Catch up with all the news across the county with Abby Hook
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:28I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Monday the 4th of November.
00:32Tuition in turmoil, university fees are going up, so will Kent's student numbers fall?
00:39They will naturally assume that just means their debt is going to go up or their potential
00:42debt is going to go up and that might put them off going to university and that's a
00:47very bad thing.
00:48The Stones remember them, Maidstone United host Remembrance Parade.
00:54A century for Invicta Sport, KMTV's sports show celebrates its 100th episode.
01:10It means undefeated and it's that unrelenting spirit of our county that echoes through all
01:15our sporting stars at all levels, from our professional players to our grassroots heroes.
01:19This is your show.
01:30First tonight, will Kent's student numbers decline after the Labour Party's announcement
01:34today that university fees will increase by nearly £300 next year?
01:40The Education Secretary hopes it will address the funding gap for universities struggling
01:44with inflation.
01:45Some students and academics say it will just put even more students off even thinking about
01:51going to university.
01:52Kristen Hawthorne has been speaking with people on the Medway University campus.
01:57£9,535, this is how much it could soon cost for students to attend university in the UK.
02:08Since 2017, fees have been capped at £9,250.
02:13The Education Secretary, Bridget Philipson, has indicated that costs currently do not
02:18reflect the true value of the education provided.
02:21This increase is in response to many institutions suffering from the cost of living crisis,
02:27with 40% of English universities expecting to fall below the financial thresholds this
02:33year.
02:34From April 2025, we will be increasing the maximum cap for tuition fees in line with
02:38inflation to £9,535, an increase of £285 per academic year.
02:47With increases coming for those hoping to join university in the coming year, it's feared
02:52many students may feel discouraged from joining university.
02:56When people read a headline that says tuition fees are going to go up, they will naturally
03:01assume that just means their debt is going to go up or their potential debt is going
03:04to go up, and that might put them off going to university, and that's a very bad thing.
03:10The university fee system is so completely broken, and none of the main parties have
03:18really wanted to grasp the nettle of doing a really full and proper review of how universities
03:25are funded.
03:26Labour has essentially fallen into the same trap of not wanting to do that, and therefore
03:33it looks like they're just going to continue with the existing system, but just at a slightly
03:39higher level of fees, and that is not the answer.
03:43I definitely think that it will discourage a lot of people from specifically selecting
03:49engineering and STEM subjects, which in themselves are very, I would say they're already difficult
03:57to begin with without prior knowledge.
04:02People are already struggling with what is the prices right now, so I think it's going
04:06to be quite a lot.
04:07I'm an international student as well, so if that happens to international students, I
04:11think definitely most of them, they're going to be so encouraged to come to university,
04:15and here they might choose another country, which is really sad.
04:21Universities have already suffered a financial hit, with many international students hoping
04:25to stay in their home countries, citing the cost of living as a hurdle.
04:30It is not yet clear how much fees may go up for international students, but what we
04:34do know is that foreign students pay around triple the fees of British students, so the
04:39impact of this raise may be felt more in international students.
04:45Kristen Hawthorne, KMTV.
04:48Next night people across Kent will be gathering together to watch sparks light the sky in
04:53celebration of Guy Fawkes Night.
04:55For many, the nights are filled with fireworks, bonfires and sparklers of course, but for
04:59the Coppice pub in Eastchurch, Sheppey, the night ended with the display gone very wrong.
05:05Joining me now with more details on this is Daisy Page.
05:07Daisy, tell us what happened at one of these events that was held in Sheppey.
05:11Well, last night the pub in Eastchurch put on a free firework display, and it didn't
05:16go as planned.
05:17The rocket shot off into the crowd of people watching, and also people said that it was
05:22sparking off the fences.
05:24They exploded near the people who attended this display.
05:28One went off by two people's feet, and a little boy aged six also had his face burnt by these
05:33explosions.
05:34Since the incident, the pub has put out an apology on social media, saying that they
05:39are deeply sorry, and that they are reviewing their safety protocols, but I do have some
05:44footage of what has happened last night.
05:46Just a warning, it contains content some viewers may find distressing.
05:54Oh, Jess!
05:56That's, that's, that's going messed up.
06:00Oh, it's this!
06:02They're spouting everywhere.
06:04Get in, Jess!
06:05Jess, move now!
06:07Jess!
06:09Get in now!
06:13Incredibly distressing and really scary for a lot of those parents there.
06:16You heard just the concern in their voices.
06:18They're trying to get their children away from those fireworks.
06:21It's important to say Kent Fire and Rescue Service was not actually called out to the
06:25incident at all, but we have reached out to them today to get some wider advice, I suppose,
06:30about Bonfire Night, about fireworks and the safety precautions that need to be taken.
06:35Yeah, well, 5th of November is tomorrow.
06:38I think from last weekend to the weekend coming up, we know that we're going to be seeing
06:43a lot of fireworks.
06:44I know I've already seen fireworks on my drive home this week on the weekend.
06:49But the first piece of advice was to check the firework safety code.
06:53Now, I didn't actually know this existed until we spoke earlier, so I decided to check it
06:58out myself and pick out a couple that we have seen.
07:02A couple rules I knew was, like, stand back, keep pets indoors, make sure you light in
07:06one spark throughout time.
07:07But they also gave us some advice on what to do if you do get burnt.
07:12Fireworks and bonfires can be hot, so there's, you know, potential for burn injuries.
07:19So, advice around burn injuries is, if you are unfortunate enough to get burned, to make
07:26sure that any burn is cooled for at least 20 minutes with cool water.
07:31And if it's a serious burn, ensure that the emergency services are called as well, so
07:35they can give you additional advice and respond if necessary.
07:39Also, if your clothing is to catch fire, to stop, drop and roll.
07:45Again, this is information that's available on our website should people want to read
07:50up on it.
07:51Important advice there, Daisy.
07:53Thank you very much.
07:54Now, tomorrow, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will come head-to-head in the 60th US presidential
08:00election.
08:01But how in tune are Kent's students with politics overseas?
08:06Some we've spoken to in Medway say American elections don't mean very much to them at
08:10all.
08:11But for some of the international students, it can affect how their visa works, of course.
08:15Well, here's what a few on the Medway campus had to say.
08:19So, how interested are you in the US election?
08:23I'm fairly interested, yeah.
08:24I kind of keep tabs on it, you know, as part of my daily news.
08:29Everyone will be interested in the US election because, you know, it has a large impact in
08:34all over the world.
08:35I'm not that much interested about the US election.
08:38Well, I'm actually pretty interested.
08:40I really want to know who's going to be the president.
08:43On different policies they make regarding different countries, that's why I'm interested
08:48in the US election.
08:50I've seen some coverage on it on TikTok, but, you know, just the clips of it.
08:54The rules of the visa are going to change based on the next president.
08:59Now, Maidstone United Football Club have been marking remembrance with a parade on their
09:03grounds.
09:04With Royal British Legion Industries, the club organised an inclusive event so those
09:08with disabilities can take part too.
09:10Organisers say the annual tradition should be accessible to everyone as it's about everyone
09:15paying tribute to a key part of history.
09:17Henry Luck was there.
09:25The disability branch of the Maidstone United Football Club Raiders are paying tribute by
09:31bringing remembrance to the players and public.
09:34Straight after training, bugle players and standard bearers marched onto the pitch to
09:41deliver a hearing and a performance of the last post, serving the purpose of teaching
09:47about the tradition.
09:48We have the flag bearers, the bugle player and some of the servicemen march the players
09:56out and obviously give them a life experience and obviously teach them about, obviously,
10:04the reason we have freedom today and people that gave their lives for that reason.
10:10So, basically, it's educating our disability players on their history.
10:16As someone on the autistic spectrum, going to remembrance parades like this one here
10:22at Gallagher Stadium is really helpful for me because I only need to take a five-minute
10:28train journey to Maidstone Barracks and then only a ten-minute walk.
10:34The procession at the football club is now in its second year and has been met with a
10:40similar successful turnout.
10:42There's 21 teams here, all different disabilities, and they don't usually attend anything like
10:48a remembrance service because it's not in their comfort zone and it's a bit loud for
10:52some of them.
10:53But when Lorraine asked me to do it last year, I thought, yeah, come on, we'll do that.
10:58And it turned out to be fantastic.
10:59They all appreciate the fact that we've come special to give them that service, which they
11:03wouldn't normally attend.
11:04And I thought, well, let's go and do that and make sure that everyone gets a remembrance
11:08service, whatever their age and disability.
11:12Also included in the march are veterans, members of the Royal British Legion and Kent Fire Brigade.
11:19Remembrance is for everybody.
11:21It doesn't matter whether you're disabled, able, or anything.
11:25You're all there to remember the people who gave their all so that we can do a service
11:31like this.
11:32Remembrance Sunday will take place on Sunday 10 November, where Kent will be united in
11:39remembering the glorious dead.
11:41Henry Luck for KMTV in Maidstone.
11:46Time for a very short break now.
11:48I'll see you soon.
22:06And finally this evening straight after the break on a Monday every week we bring you
22:08a brand new episode of KMTV Sports Show in Vic to Spore.
22:11Well today is a very special episode because it's our 100th show.
22:16With news interviews and features from across Kent's sporting landscape the show has brought
22:20us a close-up view on Maidstone United's historic FA Cup run to Kent's vital role in Team GB's
22:26Olympic success, gold success, to giving a platform to unknown sporting heroes across
22:32our county. Well to look back over it all, the show's producer Bartholomew joins me in
22:36the studio now. It's exciting, 100th show, take me through some of the best bits.
22:42Yeah, I mean it's definitely creeped up on us. I get to see the number every single week
22:46when I'm putting the show together and I keep saying to everybody, oh we're on 87, we're
22:50on 92, we're on 99, 100th is coming and yeah, I mean it's finally here. We've had a brilliant,
22:56brilliant time putting together this show. We've interviewed many people, you've obviously
23:00presented it many times, we've spoken to Olympians, to rugby legends, to those who are making
23:05a difference in the community as well and that was really what the show was about from
23:09the beginning. Tell me a bit more about that inspiration
23:11behind it, where did that come from? Yeah, I mean it's not the first sports show
23:15that we've had on KMTV but we wanted to build something from the ground up that reflects
23:19Kent and reflects the vast landscape that we have here of people making it in sport,
23:24both professionally and at the grassroots level. Of course, if you just take football
23:28for example, it's the nation's sport. Here in Kent, we have just one professional team
23:32but underneath that, you can look at that on a surface level and think, oh there's not
23:36much football here. If you're a fan of a Kent team, you are passionate about it and I've
23:40been to non-league games where you see that passion and that fury that's there and that
23:44goes right across the board in all the different sports. So that's what Invicta was about and
23:48that's why we brought it to life. And tell me about some of your favourite bits.
23:52I have many, many highlights and we've actually put together a bit of a montage that we can
23:56show you in a second but my favourite segment, as I always say, is action replay where we
24:01like to feature people from across the county taking part in sport. But here is us taking
24:06part in showing some of that sport. Hello and welcome to KMTV's brand new show
24:12Invicta Sport. The season hasn't quite started yet so I'm not here to catch a match. Instead,
24:17I'm meeting the man who in a few weeks' time is going to get quite used to the sight of
24:21these. And whilst I didn't have a bike of my own, Danny made sure to include me in his
24:25training nonetheless. I think this will probably be one of the last
24:29years of my career. I'm getting a bit old now but the body's starting to feel it. This
24:34is less about just making a team but fulfilling my potential, whatever that may be, and giving
24:38it my all. Well, Kenny joins me now. Thank you very much
24:42for taking the time today and welcome onto the show.
24:45The clubs have disappeared. It's trying to come back, try to come back in the championship.
24:50Seven Oaks have been very welcoming to us and Kent. So we just felt this was the best
24:56place. It's got a great rugby heritage down there. There's a lot of clubs.
25:01It was the most tough tournament we ever had. It was a heatwave in Brazil. So it was 37
25:08degrees. In fact, he only actually picked up shooting
25:11after going through rehab for a life-changing injury six years ago.
25:17Your world's changed. Yeah, this is my biggest enemy and also my best friend.
25:24I'm here today though to check out one of the set-ups for one of the nation's first
25:27eSports qualifications. I want to go to university and there I want
25:31to study team management where I can hopefully one day in the future be able to be in charge
25:35of my own eSports team. If you weren't shooting at the Olympics,
25:39what do you think you'd be doing back here in the county?
25:42I'm not entirely sure. My dad was a car dealer, so maybe I would have followed his footsteps
25:49a bit more. We might not be Mercedes or McLaren, but the
25:51KMTV racing team is ready to give it our best shot. What do we think, guys?
25:55Yeah, we got it. We're ready.
25:56Totally got it. For centuries, Invicta has been the Kent motto.
25:59Translated from Latin, it means undefeated. And it's that unrelenting spirit of our county
26:04that echoes through all our sporting stars at all levels, from our professional players
26:08to our grassroots heroes. This is your show. So get in touch and you might just be sat
26:13here with me in the studio in the coming weeks to tell your story.
26:16But for now, this is Invicta Sport. Are you ready?
26:23I think we just made that show so we could have a lot of fun.
26:25We definitely have had a lot of fun. That's true.
26:27It carries on tonight. We've got football FA Cup highlights, league highlights.
26:32We've got some basketball, looking at the Northfleet Academy basketball.
26:35They've been smashing it over in Italy. So lots to explore.
26:38Amazing. Well, we'll hand over another episode, the 100th episode of Invicta Sport coming
26:42after this break. Bye bye for now.