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00:31Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:34I'm Finn McDermott and here are your top stories on Monday, the 2nd of March.
00:39Save our schools, parents of St Lawrence in Ramsgate protest over merger with school 50 minutes away.
00:45I've got a lot of questions in my head like, why, what, what's going to change in the school and
00:52stuff like that, but I don't know what's going to happen in the end, yeah.
00:56Bear canvases artists to decorate 86 bears that will line a Dartford trail.
01:02So this summer we've got 86 bears in total coming to Dartford and Blue Water.
01:08We've got 30 large bears that you can see behind us that will be decorated by local and national professional
01:15artists.
01:15And back in the green, Kent MS Therapy Centre are on course to save more lives thanks to golf.
01:21This was my, this saved me when I was first diagnosed with MS because I thought it was going to
01:26be a death sentence.
01:28If I hadn't had the centre to come to I would have had nowhere.
01:40But first tonight, St Lawrence School in Ramsgate has announced they'll be merging with Dover College,
01:45which they say is due to imminent financial pressures.
01:48And to show their frustration, parents protested at the school's grounds.
01:52Without the merger, the private school claimed they would have no choice but to close.
01:55But parents of students that go there say there was no correspondence between them before the decision was made.
02:01I went down to find out more.
02:03We stand for the children who walked through these gates this morning, unsure of what their future looks like.
02:10We stand for the teachers who have poured their hearts into the school and were given no warning.
02:17Hundreds of angry parents and students marched at St Lawrence College in Ramsgate,
02:21all to protest the closure of the private school.
02:24This comes after the school's leaders said it would be moving to Dover College in September,
02:28which is more than 50 minutes away.
02:30The school said that without the merger, financial pressures meant they would have to close imminently.
02:34But the parents said it was the lack of transparency that was most difficult to bear.
02:39The parents say it wasn't a discussion.
02:41They were simply informed of the change.
02:43It may only be 16 miles, it may only be 45 minutes.
02:46But to these children, it's classrooms, it's friendships, it's teachers, it's bonds, it's mentors and it's sports clubs.
02:52There are some children who are on sports scholarships that simply aren't put on at Dover College.
02:57There are so many questions being raised.
02:59And you can tell there is an air of unease and anxiety among the hundreds who have gathered to peacefully
03:03protest.
03:04Those hundreds, you may be asking, where are they?
03:06They're in the school grounds.
03:08Now, we can't go in there ourselves, but we've been catching up with some of these parents to hear about
03:12their views.
03:13It's due to go into reception.
03:15So it's already at nursery here, but due to go into reception in September.
03:19And we have had all of our moving up meetings and our official offer letter.
03:24And then on Tuesday morning, we found out out of the blue that obviously the school is going to be
03:29merging with another school in Dover.
03:30Of course, for us, it's just not appropriate to think about taking a child of reception age to Dover every
03:37single day.
03:38But it wasn't just parents who were worried.
03:41It's rubbish. I wanted to stay at Ontario 13.
03:46I didn't even know what happened.
03:49It's a very big surprise to me.
03:52I asked them.
03:53I've got a lot of questions in my head like, why, what, what's going to change in the school and
04:00stuff like that.
04:01But I don't know what's going to happen.
04:03It's going to really affect the Ramsgate local economy and all the subsidiary firms that supply the college, etc.
04:11And plus the fact a lot of the staff actually live on site.
04:15So that would be forced out of accommodation.
04:17It's just unbelievable, really.
04:19It's been here 140-odd years.
04:21A spokesperson for Repton Family of Schools said there is considerable upheaval in the independent school sector at the moment
04:27with regular announcements of closures and mergers.
04:30Without immediate action, St Lawrence would regrettably have been forced to close imminently
04:34as a result of increasing costs, lower income and a historically high level of debt.
04:40This merger and the support of the Repton Family of Schools will protect the college's legacy, identity and ethos
04:45and will ensure pupils can continue their education without the disruption that would have come from a sudden closure.
04:50For now, parents and students are using a GoFundMe to raise money for legal services
04:55but the school remains steadfast in their decision
04:57while questions continue to be raised about what can be done for the future,
05:01not just of the school but of its pupils as well.
05:04Finn McDermid for KMTV in Ramsgate.
05:07Say magic!
05:08Say magic!
05:11Next, a dad from Folkestone suffered second-degree burns
05:14after a candle sparked a fire that tore through his three-bedroom home.
05:19On 22 February, Alec Carmichael's personal belongings were destroyed in the fire
05:24which has left the property uninhabitable.
05:26Mr Carmichael lived at the home for more than five years
05:28but it's been in the family for generations.
05:31Almost £2,500 has been raised to support him with his daughter
05:35saying the funds raised will be used to replace essential items
05:38and help her father get back on his feet.
05:42Next, an arts and music venue has issued an update
05:44after they were devastated by a fire on New Year's Eve.
05:48Bosses say the Alexander Centre in Favisham
05:50has been stripped in preparation for a rebuild.
05:53This comes after the fire broke out in the roof of the Gatefold Hall
05:56which has been used to host gigs and shows.
05:59A spokesperson for the venue has confirmed
06:00the aim is to reinstate the building on a like-for-like basis.
06:04The centre has asked people to continue booking and attending events.
06:09Next, a proposed new hotel in Dover
06:11has come under scrutiny by locals
06:13for being obtrusive and detrimental to the waterfront.
06:16The hotel, to be named the Electric Hotel,
06:19was given planning permission in 2020
06:21but a new revision was submitted in November of 2025.
06:25The owners say the hotel market completely fell away after the proposal
06:28and that changes are necessary for the hotel to just break even.
06:31Even the Dover Society, a local civic group,
06:34say the changes make an already poor design even worse.
06:39Now, ongoing conflict in the Middle East
06:41after the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini
06:45was assassinated by Israeli and U.S. airstrikes
06:48has left Brits, including Kent residents,
06:50stranded across the Middle East.
06:52It's been estimated that 300,000 British citizens
06:54are stuck in countries like Dubai, Iran and Cyprus
06:57after flights have been cancelled as other countries have fired missiles.
07:01But to unpack the U.S.-Israeli affront on Iran,
07:04we were joined earlier by the University of Kent's Senior Lecturer
07:07in Middle East Politics, Dr. Yaniv Voller.
07:11Thank you for joining us, Doctor.
07:12First of all, can you explain just what's happening in Iran at the moment?
07:17Absolutely.
07:19So, since Saturday morning,
07:21the U.S. and Israel have been engaging
07:26in a direct war with the Iranian regime.
07:31What started as a joint U.S.-Israeli attack
07:38on key Iranian infrastructure
07:40now seems to be escalating
07:44into a potential regional conflict
07:46with Lebanese Hezbollah taking part
07:48in the violence as well.
07:50And with the Saudis threatening
07:54to also take part in the attack on Iran
07:57in retaliation for the Iranian attack
08:00on the Saudi oil infrastructure.
08:03Some people have described the war as illegal.
08:06In your opinion, were the U.S. and Israel
08:08right to send these missiles to Iran?
08:11I'm not a legal expert.
08:13I think that the legal debate revolves primarily
08:16around the question of how you define
08:20a preemptive attack from an American
08:24and Israeli perspective.
08:26The justification for the attack
08:28is the risk of a nuclear Iran
08:32threatening to undermine regional security.
08:35The Iranians may argue
08:37that they have not directly attacked Israel
08:40since the ceasefire
08:41in the summer of 2025,
08:44after the June 2025 war.
08:47So it depends a lot on how you define
08:49the concept of a preemptive attack.
08:52Of course, the U.K. has now gotten involved.
08:54Tell us a bit about how the U.K.
08:55have gotten involved
08:56and why exactly.
08:59So Prime Minister Starmer
09:01was quite cautious in his statements
09:03in the last couple of days.
09:06Only yesterday he declared
09:08that Britain will not actively
09:10join the attack on Iran,
09:13but that Britain will offer its air bases
09:16in support of the American operations in Iran.
09:21Shortly after,
09:23a U.K. air force base in Cyprus
09:27was attacked by an Iranian missile,
09:30which I think risks drawing the U.K.
09:35move into the conflict.
09:38For the time being,
09:39I haven't seen any declaration
09:42on a significant change
09:45in the British policy.
09:48I see.
09:48Lastly for me,
09:49this has caused travel chaos
09:51across the Middle East.
09:52Thousands of Brits
09:53have been stranded in countries like Dubai.
09:55Do you have any advice
09:56for those who might be stuck
09:57in the Middle East?
09:59It seems so far that,
10:01especially for those
10:01who got stuck in Dubai,
10:03in Abu Dhabi, in Qatar,
10:04it seems that these governments
10:06have been well prepared
10:07for such a scenario.
10:09Based on the information
10:10coming out of these countries,
10:12the local governments
10:14have offered support
10:15for tourists
10:18that got stuck
10:19during their holidays.
10:21They've subsidized hotel stays
10:24for those who are waiting
10:26for rescue flights.
10:29Based on previous experiences,
10:31it is likely
10:33that the U.K. government
10:34will eventually send
10:35rescue flights,
10:36but in the coming few days,
10:39Britons who are stuck
10:41in countries in the Middle East
10:43should follow the instructions
10:44by the local governments,
10:46make sure that they don't
10:47spend too much time
10:48outside of safe zones
10:52or sheltered areas,
10:54and try not to get engaged
10:56too much in any political activity
10:59in these countries.
11:01Now it's time for a look
11:03at the weather.
11:09Well, tonight it looks
11:10to be quite a cold one.
11:12Lows of 8 degrees there
11:13in Royal Tunbridge Wells
11:14and Maidstone,
11:15highs of 10 in Canterbury.
11:16Pretty much the same
11:17going into tomorrow afternoon.
11:19More sun down south
11:20in Ashford and Dover,
11:21temperatures of 9 and 10.
11:22Tomorrow afternoon getting
11:23slightly warmer,
11:2512 and 13 degrees
11:26across the county,
11:27wind speeds of 10 and 8.
11:28And here's your outlook.
11:30Looks quite sunny
11:31for Wednesday and Thursday,
11:33but Friday's going to bring
11:34back more of that familiar
11:35cloud highs of 16
11:36there on Thursday.
11:46Now it's time for a short break,
11:48but coming up,
11:49Kent County Council
11:50are running a consultation
11:51to see if a 20-mile-per-hour
11:52speed limit should be changed
11:54in Ashford.
11:55All that and more
11:55after this short break.
26:08And that is all for your sports news.
26:20Now let's take a look at the weather.
26:27It's going to be a slightly mild night tonight.
26:29Cloudy overcast, all-round temperatures of 10 and 11 degrees across the coast.
26:33Tomorrow morning, sunny in Dover and Ashford, with light and cloudy skies for the rest of the county.
26:37Temperatures of 9 in the west and 10 in the east.
26:40Into the afternoon, warming up nicely.
26:42Highs of 13 in Ashford, Maidstone and Tombridge Wells, but a shy sun peering slightly through the clouds.
26:47And here's your outlook for the rest of the week.
26:49We'll be seeing sunny skies throughout Wednesday and Thursday.
26:51Highs of 16.
26:52And that's your weather.
26:56Well, that's all the time we have for now.
26:57See you in just a few minutes.
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30:31Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
30:35I'm Finn McDermott and here are your top stories on Monday, the 2nd of March.
30:39Save our schools, parents of St Lawrence in Ramsgate protest over merger with school 50 minutes away.
30:46I've got a lot of questions in my head like why, what, what's going to change in the school and
30:53stuff like that, but I don't know what's going to happen.
30:57Bear canvases artists to decorate 86 bears that will line a Dartford trail.
31:02So this summer we've got 86 bears in total coming to Dartford and Blue Water.
31:08We've got 30 large bears that you can see behind us that will be decorated by local and national professional
31:15artists.
31:16And back in the green, Kent MS Therapy Centre are on course to save more lives thanks to golf.
31:22This was my, this saved me when I was first diagnosed with MS because I thought it was going to
31:26be a death sentence.
31:28If I hadn't had the centre to come to I would have had nowhere.
31:40But first, St Lawrence School in Ramsgate has announced they'll be merging with Dover College,
31:46which they say is due to imminent financial pressures and to show their frustration, parents protested at the school.
31:52Without the merger, the private college claimed they would have no choice but to close.
31:56But parents of students at the school say there was no correspondence with them before the decision was made.
32:02The school serves pupils from extremely young ages, like year three, all the way up to sixth form.
32:08And I went down to find out more.
32:10We stand for the children who walked through these gates this morning, unsure of what their future looks like.
32:17We stand for the teachers who have poured their hearts into the school and were given no warning.
32:23Hundreds of angry parents and students marched at St Lawrence College in Ramsgate, all to protest the closure of the
32:29private school.
32:31This comes after the school's leaders said it would be moving to Dover College in September, which is more than
32:3550 minutes away.
32:37The school said that without the merger, financial pressures meant they would have to close imminently.
32:40But the parents said it was the lack of transparency that was most difficult to bear.
32:45The parents say it wasn't a discussion.
32:47They were simply informed of the change.
32:50It may only be 16 miles.
32:51It may only be 45 minutes.
32:53But to these children, it's classrooms.
32:55It's friendships.
32:55It's teachers.
32:56It's bonds.
32:57It's mentors.
32:58And it's sports clubs.
32:59There are some children who are on sports scholarships that simply aren't put on at Dover College.
33:04There are so many questions being raised, and you can tell there is an air of unease and anxiety among
33:08the hundreds who have gathered to peacefully protest.
33:11Those hundreds, you may be asking, where are they?
33:13They're in the school grounds.
33:15Now, we can't go in there ourselves, but we've been catching up with some of these parents to hear about
33:19their views.
33:20It's due to go into reception.
33:22So it's already at nursery here, but due to go into reception in September.
33:26And we have had all of our moving up meetings and our official offer letter.
33:30And then on Tuesday morning, we found out, out of the blue, that obviously the school is going to be
33:36merging with another school in Dover.
33:37Of course, for us, it's just not appropriate to think about taking a child of reception age to Dover every
33:44single day.
33:45But it wasn't just parents who were worried.
33:48It's rubbish.
33:49I wanted to stay here till you're 13.
33:53I didn't even know what happened.
33:56Like, it's a very big surprise to me.
33:58It's very, I asked them, I've got a lot of questions in my head, like, why, what, is it, what's
34:05going to change in the school and stuff like that.
34:08But I don't know what's going to happen in this end, yeah.
34:11It's going to really affect the Ramsgate local economy and all the subsidiary firms that supply the college, etc.
34:17And plus, in fact, a lot of the staff actually live on site.
34:21So there would be forced out of accommodation.
34:24It's just unbelievable, really.
34:26It's been here 140-odd years.
34:28A spokesperson for Repton Family of Schools said there is considerable upheaval in the independent school sector at the moment
34:34with regular announcements of closures and mergers.
34:37Without immediate action, St Lawrence would regrettably have been forced to close imminently as a result of increasing costs, lower
34:43income and a historically high level of debt.
34:46This merger and the support of the Repton Family of Schools will protect the college's legacy, identity and ethos, and
34:52will ensure pupils can continue their education without the disruption that would have come from a sudden closure.
34:57For now, parents and students are using a GoFundMe to raise money for legal services, but the school remains steadfast
35:03in their decision, while questions continue to be raised about what can be done for the future, not just of
35:08the school, but of its pupils as well.
35:18Next, controversial plans to convert part of a historic pub into apartments have been thrown out.
35:24These were concerning 280 objections to a proposal to reduce the size of the black horse in Stansted and turn
35:31it into a wet-lead micropub.
35:33Owners Danny Jarvis and Victoria Collier originally submitted proposals to Tunbridge and Moreland Council in September and said the business
35:39was no longer commercially viable.
35:42Councillors unanimously rejected the application. The venue in Tumblefield Road dates back to the 18th century.
35:49Next, Pink Pantheress was crowned Producer of the Year at the Brit Awards on Saturday night.
35:54The pop star who grew up in Canterbury made history as the first woman and youngest ever winner of the
36:00prize.
36:00The win was announced at the ceremony at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester.
36:05Previous winners include Sir George Martin, who worked with the Beatles, and Calvin Harris.
36:09And last year, as you can see here, she was made a Doctor of Music at Canterbury Cathedral by the
36:13University of Kent.
36:16Next, 86 fibreglass bears are being transported on the long journey from Poland to Dartford.
36:21But the journey of the people they're supporting is even longer.
36:24The sculptures will be decorated by schools, professional artists and community groups and will be displayed across Dartford and Blue
36:30Water to raise funds and awareness for hospice charity Eleanor.
36:35Kristen Hawthorne saw the bears being offloaded from the lorry earlier today.
36:39They've arrived looking like polar bears.
36:41But soon, they will be transformed into unique art pieces for a summer activity trail across Dartford and Blue Water.
36:48The bears being offloaded on the lorry have come all the way from Poland.
36:52This is the first batch to arrive in Dartford, and over the next few days, more and more will be
36:56coming.
36:57There'll be 30 large ones and 56 small ones, so 86 in total.
37:02And if they look familiar, that's because they're inspired by the animated adaptation of We're Going on a Bear Hunt.
37:08But this isn't just a public art project.
37:11It's a scheme to raise funds for Eleanor, the hospice charity supporting children and adults across North Kent and Bexley.
37:19So our art trail is around raising awareness about the work that we do within the community and the specialised
37:25end-of-life care.
37:26But equally, it's about raising much-needed money to ensure that our services continue.
37:31In the story by Michael Rosen, a family face obstacles they can't go over or under.
37:37They have to go through them.
37:39Eleanor says that reflects the experience of many of the families it supports.
37:43My father was in Eleanor's care when he passed away.
37:48It was actually eight years ago, last Friday.
37:51He spent time at home with my mum looking after him,
37:55and then he went into Eleanor's care for a week to give my mum some time off,
38:00and unfortunately he passed away whilst in their care.
38:03I've run London Marathon for Eleanor before.
38:06Raising vital funds for a vital charity is always a good thing to do,
38:11and with such a personal touch to Eleanor, it makes it even more worthwhile helping.
38:16Over the coming months, artists, skills and community groups
38:20will design each sculpture before they go on display across the borough.
38:25We'd encourage families to get out and try and find all of the bears over the summer,
38:28so it will be in place from mid-July to mid-September,
38:31and we'll have a trail app as well,
38:34so you'll be able to download the trail app, Dartford Bear Hunt,
38:37and you'll be able to collect all of the bears as you go around,
38:40and some of our incredible sponsors are also putting rewards in there for families,
38:44so as you collect a big bear,
38:46you might get something like a free swim at Fairfield Leisure.
38:49After the display ends, the bears will be auctioned to raise further funds for hospice care.
38:55There's certainly some Dartford-inspired bears in there.
38:58There's going to be some very shiny bears as well,
39:00so you certainly won't miss those ones,
39:02and there's a lot of nature-inspired,
39:04and those that are inspired by the book as well.
39:07So from blank canvases to symbols of resilience,
39:10the summer's Dartford Bear Hunt will help support families
39:13facing some of life's toughest journeys.
39:16Kristen Hawthorne, KMTV, in Dartford.
39:21And Kristen joins me now.
39:23I mean, what an interesting story.
39:25Our job's just interesting.
39:28So what's next for these bears?
39:30I mean, you woke up this morning,
39:31you probably didn't think this was going to be what you were covering,
39:33but tell me about what's next for these bears.
39:35Well, now that they've arrived, this is the first batch,
39:38so I think there's maybe about two or three more lorryfuls of these different bears.
39:43So once they've all arrived,
39:44they're going to be sent to the artists and the schools
39:46and the different groups that are going to be painting them.
39:49So from March this month, really, until May,
39:53that's the bears' painting period.
39:54So all the bears being offloaded then,
39:56they'll go from white to all sorts of colours.
39:59And like the woman said in the package,
40:01it is going to be shiny as well, some of them.
40:03And then they're going to have a merch shop opening
40:05where you can buy mini ones.
40:07So if you don't have a chance to paint some of the bigger ones yourself,
40:10you can get a smaller one and do that.
40:12They're going to have tea towels and cuddly bears,
40:14so lots to see there.
40:16The dates that you're going to be able to see them
40:18in Dartford and Blue Water
40:19is going to be from the 17th of July,
40:21which is the launch, until the 13th of September.
40:26After that, they're going to have a farewell weekend
40:29where all the bears are going to be in one location
40:32and you can see them all at once, really,
40:34and maybe compare your favourite ones
40:35and see what ones you like the best.
40:37And then on the 1st of October, that's going to be the auction.
40:41Some of the smaller ones have been kept over.
40:42They're just for the auction, but lots of other ones as well.
40:47And then on the bears, if you go and visit them,
40:50each one is going to have a QR code to where you can scan it
40:53and then find out more about different families
40:56that Eleanor has supported.
40:58Amazing.
40:58And what's sort of the hope for the impact of these bears?
41:02Well, for the impact, Eleanor, the hospice charity,
41:05they really just want to raise awareness for what they do
41:07and why they do it.
41:09And it's to keep their service running as well.
41:11So all the money from the auctions
41:12is going to go towards their charity.
41:15So, yeah, Sue Perkins, the Director of Income,
41:18will explain that further.
41:21So the money that we will raise
41:23will ensure that our work continues.
41:25So it's costing around about £26,000 a day
41:29to keep our doors open.
41:30We want to make sure that we're there
41:32to continue with increased demand on our services.
41:35So it's about making sure we're here,
41:38just not tomorrow, but beyond that
41:39for everyone that needs us.
41:42Now it's time for one last break,
41:44but join us after that as we'll take a look
41:46at what events are coming up in Kent
41:48as the weather starts to improve.
41:49I'll also be chatting to our reporter, Obafemi Odermayo,
41:52about some of the top stories on Kent Online.
41:54All that and more after this short break.
49:53And then we also have the grazing projects as well, so every single visit, a visitor contributes
49:57a small part to helping us deliver these bigger projects.
50:00In a world where entertainment is becoming more digital and infrastructure continues
50:05to grow, focus in the natural world can be a breath of fresh air.
50:09Yeah, it is good. I mean, for us as well, it's good. It's another part of, you know,
50:13something to educate them on as well. And with cattle and things being around, it's
50:17nice because it brings these things to life. And it's one thing being out in Kent, you
50:21get to see more of this. We're originally from London. I mean, there's a good social
50:23aspect as well, because there's no media or things around to distract you. So it sort
50:28of forces you to engage with others, which kids, it comes pretty natural to. So it's
50:32nice. No, I think to be honest, they all do a really good job. Yeah, I think they look
50:36after it really well. And whenever I come down here, it's always, yeah, it's always really
50:40well kept. And yeah, that's why I come down here. Yeah. Yeah, I think it's definitely,
50:45it's definitely not a place you'd want to start building on.
50:48Forestry England say that one of their goals for 2026 is to make visitors more diverse.
50:53They say that one way they've been able to do this is by making the trail accessible.
50:59Families could be older, older couples, trying to get more diverse people. If we've got people
51:05with accessible issues that need to want to come to site, the trail is set up that we've
51:09got hard standing paths. So it is accessible for all. And it just encourages more different
51:14groups to be able to come and enjoy it. But of course, there is room on the brim for dogs
51:20as well. Kristin Hawthorne for KMTV, Cobham.
51:26Next, a Canterbury therapy centre supporting people with multiple sclerosis, commonly referred
51:31to as MS, says it can't survive without community funding. One member told us she believed her
51:37diagnosis was a death sentence until she found help there. Now a local golf club has raised
51:42thousands of pounds to keep that support going. Kerry King went down to the therapy centre
51:47to find out more.
51:48This was my, this saved me when I was first diagnosed with MS because I thought it was going to
51:53be
51:53a death sentence. If I hadn't had the centre to come to, I would have had nowhere.
51:59MS is a neurological condition affecting the brain and spinal cord. Around 130,000 people
52:09in the UK are living with MS and an estimated 7,000 are diagnosed every year. It can cause
52:16extreme fatigue, loss of mobility, vision problems and chronic pain. For many in Kent, the difference
52:23between isolation and support is the Kent Neuro Therapy Centre in Canterbury, which is an
52:29independent registered charity providing oxygen therapy, physiotherapy, specialist exercise
52:35and emotional support. The donations that we receive from our local community are absolutely
52:41vital for allowing us to continue running the Neuro Therapy Centre. Members say it gives
52:47them strength physically and mentally. It actually changed my life for the better because I knew
52:52what was wrong with me. I met people that also knew what it was like to live with MS.
52:57But this centre receives no ongoing statutory funding from the NHS or central government.
53:04It survived on donations, memberships, grants and fundraising. Without them, the fundraising
53:11manager says it simply could not stay open.
53:14So as a centre we have to raise £800,000 a year and the donations that we are able to
53:20get
53:20from local sports groups, there's a really great way of us bringing in some of that additional
53:24funding and the generosity that we find from those groups is just absolutely fantastic and
53:30it really does make a difference of the day to day lives of our members here.
53:35This week volunteers organised a coffee open day, homemade cakes, a charity shop and fundraising
53:42activities filling the centre with supporters. And alongside that effort Hyde Golf Club raised £4,000
53:49through charity events, presenting the cheque during the open day.
53:53Morning Nancy. It's with great privilege to represent Hyde Golf Club in 2025 to hand over
54:01this cheque for £4,000 to the Kent Neuro Therapy Centre. Please accept it on our behalf.
54:07Thank you very much.
54:11For some it's therapy. For others it's friendship. For Arlene it was hope when she thought she had
54:18none. And without donations like these, that lifeline will be at risk. Kerry King, KMTV Canterbury.
54:26Next spring is on the way to Kent and we've definitely felt it this week with the warmer weather.
54:32And now we're in March. So what's going on in Kent that should be on your radar? Well, I'm
54:38joined now by Megan Shaw to tell us more and there's a lot of arts happening in March. Tell
54:42us about some of these events. Absolutely. There's quite a few, as you mentioned,
54:45that are art exhibitions in March. So all month we've got the Ukrainian Art Month and that's
54:50happening both at the Halpern Gallery in Chatham as well as the Halpern Pop-Up in Rochester. You
54:55can see some of the inside of the art gallery in Rochester there. That's open from the 5th
55:00to the 7th of April. And it spotlights six different exhibitions by different Ukrainian artists such as
55:06Anamosis and Natalia Revonyuk. And it kind of, it's about focusing on identity and community
55:13and it's free general admission as well. We've also got the My Hands and My Voice
55:17exhibition at the Beanie House of Art and Knowledge. That's this building on the screen
55:21between us. That's running from the 21st of March until mid-May. And that's been described
55:26as a posthumous mother-daughter collaboration between the mother Diana who died in 2019 and
55:31her daughter Rochelle. And it's a textile display. There are tactile cloth books. There are lots
55:36different, I suppose, patterns that Diana came up with and her daughter's taken on. So it's
55:40kind of about that familial relationship there. And as well, the historic Dockyard in Chatham
55:44is hosting the UK debut of the Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibition, which is a very famous
55:49competition. And we've got some pictures on the screen there. So we're going to have 216
55:54award-winning photographs displayed over the years throughout the competition, which is
55:59of course run by the Oceanographic magazine. And they've been selected for more than 15,000
56:03entries. So lots on to see.
56:06Absolutely. Are there any other events we should be keeping our eyes out for?
56:09Yeah, there are quite a few. Obviously we've got Easter coming up. So there's lots of Easter
56:13egg hunts round about Kent. There's quite the sum in Sevenoaks. That's on the weekend with
56:17the 21st of March in. There's also a comedy festival in Tombridge between the 6th and the 8th
56:25of March. So lots of things to keep in your diaries across Kent in all different areas.
56:29Brilliant. Thank you so much, Meg. You've been watching Kent Tonight live here on KMTV. And
56:35as always, there's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening. So don't go anywhere.
56:39And you can also keep up to date with all of our latest news by logging on to kmtv.co
56:43.uk.
56:45Thank you so much for watching and we'll see you soon.
57:15We'll see you soon.
57:16Bye.
57:19Bye.
57:19Bye.
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