00:00A new petition has been started in Ashford to save their historic tank from potentially
00:04being moved from their town centre, but the council have said it isn't going anywhere
00:07yet.
00:08The town were gifted the Mark IV number 245 more than a century ago back in 1919.
00:14And since then it's become a local landmark, even getting its own cafe, who helped start
00:19the petition to keep it in the square.
00:21And if the tank goes, we don't have any name anymore.
00:26And that's why we do the petition, saving the tank in Ashford, and saving us as well.
00:32Because we're a community cafe, it's the old people we know each other.
00:36And we're talking about anything that's going on in Ashford as well.
00:41And I'm lucky they supported me.
00:44We didn't run in here, we don't want to move and go to different places.
00:49It's the atmosphere, it's not the same anymore.
00:52Now, it has been more than a century since this tank has seen any action.
00:56In fact, the last time that its tracks were actually used when it was driven to this spot
00:59in 1919, on the 1st of August, after being gifted to Ashford.
01:04Across the country, 260 tanks were donated to 260 towns, and this was number 245 donated
01:11to Ashford.
01:11It's been a while since it's seen any action.
01:13The last time, in fact, that these tracks were used when it was driven to this exact spot.
01:18It was brought on the train and then driven up from the station in 1919.
01:22But the council themselves have said that they haven't talked about moving it.
01:26The leader of Ashford Borough Council, Noel Ovenden, added that some initial discussions
01:31have taken place in order to understand how best we can protect this nationally significant
01:35rare tank from disappearing through decay.
01:37Some councillors have come out in support of the petition.
01:40Now, the leader of Ashford Borough Council has agreed already to a public consultation
01:44on the tank.
01:45But it's not firmly said that the World War I tank will stay in the borough of Ashford.
01:50I think what this petition is going to achieve is it's going to show the leadership of Ashford
01:54Borough Council that the public firmly want the World War I tank to stay in the borough
01:59of Ashford for perpetuity, because it was gifted to the people of Ashford and because
02:03it's a symbol of hope and resistance, and the people of Ashford want it to remain.
02:07And that's the main reason why I'm supporting this petition.
02:10A report in 2020 revealed the tank could collapse within the next 10 to 20 years, with one option
02:16being floated as its transfer to the Tank Museum in Dorset, who would restore it there.
02:20But the council say they haven't yet made a decision, and won't until the public have
02:24been consulted.
02:25After more than a century of it being there, many say it wouldn't be the same Ashford without
02:29the Mk4.
02:30Finn McDermid for KMTV in Ashford.
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