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00:00Hello and welcome to Cancer Night live on KMTV. I'm Mahima Abedin and here are your
00:29top stories on Tuesday the 3rd of September. It's getting worse. Medway Charity speaks
00:35out after alleged attack on food bank volunteer.
00:38You know this is not just a one off occurrence. The verbal abuse, the abuse that goes on towards
00:43food banks and other organisations that are there to help is appalling.
00:47Bunking off for the beach, families still searching for term time holidays despite absence
00:52fine increase.
00:54You've somehow got to balance that with the need to be in school and the requirements
01:01to learn.
01:02And leading the pack, dog behaviourist from Maidstone wins regional award.
01:07I was so shocked I almost thought have you got the right person? But it was incredible
01:11to be kind of recognised.
01:23A food bank in Medway says its volunteers are getting abused more than ever before.
01:29Gillingham Street Angels provides food and clothing to thousands in the area every month.
01:34But now the organisation says its helpers need to wear body cams to keep them safe.
01:39Oliver Leader de Sacks went to speak to the charity's manager about the situation.
01:44Hundreds of pounds of body cameras, a thousand on CCTV. That is what Neil Charlock who runs
01:51the Gillingham Street Angels says he has to spend on security equipment for his food
01:58bank.
01:59It follows an alleged attack on one of his 60-year-old delivery drivers yesterday afternoon.
02:05These guys volunteer. We feed a lot of people in this community. They shouldn't have to
02:10deal with that kind of thing. It's an increasing problem. It's not just a one-off occurrence.
02:15The verbal abuse, the abuse that goes on towards food banks and other organisations that are
02:19there to help is appalling. And those body cameras are £200 apiece to make sure that
02:24they feel, my volunteers feel a bit of safety that when something does go wrong, we've got
02:28one of the volunteers who's got leukaemia. She's been spat in her face. People are just
02:32rude. There's some rude people out there. And it's not a great deal. We can't afford
02:37to have security guards at a food bank that's trying to help people. We're trying to give
02:40stuff out for free. It's bad that we should be even looking at that kind of thing.
02:43Government police confirmed they were called to Skinner Street around 1.30 on Monday following
02:49a report that a man had been assaulted by a delivery driver, but after speaking to the
02:55informant determined that no offences were deemed to have been committed. It's not just
03:02the Gillingham Street Angels that say they have seen their volunteers on the receiving
03:07end of abuse.
03:09It's probably more so not because we've seen more of an increase, but maybe of that sort
03:14of incidents happening. I think it's more because the sheer number of people are increasing,
03:20which in turn, a classic example of today, one of our clients said, oh, why do I get
03:26less than that person? And it's purely because we can't necessarily, we have a different
03:32system for different, if you're a family or a single people, but you can't, because of
03:36the sheer number of volumes, we can't give everybody exactly the same amount because
03:39we just wouldn't be able to, you know, give those donations out to everybody.
03:44With demand continuing across the county, the threat of abuse continues to be a real
03:51concern for Kent's voluntary sector. Oliver Lees-Essex for KMTV in Medway.
03:59A Kent MP says he will be the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Tunbridge's Tom Tugendhart
04:05officially kicked off his campaign to become Conservative party leader at Westminster today.
04:11He's one of six candidates looking to replace Rishi Sunak as party boss following its worst
04:17ever defeat at the general election. But how does it all work? I was joined earlier by
04:22ARP reporter Bartholomew Hall to talk through the logistics of the contest.
04:27The candidates have already been around, around the country, including here in Kent, to say
04:31that they want to be the next leader. So why are we launching their bids now?
04:35Well, it does seem a little bit silly, doesn't it, that they're this far into their campaigning
04:39already. We've heard from them all summer, but they're just now launching their campaigns.
04:44And the reason is because this week is when the voting actually starts, and one of those
04:50six is going to be eliminated from the race today. Tom Tugendhat, MP for Tunbridge, recently
04:55re-elected in the general election. Well, it was his turn to launch his campaign, as
04:59you say. It's not the first time he's been in contention for Tory leadership. Back when
05:04Liz Truss won the race to become prime minister at the time, not just Tory leader. He was
05:10kind of the outside candidate. He hadn't had the ministerial record in the past. Since
05:16then he's gone on to become security minister in both the Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak cabinets.
05:22And now he's hoping to take the party to election success in the future, of course, following
05:27that defeat just a month ago. Today he said he's standing not just to be the Conservative
05:32party leader, but also standing to be the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Let's
05:36hear some of his pledges now.
05:38My mission is the happiness and prosperity of the British people. Now, it's easy to say,
05:45but it's tough to deliver. Because at its heart, it's about putting the government back
05:51at the service of the people. It's about investment and innovation, but it's also about freedom.
05:58Freedom to succeed. And yes, freedom to fail. It's about a commitment to grow our economy
06:06and to see our people prosper.
06:09And so Bartholomew, what are the next steps?
06:11Well, next, it's important to note that only members of the Conservative party will have
06:15choice over who their next leader will be. But before we get to the wider Conservative
06:20party membership, it all starts with the MPs. So tomorrow, Wednesday, Conservative MPs will
06:24be choosing who they'll be backing out of the six candidates. And when just four remain,
06:30those four will speak to party members at the conference, which is the end of this month,
06:33the end of September, before MPs will then vote again. They'll halve that four in early
06:39October until there are just two candidates remaining. Then when we're at two candidates,
06:43that will go to the wider membership. And by Halloween, the online ballot for all members
06:49of the party, that will close and we'll have a new leader of the party and new leader of
06:54the opposition. Let's just quickly, before we wrap up, give you who those six are. Tom
06:58Tugendhat, of course, we know is the MP for Tunbridge. Kemi Badenoch is the ex-business
07:02secretary. James Cleverley, the former Foreign and former Home Secretary. Robert Jenrick,
07:08former Immigration Minister, former Home Secretary again, Priti Patel, and the Shadow Work and
07:13Pension Secretary, Mel Stride.
07:15Thank you so much, Bartholomew, for those details.
07:19Now the MP for Dover's been reacting to the news that 12 people have died in small boat
07:24crossings in the English Channel earlier today. Recently elected Mike Tapps blamed what he
07:30calls the evil smuggling gangs for the deaths. The French Coast Guard says 65 asylum seekers
07:37were in the boat that capsized with a dozen of the passengers losing their lives. A medical
07:42station was set up at a nearby port to treat the survivors.
07:47A charity that helps veterans in Kent celebrating a big birthday this week. The Royal British
07:53Legion Industries Company, also known as the RBLI, was set up 105 years ago. Its workers
08:01make lots of items, including road and train signs, that are used across the country. Henry
08:07Luck went to their headquarters to find out more about the organisation.
08:12It was the end of the First World War and many veterans needed help returning to civilian
08:18life. RBLI, known as Industrial Settlements Incorporated before 1944, started helping
08:27those discharged from service with their first sign-making factory, opening in 1964. Now
08:35called Britain's Bravest Manufacturing, the business makes signs for use on roads and
08:41train tracks, even creating the RBLI's signature Tommy figures. And this is an example of what
08:49Britain's Bravest Manufacturing makes, right here in its factory in Ellsworth, as a quarter
08:55million of signs like this are transported and used across the UK. The work of the company
09:02has been recognised by important UK figures, such as the late Queen Elizabeth II. I was
09:09here when the Queen visited back in 2019 to celebrate our 100th anniversary. It was a
09:15very proud day. I got to meet her, along with a lot of the staff got to meet her as well.
09:21We feel very proud and privileged to be able to get some real high profile visitors and
09:26let's hope that we get some more in the future. You never know, the King might decide to come
09:30and visit, so let's wait and see. Today, Britain's Bravest has a team of over 100 people, many
09:38of whom are disabled. I was injured in Afghanistan on my second operative in 2012. I was retired
09:46and I'm working in the Royal British Legion Industries since then. And there are lots
09:54of other veterans who work with me together and serve with me together as well. So I'm
10:00very pleased to work in the factory. It's a proud moment for me. With much success in
10:07the past, what does the future hold? We're entering into several new markets. One is
10:12house builder signage. That's all of the sales and marketing signage. And then the construction
10:18signage, so safety signage, wear a hard hat, goggles and so on. And then hoardings. So
10:25you're now seeing hoardings not only for houses, but in city centres, where there's city centre
10:31development. Hoardings are used as a communication vehicle. That's very much a natural extension
10:36of our capability and we're moving into both those markets with some success. Over 100
10:42years later, Britain's Bravest Manufacturing is still going strong, pointing many veterans
10:49in the right direction. Henry Luck, Caine TV in Ellesford. A yellow weather alert for
10:58rain has been issued for the whole of Kent, but now it's time to take a quick look at
11:02the rest of the weather. Tonight, temperatures cool down across the county with highs of
11:1317 and lows of 15. Tomorrow morning is slightly warmer with a bit of cloud, 18 degrees in
11:20Margate and Canterbury areas. Tomorrow afternoon, the sun remains with temperatures warming
11:25to 21 in the north of the county in Dartford and Chatham. And for the rest of the week,
11:31temperatures of 20 to 22 degrees with cloudy skies over the next three days.
11:44Now it's time for a very short break. We'll see you soon.
15:02Hello, and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV. A 24-year-old man accused of murdering
15:19a woman in her 80s near Tunbridge Wells has died in hospital. Emergency crews, including
15:25police, were called to a disturbance at Brightridge in Southborough on Saturday night where two
15:30people were found with stab wounds. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and the man
15:35was arrested on suspicion of murder before being taken to hospital where he died this
15:40morning. It's understood both people were known to each other and the incident is being
15:45treated as isolated. An investigation into both deaths is now due to be led by the coroner.
15:54German band Scooter have cancelled their gig at Margate's Dreamland following the sudden
15:58death of a crew member. The global superstars have sold more than 30 million records and
16:04were due to appear on Friday, but the group announced the concert's been cancelled and
16:09rescheduled due to the death of Seb, who was part of their team. He was only 40 years old.
16:15In a post on Facebook, the band suggests that the death was linked to heart disease. Dreamland's
16:20website says the event has been rescheduled to June 13th next year.
16:27Parents in Kent are being warned not to take their children out of school for unauthorised
16:32absences. Fines for the offence have increased as the new school year begins. It means parents
16:38will be hit with an £80 fine compared to the previous penalty of £60. That goes up
16:44to a massive £160 if the penalty isn't settled in 21 days. However, it's since emerged that
16:52families are still searching for cheaper term time holidays despite the increase.
16:57Well, our reporter Kristen Hawthorne is with me now. Kristen, why is this happening?
17:01Well, the Department of Education has actually noticed that since the pandemic, the amount of
17:06absences from school has really increased worldwide. In the Kent and Medway area alone,
17:11between the years of 2021 to 2022, the number was 7,690. Since then, in the following year,
17:20it almost doubled, being 1,026. Like you said at the beginning, because of this,
17:30the minimum fine will increase from £60 to £80 per parent per child. And if this fine is not
17:37paid within the first 21 days, it will increase to £160. The Kent law firm from Whitehead, Moncton,
17:46have noticed that since this change, there has been a 177% increase in the amount of online
17:53searches for, can I take my child out of school for the holidays, over the last two weeks alone.
18:00I was speaking to Kent Jones, a Kent education lawyer, earlier today to find out more.
18:06That'd be important for a family to have on holiday. It's a time for a family to go away
18:11together and to relax. And that's part of a child's education and upbringing. But you've
18:17somehow got to balance that with the need to be in school and the requirements to learn.
18:25My advice would be, if you're looking at doing something, go and talk to the school about it.
18:30Is there an education element to the holiday where the school might consider making it
18:36an exceptional reason? So the Department of Education knows that holidays aren't the only
18:43reason why children are being taken out of school. And so they now must legally take a support first
18:48approach with schools and councils having formal meetings to better understand this and encourage
18:54children to want to come to school more. Thank you for that, Kristen. Now, don't forget you can
18:58keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent by logging on to our website,
19:02kmtv.co.uk. There you'll find all our reports, including this one about data showing the
19:09increasing number of warnings issued to motorists entering school streets,
19:13as drivers are ignoring new traffic-free zones around some schools in Medway.
19:18It's a scheme designed to make dropping children off at school safer.
19:22Medway Council introduced the enforcement to seven streets earlier this year. And it's monitored by
19:28these cameras, warnings issued to any vehicles ignoring the restricted hours. We've seen data
19:35which shows the highest number of warnings issued came in the first month of the scheme.
19:40But it's gradually been increasing, suggesting motorists are flouting the rules. Despite this,
19:46the council has confirmed a further rollout. We've earmarked the second tranche of schools
19:52which are going to benefit from the school streets scheme. And I am aware of other schools
19:58who have approached us asking if they can be involved too. We're not trying to build Rome in a
20:03day. So what do current streets make of the scheme? We should be allowed to be able to
20:11especially as she lives here. But because I haven't got a car, I suppose. And her husband
20:16doesn't drive. I'm the only one that does, dilly me. It's a nightmare. It is. We'll just say,
20:24for example, she needs an x-ray. You need to get to the hospital early because otherwise you can't
20:30get a space. She can't walk that distance. She can't walk that distance and get on a bus.
20:37Taxis are not allowed along here. So how would she get to any appointments?
20:41What would you say to people who are reliant on supporters and carers to pick them up during
20:45restricted hours? What should they do if they are receiving fines? Well, we've got a range of
20:50exemptions which apply to people who can be eligible for because they're a resident, because
20:55they may be dropping a child off with a disability, or indeed if they are a blue badge holder
21:00themselves. But we are not robots at Medway Council. Although this is being enforced by ANPR
21:07cameras, those tickets will be assessed by a human being. And if there are extenuating
21:13circumstances, then I would encourage people to get in touch. But back on Glencoe Road,
21:18some neighbours say they have noticed fewer cars in the morning. They stop them coming up at
21:24certain times. It's the right time to do it. The kids are safe when I send my son to school every
21:28morning. There's no one hitting the kerbs or jumping on the kerbs or people flying up the
21:33road anymore. It's a lot safer for them. With the start of a new school year on the horizon and
21:37fines being introduced from early September, the council says that'll send a clear message to
21:42motorists and fewer people will flout the rules. Gabriel Morris in Medway.
21:49Now for a recap of our top story. A food bank in Medway says its volunteers are getting abused
21:55more than ever before. Gillingham Street Angels provides food and clothing to thousands in the
22:01area every month. But now the organisation says its helpers need to wear body cams to keep them
22:07safe. There's more on that story available on Kent Online. And finally, are you having trouble
22:14getting your cheeky dog to behave? Well, Maidstone dog behaviourist Lauren Sharkey has just won an
22:20award at the London and South East England Prestige Awards for being the best at what she does.
22:26She was praised for her empathetic approach to helping owners with their dogs' behavioural
22:31problems and also her efforts in educating the local community. Well, I had a chat with Lauren
22:37earlier, but we also had a very special guest. So Lauren and Lottie, thank you both so much for
22:44coming in today. I'm looking forward to saying hello to both of you here sat on the sofas.
22:48But first of all, congratulations on winning dog behaviourist of the year. What did that feel like
22:53winning that award? Oh, it was amazing. I honestly forgot that kind of I've been shortlisted for it
22:58and then the email came through and I was so shocked. I almost thought, have you got the right
23:01person? But it was incredible to be kind of recognised and sort of so many of my clients
23:05have given such nice feedback as well that I was able to win it. So yeah, super, super pleased.
23:10Well, that's a huge achievement. You should be very proud of yourself. But you've also,
23:13we've got another guest here today as well. Can you tell us who we've got?
23:17Yep. So this is Lottie. Lottie is three and she is originally a rescue dog. So she isn't one of my
23:23clients dogs. She's a friend's dog, but she recently did help me on a training session
23:28with another dog who was very excitable around other dogs. And Lottie was amazing
23:31helping her kind of chill out and they both did really well together. But yes,
23:35Lottie's been with her family sort of for the past couple of years and she is a beautiful
23:39dog as we can see. She definitely is. And many people will be wondering what a dog behaviourist
23:45actually is. I mean, it sounds interesting. It sounds like a lot of fun, but can you talk us
23:48through what you do? What is a day in your life like? Well, with training and behaviour, there's
23:52a bit of a fine line between them and some people get confused between the difference between a
23:56trainer and a behaviourist. But a behaviourist, basically, we kind of, a little bit like a dog
24:00psychologist, I guess you could call it. We kind of look at what's going on with the dog, why they're
24:04doing what they're doing, rather than just, for example, teaching the dog to sit. Say, for example,
24:08a dog was showing certain behaviours around other dogs, kind of growling at other dogs. We look at
24:12why that might be. So are they scared? Are they frustrated? Is there something medical going on?
24:17And then we basically, once we find that underlying motivation, we can kind of change
24:21that emotion to change the behaviour. So it's a little bit like going to therapy sessions,
24:24but of course, dogs can't speak to us how we might do in a therapy session.
24:28So I imagine every day for you is very different. I mean, you're dealing with all different types of
24:31dogs, but is there a certain type that's common or what kind of dogs do you deal with?
24:35I deal with all kinds, really. I still work with sort of young puppies and doing basic training.
24:40But I do work with a lot of kind of like bigger dogs as well. And kind of, I do love ball breeds.
24:45They are one of my absolute favourites to work with. I think they are very misunderstood.
24:50And I used to work in a rescue where there are a lot of them.
24:53But yeah, I work with really all kinds of different breeds.
24:55And so like you mentioned there, you work with all different types of breeds.
24:59And people say dogs often reflect their owners. How true is that? Would you agree?
25:02You work with all different types of people and dogs?
25:05It's a difficult one. Yeah, sometimes they definitely can. And sometimes I think kind
25:09of how the owner can behave with them. If the owner's quite chilled out, sometimes we can have
25:13a more chilled out dog. If the owner's a little bit kind of on the go a little bit, we can have
25:17that. But I definitely think all dogs have their individual personalities, just like people do.
25:21So they don't necessarily mimic each other.
25:23And so what's the most common issue that you find with dogs?
25:27Definitely probably what we might call reactivity, which is, some people might call it aggression.
25:31It's basically where dogs might be kind of barking, growling, lunging, typically on the
25:36lead. It could be at people or other dogs. But that is a real big issue that we are seeing.
25:40And we are seeing a lot more of that, I think, than in previous years. And that could be really
25:45difficult for people to deal with because they don't want to take their dogs for walks and things
25:48like that. My own dog had the same problem, which is why I became a behaviorist in the first place.
25:51But yeah, reactivity, I would say, is a big one.
25:54Well, that's really interesting that you became a dog behaviorist because of your own dog as well.
25:58But what's your advice to people that are getting a new dog? I mean, it sounds like you've dealt
26:01with that as well. So what would your advice be?
26:03I would say, really research the kind of breed that you want or kind of type of dog that you
26:08want. I think sometimes a lot of us look at dogs and think they look really cute,
26:11but we're not thinking about kind of their energy levels, what they need,
26:15all of those kinds of things.
26:17You've been watching Kent Tonight live on KMTV. There's more news made just for Kent
26:22throughout the evening. And don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest news
26:26across your county by logging on to KMTV.co.uk. You can keep us on your social timelines by liking
26:33us on Facebook and following us on X. And if you have a story you think we should be covering,
26:38then get in touch. But for now, that's all from us here at KMTV.
26:41We hope you have a lovely evening, and we'll see you soon.