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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:29I'm Abbey Hook.
00:30Here are your top stories on Wednesday 31st July.
00:35Pushed to one side, Ramsgate fisherman Furious has funding cut by 97%.
00:40It won't scratch the surface, you'd almost be better off not having anything than to
00:47have £100,000 because you're not going to achieve anything with it.
00:51Star shooter Chatham Champion turns family hobby into golden success at Paris Olympics.
00:58To set an Olympic record on top of winning Olympic gold was just an absolute dream come
01:04true.
01:05Saving grace, Dover street pastors widen patrols with bicycles.
01:10Do exactly the same thing, you'll be there to see people and make sure if we're needed,
01:16we're there.
01:17First tonight, the future of fishing in Ramsgate is under threat according to Thanet Fisherman's
01:32Association after millions of pounds of funding for infrastructure improvements was pulled.
01:37The local district council reallocated the majority of funds to bring ferries back to
01:42the town.
01:43Why?
01:44The city says it didn't have confidence in sustainable employment from the fisheries.
01:48As our local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris has been finding out.
01:53A staple of any seaside town, but locally caught fish could be under threat in Ramsgate.
02:00The Thanet Fisherman's Association say that's because a pot of £3.5 million from a previous
02:06levelling up bid has been reduced to £100,000.
02:11It's not, it won't scratch the surface, you'd almost be better off not having anything than
02:17to have £100,000 because you're not going to achieve anything with it.
02:22But this harbour wasn't built to house ferries or commercial or leisure craft, it was built
02:29on the back of a fishing fleet and now the fishing fleet is the very, very, very poor
02:35relative of this harbour.
02:38And when it comes to the current facilities, this is really all that the fishing industry
02:42has.
02:43It's basically a storage area for ropes and nets.
02:47The original plans would have seen a site where the local fishing fleet could unload,
02:50freeze and store their catch, but having concerns over the sector's employability in the future
02:56and the original scheme being undeliverable, the local authority says they've transferred
03:00the money to fund improvements to another part of the port which could see ferries returning.
03:06However, the fishery community here today says if they were given £600,000 instead,
03:11it could reignite the trade and encourage a knock-on effect.
03:15The fish and chip facility, which is what was planned, connected to the processing unit,
03:23that would create jobs, so I'm afraid the claim that the output isn't there, I don't
03:29agree with.
03:30What we do have the opportunity here is to provide further employment whilst protecting
03:38what's already there.
03:40The Fishermen Association says there are three more fisheries waiting to be opened, but they
03:44say without this funding, it might be unsustainable and they're now not ruling out going to the
03:49government to argue their case.
03:52Gabriel Morris in Ramsgate.
03:57Leader of Thanet District Council, Councillor Rick Everett, said in a statement there were
04:01eight separate projects in the original levelling up fund bid for Ramsgate, now a smaller scale
04:06project to enhance fishing facilities at the harbour is still planned, a small budget allocation
04:12will be reserved too.
04:13Went on to say the council will continue to support the fishing industry in Ramsgate but
04:17are not able to allocate a more significant amount without being able to demonstrate that
04:22it will provide value for money.
04:25Now bosses at the Folkestone Sports Centre announced yesterday they'll be shutting its
04:29doors, a shock to the community and local MP.
04:32In a statement posted on their website, the centre said that they accept defeat after
04:38struggling with a series of rising costs over the last couple of years.
04:41Alex Skaith has more.
04:43For many years, Folkestone Sports Centre has been a local fixture, enjoyed by residents
04:48for generations and offering a range of much needed facilities to the public.
04:52From tennis courts to gyms and even a space to throw birthday parties.
04:57In the wake of rising costs and a fluctuating local economy, the sports centre is set to
05:02shut its doors.
05:03The announcement was made on the sports centre's website, coming as a great shock to all those
05:08involved and the local community.
05:10It's still a bit of a bolt out of the blue, the sports centre's always had issues in terms
05:16of funding because obviously Covid and the cost of living crisis and things has actually
05:21caused them massive issues and we've tried to support them wherever we can.
05:26When they've had repairs, we've shipped in and so on and so forth.
05:30It's a facility that's needed for the whole of the community, you know, just hope that
05:34something can be done by the administrators to bring it back to life.
05:37But it's used for so many different people, people with mental health issues rely on that
05:41place and you've got to feel sorry for these guys.
05:45Locals are not the only ones reeling from the loss, with staff only being informed of
05:49the closure in an emergency meeting, being told that they will not be paid for any of
05:54their shifts performed over the past month.
05:56In the message shared online, the trustees of the centre thanked members of staff for
06:01their hard work, particularly during the battles of the past four years.
06:05But talk turns now to the next steps.
06:09The immediate next steps as far as I can see is ascertaining what the books look like and
06:15how it can be possible to at least keep that centre going on an interim basis through a
06:21provider who knows how to run sports centres and can do so with perhaps, I don't know,
06:28grant money that the council is providing, would have been providing anyway, to the trusts
06:34who've been running the sports centre.
06:36Back in March, the government announced it would be one of ten Kent swimming pools to
06:40share £60m.
06:42So will support from the local MP bring the centre back into action?
06:46Alex Gaife for KMTV in Folkestone.
06:51Now he smashed the Olympic record, got Team GB its third gold in this year's Games and
06:57it was the first win in trap shooting for 56 years.
07:01Medway's very own Nathan Howells has made history for the country and county.
07:06He hit 48 shots out of 50 to break the previous record of 43.
07:12But what got him all the way to Paris and turned what's a family hobby into a golden
07:17success I caught up with Nathan earlier.
07:20Nathan, thank you so much for joining us.
07:22I can't imagine what the past 24 hours has been like for you.
07:26First of all, congratulations.
07:28How do you feel?
07:29Have you had much time to celebrate or a bit of downtime?
07:34It's just been an absolute whirlwind.
07:36It's been absolutely crazy.
07:38I've not managed to catch up with myself yet, I don't think.
07:42But yeah, I haven't had a chance to celebrate yet, but managed to have some food with family
07:47last night.
07:48So that was great.
07:50But looking forward to catching up and celebrating with them over the coming days.
07:54Let's talk about that moment.
07:55You set an Olympic record 48 out of 50.
07:59Did you expect that?
08:00How does that feel?
08:02Yeah, again, it's another incredible feeling.
08:06It wasn't something I necessarily expected at the time.
08:10Normally, you know, a high pressure event like an Olympic Games final, the scores are
08:14slightly lower than what we'd get at a World Cup event or, you know, one of our world champs,
08:19European champs events.
08:21But yeah, to set an Olympic record on top of winning Olympic gold was just an absolute
08:27dream come true.
08:28And what about your experience of shooting and learning your craft and your sport here
08:33in Kent?
08:34Any clubs, schools, anybody that sticks out that I suppose we can give a shout out to
08:38here on KMTV?
08:40Anybody that's made what's happened, your achievement possible?
08:44Yeah, there's, you know, there's lots of grounds in the area that I started on as a youngster,
08:51like JJ's in Dartford.
08:53There's Dartford Gun Club that I shot at and West Kent, all in Kent that I'd shot at.
08:59And yeah, used to shoot some practice out with family just for fun at all of those grounds
09:05growing up.
09:07And of course, we spoke about your two children watching you, but your partner, of course,
09:12in the same line of work as you.
09:15Do you think you've got two youngsters that can follow in your footsteps here?
09:19Is it a family affair, this sport?
09:24We'll see.
09:25I'd like to think so.
09:26Hattie's only 16 months old, so we've got a long way to go until she's able to have
09:31her first shots.
09:32But Hudson's six.
09:36He's not too keen at the moment, but it may come with a bit of age.
09:41He may decide he wants to give it a go and, yeah, follow in our footsteps and maybe give
09:46it a try.
09:48The opportunity's always there for him, so we'll see.
09:51He's not going to be pushed, so we'll see what he wants to take up.
09:54Amazing.
09:56It's quite a sport.
09:57You can start at 16 months old, so we don't blame you for that one.
10:02What's it like to have the support of your partner, knowing exactly the pressure that
10:05you're under going through these competitions?
10:10It makes it a lot easier.
10:11We've had conversations on the build-up to the Paris Games.
10:16Charlotte went to Beijing and London, so she's had those experiences.
10:20She was able to share those with me, which was a great help.
10:24Those insights that I may not have had and may have caught me off guard or surprised
10:29me when I got there, I was prepared for those things, so it was a great help.
10:35So European champion, world champion, now Olympic champion and record holder.
10:42What's next?
10:46What's next?
10:47We're going to have a little bit of a break from here, and then we'll gear up towards
10:51the World Cup events next year, world champs, European champs, and then after next year's
10:57out of the way, it'll be into planning for LA cycle.
11:01And then, fingers crossed, we can win quite a spot for Team GB and hopefully get on the
11:08team for LA as well.
11:10And Nathan, I'm really interested to know, if you weren't shooting at the Olympics, what
11:15do you think you'd be doing back here in the county?
11:19Where would your life have taken you?
11:22I'm not entirely sure.
11:23My dad was a car dealer, so maybe I would have followed his footsteps a bit more.
11:31But yeah, we all shoot as a family, so hobby-wise, so if it wasn't work-related, you'd be shooting
11:39for a hobby.
11:40Amazing.
11:41Well, the whole county congratulates you.
11:45We are amazed in awe, and go and celebrate it finally.
11:50Thank you, I will do.
11:52Exciting stuff.
11:53Time for a very short break now.
14:45Hello and welcome back to Kenton Eye.
15:14Tonight live on KMTV.
15:16Now, a murder inquest has found Canterbury geologist James Rickards died from stab wounds.
15:22His family said he hadn't been seen for weeks.
15:25He was reported missing on the 5th of July.
15:27Less than a week later, human remains were found at a home in St. Martins Road in Canterbury.
15:32You can see the scene here and the police presence and forensics at the time.
15:37The coroner says the cause of death is stab wounds to the chest pending further tests.
15:41His wife, Maureen Rickards, who you can see on screen, has since been arrested and charged
15:45with his murder, with a potential trial date set later this year.
15:51Now, since 2011, Dover's streets have been under the watch of a group of volunteers.
15:58Now they're taking to two wheels.
16:00Dover street pastors patrol the streets late at night, offering first aid, water, blankets
16:04and support for those who need it.
16:06Now, thanks to their new bike patrols, they can reach out to more people across more towns.
16:11Phil McDermott has been down to meet them.
16:14Everyone knows a night out can go wrong, and so often it does.
16:17So when young people were lost, intoxicated and alone after late night partying, one charity
16:22decided to step up.
16:24Dover street pastors is an organisation made up of volunteers who patrol the streets, responding
16:29to first aid incidents, listening to those that need help and giving out blankets and
16:33hot drinks to rough sleepers.
16:35They also clear discarded bottles and glasses to make sure no one hurts themselves, as well
16:39as make calls for people who are stranded in the town late at night.
16:43They've now expanded their operations, adding a patrol on bicycles that will allow them
16:47to help people in the surrounding towns, like Whitfield and Aycliffe.
16:50Yeah, the idea of the bike patrol is at the moment the street pastors concentrate on the
16:56town centre, so everything we do is around that area.
17:01What we're doing now is we're going to go beyond those areas to the outer parts of Dover,
17:07like Whitfield, River, Elmsdale, Aycliffe, possibly even the seafront, so that we have
17:14a wider scope for what we do, doing exactly the same things.
17:20We'll be there to see people to make sure, you know, if we're needed, we're there.
17:25Even though they often interact with those who are intoxicated, they very rarely face
17:29any negativity, and the pastors are currently continuing their search for more volunteers.
17:34On the fundraising side, the Prince Albert Pub puts on events to help support the pastors,
17:38and have raised £6,000 for them over the years.
17:42Quite a few times are off and in here.
17:43It's nice to see them when they are here as well.
17:46We were up at, last year, for a presentation.
17:50The trophy's behind the bar there somewhere.
17:52I think we've got another one coming up in September again as well.
17:57But we enjoy doing it.
17:59We have a good laugh, and it helps a lot of people out as well.
18:02With a heightened presence in the town, the pastors hope more people will recognise the charity.
18:07Do you think that Dover street pastors are needed in the community?
18:10Yeah, I do actually.
18:11I'm feeling pretty good what they do.
18:14They play a vital part in looking after vulnerable people, particularly in the evening.
18:22Definitely.
18:23They're needed all over the place.
18:24Well, the people of Dover certainly appreciate the effort and commitment of the street pastors,
18:29especially since they're volunteers.
18:31Some people even think that the street pastors should expand and move into cities like Canterbury and Deal,
18:36where the nightlife is larger and there's more people that need their crucial help.
18:40Even as proof of this, when street pastors were brought into Nottingham City Centre,
18:44crime rates reportedly fell by 70%.
18:47According to them, it's all about bringing hope to the hopeless
18:50and making sure people have someone to talk to.
18:52Finn McDermid for KMTV.
18:55Now it's time to take a look at the health headlines with KMTV's health expert, Dr Julian Spinks.
19:07Julian, thank you very much for joining us.
19:09Now we start our conversation on quite a big week for what has been an ongoing dispute for junior doctors.
19:16They've finally been offered a 22% pay offer.
19:21They were asking for 35%, something we've spoken about a lot on the programme.
19:24Is this the end to those strikes?
19:28I hope it's the beginning of the end.
19:30It's spread over two years.
19:31I hope that they'll continue to move them back towards pay parity.
19:36But it's such a pity that this couldn't have happened under the previous government
19:40because we wouldn't have had all those disputes and the length and waiting times.
19:44Do you think patients can expect hospitals to start returning to some sort of normal, I suppose?
19:51I mean, we know that hospitals struggle for a number of different reasons
19:54and A&Es always have really large waiting times.
19:57But do you think that this will ease some of those pressures?
20:00Yes, because we're not going to have days when they can't do a routine treatment.
20:04And that's the thing that's really built up.
20:06The emergencies have always been dealt with.
20:08But people waiting on waiting lists is extended.
20:10They should start to shorten again now.
20:13And the GP ballot believed it could come in tomorrow.
20:17How significant is this?
20:18Well, it's a different type of dispute because GPs are more worried about overall funding,
20:22actually the money that we use to run our practices,
20:24to actually pay our staff and to provide the services.
20:27So it's not just take-home pay in our case.
20:29And I don't know how the ballot will come out.
20:32We can't go on strike, but there are other actions we can take.
20:35And again, I hope the government will listen to us
20:37because actually it's very much about providing good patient care.
20:40It's definitely something that everybody at home will be thinking about and watching closely.
20:46It's the closest one that will impact us, really,
20:48when you think about trying to book a doctor's appointment.
20:50Something I wanted to also ask you about today,
20:54a common type of bacteria has been found that makes some cancers melt.
21:00What is that melt? It sounds very strange.
21:04Yes, this is a bacterium called Fusobacterium.
21:07And it's normally found in throats.
21:09And what they found is that people who have it in their cancers,
21:13in head and neck cancers, they have a better chance of cure.
21:16And the melting is because they tried mixing it with cancer cells in Petri dishes.
21:21And gradually the cancer cells disappeared, so they melted away.
21:25There's only one health warning, and that is that the same bacterium
21:29is associated with a slightly higher risk with lower bowel disorder.
21:32So I don't think we can rush out and start giving people that bacterium.
21:35But it's a good start.
21:37It's definitely an interesting topic.
21:39Also, a study has found that eating processed red meat
21:43could reduce the risk of dementia.
21:45We know red meat and its connections to health or poor health.
21:49How can this impact dementia?
21:52Yes, it's actually increasing risk.
21:54And we're talking about processed foods,
21:56so it's things like bacon and sausage and hams and other things like that.
22:01We've known for a long time it's associated with problems
22:04to do with heart disease and so on.
22:06And you're more likely to have cancer with those groups.
22:09And it appears it also affects the way the brain works,
22:12and so it might increase your risk of dementia.
22:14Adding in healthy things like nuts may actually reduce it.
22:17Very interesting, Julian.
22:19And a little birdie told me that you have been in the industry
22:23for 40 years tomorrow.
22:25Yes.
22:26What's changed?
22:27Totally.
22:28The NHS has had a complete revolution.
22:31General practice unrecognised from when I start.
22:34And actually in general it's improved.
22:36We're working much harder and it's not doing too well now.
22:39But you got a lot more from your GPs than you did back in 1988.
22:43Wow.
22:44Congratulations, Julian.
22:45Here's to 40 more years of you appearing here on the sofa with us.
22:48I'm going to hold you to that one.
22:51Now, don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories
22:54across Kent by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
22:58There you'll find all our reports, including this one,
23:00about the final stages of the multi-million pound
23:03Stockbury Flyover project.
23:07Nearly three years and £92 million in the making,
23:11the Stockbury Flyover is opening.
23:14Commuters driving towards Maidstone from Sittingbourne
23:16can enjoy one lane of fresh tarmac and clean paint
23:20for the first time this Thursday morning.
23:22But someone who's already laid their tracks on the overpass
23:25is Matthew Barnes, a farm worker who uses this junction every day.
23:29APPLAUSE
23:33He's been campaigning for the flyover for more than a decade.
23:37These improvement works have been needed on this junction
23:40for 15, 20-odd years at least,
23:43and this is one of the most...
23:45one of the 50th dangerous junctions in the country,
23:49and it's basically near one of the first in Kent for dangerous.
23:53It's going to make it safer.
23:55That's the main thing, is safety.
23:57Getting in and out of junctions with bigger machines
24:01to produce people's food, but safer and faster
24:05because we could get held up in queues for an hour or two here and there.
24:10National Highways started work on the junction back in 2021,
24:14but it had long been a congestion and accident black spot.
24:17The flyover has been added to keep A249 traffic free-flowing
24:21and the old roundabout that links with junction 5 of the M2
24:25has also been extended.
24:27It's been a long time coming, and not just in construction.
24:30Obviously, you know, the public see us when we're here
24:32and we're actually on the ground, but this project's been in the making
24:35for a long time and a lot of years and has involved a lot of people
24:38that has helped really get to this point.
24:40We've also closed a couple of key hotspots around the junction
24:43where, basically, traffic is...
24:45It's been joining high-speed traffic and we've made some amendments
24:49which make it much safer to actually move around the junction as well.
24:53And the rest of the work is quickly developing too.
24:56Soon, these plastic cones will be swapped for plants.
24:59We've got a little bit of work to do on a link road,
25:01on the South Green link road, but beyond that, it's kind of...
25:05A lot of it will be offline, so it'll be sort of planting works,
25:08landscaping and just some of the, like, signage,
25:11just some of the little things, really.
25:13The full opening of all lanes is expected soon,
25:16with more overnight work in the meantime.
25:18Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.
25:21And just before we go this evening, a reminder,
25:23a yellow heat health alert is still in place for Kent
25:26following the hottest day of the year so far yesterday,
25:28and a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms is in place for tomorrow.
25:32Well, let's check out the full forecast where you are.
25:41Tonight, some cloudy skies right across the county,
25:4418 degrees across the board.
25:47Tomorrow morning, the clouds will continue,
25:49bringing some rain by the coast, Margate, Dover and Folkestone,
25:52highs of 23 elsewhere.
25:55Thursday afternoon, the rain will continue
25:57and those thunderstorms in place,
25:59but sunny over in Margate, highs of 25 there.
26:02And here's your outlook for Kent dry,
26:04thankfully up until Sunday, highs of 24 on Friday.
26:08You've been watching Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
26:11There's of course more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:14I'll be back with your 8pm news bulletin.
26:16But in the meantime, don't forget you can keep up to date
26:19with all your latest news and stories across the county
26:22by logging on to our website, that's kmtv.co.uk.
26:25But that's all from me and the Kent Tonight team.
26:28As I said, I'll see you at 8pm on Friday.
26:37for more news from across Kent. Bye-bye for now.