses that put their own money in and it really does help and we really appreciate it.
08:22And, yeah, it's like a fantastic competition, you know, for Sage and the EFL to put forward.
08:28And, you know, Monarch mortgages have, you know, obviously have won that competition and it's fantastic for them.
08:34And they get their sponsorship around the LED boards for the rest of the season.
08:38And, yeah, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of that on match day.
08:41So, it's, yeah, fantastic.
08:42I actually live next door to one of the colleagues they work with.
08:46So, obviously, you're seeing them, you're having a personal feel and it's, yeah, it's brilliant to see.
08:52The team here tell me the goal of this opportunity is to shine a light on the small businesses at the heart of their football community.
08:58Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Gillingham.
09:00Next, tributes have been pouring in for a man from Rochester who died after a motorbike accident.
09:09An inquest is currently ongoing into the exact details of the crash that happened in early January near Sittingbourne.
09:16And to give us more insight, I'm joined by our reporter, Finn McDermid.
09:20He's with me in the studio now.
09:22So, Finn, tell us, what do we know so far?
09:24Well, the inquest into James' death is currently ongoing.
09:29So, we don't have all the details that we normally might.
09:33Currently, we know that it's believed James was riding his Kawasaki motorbike on the M2.
09:39I think it was London-bound where he left the services to join the carriageway.
09:42He tried to overtake a vehicle, and the back end of his bike believes to have went out, causing him to become unseated.
09:50That's according to the coroner.
09:51That's a quote there.
09:53Now, at the current stage of the inquest, we also know that he impacted with another vehicle that was in another lane.
10:00And the death, the cause of death, sorry, is currently listed as multiple injuries pending a toxicology report.
10:07The full inquest has been adjourned until August 11th.
10:11So, it'll be a while till we find out specific details.
10:13I see, and I'm sure we'll be following this as more information comes out.
10:17But you also mentioned there have been tributes.
10:19Yes, plenty of tributes pouring in for James.
10:22His family have thanked those who came forward to share their fond memories of the 29-year-old man following his death, which was near Sittingbourne.
10:29His mother, Sally, wrote,
10:31James was a deeply loved son, brother, father, father and friend, taking from us all too soon.
10:38He lived with compassion and generosity, always ready to help others without hesitation.
10:41His girlfriend, Emma Keast, said James loved caring for people and making them feel special.
10:46I see, and obviously we've heard from family and friends there, but there's also been a statement from the police, is that right?
10:53Yes, a police spokesperson said that officers attended alongside paramedics who treated the motorcyclist for serious injuries.
11:00He was declared deceased at the scene.
11:02And so that's all we've really heard so far about James's story.
11:07And like I mentioned, those tributes coming in and the specific details won't be known until August 11th when the full inquest continues.
11:15I see.
11:15Well, thank you so much, Finn, for bringing us those updates and definitely something we'll be watching closely as more comes about.
11:25Well, that's all that we've got time for in this part of the show.
11:28But stick around because we've got plenty more on in just a few minutes.
11:33We'll have a bulletin on all the latest sports news with Victor presenter, Finn McDermid.
11:38And also we spoke with a spokesperson for a mental health charity in light of Children's Mental Health National Week,
11:48as well as speaking to Kent's own Winter Olympian.
11:52All that and more after the break.
15:28One in six children.
16:04ashford and one in magus day and we work with children and families who are struggling whether
16:09this is through trauma or the children not being able to attend school so an all array of um
16:16things that they're struggling with that they will come um for about nine weeks with us
16:24and of course sometimes when people mention they're feeling a bit under the weather a lot of
16:30advice is to perhaps get outside whether that's to go on a walk or i don't know perhaps to swim in the
16:36sea is there a connection then between mental health and the outdoors yeah no definitely i mean
16:44we know that being outside helps lower blood pressure helps you feel more grounded um helps
16:52calm your nervous system we have a lot of land here at dandelion time we use it a lot with the
16:58families whether this is gardening or um looking after the animals that we have on site and this
17:05can be very healing and sometimes families don't have access to outdoors either so it's really
17:10important um to get outside and even just walking absolutely and and if you were speaking to perhaps
17:18parents or maybe children who sometimes are feeling a bit under the weather would you recommend for
17:23themselves to do similar things that you might do at dandelion time like i don't know maybe going
17:29outside and touching the trees for example yeah no definitely i mean getting outside is just brilliant
17:36because it just has all the elements um all with the seasons changing everything sort of mimics our own
17:44life and the challenges that we face as well and just being outside and being able to get your hands in the
17:51mud or feel the grass or the trees it really does benefit you absolutely and of course this week is
17:58you know children's mental health awareness week and there's all sorts of other things going on as
18:03well in february when it's a lot darker i mean the weather's a bit miserable so do you have any advice
18:09of people that are at home whether they're young people or maybe older people who aren't feeling so
18:14great at this time of year try and think of those little things set little goals for yourselves it
18:20doesn't have to be anything big just a little little goal so i don't know um say as a mom or something
18:27you want to get up and you've got a clean house well let's just do one room one room at a time
18:34don't have to do the whole house just one room take it little by little absolutely and can you talk
18:39me some of the things that you you use some of the techniques you use at dandelion time whether that's
18:45trying to have some quality time with animals or perhaps going outside and feeling the rain can you
18:50just walk through some of the methods you might use yeah so we use and we like to keep our hands
18:56busy so we work with things like clay here at dandelion time we'll make soap we work with sheep's
19:04wall we'll be in the garden digging um with the soil uh looking after the animals we've got lots
19:13of animals here so we've got two donkeys i think we've got 14 guinea pigs um lots of sheep that are
19:18friendly um a cat uh the children love the guinea pigs because when they're holding them you can feel
19:25their heartbeat um which really sort of slows and can calm calm the children down as well but especially
19:32when they're very nervous or upset we find that the guinea pigs are are wonderful for that
19:40and now here's phim mcdermude with all your sports headlines
19:53here's a roundup of your sports headlines and gillingham's new signing ronan hale has dedicated
19:58his weekend double to his grandfather who passed earlier this week danny hale had won three amateur
20:04international caps for northern ireland after scoring more than 300 goals across his career
20:09and his grandson seems to be on no different form at the home match against tranmere hale he netted two
20:15to earn the jills the three points he was my hero said ronan to score two goals two days after it happened
20:21he was definitely watching down on me he'd be buzzing i've had a tough week but i know he'll be watching
20:26down and getting those two goals would have been massive we can hear more from ronan about the match
20:32now yeah it's massive um obviously i've had a tough week and my grandfather passing away a couple of
20:38days ago so i know he'll be watching down and getting them two goals would have been massive i'm sorry to
20:44hear that but was it a you know a nice moment thinking about him to stick those two chances away
20:50and reflect yeah massive because he would have been raging if i didn't um he would have been straight
20:55on to me if i didn't bury them chances so you know them two goals were for him and um i'm looking
21:00forward to the next few games now former olympic champion amy williams has backed tunbridge wells this
21:06is matt weston to follow in her footsteps and bring home skeleton gold for team gb at milana cortina
21:13weston begins his training today and will hope to emulate williams's victory at vancouver 2010 from
21:18thursday williams says he's loved watching westerns rise and says staying calm under pressure could
21:23propel him to gold she said matt has consistently got better and better it is a big expectation but
21:30personally i think you just have to not think about it put it away concentrate on you and forget all the
21:34media chat concentrate on what you're doing write track notes do a track walk and just treat it like
21:39any other competition next former leeds rhinos super league star jess haynes held a netball coaching
21:46session at her former school st michael's prep in otford haynes currently plays for the casey
21:52diamonds in australia and led netball sessions for different age groups during their pe lessons
21:57she said i absolutely loved being back at st michael's to coach netball we focused on dictating
22:02in defense working together and changing body angles the girls were attentive hard working and
22:07a pleasure to coach thank you so much for having me back next punjab united have been handed a home
22:13draw in the favs quarterfinals they will host wessex league downton who sit 11th in their league
22:21table downton beat lynnmore gardens 3-0 in the fifth round with player coach former portsmouth and
22:27bournemouth striker brett pitman among their scorers they beat fisher 2-0 in the last 16 on saturday
22:32their previous vet best run in the vase was reaching the second round in the 2024-25 season ties are
22:39due to be played on saturday february 28th with winning teams earning more than four thousand
22:43pounds in prize money and losing teams collecting more than one thousand pounds next former kent
22:49cricket captain david fulton urges the current skipper daniel bell drummond to enjoy a well-deserved
22:55testimonial year folks fulton will help bell drummond kick off his year by celebrating a panel of past
23:03captains plus the current man in charge at a launch lunch next week bell drummond made his kent first
23:08class debut 15 years ago and fulton is pleased to see that service recognized it's thoroughly well
23:13deserved in daniel's case he's been a fantastic servant at kent for a long time that's all for
23:19your sports news see you soon
23:31phil mcdermid there now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across kent
23:37by logging to our website kmtv.co.uk including this one here
23:41it's very scary i don't really know what what to do some people have said to me i've got to walk
23:48away from this because if i don't then i'm just going to have breakdown or something something's
23:52going to get this is this seems illegal it was part public meeting part group therapy session for
23:59those living here at ingress park as dozens crammed into this tiny room to find out how they could fight
24:07back against their estate management company with residents saying they're paying hundreds of pounds
24:13a month and getting very little in return the service is just so substandard the communication
24:20and transparency is just so bad when i moved here which is about 10 years ago it was something like
24:24120 130 a month i think now it's over 300 300 plus you know people can't sell their apartment blocks
24:32anymore simply because of the first part and the service charges there's already several blocks here
24:38at ingress park ready to give first port their notice but organizers of the meeting hope those
24:45will simply be the first of many ingress park is taking back control we are going to bring this site
24:53together and you know our blocks are going to be taking control of their finances and we want the
25:00service charges down and we want the level of workmanship um up the right to manage mechanism for
25:07getting rid of estate management companies is just for those living in blocks of flats rather than the
25:15wider communal areas but even the owner of ingress abbey says that the management of those spaces
25:22isn't where it should be we're fine with paying reasonable charges as long as we get
25:29workmanship support communication commensurate with that and and the workmanship isn't great the
25:36communication is is tricky lots of butt passing and you know not my department and everything is
25:42laboriously slow to resolve a spokesperson for the property management company says that their priority
25:50is to keep communal areas that ingress park safe and well maintained stating that the service charge is
25:57calculated to carry out the works required over the year ahead and are influenced by the specific
26:04requirements of each building but for those now looking to force the company out it's a time for
26:11action rather than words ollie leader in greenhithe and you can find all his report and all our
26:20other ones at our website which is kmtv.co.uk of course well that's all we have time for in this part
26:28of the show but make sure to stick around as we've got much more coming your way we'll return to our top
26:34story where we've been asking if kent's labor mps have lost confidence or not in secure starmer in
26:41the wake of manderson of the mandelson debacle as well we'll be learning about the incredible stories
26:46from a team of security guards in chatham and all they've seen over the years all that and more
26:52after the break we'll see you soon
27:22we'll see you soon
27:52you
28:22you
28:52you
29:22you
29:52you
30:22you
30:27hello and welcome to kent's night live on kame tv i'm megan shaw and here are your top stories
30:33on monday the 9th of february keep kia here ashford mp sojan joseph back secure starmer despite
30:42further calls for resignation i have my full support for kia starmer i would i would love to
30:49love him to continue as prime minister of this country marketing goals jillingham football club
30:55supports local business with free sponsorship deal obviously we're frequent visitors to come and watch
31:02the games as well so to be able to be sitting and seeing our you know brand around the stadium in front
31:08of so many people is a fantastic opportunity for us and pushing for gold kent's own bobsled star taylor
31:14lawrence prepares to hit the olympic track in milan the the standard answer is to go do your best and
31:22obviously that's that's what we want to go and do uh but ultimately we're we're going there as as
31:27medal medal hopefuls
31:38a look back at our top story tonight cabinet ministers have backed secure starmer amid growing
31:44tensions in the labour party calling for the pm to resign but what do kent's mps think it comes as
31:51pressure grows on the prime minister after starmer appointed peter mandelson as the uk's ambassador to
31:56the us who's now been exposed for his relationship with the convicted child sex offender jeffrey epstein
32:02and i've been finding out more calls for the resignation of prime minister sakia starmer flooding
32:08in there's one clear question here in kent are labour mps backing him or out for sacking him we
32:16approached them all to find out the only mp that got back to us was sojan joseph the mp for ashford
32:22i have my full support for case timer i would i would love to love him to continue as prime minister
32:29of this country lauren sullivan confirmed she supported the pm lauren edwards and tris osborne
32:36were both unable to comment within the time frame and no other mps have given comment this comes as two
32:43senior members of kia's team have resigned over peter mandelson who was appointed as u.s ambassador in
32:492024 despite knowledge of his relationship with convicted sex offender jeffrey epstein i haven't
32:55had faith in the government for a long time i feel like this is just what's going to bring everything
32:59over the edge i hope and i hope we see kia starmer resign and i don't even think anyone else taking power
33:07will be better but it'll be better than someone that knew about thick people such as peter mandelson
33:13and jeffrey epstein i wasn't very faithful in the current government as it is anyway so just another
33:20notch in its demise i think how i feel i think feel is like how everyone else feels and i feel that
33:27everyone else is actually just sick of it there's not i'm not just by myself when i say that that
33:35there is a majority of people that have had enough
33:37this is what i'm excited about although manderson was sacked in september recent ebstein files have
33:42found he shared confidential information with the paedophile in 2009. now scottish labor leader a
33:49ness sawer has joined the rally for st ощ Rate to step down but so far no kent mps have joined his ranks
33:57Megan Shaw for CAME TV.
34:01Next, homeowners in parts of Fabersham say they feel stuck in the Dark Ages
34:06after being left out of neighbourhood broadband improvements.
34:10Despite nearby streets receiving full fibre connection,
34:16several families are without connection after a lack of upgrade on their roads by open reach.
34:21The issue covers Stonebridge Way or nearby Beach Close to Arthur Salmon Close.
34:27And one resident, Harry Musto Playfair, works from home for his small business
34:31and says the Wi-Fi is holding him back.
34:34It was absolutely shocking.
34:37I hadn't quite realised that the whole of the rest of Fabersham,
34:41apart from one or two other isolated pockets, have been upgraded to full fibre.
34:47Those other pockets as well, I think they've been upgraded by a different company, Ufibre.
34:53And it was just, it was really heartbreaking.
34:55We love our house.
34:56We love our home.
34:58But being stuck with old school internet, I don't know, it's really put us off living here.
35:07And I know it might affect the house values and things like that.
35:10When someone comes on and they see that we're stuck on old school broadband,
35:14it's really disappointing.
35:15And I know I've got a group set up now of local residents and that they're all as equally disappointed as we are.
35:24Because it's just really, I don't know, it seems really unfair.
35:26Next, an MP who claims FarNav companies are directing HGVs through a sleepy Kent village
35:36has launched a new campaign to bring passing lorries to a halt.
35:40Tunbridge Wells' Mike Martin announced a petition last year
35:43after receiving a flowy of complaints around large lorries travelling through Goohurst,
35:49despite the road being narrow and through small villages.
35:51The new Spot It, Snap It, Send It campaign hopes to encourage residents to report lorries using the road to the MP.
36:00Spot It, Snap It, Send It.
36:02If anyone in Gowhurst or anyone who happens to be in Gowhurst
36:05sees a lorry, an HGV coming down the high street,
36:09or let alone being, you know, beached or damaging something,
36:13take a photo on your phone, make sure you get the number plate and the company name, the livery,
36:17and then email it to me, mike.martin.mp at parliament.uk,
36:23and I'll write to that company and say that it's not acceptable
36:28and they should be using the right sat-navs for HGVs
36:30and then put their lorries through roads that are unsuitable for HGVs.
36:34And we've had some success with this approach in other parts of the constituency,
36:38so we think that this, coupled with what we did before with the sat-nav companies,
36:42is going to finally deal with this problem for Gowhurst.
36:45Gowhurst, sorry, not doing very well today.
36:48Now, don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent
36:52by logging on to our website, all together now, kmtv.co.uk,
36:57including this one about a Medway Council recent announcement
37:00of a budget aimed to combat a £26 million black hole.
37:05A £26 million black hole to fill,
37:08and the last year of government support.
37:10Now, the key takeaways from Medway Council's 2026 to 27 budget.
37:16We've done amazing amounts of work,
37:18and I'm incredibly proud of the one Medway approach we've taken
37:21to get to where we are now.
37:23This was always going to be a three-year plan
37:26to use exceptional financial support.
37:28Government saw that from the first conversations we had with them.
37:31I'm very confident that when it comes to 2027-28's budget,
37:35we won't be seeking exceptional financial support,
37:38and our medium-term financial outlook shows that.
37:41The council spends £1.35 million each day
37:45on services for children, adult social care and housing.
37:49And so with this financial strain,
37:51the pressure is on to ensure other services,
37:53like libraries and leisure centres,
37:55still continue to serve the people.
37:58So there are some political choices.
37:59I would always look for income generation over cutting services,
38:04because people deserve the services that they need,
38:07particularly those who are the most vulnerable in our community.
38:10Now, it's a wet and windy day outside Gunn Wharf,
38:14but will the council's budget decision
38:16the array of sunshine in an otherwise difficult financial year
38:20for the council and its residents?
38:23Well, Reform UK's deputy leader doesn't think so.
38:26The budget for this Labour and administration
38:28is about as gloomy as this weather today.
38:31It's a disgrace for two reasons.
38:34First, they've found to actually balance
38:35and meet any of their own budgeting targets,
38:38meaning that they come up with a £10 million deficit.
38:42And for what?
38:43Potholes will still not be fielding properly.
38:45Services are not getting better.
38:47People are not seeing the improvement for this extra money.
38:49They keep being asked.
38:51And the second reason is because the positive assumptions,
38:54as they say, they made about the cost of borrowing
38:57has not materialised.
38:59And that is why, for the third year in a row,
39:01they're going capping hand to their own government
39:03and begging them for exceptional financial support.
39:06It's no longer exceptional.
39:07Financial support has become the norm here in Medway.
39:10Raising income over cutting services does come at a price,
39:14with many car park tariffs set to rise.
39:17With the cost of living set to increase by 3%,
39:20will Medway Council be able to navigate the razor edge
39:24of balancing the books and placating the people?
39:28Megan Shaw for KMTV, Gunworth.
39:31Next, the security team at a shopping centre in Chatham
39:34have received an award for their life-saving work
39:37in the community,
39:38as our reporter, Chloe Brewster, has been finding out.
39:41Listening to the stories of the security guards
39:44at the Pentagon Shopping Centre in Chatham,
39:46you'd think they were secret superheroes.
39:49The team have been nominated for an award
39:50for their excellent safeguarding and security work.
39:53In the last 12 months alone,
39:54the team has handled incidents ranging from theft
39:56and teen takeovers to suicide prevention and drug abuse.
40:00In one incident, team member Kerry spoke about
40:03when she came across a group of people
40:04unconscious who had overdosed on drugs.
40:06We talk to all the homeless
40:08and we say we can't say we'll definitely get them
40:12in properties, but we have a chat with them.
40:14A few of them that we've managed to get into
40:17temporary accommodation.
40:18There's been a long-standing gentleman out there
40:20that's been homeless for 19 years.
40:23We managed to get him into a property,
40:25but there is others that we've got reunited
40:27back with their families
40:27or other people that have gone into rehab.
40:31Chatham High Street is an area marked by poverty
40:33and higher-than-average levels of crime
40:35and antisocial behaviour, but the team here say
40:37that being from the area themselves
40:39helps them to relate to the community that much more.
40:42It is tough to obviously see,
40:45because either way, they're still someone's family.
40:50We try and obviously help them as much as possible,
40:53try and get them into like rehab or anything,
40:58just to obviously help them out,
41:00get them refreshed and then start new.
41:02It's a smaller community down here
41:05and you see each other every day.
41:08Where in the old job, you could go to one job
41:10and not see anyone for another long time.
41:13Here, well, I say it's family,
41:15very family-orientated.
41:18We all know each other, we all live local
41:19and we all want the same outcome at the end of the day
41:22and that's just to help people.
41:24These everyday heroes, so they don't seek recognition,
41:26just continue what they do every day for years to come.
41:29Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Chatham.
41:33Now, we might have run out of time in this part,
41:35but we've got plenty more coming your way
41:38if you stick around.
41:39We'll be speaking to a winter Olympian from Kent
41:41who carved out some time in his vigorous training plan
41:44to chat to me directly from Milan in Italy.
41:47And we'll also take another look at the weather,
41:49but hopefully not quite as cold as over there in Milan.
41:52So we'll see you soon.
41:53Don't move.
45:24And don't forget, you can keep up to date
45:25with all the latest stories across Kent
45:27by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
45:31There you can check out all of our other reports,
45:34including this one about a couple who travelled the world
45:36before putting down their routes
45:38through a pop-up coffee shop near Maidstone.
45:40Having spent several years,
45:41having spent several years travelling Australia and Aaron's home country of Switzerland,
45:47couple Olivia and Aaron decided to renovate a VW camper into their very own mobile cafe here in Kent.
45:54The business boomed, with the pair travelling around Tombridge and Mauling serving their Swiss hot chocolate and Alpine-inspired baked goods.
46:00But recently, they decided to put down their routes just outside Maidstone in the quaint village of Autumn.
46:05While Olivia and Aaron absolutely love their van life, Autumn Village Hall here offers them a slightly bigger venue.
46:11We opened the cafe in July.
46:14We actually had a camper van.
46:16We had it in the camper van, very similar to this one.
46:18And we did that for about three years around Leibourne, West Morland area.
46:22And we served out the back during lockdown.
46:24And then, yeah, we went to Australia, came back, I think, last December.
46:30And we were like, right, we didn't have the van at the time.
46:32So we were like, what are we going to do?
46:32Like, we miss doing it.
46:33We love seeing everyone.
46:34So we actually came, we live here, so we walked up one day and I was like, oh, the hall would be such a good space to, like, open up again, just as a pop-up.
46:42Autumn is, it looks tiny, but there's so many, like, little side roads and loads of different houses that you wouldn't even know that are here.
46:49So I think it's been so good for everyone to kind of have a space to come together and enjoy a coffee and a cake.
46:55Everyone loves a pastry.
46:56So Olivia comes always with those brilliant ideas.
46:59She's like, oh, yeah, let's turn the van in a cafe business or even the village hall.
47:05And she says, like, we need this, this, this and this.
47:08And I'm just like, yeah, let me see what I can do.
47:10So I built from scratch a little coffee cart with all the equipment on it, which is completely movable.
47:18So we can take it away and the village hall can be used for something else during the week whilst we're not trading.
47:25It's crazy.
47:26Every day you sit in and think, like, oh, yeah, it's going to be a great, grim day.
47:31No one's going to come.
47:32But then you're going to be surprised by so many locals which travel miles sometimes just to come and see us.
47:38It's literally every day.
47:39It's brilliant.
47:40The parish council told me hosting the little travelling bean was going amazing, adding they've received nothing but glowing praise from residents.
47:48We come here Friday, Saturday, Sunday, every single week.
47:50Like, we love it, especially having a new baby.
47:53It's something to do, get out of the house.
47:55It's really nice.
47:55It's nice to see how much they've grown the business, you know, from the van days to here with the local community.
48:03It's really lovely to see.
48:04Olivia and Aaron hope to continue serving brews as well as the community far into the future.
48:09Chloe Brewster for KMTV in autumn.
48:13And now let's take a look at the weather.
48:15Well, the weather tonight looking awful.
48:23Lots of rain across the county.
48:25Average 7 and 8 degrees.
48:27Into tomorrow, that rain clearing up, thankfully, in much of Kent.
48:31Around 8 degrees.
48:339 in Dover.
48:34Into the afternoon, temperatures rising slightly.
48:3611, 10 degrees.
48:38Overcast, a bit of rain, may sun.
48:40And Canterbury and your outlook for the rest of the week.
48:43In short, bring an umbrella.
48:45Rainy on Wednesday and Thursday.
48:4712, 11 degrees.
48:48Nice and cloudy.
48:50At least no rain on Friday.
48:51But now, speaking of poor weather, how do you feel about snow?
49:01Are you at home watching the Winter Olympics 2026 all the way from Milan?
49:07Well, we went down to Rochester to talk to residents if they're tuning in and if they're aware the Winter Olympics is even happening.
49:14And did you know Kent's own Taylor Lawrence is taking part?
49:18To be honest, I haven't watched any of the Winter Olympics.
49:23Like, I know it's going on, but I haven't watched any of it.
49:26Not particularly myself.
49:27I know the dude, but obviously I'm naturally up to.
49:28Yeah, no, not as much as compared to the Summer Olympics.
49:32You know, I'm not excited for an event in particular or anything, but I usually watch it.
49:38But when it comes to Winter Olympics, you don't actually hear about it as you should.
49:42But I don't know, man.
49:44Maybe it's because of the sports.
49:45I would say you would need more because most people think about just the normal Olympics.
49:48Most people don't really look to the Winter Olympics.
49:51Like, I didn't even know it was currently going on.
49:53No, I don't think there is enough awareness.
49:56Strange, but there isn't.
49:59For women's sport especially, I feel like we need more traction around that because it isn't something that's spoken about basically at all.
50:09I think it's getting better, but I think there is much more focus.
50:12The men seem to get better time slots on the TV than the women.
50:16No, I didn't know there is an athlete from Kent competing in the Winter Olympics.
50:21That's news.
50:21That should have been big news, you know.
50:23Big up, Taylor Lawrence.
50:24And this is what we need.
50:25We need more people in Kent putting Kent on the map because I feel like, like you said, it does go unnoticed and so does Kent.
50:31And Kent and Milan might be far, but earlier today I spoke with Taylor Lawrence.
50:39He's going to compete in the Winter Olympics for Team GB in the bobsleigh.
50:44So, Taylor, first of all, thank you so much for joining us.
50:49So, can you just tell us how does it feel to be competing in the Winter Olympics?
50:54You're more than welcome.
50:55Yeah, I mean, competing in the Olympics is the pinnacle of any sportsman's career.
50:59It's what everyone dreams of.
51:02You spend years and years working, training, sacrificing.
51:07And when you finally get to that point to be able to stand on the start line and compete for your country, it's a great feeling.
51:14And for myself, coming from a military background as well, being able to represent both the service and GB on the world stage is something that I absolutely relish and I love.
51:24And you touched on your background there.
51:27I wonder if you could tell us a bit more about how you got into bobsleigh, which is what you're competing in.
51:32A lot of people, I feel, maybe started their sports when they were children.
51:35But for you, it was a little bit different.
51:37So, can you tell us about that?
51:40Yeah, so bobsleigh is a bit of a transfer sport.
51:42People in the UK, anyway, don't tend to want to go and be a bobsleigh athlete.
51:47So, I came from kind of football, rugby backgrounds.
51:50So, I've always been a very keen sportsman.
51:51And then it wasn't until I joined the military that I got the opportunity to give bobsleigh a go.
51:57Within the military and the Marines, you get exposed to sports you wouldn't tend to normally do.
52:01And, yeah, I got the opportunity to try bobsleigh.
52:04One of the guys that got me into it was I used to play rugby with him.
52:08I saw that I was quite big and quite quick.
52:10He said, do you want to come and give this a go?
52:12And I jumped at the opportunity.
52:14And here I am kind of six years later, absolutely loving it.
52:17So, yeah, everyone tends to come from a different sport, whether it's track and field, team sports.
52:23But, yeah, that's sort of how I found my way into it.
52:25And I'm glad I did because I'm having some of the best times, the best experiences doing this sport.
52:30And I personally always get a bit confused between luge, skeleton, bobsleigh.
52:35So, for our viewers who maybe aren't too short, are you all right, just to give a bit of a rundown about what competing in bobsleigh looks like?
52:44Yeah, absolutely.
52:45So, luge, you lay on your back and that's feet first.
52:49Skeleton is laying on your front and head first.
52:52And then bobsleigh is typically in the sled.
52:56So, you've got the two-man event and the four-man event.
52:59So, in this Olympics, I'll be doing the two-man and the four-man.
53:01In the two-man, I am the brakeman, so the guy that pulls the brakes at the end.
53:07And then in the four-man, I'm the number three.
53:09So, I enter the sled third.
53:12And then it's actually the guy at number four who pulls the brakes.
53:15But the three guys that push the sled on the left, the right, and the back are called brakemen.
53:19And then you've got your pilot on the front.
53:20So, our job is to get the sled up to speed and then load with as much intent and velocity as possible
53:26and then give the pilot the best possible opportunity to pilot us down nice and safely.
53:32Awesome.
53:33I know this isn't your first Olympics, so I bet you've been doing years and years of training.
53:37So, what does training for the bobsleigh look like?
53:40Is it just making sure you can run fast?
53:43Yeah.
53:44So, bobsleigh for training is basically all of the best elements of all of the other sports that you have to do.
53:49So, it's about being fast, powerful, plyometrics.
53:54We do lots of sprinting, lots of jumping, lots of strength work in the gym.
53:58And it's kind of just bringing all of those fun elements together.
54:02So, yeah, being nice and fast, nice and powerful, explosive, especially from the brakeman's point of view anyway,
54:08which is one of the reasons that I love what I do because it's what I enjoy training the most to do.
54:14And I'm sure.
54:16And my final question for you is, I know you've won a couple of medals across world champions in the past few years,
54:25but what is the goal for the Winter Olympics in Milan?
54:30Yeah, well, I mean, the standard answer is to go and do your best.
54:36And obviously, that's what we want to go and do.
54:37But ultimately, we're going there as medal hopefuls.
54:43And the last few years, we've been absolutely flying as a team.
54:46We've come away with, like you alluded to, world championship medals, European champs, European championship medals, a whole host of World Cup medals.
54:55We beat these, we beat the top guys week in, week out.
55:00We compete against, it's all the same people that we compete against in the World Cup and in the Olympics.
55:05So, it's nothing that we're not used to.
55:08But yeah, I mean, we're going for medals, at least in the four-man.
55:12And that's where we see our greatest medal potential.
55:14But there's also an outside chance for the two-man as well.
55:17So, I think if you ask anyone in the team, medals is obviously what we want.
55:22We're going for gold, but I'm sure we'll get over a bronze or a silver Olympic medal pretty quickly.
55:29I'm sure it'll do.
55:29Yeah, it will do.
55:33It will do.
55:33Well, I mean, so a couple of our coaches that we've got are bronze Olympic medalists as well.
55:39So, if we can at least go one better than them, that gives us bragging rights over them.
55:44Perfect.
55:45Thank you so much for joining us, Taylor, and for taking the time out of your really busy training days.
55:49I'm sure it was great to speak to you.
55:52Yeah, you're more than welcome.
55:53Thank you very much.
55:54We'll be following you.
55:55We'll all be tuning in.
55:58Amazing.
55:58Thanks so much.
56:01Taylor Lawrence there.
56:02Sometimes when you watch the sports and the television, sometimes you think, I could definitely do that.
56:06But Bobsleigh is one of those where I've never thought, yeah, I could certainly do that.
56:11It was great to chat to him.
56:12We'll definitely be following him throughout his journey through the Olympics.
56:15Well, you've been watching Kent Tonight Live here on KMTV.
56:20And if you're craving more, there's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening,
56:25such as Invicta after this, presented by the great Finn McDermid, as always.
56:31Now, don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest news across your country
56:35by logging on to our website, you know it, kmtv.co.uk,
56:40as well as keeping us on your social timelines and liking us on Facebook and following us on TikTok.
56:46But for now, from me, that's all we've got time for.
56:49Have a great evening.
56:50Goodbye.
56:50Bye-bye.
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