Kent Tonight - Tuesday 13th August 2024
Catch up with all the latest news across your county with Abby Hook.
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
00:28I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Tuesday the 13th of August.
00:34Special measures for special needs, government minister vows to overhaul send services on
00:39Kent Visit.
00:40I think it's fair to say that the system is in crisis, so at the moment what we're doing
00:45is listening to what parents have to say.
00:48You're hired, Swale charity fights unemployment with opportunities for young entrepreneurs.
00:54Yeah I just honestly don't think it'd be happening without that sort of space, without again
00:58being able to bump ideas off of people.
01:01And it's their mushroom for mushrooms, Ash Farm finds alternatives to traditional agriculture.
01:08From which you can grow pretty much anything, pretty much any time of year, as long as you've
01:13got the right knowledge and the right hardware.
01:25Good evening, first tonight the special educational needs system for young children is in a state
01:30of crisis across Kent and the rest of the UK.
01:32Well that's according to the new early years minister on a visit to a Gravesend Primary
01:37school today.
01:38It comes as the government has lifted Kent County Council's improvement notice for send
01:43services.
01:44Our local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris has been exploring what changes teachers and
01:49parents want to see.
01:51The school holidays are in full swing at this Gravesend Primary.
01:55Today the children's minister was finding out about summer club activities.
02:01And he even helped by mopping up a spillage.
02:03But he says with a new academic year just a few weeks away, he'll also be having to
02:10clear up issues within the special educational needs system.
02:14Well I know that this is a particular issue here in Kent, but it's also a particular issue
02:18up and down the country.
02:19And from personal experience my sister has had real challenges around navigating the
02:23services for my nephew.
02:25And I think it's fair to say that the system is in crisis.
02:28So at the moment what we're doing is listening to what parents have to say, talking to experts,
02:32and we want to make sure that we've got the best system in place to support children with
02:36SEND because they deserve the very best.
02:39Educational experts say intervening early with learning disabilities is crucial for
02:43long term outcomes.
02:45But many parents have been telling us it isn't always the case.
02:50This is how much paperwork I have since my daughter's start reception year.
02:58Her daughter is now 10 years old and she says the constant battle to get support for Marianne
03:03has been a traumatic experience.
03:06She's almost two years behind of her peers.
03:10Not only, she didn't pick up all the milestones, she lost all that.
03:19If they had done something in the early age, she wouldn't be in this stage.
03:27Westcourt Primary and Nursery is a mainstream school, yet teachers are saying they're dealing
03:32with more and more children with complex needs.
03:35They're not in the right environment for their support.
03:39So the children that don't have the special educational needs are also having to, they're
03:44losing out on the support that they should be getting too because we are sending all
03:48our staff to try and help the children that need more, a lot more.
03:52It's Kent County Council who deal with SEND provision.
03:55Two years ago the government put the authority into special measures, but they were lifted
04:00last week.
04:01The councillor in charge looks happy today as he says since his appointment considerable
04:06progress has been made.
04:08There is more work to be done, much of it is more of the same in a sense, but there
04:13are other things that we're doing which are absolutely integral to improving the offer
04:19for parents and children with special educational needs across Kent, including our special schools
04:25review.
04:26But for parents like Sonia, they remain sceptical, but as a new term approaches, could a lick
04:31of fresh paint in government spin parents' opinions?
04:35Gabor Morris in Gravesend.
04:39Next tonight, a jewellery heist in Sevenoaks is being linked to someone dubbed the Night
04:44Watcher.
04:45Detectives have been looking for them since 2006, believed to be an ex-soldier who stakes
04:49out expensive properties.
04:51Footage here released by Kent Police shows the suspected burglar assaulting a woman with
04:55a gun before entering a residential property.
04:58They went on to steal 50 items of jewellery worth £1.8 million in total.
05:04It happened last June and the police would like to identify the person seen on a trained
05:08CCTV wearing a mask and red-soled trainers.
05:12Both Crimestoppers and police have stressed that the man should not be approached if seen.
05:18Forensics officers have been spotted at the scene of a police cordon on the Isle of Sheppey
05:22this afternoon.
05:23Police, paramedics and the fire service were called to Alexandra Road in Sheerness, which
05:27has since been closed.
05:29Kent Police has confirmed it was called by the Ambulance Service to what it describes
05:33as a suspected medical incident at a property on the street.
05:37No further details were released, but witnesses have described being told to move back after
05:42multiple vehicles descended on the area.
05:44An investigation has since been launched by officers into the circumstances.
05:51GCSEs, A-Levels, University, but then what's next?
05:56Many young people today don't quite know, especially in areas like Thanet, Dover, Folkestone
06:01and Swale, where rates of unemployed young people are among the highest in the south-east.
06:06One charity claims this is due to the lack of resources rather than the lack of ambition
06:11amongst the younger generation.
06:13Finn McDermott has this report.
06:15Young people make up 17% of all unemployed people in Kent, which as a county is a worse
06:20average than the rest of the country.
06:22And the county holds four of the top five spots in the south-east, with districts like
06:27Thanet, Gravesham, Dover and Swale all being above the national average of unemployment
06:32in Great Britain.
06:33Organisations like NCS and The Student Room aim to help students find jobs, but for those
06:38who might be older or not suited to university or apprenticeships, one charity is doing things
06:42differently.
06:43Launch It aims to support groups of young creatives and innovators, giving them the
06:47space and resources to be able to invest into their business ventures.
06:51And they have headquarters in Swale, one of the higher locations, for the number of
06:54youths unemployed.
06:55Launch It are here for people between the age of 18 to 30 who are unemployed who want
07:01to work their way out of poverty by starting up their own business.
07:06So they may come here with just a lightbulb moment, or they may come here with a business
07:11that they've been running but just need a bit of a kickstart with it.
07:15So we're here to help young people realise their dreams through self-employment.
07:21One of those young people is Liam, who runs his sustainable clothing brand English Pharoahs
07:25from his own dedicated office in the Launch It HQ.
07:29Since starting Launch It, I've been set up with a mindset work coach, which has really
07:37helped me because I used to be withdrawn and within six months I have become so much
07:45more comfortable when speaking to new people and meeting everyone else.
07:50Liam came to the organisation in February with his idea, and built it from just an idea
07:55into a reality, with his current efforts going towards launching the project.
07:59On the other hand, some came to Launch It with an idea they were already creating, but
08:03just needed a helping hand.
08:05Shepia's Ours, a community project that aims to promote social progressiveness and environmental
08:09improvements, was a few years old, and had a group of volunteers before it was brought
08:14to Launch It.
08:15Yeah, I just honestly don't think it'd be happening without that sort of dedicated space,
08:18without, again, being able to bump ideas off of people.
08:22Literally yesterday I had Caris from, who's again, offices just over there, what we do,
08:28and despite the fact we are very different sort of thing, I'm running a, well, soon to
08:32be a CIO, she's running a dog-talking business.
08:35However, we've still, you know, bouncing ideas off each other, having these conversations,
08:39which I don't think would happen without a place like Launch It.
08:42While jobs are getting harder and harder to find for the young, for some, being self-employed
08:46is pushing them to be the best they can be.
08:48Finn McDermott for KMTV in Swale.
08:52A huge month for young people, students in particular, as exam results for GCSEs and
08:57A-levels approach in the coming weeks.
08:59But for many, bringing jitters and not so much jubilation, Childline has been warning
09:04of the worry and pressure on young people.
09:06Earlier I was joined by Elise O'Parrow with more.
09:09Elise, we're having this conversation on what is a very important and nerve-wracking week
09:13for students right across the county.
09:15Yeah, results are coming up this month, very soon actually.
09:18A-level results are coming on the 15th of August and GCSE on the 22nd of August.
09:23And ahead of these dates, the NSPCC has revealed a survey that says 91% of secondary school
09:28teachers believe that their students are very worried about the future due to the results
09:32as well.
09:34Another survey actually reveals that over 5,300 secondary school teachers believe that
09:3851% of their students are negatively impacted by social media.
09:43Ahead of these results, Childline wants to remind young people that it's very important
09:46that they understand that these results don't define who they are and that no matter what
09:50they achieve, they're there to support them.
09:52Childline also wants people to understand that—they understand how stressful it is.
09:55And I remember how stressful it was for me.
09:56It was like four, five years ago.
09:57It wasn't too long ago.
09:58But I do remember how stressful it was for me.
10:00And a lot of students share similar sentiments about that as well.
10:04And Childline counselors have actually revealed that they fear how their future will look
10:08if they don't pass or get the grades they need to get into their first-choice college
10:11or their first-choice university, as well as disappointing their family and friends
10:16in comparison with other friends and social media.
10:18Because people do tend to post their results online, and that comparison can worry a lot
10:22of students as well.
10:23Especially with the increased use of social media now.
10:25It wasn't so much like that when I did my exams either.
10:28It was just between your classmates.
10:30But you can't imagine the added pressure of social media, too.
10:32I know.
10:33There's so many people online these days as well.
10:35And we actually have a quote from the Childline director.
10:37He says that he understands how hard it can be to not compare, but it is important for
10:41young people to be reminded that success is not measured in academic achievement.
10:46And if their results aren't what they hope for, there are always other options available.
10:50And Childline wants young people to not feel worried about the pressure of results day.
10:56And we also heard a little bit from Lucy Dell, who's a volunteer counsellor at Childline
11:01as well.
11:02At Childline, we want to acknowledge that the vast majority of young people put a lot
11:08of effort into their exams.
11:10And then when they get their results, if they don't see that they're getting the results
11:15that they wanted, we really want to encourage people to think about the fact that there's
11:20so many other entryways, there's so many different alternatives that are out there.
11:27And if you're a parent of somebody who's going through the exams and getting their results
11:33in the next couple of weeks and days, really encourage you to support them by getting them
11:38to write down lists of pros and cons of what are some of the different kind of pathways
11:44that they could go down now that they've ended up getting results that were different from
11:48what they wanted.
11:51Time for a short break now.
11:52When we're back, we'll be talking about mushrooms.
11:54See you then.
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15:12Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
15:15Now, the Garden of England, the name given to Kent for its history of orchards, allotments
15:20and agriculture.
15:21But with the increasing challenges farmers are facing, how are they diversifying to keep
15:26the centuries-old business alive?
15:28Well, one farmer in Ash has found an alternative to producing tonnes of food under just one
15:33roof.
15:34Our reporter Daisy Page went to find out if there's mushroom in the industry for a new
15:39type of growing.
15:40Kent is known across the world as the Garden of England.
15:44Our rolling green fields have historically produced many staples in our weekly shop.
15:48But with the issues posed by climate change, traditional farmers face a shopping list of
15:52challenges.
15:53To keep food on our tables and their businesses alive.
15:56But how can they diversify to compete with the threats and keep farming going?
16:00There's quite a lot of farmers using on-farm holiday accommodations, so perhaps cottages
16:04that used to be used by farm workers that can now be converted into farm holiday accommodations.
16:09That's a good income stream and a good opportunity for members of the public to see what goes
16:13on on farms.
16:14A lot are engaging in agriculture contracting, so doing farming tasks and activities for
16:18their neighbours and others in the surrounding area.
16:21We're seeing quite a few go into viticulture, so planting of grapes and vineyards in the
16:27south-east as well.
16:28Quite prevalent across Kent and into Sussex and that's got great potential and arguably
16:33one of the few advantages of climate change in the sense that the climatic conditions
16:37now are really ideal for growing grapes.
16:40But one farm from Ash has found an alternative.
16:43Urban Farm It has designed a way for anyone to grow anywhere.
16:46Visiting their factory today we got suited and booted to take a look behind the scenes.
16:51So, you know, within this room we're not like at the whim of the cycles of the year,
16:59so it doesn't matter whether it's autumn, summer, spring, we can grow the same produce
17:02year round.
17:03You know, we don't have issues like what we've had this year with unpredictable weather,
17:06ruining crops.
17:08We don't have so many issues with risk of contamination or a requirement to use pesticides.
17:14You know, think about it like having a clean slate from which you can grow pretty much
17:19anything, pretty much any time of year as long as you've got the right knowledge and
17:23the right hardware.
17:24So that's why it's so good for farmers as a diversification option because often what
17:28farmers have is willingness, some good basic knowledge and space, but what they don't have
17:34necessarily is the hardware to go in there.
17:36But even in their own sheltered environments they too have to weather the storms of climate
17:40change as well as rising costs.
17:42You see that like everything else in our economy and in our world that climate change will
17:47make it more difficult to procure certain items, it will create limitation and it will
17:52also drive price changes.
17:54So although yes, the actual mushroom side of things we can take care of in an ever warming
17:59climate, there are other factors that impact as a result of climate change that will impact
18:03a mushroom growing business that we also probably can't control.
18:06They hope this is something people at home and farmers will explore.
18:10Daisy Page for KMTV.
18:13Now to sport and this evening Mark Bonner will face his toughest challenge yet as Gillingham
18:17boss when the Medway Club take on Championship side Swansea in the first round of the Carabao
18:22Cup.
18:23It's a four and a half round trip up for fans looking to travel but many will be hoping
18:27for a repeat of last season's success in this competition when they astonishingly beat another
18:32Championship team in the form of Southampton of course.
18:35Well our reporter Bartholomew Hall joins me with a preview of tonight's match.
18:40Bartholomew what's the chance of a repeat this evening?
18:43Well lots of people will be hoping for that, lots of Gillingham fans of course but there's
18:46no doubt this will be a tough game if you look at the spaces in the pyramid between
18:51these two teams.
18:52Swansea of course Championship side, Gillingham in League 2.
18:55There's no doubt that they are the underdogs but when we look at this competition, the
18:58Carabao Cup or the League Cup, the knockout competition between the top 92 sides, Gillingham
19:03have had a good run of form in the past couple of years.
19:06We're looking at pictures now from last year at Priestfield where they played their first
19:09home game of the season, knocking Southampton out of the competition in the first round
19:14and another Championship side there.
19:16And here if we go back another year to the third round of the competition where they
19:19knocked out Brentford, a Premier League side, on penalties.
19:24Two amazing nights that will live long in the memories of Gillingham fans for sure and
19:28yeah I mean a repeat is always possible in these type of competitions of course.
19:33But away from the Cup itself, Gillingham fans will be looking to continue on from the form
19:37that they showed that they have on Saturday when they played their first League 2 game
19:41of the season, beating Carlisle 4-1.
19:44That is a really strong place to put yourself in going into the season.
19:49So yeah there is this kind of air of positivity around Gillingham at the moment and I was
19:52talking to some fans today who are actually getting on the bus to go and take that four
19:57and a half hour journey over to Swansea.
19:59Let's take a listen.
20:01It will hopefully be a repeat of the weekend.
20:03Good attacking style of football, good to see.
20:05Yeah I'm a Bonner believer, put it that way.
20:07Yeah really excited about this season and hopefully you can turn some of those attacking
20:12talents into superb goal threats.
20:14You feel confident?
20:15How do you feel?
20:16Yeah same, good.
20:17I feel confident and I hope for a win.
20:19Yeah really excited.
20:21Yeah I mean the 4-1 win on Saturday and he's actually on the touchline shouting at the
20:26players and absolutely brilliant.
20:28We're looking forward to it, hoping we can get something out of it.
20:32Tactics, good confidence, showing what a great manager can do.
20:36Yeah we're going to go up this season without a shadow of a doubt, it's our season.
20:40Mr Bonner is the man to do it.
20:42Good stuff and then just really quickly, Swansea tonight, what's your prediction on the score?
20:45I think we can see a 2-1 for us.
20:47What do you think Hathaway?
20:49Oh 2-2.
20:502-2.
20:51I feel like they're going to start with the opener and then we'll come back 2-1 because
20:54we always show up for the cup.
20:56Yeah because it's the cup, excitement around the players, 3-1 Gilles.
20:59Yeah, yeah I think 4-1 again just at the weekend.
21:02Really going just for, as I said, a real attack in on the break and hopefully we can catch
21:06Swansea asleep.
21:07Hopefully 2-1 to us, hopefully.
21:09I think it can be 1-1 and we can go to penalties.
21:13And you think Gilles will take it on penalties?
21:15Yeah.
21:17A lot of positive predictions there Bartholomew.
21:19I'm actually surprised you didn't jump on the bus and head out with them.
21:22It would have been fun but then I wouldn't be able to be here to preview the match.
21:25Exactly.
21:26How are things looking inside the camp?
21:27Well that's important isn't it because there will be that air of positivity coming off
21:31of a really strong win on Saturday but they have to remember in just a few days time they're
21:35going to be back on the road again, Mark Bonner's team, to go all the way to Morecambe.
21:40That's an even further trip this Saturday so it's a really packed calendar this early
21:44on in the season.
21:45But Mark Bonner is already having to deal with a lot of injuries as well so he's not
21:49going to be wanting to put his players at risk this evening.
21:52We know that players such as Tim Deyenne and Connor Masterson might not be appearing this
21:56evening after facing some injuries and that's just a number of players.
22:00Let's hear from the manager now when he was talking after that Carlisle match on Saturday
22:04about how he's going to be approaching it.
22:06I think a lot of the boys that haven't played today will play.
22:09We'll definitely get minutes into those because otherwise they're too far away from their
22:13last big minutes in pre-season.
22:15So in one sense it's an extension of pre-season for us to get those players fit and up to
22:20speed because we need them but it's a tough game, we know that.
22:23It's also an opportunity for us to contest ourselves in an unbelievable stadium against
22:26a top, top team.
22:27So yeah, it will be what it will be.
22:29We're going to have a right good go at it.
22:30We're going to see how much of the ball we can have.
22:32We're going to see how difficult we can make it for them when they've got it and use it
22:36as a sensible day's work for some in terms of trying to maybe get 45 into a few.
22:42Definitely be a five sub game for us and we'll try and make sure everyone's in the best health
22:47possible for next Saturday but we'll have a go at trying to get through in the cup as well.
22:53And just before we go this evening, don't forget you can keep up to date with all your
22:57latest stories across Kent by logging onto our website kmtv.co.uk.
23:01There you'll find all our reports but as Howlett's Wild Animal Park are celebrating a different
23:06animal each week and this week it's elephants, here's a look at their plans to rewild the
23:11largest herd of the species in the UK and some of the other endangered animals they're
23:15hoping to breed.
23:21From home to Howlett's and back home again.
23:25Animals from each of these species make up the hundreds taken back to the wild.
23:31And it's down to Howlett's Wild Animal Park and Portland Reserve's partnership with the
23:36Aspinall Foundation.
23:38The charity runs conservation projects overseas to protect endangered species and return captive
23:44animals back to the wild.
23:46And those ready to head back any day now is the largest herd of elephants in the UK.
23:52With elephants it's not been done like this ever before because they're such like a big
23:57family unit and stuff you can't just break one off and send it on its own, they need
24:01to go together which is why it's such a huge thing because we've got 13, we've got such
24:05a big herd, it's a massive step to get them all together to go but I believe two planes
24:11is the plan at the minute because there's too many to fit on one.
24:14So they'll go onto the crates and then be loaded onto lorries, driven to the airport
24:19and then onto the big planes and then yeah, the flight to Kenya.
24:23This is actually part of Tammy's task, she's the bigger elephant there and the matriarch
24:27of the herd and this is what these guys are hunted for, ivory.
24:32A lot of them are killed so that poachers can take this and sell it on.
24:36Another threat to these mammals is habitat loss, pushing them onto farmland and resulting
24:41in human conflict.
24:43The Aspinall Foundation hopes that by taking them to Kenya it will help more than just
24:48the herd.
24:50Someone thriving in their wild habitat is Joshie, the western lowland gorilla born in
24:56Kent and moved to the Congo three years ago.
25:00Initially he was in a caged area kind of like we have here and that is quite helpful for
25:06them, it gets them used to the sounds of Congo and Gabon because obviously even things like
25:11the birds are different and it can be a little bit scary for them.
25:15Then once he was kind of seen as ready to move onto the next stage he was moved onto
25:21an island which is where he is now.
25:23The species is critically endangered with 150,000 left in the wild.
25:28Howlets have the largest collection of the species outside of Africa.
25:33Also re-homed in Africa, a group of painted dogs.
25:37Back at Howlets it was feeding time for their pack of four.
25:41And these are actually one of the most successful hunters?
25:44Yeah, these are not the most successful hunters.
25:4770-80% of their or even 90% of their hunts end in success.
25:52Increasing numbers of all endangered species is key for the Kent Parks.
25:57But the charity says more needs to be done across the conservation industry so that a
26:02day out for you and your family means a future for them.
26:07Abbey Hook for KMTV in Canterbury.
26:12Well let's look at the weather, what it's looking like for those animals this week across
26:15the county.
26:16Highs of 18, lows of 17 tonight.
26:19Tomorrow morning some cooler temperatures than we've been seeing recently.
26:22Mostly cloudy as well, some sunshine in some parts as well.
26:25By the afternoon warming up but staying humid and cloudy as well.
26:29Some sunshine in parts of the county.
26:32And here's the outlook for Kent as well.
26:34Sunshine and rain on Friday.
26:38Well that's all we've got time for tonight for Kent Tonight.
26:41I'll see you again tomorrow.
26:42Bye bye.
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