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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:28I'm Finn McDermid and here are your top stories on Monday 12th May.
00:34Smashed in, businesses in Maidstone forced to close following anti-social behaviour.
00:43Left at the station, Kent's train cancellation rate revealed.
00:50And winning at Wembley, Whitstable Town celebrates their glory in the FA of ours.
00:57The first night video of a man smashing the windows of eight shops in Maidstone has been
01:01seen by more than 100,000 people online.
01:04It's left some businesses having to start the week closed, missing out on business and
01:08facing hefty repair costs.
01:10But as Bartholomew Hall has been finding out, it's not the only case of anti-social behaviour
01:14in the town.
01:21This is the moment a man was caught on camera smashing the windows of multiple shops in
01:25Maidstone's town centre using a fire extinguisher.
01:28Police officers were later seen chasing the man down Gabriel Hill before he appears to be
01:33apprehended on Sunday evening.
01:36And this is what shoppers were met with in the morning.
01:39Glass strewn across pavements, taped off areas and shops boarded up.
01:43Devastating.
01:44I mean, I've had, you know, I've lost the business today, possibly tomorrow, I've had
01:49to throw away food.
01:50You know, if I can get it to a state where perhaps it's safe, then maybe we'd be able
01:54to open and do take away coffees or something.
01:56But at this moment in time, I can't open, as you can see, it's just a mess everywhere.
02:00We've had to move all the furniture out of the way.
02:02I've got a hoof for all the furniture because it's got glass on it, you know, it's just,
02:05it's devastating.
02:06We're only a small company, you know.
02:07We're only eight in the whole chain and, you know, one shop shut for two or three days
02:12is a big, it's a major impact.
02:15I've counted eight businesses on this stretch of the high street which have had their windows
02:18smashed, including the mall shopping centre.
02:21And it being a Sunday night, many of them were closed and told me they only found out
02:25when they saw the video being shared online.
02:27I was sitting at home last night and one of the girls on the team shared in the group
02:31chat that someone had been walking up and down King Street, smashing all the windows,
02:35logged on, looked at the CCTV, saw that he'd done two of us.
02:39It's frustrating.
02:40You know, you're trying to get on, you're trying to run a business, you're trying to
02:43just work from day to day and then all of a sudden Monday you come in, you've got a
02:47full list of things you want to get done for the week and all of a sudden you've now
02:49got to go round, shopping around for quotes, trying to get a new window fitted.
02:54And it's not the first time business owners have reported antisocial behaviour and criminal
02:58damage.
02:59In the summer of 2024, two charity statues were targeted, causing thousands of pounds
03:04worth of damage.
03:05In fact, the district saw 28.5% increase in the number of reports of antisocial behaviour
03:12last year, with more than 1,700 incidents taken to Kent Police.
03:17As businesses tell me they hope to return to normal soon, for now work continues to pick
03:22up the pieces.
03:24Bartholomew Hall for KMTV in Maidstone.
03:28Now, Kent Police have since told us that a suspect has been arrested after criminal damage
03:35totalling thousands of pounds was caused to several businesses in the centre of Maidstone.
03:40The man was detained following a foot pursuit by patrols, responding to reports that a fire
03:44extinguisher had been used to break windows at multiple premises.
03:48Within minutes, officers were at the scene, where it's alleged the fire extinguisher was
03:51thrown at them and damaged a police vehicle.
03:54After a short pursuit, the 23-year-old man was detained and taken into custody.
04:00Next today marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, where people across the UK
04:12are coming together to support those who are struggling.
04:15The charity Mental Health Foundation has reported that men are far less likely to seek support
04:19or access any sort of psychological therapy, leading to many suffering for years in silence.
04:25Well, we were joined on the Kent Morning Show by Tia Davis, a mental health advocate who
04:29has lost three friends due to suicide since the pandemic and is hosting a Men's Mental Health
04:34Charity Day to raise both awareness and money for various mental health charities across Kent.
04:38After the losses of many of my friends now, I'm raising awareness for men's mental health.
04:44So, I have set up a fundraising day on the 31st of May at the Tudor Rose and Upna, where
04:52I've got loads of people from around, so people from Sittingbourne, Maidstone, we've got TMS
04:58at Maidstone, we've got Kai the Cake Lady, Tristan Ingram, Molly Collins, everyone that's
05:03grown up around the area, they've all put in to make sure that we can raise enough money
05:10as possible. And obviously, after losing three friends already to suicide, it's something that
05:16needs to happen. We need to change something.
05:17And, you know, we should say we're very sorry for your losses as well. Why, obviously, it is really
05:26impactful on, you know, the family members and those around them. I was wondering if you could
05:31take a moment to just tell us a little bit about your friends and remind us of what they were like.
05:35So, I had to breathe in. So, it's hard because they've all come from different aspects of my
05:45life. Like, Liam was really young, really bubbly, really fun, and you wouldn't ever think that
05:50that would happen to him. And then you've got, Kev, he's a doorman, he's big and strong, and
05:56you never thought that he'd just, do you know what I mean? And that's it, he couldn't take
06:00any more. And the same as Jamie. Jamie was a massive part of my life. He's a childhood
06:04friend. And growing up, we sort of all become a little bit more distant. But it doesn't
06:09change anything. It's taken such a massive part of my life away. And it's like, we need
06:14to change it. I'm 31. I've got a 13-year-old child. If we don't change something now, they
06:20were all different ages. How are we going to stop anything now?
06:23Now, if you or someone you know is struggling, then you can contact the Samaritans on 116
06:29123 or email them at jo at samaritans.org. Now, we've all missed a train at some point,
06:37but where in Kent are you most likely to get stranded at the station? Well, Kristen Hawthorne
06:42has been crunching the numbers to find out.
06:45Hi, I'm Train Station. It forms part of the Thameslink line, and it has an average cancellation
06:49rate of just over 7%, which leaves passengers stranded here at the platform and forces
06:54them to find other means of transportation.
06:56So, I've found it to be more of an... because I go to work at 7 o'clock, so I go quite early.
07:01Usually it's the first train, so it's not always cancelled. But coming home a lot of the time,
07:05you can end up sitting waiting at Gravesend for a transfer for an hour or so. Sometimes
07:09they just stay delayed, and then you've just got to go out and get an Uber or something.
07:13So yeah, it can be quite frustrating.
07:15Yeah, usually I just go to Gravesend. So I don't go to college in Kent. I go to college
07:22in London. So when it does get cancelled, it's quite annoying.
07:25I've used a train station half my life, going up and down the train up into London. Used
07:30to go use it for work. I still use it for work today. It's quite frequently cancelled due
07:35to last minute or due to lack of staff or due to, yeah, just problems of flooding and what
07:41have you. It's very hit and miss when it comes to getting trains here, especially if there's
07:46a cancellation, especially if it's last minute. I've got to get to work. It impacts the rest
07:50of my day because I'm late for work. I've got to inform my boss. And especially in Higham,
07:54the phone signal here is not great. So if I do have to call work, I could barely get a
07:59signal. I have to walk up the hill to then get a phone signal to tell work I'm going to
08:03be late because of my train. I've waited a very long time for a train. Let's put it this
08:08way in the past before. So it does get very frustrating when the trains do get cancelled.
08:12Like, okay, great. I'll wait for the next one. And the next one's like, oh, also cancelled.
08:16We're working really closely with the British Transport Police and Network Rail having joint
08:21plans as part of our tripartite agreement around what we can do to improve that. When we talk
08:27about the weather and rain, for example, we are investing millions of pounds with Network
08:32Rail in the infrastructure to improve drainage in some key locations. And all of those in
08:38different areas have impacted how we've been able to deliver for passengers. Lots of exciting
08:44stuff going on to try and continually improve the performance that customers receive from
08:49Southeastern. Following Higham with the most cancellations is Greenhithe, Northfleet, Swanscombe,
08:56and then Stone Crossing. And those with the most delays over three minutes is Hildenborough,
09:01Pluckley, Tenham, Tunbridge Wells, and Canterbury East. But for those affected, Southeastern Rail
09:07recommends using the Delay Repay service to get compensation for your journey.
09:11Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV in Higham.
09:15Now, a Medway pensioner with emphysema says he spent four years waiting for a housing association
09:21to deliver on a promise. Michael Partridge was told he'd have a dropped curb outside his
09:25home. But despite signing agreements, it still hasn't happened. He says he's lost hope and
09:31Gabriel Morris has the story. You might not think twice about a dropped curb,
09:36but for Michael Partridge and Strood, it's become a daily battle. His emphysema means he relies on an
09:43oxygen tank and he struggles to walk more than a few steps. He's lived in this home for more than 40
09:50years now. And in 2021, MHS Holmes, who owns the property, agreed to install a wet room and a
09:57driveway. All completed, but the dropped curb never came.
10:03I was doing my head in, and it's coming up four years this year. So I'm banging my head against the
10:11wall. You know, I've been contacting people. My daughter has for me, even my next-door neighbour has,
10:18but just don't seem to get anywhere. Because MHS own the property,
10:23Michael can't arrange for work himself. And did you know it's technically illegal to drive over a
10:30curb which isn't dropped? That's exactly what Michael's been having to do for the past four years.
10:36They've promised him it. They've put the hard standing in, but where's the dropped curb?
10:42In a statement, the housing association told us,
10:45We understand Mr Partridge's frustration at the length of time for the curb to be dropped.
10:51Unfortunately, it cannot happen until they have the relevant permission from Medway Council.
10:56They say they're working closely with the local authority to resolve the situation
11:00as quickly as possible.
11:02I asked Medway Council for their response to that, and they said work to install the dropped curb
11:08is due to take place next week, and they're investigating a delay in processing payment for the work.
11:15Do you think it will ever be sorted?
11:17No, to be honest, I don't. I don't think they bother anymore. They really don't.
11:24I think we'd be better off having all the houses belonging back to the council instead of the housing
11:29association. They looked after them, the council.
11:32Michael's heard promises before and says he won't believe it until he sees it.
11:40Gabriel Morris, in Strude.
11:44Well, now it's time for a very quick break, but we've got much more coming up in just a few minutes. See you soon.
18:32realised their team had become winners.
18:47Winners at Wembley, something these players will be able to call themselves forever.
18:52Whitstable Town have lifted the FA Vars in front of more than 7,000 travelling oystermen
18:58for a match that will live long in Kent's football memory.
19:01Surrey-based AFC Whiteleaf were the other finalists who put themselves ahead after just 17 minutes.
19:07But despite conceding first, Whitstable levelled early in the second half before the match was
19:12taken to extra time.
19:14Striking the winner, former Gillingham professional Ronald Sitole was the hero of the day.
19:19It means the oystermen become the first Kent side since Deal Town to win the Vars 25 years
19:25ago.
19:34As well as being a notable addition to the trophy cabinet, Whitstable's win means £30,000
19:40heading towards the Kent club and notoriety for its players that will stay with them for
19:44the rest of their careers.
19:46Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.
19:48And we were joined by Matt Longhurst, head coach and assistant manager of Whitstable FC
19:53earlier on the Kent Morning Show.
19:55Yeah, just unbelievable.
19:56Just it hasn't really sunk in yet.
19:58A bit of tiredness and, yeah, just trying to sort of get my head around the fact that
20:04yesterday morning we were sort of having me and my, one of the coaching team went for
20:09a run around the outside of the stadium just to sort of get our heads around what was going
20:12to happen that day.
20:13And then once we got in the stadium, yeah, I just never seen anything like it.
20:17And the support that we had was just absolutely unbelievable.
20:21The noise in the stadium just during the game, just every sort of five or 10 minutes,
20:27I'm just looking over and it just, it was a pinch yourself moment.
20:31So, yeah, unbelievable. And like I say, he still hasn't quite sunk in yet.
20:35It is incredible. 7,000 traveling fans, you know, filling those stands that they were
20:41allocated over at Wembley.
20:42And we're showing on the screen now, Ron Sotole there, who was, you know, was the sort
20:47of hero of the day, got that winner in the extra time period.
20:50What was going through your mind when, you know, you realized, you know, you'd equalized,
20:53that was all great. You're going into extra time now.
20:55Did you think, oh, did you want it to go to penalties?
20:58What did you want? Did you want it to be wrapped up?
21:01I wanted it to be wrapped up as quick as possible.
21:04Um, yeah, to be honest, we just felt that we actually spoken to the players all week
21:08about it. We felt that we would just, we, we, we were younger than them.
21:11Um, and we felt physically that we would be able to impose ourselves later in the game.
21:16And the longer the game went on that we were in it, we just felt that we were in a stronger
21:19position. And to be honest, first half, they were better than us, but we, we knew that
21:23would happen because they had more experienced players.
21:24So they sort of started the game better, but come half time, we changed a couple of little
21:28bits at half time, slightly tactically. Um, and second half, we were much the better
21:33team. We created the better chances and he deserved that goal. Probably could have won
21:37the game in normal time. And in extra time in both halves, maybe the sort of last five
21:41or six minutes, they came onto us a little bit as to be expected. But other than that,
21:45we were the better team after half time, right away through the rest of the game. So, um,
21:50yeah, we wanted to get the game done and it's just, it's just unbelievable for the town, for
21:54its fans, for the board, like for the players staff. It's just, uh, yeah, it's a, it's just
21:58a day that you can't even dream of really as a, as a young boy, you wanted to go to Wembley
22:03stadium and then win and then lift the trophy and those famous steps is, uh, yeah, absolutely
22:08unbelievable.
22:09And Matt, I imagine quite inspirational, even for the little one on your, on your shoulder
22:13there, who's, uh, listening to him keenly blessing him.
22:15Yeah, he's, uh, he's hiding that, yeah.
22:19That's the, that's the point of all this. That's what it really comes down to. It's inspiring
22:23that next generation as well. I know you've, it's only been a morning. We've got you up bright
22:27and early. I imagine you were late celebrating last night, but what sort of sense have you got
22:31from the community, from young lads like yours just there, that this is actually huge?
22:36Absolutely. We spoke about it again in the week, um, and just said that it's aspiration
22:44and inspiration that comes off the back of things like this. We had, we had about 200
22:48kids come in and watch us train on Tuesday. Um, and it just, just signing autographs with
22:54the players, et cetera, et cetera. Um, and those players and kids in our youth section and
22:59people in the community can genuinely see that there's a, there's a real opportunity to
23:04play at this level of football, which is achievable, um, and have cult hero status, um, in the
23:11town. So just now that those pictures are going to be up around our stadium, we can take the trophy
23:16into schools and go and tell the other kids and the, the parents in the area and our youth team
23:21coaches that all of this, uh, it, it can be done. Um, it can be.
23:26Now, love it or hate it, this week sees the return of the Eurovision Song Contest and fans
23:31across Kent will be tuning in to enjoy this year's competition. Our entry, Remember Monday,
23:36have been speaking to KMFM.
23:37Charlotte, Lauren and Holly-Anne, it's Remember Monday. Hello. How are you?
23:55We're doing good. How are you?
23:56We're good. We're good. We're very excited. Eurovision not far away now.
23:59It's literally three, just over three weeks, right?
24:01So how are you, how are you feeling? Are the nerves starting to kick in yet or what? How's it,
24:05how are you feeling?
24:05It's really weird because I think we've, for such a long time, it's felt like it's something
24:10that's happening really far in the future. And I feel like that's still what, how, where our heads
24:16are, but actually, yeah, it is right, right around the corner and we're a bit nervous now.
24:19So like, let's, can we get geeky just for a second? Do you mind if we just get a little bit geeky?
24:23Of course.
24:24How does this happen?
24:25About a year and a half ago now, we quit our jobs to chase this crazy dream and do the band full time.
24:33Can I, can I ask what were the jobs that you've quit?
24:35Um, I was a deputy head teacher of a sixth form.
24:38Okay.
24:39We were basically in like musicals in London.
24:42Gosh, okay.
24:43So some big hitting jobs there to walk away from, right?
24:45Definitely. It was, it was a tricky kind of decision to, to reach, I think, because we
24:50all loved what we were doing, but the band has just been a constant for us ever since we've
24:54known each other. So we, we always had, I think in our heads, like maybe one day we'll,
24:59we'll give it a go. And it felt like the right time. Yeah. Um, and thank God we did.
25:03So what, Len, what, I guess you'd call Graham Norton up, you go, Hey, we want to be, we
25:07want to do like Eurovision. And he goes, yeah, no worries. See you later. And then it's done.
25:11With your mind.
25:11Yeah. Is that how it works?
25:13That's exactly what happened.
25:14We got a phone call.
25:16Yeah, we did.
25:16We got a phone call. Actually, while we were on tour last year, we got a phone call essentially
25:20saying, would we like to audition to be the Eurovision Act? And Charlotte is the biggest
25:23Eurovision fan on planet Earth. So we could not deny her the opportunity.
25:29No. Um, there was no choice in that matter.
25:31So then, yes, we did the audition, um, for really a bunch of kind of big industry people
25:37who kind of fed back to the BBC and other, you know, people who were kind of, it was their
25:43job to make the decision and find the act for this year. And for some strange reason,
25:48it went our way. And now here we are.
25:50I've heard that you guys got chosen before you even had the song. Is that true?
25:57Is that true?
25:58Yeah, it's true.
26:00Wow. So they put some serious trust in you because you guys could have rocked up with
26:03anything. What preparation is going to happen between now and Showtime?
26:07Well, it's a scarily short amount of time that we have left.
26:10I don't love it.
26:11No.
26:12But I think it will be majority of the time we'll be in rehearsals now.
26:16Brilliant. Well, loads of people across. Kent will be watching them on Saturday.
26:19But for now, you've been watching Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
26:24There's more news made for Kent just throughout the evening.
26:27And don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest news across your county
26:30by logging on to kmtv.co.uk.
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26:39And if you have a story you think we should be covering, please don't hesitate to get in
26:43touch. Goodbye.
26:48Transcription by CastingWords