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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent and I live on KMTV and I'm Megan
00:29Shaw and here we are top stories on Tuesday the 10th of February. Saved from the hammer. A youth centre in Ramsgate is spared from being sold by Kent County Council at auction. We had the promise of a new national strategy announced just before Christmas but I'm yet to really hear about what the detail of that will mean in this area. Window of opportunity. £300,000 available to revamp Medway shopfronts.
00:58So the Pride in Place funding is funding that's been released by the government and it's there to sort of really sort of regenerate areas, our town centres and we've been lucky enough in Medway to receive that so it's up to £1.5 million that we've received.
01:13And planting seeds for a happier life. Communal allotment in East Morling hosts sessions to improve mental health.
01:19This is all about showing people about what they can do with whatever space they have.
01:26Our top story tonight.
01:38Pyfactory Music, the last dedicated youth space in Ramsgate, has been saved from auction following a campaign by the Youth Centre.
01:45After Kent County Council cut funding for youth services in 2024, they sold the Ramsgate Youth Centre, home to the Pyfactory Music, for the past 13 years.
01:55But instead, the Youth Centre organised a campaign and with the help of a half a million government grant, they managed to secure the building's future.
02:04As our reporter, Neil and Mohammed, have been finding out.
02:06Luke is 18 years old and has been coming to the Pyfactory since he was 14.
02:12He now volunteers at the Youth Centre every Tuesday, but attends as a young person on other days of the week.
02:18But he remembers the moment he found out that the Pyfactory was up for auction.
02:22We had quite a close friend group at the time and there was like three or four of us.
02:27And I remember we were all just kind of hanging out and then out one time.
02:32And then one of them checked their phone and was like, oh, Pyfactory's getting auctioned.
02:36And I was like, oh, we're going to lose the building.
02:38And he's like, what?
02:39And I knew immediately on that first Monday back, we started asking about are we going to lose Py?
02:44Like, because we were all kind of panicked and a bit like nervous because we all cared about this place so much that we really didn't want it to go.
02:50Ramsgate was selected by the government to receive up to £20 million in funding over the next 10 years to regenerate the area.
02:58As part of the Pride in Place programme, one of the priorities of this funding is to invest in the youth of Ramsgate.
03:04The government has also announced the National Youth Strategy, a £500 million plan to rebuild youth services in England.
03:12But Zoe Karasik wants to know where this funding is going.
03:16We had the promise of a new national strategy announced just before Christmas.
03:20But I'm yet to really hear about what the detail of that will mean in this area and how young people in Sanit will benefit from the investment that's been promised.
03:31And something needs to happen urgently to right the wrongs of what's happened over the last 15 years.
03:36And the fact that youth services have been cut to the bone by over a billion pounds.
03:42You know, something's got to give and it can't be to the young people's detriment.
03:46We have to fix it.
03:47How do you feel now that, you know, Py isn't going anywhere?
03:49Oh, it's great. I think it's great.
03:51So, obviously, I'm 18 now, so I'm on my way out of Py because I'm going into the bigger world and university and stuff.
03:57But I think it's good to know that it's not going down because the support that I had when I was 14 will still be here for those who are now 14.
04:05Sanit is considered the most deprived district in Kent and Medway, with youth unemployment the highest in the south east.
04:12And after speaking with Zoe, she said that it's youth centres like this that provide important opportunities for young people.
04:18So why exactly did Kent County Council decide to sell the youth centre rather than invest in it?
04:24Well, I put that question to the council and they referred me to this statement made about the reasoning behind the sale in 2023.
04:31It's been well documented that KCC, like other councils, has to make savings to balance the overall budget and protect services it legally has to provide.
04:41As statutory youth services are now delivered across Kent, including in Ramsgate by our network of family hubs,
04:47we took the decision not to renew commissioned youth services contracts in 2023.
04:52Today, the centre is safe, but questions remain about how close it came to closure and what that says about funding for youth services in communities like Ramsgate.
05:04Naila Mehmed for KMTV in Ramsgate.
05:08And Naila joins us in the studio now to tell us a little bit more about the Pride in Place programme.
05:14So Naila, first of all, can you explain a bit more about the Pride in Place programme that you touched on in your report there?
05:20Yeah, absolutely. So the government describes it as their flagship communities programme.
05:24And the aim is to give power back to the people, let them decide what they want to do with their community.
05:30And it's £5 billion of funding over 10 years.
05:33And it's a long-term strategy to fix any issues in hundreds of communities across the UK, across the country.
05:39And they're targeting neighbourhood-level pockets of deprivation that tend to fall through the cracks of national intervention.
05:47And so far, 284 communities have been eligible for this funding.
05:53And just last week, another 40 were named eligible.
05:57Though we don't know which communities those 40 are, but we do know for sure Ramsgate is one of the communities that will be getting their funding.
06:03I see. And has something like this happened before?
06:07Yeah, so in March last year, there was another scheme called Plan for Neighbourhoods.
06:12And that was similar to what it is now. The aim is to re-badge town-level intervention, but it only covered 75 areas.
06:20And the Pride in Place is an expansion of this programme.
06:24Like I said, it's 284 communities compared to the 75 earlier.
06:29And it's targeting smaller geographical pockets of deprivation, towns of around 10,000 people.
06:34I see. And what is Ramsgate set to use this money on, do you not?
06:40Yeah, so they've kind of created this dedicated board called the Ramsgate Neighbourhoods Board.
06:45And it's set up to lead the work to kind of figure out where this funding will be going.
06:50And this board is made up of residents, it's made up of businesses, it's made up of community leaders.
06:54So very much the people in Ramsgate itself.
06:56And they've submitted a 10-year plan to the government on what they would like to do with this funding.
07:02And the plan was apparently developed by feedback from the town.
07:07And there's five major points.
07:08The first one is to bring back the town centre and bring back their jobs.
07:11The other one is to clean it up, make it a cleaner place for the residents to live in.
07:15They want their, they want Ramsgate to look nice, so they feel nice.
07:19They want it to make it more well-lit, so it's safer around for everyone.
07:23They want to invest in young people and in the youth, like job opportunities, more things for them to do.
07:29And finally, they want to connect health and support services and make it a place where everybody feels better, both in and out.
07:36Thank you so much, Naila, for bringing us that insight.
07:40And Pride in Place hasn't just come to Ramsgate.
07:44Medway Council has also been given £300,000 of government funding to improve the area.
07:50As Maisie Walker has been finding out today.
07:55Medway Council has been awarded £300,000 in government funding to help improve shopfronts for independent businesses across the area.
08:04Eligible businesses can apply for grants of up to £5,000 to upgrade their premises.
08:09So councillors are hoping this grant is going to help promote things such as tourism in Medway.
08:14The funding aims to enhance the external appearance of retail and hospitality venues, support regeneration and encourage activity on local high streets.
08:24However, in last week's budget, the council also revealed plans to increase car parking tariffs,
08:29a move that has raised questions about whether higher prices could discourage people from visiting town centres.
08:36Well, it depends how you look at it. So we've had a close look at the consumer behaviour, basically how people are parking and how that's changing over time,
08:45according to sort of why they're going to visit the high street.
08:48So one of the things that we looked at was actually the shorter stays are sort of more common.
08:53So a way to incentivise that is actually we've reduced that fare.
08:56So it's not just increases across the board, which are, you know, happening across the country.
09:00There are reductions. So we're being we're being we're boxing clever here.
09:05So we're trying to make sure that one hour stays are sorry, 30 minute stays are now down to a pound.
09:11If you think about it with the shop front grants scheme that we're doing, it's a really quick way.
09:17It's a quick win to try to change the aesthetic of an area in a in a sort of rapid way and getting sort of that money sort of out there to the businesses that need it.
09:27So if you can change the the look of an area, you feel better about going there, you'd want to return there.
09:33So you get that sort of compounding effect over time.
09:35On Gillingham High Street, one local business has welcomed the funding announcement with enthusiasm.
09:40It's my first time hearing this, you understand.
09:43And again, you know, you come in, you know, you just want to get good information about that.
09:49But seeing, you know, the environment, let's just say, you still need more improvement.
09:56Yeah. So we still need more business, more people coming in, you know.
10:01So I think Gillingham still need more movement about it.
10:06The funding is being welcomed by businesses, but its long term impact on high street regeneration is yet to be seen.
10:13Maisie Walker for KMTV, Gillingham.
10:16And next in Gravesend, a driver has been allegedly attacked by a motorist after suffering a seizure at the wheel and crashing his car.
10:25Louis Watkins, who has epilepsy, was driving along New Barn Road when he suffered a seizure and ended up crashing into a tree.
10:34As he came around, he was reportedly attacked and pulled from his car by a fellow motorist, whom he later recalled as being in a blind rage.
10:41When he gained awareness of his surroundings, emergency services were on the scene.
10:46He was treated at Medway Maritime Hospital and police have since appealed for dash cam footage following the incident.
10:53Next, a man has suffered a serious head injury after an unprovoked attack in Rochester High Street while being interviewed.
11:00The victim said he'd been approached in the high street by three people who appeared to be filming interviews,
11:06when a man who was part of the trio allegedly punched the victim who fell to the floor and was later taken to hospital.
11:13Investigators are now keen to talk to the other two people involved in the filming, including a man with a microphone and a woman who was filming.
11:21Anyone with information who may have witnessed this event are being asked to contact Kent Police's direct appeal line.
11:31And that's all that we've got time for in this part of the show, but we've got plenty more to come.
11:39My teleprompter stopped working, but we are speaking to Elizabeth Anderson,
11:44the CEO of Digital Poverty Alliance, in the wake of Safer Internet Day.
11:48That's today and we'll also be hearing about the weather and I'll see you then.
13:52Bye.
13:53.
14:23.
14:53Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
15:17Now today is Safer Internet Day, which promotes the safe use of digital technology among children and young people.
15:25Regulator Ofcom found that people in the UK spent more time on the internet in 2025 than they did during Covid,
15:32with an average use of more than four hours daily.
15:36And so, earlier today we spoke to Elizabeth Anderson, the CEO of Digital Poverty Alliance, to find out more.
15:43First of all, would you like to just walk us through what your organisation does?
15:49Sure, thanks a lot Meg. We are a national charity, so we represent the millions of people within the UK
15:57who can't get online to access essential services.
16:01So there's around 19 million people who perhaps lack access to a device or connectivity or the skills to be able to use digital services.
16:10And we help by advocating for them, but also providing thousands of families with a laptop and connectivity and skills and support every year.
16:19Absolutely. And of course, today is actually Safer Internet Day.
16:23So I imagine maybe within your organisation, you probably do work with people who might never have used the internet before.
16:29So as part of your services, do you kind of provide advice for people navigating the online world?
16:37Are you alright to just give us an insight into those tips you might have?
16:41Absolutely. If you've never used the internet before, it can be very exciting, but it can also seem like a really scary place.
16:49And of course, there's lots of great things that happen on the internet, but there's also lots of things that can go wrong.
16:55So we talk to people about being really careful about what they click on.
17:00So if something seems too good to be true, if you get an email or even a text linking to a website and it tells you maybe you've won something
17:08or you need to take some really urgent action to stop your account being blocked, always stop, always pause.
17:15Don't be in a hurry to give away your information.
17:17A lot of you might think, oh, it's easier and safer just to avoid the internet.
17:22But of course, at the DPA, you're aware that, you know, the internet is a key part of, you know, modern life now.
17:29How do we find that balance?
17:32Exactly as you just said, it is about finding a balance and it's about recognising reputable sources of information.
17:39So recognising, for example, if it's the NHS for healthcare advice, if it's your bank, if it's the GovUK website.
17:47Actually, there's a lot of positives that can be gained by being able to get online and accessing these services.
17:55You know, if you can find reliable health information on the NHS website, actually, it can help keep you healthier,
18:02it can support your wellbeing, it can support your mental health as well.
18:05And what we want is people to be able to access that kind of thing.
18:09And also, as schoolwork ever more moves online, of course, we want children to not be held back because perhaps they can't access Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams or Apple.
18:20There's a lot of benefits from all of the incredible information and knowledge that is available online.
18:28But it is about recognising when you shouldn't share data, you shouldn't share information about yourself that maybe somebody can use for something bad.
18:37So always looking for that balance, always making sure that websites are secure and that you know what you're putting your data into
18:44and you're watching for some of those common scams or common telltale signs that maybe a website isn't quite what it seems.
18:52And being at the forefront of, I suppose, increasing people's connectivity to the internet and devices,
18:59would you say that becoming, staying safe on the internet is a challenge in the modern world?
19:06It's becoming ever harder and everything's evolving at such a pace.
19:11Even five years ago, we didn't have AI services.
19:15So it's something that we've had to learn about all really, really quickly.
19:18So it is about being able to recognise things like fake news, you know, recognise whether you're coming to a really safe provider of news,
19:28like KM Group, or whether you've maybe wandered off onto a bit of a dodgy clickbait kind of site.
19:35Next, residents have been left frustrated after graffiti has been found scrawled across the equipment
19:41at the Markwood play area in Warmer.
19:45The park had only reopened in May of last year after a combined £88,000 investment into the play area
19:52by Dover District Council, Warmer Town Council and developers.
19:56Beyond paint, new features were also added to the area in the revamp, including new junior and toddler multiplayer units,
20:03a track rider tower and sensory equipment.
20:06Local councillor Chris Vincent said this kind of madness, this kind of mindless vandalism, sorry,
20:11is hugely frustrating for families using the playground with their young children.
20:16And now it's time to catch up with all your latest sporting news from Sam Wood.
20:21First up on tonight's Sports Roundup, Canterbury Teenager receives first call to do the Senior British National Indoor Championships.
20:28Triple Jump star Cheeky Yokpai, who hails from Simon Langston School, took part in the Under-20 Nationals last weekend in Sheffield,
20:35gaining another personal best and she won the Gold 4 category.
20:38In the upcoming weekend, the 17-year-old will be the youngest in her field at the Seniors in Birmingham
20:43and hopes to compete in the Under-20 World Championships in America.
20:46She is currently ranked number one in the Under-20s category in the UK and number nine worldwide.
20:51Next in football news, Sheppie United have parted with both their manager Kevin Watson
20:56and assistant Tommy Osborne amidst a 2-0 loss last weekend in Margate.
21:00Watson's last game saw the third straight defeat at the away game, extending their winless run to seven matches.
21:06Taking over for the remainder of the season are Ian and George Batten,
21:09sons of the club's former boss Ernie Batten, who unfortunately passed away last March.
21:14Sheppie currently sit at 15th in the table and their next game is this Saturday at home against Broadbridge Heath.
21:20Meanwhile in the world of tennis, it was time to celebrate last Saturday as Kent Tennis held their awards ceremony in Gillingham.
21:26Both juniors and seniors received honours and county colours were handed out with many young players honoured.
21:31The performance team of the year went to the men's over 75s and 80s
21:35and the adult club player of the year was collected by Thomas Eastwell from Wye.
21:39This is a new award recognising a player who has shown exceptional commitment and contribution all season.
21:44The day concluded with many Kent players receiving honours.
21:47Lastly, more football news as Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth speaks on his decision to bench Sam Gale in last Saturday's match.
21:54The young defender has regularly been in the starting eleven since the opening weeks of the season,
21:58with this decision coming from Ainsworth reportedly not wanting to overload him.
22:02Last month, Ainsworth signed 20-year-old centre-back Travis Akamea from Watford on a new loan deal
22:07and he has shown a promising debut at the back in the last two games.
22:11Gillingham currently sit at 14th in the league and their upcoming match against Crew Alexandra is set for Saturday.
22:16Sam Wood reports.
22:18Sam Wood there. Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent
22:22by logging on to our website kmtv.co.uk.
22:26You'll find all our reports there including this one about a ping pong prodigy
22:30who trained the stars of the new blockbuster film Marty Supreme.
22:35Timothy Chalamet and Marty Supreme have been breaking the box office, making millions and raking in awards.
22:41So when Medway Sports Park had table tennis set up for 40 schools this week,
22:45they decided to bring in one England professional who's also an actor from the film to show off his skills.
22:51They basically said, come down, we've got this massive event.
22:54They've got obviously two days of tournaments happening yesterday and today.
22:57So, yeah, I was like, yeah, happy days, I'll come down.
23:00It'd be nice to meet everybody and, yeah, show my face basically, so.
23:04Josh is the number 14 table tennis player in the country
23:08and got involved with the film after being sent a casting call from Table Tennis England
23:12before doing auditions and being flown out to New York where he was in the film
23:15and also helped train Timothy behind the scenes.
23:18So he had a whole training regime himself, I'm sure you've heard him speak about it.
23:22You know, the whole process, it was started, you know, a good six, seven years ago from The Sounds of Things.
23:27But I was only out there just briefly before the start of the film
23:31and, yeah, I did sessions with him, so like rehearsing and gave little tips and tricks here and there.
23:37And, yeah, it was awesome to meet him and obviously to see, you know,
23:42see someone like him playing tape tennis as well for the film, it was pretty cool.
23:46Josh also showed off some of the items he'd kept from the set, including a poster with his character on it
23:50and a signed bat from Koto Kawaguchi, another pro who played Koto Endo in the film.
23:55He also gave out autographs to some of Medway's aspiring players.
23:59Would you say tonight's made you like table tennis a little bit more, maybe a little bit less?
24:02I don't know, depends how much you've been winning.
24:04A bit more.
24:05Yeah, I like playing table tennis in my free time because it's like you can get with the community and it's like you can make friends.
24:12But Josh wasn't the only one signing autographs.
24:15Well, you know, we always are looking for the talent here in Medway and that's from every field,
24:21whether that's sports, entertainment, even journalism.
24:24So from that perspective, I'm really proud of the kind of individuals that stepped forward.
24:28And nights like tonight, you know, many people, perhaps more mature people who perhaps play table tennis for fun.
24:34Again, coming to see an international player like Josh is a real rare opportunity in this particular sport,
24:40but it's something we're very proud we do in Medway all the time.
24:44Vince refused my offer of a game, so I asked Josh, who said he wouldn't let me take a single point.
24:49Now it's time for me to play Josh himself.
24:51He's ranked the England number one in Marti Supreme and the England number 14 in real life.
24:57Time to see his skills for myself.
25:02Well, I think I'll leave it to the pros, both for table tennis and for acting.
25:06Finn McDermid for KMTV in Medway.
25:10Now, it's been an awfully wet month so far, but will we be needing our umbrellas for the rest of the week?
25:20Well, let's take a quick look at the weather.
25:28We'll see drizzle and light rain across the county tonight.
25:31Fairly mild temperatures at 10 degrees.
25:34Rain continuing into tomorrow morning.
25:36Temperatures staying consistent.
25:38And in the afternoon, drizzle still continuing at 10 degrees.
25:44Still quite rainy.
25:4512 degrees, not too cold.
25:46But, and your outlook for the rest of the week.
25:50We've got 11 degrees on Thursday.
25:52Rain, unfortunately, coming along in Friday.
25:55But, perhaps a sunny Saturday.
25:57We can all spend time outside.
26:07Now, that's all we've got time for you in this part.
26:09But, stick around.
26:10We've got plenty more coming up for you to enjoy.
26:13We're going to return to our top story tonight, which is about a youth centre saved from closure.
26:18After being put for auction by Kent County Council.
26:21Nayla Mohamed has that report.
26:23We'll also be looking at National Apprenticeship Week with a special feature from Tuna Price.
26:29That's the, he's from Kent in Victor Chamber of Commerce, a familiar face at KMTV.
26:34And we'll also be featuring Kit Taylor, who won the University of Kent's Journalism Apprentice of the Year.
26:42And they're making waves in the industry.
26:45So, we'll catch you later after this short break.
26:48We'll see you soon.
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30:49County Council cut funding for youth services in 2024, they decided to sell the Ramsgate Youth
30:54Centre home to Pie Factory Music for the last 15, 13 years. Instead, the Youth Centre organised a
31:01campaign and with the help of a half a million government grants, they managed to secure the
31:06building's future, as our reporter Neela Mohammed has been finding out. Luke is 18 years old and has
31:13been coming to the Pie Factory since he was 14. He now volunteers at the Youth Centre every Tuesday
31:19but attends as a young person on other days of the week, but he remembers the moment he found out
31:24that the Pie Factory was up for auction. We had quite a close friend group at the time and there
31:29was like three or four of us and I remember we were all just kind of hanging out and then out one time
31:36and then one of them checked their phone and was like, oh, Pie Factory's getting auctioned and I was
31:40like, oh, we're going to lose the building. He's like, what? And I knew immediately on that first
31:45Monday back, we started asking, are we going to lose Pie? Like, because we were all kind of panicked
31:49and a bit like nervous because we all cared about this place so much that we really didn't want it
31:53to go. Ramsgate was selected by the government to receive up to £20 million in funding over the
31:59next 10 years to regenerate the area. As part of the Pride in Place programme, one of the priorities
32:05of this funding is to invest in the youth of Ramsgate. The government has also announced the
32:10National Youth Strategy, a £500 million plan to rebuild youth services in England. Zoe Karasik
32:17wants to know where this funding is going. We had the promise of a new national strategy
32:22announced just before Christmas but I'm yet to really hear about what the detail of that will
32:28mean in this area and how young people in Sanit will benefit from the investment that's been promised
32:33and something needs to happen urgently. To right the wrongs of what's happened over the last 15 years
32:40and the fact that youth services have been cut to the bone by over a billion pounds,
32:46you know, something's got to give and it can't be to the young people's detriment. We have to fix it.
32:51How do you feel now that, you know, Pie isn't going anywhere?
32:53Oh, it's great. I think it's great because obviously I'm 18 now so I'm on my way out of Pie
32:58because I'm going into the bigger world and university and stuff but I think it's good that
33:03to know that it's not going down because the support that I had when I was 14 will still be
33:07here for those who are now 14. Sanit is considered the most deprived district in Kent and Medway
33:13with youth unemployment the highest in the south east and after speaking with Zoe she said that
33:18it's youth centres like this that provide important opportunities for young people. So why exactly did
33:23Kent County Council decide to sell the youth centre rather than invest in it? Well I put that question
33:29to the council and they referred me to this statement made about the reasoning behind the
33:34sale in 2023. It's been well documented that KCC, like other councils, has to make savings to balance
33:40the overall budget and protect services it legally has to provide. As statutory youth services are now
33:46delivered across Kent, including in Ramsgate by our network of family hubs, we took the decision not
33:53to renew commissioned youth services contracts in 2023. Today the centre is safe but questions remain
34:00about how close it came to closure and what that says about funding for youth services in communities
34:06like Ramsgate. Nayla Mehmed for KMTV in Ramsgate. Now this week marks the start or yesterday did I suppose
34:16of National Apprenticeship Week where businesses and traders shine a light on the benefits of apprenticeships
34:22for individuals, organisations and the wider economy. Government figures show that there are approximately
34:28350,000 apprentices in England with around 55,000 people in the south east starting a course last year.
34:35And here with me now is Tudor Price to talk more about it. So Tudor first of all thank you for joining us.
34:43I just want you to, obviously, the typical route for young people might be to go to university and then to go straight on to employment. But apprenticeships offer a different route and those kind of people won't be kind of saddled by student debt.
34:59So would you say apprenticeships are the new way forward?
35:03I think the proposition has changed. It's now a so much more expensive challenge for many people to go to that level of debt. Interestingly, the UK is the highest tuition fees in Europe at the moment. And so I think there's probably an argument for government for maybe looking at getting
35:19back involved again. But we've seen an explosion in the popularity of university courses. It is a huge amount of money. And I think really the advice that we would give young people looking to make that choice is around
35:31if you're going to follow a degree, if you're going to invest in it, then you need to make sure it's an area that you want to then pursue in the career. Because I think the worst thing in the world is obviously make that investment and then not use it later on.
35:42Because that's really what employers want to see is that enthusiasm and that commitment to that particular subject matter. So definitely university is the right course for some people.
35:51But apprenticeships are very, very much proving to be the popular choice these days.
35:55Anne, absolutely. Is there that appeal for employers too, to know that that kind of training is funded by the government and that those employees might go on to excel and be able to bring great growth and revenue for companies?
36:09Absolutely. I hate to use the phrase, but it's a win-win really for both the employer and the employee, because obviously that young person doesn't incur the debt they are earning from the day that they start learning.
36:21And the business also has an opportunity then to sort of grow that person within the culture and sort of the values that the organisation is trying to achieve.
36:30But at a more affordable cost as well, because, of course, it starts, as you say, as a part funded programme.
36:36So there's a real incentive for employers, certainly smaller employers, to work with the colleges to take on those apprenticeships.
36:41And of course, it doesn't mean you can't do a degree, you know, degree apprenticeships and that part of the mix as well.
36:47Absolutely. And apprentices aren't really, they're not just a route for young people as well.
36:52We are seeing more people that are over 25 that maybe are going through a career change to do an apprenticeship.
36:58Would you say it's something that could be appealing and an option and a pathway for not just people who've just finished their A-levels maybe?
37:05Absolutely. Very much so. In fact, again, we've seen that increase in the number of sort of more mature people taking up apprenticeship options now.
37:14And that's partly because of changes that we as a chamber and other organisations have lobbied for.
37:18So the sort of the necessity to get English and maths as part of your apprenticeship beginning is no longer necessarily prerequisite.
37:25And so actually that has helped make apprenticeships so much more accessible to people who are perhaps, you know, sort of 10, 30 years on from the last time they're in education.
37:33But again, no less important to an employer.
37:36Thank you so much, Tudor. And early today, we actually spoke to a journalism apprentice. We spoke to Kit Taylor.
37:43And I'm now joined by Kit Taylor, who yesterday won the University of Kent's Apprentice of the Year.
37:50I suppose the landscape of apprenticeships is changing a bit. So can you tell us a bit more about that as well?
37:55Yeah. So I think apprenticeships have changed massively from what we know them to be.
38:00I think initially a lot of us think they are an opportunity for younger people.
38:05You know, you might come out of college, go into an apprenticeship instead of going to uni.
38:10But actually nowadays, especially in 20, 24 to 25, half of apprentices, more than half in fact, were over the age of 25.
38:19So actually we're getting to a point now where people who are maybe beyond the age of university or college are taking up apprenticeships.
38:26There's a few reasons that could be. So things like the Covid pandemic made a lot of people think about career changes.
38:34And that's exactly what we're seeing. More of that.
38:38I think it's particularly interesting if you compare it to 2006, 2007, where that was less than 1% of apprentices were over 25.
38:46So to go from that to more than half in 20 years is astonishing.
38:52Absolutely. And there's also been a new report from the British Chambers of Commerce on apprenticeships.
38:57So what has that said?
38:59So we're seeing more calls for accommodations around childcare.
39:04So of course, if you've got parents that are now going into apprenticeships, they can be not as flexible as they could be for parents.
39:13So looking into what are the childcare provisions? What can be done there?
39:16Along with that, there's accommodation. You know, if you're working in an apprenticeship on a construction site, what's the accommodation nearby?
39:23How are you getting there? And linked to that is transport. If you can't drive, is there public transport to get to that location?
39:30Because realistically, what they want to do is open up these opportunities to as many people as possible.
39:35You know, it's a great way to have that learning and development side of things along with a role.
39:42And I think with the career landscape that we're facing at the moment, these opportunities are really crucial for people.
39:50And opening that up to as many people as possible is what this report recommends.
39:56Now, Maggie is known for its sandy beaches, music and culture.
40:00And for more than a century, the Winter Gardens was at the centre of that culture.
40:04From 1910, the venue hosts the Stars, but closed in 2022.
40:09And now a new master plan to revive the hall has been published.
40:13And I'm joined by Finn McDermid to learn a bit more about this.
40:16So Finn, tell me about the latest update here.
40:19Well, it's as you say, Meg. I think local music and history fans will be really, really pleased by this.
40:25For a bit of background, Margate's Winter Gardens.
40:28You know, when we say Kent and historic buildings, you typically think of castles, forts, bunkers.
40:35But Kent has a lot of music history, and the Winter Gardens is a key part of that.
40:38We can see some images now.
40:40They've hosted the Beatles, Dame Vera Lynn.
40:43This was built in 1910 as a premier coastline music venue.
40:48It had some damage.
40:50It was rebuilt after World War II and eventually ended up being closed in 2022.
40:55And have we, we've got some voices on this, haven't we?
40:59We do. I spoke to, I spoke to Matt Milchard.
41:03He's the CFO of Westwood One Theatre, who are running this new master plan.
41:06I'll let him talk about the new plans for the site.
41:09To be honest, it's a multiple, it's a venue with lots of different facets, as Chris has said.
41:16So there'll be, you know, music in the main room, for instance.
41:20There'll be, there's a rooftop bar and restaurant.
41:22People will sit and have sort of evening meals, watching the sunset.
41:25There's multiple bars throughout the venue.
41:30There's a 100 place nursery.
41:32There's a drama school.
41:34There's a vocational training centre, potentially a language school, community gardens.
41:42There's so much to make it, you know, a venue and a destination that people actually want to come and spend the whole day and evening.
41:48Thank you, Finn. Now, time for a break.
42:18Here's thekeln.
42:20Here we go.
42:22Here, roles inSean Baskin.
42:24Here we go.
42:27Here we go.
42:30Do we go.
42:33Here we go.
42:36Here we go.
42:37Here we go.
42:43Here we go.
45:15Welcome back to Kent Tonight Live here on KMTV.
45:18Now, a new exhibition about the effects of climate change on the oceans is set to debut
45:24at Rochester Cathedral this week.
45:27The installation features three life-sized whale sculptures made using recycled ghost
45:33fishing nets, silk chiffon and latex.
45:36British artist Tessa Campbell Fraser, who created the exhibition, said,
45:40In sculpting the whales as I have, transparently using ghost netting, I want to convey the need
45:46for mankind to realise that these magnificent mammals will not exist in our world if we don't act now.
45:53The whales' exhibition will be at Rochester Cathedral from Tuesday, February 10th to Saturday, March 7th.
45:58Now, shortly after today's show, we'll be showing a brand new live episode of Made in Kent,
46:07where we spotlight small businesses across the county.
46:10Today's episode will be covering all kinds of hobbies, interests and nerd spaces.
46:15To discuss the show and to hopefully convince all of you watching to tune in later, I've got Jay Blakesley with me on the sofa.
46:23So, Jay, thank you for joining us.
46:25Thank you for having me.
46:26First of all, can you just, you know, if anyone hasn't seen the show before, what is it about?
46:30So, Made in Kent is all about, you know, learning a lot more about the business, private or even arts sector here in the county of Kent.
46:39You know, finding everything out about, what's it, their machinations, how they sell things,
46:47you know, sometimes even just about how they feel about how business is going at the moment.
46:51And what have we got coming up?
46:55What have we got to look forward to on this episode?
46:57Well, as you've already said, we're covering a lot of nerd culture sort of areas.
47:02We've got a package that I worked on where we visit a board game cafe that's all about the spaces of tabletop role-playing games
47:10and even just board games or just a place to be able to chill on your own.
47:14As well as we're actually talking to a group who do medieval fight reenactments, which is a little bit out of the hobby space.
47:23But we felt like people would be interested if they had, you know, that sort of look into the space.
47:29That sounds great.
47:30And what has been your favourite bit of kind of putting together that show?
47:34Oh, well, well, for me, the best bit about making Made in Kent is obviously learning about the county itself.
47:42I myself am not from Kent.
47:44I'm from a few hours out.
47:46But to learn so much about the history and the machinations of the county itself,
47:54it makes me feel a lot more comfortable calling it home, you know,
47:57and I hope that we can kind of grant that a little bit more for people watching.
48:01And, Jay, for anyone who's been watching along each episode, we don't have too much time.
48:06But after tonight's episode, what can we look forward to be seeing on Made in Kent?
48:11Well, I can't really spoil too much for you, you know, be kind of giving the game away a little bit.
48:16No secrets.
48:16I'm not going to give away any secrets tonight.
48:19Well, Jay, thank you so much.
48:21We'll definitely be keeping a watch out for the new Made in Kent episode.
48:26Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent
48:30by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
48:34There you'll find all our reports, including this one, about a festival in Gravesend
48:38that have been lighting up the streets every January with a festival for the past five years.
48:42For the past five years, Gravesend has been lighting up the streets every January
48:50with a light show to bring happiness to the community.
48:55And it's returned once again.
48:58This year's theme, Light and Life, with a focus on animals, allows local artists to come
49:06together and showcase their skills.
49:09I like to see the local artists.
49:14And we commissioned artists to come in and we selected four to set up around the area.
49:18And it's such a great opportunity for them to showcase their skills.
49:23And also, it's very interactive.
49:24So people can enjoy their displays and also participate as well.
49:30Despite it being a cold, wet night in January,
49:34it certainly hasn't stopped Gravesend from trying to bring some light to the community.
49:40From street performers to a silent disco and a giant firebird shooting fireworks made by
49:50Emergency Exit Arts, served as some of the biggest highlights of the night.
49:57It's really, really fun getting to drive the firebird.
50:00It's one of my favourite profits that we do.
50:02So, I really enjoy the shared energy of a parade.
50:08I love seeing everybody else coming together and joining in on a parade and having a lovely time.
50:16Gravesend will no doubt be at work hatching another light show for next year.
50:24And what it will be about is up in the air.
50:28Now, Henry might have been looking out the window to see the light.
50:37But will you be looking out the window to see the rain?
50:39Well, let's take a look at the weather.
50:45We'll see drizzle and light rain across the county tonight.
50:49Fairly mild temperatures at 10 degrees.
50:52That rain will continue into tomorrow morning.
50:54Temperatures staying consistent.
50:56We've got 10 degrees average there.
50:59Later in the afternoon, the county's still facing that drizzle.
51:02Light rain, although temperatures increasing slightly.
51:05Medway and Canterbury reaching a tropical 12.
51:08And your outlook.
51:09We've got 11 degrees on Thursday.
51:11Slight rain on the Friday, 7 degrees.
51:13Temperatures dropping on Saturday, but clouds clearing up.
51:16Next, a 150-year-old pub has been saved after its barman took over running the venue,
51:30which is one of the neighbourhood's last remaining drinking spots.
51:33The Priory Hotel in Dover, which was built in Victorian times, will be the only pub left in the eastern Folkestone Road area when a second one nearby closes later this year.
51:45Bar manager Andy King says that keeping the venue open is important for the community and music fans.
51:51And Rochester's famous second-hand bookshop, Baggins Book Bazaar, is celebrating 40 years on the high street.
52:01It's sort of there are around 100,000 books in the rare bookshop, which was originally founded by London book dealer Paul Minet.
52:08It was later taken over by local Godfrey George, who joined the business shortly after it first opened and has spent the past 40 years keeping it going.
52:19Next, family-orientated and dog-friendly pub in Lower Harling has seen a massive overhaul after receiving £200,000 in investment.
52:28The pub, The Five Bells, reopened this Saturday after receiving funds from licensee and director Lloyd Slythe and Admiral's Havens, a pub company.
52:39Renovations include new furniture, a television and a redone beer garden and were based off suggestions from the local community.
52:46The leadership of the pub took over in last April, with the director having over 20 years of his hospitality experience and closed for renovations over the course of January.
52:55And finally, a communal allotment in East Morling is allowing people to dig in and try out gardening.
53:05Community Grow is hosting sessions with a focus on improving mental health, meeting new people and enjoying the outdoor sensory experience.
53:14One volunteer said he wanted to share his passion for wildlife and show the wonders of gardening.
53:19And our reporter, Chloe Brewster, went down to check it out.
53:23Hidden on the edge of East Morling is a communal allotment hosting gardening sessions for both the young and the old.
53:30Community Grow is designed to offer well-being support, with visitors here encouraged to get their gardening gloves on and to enjoy the tranquil surroundings.
53:37Now, Community Grow do much more than getting people one with the soil.
53:40They also offer sessions tailored for people with specific medical needs.
53:44They can come together and talk about the issues they face, as well as ask questions to a local GP.
53:48I've got a passion for wildlife, I've got a passion for horticulture, which I've had all my life, and I wanted to encourage other people to give it a go as well.
54:00This is all about showing people about what they can do with whatever space they have.
54:06You don't have to have a working great big field, you know, so you can do all sorts of things.
54:12To me, there is really no greater therapy than green spaces, natural spaces, getting outdoors.
54:17And that's from my, you know, from my own journey and from friends and family, just watching nature and greenery and this amazing ecosystem that we are, you know, really lucky to have.
54:31It just supports wellness, and I think it's a slower pace of life a lot of the time.
54:36You're growing as you grow, which I just think is, you know, such a gift.
54:41It's like a much more relaxed and muddy check-up. The charity hopes to plant a little bit of hope and community to even more people's lives.
54:50Chloe Brewster for KMTV in East Morling.
54:53And Chloe Brewster joins me now. So, Chloe, we heard about the benefits of gaining on your mental health, but does it actually do anything for your physical health?
55:01Well, I spoke to a GP while I was there at Community Grow, and she told me all about the things they do there to support people.
55:08So, they have groups for people with diabetes and high blood pressure, so they can come along.
55:13And not only can they, you know, lower their blood pressure by having a relaxing time gardening, and they say they have all kinds of accessibility arrangements.
55:20People can just sit on their chairs, or if they can get down, they can get down digging if they like.
55:25They always have sessions where people can speak to the GP and just get some support and learn and talk to each other about their condition and what the, you know, their impacts and how they can cope, really.
55:35And there's also actually a bus there, a little health check bus, where people can go and get that support.
55:41And, yeah, so they can feel a bit more, you know, sound in their mind that they're feeling okay, as well as enjoying the beautiful environment there, because it's absolutely gorgeous down there.
55:51It's interesting, really, because we're at the beginning of the year, and people are probably wanting to maybe make better changes to their life.
55:56So, when we think about becoming more active, we might think, you know, run a marathon or swim the river medway.
56:02But people who maybe are, don't swim the river medway is what everyone just told me to say.
56:09But when we think about being active, we can also be coming from quite a sedentary lifestyle.
56:13So, would you recommend, like, someone who's really just starting out, wanting to be more physical, that doing a bit of gardening could help?
56:21Yeah, 100%.
56:21I mean, I'm not a big gardener myself, but the Community Grow allotments is actually quite big.
56:26You know, I walk up and down a few times.
56:29And even just that little bit of exercise is better than nothing, especially if you have to, you know, bend your knees to get down.
56:35Yeah, it's a great, great idea.
56:37Absolutely.
56:38Thank you so much for bringing us that extra information there, Chloe.
56:41And you've been watching Kemp Tonight live here on Kemp TV.
56:46That's all we've got time for now, but we'll see you later.
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