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Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Kristin Hawthorne.
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00:30Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
00:34I'm Kristen Hawthorne and here are your top stories on Wednesday the 8th of April.
00:39Summer comes early. Mini heatwave brings temperatures of 23 degrees to Kent.
00:44We decided we were just going to go and enjoy a bit of sunshine and grabbed a few bags.
00:49You wanted to, you fancy testing out your new tool didn't you?
00:52Historical hit back. The Thanet town pushing back against development
00:56after discovery of 400-year-old trust.
01:00This is really about the rule of law.
01:04And going full circle. Veterans Sailing Charity visits Medway on its journey across the UK.
01:11Coming up the river into Chatham yesterday was a unique experience.
01:14Being able to birth here in the dockyard is really fantastic.
01:27Our top story tonight.
01:29Loyal viewers of KMTV will have seen over the past few months
01:32that we've been reporting live during a whole host of terrible weather.
01:36Whether that's rainstorms, snow or even a fire.
01:40So today on the warmest day of the year so far,
01:42we're joined by Finn McDiarmid who's enjoying the Gillingham climate.
01:45Finn, hi are you?
01:49Well Kristen, I'm doing very well. Thank you for asking.
01:52In fact, the sun is nicely settling down.
01:54It's getting a little bit cooler.
01:55We're getting this nice breeze here at the Strand off the river Medway.
01:58But as you say, it's exceptionally hot for this time of year.
02:02You don't tend to get these kind of temperatures until we get into the summer.
02:05It was 23 degrees earlier in Gillingham.
02:07It's cooling slightly now.
02:09And this is almost a trailer for what's to come in the summer
02:11which is going to have some record high temperatures.
02:13Now, we're not officially allowed to call it a heat wave.
02:16Just don't tell the Met Office.
02:18We're calling it a mini heat wave.
02:19And that's all because it's only lasting one day, these hot temperatures.
02:23I've been out in Gillingham getting a bit of an idea
02:25about how Gillingham likes to spend the hot weather
02:27and just how we can stay safe while we're doing it.
02:30Let's have a listen.
02:31We're just going to go and enjoy a bit of sunshine
02:33and grab a few bags.
02:36You fancied testing out your new tool, didn't you?
02:39Because I really like animals and I sold all of the litter
02:43and I wanted to help out with the animals and stuff.
02:48Yeah, it's my hobby, learning to fly a new drone.
02:51I just want to fly.
02:57Nice, nice.
02:58And what do you guys do to make sure you stay safe in this?
03:01Drink a lot of water.
03:02Don't wear coats.
03:05Wear outfits like this and generally stay in shade and that.
03:08You've got to wear your sun cream.
03:10You've got to wear like a hat or something
03:12so you don't get burned or anything.
03:13And you don't wear too much clothes
03:15so you don't get overheated and stuff
03:16and drink plenty of water when you sleep.
03:19Well, Finn, we have some local tips
03:21or some tips there from local people
03:23but how else can we stay safe in the heat?
03:27Well, there's plenty of ways we can stay safe
03:30and still have a good time.
03:31Make sure that you're applying sunscreen
03:32about every two hours
03:34and especially if you've just gone in the sea
03:36or you need to wash off,
03:38maybe rinse and add that again
03:39just to make sure.
03:40Also, especially if you're going out
03:42between the hours of around 12 and 3 p.m.
03:45That's when the sun is at its hottest.
03:46As well as that,
03:47you want to make sure
03:48that you're getting enough hydration.
03:50But we can hear more about
03:51if you're planning to go
03:52to any of Kent's lovely beaches
03:54to enjoy this weather,
03:55exactly how you can stay safe,
03:56especially with recent sewage discharges
03:58across the county's coastlines.
04:00Let's have a listen.
04:02So, you know, if you know it's rained,
04:03especially if it's rained,
04:05you'd be careful not to put your head
04:06in and things like that.
04:07If you're worried that you've come out
04:08and you've seen sewage,
04:09like we always, you know,
04:10recommend things like washing your hands
04:11before you eat, stuff like that.
04:13If you do, unfortunately, get sick,
04:15you can also log your sickness case with us.
04:17So through the Safety Seasons
04:18River Service app or online,
04:20if you think you've been sick
04:22because you've been swimming in sewage,
04:23you can log that with us
04:24and we will feed that into our database
04:26and that's part of our campaigning
04:27as we talk about how many people get sick
04:29if they've been in the water
04:30and it's been contaminated.
04:35Yep, so just a few tips there
04:36about exactly how you can stay nice, safe
04:40and, you know, make sure you don't get sunburnt
04:42with this nice weather.
04:44Now, we can also take a look
04:45at your weather forecast.
04:46So don't just take my word for it.
04:48Let's have a look at your next few days
04:50and how it's going to look.
04:58Well, it's a warm one tonight.
05:00Not a cloud in the sky.
05:01Temperatures reaching highs of 14
05:02in Dartford and Medway,
05:03slightly cooler in the rest of the county.
05:05Clear skies into the morning.
05:07Temperatures highs of 16 in Canterbury.
05:08Temperatures of 14 and 15
05:10for the rest of the county.
05:11Into the evening now,
05:12temperatures shooting up
05:13to around 20 to 22 degrees
05:15across the county.
05:16And for Friday and Saturday,
05:17it's going to be cloudy
05:18with the sun peeking out on Sunday.
05:20Temperatures between 11 and 13.
05:32Fin McDermott there,
05:33bringing us the weather.
05:34But now, the will of a 17th-century nobleman
05:38could derail the development
05:39of a large estate in Thanet.
05:41Plans for 1,600 homes in Birchington
05:44that have previously been approved
05:46by the Thanet District Council
05:47have now been put on pause
05:49as campaigners say the land
05:50may still be bound
05:51by centuries-old charitable trust.
05:54Over 2,000 locals
05:55have objected to the development,
05:56but campaigners say
05:57this isn't a case of being NIMBYs.
05:59It's following the rule of law.
06:01Chloe Brewster headed down to the land
06:03to find out more.
06:04This farmland in Thanet
06:06is earmarked for a 1,600 home estate,
06:09but after the discovery
06:10of a 17th-century will,
06:12the development could be thrown into question.
06:15This application was put in years ago,
06:18and I suppose that I had run on the assumption
06:21that the authorities would do their thing,
06:24they'd do their due diligence.
06:26And I was really surprised,
06:27I must admit,
06:28when five years into the process,
06:32nobody seemed to be able
06:33to answer the most basic of questions,
06:36who owns the land and why.
06:38This is really about the rule of law.
06:42And yes, of course,
06:44we all understand that houses need to be built,
06:46people need somewhere to live.
06:49But property and law
06:53is the very basics of the English legal system,
06:56and we can't just ignore it
06:58because it's old.
06:59The document,
07:00which is over 380 years old,
07:03sets out that the land
07:04should be used to fund scholarships
07:05for young people born in Fannett.
07:07David set up the Fannett Trust Association
07:09in hopes of giving a voice to the community
07:11who, according to the will,
07:13should receive the benefits of the land.
07:16The development was approved
07:17by Fannett District Council last December,
07:19but now a joint judicial review
07:20posed by the Fannett Trust Association
07:22and Birchington Parish Council
07:24means it would be questioned in high court.
07:26While the judicial review
07:28won't bring up answers
07:29of what should actually happen to this land
07:31and who exactly owns it,
07:32it will reveal whether Fannett District Council
07:35followed the right procedures
07:36before permitting the development here.
07:39We picked up on a range of issues
07:41that we felt were quite substantial issues
07:44on planning matters
07:45and took those forward
07:48to our legal advisors in January
07:50when the time came.
07:52They examined it
07:53and they felt there wasn't enough information there,
07:56there wasn't enough substance
07:57to put together what they felt
08:00was a really robust appeal for a review.
08:04Then, of course,
08:06the Fannett Trust Association stepped up.
08:08Yes, we need more homes,
08:10we need homes for local people
08:11at prices that suit local budgets
08:15and it's not the place for large townhouses
08:18that cost fancy prices.
08:21A spokesperson for Fannett District Council said,
08:24We're aware of the judicial review application
08:26and are waiting on the High Court's decision
08:28on whether the case will progress.
08:30For now,
08:31the land continues to be enjoyed
08:32by dog walkers and nature lovers
08:34and many here are hoping
08:35that the development
08:36doesn't mark a historically wrong decision
08:38for the area.
08:39Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Birchington.
08:43Almost £10,000 has been raised
08:45for the family of a victim
08:46of a suspected murder
08:47and an appeal for a crime prevention charity
08:50has been set up in his memory.
08:52Nineteen-year-old Ashton Harrington
08:53was killed in Belmont Road
08:55in the early hours of Good Friday
08:56and is understood to have been known
08:58to the alleged offenders.
09:00Reporter Naila Mahamad joins me
09:02in the studio now to tell us more.
09:04Naila, tell me the details
09:05of this suspected murder.
09:07So Ashton Harrington, like you said,
09:09was found dead in Belmont Road
09:10on the early hours of Good Friday morning,
09:123rd April.
09:13The cause of death is believed to be stabbing
09:16and, like you said,
09:16it's understood that he was known
09:18to the alleged offenders.
09:20And now officers attended the scene
09:22at 2 o'clock in the morning
09:23on the 3rd of April
09:24and an air ambulance landed
09:26at a nearby recreation ground
09:28just an hour after.
09:30Detectives are currently wanting
09:32to locate both Tobias Abahe
09:35and Kieran Barnes,
09:36who you can see on screen now,
09:38and they are wanted in connection
09:39with the incident that happened
09:41in Whitstable.
09:42It's also understood
09:43that they have links
09:44to Herne Bay, Whitstable,
09:46Canterbury, Sittingbourne,
09:47Ramsgate and London.
09:48But the forces have confirmed
09:50to us still
09:51that these two men
09:52have not yet been found
09:54and are still wanted
09:55in connection
09:56with what happened.
09:57So the family then
09:59of the victim
10:00are looking for support.
10:02Can you tell us a bit about that?
10:03Absolutely.
10:03So they've set up
10:04two fundraisers at the moment.
10:05The first fundraiser
10:07is to help the family
10:08fund the funeral costs
10:09because it's believed
10:10that Ashton didn't have
10:11life insurance.
10:12So some of the funding
10:14would be used
10:14for the funeral.
10:16The second fundraiser
10:17is used to support
10:19crime prevention charity
10:20working across communities
10:21in Kent.
10:22The total amount raised
10:23was around £10,000.
10:25But Daniel Collier,
10:26who started the original
10:27GoFundMe appeal,
10:28warned of a fake page
10:30taking people
10:31to a PayPal site
10:32which was not set up
10:33by the family.
10:34So she wants people
10:35to be conscious
10:36and be aware that,
10:37you know,
10:37just be aware of where
10:39you're sending the money to.
10:41But as we just saw
10:42on screen there,
10:43dozens of tributes
10:44have been put out
10:45on Whistable Town
10:46Football Club
10:47in condolence
10:48to Ashton Harrington.
10:50And so speaking
10:52of knife crime,
10:52the government
10:53has made an announcement
10:54yesterday about plans
10:55to tackle this.
10:56Can you quickly tell us
10:57a bit about this
10:57as this is something
10:58you've been looking at
10:59a few times this week?
11:00Absolutely, yes.
11:01So the government
11:02yesterday has announced
11:03that they're going to give
11:04£1.2 million
11:05in funding
11:06to around 250 schools
11:08across the UK.
11:09And what this does
11:10is it's going to give
11:10extra support
11:11to mentoring tutors
11:14and providing support
11:15for students
11:16who may be at more risk
11:17or more vulnerable
11:18to knife crime
11:19and even in providing
11:20some funding
11:21for chaperones
11:22to and from school.
11:23Because what the government
11:24wants to do
11:24is they want to tackle
11:26areas of school
11:27and where they're most
11:28at risk of high knife crime.
11:29And what they've done
11:30is they've come up
11:31with a tool called
11:32Hyperlocal Mapping.
11:33And what it is,
11:34it literally details down
11:36to 0.1 square kilometers
11:38of the areas
11:39most at risk
11:40of knife crime.
11:41And they can target
11:42those areas
11:42and ensure pupils
11:43are protected.
11:45Thank you, Nila.
11:46Now time for a quick break.
11:48But when we come back,
11:49we'll be telling you
11:50an inspiring story
11:51of a Kent-based
11:52social media influencer
11:53who suffered
11:54a life-changing injury.
11:55All of that and more
11:56to come in a few minutes.
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15:00.
15:18Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV. Social media influencers Josh and
15:24Rachel Harcourt are the faces behind Love Food, Eat More. It's a series that reviews
15:29Kent based restaurants on their food but also their accessibility for wheelchairs. In 2004
15:35Josh had a life altering accident whilst training to become a world class gymnast. He had broken
15:41his neck at Pegasus Gym Club near Maidstone resulting in him unable to use his legs. Josh
15:47and his parents went through court to receive a payout of £6 million to compensate him for
15:52the injury. Kent Online's Joe Crosley has been finding out more.
15:55What we do is we try and visit as many foodie spots in Kent as we possibly can. It's a
16:01huge
16:01place so we've done over a thousand now and we're working through our list that people
16:07kind of give us but the idea is to just shout about Kent Businesses foodie spots that we love
16:12and focusing a lot on accessibility of those places and sharing it with followers who might
16:18not know about them, who might not feel confident enough to get out and try them so we're telling
16:24them about them. You'd think that in this day and age that most places would be accessible
16:28but they're not, you were telling me. Yeah so I think lots of places are and lots of people
16:35make an effort but unfortunately, what would you say, how many places aren't they?
16:41Places we've been to, I'd say 80% are accessible. Yeah so there's work to be done but what's nice
16:46is
16:47that places that we visit where the accessibility is not great we've been able to feed that back to
16:51them and some places have actually made changes they've bought portable ramps somewhere built
16:56a ramp for us so it's nice that we're able to do that for businesses and other wheelchair users as
17:02well isn't it?
17:03So back in about 2019 it was I think I started wanting to do an accessible travel blog and
17:09just realised that there wasn't really enough content there for me to be able to sustain it basically
17:16and then we just thought what else could we do to incorporate what we enjoy doing,
17:22the travel side of it, the wheelchair side of it and it was like well food makes the most sense
17:28really.
17:29There was plenty of action for the football teams in Kent over the Easter weekend.
17:33Tom Fulliger rounds up the latest sports news in the local area.
17:44Hoxton goalkeeper Ted Collins is optimistic that his team can carry the momentum from their title
17:50winning Ishpian Premier season into the next campaign. Invicta will be playing in National
17:55League South next season against other Kent sides like Maidstone, Tunbridge and Ebbsfleet if they stay
18:01in the league. Asked what he is most excited about with the prospect of playing at step two,
18:06Connins replied, I think just trying to carry on that buzz from this season. It's almost the case of
18:12why can't this carry on? I'm now more motivated and even more excited to sort of carry this on.
18:18I'd love to experience this again. Gillingham's owners have apologised for the club's on-field
18:23failings this season as they look to encourage fans to secure their seats for the 2026-27 campaign.
18:30Season tickets have gone on sale with a slight increase in cost and owners Brad and Shannon
18:35Gannonson have assured fans there will be large scale substantive change this summer. They wrote
18:41to fans saying, we won't sugarcoat it, this has been an incredibly difficult season and we know you
18:48felt it. The results on the pitch have not been what this community deserves and for that we are truly
18:54sorry. What has never wavered is you through the frustrating afternoons and the
18:59long away trips. Your loyalty and passion for this club have meant everything to us.
19:03Dartford manager Aidy Pennock insists his team need to win their last three matches to stand any
19:09chance of making the Ishmian Premier playoffs. The darts closed the gap on the sides above them to two
19:15points after drawing 2-2 with Carl Shanton and beating Chatham 3-2 over the Easter weekend. Three wins
19:22might not be enough if Brentwood and Chatham don't drop any points in the last fortnight of the season.
19:27Pennock said, it's got to be three wins. The other teams are ahead of us. They're in the driving
19:32seat. We can only concentrate on ourselves. If we go lose, lose, lose then it's all over anyway so we
19:39need to get three wins and see where it takes us. Ryan Maxwell is determined to help Welling United
19:45fulfil their potential after signing a two-year contract to continue as manager. The deal was
19:51announced over Easter as the Wings continue their push towards Ishmian Premier safety. Maxwell,
19:57who took charge last November, has led Welling out of the bottom four. Maxwell said, it was something
20:03we discussed earlier and the hands were shaken but the club wanted to make it a public thing and do
20:08it
20:08the right way. I've poured absolutely everything into this so my commitment was never in question.
20:21And now don't forget you can keep up to date with all our latest stories across
20:25Kent by logging onto our website kmtv.co.uk. There you can find reports like this one.
20:31We have plenty of oddly named places in Kent. Noah's Ark, Fong Lane and Tickle Belly Alley to name a
20:37few.
20:38But one of the most loved is without a doubt Sandwich in the South East. And while I can imagine
20:44locals may be a tad fed up of the sarni-themed jokes levelled in their direction, today's event gathered
20:50lovers far and wide to the Crispin Inn in the town. Yes, the Crispin Inn. They were there to taste
20:58an
20:58authentic Sandwich Sandwich. The first ever sandwich was said to have been crafted in 1762 by John Montague,
21:06the fourth Earl of Sandwich. It was said to have been because he wanted to be able to eat without
21:11having to use cutlery or taking a break from his gambling, allegedly. This way he could eat as he
21:16played using the bread as kind of a two-part edible plate. But what does that sandwich actually look
21:22like? So there's bread, of course. There's prime steak, beef steak, which is excellent. There's
21:31Christmas pudding. Christmas pudding in a sandwich. But what do Papa Revelers think of it? It's really
21:36good. I was a bit sceptical at first, but it actually really works together. It's unbelievable.
21:43It's very, very generous. Christmas is going to look a whole lot different now when I get my Christmas
21:47pudding. So I've just been served up the sandwich. I've taken my first few bites. So I feel like I
21:53can give a decent review so far. So it's a bit strange, right? So you've got your bread, you've
21:58got your beef, got your pickle. Very, very typical. But then there's like a Christmas pudding in it.
22:03It might have changed my favourite. Although the campaign is a marketing stunt, Mayor Emmett says it's
22:08done a world of good for the town, with even the local councillors getting involved.
22:12Before there were BLTs, before there were coronation chickens, there was the first sandwich.
22:19When it was announced to me, I just thought it was a great opportunity to sell sandwich to the wider
22:26community and hopefully instill some more tourism into the town. It hasn't cost us anything. I think
22:32it's all been run by a national company. We would have been silly not to buy into it. And, you
22:40know,
22:40we know how this works with social media. There's a ripple effect. People will share,
22:44people will talk about it and then people will actually think, let's go and visit.
22:48Let's have a toast to sandwich.
22:53Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Sandwich.
23:00And finally, after nearly two years of planning, Veterans Sailing Charity Turn to Starboard is
23:06sailing 2,000 miles across the UK and has paid a visit to Kent. Docking at the historic dockyard in
23:12Chatham, the Full Circle Expedition will teach Veterans Sailing and raise awareness of the Invictus
23:17Games taking place next year. Our community reporter, Henry Luck, reports.
23:22Turn to Starboard has paid a visit to Chatham's historic dockyard to raise awareness of the skill
23:32of sailing. Sailing across the UK on the two tall ships, Pilyeu and Spirits of Falmouth, this cruise mission
23:44began in Falmouth last month, intending to journey 2,000 miles and visit 22 ports around the country.
23:57It is amazing and actually each port is different. So I'm a lifelong sailor and that's why I decided to
24:03help the charity in my retirement. But the opportunities it's even given me as someone who's
24:10sailed all over the world in different places to actually explore the different ports on the
24:14journey around is already proving amazing. Coming up the river into Chatham yesterday was a unique
24:20experience and being able to berth here in the dockyard is really fantastic and the group of
24:25trustees and the charity were so grateful to the dockyard for their support in this.
24:29Chatham Historic Dockyard is just the fifth stop for this group and as you can imagine,
24:35by the sounds of the river Medway, the wind and the seagulls above, it's constantly an exciting adventure.
24:43As well as promoting the Invictus Games taking place next year, this charity is also raising awareness
24:52of how sailing can not only bring joy but save lives.
24:58We say at the charity that turned a starboard that we get to change lives and very occasionally we
25:06get to save a life in terms of helping people to address the challenges that they find in post-service
25:13life. Personally I think it's really, really important work. That thing of changing people's
25:22lives and occasionally saving their life, I don't think that's much more important than life.
25:27The organisation was even paid a visit from Medway Council's Vince Maple who talked about how vital
25:35their work is, especially since Medway has an above average population of veterans.
25:43Well it's fantastic to be on board the Pellew which is taking part in the turn to starboard full circle.
25:52This is a voyage of two ships around the UK. Fantastic to join the crew here and it's really
25:59important for us here in Chatham and wider Medway recognising our naval and kind of history on the
26:06water to welcome such great vessels to our community. With this team's journey set to continue there are
26:15hopes for smooth and merry sailing on their mission. Bon voyage turned to starboard. Henry Luck for KMTV
26:26KMTV in Medway. And that's it, you've been watching Kent tonight live on KMTV but there's more news
26:33made just for you throughout the evening and don't forget you can always keep up to date with the
26:39latest news across the county by logging on to KMTV.co.uk and throughout your evening until our
26:45program at 8pm. Be sure to enjoy that hot weather while it lasts. See you soon, bye bye.
27:17you
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