Join Abby Hook and Bartholomew Hall with all the latest news for Kent, in the morning!
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Violence against women and girls is still an epidemic that needs addressing both here
00:10in Kent and beyond according to charities and victims.
00:14Now a songwriter from Broadstairs who was attacked by a man as she walked home from
00:18university has released a song to raise awareness and hopefully gain some closure.
00:23Daisy Foster says she's still looking for answers as police are yet to identify the
00:27suspect involved in her attack.
00:29Her song Swan stands for safety for women at night and she's hoping it makes a difference
00:34across the county and across the country.
00:39At least one in 12 women will be a victim of violence against women and girls every
00:43year.
00:44That's two million every year.
00:51And in 2023 Daisy Foster was one of them and this is the song she's now written to raise
00:57awareness and hopefully find closure.
01:01You get taught certain things to try and prevent it or to protect yourself and in that situation
01:08I don't feel like we could have done more and again this is why we wanted to include
01:13these lyrics into the song itself because I feel like that is something that women worldwide
01:18are told and that itself isn't enough to stop this from happening so this is why we say
01:25we know that it's not, in the lyrics it literally states we know it's not all men but one's
01:30enough.
01:31One's enough for it to be an issue, you can only do so much as a woman to prevent it yourself.
01:48The artist from Broadstairs was attacked in October 2023 when she was walking down a road
01:53in Birmingham.
01:54She went to university there and she was doing as all girls are told, walking home
01:59in a group.
02:00Daisy says one of her friends was grabbed by a man and she jumped to her defence.
02:05Daisy was then attacked.
02:06I had some injuries that I needed to get treated with in hospital but that was it, we got the
02:13police involved, they did a search of the area, nothing ever got found, never heard
02:18anything back from them really apart from the day after and that was the end of it.
02:24West Midlands Police said after investigating they weren't able to identify the suspect
02:29but said tackling this kind of violence was a priority.
02:33Daisy's swan song, which stands for safety for women at night, is key to the type of
02:39awareness she's trying to raise.
02:42We've decided to put all of the proceeds from the song towards the Nia project and when
02:47we were trying to find charities that we could put these proceeds towards, nearly all of
02:52them were solely for domestic violence.
02:55It is a massive issue and of course they need the support but I think we need to see kind
03:00of an uprise of more charities that will support people that are harassed on the street that
03:04need that kind of service.
03:08One of the only charities to offer this support and Kent's first and only of its kind is the
03:12Tunbridge Wells Reclaim the Night Walk, led by local councillors and activists.
03:18We can do all the right things and still be attacked.
03:22There is a commitment to bring down violence against women and girls by half in a decade,
03:31which is really positive. I do believe that there will be a cross-government, cross-department
03:37response to this and more policing is necessary, more community policing.
03:44Staying silent can often feel like the only choice, but by Daisy sharing her story and
03:49giving her song such an elegant title, it highlights what can in reality be so brutal.
03:55It kind of hits home because for many women this could be their last moments or their
04:01final moments of the things that they remember.
04:07I really appreciate your time. I know you've been speaking a lot about this since you released
04:21that song, but we'll start. We heard your story a bit there, but tell me about the process
04:25of making the song and actually why you decided to turn something so horrific and scary into
04:31something quite inspirational and moving.
04:36The song came about because one of my close friends, Jamie McGregor, approached me and
04:41my co-writer asking if we wanted to do a collaboration with him. He usually works with rappers, so
04:48this was a really nice opportunity for him to work with some singers, which he hasn't
04:52done before. He really let us take full reins of the concept and what we wanted to talk
04:59about. My co-writer and I, Sinead, decided that for us, because we haven't had very much
05:05experience in songwriting, that we thought it would be easiest to do something that we
05:09were really passionate about. For us, this was violence against women and talking about
05:14the safety of women and what we can do to prevent it. Obviously, I had this really big
05:21experience for me. Sinead was also there with me as a really good friend when this happened.
05:27It was something that we could really talk about and discuss. We thought that in this
05:32creative outlet, it was a really nice opportunity for us to talk about this publicly, especially
05:37with it being such a large issue at the moment in time.
05:41What difference do you think this will actually make? Because I've been having lots of conversations
05:45about violence against women and girls in the past few days and been discussing what
05:50will make it change, but what do you hope from your song that will go about in the way
05:55of seeing something different, seeing a different message?
06:01Off the back of the song already, I've had a lot of positive feedback. I've even had
06:05people from the local area come to me and message me and say that they're really grateful
06:11and that if I ever needed any help getting home or anything, that they're more than happy
06:16to help. That feedback is so overwhelming, because it really shows that the song is,
06:23in a way, bringing people together in the local community. But also, just as a general
06:29message as I've spoken about before, I really hope that not only do women support women
06:35throughout this cause, I hope that we also see more of an uprise of men being more proactive
06:41with their response to trying to tackle violence against women.
06:45Also, alongside that, it's been nice because I've been reached out to from local councillors
06:50that have invited me to conferences which are now taking place to do with tackling violence
06:55against women. The one that I've specifically been invited to, there's going to be the local
07:00MP there, so that's going to be a really good opportunity for young people to get together
07:05and to talk about how they feel safe in our areas and to really discuss and come to the
07:10conclusion of what we need to do to prevent this.
07:15Fears are growing that new signs to clarify a controversial Tunbridge Wells bus lane may
07:20worsen the issue.
07:21The local MP believes changing markings from a red circle to a blue one will imply permission,
07:28confusing drivers.
07:29The county council says these changes are to standardise enforcement across the county.
07:33Currently, both are being used but more than three quarters of those fined last year entered
07:38via the blue signs.
07:40Local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris has been asking motorists if they think the signage
07:44is clear.
07:47It's fair to say all drivers know bus lanes exist. But in Tunbridge Wells, more than 10,000
07:53people were fined on this bus gate in the last year. And for those being fined, they
07:59say the signs simply aren't clear enough.
08:03There are two types. These blue ones saw more than 8,000 fined last year compared to a little
08:10less than 4,000 on these circular ones.
08:14Kent County Council is now proposing to standardise all to blue.
08:20So I've come down to Tunbridge Wells to see what shoppers make of the proposed new signs.
08:26You're going to make a split decision. Which sign would you think is easier to understand?
08:29The old one or the new one?
08:31The old one, I think.
08:32Old one, yeah?
08:33I don't know, maybe that one.
08:34So you think the new one's a little bit clearer?
08:36Yeah.
08:37I mean, to me, I think the first one. It's got a red thing saying no cars. To me, that
08:44one's more obvious.
08:45No, I think that one makes more sense because that one's in red. That's in a red circle,
08:50which means don't go down there. It's a prohibitive sign, isn't it? A round one. But that blue
08:54one doesn't mean anything.
08:56No, I don't think that's very clear.
09:00So keep the old signs?
09:01I would say so because of the red. You know, that doesn't look like you can't go. I don't
09:06know, but is that my knowledge? Oh my God.
09:11Still a lot of confusion, but red wins. These signs tell motorists cars and motorbikes are
09:18not allowed down the road, whereas the blue signs are permitting taxis, pushbikes and
09:24buses. They both mean the same thing, but with blue becoming the standardised option,
09:29there are concerns it'll increase the number of fines.
09:32It really means that over the last two years, whilst the Borough Council, myself, residents
09:37in Sunridge Isles have all been complaining to Kent County Council, who are the highways
09:40authority, that the signage is wrong and needs fixing. They've ignored all of that
09:46and now they're making the situation much, much worse.
09:49Kent County Council says they understand the concerns that the blue will bring. However,
09:54these signs are compliant with the highway code. They also confirmed a warning period
09:59is in place for six months to ensure motorists are aware of the restrictions and can plan
10:04another route in the future.
10:07It's unclear when the signage will change, but blueprints do seem to indicate that bus
10:13gates will also have road markings added.
10:17Gabriel Morris in Tunbridge Wells.
10:21Well, Gabriel joins us now with more. My instinct, as a lot of people there said, is that the
10:25blue sign means it's something you can do and the red circle is something you can't
10:29do. Tell us why this is all unraveling.
10:33Well, I'm going to test you on some highway codes in a second.
10:36He's going to win. He loves the highway code.
10:38Prepare yourselves. Get ready for it. We'll do it in a couple of minutes' time. I'll just
10:41tell a little bit more about these two signs for the time being. As I was saying in my
10:45report, both of them actually mean the same thing. However, at the moment, they're both
10:50there. Kent County Council are going to standardise them to this one here, the blue one. Lots
10:54of people say, well, it's blue, it implies permission. And yeah, it does. But for bicycles,
10:59buses and taxis, not cars or motorists or motorbikes. Whereas this one, it's the red
11:06circle. And we know, you know, it's an enforcement. If you look at speed limits, they're very
11:11similar. You can see the 20 mile an hour sign below. People, I think, tend to find that
11:16clearer. Now, it's Kent County Council who are taking over the management of this bus
11:20gate. So it's down to them there, the highways department. So it's down to them to choose
11:24which signs go there. And they say they want to ensure that all moving traffic enforcement
11:30sites across Kent are in line with legislation. They're changing the signage in Tunbridge
11:35Wells to the blue ones because it complies with the Department for Transport Guidance
11:39and also the Highway Code. Also, they have similar signs in Ashford, Dartford, Dover
11:44and Gravesend. So they want to mainstream it or streamline it all across the county
11:47so there's not confusion in the long term.
11:55But after blowing away audiences with her golden buzzer audition on Britain's Got Talent,
12:14the career of Gravesend's Sydney Christmas has only grown bigger. That's right, winning
12:18the talent competition, taking centre stage at the Royal Variety Performance and going
12:22on to release her debut album. She's now teamed up with fellow golden buzzer alumni
12:26Laureen Alred for a new music video where the pair have duetted the famous Over the Rainbow.
12:32Not to mention being the star of the Dartford Panto. Well, it's time to welcome Sydney Christmas
12:37on to the Kent Morning Show. And as I said, Sydney, there she is. As if by magic. And
12:42she's on her tour bus as well, as if by fairy magic. Last time we spoke to you, you were
12:46a fairy and you're acting like one now right here on our screens. Sydney, where are you
12:51off to? Where's the bus taking you? So I think I've woke up in Sheffield today. It's part
12:57of tour life, is it? Absolutely. We're only an hour away from Manchester. So we've been,
13:04we've had like a steady night. So it was only an hour to get there last night. I think we
13:09got here at two in the morning and then yeah, been asleep ever since. It just seems like
13:13it's not stopping for you ever since. Obviously winning Britain's Got Talent, it's just been,
13:17you know, gig after gig. Obviously you're in the Dartford Panto. Now you're on tour,
13:21releasing your album, all of that. How have you managed to find time to relax? I'm still
13:27figuring that out for sure. That is in practice. But as long as I'm working, I'm just the happiest
13:34girl alive. And that's all I ever wished for. As long as you're in transit as well, sleeping
13:38on the bus, I suppose. And it looks like a comfortable bus, you know. I'm impressed with
13:44it. It's like an organised lunchbox. Amazing. And of course our viewers will be watching
13:50from Gravesend. They'll be looking at the local girl on their screens. They've seen
13:54them on all the big screens, but now you're on our local one here in the studio with us.
13:58How does it feel to sort of walk around your hometown? Do you get stopped now? Are people
14:02talking to you? Have you inspired the county? I don't ever get recognised, which is lovely
14:10because I think, you know, I'm nearly 30 now. If things just suddenly changed, it would
14:16be really odd. So yeah, I don't really get recognised, which is normal. So what do you
14:21reckon you would be doing if you didn't win Britain's Got Talent? I mean, that would have
14:26never happened. I must pick favourites. What do you think you'd be doing? Would you be
14:30back at home in Gravesend? What would be your trade? Well, I was living in London when Britain's
14:39Got Talent happened and I was working at the gym. I'd probably still be working at
14:42the gym. Yeah, it's not a bad job. Not a bad job at all. Yeah. I was a receptionist at
14:48a gym front of house, rolling tails and selling shakes. I would still be doing that, I think.
14:54And now it's your own name up in lights. Talk to me, you're coming back to Kent at some
14:58point this week, I believe, on your tour. What's it going to be? What does that mean
15:02to you? I mean, you're coming to Canterbury at some point. Yes. So I've got Sheffield
15:07today and then the next one is Canterbury. I'm so excited to get on home turf and just
15:13to thank everybody at home that voted for me and so they can get to know me a little
15:20bit more because my tour is very much a story. The highs and the lows, but it's hopefully
15:27entertaining of how I got to where I am now. Definitely. And of course, not the first time
15:32you've performed in front of a Kent audience. We'll talk a little bit about the panto at
15:36the Orchard West Theatre. The last time we spoke was actually when it first got announced
15:41that you'd be part of it. So looking back, what was the experience like? It was crazy.
15:46I met the most amazing people. I loved my cast. It was amazing and it was just nuts
15:56to be a part of something like that. It's very different. I've never done a panto before
16:00and I just loved every second of it. Living my fairy Christmas magic. I love it. Every
16:05time we speak to you, you're in as much disbelief now as you were when you got that golden buzzer.
16:10We just saw your reaction and when you won as well and I love it. From winning that to
16:15getting a golden buzzer, winning that and then the Dartford Panto, you're just as buzzing
16:19about it all. Of course, this is all just crazy. It doesn't quite feel real still and
16:25I love that attitude. It's something we can all adopt. Tell me as well because you sort
16:30of grew up watching panto thinking I'd love to be in one of those and then you were on
16:34your home turf as well. What was that feeling like? A full circle moment?
16:39Absolutely. 100% it was full circle. I just wanted to do a really good job. I take everything
16:45very seriously so I really got into the role of fairy Christmas.
16:49Of course, there's lots of elements of panto that audiences come back every single year
16:53for even though it's the same every single year. What was your favourite?
16:57It's all about the kids. That's it. Definitely.
17:00All about the kids. What was your favourite gag or part of the
17:04panto this year? There was a double act. A father and son called
17:13Simmons and Simmons. They was my faves. They was amazing. If you know, you know.
17:21There was so many things. Everyone will have to join the next one to
17:23see you in action if they missed out on fairy Christmas as well. Perfectly named as well.
17:28Your name speaks for itself. Now, tell me about your Over the Rainbow
17:34duet as well because that's something very special. Tell me how that came together.
17:39That is very, very special to me. So, the night that I won Britain's Got Talent, obviously
17:46everyone was going around with their social media and someone asked me a question,
17:51what would be your dream collab? And I said, it would be Lauren Ulbricht.
17:56And I'm really lucky to say she is a dear, dear friend of mine now.
18:00She supported me through BGT, through my final because I was quite frightened
18:05to sing her version of Over the Rainbow but she was like, no.
18:08She was so motivating and just kind, loveliest human.
18:14And then after that went out on social media, she see that and she was like,
18:19Sid, let's make this happen. And I was like, really?
18:22She's like, yes. Then we did and we filmed a video in LA and then we recorded it
18:30and it's just magical. It's everything that I wished for it to be.
18:34Oh, look, there he is. I suppose you would have said,
18:38when she come up to you and said in some sort of fashion,
18:41let's do this together, Sidney. I imagine you responded, let's have it.
18:45Am I right?
18:46Oh, of course I did. You know me.
18:50Of course.
18:51And obviously it's such a massive song as well, Over the Rainbow, such an iconic one.
18:55And it's not the first time that you've taken a song that's known to so many audiences
18:59and put your own spin on it. What's that sort of process like for you?
19:04I love bringing back older songs and try and make them modern for maybe
19:13the younger generation so they can enjoy it like we did.
19:17And, you know, be like, where did this come from?
19:19And then look at the original, putting it back to where it rightfully is.
19:23The process is a lovely one because I find a lot of the older generation songs,
19:31the lyrics are just so amazing. So, yeah, I love the process.
19:39It can be long, but it's something I enjoy doing, so it's not an effort at all.
19:45Sidney, that seems the way for everything you do.
19:47You do it with such ease and such excitement as well.
19:50It's brightened up our morning here on the Kent Morning Show.
19:52Thank you so much for joining us.
19:54Best of luck on your tour and we will speak to you very soon.
20:02Hello and welcome back to the Kent Morning Show live on KMTV.
20:08Now, a group of parents in Whitstable are calling for us all to switch off
20:13our phones and log off from the Internet.
20:15Whitstable Unplug hosts a digital detox on the first Sunday of every month
20:19in a way to encourage people to think about their relationship with technology.
20:23It comes as today is Safer Internet Day, the global initiative to raise awareness
20:28of dangers online from scams to social media.
20:31Joining us both now to talk more is Amy Lawrence.
20:35Amy, thank you so much for joining us bright and early this morning.
20:39Tell me exactly what this campaign is all about.
20:42Yeah, thank you.
20:44We were inspired by the Smartphone Free Childhood national campaign
20:50and we wanted to do something here in Kent and locally in Whitstable
20:54to bring parents together really.
20:57Our campaign is centred around three main areas.
21:00Firstly, we want to help educate parents.
21:03This is a challenge that we are faced with for the first time in our lives.
21:08We didn't grow up with smartphones.
21:11So we wanted to make sure that everyone has the right information
21:14before deciding when and whether to give their children smartphones.
21:20Then we realised actually perhaps the problem isn't just with young people
21:25and that we all have addiction.
21:27I'm often on my phone.
21:30I admit I'm very addicted.
21:32And so we wanted to bring the community together to unplug,
21:37one for our own mental wellbeing,
21:39but also to set an example to young people about being able to really disconnect.
21:45So that's why we started the unplugging.
21:48And we do that actually on the last Sunday of every month here in Whitstable.
21:52And really we're trying to encourage towns across Kent as well to join us.
21:58And it's been an extremely big success.
22:02We involve local restaurants, local cafes to get involved,
22:07to offer spaces where people can unplug together.
22:10So that might be putting out board games, putting out arts and crafts
22:15so that people can be there and interact without the need of using a smartphone.
22:19Yeah, it is a really interesting sort of concept.
22:22I know you said that you were quite surprised that actually adults
22:24are probably the people with just as much of a problem with technology.
22:28I know we've had some issues with our technology this morning.
22:30It just goes to show how much of a reliance we have on it.
22:33What have people been telling you since coming along to the Digital Detox
22:36that they've learned about their own relationship with tech?
22:39Yeah, do you know what?
22:41I think going up and down the high street and ironically being on Instagram
22:45to share our campaign, it's been overwhelmingly positive.
22:50I mean, from young and old, people are addicted to technology.
22:55And it's like these aren't phones anymore.
22:58They're computers and we have them with us at all times.
23:01And so I think, you know, everybody really appreciates that we're doing this
23:07because it's much easier to do when you're doing it as a community
23:10and you don't feel like you're going to be missing out on that Sunday
23:14because lots of your friends locally are also switching off.
23:18And it's obviously easier to do it together.
23:21You can encourage each other to switch off.
23:23And it's not just that Sunday, actually.
23:26It's the rest of the month.
23:27You realize, actually, I don't need to have my phone on in the evening.
23:31I don't need to have my phone on over dinner time.
23:34I can really be present.
23:35So it kind of filters into the rest of your life.