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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:28I'm Abbey Hooke.
00:29Here are your top stories on Monday the 14th of October.
00:33One hundred days in Westminster.
00:35What impact has the Labour Party had on residents in Folkestone?
00:39I would say it's diabolical.
00:43Non-existent.
00:44Definitely unpredictable.
00:45The same.
00:46Same.
00:47Failing.
00:48The hidden cost of waiting.
00:51Tenham residents struggled to see a GP, putting health on hold.
00:55I've got health problems.
00:57I'm telling you not to put mine on the back seat.
01:00The darker side of doodling.
01:03Kent's Mr Doodle joins us here in the studio ahead of a brand new documentary.
01:09Now, a failure, diabolical, unpredictable and non-existent.
01:22How some in Folkestone have described the first 100 days of a Labour government.
01:28Back in July, Labour took control of nine former Conservative seats countywide.
01:32For the first time, the party won Folkestone and Hythe, the historic Tory safe seat.
01:37Tonight we're marking it with a special insight into one of Kent's key coastal economies.
01:43But more than three months later, residents and businesses say they aren't impressed.
01:47Local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris has more.
01:53The seasons are changing in Folkestone, and the Labour Party's first autumn is just beginning.
01:59In its entire history, this constituency has always been Conservative.
02:03But in July this year, they voted in a Labour MP.
02:07One hundred days on, what do they make of the party?
02:10I would say it's diabolical.
02:14Non-existent.
02:15Definitely unpredictable.
02:17The same.
02:18Same.
02:19One word.
02:20Give them time.
02:21Failing.
02:25Labour took a clear lead earlier this year, turning many of the county's and country's
02:30seats red.
02:32Keir Starmer's government is still early in the game, but with the freebies scandal and
02:37winter fuel payments, some say they're not off to the strongest start.
02:42Andy's day job is a support worker, but volunteers his time as a coach for Folkestone and Victor.
02:48He's been keeping score of the government's performance.
02:51I didn't vote for the Labour Party and I didn't vote for the Prime Minister, but at the end
02:57of the day, he is there to represent us.
03:00There was a phrase, we've been working on this for two months so we can hit the ground
03:04running, I believe that's what the Labour leader said.
03:08You don't really get an honest answer.
03:11And I'm not saying that's just the Labour Party or anything like that, but to actually
03:15honestly answer a question, I would invite the Prime Minister to come down, come down
03:23and sit here, let's have a conversation, and I've got about ten questions in my book, please
03:29answer them.
03:33For government today, it's most likely 5% into their parliamentary term.
03:39Not much could change before the next general election.
03:42Look at the last government.
03:45In Folkestone, changes happen quick too.
03:47The town has a very different feel today to what many might remember from a few decades
03:52ago.
03:53Creativity oozing out of its cobbled historic streets.
03:58And just look at this, politics working its way into art.
04:02But the question is, will there be similar artwork for Starmer's government?
04:08Who knows?
04:11Frankly, it's a disgrace.
04:13Both sides.
04:14Unbelievable.
04:15I don't see any vision.
04:18Where's the plan?
04:19Nothing.
04:20Where's the, this is where we've got to go, these are the issues, this is how we tackle
04:26it.
04:27Tony Vaughan won the constituency by some 4,000 votes.
04:33So locally, Labour will want to repeat the same success when Kent County Council elections
04:38come around.
04:39But have the past 100 days scuppered that chance?
04:43Here definitely isn't anything like Rishi's, I'm sorry, you can't equate the two.
04:47He's being looked at through a microscope at the moment, we know this.
04:52So I'm hoping people will be able to see through that.
04:54But I think the crux will be the budget.
04:57As the Labour Party stands at the moment, do you think they've done enough to be able
05:01to see the same success going into Kent County Council next May?
05:05I think you've seen from the way we ran the campaign for the general election and the
05:09successes that we had from there, I think we just need to do more of the same.
05:14We need to be talking to people, we need to be seen in our communities.
05:20One of the biggest challenges the town faces is its sustainability of businesses.
05:25According to Andy, he's been in the trade for his whole working life.
05:29He now runs this successful chippy and has plans of retiring soon.
05:33But he did hope the current government would be different.
05:38They've done absolutely zero for small businesses in the town or across the country.
05:42They've addressed none of the issues which they promised they would do.
05:48When you look at the cost of the product, the cost of wages, the cost of utilities,
05:53it's ridiculous.
05:55I think the word in here is meet the new boss, same as the old boss, nothing's changed.
05:59Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
06:06His message clear, echoed by other locals, but can you judge a government just 100 days
06:13into the job?
06:15Gabriel Morris in Folkestone.
06:21Tonight two men have been charged with murder after allegedly stabbing a man in Canterbury
06:25last Thursday.
06:26A murder investigation was launched afterwards and forensics teams were spotted on the scene
06:30with large parts of the high street cordoned off.
06:33Well, Finn McDermott joins me now.
06:35What can you tell us about what happened, Finn, and the updates from court today?
06:38Well, the original story that we knew was that a young man had been stabbed, fatally
06:43stabbed in Canterbury High Street at 11.30pm last Thursday night.
06:49And four men were arrested in connection with that incident where the victim sadly
06:53died at the scene.
06:54I was present the morning after and I spotted forensics teams as well as investigative officers
07:00and even the use of a drone being used, as well as this massive police cordon that was
07:04across the centre of Canterbury High Street.
07:06Well, today we have received the update that two men are due to appear in court and they're
07:11being charged with murder.
07:13Kamal Ibrahim and Mohammed Hagar have also been charged with possession of a bladed article
07:18in a public place and Mr Ibrahim was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm.
07:25We also now know the name of the victim, Samar Geragir.
07:30And Finn, we did see some flowers on the scene today, some tributes being laid.
07:35Yes, there were bouquets of flowers at the scene, which was definitely a different sight
07:39than what we saw in the morning after last week.
07:42Like I mentioned, police tape, multiple police vans, private ambulances, it was all a very
07:47dire scene with many members of the public talking to the police, trying to get a sense
07:50of what was going on really and just why so much of the high street was cordoned off.
07:54And in what is a very busy city centre, a very well-known place, Canterbury, here in
07:58the county.
07:59Finn, thank you very much for those details.
08:02Now, someone is going to be killed, the worry of one Folkestone pensioner who's called for
08:07a crackdown on the use of e-scooters after a near miss.
08:1179-year-old Malcolm Brooks was walking along the Lees in the seaside town when he was nearly
08:15knocked over, despite the fact riding an e-scooter along pavements is illegal.
08:20Folkestone and Hyde District Council have warned they can only be used on private land
08:24and that any near misses in the district should be reported to the police, who can issue fines
08:29and seize them.
08:31Now, for more than two years, residents in Tenham have been struggling to see a GP due
08:38to closures of surgeries and a lack of doctors in the area, and it seems the wait is far
08:42from over.
08:43Although residents are able to go further afield to the nearby hospital, many of the
08:47village's elderly residents just don't have a way of getting there.
08:51Kristen Hawthorne has more.
08:54Residents in Tenham have been left without a GP practice for over two years.
08:59In the area, there is just one GP per 1,700 people, and figures show that this is the
09:05worst GP ratio across the whole country.
09:08Plans have been made to build hundreds of homes in the area, but it could be years before
09:13a GP practice is underway.
09:15If you want to set up a practice from scratch, there are a lot of hurdles you have to go
09:20through.
09:21You've got to be talking to the Integrated Care Board, the ICB, about whether there's
09:26a need for GPs in the area, because you'll need some approval to be able to do that.
09:30You have to give them something called a performance list as well, and then you've got to look
09:34for premises.
09:36Residents in Tenham have expressed their concern and frustration over the issue.
09:40First of all, it's difficult to get an appointment.
09:42If you don't ring at 8 o'clock each morning, then you've got no hope of getting an appointment
09:46that day.
09:47That's if there are any appointments.
09:50If you don't ring at 8 o'clock that day and miss the appointment, and want an appointment,
09:54you've got to wait like four weeks waiting time, which is ridiculous really in some circumstances.
10:00Some things are quite urgent.
10:01I tend not to, if I've got health problems, I'm tending not to put mine on a back seat,
10:09purely because it's the convenience of not walking to a doctor's anymore.
10:14The other alternative I've got is to do an e-consult, which isn't ideal, and that's the
10:20only thing I can do now.
10:21I can't do anything else.
10:23Kent and Medway as a whole have got some of the largest list sizes, but it's particularly
10:28a problem in Medway and Swale, and Swale has the highest numbers.
10:33It is very easy to be in a downward spiral when it comes to GP numbers.
10:39That can be because a GP leaves for very reasonable reasons, such as retirement, but then someone
10:45coming in will take a look and say, well that list size is large and I could go somewhere
10:49else and do less work, because in general the amount of workload depends on the number
10:54of patients you're having to look after.
10:56With the long, unfeasible walk to the GP for many, a long waiting list, lack of parking
11:02at the site, unreliable buses and expensive taxis, the future of the health and wellbeing
11:07for people in Tenham is uncertain.
11:10Kristen Hawthorne, KMTV.
11:14Time for a very short break now, but coming up, we'll be joined in the studio by the creative
11:19king of Kent, Mr Doodle.
11:22His documentary, The Trouble With Mr Doodle, will be airing at the Ashford Cinema this
11:26weekend.
11:27He's been opening up about the darker side of doodling and the pressure that comes with
11:31being such a recognisable artist, but we'll get a sneak preview from the man himself in
11:37just a few minutes' time.
11:39Don't go anywhere, I'll see you then.
14:37Don't go anywhere, I'll see you then.
15:07Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live on KMTV.
15:16Many may think of doodling as a way to pass time, to distract your mind, maybe relax,
15:21but for one artist, it's taken over his life and his home.
15:25That's Kent's Mr Doodle.
15:27Sam Cox spent two years drawing his signature style on every single surface of his mansion
15:32in the countryside.
15:34He has been likened to Banksy for his distinctive style.
15:37He was the world's fifth most successful artist under 40 at auction back in 2022, his work
15:43sold for nearly $1 million.
15:45Well, now he's opening up about the darker side of the art and Sam joins me in the studio
15:50now drawing away already.
15:52But before we draw the line on doodling, here's a look at the trailer.
16:01I remember my auntie saying to me, it's okay, it's just that he's a genius and geniuses
16:09sometimes go mad.
16:18My whole life I've been living in fantasy worlds.
16:21He would draw for 15 hours from the minute that he got up to the minute he went to bed.
16:26Sam turned up into the class in his doodle suit.
16:30My work can help me spread the doodle virus.
16:35Less than 24 hours after we met, Sam told me I want to find a big white mansion and
16:41just doodle over it.
16:44I think that Sam found himself caught up in a nightmare somewhere in some land that he
16:50no longer had control over.
16:52He just looked at us and said, Sam Cox is dead and I'm Mr Doodle now.
16:57He just wants to go away.
17:04Well Sam is with me in the studio now doodling away as well.
17:08I'll jump straight into it.
17:10Thank you so much for coming on to the show here.
17:12But tell me why the documentary?
17:15So basically I wanted to make a film about the process of drawing on my house and during
17:22that process lots of different things happened and whilst filming it kind of took a different
17:27turn and the final result ended up being more about my life than just the house.
17:32So yeah it sort of set out to be a 10 minute film for social media and it ended up being
17:37this big kind of full length documentary about everything.
17:40I suppose that's quite reflective of the journey you go on as well.
17:44You start doodling and then you do a huge house as well so it reflects that journey
17:48too.
17:49You've got to look at the work and you've said that you want it to provoke joy and you
17:53want people to see the doodles and have this happiness from it but there's sort of a darker
17:58side that unravels when watching the trailer specifically there and I imagine the whole
18:02documentary where we're really looking inside your mind and seeing what that might be like
18:06and the pressure I suppose.
18:08Yeah.
18:09Yeah.
18:10So in sort of 2020 the work just kind of, there was loads of things going on and I kind
18:17of tried to embrace the Mr Doodle character a bit too much and kind of let it take over
18:22everything and the film shows that process and I think yeah with lots of creative projects
18:29and things you kind of get so invested in it that you'd lose sight of everything else
18:33and that's kind of what happened to me.
18:35I just couldn't stop thinking about the house and drawing over this house and I thought
18:38it was going to be like everything and I was going to live in that and I do live in it
18:43now but it's just kind of, I just lost myself in it really and lost sense of reality in
18:48a way.
18:49And I have to ask, people would look at the house and think that would be so overwhelming
18:52for them.
18:53Of course it's stark white there but doodling on every single inch and every single surface.
18:58Is it overwhelming?
18:59How do you and your wife manage?
19:00Yeah, we just really got used to it.
19:03I told her on the first day I met her I was like I want to draw on the house and I kind
19:09of warned her about what I was kind of hoping to do and stuff and she just kind of got on
19:13board with everything and we're really used to it.
19:16I mean once you're in there and you kind of live with it, it just feels nice and it doesn't
19:21feel like how people might imagine it.
19:22They think it would give them a big migraine and make them dizzy but you do get really
19:26used to it, yeah.
19:27In the documentary you say you were born to draw but you are a human being so I suppose
19:32this is about your journey of trying to balance both those things?
19:36Yeah, I think for me creating this character of Mr Doodle and imagining I'm from Doodle
19:43Land and all these things, I've kind of built up this whole brand and persona but just kind
19:50of spent so long doing that that I didn't really spend enough time just being Sam and
19:55through the journey I went on and making this film it kind of helped me realise to not neglect
20:01that and kind of spend time just being a normal person.
20:06And something that really fascinates me is you're talking about this personality, this
20:10persona of Mr Doodle and then also finding Sam within that as well but if you were neither
20:14of those things, if you weren't Mr Doodle, who would you be?
20:18I don't know, you mean if I didn't doodle at all?
20:25I guess, I don't know, I'd want to do something creative, something that feels like I'm putting
20:30some sort of expression into the world, maybe I'd be doing music or making films, I'm not
20:37sure really, animation or something but it's hard to imagine I think, it's a huge part
20:43of my life and I've lived with it for a long time now so it's hard to think of anything
20:47else really.
20:48Amazing, and that documentary The Trouble with Mr Doodle showing at the Ashford Cinema
20:52this weekend as well, just before we go as well would you be able to hold that up to
20:56the camera so we can have a look at the last piece?
20:59It's a one line drawing and it's just kind of weird things that come to my head and I
21:03draw this way when I don't look at the paper and this is kind of a little image of you
21:07in there.
21:08Amazing, we've got, Mr Doodle drew me, amazing, thank you so much for coming in and sharing
21:14your story, of course airing this weekend your documentary, congratulations.
21:18Thanks very much.
21:20Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent by logging
21:23onto our website, it's kmtv.co.uk, there you'll find all our reports including this one about
21:28the lack of black hair and beauty products here in Kent.
21:38When we have a good hair day, it can play a huge role in our self esteem, but for Temi
21:43who's lived in Medway for three years, her hair means more than just that.
21:48It's part of her Nigerian identity, it makes her who she is, but she says she can't always
21:53take care of it because of a lack of black hair and beauty products in the county.
21:58It means a lot to me because it's who I am as a person, yes I wear wigs, but I like to
22:02have a good growth and care underneath the wigs for my natural hair.
22:07Even simple, as does Tesco, you don't really have some products that you can get if you
22:12were in London.
22:13I also haven't really seen shops around to know that, oh yeah I can go to this shop.
22:18I normally go back home, because sometimes here I might have to order online through
22:22Amazon, which isn't the best because that's the next day delivery when you want it then.
22:27It's quite a long process, I just want more shops that cater to black businesses as well.
22:33And it's not just Temi who feels that there's a limited availability for textured hair products,
22:38as even some business owners agree.
22:41We sell a lot of goodies for ladies, not only for ladies, so we do for men as well.
22:46Basically here in Gillingham, we're the only shop here in Gillingham, and then we have
22:50another one in Chatham.
22:52So basically, or generally, we didn't make, we didn't count, if I would say, we don't
22:56have enough.
22:57So I think we need more shops like this.
23:00We need more of African people to come out to do business.
23:04And then we want the government to please, government grant is very important for us.
23:11So if you have more grants, if you have more funding, then I think we should be able to
23:16have more shops like this.
23:17I might be stood here surrounded by loads of different hair products here at Eunice's
23:21shop, but it doesn't mean it's the same up and down the high street.
23:25In fact, Eunice says that there's not enough variety and that organisations and businesses
23:29need to do better in providing the hair and beauty products that the African and Caribbean
23:34community here in Kent want and need.
23:37In a statement, the government said ensuring everyone can reach their full potential is
23:41key to growing the economy.
23:43It says its start-up loans are helping people struggling to access finance, as they've issued
23:4720% of its loans to those from a BAME background.
23:50But many, like Temi, hope that it will be closer to home the next time that they need
23:54to buy basic products to look after their hair, and ask for business owners to be more
23:58considerate of all communities.
24:00Mahima Abedin for KMTV in Gillingham.
24:10Now let's take a very quick look at the weather forecast.
24:21This evening it's going to be cloudy across Kent, with temperatures averaging in the low
24:26teens there, but staying nice and dry for a change as the sun comes up.
24:30Expect much of the same, mild winds, highs of 14 in Tunbridge Wells, staying dry still.
24:35Warming up slightly into the afternoon too, some sunshine peeking through the clouds there.
24:39Highs of 16 across most of Kent, 15 down in Margate there.
24:42And here's your outlook for Kent.
24:44That rain again on Wednesday, but Friday looking a little bit sunny.
24:50And finally this evening in sport.
25:00Kent's sides in the FA Cup round proper have been confirmed after two strong performances
25:05for Tunbridge Angels and Maidstone United in the final qualifying round.
25:09Meanwhile, League 2 Gillingham will be joining the competition with a bye.
25:12Ahead of a brand new episode of Invicta Sport, the show's producer, Bartholomew Hall, is with me now.
25:17Lots to come in Invicta Sport this evening.
25:19I know, good to be back, good to be talking about the FA Cup again.
25:22Of course, this time last year we had a few more sides in the first round proper.
25:26But no, this is an absolutely massive success to these two sides.
25:30Maidstone United obviously following in those footsteps of last season when they managed
25:34to make it to the fifth round, eventually knocked out by Coventry.
25:37A run that will live long in the memory, of course.
25:40Tunbridge Angels, however, they haven't had as much success in the FA Cup compared.
25:45They've actually only made it to the FA Cup first round proper two times since 1972.
25:51In Invicta Sport today, we'll be hearing from Jay Saunders, the manager.
25:54We can quickly hear a quick snippet now.
25:57It's absolutely great that we've, as a management team, been able to play our part in getting us there.
26:02So, yeah, it was a really good occasion and I was made well aware of the previous record in the FA Cup.
26:09So, it's nice to finally get to that first round again.
26:12And that draw coming this evening, seven o'clock on BBC Two, if people want to watch it.
26:16Exciting stuff, Bartholomew.
26:18That's it for now.
26:20That's it for Kent tonight now, but we've got more sport after the break.
26:24Keep on watching Kent tonight, live here on KTV.
26:28I can't speak this evening.
26:29There's more news for you just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:32I'm going to hand over to the sport now.
26:34That's all from me.
26:35Bye-bye.
26:54.
27:24.
27:54.
28:24.
28:54.
29:24.