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Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Chloe Brewster.
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00:21Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:25I'm Chloe Brewster and here are your top stories on Monday the 20th of April.
00:29Up in flames, reed bed fire at a scientific site in Pegwell Bay leaves a 300 metre scar in the
00:37land.
00:38I think everything that gets burnt like this is a real shame. You hope that it's not deliberately done.
00:45Stay in your lane. Driving tests hit brakes on long distance bookings.
00:50I'm not too sure whether they actually can't get a driving test or they're playing it safe
00:56and coming to an area where they've got a higher chance of passing.
00:59And a decade on, a woodworking community in Whitstable reflects on the past 10 years of combating loneliness.
01:06So when you come here, we try to get people to open up and be part of our little community.
01:23On Sunday evening, a fire broke out at Pegwell Bay in Ramsgate.
01:27The area is a site of special scientific interest and an important nesting ground for several bird species.
01:33It's also internationally recognised as a key stopover for migrating birds.
01:37Now, that fire is being investigated as arson.
01:41To give us the details of this fire and its impact on people there, Kristen Hawthorne joins us live now
01:46from the scene.
01:47Kristen, what are the details of what happened?
01:51So it's been reported that three fire engines were sent to the scene just before 7.40pm last night on
01:59Sunday.
01:59Kent Fire and Rescue say no injuries have been reported and the cause is so far not yet known.
02:05Kent Police, however, say that they recalled two separate reports of bins being satellite in Cliffsend, Ramsgate,
02:11including Chapmans Field and Pegwell Bay, Nature Reserve, at around 8.30pm on Sunday the 19th of April, so last
02:18night as well.
02:19The fires were extinguished each time by Kent Fire and Rescue Service with no reported injuries.
02:24However, officers attended the scene and an arson investigation is ongoing.
02:28I spoke to some residents who saw the beginning of the fire and a little bit about what happened.
02:33They say that it began to my right here and then for about an hour it burned to just behind
02:39me.
02:40So this is what they said about what they saw.
02:44So I was just at my auntie's house, literally just up the road, and we were just having dinner, just
02:49normal casual Sunday evening.
02:51And then my cousin goes into the front living room, comes back in and says that it's on fire, the
02:57marsh is on fire.
02:58So we all got up, went to have a look, saw that the whole thing was pretty much engulfed in
03:04flames.
03:06And then my uncle called the fire brigade, but obviously most people have already done that, as we found out.
03:12There are a lot of unusual bird species down here that would see this reed bed as a habitat,
03:18so it's a shame that a big chunk of that has gone there.
03:25So environmentalist Nick Mitchell, who's lived in Pegwell Bay his whole life,
03:29was here at around 8.20pm last night and took some pictures and videos.
03:33I interviewed him as well to find out what he saw.
03:36This reed bed will recover really fast.
03:39The soil in there is very fertile, as you can imagine.
03:42It's been decomposing matter being recycled all the time.
03:44But if people are walking through it, that desire line of footfall will slow down that regrowth of the reed
03:51bed.
03:53So the area of Pegwell Bay is a site of special scientific interest due to its marshland
03:59and the amount of migratory birds that come over here from all across the world, the East Atlantic.
04:05I spoke to Emma Waller from Kent Wildlife Trust,
04:07who told me the impact that this burnt area could have on those animals and on the wildlife in general.
04:13And it's because of this beautiful habitat, the salt marsh, which is an irreplaceable habitat.
04:19And the reason why it's irreplaceable is because the botanical species that grow on salt marsh can only grow on
04:26salt marsh.
04:27So once that's damaged and gone, there's nowhere else for these species to grow.
04:31So there is a real risk that we have lost a whole kind of year's worth of local population.
04:38So there is a real significant impact that even if the reeds do grow, they're not going to recover in
04:45time for this breeding season.
04:48The pictures there really are shocking.
04:51Kristen, what is the atmosphere like there at the moment?
04:55Well, instantly as I arrived here today, Chloe, I could smell the aftermath of the fire so much so that
05:01it actually led me to where it happened.
05:03People in the area were stopping to take pictures and videos, and I did speak to some of them.
05:09But it's not yet known the long-term impact that this will have, and it's more of a wait and
05:13see to find out what happens.
05:16So, I mean, it could be, it could return to its former, the way it was, or it could be
05:21permanently scarred.
05:25Unusual bird species down here that you'd see this reed bed as a habitat.
05:32So it's a shame that a big chunk of that has gone there.
05:36Next, two people arrested on suspicion of murder in Sheerness have now been released on bail.
05:42It comes after a man in his 50s was found dead by police on Alma Road on Thursday.
05:48Officers believe the man died from a stab wound after having been called to the house to report of a
05:52disturbance.
05:53The next day, police arrested a 32-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman, both from the area,
05:59on suspicion of murder.
06:00They have since been bailed while the investigation is ongoing.
06:05Two men were arrested after eggs were thrown at a lorry during an anti-immigration protest in Dover.
06:11Around 20 activists blocked several Europe-bound lorries and coaches on Saturday, which led to significant traffic disruption in the
06:18town.
06:19Ahead of the event, a post appeared online describing it as an emergency protest to stop the boats and protect
06:25Britain.
06:26Video footage taken from the scene, which you can see now, showed demonstrators waving in the road and waving flags.
06:33Police arrested a 51-year-old man from the local area, as well as a 57-year-old from Suffolk.
06:39Families in Dover are still living their lives in limbo, a year after a fire kicked them from their homes.
06:45Several families were left homeless after a huge fire at Conqueror House in Crabble Hill.
06:5121 of the 37 households impacted remain in temporary accommodation, with repairs on their homes expected to continue for at
06:58least 18 months.
06:59This is what Violeta Gawin, who lived in Conqueror House for 13 years, had to say.
07:05My life is completely different. It's completely changed.
07:29A woman who nearly died in a crash near Ashford is calling for urgent improvements to the junction where it
07:34happened.
07:35Natalie Pritchard was travelling on the A20 when another driver cut her off at a crossroads.
07:40She says she was lucky to survive the crash, which left her with a fractured sternum.
07:44The 32-year-old is now campaigning for the junction to be redesigned.
07:47Kent County Council, the authority responsible, says they're aware of the safety concerns at the crossroads and last made improvements
07:53in August.
07:54A woman has been banned from every co-op in Kent after she went on a shoplifting spree and assaulted
07:59employees.
08:01This security footage shows the woman entering the store in Sturry, Canterbury and placing £88 worth of items into a
08:07basket before walking out.
08:08Staff attempted to prevent her exit and took back her haul before she became violent.
08:15Ross too was later arrested in November after another theft and was discovered to be involved in multiple cases of
08:20shoplifting.
08:20She was given a criminal behaviour order earlier this month.
08:24Now, it's easier to pass your test in Kent than it is in London.
08:29This Londoner seems to think so, travelling the 66 miles to Herm Bay to secure her licence.
08:34With waiting lists stretching on and new restrictions now limiting how far you can travel for a test, options are
08:39tightening.
08:40Maisie Walker reports.
08:46A nerve-wracking 40 minutes, months of practice put to the test, all while trying to keep anxiety from turning
08:53into costly mistakes.
08:55It's one of the most stressful experiences many of us face.
08:58A rite of passage, some may say, for those aged 17 and over.
09:02At the start of this month, while you can technically book a driving test at any centre, significant restrictions are
09:08being introduced, making it much harder to take a test far outside your local area.
09:14This is Christine, a filmmaker who travelled nearly two hours to Herm Bay to take an intensive course, after spending
09:20two years battling a waiting list.
09:23Christine lives in London, but travelled all the way down to Herm Bay to hopefully pass her driving test, which
09:29some Kent instructors say is slowly becoming a growing trend.
09:34I tried to book a test in my local area, but there were no tests available by the time my
09:38theory test would have expired.
09:40And the only nearest test centre to me was Kent, Herm Bay.
09:44So I booked it just as a placeholder until I could get my own test in my local area.
09:50But my sister, she encouraged me, she was like, why don't you just go to Herm Bay?
09:53Why don't you just go and do your test there?
09:55So I thought, why not?
09:57It was such a long wait, and this is something so many learner drivers are struggling with.
10:03You book a test, you may not pass it, and then you have to wait a year, six months, till
10:08you can get another test.
10:10That definitely did impact my driving journey.
10:12But I am happy that I've passed now, but I know that other people out there, they're literally going through
10:16the exact same thing.
10:17Last year, figures revealed Herm Bay had a 56.2 pass rate, a stark contrast to London, which sits three
10:25points below the UK average.
10:27It is one of two reasons why people are not taking a test in their own area.
10:32I think one of the reasons is that they genuinely can't get a test, so they have to move out
10:38of town.
10:39Or, they're not stupid, pupils are not stupid, they'll go online, they will Google the pass rates at all test
10:47centres.
10:48Now, we know that the pass rates in Kent are way much higher than London test centres,
10:53so I'm not too sure whether they actually can't get a driving test,
10:58or they're playing it safe and coming to an area where they've got a higher chance of passing.
11:02I reached out to the driver and vehicle standards agency DVSA for a comment, but did not receive one back.
11:10As the brakes are put on long-distant bookings, learners may find the toughest part isn't the road, but getting
11:16on it,
11:17as the journey to passing picks up a few extra turns.
11:21Maisie Walker for KMTV, Herm Bay.
11:26Now it's time for a quick break, but don't go anywhere.
11:29We have plenty more to bring you.
11:31We'll hear from a man who's more than 50 years old and has rekindled his childhood dream of playing baseball
11:36here in Kent.
11:37We'll also take a look at the weather for the coming days and hear about a great London marathon runner
11:42coming up.
11:43Thank you. We have all that and more after the break.
12:09We'll see you next time.
13:22We'll see you next time.
13:52We'll see you next time.
14:22We'll see you next time.
14:35We'll see you next time.
15:09Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
15:12Ten years after it started, the Jolly Bodgers, part of the Men in Sheds community here in Kent, are reflecting
15:19on a decade of providing a space for people to come and talk in a bid to combat loneliness.
15:23Open to both men and women, the Jolly Bodgers, the Jolly Bodgers, the Jolly Bodgers, the Jolly Bodgers don't just
15:27offer a safe environment, but they also offer the tools to revive a dying craft.
15:31We sent our reporter.
15:32Naila Mohamed down to the hut to find out what they're all about. The sound of sores, the smell
15:38of fresh wood and the hum of conversation. This hut in Woodstable is doing more than just building
15:44things. For the past decade the Jolly Bodgers have been bringing people together to combat loneliness
15:49and also keep traditional crafts alive, just one conversation at a time. But what are some of the
15:55reasons attendees come to this hut? I think primarily loneliness and a need to talk to other people
16:06and interact with other people and really just to learn woodworking skills. It's just great you know
16:15they have all the tools, much more than I've got and it's just a good company and very enjoyable.
16:23It's a really nice place to come and as you see we sit about and drink tea quite a bit.
16:29There's blokes in work, they don't talk to one another, so about their health. So when
16:34you come here we try to see, get people to open up and you know be part of our little
16:40community.
16:41You know and if someone's down a bit we can try and cheer them up a bit, you know what
16:44I mean?
16:45Behind me is Bodgers Hut, named after the craftsmen who make chair legs known as bodgers. Now bodging
16:50is a traditional woodturning craft using green unseasoned wood like this one to make chairs,
16:56tables and stools like the ones you can see in the hut behind me and that's what make this place
17:00so
17:01unique. They only use green wood. Here people can work on their own projects or they can help out
17:06in the nearby community gardens or even take part in bigger projects like this one. A two-person
17:12lightweight boat, a coracle which took just over a year to complete. But bodging is a dying craft and
17:18according to one member, it's places like these that help encourage develop practical skills.
17:23It is one of the ten at risk trades that's dying. So we just love to promote it, keep the
17:37skills going.
17:37We've now got 900 sheds like this all out of the UK. So and it's just grown unbelievable.
17:47With traditional crafts fading and loneliness rising across the county, the Jolly Bodgers are
17:53proving that community is vital and that people coming together can build more than just woodwork.
18:03Now, despite being more than 50 years old, one man has rekindled his childhood dream of playing
18:08baseball here in Kent. He's calling himself the 50 year old rookie and he started swinging for the
18:14fences, playing in the Kent Baseball Club's Division 5 side based in Tombridge. Finn McDermid went down to
18:20the club and stepped up to the plate to find out how to play. At 50 years old, I like
18:25to imagine the most
18:26exercise I'll be getting is lifting up the TV remote. But for one Kent Baseball fan, he stepped
18:30up to bat at the Kent Baseball Club in Hadlow near Tunbridge, despite his age, to play the sport he
18:36always dreamed of trying out. If you speak to my wife, you say I've got the mental age of a
18:4016 year old
18:40anyway, but the body, it doesn't keep up. I'm on my third pacemaker, which I had when I was 26,
18:46but it
18:47didn't stop me. You know, you've only got one life and I wanted to give it a go. And baseball
18:54is one of
18:54those things that I've always found passionate. I'm not one for going to the gym all the time.
18:58I do go to the gym, but who really enjoys that? I want to get fit on doing something I
19:02really love.
19:03And I felt I would love baseball. I thought I'd give it a try. And yeah, I fell in love
19:07with it.
19:08He's calling himself the 50 year old rookie and he's been documenting his experience so far.
19:12He originally fell in love with the sport after visiting family in Canada in the 80s and watching
19:17the Toronto Blue Jays. The Kent Baseball Club play in Division 3 and Division 5 of the British Baseball
19:23Federation fielding two teams, the Kent Buccaneers and the Kent Mariners respectively, who used to be
19:27separate clubs, the latter being from Medway and the former from Tunbridge until they merged to help
19:32play at numbers. Now, unlike Simon, I've never seen a game of baseball, so I felt a bit out of
19:37my league.
19:38So I took some time to make sure I've covered all my bases.
19:43Now, baseball is a pretty simple sport when you're watching it, but it's a little different when you're
19:47playing. Now, the aim of the game is to get more runs than the other team. And the way you
19:51get those
19:52runs, well, that's mainly by batting. Once you bat, you can then start to make your way around the
19:59diamond and you get one point once you reach the home plate. And reaching the home plate gets you
20:04that one run, trying to get more than the other team. And you take turns between batting and pitching.
20:11Once my catching practice was over, I learnt a bit more about the curve balls that trip up beginners
20:16the most.
20:17The first hurdle is having a ball coming towards you that's not the lightest thing in the world,
20:21that you've got to try and stop from hitting your face, I think. That's probably the hardest thing
20:25for a rookie to kind of teach them to not be scared of the ball, to put your glove in
20:29front of your face
20:31and you will be fine. That is probably the hardest thing to get through to people, especially when they
20:34haven't played a kind of batting ball sport before or one that involves kind of hand-eye coordination.
20:39That's probably the biggest hurdle. In terms of hitting the ball, people find that relatively
20:42even when they first come to practice. So I think it's more about getting over that kind of
20:47nervousness of that ball coming towards you by someone who's been playing a lot longer than you.
20:51With that in mind, I thought it was time to try out hitting.
20:55Well, it wasn't a home run, but I was happy with my hits. But next time, I think I'll bring
21:00gloves.
21:03Finn McDermid for KMTV in Hadlow.
21:07Now, owners of a pub near Westmalling were left speechless after a mystery visitor walked
21:12in and handed over an unexpected handmade gift. Mark and Louise Self, owners of the George in
21:19Trodsley, were both delighted after receiving a large knitted replica of their Grade II listed
21:24boozer. The detailed piece of work capturing the building's distinctive features in wall
21:29had been brought into the pub late last Monday. The couple now plan to place the model in a glass
21:34display so customers can see it in its glory. Now it's time to take a look at the weather.
21:47This evening is looking mild and cloudy with temperatures around 10 degrees in much of the
21:51county. Into tomorrow morning, it's looking like 9 degrees around Medway, 12 degrees in Ashford and
21:569 degrees on the coast. It's also looking cloudy going into the evening with 11 degrees around
22:01Medway, 13 in Ashford and 11 again in Dover. And now for your outlook, it's looking hotter and sunnier
22:07as we approach the end of the week. So let's hope we can catch a tan then. Not 15 degrees
22:12though.
22:23Now an autistic teenager who got into running after his attempts to visit every tube station in London
22:28will soon be running the London Marathon. 19-year-old Henry Streetfield is hoping to raise £3,000 for the
22:35National Autistic Society after being diagnosed at just three years old. Henry has a particular love of
22:41trains working at Sevenoaks train station and fostering a love of running after attempting
22:45the challenge. Henry joined us earlier to tell us more. First of all, how are you feeling with just
22:51a few days to go until the marathon? Well, that's a good question. I feel prepared for that matter.
23:00You see, one of my favourite things to do while I'm preparing for the marathon is I jog every like
23:06two to one to two days, mostly on weekends mainly. But in all fairness, I simply seem to do long
23:16runs so
23:16far. Wow. And I heard you got into running because you were attempting to run the tube challenge. So can
23:23you tell me a little bit more about what the tube challenge actually is?
23:29Well, the tube challenge involves visiting every tube station on the entire London Underground Network,
23:36not get off at, but visiting every single time in a whole day. And that involves running in between
23:44stations. So the main thing is, I run from one station to the other, like between High Barnet and
23:52Cockfosters or Morden and Wimbledon, etc. Amazing. And, you know, I know you're running for the National
24:01Autistic Society. What does it mean to you to be able to raise money for that charity?
24:05I want to raise money to help those 1% of the UK population who have autism, just like me,
24:12live a better and stronger life, just like I am now.
24:18And as you say, you've been diagnosed with autism. What's one thing you wish people knew about people
24:24with neurodiversity? What's one thing you wish you could tell everyone?
24:30I wish I could tell everyone that autism is one of the most important disabilities that anyone could
24:36have, whether you're diagnosed at an early age or whether you're diagnosed later in life. I was
24:42diagnosed at the age of three, and that's a very young age. I think it's mostly boys that are
24:48diagnosed at the age of three or at a younger age. And how far along are you with raising money?
24:55How
24:55much money have you raised so far? Oh, man, that's a good question. I've raised £3,000 so far.
25:05Good Lord. Also, I am going to put up to £3,500, of course. That is my main target, if
25:15not £4,000.
25:16And how have you gone about raising that money? I can imagine that was a bit of a challenge to
25:20get
25:20that many people donating.
25:27Well, I've had my family members and a few of my friends, including a few of my colleagues who I
25:32work
25:32for who are generous enough to give money in, especially at the near this time when the marathon
25:39is near. My donation rate has gone high. How awesome.
25:44That is really, really cool. And I know at the moment you're working for a train station,
25:49aren't you, in Sevenoaks? And I know you're passionate about trains. You've been doing the
25:53Tube Challenge. Are you looking forward to getting on the Tube on Sunday and then also then running the
25:58London Marathon too? Oh, yes, definitely am. Well, I cannot wait to travel up via train on all the
26:10way to London on Sunday and then go to Greenwich and especially what I'm associated with the capital
26:16as well and its transport system. Thanks to Transport for London.
26:22Thank you so much for joining me, Henry. That was really, really great.
26:27Best of luck to Henry there this weekend. Now, you've been watching Kent Tonight live here on KMTV.
26:33There's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening. You can tune into that at 8pm.
26:38Thank you so much for watching. Goodbye.
26:53On this Monday, we'll see you from the next time.
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26:59The KMTV is a great way to work together.
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27:00So your partner you can tune in to the KMTV,
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