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00:33Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight live on KMTV. I'm Chloe Brewster and here are your
00:38top stories on Monday the 28th of September. Make space. Kent man inspired by his daughter
00:44to create an app to map out accessible parking spots. It's very very difficult for her to get
00:50around so accessible parking is really really important. Bark ban. Fanit residents hit back
00:57at proposed dog bans on beloved beach. It's a shame. I mean it seems to be a sledgehammer
01:03to crack a nut really. And Garden of Regrowth. Baby Lost Charity opens community garden space
01:09in Rochester. It's fantastic to see the garden today. I know so many people have worked so hard.
01:26An app has been launched to help blue badge holders find nearby parking throughout Kent.
01:31Nick Oliver built it after his daughter Imogen was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition
01:36called Bardette Beadle Syndrome. It makes walking long distances difficult and sometimes unsafe as
01:42she uses a white cane to get around. The Blue Bay app works throughout Kent and is expanding.
01:48Maisie Walker reports.
01:50But because she enjoyed the game so much the first rainbow colour returned to her horn.
01:56Red. Red, that's right.
01:58Imogen is a nine-year-old from Bromley and she has a rare genetic condition called Bardette Beadle Syndrome.
02:04People with the disorder can experience progressive sight loss and many become legally blind during
02:10their teenage years. Imogen uses a white cane to help her get around which means long walks
02:15can be difficult and at times unsafe. It's one of the reasons her father Nick developed
02:21an app that helps blue badge holders find available parking spaces throughout Kent.
02:26When we pop like in a blue badge that's like not to like fall from the place that we need
02:36to go. It's very
02:38hard to like when I don't like walking but I said it's very hard because I have my fickle stick
02:44like my dad said
02:45but there's like bumps like like there's like bits that me and fickle stick can't see so I sometimes can't
02:55see them.
02:55It's a massive safety hazard because we're often parking further and further away from where we're
03:03trying to get to. In low light it's very difficult for Imogen to navigate pavements. She uses a white cane
03:11but it's very very difficult for her to get around so accessible parking is really really important
03:18not just for families like us but others that have accessibility issues as well.
03:22And this was something that was really really frustrating because we're trying our best to go
03:28and have a nice family day out and it just wasn't accessible to everyone.
03:31Blue Bay took Nick six months to develop and he's now encouraging people across the county to join.
03:37Users can help build the community by reporting available parking spaces
03:41or flagging ones Nick may have missed.
03:44So I've got the app on my phone now and in order to find a blue badge parking space all
03:50I need to do
03:51is search up the location so this can be a place landmark or postcode and now all of these icons
03:57are
03:57coming up showing where a blue badge parking space is.
04:01For Nick it's all about making life a little easier for families like his so they can spend less
04:07time worrying about parking and more time enjoying the day together.
04:18A man has been arrested after allegedly setting fire to a Ramsgate restaurant before jumping into
04:24the sea. In this video you can see smoke rising from the Royal Harbour Brasserie on the East Pier as
04:30fire crews worked to tackle the flames. Emergency services were called shortly after 10.45pm Sunday
04:37evening. They pulled a 32 year old man from the water who was then arrested by attending officers
04:42on suspicion of arson and taken to hospital by ambulance. Seven fire engines attended the scene
04:47and no further injuries were reported. A bomb squad was called to a Kent beauty spot after reports of a
04:54wartime explosive. Emergency services were sent to Cold Harbour Lane in the Y Downs near Ashford this
05:00morning with Kent police calling in the Ministry of Defence bomb disposal team to assist. The MOD confirmed
05:06the item was in fact a suspected wartime shell. An army explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed it
05:13on site with the area now clear. A 15 year old boy who drowned in a lake while out swimming
05:20with friends
05:21died by accident, a coroner has concluded. Nayla Mohammed joins me on the sofa to tell me more. Nayla, we
05:27did
05:28cover this when it happened a few months back but can you just remind us what happened? Sure, so today
05:33an
05:34inquest was held but I'll get into the details of those in just a little bit but George Cuckoo who
05:39we
05:39just heard there was 15 years old passed away after getting difficulty into a lake. We can see this lake
05:45here on screen now it's between North Fleet and Swanscombe and it happened on the 27th of May which is
05:52just
05:52when the heat waves had started here across the UK. George arrived to North Fleet via the train
05:58with two of his friends and then five minutes later attempted to swim to the other side of the lake
06:03because there was a rope swing on the other side. They swam halfway, George was ahead of his friends there,
06:10got under a bit of difficulty and went under and was not able to resurface then. And what was said
06:17at the
06:17inquest? Well at the inquest again it was held this morning at Maidstone at the Oakwood House and by
06:24and it was the inquest was done by the assistant coroner Vanessa Holt found that he died by accident
06:31there, one of several people who had drowned because of the heat waves we had had or the hot weather.
06:37The court heard he was not a strong swimmer but he had visited this site before with his friends.
06:43Simon Cuckoo, his dad, had said that he had warned George not to go there because he was aware that
06:48this is what would be, he was he was warning him that this could happen if you get into water
06:54during
06:55the hot weather like this. The Detective Inspector Leighton Prior gave evidence at the inquest this morning
07:00and said that this location was not known to police but he was aware that it was a popular swimming
07:06area.
07:07He said the area was fenced off but the fencing was broken. We can see that on the screen now.
07:13He also said that friends were attempted to look around the area
07:17after they saw that George had gone under but then at 2.51pm they then called the emergency service.
07:23SECAM however, the South East Coast Ambulance Services had a different observation of the events.
07:29They said the boys circulated the lakes, circulated the lake, got in then couldn't find George and
07:36called services after. His sister Chloe Dalton asked and was questioning why there were two different
07:43statements from officials here and said that she just wants to get answers and is not here to hold
07:49any judgement. Thank you so much Nayla.
07:54Picturesque beaches in Birchington could soon be off limits to dogs all year round.
07:59Fanet District Council was consulting on a PSPO that would ban them between the Plum Pudding and
08:05Cold Harbour nature reserves. They say this is because they pose a risk to the wildlife that live there
08:10and dogs have been a threat to birds' safety in the past. But our local democracy reporter Megan Shaw
08:15spoke to dog walkers who are far from wagging their tails over a potential ban.
08:21Birchington residents might usually look forward towards the end of September when some dog
08:26restrictions on beaches start to lift. But Dannet District Council is considering
08:31further dog bans across the town. Now restrictions for dogs already exist on
08:36Mini Spear. You cannot have your dog on the beach between the 1st of May and the 30th of September.
08:42If you want to walk your dog you have to go further along the beach behind that groin.
08:48But now further restrictions might come into play further down the beach. Banning dogs all times of
08:54the year even when they're on their leads from Cold Harbour to Plum Pudding right along the northern
09:00sea wall which you can see just behind me. And the main question that dog walkers have for the council
09:06is why. The council explained that the proposals banning dogs on the beaches between Cold Harbour and
09:15Plum Pudding nature reserves as well as keeping dogs on leads along the northern sea wall are to mitigate
09:21disturbance to wintering and breeding birds after wildlife has been disturbed before. Yet residents
09:28don't feel that's fair. I mean you know if it's the law then you know we would have to do
09:33it but I don't
09:34think many people would be happy about it. I've been walking Bluebell for a long time along these
09:39walks and I'm normally out early in the morning and there's not many people about. I just said the
09:45cyclists were more of a danger to the birds. I think it would be a shame I mean it seems
09:49to be a
09:50sledgehammer to crack a nut really. We're not hurting no one and we're clearing up after ourselves.
09:54Dogs were here before the two the Environment Agency and the council put these two lagoons in.
10:02Dogs continue to be allowed all year round on beaches either side of Minis Bay though Nicky
10:08Groom owner of a local dog training business throws it down to owners to ensure that their
10:14dogs behave responsibly. I can understand the concern because the birds do need to rest during
10:19their migration. We have we're so lucky to have such an area with full of wildlife and we should
10:26be appreciating the wildlife that's here. Our training is based a lot on impulse control and educating
10:31again educating the humans and the owners to teach their dogs ways that they don't chase those birds.
10:38I don't agree with the ban itself no. I do agree that the dog walkers and owners should be more
10:45responsible so if they don't have a recall then they shouldn't be off lead at all. The consultation
10:49is open until the 9th of October so residents can continue to walk their dogs on these sites for now
10:56but were this PSPO to be approved Thanet District Council might soon be seeing these dog walkers bite.
11:03Megan Shaw in Birchington on sea. This is the shocking moment a roofer took a row
11:10about pay into his own hands on a job in Chillum near Ashford.
11:17You need to get him down. James Fuller seen here throwing roof tiles from the top of a Tudor cottage
11:23had been arguing with the homeowners about the spiralling price for a renovation. A court heard
11:29Christian Magg and his husband cut ties with Fuller over the costs and his alleged substandard
11:34work at the grade two listed property. However, when the 44 year old realised he would not be paid,
11:40he launched a harassment campaign in which the prosecution says he caused more than 160,000
11:46pounds in damage. The case would be sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court. That's all we have time
11:52for in this part of the show but we've got much more coming your way. We're learning about a new
11:56growing space in the grounds of Rochester Cathedral and we'll also get a guest from the Kent Birds Society.
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17:03but I think they're vital for every family that goes through a heartbreaking loss.
17:08The area is named after the Dean of Rochester, who also came to the grand opening.
17:15I'm not only overwhelmed and stunned by it, I feel quite emotional actually,
17:22because when we began looking at how we might use the garden open spaces that the cathedral has
17:28as a place for well-being and for healing, I didn't know this space was going to be possible.
17:35It was just a thought, and now here we are.
17:40Well, it's so well kitted out. We can do most things here. There's not a lot we can't do.
17:47I think, again, under the guidance of Graham, we'll be growing certain things at the right time of year.
17:53Food, I think, is a great one to get growing. The idea is that the groups would be coming repeatedly
18:00and through seasons, so they could actually plant the seeds, grow the plants, plant them in the earth
18:06and see them really flourish over the whole year.
18:09Going into next year, the charity and community are excited to see this garden grow.
18:17Henry Luck, for KMTV, in Rochester.
18:21And now it's time to take a quick look at the weather.
18:29We're looking at cooler temperatures this evening, reaching highs of 17 degrees across the county,
18:34with a bit of drizzle over there in the east.
18:36Into tomorrow morning, temperatures warm up only slightly, with highs of 18 degrees across the board
18:41and cloudy skies with a little bit of sun peeking through.
18:44As we head into the afternoon, temperatures will warm up a lot,
18:47with highs of 26 degrees in Dartford and lows of 13 in Dover.
18:50Over the coming days will be a warmer day on Wednesday, though we will see a little bit of light
18:54rain.
18:55Temperatures will dip over on Thursday, with it staying pretty much the same on Friday.
19:06Now, don't forget you can keep up to date with your latest headlines by logging on to kmtv.co.uk
19:12where you can keep up to date with all our latest stories,
19:14including this one about a man walking five kilometres every day in September
19:19to raise awareness for breast cancer now, all while wearing a fancy dress.
19:24When was the last time you saw a giraffe, a frog or even a dinosaur walking down the road?
19:32For the people of Lordswood in Chatham, it's become an everyday sight.
19:37Neil Banks has been walking five kilometres around the area every day
19:42to raise money for breast cancer now.
19:44Quite a while we've been talking about doing something for charity,
19:47but I've always been one to try and want to stand out when we do something,
19:51rather than do the same thing that other people are doing.
19:53I thought, well, how can we maximise as much money as possible
19:57when we're trying to raise the money?
19:58So he came up with this idea.
20:00It was Neil's mum who motivated him to take on the challenge.
20:05In 2021, she was diagnosed with breast cancer,
20:09but fortunately it was caught early and her treatment was successful.
20:13One of the reasons we wanted to raise money for breast cancer now
20:16is a while about I was speaking to my mum and she was speaking about how
20:19even though she's won a physical battle in the eyes of medical reasons,
20:24she speaks about her mental battle just starting and still happening even to this day.
20:29So I had about any new bump, lump or any cough that lasts more than a week
20:33and the brain starts going.
20:34The people here in Lordswood have been loving Neil's different and extravagant costumes.
20:39They've been waving, stopping to say hello and beeping their horns.
20:47I think the giraffe outfit is brilliant.
20:49It takes a lot of courage to do it.
20:51And look, all the plauders do it really.
20:54I think he's done well.
20:55They're absolutely amazing.
20:57I love seeing every one, every day.
20:59It's a different one.
21:00Absolutely brilliant.
21:01But what has walking every day in different costumes really been like?
21:06I obviously expected I'd get seen.
21:08I didn't think I'd go for a whole month without being seen.
21:11What I didn't expect though is the positive response from the entire community.
21:16Yeah, I'll be honest, it's really blown me away.
21:18It's turned into one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.
21:21So far, Neil has raised over £2,000, which is double his original target.
21:27I'm one of them people, if we hit a target, we enjoy the moment, then raise the target again.
21:33So I mean, I'd love to finish and get £3,000 now.
21:35Looking towards the end of the challenge, Neil is planning to walk a marathon around Medway next weekend to really
21:43finish off in style.
21:45Justine Latter for KMTV in Chatham.
21:50Several bird species across Kent are on the move at this time of year.
21:54This weekend saw the Big Kent Bird Migration Day, organised by the Kent Ornithological Society.
22:02It brings together birdwatchers across the county for coordinated birdwatching and recording.
22:08Andre Farrer from the Society joined me earlier today to tell me more all about the birds.
22:13For those who might not know, could you just explain a little bit about what Big Kent Bird Migration Day
22:19is all about?
22:21Yeah, this is the third year we've run the Big Kent Migration Day and it's growing each year.
22:28We've had a number of sites that have been running it.
22:32And of course, we're doing it for two reasons.
22:34One is Kent is really, really important for migrating birds.
22:39It's on the bottom right-hand corner of the UK.
22:42And in autumn, everything's heading south and a lot of birds stop off in Kent and spend some time and
22:49it's exciting birdwatching.
22:50Of course, the other reason is just that, it's exciting birdwatching.
22:54So it's a really good opportunity to get people out to witness migration in action.
22:59Of course, we can't control the weather.
23:03Yesterday was actually a really nice day, which is wonderful for people coming out to an event.
23:08But it's not great for watching migration because the birds tend to, if they're moving, they're going across really high
23:13and they don't bother to stop.
23:15So we had hundreds of people watching thousands of birds yesterday across the county.
23:20So it was really, really exciting.
23:22Lots of families coming along and being able to see birds really close up because we had bird ringing going
23:28on.
23:29So lots of opportunities to get really engaged and hopefully stimulate interest in more and more people who will get
23:35active and get out birdwatching and start helping us to record the wonderful bird life of our county.
23:43Did you say bird ringing?
23:44What's that?
23:46Bird ringing?
23:46Well, that's been going on for over 100 years now.
23:48And the birds are caught quite harmlessly and are released.
23:53But they're weighed, measured, and all their vital statistics are taken.
23:57And they have a little tiny light ring put on one of their legs.
24:00And if they subsequently get caught or found somewhere else on their migration, we get to know an enormous amount
24:08about where these birds travel to and from.
24:11One example, yesterday, the first Brent geese of the winter arrived in North Kent.
24:16Now, our Brent geese, these are birds that are a little bit bigger than a mallard.
24:20They're not huge geese.
24:22Dark brown, sort of brown, blacky plumage with bits of white on them.
24:27Very familiar to anyone who's walked along the North Kent coast in the winter.
24:31And they're just arriving.
24:32Ours in Kent come from Siberia, from the Tamir Peninsula.
24:36And we know this because people have been studying Brent Greek geese for many years.
24:39And I don't want to be cheeky here, but I feel like the stereotype of birdwatchers are they do tend
24:45to be older people.
24:47But we are seeing a few more younger people starting to get involved.
24:50What would your advice be to people who do want to start practicing birdwatching?
24:55Well, I think there's many ways into it.
24:57And I nearly said, do you mean me?
25:00Yeah, I mean, I started birdwatching when I was 11, I think.
25:04So that was a long time ago.
25:07Archaeopteryx were still flying.
25:08And of course, you were absolutely right.
25:10The demographic of people who get involved in organizations tends to be older.
25:16But yesterday, we saw lots of youngsters, lots of families coming out.
25:23And there's plenty of ways into birdwatching.
25:26There's plenty of ways to get involved.
25:28I chair the Kent Orthological Society.
25:30And we have free membership for under 25.
25:33So that's a great way to get involved, find out the information, get in touch with more experienced birdwatchers.
25:40Because there's no better way of learning than actually going out with somebody who knows what they're looking at.
25:44And you can get a real head start because it can be confusing when you first start.
25:51But most people can have an opportunity to get to know the familiar birds around them, the blackbirds, the robins,
25:56things like that, and to understand what the common birds look like.
25:59And if you enjoy that, then getting a trip out to one of our fantastic nature reserves around Kent is
26:07a great opportunity to start to build your experience.
26:10But you're absolutely right. We don't desperately need young people to come in to enjoy the hobby,
26:17but to contribute to the science and the understanding and the conservation that comes from understanding what the birds are
26:23doing.
26:24Well, you've been watching Kent tonight live here on KMTV.
26:28There's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:31Don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest news across your county by logging on to
26:36kmtv.co.uk.
26:38You can also keep us on your social timelines by liking us on Facebook and following us on TikTok and
26:45Instagram.
26:45And if you have a story you think we should be covering, then please get in touch and send us
26:49a picture of your favourite bird and send that over to us when you like.
26:54See you soon. Goodbye.