- 2 days ago
Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Meghan Shaw
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:20Good evening and welcome to Kent Tonight live here on KMTV.
00:25I'm Megan Shaw and here are your top stories on Tuesday the 26th of May.
00:31Turning the page, Kent County Council opens first new library in 14 years.
00:38To be able to come into a space like this and just be like, actually we can share these
00:42stories with people, we can get inspired by it and we can talk about it, it's just so
00:45magical.
00:46Out of the box, Kent's young goalkeepers react to under sevens no longer having the position
00:52between the goalposts.
00:54It's tough to tell them that they're essentially not going to be able to play in goal next season.
00:59And this is for you, Rhys and Charlie.
01:02Maidstone United Raiders hosts charity match to remember two lost members.
01:07We've had a fantastic day, the weather's been brilliant, it was a 10-2 stonker to the rectory.
01:24But first, our top story tonight.
01:27Folkestone finally has a new library after more than three years of being left without vital
01:32services.
01:33The previous Grace Hill site was closed in December 2022 over safety concerns.
01:39But as our local democracy reporter Olly Leader has been finding out, the new town centre facility
01:45could be the star of a new chapter for the county's libraries.
01:48This is the first new library provision in Kent for the last 14 years.
01:57A new library in the heart of a coastal town left without a community space like this
02:04since 2022, when Folkestone's Grade 2 listed Grace Hill site was shuttered over concerns around
02:13the building, sparking public outcry over losing a beloved space.
02:19In comparison to the previous site that we had on Grace Hill, there'll be a lot more.
02:25There'll be a lot more customers, a lot more interest generated.
02:27It's a newer space, it's more accessible.
02:31A new library opening is a rarity in the world of cash-strapped councils.
02:37It was just two years ago, Kent County Council was considering closing
02:42some of its then 99 libraries to save money, something the authority has turned a page on,
02:51with plans being considered to even expand the service.
02:55We were given a list of 34 libraries that were going to have to be closed.
02:59And when I saw that list, I looked in horror.
03:02You can't go cutting community assets from, you know, local residents.
03:08Folkestone has been without a library like this one for the last three years,
03:13instead relying on limited and temporary provision.
03:17This space, built from the ground up in the heart of the town centre,
03:22not only provides books and magazines, but adult education, registration of birth and death certificates,
03:29and, of course, free Wi-Fi.
03:32People I've been speaking to have come in on opening day,
03:35say they've been crying out for a space like this.
03:40Now that, like, I've been in here about five minutes,
03:42and already I've had multiple people come up to me and be like,
03:44isn't this amazing? Like, isn't this just so nice?
03:46And I think it is just one of those things that, like, there's a kids section over there,
03:49and kids are just sat reading books and going through things and finding all things to be excited about.
03:54I'm really happy because of mobility issues. I can't get down to the old library, not for years.
04:03And also, for people that have got cars, parking is going to be so much easier.
04:09Having, like, accessible and places where you don't have to spend money to be there,
04:13like, there's not enough of that in Folkestone, so, yeah, I'm excited about it.
04:18When I left, the centre had only been open a few hours,
04:22but already families and friendly faces were making themselves at home,
04:29closing a chapter on a town left library-less for years.
04:34Olly Lieder in Folkestone.
04:37And after outages starting on Saturday,
04:40water supplies have begun to return in some homes in Ashford and Maidstone.
04:45South-east water supplies filled in villages Charing, Chollock and Molash in the world of Kent,
04:50and Ulcombe Hill near Maidstone, during some of the hottest days in May ever recorded.
04:56The company stated around 800 households were affected in total
05:00and warned that customers on higher ground or at the far end of supply networks
05:04may still experience low pressure or interruptions, particularly during peak times.
05:09Some residents across the county are still facing disruption as the heat wave continues.
05:15And will that sun continue? Let's find out.
05:22The weather tonight is going to be very hot.
05:25Most of the county around 18, 19 degrees, highs of 22 in Dartford.
05:29For the rest of the morning, it's clear skies again as that heat wave persists.
05:35Highs of 21, so a little bit cooler into the afternoon.
05:38Again, your highs at 24, cooling down from the Levant holiday weekend.
05:44And your outlook for the rest of the week.
05:45Keep your sun cream on, keep hydrated. Highs of 27 Thursday Friday, dropping down to 24 on Saturday.
06:00And while the sunshine is here to stay, what can we do for our pets?
06:04Well, earlier today, I spoke to Marcus Alvazar and our KMTV pooch, Luna.
06:11Of course, Marcellus, it's been a very hot bank holiday weekend for us.
06:16We've got the KMTV pooch on the sofa with us.
06:18So how can, you know, members of the public at home keep their pets safe?
06:23It really is our responsibility to recognise the signs of heat exhaustion.
06:27Because dogs will pant excessively, they'll drool excessively.
06:31They may even gain a dark purple tongue or become lethargic.
06:35But once you recognise these signs, it's really important you seek immediate vet attention.
06:41Because, you know, you're trying to avoid long-term health issues.
06:45Absolutely. And of course, Luna looks like she wants to go for a walk right now.
06:49But even in this hot weather, dog walkers, you know, dogs still need to be walked. Is that right?
06:54Yeah, but we have to be extra careful. While it does depend on the dog's breed,
06:58their size, their age, their health, you know, a good rule of thumb is that if it's
07:02too hot for your bare foot to go on the pavement, it's too hot for your dog's paws to go
07:08on a walk.
07:09But some pet owners will get around this by going earlier in the morning or later on in the night
07:15when the temperature drops. Or they'll just miss it for the day.
07:19And with highs of 32 today and 24 tomorrow, pet owners must be extremely vigilant.
07:25As you can see, 32 plus is, you know, a major risk for heat stroke, which is really dangerous.
07:30But don't just hear it from me and the dog. I spoke to an expert earlier.
07:33I think we we don't always keep track of it. But if you have a rough idea of how low
07:40your
07:40dog's water bowl, your cat's water bowl, your rabbit's water bottle goes,
07:44then you've got an idea of are they drinking adequately for this hot weather? Are they
07:49actually taking more water in? One of the things that I do sometimes worry about is if the dog is
07:54already quite hot, actually putting it getting completely soaked sometimes isn't as effective
08:00as you would think it would be. We don't generally, if we do have dogs in that are warm here,
08:05we'll use cool towels or generally try and put them on their undercarriage where there's less fur
08:10to try and help bring their temperature down. And what else can pet owners do then, Marcellus?
08:15Well, you know what, we can keep it fun for ourselves and the dog because why not keep some
08:20cool ice treats in the freezer? You can give the pet ice popsicles or freezing your pet's
08:27favourite fruit and vegetable. Just make sure to, you know, watch your dog as they're chowing down
08:32to prevent choking. Oh, you're really loving this. It's time for an ice pop I think, baby.
08:38And you can even set up a really cute paddling pool in the backyard for some of your more active
08:42dogs.
08:43Like Luna. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for joining us, Marcellus. And Luna. Now, the government have
08:52recently announced their Great British Summer Savings Campaign to help make Family Fund more affordable.
08:56So, I spoke to the CEO of the Kenton Victor Chamber of Commerce.
09:01Thank you so much for joining us, Tudor. So, first of all, last week the Chancellor announced
09:06that the government are introducing a temporary reduced rate of VAT for supplies of children's
09:12meals and tickets to certain attractions. But, I mean, first of all, what does a 5% reduced rate
09:19of VAT mean? And what could it mean for families in Kent?
09:24Well, of course, the hope is that the reduction in VAT will essentially encourage more consumers
09:30to come out to use the hospitality, the leisure, the tourism locations. And that's an industry,
09:35a particular sector, that we've seen being quite hard hit, ironically, by some of the policies the
09:41government have put in place recently. So, they're sort of trying to undo some of the damage they've done
09:47themselves. So, again, a bit of a known goal here. But, nonetheless, it's a welcome intervention
09:52at a time when some of the hospitality, tourism, leisure industries are struggling at the moment
09:57to sort of try and make ends meet. So, we would like to think that that consumer incentive will
10:04actually sort of see some improvement in the sector as a whole.
10:07Of course. And another headline we've seen today is that big companies like Next are warning that
10:14there's been a dramatic fall in the number of entry-level job opportunities in the UK, meaning
10:19that often it's young people with little experience finding it harder to get into work. So, I suppose,
10:25what's your take on this that's just come out today?
10:28So, this is a message that we have heard and we have been passing back to government ourselves. And
10:35obviously, this is echoing a lot of the sentiment that we are already picking up on. This is a direct
10:40correlation to the increase in employers' national insurance contribution and the increase in the
10:46national minimum wage. Now, the reasons behind the government's decision to raise those two particular
10:54types of levy is understandable. Certainly, the ideology behind it makes a lot of sense. However,
11:01this is the impact. We have a recruitment freeze. We have a growing number of young people unemployed
11:07because those entry-level jobs are now more expensive to create within employers. And so,
11:14employers are just not taking the chance and they're looking to see whether or not they can use AI
11:18or other technologies to try and find ways around fulfilling that resource and labour need they
11:24have but without having to burden themselves with additional costs of national insurance and a higher
11:29living wage. And that's all the time we have for now. But stick around as coming up, we've got plenty
11:35more. We've got a sports-filled section coming up. We've got Finn McDermid telling us all about the
11:40newest changes for aspiring goalkeepers under seven and our community reporter, Henry Luck,
11:46attended a charity football match held in memory of two past members. All that and more after the
11:51break, so stick around.
12:16Thank you all for providing us for having a long time.
15:09Hello and welcome back to Kent's Night Live here on Kame TV.
15:13A disperseal order was put in place in Broadstairs.
15:23There's been a disperseal order put in place on the beach now.
15:26Kent police were called to the beach after a social media trend called Broadstairs' biggest beach link-up saw hundreds
15:33drinking alcohol and causing a disturbance.
15:36Some businesses decided to close early because of the behaviour and it isn't the first time that areas had this
15:41issue with similar incidents of anti-social behaviour during other summers.
15:45Kent police said they dispersed 27 people in Thanagh over the weekend as well as two arrests and stop and
15:52searches.
15:54A bin lorry driver from Raynham who hit a woman's car and left her with fractures has been allowed to
15:59keep his driver's licence.
16:01Dean O'Farrell was on his way to collect rubbish from the potting shed pub in Longley when he drove
16:07through a stop sign and hit Claire Head's car.
16:10Mrs. Head fractured both her ankles as well as her collarbone after what she described as a moment of madness
16:17from the lorry driver.
16:18She still continues to struggle with her mobility.
16:21But despite this, she's revealed she held no grudge against Mr. Farrell, agreeing that he should keep his job and
16:27licence initial remorse and otherwise had a clean driving record.
16:33Now, for footballers under the age of seven across Kent and the rest of the country, they'll no longer be
16:39able to play in goal.
16:41It comes from the Football Association and is intended to make sure the next generation of footballers are better with
16:48the ball at their feet.
16:49But some say it could hurt the development of shot stoppers.
16:53Finn McDermid went down to a training session in Moncton to speak to some young keepers.
16:59Goalkeepers have been an official part of football since 1871 and no starting XI is complete without one in the
17:05modern game as well.
17:06But new changes to the Football Association's guidelines means that keepers won't be introduced until under eight's football.
17:14This comes as part of the FA's Future Fit guidelines to make youth football more efficient training by giving players
17:20more touches on the ball.
17:21And here in Kent, one goalkeeping coach who holds sessions across the county believes it could add to the development
17:27of young people who only want to stop shots.
17:30But that it has its downsides as well.
17:32I think the new 3v3 system will actually benefit those goalkeepers who are not necessarily using their feet a lot
17:42at that age to encourage them to improve their footwork.
17:49However, on the other side of things, from having coached dozens of, you know, goalkeepers at five to six, you
17:57know, who we have in our academies and schools at the moment, it's tough to tell them that, you know,
18:02they're essentially not going to be able to play in goal next season.
18:06Goalkeepers wear the number one shirt for a reason.
18:08They're one out of 11.
18:10It's the most specialised position in football.
18:13And whether you're a traditional shot stopper or more of a modern keeper, there's plenty to learn.
18:18So for under sevens who aren't able to play goalkeeper anymore as of the 2026 to 2027 season, how much
18:25is it taking away not only from their training, but from their enjoyment of the game?
18:28The kids under seven won't be able to play as goalkeepers in training.
18:33How would you feel if you wouldn't be able to play goalkeeper?
18:36Very sad.
18:37I'd feel frustrated because that's my role, football.
18:42And if I had to change, that would just be bad.
18:45I don't think it'd be great, really.
18:48I'm not great when it comes to my footwork.
18:50So I think I'd struggle quite a bit.
18:52I love playing in goal.
18:54So I've been raised as a goalkeeper and nothing else, really.
18:58It's not the only difference from playing adult football, with under sevens playing three-a-side games without substitutes or
19:04league tables,
19:05putting the focus entirely on player improvement.
19:08The changes mean that younger goalkeepers might have the incentive to change position early on.
19:13Ultimately, it's down to how the young players take the change.
19:16And if it makes them better with the ball at their feet, then the future of goalkeeping might be in
19:20a safer pair of hands.
19:22Finn McDermott for KMTV in Moncton.
19:26Staying with football, the Maidstone United Raiders held a charity match playing against the Old Rectory FC to remember two
19:33members who died in car crashes.
19:36The annual event honours Rhys Vantatima and Charlie Bolt, who were both involved in collisions back in 2022 and 23.
19:44The club's manager, Lorraine Humm, says she's grateful to everyone who helped to put on the event.
19:48As our community reporter, Henry Locke, has been finding out.
19:52Maidstone United Raiders took on Old Rectory Football Club in a charity match to remember two of its players whose
20:02lives were cut short.
20:05Rhys Vantatima and Charlie Bolt were both killed in separate road accidents less than a year apart.
20:13The Maidstone United Raiders, therefore, host a match every year to celebrate them and raise money for the team.
20:23Lorraine got into an accident a couple of weeks ago, but it's thanks to the community here in Maidstone that
20:30the charity match to remember Rhys and Charlie has been able to go ahead.
20:35Obviously, I'd like to say a big thank you to the family, to Wendy, Rhys, his mum, and Frank, and
20:42Roman, and Kellyanne,
20:45obviously for a very sad event losing Rhys, but they've continued supporting the Raiders because Rhys had a valued part
20:54in this club,
20:55and he grew, and they realised the importance of what we do at this club for disabled kids and adults,
21:05and that's why they support it, so we're really proud and honoured that they do that.
21:09This time, the Old Rectory Football Club took the win 10-2, but of course, there's more to this event
21:18than victory.
21:19It means a lot, actually. It's a big cause, obviously, for both Rhys and Charlie, so it's a really nice
21:25thing.
21:26It's a really good day out. It earns a lot of money, obviously, for the Maidstone Raiders,
21:31and obviously what they can do with that money, so it's a really, really good charity and a good cause.
21:35With the success of this match, the Maidstone United Raiders and the community are determined to make sure
21:43that Rhys and Charlie are always on the team in their minds and hearts.
21:50Henry Luck for KMTV in Maidstone.
21:54Now you can find all of our stories on our website, like this one.
22:00Victoria is just one of 16 people nationwide that's been selected to visit a world-renowned science facility in France.
22:08It's called the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility.
22:12It was a competition, and it said I needed to write one 500-word essay about this scientist
22:19and how I relate to her, because it was all about feminism and stuff.
22:23And then there was another 500-word essay of why I should go on this trip.
22:27As Victoria dreams of a career in radiology, she stands out not only for her academic ability,
22:32but also for the challenges she's overcome.
22:34Ever since I was born, I've always had x-rays, and they always show me what these x-rays are
22:41like,
22:41and it's in this big room.
22:42There's so many machines around me, and because I was little, they'd have to explain it to me,
22:47because it was quite scary when I was little.
22:49So they'd show me all the anatomy, how it works, why they have to stand behind a big screen.
22:55Physics still remains a male-dominated subject.
22:58And last year, the Education Data Lab reported that just 24% of those entering A-level physics exams
23:05were female, and say physics still has the second lowest percentage of female entrants of all A-levels.
23:12It is difficult. It is really difficult.
23:14We don't always have a physics class here.
23:17Sometimes there's not enough students that want to do it.
23:20Sometimes they want to move to a different school.
23:24But we've been really fortunate.
23:26We've got a great cohort of students in Year 13 who have kind of blazed the way, really,
23:33and they've achieved really, really well.
23:35And I think when younger students see that there are already students in the school studying physics,
23:40they then see it as a possibility.
23:42This is part of the experiment that Victoria was teaching her class today,
23:46which shows that light can be thought of as particles.
23:49But as teachers find it difficult to get girls involved and interested in physics,
23:53what do the students here today think?
23:55I love STEM.
23:57It's so interesting.
23:58One of my favourite things to do is watch motor racing
24:01and being able to look at all the female in that school.
24:04And I love it.
24:06And I feel like it's so important that more people realise,
24:09oh, I can go do that stuff.
24:10Victoria's journey is taking her from Raynham to one of the world's leading science facilities.
24:15But back in this classroom, she is not the only one with big ambitions.
24:19They're proving they're not being held back by the numbers.
24:23Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV and Raynham.
24:28Kristen Hawthorne there from earlier this month.
24:31And there's always plenty to cover in Kent.
24:34So earlier today, I was joined by reporter Manjosh Zahuta
24:37to cover some of the Kent Online stories you shouldn't miss.
24:41So Manjosh, tell me about the first story that you got for us today.
24:44So the first story is that a headteacher in Kent wins an award
24:48as the best headteacher in the county.
24:50His name is Peter Heigert and you can see him right on the screen.
24:52So he's been working in Stoughton Primary School as a headteacher in January 2025.
24:56And he's been there teaching there for over a decade.
24:59The Kent Education Awards was held on 15th of May
25:02when Heigert was successfully crowned as the best headteacher of the year
25:05by the judges at the Kent Education Awards.
25:09He inspired students by the use of and love of Star Wars.
25:12He remembers that well at a different school
25:15that he arrived in a full Stormtrooper outfit.
25:18It was a summer fair which was about a sci-fi franchise.
25:22Here's what Pete has to say.
25:24I just love using Star Wars as a little thing
25:26that children can hook onto and engage them.
25:29It just makes them want to learn.
25:32And once you've got them on site, they pick up things so quickly.
25:35I see.
25:36And tell us about the second story that you've got for us.
25:39Well, the second story is Katyn Sackers.
25:41You can see on the screen here.
25:42So she's an owner of Mrs. Selder Bakery and Cafe
25:45and she's from Hungary.
25:46She's prepared to open a second bakery in Rochester.
25:49The new shop is located opposite of the cafe on Rochester High Street.
25:54Katyn is expected to welcome classes in June.
25:58The ingredient is the bed and pierce would still be made
26:01as a Chatham shop and delivered to a new branch.
26:05Staff at Rochester will prepare sandwiches and other light meals.
26:09Katyn hopes to open the Rochester shop seven days a week
26:12from 7am to 5pm and is currently hiring full-time staff to manage it.
26:18Thank you so much for joining us, Manjus.
26:21And that's all we've got time for this evening.
26:24But you've been watching Kent tonight live here on KMTV.
26:28There's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:31Keep up to date on our website, kmtv.co.uk,
26:34with the rest of our reports,
26:36as well as keep us on your social timelines.
26:38But until then, we'll bid you a good evening.
26:42See you later.
27:02We'll see you later.
Comments