Catch up on the latest episode of Made in Kent with Sofia Akin
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00:02 - Hello and welcome to Made in Kent live on KMTV.
00:23 I'm Sophia Akin and this evening,
00:25 we're going to be getting a little bit
00:26 into the Christmas spirit.
00:28 With just six days to go until the big day
00:30 and just a number of weeks until the year is out,
00:32 we've been taking a look back
00:34 at some of our pieces from this year.
00:36 2023 was the year that we launched Made in Kent
00:39 and in that time, we've had on Kent creators,
00:41 bakers and artists on the sofa
00:43 showing off some of their products.
00:45 So let's take a look back starting with,
00:49 sorry about that,
00:52 starting with our very first story
00:54 from counter-terrorism to countertop chocolates.
00:57 One man from Birchington has had quite the retirement.
01:00 Nick Johnson left the police force a couple of years ago
01:02 and decided to pursue a lifelong ambition
01:05 of creating homemade culinary delights.
01:07 In that short space of time,
01:08 the ex-copper has won himself an award
01:11 for his luxury chocolates.
01:12 Well, our reporter Gabriel Morris
01:14 visited his back garden kitchen
01:16 to find out the secret behind the success.
01:18 - Master chocolatiers take decades
01:23 to craft their technique.
01:25 But for this ex-copper,
01:26 he's been in the business for a little under two years,
01:29 spending much of his career in counter-terrorism
01:33 deployed to Belgium.
01:34 And from all that chocolate influence in Bruges,
01:37 he's now specialising in bonbons.
01:40 - It's a product that in this country
01:43 hasn't got the same cultural appeal
01:45 as in Belgium and Holland.
01:46 It's all the different kind of culture
01:48 where people will often buy luxury chocolates
01:50 instead of going out and buying more mass chocolate,
01:53 shall we say.
01:53 And there's nothing wrong with mass chocolate.
01:56 However, it's a different culture.
01:57 And I think that aspiration
02:00 to produce something I was very proud of
02:02 and to be able to introduce lots of different tastes
02:04 and flavours really appealed to me.
02:07 - All of these products are completely handmade,
02:09 coming up with his own unique recipes.
02:12 And although his career might have had a lot of secrecy,
02:16 Nick is more than happy to share some secrets.
02:19 And apparently, it's all about getting the temperature right
02:22 and plenty of patience.
02:25 But the final product has some spectacular designs.
02:28 They are sprayed onto the mould first.
02:31 - Once you get the design into the mould,
02:33 obviously that then, you can see it's just,
02:35 as you would say, stuck, I suppose,
02:37 or resting on top of the polycarbonate.
02:40 The reason for the importance
02:41 of getting the right temperature of chocolate in there
02:43 is the chemical process that allows the chocolate you put in
02:46 to bind with that cocoa butter.
02:48 They then become stuck together,
02:50 cohesively stuck together,
02:51 at which point, once that then crystallises,
02:54 the shell crystallises,
02:56 that kind of pulls the cocoa butter with it,
02:58 which is where you get the retraction
02:59 that you saw earlier on.
03:00 - And there we go, the finished product.
03:03 But with recent rises in inflation,
03:06 the cost of making chocolate has skyrocketed.
03:09 Nick says he will always ensure the products are sustainable.
03:13 - I think chocolate has had a very bad name in the past,
03:15 where the growers and the producers
03:17 have had near-on slave conditions at times.
03:21 And I think that's something that all of the big suppliers
03:23 now have recognised through pressure from others,
03:25 which is great.
03:26 And now we're looking much better at fair trade.
03:29 People are very much more involved
03:31 in people getting the fair prices.
03:33 I mean, if that were the reason
03:34 for the rising price of chocolate,
03:36 then I would accept it.
03:37 It's not, because I think it's inflation.
03:38 However, you don't mind paying slightly more
03:42 for something that is much more ethical.
03:44 - For an ex-police officer, you have to say,
03:47 his retirement and his chocolates are criminally good.
03:50 Gaber Morris for Caine TV in Birchington.
03:52 - I remember trying those chocolates.
03:56 They were absolutely delicious.
03:58 You can watch that full interview on our website.
04:01 But next tonight, families are heading to Tunbridge Wells
04:04 to get on board the renowned Polar Express train ride.
04:07 Despite growing concerns over increased living expenses,
04:11 many are looking to capture memories with loved ones
04:13 this Christmas, as Naomi Greenaway reports.
04:17 The Spa Valley in Kent has welcomed the annual return
04:20 of the Polar Express train ride for its third year.
04:24 The journey aims to transport 40,000 passengers
04:27 into a world of Christmas magic,
04:30 despite the challenges posed by the current cost of living.
04:34 According to the head of UK consumer retail and leisure
04:37 at KPMG, recent surveys have highlighted
04:40 that while many intend to maintain spending,
04:43 a high portion of consumers anticipate scaling back
04:46 due to higher living costs.
04:49 - The cost of living has affected a lot of families
04:51 in very different ways.
04:52 And a lot of people are going more for experiences nowadays
04:54 rather than giving material things.
04:56 So to have a family experience all together
04:59 has become more of a precious thing
05:00 than giving physical gifts.
05:01 So we found that we've sold out very, very quickly
05:04 as we have in all previous years,
05:06 because people are wanting to do something special together,
05:08 make memories, rather than just material items.
05:11 - To accommodate for visitors this year,
05:14 Tunbridge Wells has undergone preparations.
05:17 - We've had to reform our railway, set up for the trains,
05:21 prepare the steam locomotives, the diesel locomotives,
05:24 hiring carriages, accept delivery of carriages
05:26 from elsewhere in the country
05:27 to carry the 40,000 people that are visiting us.
05:30 A safety walkthrough is done on a regular basis,
05:32 and it's done every day by our duty traffic manager
05:34 to ensure that the railway is safe
05:36 and ready for people to visit us.
05:37 - Adding to the festive ambience,
05:40 these chefs in particular are there
05:42 to put a smile on people's faces.
05:45 - So we're there to keep everybody fed
05:47 and entertained the whole time.
05:49 - We are, we pass through the aisles
05:50 and we serve all the refreshments,
05:52 the hot chocolates and the cookies.
05:55 - It's so good. - And then we help
05:56 the big man himself when he gets there.
05:58 - Tonight here in Tunbridge Wells,
06:00 the Pona Express train ride graces Kent
06:02 with its third year running.
06:04 Many families have been seen dressed in pajamas
06:07 and drinking their hot chocolates
06:09 as they prepare for the festive season.
06:11 Naomi Greenaway for KMTV.
06:14 - Well, now it's something we use every day,
06:17 but how many of us know what goes into our soap?
06:20 One Kent business is trying to change that.
06:22 My Cottage Cosmetics says all their products
06:25 are sustainable and completely natural.
06:28 Gabriel Morris went along to see exactly how soap is made.
06:31 - Soap, it's one thing we hope everyone uses.
06:37 And there are a range of attractive scents
06:39 that some of us might go for.
06:42 But have you ever thought what goes into the bar
06:44 where many contain unnatural chemicals?
06:47 And one Kent cosmetic company says
06:50 it doesn't necessarily have to be that way.
06:53 - I just felt that the way that people are feeling
06:55 and the way that I was thinking,
06:56 the amount of rubbish that we throw out
06:58 at the end of a week and the dustbin men come to collect,
07:01 we don't want to be adding to that.
07:02 It needs to be natural.
07:04 So it was sort of working on those lines
07:06 and trying to get down to a basic level
07:09 that we're not harming the environment, we are helping it.
07:14 And that people can see
07:15 that these things will work equally well.
07:16 You don't need the chemicals that go into things
07:19 for you to be smelling nice and fresh.
07:21 - So how do you make soap that's sustainable?
07:25 For Helen, it starts with olive oil.
07:27 That adds the moisturiser.
07:29 Then comes essential oils
07:31 and it all has to be weighed and tested.
07:34 - The different variations of the soaps that I've brought,
07:38 everything goes off along with all the documents
07:40 that come with every single ingredient.
07:44 That all goes off to a toxicologist
07:45 and then they can check and make sure
07:46 that you're using it the right percentages
07:49 and it's all perfectly safe for the public to use.
07:51 - Now that the oils are prepared, comes the butter.
07:54 Coconut and shea are the cleansers in the soap.
07:57 That's then melted, added to the oil alongside a catalyst
08:01 and it's mixed together.
08:03 Some is then decanted into jugs
08:05 where other ingredients are added
08:07 to make the different flavours and scents.
08:09 The base is then poured into the mould
08:12 with the contents of the other jugs being layered on top.
08:16 It's then all swirled together
08:17 to give it the attractive look.
08:20 - It's soap at that point,
08:21 but I don't sell it at that point.
08:22 I leave it then for six weeks.
08:24 Needs to cure, it needs the water to evaporate
08:29 so you get a nice firm butter.
08:30 Otherwise it would last a week and that would be it.
08:33 - So that's how you make natural soap,
08:35 but surely that must come at a cost.
08:38 - There are certain scents as well.
08:39 So for example, sandalwood is very, very expensive.
08:42 So that I use in very small amounts,
08:45 but it is balancing up the fact
08:47 that it's not going to be plastic.
08:49 It is going to be glass,
08:50 but I spend a lot of time looking at packaging
08:53 and trying to make it as economical as possible
08:55 so that it is a product that is affordable for everybody.
08:59 - And there we go, that's Helen's Soap Cave.
09:00 Some really, truly amazing different flavours she has
09:03 and they certainly smell nice as well.
09:05 Gabriel Morris for Cane TV, Leeds.
09:08 - Now where do you think Kent's Christmas trees come from?
09:10 Well, the one in your living room
09:12 could be closer to home than you thought.
09:14 Hull Park Estate in Cranbrook's
09:15 says they have thousands ready for sale every year.
09:18 The trees take a decade to reach full size,
09:20 so the local farm hopes the market stays competitive
09:23 with their plastic counterparts.
09:24 Finn McDermid went along earlier this month.
09:27 The festive season is finally here,
09:30 but Father Christmas isn't the only one
09:31 who has to work hard this month.
09:33 Most houses will soon have a tree in their living room,
09:36 but the real question is, where does it come from?
09:39 Well, not as far as the North Pole.
09:42 I visited the Hull Park Estate in Cranbrook
09:44 to find out why bristles and branches
09:46 are better than supermarket plastic.
09:49 I was greeted by estate owner Edward
09:51 outside the main house.
09:53 - At this time of year, November, December,
09:55 we're all about Christmas trees.
09:57 Let's go and have a look.
09:58 - He told me the estate, passed to him by his father,
10:01 spans over 2,500 acres,
10:04 with a large portion of that dedicated
10:06 to growing the Nordman fir, the classic Christmas tree.
10:09 - And this is the lovely Nordman tree, as I say.
10:12 We've created this shape.
10:15 We are busy reducing that height by,
10:17 you can see those scars there
10:19 where we have cut the xylem and phloem,
10:21 the vessels of the tree,
10:23 to restrict the amount it can go up.
10:26 So therefore it tends to go out instead.
10:28 And we also, we pick off the bud there,
10:32 and so it therefore goes out sideways
10:34 rather than just comes on out,
10:36 because you don't want too wide a tree.
10:38 Perhaps you'd have to move out
10:39 your sitting room sort of thing.
10:41 - But this is much easier said than done.
10:43 It takes years to properly age a Christmas tree,
10:46 with the smallest that you could hold in your hand
10:48 taking three to four years,
10:50 and the largest, above 20 feet,
10:52 taking around 20 years.
10:54 The larger variety are used more in communal spaces.
10:57 This particular tree will be going to the historic dockyard
11:00 to be placed in a church.
11:02 But first it has to get there.
11:04 You know what they say,
11:05 the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
11:08 - Weirdly, for ourselves,
11:09 because we're wholesalers primarily,
11:11 things will calm down for us.
11:13 We've kind of, we've peaked in sending trees out,
11:16 so the public will be the next thing.
11:17 It's sort of moved on to more of a retail operation.
11:20 Our busiest week was a week ago, really.
11:23 - With the day-to-day of the estate,
11:25 David and the others confidently say
11:27 that they can fell, package, and sell
11:29 thousands of trees all in one day.
11:32 Edwards Kent-based boundaries
11:34 mean that they won't deliver the trees north of the Thames
11:37 or west of the M23.
11:39 So when you're looking up at your Christmas tree this month,
11:42 it might've come a little closer to home
11:44 than you might think.
11:45 Finn McDermid for KMTV.
11:47 - Time for a short break now,
11:49 but coming up we'll be finding out
11:50 how to make award-winning Christmas puddings.
11:53 How exciting.
11:54 All that and more coming very soon.
11:56 See you in a minute.
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15:05 - Hi there and welcome back to Made in Kent live on KMTV.
15:12 Now for most of us, Christmas is only now closing in,
15:15 but at Fraser's Hotel in Edgerton,
15:17 the preparations have been going ahead for months.
15:20 Their award-winning Christmas pudding takes a full 48 hours
15:23 from preparation to presentation.
15:26 And the venue does it all with local ingredients
15:29 and as much solar power as they can.
15:32 Now the recipe has been passed down
15:33 throughout generations of the Fraser family,
15:35 with only slight changes made and is a closely guarded secret.
15:39 But we sent Finn McDiab down to have a taste.
15:42 - Well, as November draws its curtains to a close
15:45 and with Christmas being only 24 sleeps away,
15:48 preparations across the county have already started
15:51 for the holiday season.
15:52 One hotel in Edgerton has already begun its preparations.
15:57 Fraser's Hotel and Restaurant is a sustainable hotel
16:00 built out of fully renovated farm buildings
16:03 and is renowned for its Christmas puddings.
16:06 Last year, they won a great taste one star award
16:10 from the Guild of Fine Food,
16:11 a marker of the impressive recipe passed down
16:14 throughout the Fraser family.
16:16 I spoke to the current owner of Fraser's about her successes
16:19 and how other businesses can follow suit.
16:21 - Yes, it's my grandmother's recipe.
16:24 So it's over a hundred year old recipe
16:28 that we have slightly amended to utilise all local alcohol.
16:35 So we use Green Sandwich Rum, Bindon Cider
16:38 and Shepherd Neem Stout.
16:40 We then cook the puddings with the excess solar power
16:44 off of one of our buildings
16:46 and all the packaging is recyclable.
16:49 My whole ethos at Fraser's is short supply chains
16:52 using local produce prepared on site.
16:55 - Now what actually goes into making a Christmas pudding?
16:59 Well, first you have to soak all the fruit
17:01 in your preferred alcoholic beverage,
17:04 most likely brandy or cognac
17:06 and let it soak for a while.
17:07 Then once ready, mix with flour and eggs
17:10 and transfer to bowls for your preferred size.
17:12 Then the puddings have to be put in the oven
17:14 for a whole 10 hours before they can come out,
17:17 be cooled and packaged for sale.
17:19 - What's the demand like for Christmas puddings
17:21 around this time of year? I'm guessing it's very high.
17:23 - Massive, absolutely massive.
17:25 Loads. I couldn't even quantify a number
17:28 to how many I've done or sheer weight of volume I've done.
17:31 I think I'm pushing 1,000 kilos this year.
17:35 So close to 1,000 kilos this year.
17:37 Did 800 plus last year.
17:40 So quite high demand, yeah.
17:43 - Now I just had to try some for myself.
17:46 Well, here I am at Fraser's in Edgerton
17:50 and I'm trying their award-winning Christmas pudding.
17:54 It's got a recipe that's been passed around
17:55 throughout generations of the Fraser family.
17:58 And it does not disappoint.
18:05 It's got a beautiful taste
18:06 that's making me look forward to Christmas even more.
18:09 - Well, don't be intimidated by the process at Fraser's.
18:12 You too can make your own puddings right at home.
18:15 And while the chefs didn't want to share
18:16 their generational recipe with me,
18:18 just know that making a pudding isn't quite as hard as it looks.
18:22 Finn McDermid for KMTV.
18:25 - Well, that looked delicious, didn't it?
18:26 And amazing that it's award-winning too.
18:29 But now it's time to take an exclusive look
18:31 at a brand new documentary coming to KMTV next week.
18:34 It's called Kent's Future for Farming
18:36 and looks at vegetable growers and farmers
18:38 from across the county and whether there's a future for them.
18:41 Well, we can take a quick sneak peek
18:42 at a couple of minutes of Gabriel Morris' Kentonite special.
18:46 You can catch this special next week
18:47 between Christmas and New Year.
18:48 Take a look.
18:49 - Well, very--
18:51 - Earrings and necklaces are the best friend of--
18:54 - Well, there is one 20-year-old going against the grain.
19:00 - This is where Jack sent me to come.
19:02 It's his acre of land.
19:05 It's in his trial year and he's actually doing quite well,
19:07 he tells me.
19:08 Just waiting for him now because he's actually
19:10 a university student and juggles growing crops and veg
19:15 alongside his university studies.
19:17 Wonder where he is.
19:18 He's been growing veg now for two years
19:22 and his parents aren't even farmers,
19:24 so he really is a new generation of growers.
19:27 Hi, is it Jack?
19:30 - Hi. - Hi, lovely to meet you.
19:31 - Lovely to meet you.
19:32 - Let's see your veg pack.
19:34 What's here? Let's go and have a look.
19:35 He doesn't own this land, he rents it,
19:38 but he's going to be taking on more land
19:40 in a few months' time after a successful trial period.
19:44 - We've got failed broad beans this year,
19:46 surprise, surprise, the wet weather.
19:47 The soil's just got really tight and slumped,
19:50 so we're struggling to get broad bean germination.
19:53 We've tried celery this year,
19:55 not really succeeded well with it,
19:57 so we're growing leaf celery, not a stem variety.
20:00 - You are doing a lot of things at once.
20:02 You're a student, you're growing veg here.
20:04 How did you find the time to do this all?
20:06 - Time's quite lucky.
20:09 We're busy in the summer, quiet in the winter,
20:11 busy at uni in the winter, quiet in the summer,
20:14 so it fits in really well.
20:17 - So you've been doing this for two years.
20:19 You're currently at university.
20:20 When you finish, do you think there's going to be
20:22 a career in Vestview?
20:24 - At the moment, it's tight,
20:26 but I'm the only employee.
20:29 The costs are minimal.
20:30 The only cost is myself.
20:32 The fact that we're supplying local restaurants
20:34 and local supply chains also helps,
20:36 so they're paying better than a supermarket would,
20:39 but we are dealing with bigger wholesale.
20:41 - Well, that's all we're going to show you for now.
20:43 You'll have to watch the rest next week.
20:44 As I said, airing between Christmas and New Year.
20:48 But now, you may be familiar with having your chip stolen
20:51 by seagulls down on Folkestone Beach,
20:53 but have you seen earrings inspired by this
20:55 all-too-familiar occurrence?
20:56 One seaside shop is revolutionising jewellery
20:59 by offering obscure designs on earrings,
21:01 necklaces and bracelets.
21:03 I went down earlier this year to take a look
21:05 at these interesting designs for myself.
21:08 Earrings and necklaces are the best friend of many girls.
21:12 But have you seen jewellery like this?
21:16 Buried in the heart of Folkestone lies this hidden gem.
21:20 What all started as a hobby 10 years ago
21:24 has been transformed into a haven of earrings,
21:28 necklaces and even handbags.
21:31 - It all began as a hobby,
21:34 working out of my spare room and my garage.
21:36 We just started making jewellery that we liked
21:38 and started doing little craft fairs and things like that,
21:41 and it started to grow and grow and grow and grow
21:43 till it got to a stage where I thought,
21:45 "I wonder if I can make this a full-time business."
21:47 - They also sell works of other local makers.
21:51 - So we've got Geek Boutique,
21:53 who make the VHS handbags, which are really cool,
21:56 and we just thought that they complement our jewellery
21:57 and our style.
21:58 We also have an artist, Jim Williams,
22:01 who does all of our artwork here,
22:03 who we met through Comic-Con,
22:04 and, yeah, just, again, thought his style suited
22:07 what we do here, so we stocked his stuff, yeah.
22:10 - These are all hand-designed by Hannah and her mother,
22:13 and these will definitely turn some heads.
22:16 Some of it even looks good enough to eat.
22:19 - We sketch by hand to come up with ideas,
22:20 and then I do all the CAD work on the computer
22:23 and then program the machine,
22:24 cut off the components and make it all here.
22:26 So everything's made and produced in the shop here,
22:28 so when you come to my shop,
22:30 you can see us making at the same time.
22:31 - This machine behind me might not look like much,
22:34 but it's where all the magic happens.
22:36 It's what turns the prints into actual jewellery,
22:39 and in just five minutes,
22:40 this pair of dinosaur earrings has just been made.
22:43 So say you saw something that you liked in the shop,
22:45 but you wanted it in a different colour,
22:47 that can be done right here.
22:48 - Many businesses are also now taking a sustainable approach,
22:52 looking to be more eco-friendly and less wasteful.
22:56 - We're also looking to set up a recycling scheme here
22:58 for all of our old acrylics, and keeping that.
23:00 Been working with Offcut Studio
23:03 to sort out the machinery that we'll need for that
23:06 so we can repurpose all of our scrap into usable sheets
23:10 to make an eco range.
23:12 - And it wouldn't be a seaside town
23:14 without ice cream and seagulls.
23:17 So of course, they had to honour that too.
23:20 - By supporting a small business,
23:21 you're encouraging people to do what they're good at
23:25 and enjoy it, and yeah, that's what I love.
23:29 - Sophia Akin for KMTV in Folkestone.
23:33 - Well, you can see that report was filmed much earlier
23:35 in the year when we were seeing some sunny days.
23:37 It's been nothing but rainy and miserable today.
23:40 But now, have you ever heard of a candle
23:42 inspired by cities around the globe?
23:44 Well, one Kent business does just that,
23:46 hoping to bring in a bit of light to those across Kent.
23:50 Candlewise in Cranbrook focuses on sustainability
23:53 with only reusable or recyclable packaging,
23:56 and the owner herself tries to keep
23:57 a low carbon footprint as well.
23:59 Well, from oranges to bergamot, even pepper,
24:02 I went down to take a look for myself earlier this year.
24:06 Around the world in a candle.
24:09 A Kent candle company has come up with a twist
24:12 for their scent collection.
24:14 Inspired by her own love of travelling,
24:17 Bella has come up with 17 scents,
24:20 all dedicated to a country or destination across the globe.
24:24 - I think the most important is the passion
24:26 that I put into my creations and see my customers happy.
24:31 There's nothing more pleasant when they come back,
24:34 said, "Oh, I got a candle of yours,
24:36 and now I want to try something different,
24:38 or I want the same one."
24:40 And all the positive feedback I've been receiving
24:43 is something that keeps me going.
24:45 - But despite the theme stretching vast across the world,
24:49 the day-to-day hustle and bustle for Candlewise
24:52 stays pretty local.
24:53 One of the most important things
24:55 that Bella says about her business
24:56 is that it's really sustainable,
24:58 and this packaging here contains no plastic.
25:01 You can actually reuse this.
25:03 And this here is seeded paper,
25:05 which you can replant to turn into new flowers.
25:08 And this one specifically will be turned into poppy flowers.
25:11 - So my sustainability is not just,
25:14 I don't use plastic, it's not that.
25:15 It's that the way I work
25:17 and the way I come to work.
25:21 So before, as I said, my studio was at home,
25:23 but now I want to be local
25:25 so I can walk to my office
25:29 and reducing the carbon footprint.
25:31 Also for my local deliveries, I tend to walk.
25:35 All my packaging, I don't use any plastic
25:37 and everything can be reused.
25:39 - Bella keeps the ingredients for her creations a secret,
25:42 but she is looking to share her skills with workshops soon.
25:47 But this won't come for free.
25:49 And her candles range from around two pounds
25:52 to more than 40 pounds.
25:55 But with a cost of living crisis
25:57 impacting millions across the UK
25:59 and many having to skimp on luxuries,
26:02 is there still a market for scented goods?
26:05 - So the supply cost increased.
26:07 What I'm trying to do is to keep my costs,
26:10 which I have increased since last year,
26:12 but I've been very lucky where people are still
26:15 treating themselves and enjoying
26:18 and buying my products.
26:21 - And to leave any candle lovers with a tip from the expert,
26:24 Bella told me the secret to making a candle last longer
26:27 is trimming the wick first before you light it
26:30 to keep the wax evenly distributed.
26:34 Sophia Akin for KMTV in Cranbrook.
26:37 - Well, you've been watching Made in Kent.
26:39 Thank you very much for watching us tonight,
26:41 but also for watching us throughout 2023.
26:44 Have a lovely Christmas and New Year.
26:45 We'll see you tomorrow. Good night.
26:47 (upbeat music)
26:50 (upbeat music)
26:52 (upbeat music)
26:55 (upbeat music)
26:58 (upbeat music)
27:01 Bye.
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