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Catch up on all the latest news from across the county with Kristin Hawthorne
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00:31Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV. I'm Kristen Hawthorne and here are your top stories on Wednesday
00:37the 18th of March.
00:39Men B moving forward. Meningitis cases on the rise as Health Protection Agency prepares for vaccination programme.
00:47It went really well. The nurse was very helpful and very kind. Talked you through everything. Answered all of my
00:53questions. It was very useful.
00:54Medway incident. Police respond to an alleged stabbing in Gillingham this afternoon.
01:00We saw the SWAT team breach the house and some guy was like getting arrested.
01:06And Channel Challenge. Sheffy women prepare to swim to France for charity.
01:10While we were doing our 10 miles in 10 days, we decided that it would be a good idea to
01:17swim a channel next year.
01:28Thousands of students at the University of Kent have started to have vaccines to protect them from a deadly strain
01:34of meningitis.
01:36An outbreak has gripped the nation with two young people tragically losing their lives.
01:40There have been 20 confirmed cases so far, including a baby who's just nine months old.
01:46Our reporter Chloe Brewster has been following the story for us from the start of the outbreak and joins me
01:51now live from the Canterbury campus.
01:53Chloe, I can see students queuing up behind you for the vaccine. What is the mood like there at the
01:57moment?
02:00Yes, so as you say, I'm stood at the Sports Centre on University of Kent Canterbury campus.
02:05Students have been queuing here for a few hours now for vaccines.
02:08There has been a lot of uncertainty. I mean, students in the queue are telling me that they're feeling a
02:12bit relieved that they're being offered the vaccine at the moment.
02:14But there still is that fear kind of in the air.
02:16The vaccine rollout comes after Keir Starmer announced, West Streeting, sorry, announced it in Parliament yesterday.
02:23Keir Starmer also spoke today and reiterated the importance of anyone who visited club chemistry, getting antibiotics and the calls
02:30for vaccinations to be rolled out.
02:31We can hear a little bit more about what he said now.
02:33Our deepest condolences are with the families and friends of the two young people who've died following the outbreak of
02:42meningitis B in Kent.
02:45Others are seriously ill and this will be a deeply difficult time for their loved ones.
02:51Mr Speaker, health experts are working to identify close contacts and distribute antibiotics and will begin a targeted vaccination programme
02:58in the coming days.
02:59And can I take this opportunity to ask anyone who attended club chemistry on March 5th, 6th or 7th to
03:09come forward, please, to receive antibiotics?
03:12OK, so the Prime Minister there talking earlier today, Chloe, it seemed he wasn't sure when the vaccines would start,
03:20but that maybe changed this afternoon, didn't it?
03:25Yeah, so you hear him there, he says that the rollout is going to be in the coming days, but
03:29obviously I'm stood here, there's queues upon queues of students waiting for their vaccines now.
03:34As I say, students heard about the vaccines at about 2pm today and they came down.
03:38There are about 5,000 students that are being offered it, it's only being offered to students who actually live
03:43on the campus here.
03:45I spoke to a few of those in the queue earlier on, just to talk about how they feel about
03:49it and, yeah, going forward, what they're going to be doing.
03:54When you were told about the vaccines, was it something you were happy about or not?
04:00Yes, but, yeah, I hate needles, but, yeah, it's got to be done for a better cause, so.
04:06Yeah, I think it's good, they've done it moderately quickly as well, I think, we only got the antibiotics earlier
04:11as well, so, yeah, obviously get it out of the way, definitely.
04:16Yeah, it'd be nice and quick, ready for the last bit of term.
04:20We were all waiting for, like, official statements to be made by the University and, I don't know, I feel
04:25like we had to make a lot of decisions ourselves before anything was really said by the Uni,
04:30so I think in that regard it could have been done better.
04:32When did you find out that you were going to get a vaccination today?
04:35I found out, um, 2pm today, I think, I checked my emails and I saw that they were giving out
04:42vaccines in the hall, so, yeah, I'm quite happy about that.
04:46And do you feel safe on campus at the moment?
04:49Uh, with this vaccine, yeah, I do. Vaccine, antibiotics, I feel much safer.
04:53It went really well, the nurse was very helpful and very kind, talked you through everything, answered all of my
04:58questions, it was very useful.
05:00How long was the process? Did you arrive quite early? How long were you sort of queuing for?
05:05Well, I arrived at, uh, about half past, uh, two, so about an hour total, not too long, but the
05:14queue was a bit long.
05:17So, anyone who isn't a University of Kent student living on campus, they can still go and collect antibiotics.
05:23The Senate building here is still open, plus three more centres across Kent.
05:27As for vaccines, at the moment, only those who have been contacted, um, um, and students here, as I, as
05:34I say.
05:36All right, thank you, Chloe.
05:41But what about the rest of Kent? How is the north and the west of the county reacting to the
05:47outbreak?
05:48A student nightclub in Medway has also closed its shores during the crisis, whilst all schools in the county have
05:54been given advice to stay vigilant too.
05:57Maisie Walker has been speaking to students in Medway about how they're feeling about the news.
06:01A meningitis case has been confirmed at another university, as a vaccine rollout is underway at another campus.
06:09Canterbury Christchurch University says one of its students has tested positive, and this is linked to the initial cluster of
06:15infections at Club Chemistry.
06:18Anxiety over the outbreak is travelling far beyond Canterbury now, with Medway students' concerns that it may spread.
06:24Nightclubs are reacting quickly, such as Tappington behind me, with it actually shutting its doors to the public last night.
06:29They decided it was for the safety of their customers and staff, and will be following health reports closely.
06:35A targeted vaccination programme is expected to roll out later today, which will aim to give men B-jabs to
06:41around 5,000 students at the University of Kent.
06:44However, as pharmacies warn of a surge in demand, concerns have been raised about whether there is a sufficient stock
06:50available.
06:51MP Helen Whateley spoke in Parliament yesterday to question if these vaccinations would extend past Canterbury.
06:57And will he roll out the vaccination programme he's spoken about to local schools, including residential schools in the area?
07:05The answer seems to be no.
07:08Currently, as I indicated, there are no stocks available, but this is currently managed closely by UK SHA.
07:15And we, it's sort of a moving event, which needs to be coordinated quite closely.
07:23On another University of Kent campus in Medway, rising cases are fueling student panic and anxiety.
07:30This week, ever since we had needs, me and my friend group, we've been a little, you know, a little
07:34careful.
07:35Make sure not to get too close to other people.
07:37We're washing our hands more frequently, you know, using hand sanitizer.
07:41To be honest, I wasn't aware of the outbreak yet.
07:43Just some students, some friends of mine, told me about it.
07:46And I was kind of concerned at the beginning, because we live at the student accommodation, and we need to
07:52interact with a lot of people there.
07:53So I did find it quite concerning.
07:55To be honest, I firstly found out from some of my friends of mine.
07:59We have a group chat, and they just send a link, and we're talking about some kind of a virus
08:04we're calling meningitis.
08:06I just recognised it at first, because I went through it when I was a kid, when I was just
08:10born.
08:11Meningitis symptoms can appear suddenly, and include a high temperature, vomiting, a stiff neck, sensitivity to light, and a rash
08:19that doesn't fade when pressed with glass.
08:22Stay alert, and go to your nearest A&E immediately if you think you or someone you care for may
08:27have meningitis or sepsis.
08:30Maisie Walker for KMTV, Medway.
08:34Sue Gray from Sheppey has been campaigning for a duty of care law after her son died from meningitis in
08:402023.
08:42Matthew was only 21 years old when he fell ill in his flat and passed away two days later.
08:48A group of people failed to call for medical assistance.
08:51The campaign calls for a law, which means that it would be legally required to call for medical assistance if
08:57a person needs help.
08:59Alongside other parents, they've also been calling for better preventative care.
09:02She spoke with us earlier today.
09:04Marissa, Helen and I actually, whilst we were chatting, set up a change.org petition to vaccinate the children that
09:20actually have missed out,
09:22because they were born prior to 2015 when the vaccine for meningitis B actually got put into the arms of
09:34the children that were born after 2015.
09:39But that means that there's a group of people out there that have not had any vaccine against this meningitis
09:48B.
09:49As it stands, Marissa's change.org that she set up in memory of her son Alfie, she's got over 43
10:00,000 signatures now.
10:04And she actually had a response from the health minister last year, I think it was.
10:13And the words were something along the lines of that it wasn't cost effective and there hadn't been like enough
10:24deaths to warrant.
10:25So, and obviously, you know, watching the news now, it's frustrating and it's annoying.
10:33It makes me feel so angry that all of a sudden, because there's been an outbreak, which is something that
10:40we've been trying to prevent rather than cure.
10:44However, it makes me angry and obviously, Marissa and Helen, with parents that, you know, we've literally been talking about
10:54this for three years and trying to get the government to listen to us is literally been like knocking our
11:02head against a brick wall sometimes.
11:04And now here we are in a situation where there's an outbreak in Kent, and so understandably, as parents that
11:13have lost children already to meningitis, it is saddening, it's upsetting that other families are having to go through the
11:26trauma that we have been through,
11:29purely because the government did not listen to our pleas when we started the petition for the meningitis B vaccine
11:38to be, you know, put into people that were born prior to 2015.
11:45Of course, if you've been affected by anything we've talked about so far in our programme, head to the government
11:50website for more information.
11:52It's now time to take a short break, but we will see you very shortly for more.
11:56We'll be speaking to Julian Spinks. Bye-bye.
15:19Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight Live here on KMTV.
15:22Just before 12pm today, emergency response teams were called to Mill Road in Gillingham after reports of a stabbing.
15:30While students from the nearby college gathered around police tape, a man in connection with the incident was arrested and
15:36has been taken into police custody.
15:38I went to the scene and spoke to witnesses earlier today.
15:41In Gillingham, a man has been taken to hospital after reports of a stabbing on Mill Road shortly before 12pm.
15:48Armed officers were later seen arresting a man in connection with the incident while crowds cheered on.
15:57So I arrived here at around 10 to 1pm this afternoon where there was police tape cornering off the area
16:02and more than 100 students lined up looking on to what's happening.
16:07They've now all gone back to college, but now the police are carrying out their investigations and collecting evidence.
16:14Well, when we first got here, we were actually on that side over there and we heard people saying there
16:20was someone who got stabbed.
16:21But then later on we came over here because we were trying to get lunch.
16:24And we saw that, well, a bunch of police cars came, there was about 10 of them.
16:28And then the people inside the house kept opening the windows, which I'm assuming was to talk to the police
16:36officers outside.
16:37At one point someone opened the side door and spoke to some officers on the side.
16:41And then after like 50 minutes, this boy finally came out of the house and then they put him against
16:48the wall inside patting down and stuff.
16:49And what I assume was his mum came out afterwards in like a dressing gown.
16:53There was obviously a stabbing and then we saw the SWAT team breach the house and some guy was like
17:01getting arrested and got put in the car.
17:03And then we saw, I think it was the mother, I assume, getting walked out as well.
17:08In a statement, Kent Police said that they were called to Mill Road, Gillingham at 11.48am on Wednesday, the
17:1518th of March, 2026, following reports of an assault.
17:19Officers attended along with the South East Coast Ambulance Service and a man has been treated for an injury consistent
17:26with a stab wound.
17:27He's been taken to a local hospital.
17:29A 28-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident and remains in police custody.
17:34The victim's injuries are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.
17:39So while locals and students get to grips with the incident, many I spoke to seem disappointed but not surprised
17:45that it has happened.
17:47Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV, Gillingham.
17:50An unlicensed driver who killed a much-loved and respected schoolteacher told police he thought he struck an animal.
17:58Ben Allen, who taught at Cliff Woods Primary School, was walking to his brother's house along Station Road when Jordan
18:05Bannon hit him with his vehicle on Friday, the 17th of December, 2021.
18:10Police found the then 28-year-old after discovering a broken-off part from his car nearby Ben's body.
18:16Bannon also told the police he'd drunk at least three spiced rums and two tequila shots beforehand,
18:21but denies causing death by careless driving, as well as causing death by driving whilst unlicensed.
18:27The trial continues.
18:30Another bank branch in Kent will be closing its doors permanently tomorrow.
18:35The Santander on Cannon Street in Dover will close, a bank spokesperson said, citing a shift towards digital banking.
18:43Another 44 branches are due to be shut this year, including the Ramsgate Bank, closing on the 28th of April,
18:49and the Tunbridge branch, closing the following day.
18:52A temporary banking hub will be set up at St Mary's Parish Church, though, which will open on Thursdays,
18:58with the nearest permanent branch located in Sangate Road in Folkestone.
19:03And plans to transform a destroyed restaurant on one of Kent's most iconic harbours have been put forward.
19:11The Crabbe and Winkle restaurant was devastated by a fire in 2022,
19:15but major operators have expressed interest in transforming it into units built to attract new businesses, which could open this
19:23summer.
19:23Canterbury City Council has put the site on the market for lease and is excited to see proposals from retail,
19:29lifestyle, leisure and much more.
19:31Whitstable Harbour Board Chairman, Councillor Chris Cornell, also said this is an opportunity to take the site in Whitstable Harbour
19:38to the next level.
19:40Now, it's time to take a look at the sports news from across the county with our reporter, Chloe Smith.
19:53First up, manager Gareth Ainsworth praised players' efforts after Gillingham's 0-2 loss to Swindon.
19:59Despite admitting that defensive errors allowed the opposing team to take the game with a late second goal,
20:04Ainsworth said that they were definitely the dominant team, and that he didn't know how some of these shots hadn't
20:09gone in.
20:10Whilst the Gills had 20 attempts at a goal, they weren't quite able to make it count.
20:14For Swindon, this was their first win in Gillingham since December 1986, and ended the Gills' 13-game unbeaten streak
20:21in this fixture.
20:23Despite the loss, the game marked the first home league appearance of 19-year-old midfielder Harry Wardock.
20:28The young player from Herne Bay joined the Gills at age 11 and has been working his way up the
20:32ranks ever since.
20:34Wardock had been on loan at Cray Wanderers and had just made his league debut at Cambridge United the weekend
20:39prior
20:39and said that it's been a bit of a whirlwind, really, but that going out on loan had really helped
20:43him build his confidence.
20:45But it's not just the Gills with a recent debut.
20:47Nathan Paul Lovely, on loan from Bromley, made his goal-scoring debut at Folkestone during their 2-all draw with
20:53Dartford.
20:54Folkestone and Victor Boss, Jay Saunders, said that there's bundles more to come from him,
20:58and that despite taking him off pitch at the 61st minute, it's good for him to see what we're about.
21:04A quick look into Kent Motorsports.
21:06Ashford's Bradley Ray begins testing ahead of the 2026 Superbikes Championship.
21:11Ray was the runner-up in last season's series and is taking part in a two-day pre-season test
21:16with his team in Andalusia, Spain.
21:18Joining Ray are the team's Supersport riders Ben Curie and Harry Trulove.
21:22Ray last rode the Superbike at Bronze Hatch in 2025 and said that he's keen to blow the cobwebs off
21:28and make a head start.
21:29The championship returns in July.
21:32And last but not least, in rugby, Medway women's team fought hard against the NC1 South East leaders Hove before
21:38losing 28-20.
21:40The day saw more than 100 girls playing rugby as Priestfield hosted the Kent Under-16s Cup Final as well
21:46as the club's Under-18 girls,
21:48highlighting the significant growth of the women's and girls game at the club.
21:52Medway set the tone early against Hove.
21:54Their forwards were dominant throughout the game, but ultimately could not surpass the opposing team.
21:59The team will be facing against Aylesford Bulls ladies for their next game.
22:03Chloe Smith for KMTV.
22:15And as always, don't forget you can keep up to date with all our latest stories across Kemp by logging
22:19on to our website,
22:21kmtv.co.uk.
22:22There you'll find all our reports, including this one, about a time when I went to see the transformation of
22:28the Elvis house in Canterbury,
22:30a house which became famous in the area for a picture of Elvis Presley being placed in its window and
22:35staying up for decades.
22:37It's now been changed from an abandoned house into a house which is net zero and will be given for
22:43council homes.
22:44Take a look.
22:44It was once abandoned and boarded up, but Canterbury's landmark has now been all shook up.
22:51For decades, this house on St Peter's Place was known for one thing, the picture of Elvis Presley in its
22:58window.
22:59Now, after years of sitting empty, the building has gained another memorable title,
23:04as Canterbury City Council has completed a major retrofit to turn it into the city's first net zero council home.
23:11We started with the house completely bare brick, holes in the walls, windows missing.
23:18We've basically just given it a massive facelift thermally and aesthetically to make it a really efficient, sustainable home.
23:28The last time I was stood here, the Elvis house was just at the beginning of its retrofit journey.
23:33But just over a year later, the house is now completely finished and tenants are able to move in quite
23:38soon.
23:39But how much of a game changer is it really?
23:41So it's incredibly no condensation, no mould.
23:45It's just, I think, a game changer in terms of health and well-being.
23:50And to do this for social housing is just fantastic.
23:53The council hopes that this home could help modernise older homes across the district.
23:57I'm very excited to be in this house.
23:59It's absolutely amazing.
24:01You know, the whole house is completely passive house standard now,
24:05which means it's completely energy efficient, about 90% less energy being used to sort of heat this house
24:13and generate energy in this house, which is absolutely amazing.
24:17So, yeah, the idea is to make sure that all our stock, that is what we own in the council,
24:23is net zero by 2030.
24:27And we've just received a huge grant, Warm Homes Fund,
24:31to help deliver some of the retrofit of our council houses within our stock.
24:37So we'll be using all this information to inform that.
24:40But why did they choose to start with the Elvis house?
24:43This is a property that we've had on our books for many, many years, I think since the 1970s.
24:49And it's typical of a lot of our housing stock.
24:54So we thought when it came vacant, it was an ideal opportunity.
24:57Instead of just renovating it in the usual way and re-letting it,
25:02that what we wanted to do was use this as a project to see how close to no cost in
25:10operation
25:11we could get a council home as an example,
25:15so that we've got warm, cosy, easy to heat homes that are healthy
25:22and learn the lessons and roll it out across the rest of our stock.
25:25The council has applied to Royal Mail to officially rename the address,
25:29the Elvis house, with a plaque planned to mark its history.
25:33And with the first tenants expected by the end of the month,
25:36Elvis could soon be back in the building.
25:39Kristen Hawthorne, KMTV, in Canterbury.
25:45It's been fairly warm today, much to my surprise after I decided to wear black.
25:50But let's take a look at the weather to see if it's going to continue with the warmness.
26:00With the heat, maybe I should say, a clear night across the county
26:03with temperatures reaching 11 degrees in Margate,
26:05wind speeds of 8 and 10 miles per hour into tomorrow morning.
26:09A bright start, we've got ranges of 4 to 6, 7 degrees across the county,
26:13wind speeds of 3 and 6.
26:15Then into the PM, oh, we've got temperatures of 16 degrees down there
26:19in Tunbridge Wells, Midstone, Ashford and Dartford.
26:21And then Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we've got clear skies,
26:24getting cooler towards the end of the week,
26:2615 on Friday, 14 on Saturday and 13 on Sunday.
26:37Now, it's time for a quick break, but coming up,
26:39we'll be taking a look back at our top story this evening.
26:42Our reporter, Chloe Brewster, will be joining us live from the Canterbury campus
26:45to bring us the latest on the vaccine rollout.
26:48And KMTV health expert, Dr Julian Spinks,
26:52will be joining us to tell us more on the symptoms
26:54and what we should be doing if we're concerned.
26:56All of that and more to come. See you then.
35:52so much. And to tell us more on what symptoms we should be looking out for and what to do
35:59if you do have any concerns, Dr Julian Spinks joins us now.
36:10OK, Julian, thank you so much for joining us this evening. Firstly, can you tell us
36:14a bit about meningitis B and how it spreads?
36:17Yes, well, meningitis actually describes infection of the meninges. That's a covering
36:22over the brain that helps protect it. And it can be caused by a number of bacteria and viruses.
36:28But the most common one is meningococcus, which is a particular strain. And there are multiple
36:33strains of that named A, B, C, W, Y, all of those. Now, meningitis B is a particularly nasty one.
36:43It can spread. The fascinating thing is that 10 percent of the population have it in their throats
36:48anyway. It's only one time without coming to any harm. Among younger people, it's about a quarter
36:53of them. But if it gets past that into your bloodstream, it can cause a severe infection
36:59of the lining of the brain. And it can move on to septicemia, which is very definitely
37:03life-threatening. And that can be a very rapid change.
37:06And what are the symptoms people should be looking out for? We've heard a lot about
37:10different things, but maybe people that are worried would maybe have those phantom feelings.
37:14But what are the symptoms? Yes, it's a usual thing. It's a mix of things that actually are
37:20in multiple different diseases. But there are some specifics. It does start with things
37:24like a high fever. You can get a very severe headache associated with photophobia. You can't
37:29actually look at bright lights. You can get a stiff neck with it. You can vomit. And as things
37:35move on, you can start to get breathlessness, dizziness, start to lose consciousness. You can vomit
37:41repeatedly. And then you can get a rash that appears. And that's the septicemia rash, which
37:46if you press a glass to it, it will not blanch. You won't go away. And that's a very simple
37:51test, just using ordinary drinking glass. If you're getting those symptoms, then you need
37:57to act quickly. And it is don't wait to talk to a GP or whatever. You need to either go
38:02to
38:02A&E or if you're too ill to move to A&E, call an ambulance.
38:07OK. And with all this going on, people with different health anxieties and stuff will obviously
38:11be so concerned. What should they do?
38:14I think keep calm. And the reason is that actually this isn't particularly contagious.
38:20If you compare it with something like COVID or measles, where just being in the vicinity
38:24of someone carried a high risk of catching it, you have to be in close contact, normally
38:30over a period of time, normally in the seven days before the main person actually gets their
38:35symptoms. By close, we're talking about sharing a house, sharing a household, sharing a kitchen
38:40in student halls, maybe actually being a dormitory if you're in school. And all of those things
38:46are the case. Now, normally, they don't say nightclubs are a problem. And interestingly,
38:51the thing about sharing vapes is not considered close contact. However, in this case, it does
38:56seem that it's centred around the nightclub, which is why there's been a lot of things going
39:01out about if you went to that nightclub on 5th, 6th and 7th, then you need to seek help.
39:06OK. And as we saw in Chloe's report, we saw that students were queuing for
39:10the vaccine. But that's based on invite only. How can people know if they're eligible for
39:16the vaccine?
39:16It will be invite to start off with. There's no evidence they're going to do a very wide
39:21campaign at this moment. They're sticking to the students. And of course, in the short
39:26term, it's the antibiotics that give you the best protection. Because if you have a vaccine,
39:31it takes a couple of weeks, maybe sometimes longer, to get into weight, whereas the antibiotics
39:35are working really within an hour or two. And that's why they are offered first. The
39:41best way to get information is to actually go to the Kenton Medway Integrated Care Board
39:46website. Just search Kenton Medway ICB. On the front page, there's a link to the page with
39:53all the information about where you can get things like antibiotics if you're at risk, and
39:58also a helpline you can ring. But I would say that helpline is to give advice as to whether you
40:02should have
40:02antibiotics and vaccine. It's not actually for medical advice.
40:06OK. But there is a lot of resources out there to help people. And how has the past few days
40:11been for you?
40:12Have you had to close up shop? What have you had to do the past few days?
40:17Well, today, this afternoon, we should have had the practice completely closed, which we do once a month,
40:23to actually do training. That had to be cancelled because we were getting so many queries, and it's the same
40:28right across Kent.
40:30And we needed to actually go back and open the practice up to cope with that. Personally, I've had all
40:36sorts of media people
40:37contacting me, asking for interviews, and more than I could actually do.
40:42And in terms of the vaccines that have been given out, maybe, you've been a doctor for a long time,
40:48maybe.
40:48How many times have you seen meningitis come up in your practice?
40:53I was trying to add it up, and it's a very small number. It's about four times over 40 years.
40:58So it's not that common.
41:01The big problem for us is it's a bit like trying to defend against a supersonic jet. It comes at
41:06you very quickly.
41:07And if you're not careful and get it treated immediately, then the risk is it's too late.
41:12Right. OK. So it's rare, but at the moment, it's becoming a bit more of a problem.
41:17Yes. And I can understand people being nervous. But in reality, unless you're in that limited set of groups,
41:23it's not particularly likely you're going to catch this.
41:27OK. Thank you so much, Julian. Thank you.
41:36And if you have been affected by anything we've talked about so far in our programme,
41:40head to the government website for more information.
41:43It's now time to take a short break, but coming up, we'll be joined by two Sheppie women
41:47who will be taking on the challenge of swimming across the English Channel.
41:51We'll see you very shortly for all that and more. Bye bye.
42:01Bye bye.
42:37Bye bye.
43:07Bye bye.
43:35Bye bye.
44:07Bye bye.
44:36Bye bye.
45:20Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight Live here on KMTV.
45:24David Hockney is to unveil a large painting in the window of a Kent gallery.
45:30The installation will be displayed in Margate's Turner Contemporary to celebrate its 15th anniversary.
45:37David's work will depict a sunrise in Normandy inspired by his time in France.
45:42And this is the first time the artist will exhibit a project in the seaside town.
45:46The piece will be visible during the day and will also be illuminated at night.
45:50The painting will be revealed to the public on Wednesday April 1st and will remain on display until Sunday November
45:571st.
45:57So a good long time to see it.
45:59Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all our latest stories across Kent by logging on to
46:03our website kmtv.co.uk.
46:06There you'll find all the reports including this one.
46:11Larkfield and New Hive FC have played in Snodden for more than 60 years and have built up a dedicated
46:16following as they moved up the football pyramid to the southern county's East League, playing alongside clubs like Punjab United,
46:22Westable Town and other teams from across the county.
46:25For three years they've been working with OB Developments on plans to build 150 homes and new community sports facilities
46:31on the abandoned Oost Park Golf Club.
46:33But after the company submitted them, they've now been withdrawn.
46:37Their new proposal is aiming for 320 homes, a community hub and a grass football pitch, removing the 3G all
46:43-weather pitches, pedal tennis court and golf driving range.
46:46For the club, who are hoping to expand, it's a real blow.
46:50Yeah, well at the moment there's already no spare capacity in the local area for all-weather pitches.
47:00We're trying to really progress the club. We've done really well the last few years in promotions and we want
47:06to get promoted again this year into the Isherman South East.
47:10And you basically, you need to have a 3G in order so you've got control of your own training, you've
47:15got development of all the youth coming through, they've got somewhere to train, you've got a community club because you're
47:20all training in the same place.
47:22You know, all these things are the bedrock of what you need if you're going to progress as a whole
47:26as a club.
47:26For Larkfield and New Hyde FC, they may as well be playing on a pitch that's slanted like this, just
47:32because of how difficult it's been to get this development through the door.
47:35For three years, they've been hoping for an upgrade to their clubhouse, which would have a new tier added to
47:40it, two entirely new 3G pitches and even a paddle court on site.
47:44But once the developers withdrew that application and then changed it, the future they were hoping for isn't going to
47:51come to pass quite yet.
47:53Larkfield and New Hyde FC aren't the only ones who are opposing the new development, with the area being designated
47:58as part of the national landscape, being home to rare birds and dormice.
48:02The number of houses was unacceptable to us. It was a major development. This is national landscape land and we're
48:10trying to protect it.
48:11So we're doing a lot of conversations with councillors, we've had meetings with both borough and local councillors and communication
48:19with planners to try and protect the land.
48:21OB Developments have said the revised scheme is being designed to minimise landscape impact, maintain a clear buffer between Snodland
48:27and Burling and protect the distinct character of both settlements.
48:30The plans respond to feedback received from the local planning authority on a previous planning application and reflect a sensitive
48:36approach to landscape, access and the provision of homes and community amenities.
48:41For Larkfield, it's not just about their first team. There's youth, women's and other teams that they want to provide
48:46with a place to train.
48:47And they say they're having to start from square one for their future.
48:50Finn McDermid for KMTV in Snodland.
48:56And as I said earlier in the show, the weather has been a little bit weird recently. It was quite
48:59warm today. So let's take a look at the weather for the next few days.
49:07A clear night across the county with temperatures reaching 11 degrees in Margate, wind speeds of 8 and 10.
49:14Tomorrow will also be a bright start with Margate reaching 7 degrees in Ashford and Dover, following closely at 6
49:20degrees.
49:21Then into the afternoon we have highs of 16 degrees towards the west of the county, west and south of
49:27the county, wind speeds quite moderate.
49:29Clear skies until Sunday, 15 degrees on Friday, 14 on Saturday and 13 on Sunday.
49:43And finally, six ladies from the Isle of Sheppey will soon be taking on a 33 kilometre swim from Kent
49:50to France.
49:51The Sheppey Channel champions are a group of friends aged between 32 and 63 years old.
49:57While all are keen swimmers, none have taken on a challenge quite like this before.
50:02So, Chloe Brewster went down to meet them.
50:05Scrap Leisurely Swims, these ladies are about to be undertaking the ultimate challenge.
50:11The swim is set to take 14 to 18 hours and depending on the tide could start in the early
50:16hours of the morning.
50:17I'm not athletic at all. I'm not built like an athlete, not made like an athlete and I don't do
50:23sports.
50:24But I do love the water. I love swimming. It's kind of my place. I'm happy in the water.
50:29And I think if I can do it and I can inspire other people to do something a bit out
50:33there, out of their comfort zone, then I think that's a good thing.
50:35Yeah, I've always enjoyed being sporty in some way. But over the years, I don't know, I kind of lost
50:41that side of myself a little bit and swimming brought me back to it.
50:45But this channel swim has given me the extra to get back in the gym and do a bit more
50:50physical activity, which actually I really enjoy now.
50:54It's great. It's nice. It's nice to know that the challenge of getting to know who you're swimming with, we've
51:00already got that bit.
51:01We've all known each other quite a long time in different situations.
51:05It really helps knowing you've got people that you trust and that people are going to help each other through
51:09that kind of challenge.
51:10And in those times when it is, I don't know whether it's the middle of the night and we're tired
51:14and we're getting towards the end of it.
51:16And just knowing that we're going to be able to pick each other up because we know what each other
51:20needs.
51:20They're swimming for charity Swim Taker, a charity which provides free swimming lessons and life saving skills to underprivileged children.
51:27The group, who are raising money under the name The Channel Champions, hope to raise thousands to get more children
51:33swimming.
51:34Each year, we like to do a bit of a challenge. Last year, while we was doing our 10 miles
51:41in 10 days,
51:43we decided that it would be a good idea to swim a channel next year.
51:47We live around the beach. We live on the beaches.
51:52And it's time, you know, we just thought it's time for us to give something back.
51:55Living on the island, we know how much danger there is out here.
51:58And we've had been involved where people have been swept out to sea.
52:01And so we respect the sea, but know that everyone else can.
52:05So helping reduce drownings is important to us. And it's important. It's the theme for the charity.
52:10I mean, for me, I've got a seven year old. So and we live on the beach.
52:14We come here all the time. And it's so, so important, you know, knowing that he's safe in the water.
52:19Or even if you saw someone else struggling, knowing that, you know, he'd know what to do in that situation.
52:25And I think it's so important. It's such a great charity, you know, locally and globally for the work they're
52:31doing.
52:31Good luck, girls. Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Sheppey.
52:36Looked like a great day for the beach that day, didn't it?
52:39But joining me now is two of the swimmers, Heidi and Laura.
52:42And we've just seen you there having a swim or getting ready for the swim that you're and you're completing
52:47this challenge for the charity Swim Taka.
52:52Can you tell us a bit about this charity, first of all, so we were more. Did I say it
52:56right, first of all?
52:59Yes, it's Swim Taka or Taka.
53:04Well, none of us are 100% sure, but I think it's Swim Taka.
53:08So tell me a bit about the charity and why you're doing this.
53:14So it's a UK based charity that help international children, water safety, drowning prevention, life saving skills.
53:28And they've just recently got their first funding for the UK.
53:34So predominantly they've been worldwide, Peru, international countries, but we've now got some funding for the UK as well, which
53:44is fantastic.
53:47It sounds very exciting. And so why is this so important? Maybe how did you both get into swimming?
53:57Go on Laura, do you want to go?
54:00Yeah. Can you hear me again? I've been swimming for a long time and I got into it, my first
54:07ever job was as a lifeguard.
54:09So that was in pools, but I thought, you know, it's so important, these skills and just making sure people
54:15are safe.
54:16And then after I'd done the London Marathon a few years ago, I was looking for the next challenge and
54:22Heidi very kindly asked if I wanted to join the team.
54:25And yeah, here we are.
54:28And how have you trained for the challenge? I mean, we said there at the start that you've never taken
54:32on a challenge for this.
54:33So how are you training for it?
54:37At the moment we are pool training because the sea temperature is still sort of eight to nine degrees.
54:44So a lot of us are doing pool training sessions, sort of hour, hour and a half, and obviously land
54:52based strength training.
54:55And more recently, we are now starting to do longer sea dips.
55:02So because we have to get used to the cold water ready for our qualifying swim.
55:08So we have before we can actually attempt the channel, we have to do a qualifying swim, which is 90
55:15minutes in the water, 60 minutes out, dry dress, change, warm up, and then 60 minutes back in the water.
55:25And that has to be at a temperature less than 16 degrees.
55:29So we're now just starting to train getting cold water conditioned ready.
55:38And of course, you're a group of women, which I'm assuming is a good lot of fun sometimes as well.
55:43Has that helped with motivation for this?
55:55Yeah, absolutely. I think it's really nice that we're just all from different avenues of life.
56:01We all come together on the island, but we're all different ages as well.
56:05I'm the little one of the group. And it's just really nice knowing that you've got everyone supporting us in
56:11different ways.
56:13Fabulous. And then people will be able to go to your website and donate money if they so wish.
56:19But that would be great. Thank you so much for joining us this evening.
56:24Thank you for having us. And yes, absolutely. Anyone can donate at any point.
56:29And on our website, not only is the donation button, but there's also any fundraising events that we are holding.
56:35So anyone could come along and support. Not a problem.
56:38Fabulous. All right. Thank you so much. Best of luck.
56:43All right. You've been watching Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
56:46You can, of course, catch up on the programme on our website, kmtv.co.uk.
56:50And we'll be here again at 8pm. See you then. Bye bye.
56:53We'll see you then. Bye bye.
56:54Bye bye.
57:08Bye bye.
57:12Bye bye.
57:13Bye bye.
57:14Bye bye.