Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Abby Hook.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:26I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Friday the 20th of December.
00:31Time to ditch Christmas jumpers?
00:33Protesters disrupt Canterbury market over use of sheep wool.
00:37At the end of the day we have a choice in what we wear, they don't have the choice to
00:41not give up their own skin.
00:43It's actually essential for sheep whose wool continues to grow.
00:49Enough is enough, Maidstone Borough Council commits to ending violence against women and
00:53girls.
00:54I'm so used to, as women, taking those precautions of working out how you're going to get home,
01:00you know, when you have your keys in your hands, like are you wearing the right footwear
01:03that would mean that you could run if you needed to, all of those things and it's just
01:07not good enough.
01:08And helping hands, Fathersham school children design the Mayor's Christmas cards.
01:14I'm happy, I'm shocked that I did but yeah, I'm happy.
01:25First tonight, animal welfare protesters took to the streets of Canterbury today to demand
01:32retailers stop selling wool and farmers stop shearing sheep.
01:35Members of PETA, dressed in costumes and covered in fake blood, claimed the traditional farming
01:41practice is cruel and hurts animals.
01:43But farmers say when done correctly and ethically, it's good for the sheep.
01:47Finn McDermid was at the protest earlier.
01:50Canterbury is certainly in the Christmas spirit with their high street market, but not everyone
01:54is this holiday season.
01:55PETA, or Protection for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, say that the use of wool for jumpers,
02:00scarves and other warm clothing is a cruel practice.
02:03So they held a protest, wearing sheep's costumes, stepping inside a snow globe and spraying
02:07themselves with fake blood to highlight the alleged injustice and raise awareness.
02:12Do we have the wool pulled too far over our eyes?
02:14That's the question that PETA wants us to think about this Christmas as they urge us
02:18to stop the cruel practice of shearing sheep, which they say can leave them bruised and
02:22bloody.
02:23Yeah, so we think it's really important that people understand the ins and outs of the
02:27wool industry and various other animal industries.
02:29At the end of the day, we have a choice in what we wear.
02:32They don't have the choice to not give up their own skin and their own wool.
02:36That's their bodies at the end of the day.
02:37So we're putting ourselves out here with us, in the cold, to stand up for them, because
02:42I think a lot of people don't understand how horrific the wool industry is.
02:46So it's really important to bring awareness to that.
02:49But I wanted to know if this had real backing, or if it was just to gain attention.
02:53Do you think PETA, by this point, has made a bit of a reputation for just doing stunts
02:56rather than actually promoting animal awareness?
02:58I mean, there's a lot of stuff that we do behind the scenes, and it's not just stunts,
03:02obviously.
03:03The more controversial and bigger stunts are great because they get into mainstream news
03:07and media and reach audiences who perhaps wouldn't have seen and come across these topics
03:12before.
03:13But then we do do a lot of grassroots activity like this as such, where we can hand out leaflets,
03:18have conversations with people, get talking to people.
03:20So we do do a bit of both, but I guess it's more the stunts that people would more commonly
03:24see.
03:25Christmas shoppers passing by also gave their own views.
03:27It's great.
03:28I think everyone should get on board with this.
03:32Change the way you feel about things.
03:34I don't really get the issue, because I feel like sheep are producing a natural ingredient
03:39that helps us all, you know.
03:42I think it's a little extreme.
03:44I really think everybody needs to have a choice.
03:48And when things are taken to extremes, it becomes quite dangerous.
03:53PETA said their internal investigations found routine instances of sheep being punched,
03:58kicked and abused.
03:59But not everyone agrees.
04:01From our experience of shearing sheep, there's absolutely no reason to be doing that.
04:07It could look a little rough-handed when you're trying to grab a ram and turn him onto his
04:15bottom to make him sit up so you can shear him.
04:19You have to be quite firm on that, but there's no punching and kicking.
04:22Canterbury has seen many animal protests over the last few years, and while some might disagree
04:27with PETA, others in Canterbury's High Street might be persuaded to trade their walljumpers
04:31for polyester this Christmas.
04:33Finn McDermid for KMTV in Canterbury.
04:38Now Maidstone Borough Council has passed a motion committing to tackling violence against
04:42women and girls.
04:44Councillors spoke of their own experiences and shared what it's like to feel scared just
04:48walking alone.
04:49And with a number of violent incidents across Kent, especially at night, they're hoping
04:53women's safety won't be down to just the individual.
04:56Tara Meller-Waller reports.
04:59Christmas is a time that many spend celebrating and relaxing, but for women and girls it's
05:04often also a time they become even more aware of their safety, or lack of it.
05:09Councillor Jenkins Baldock, who brought the motion to council, is hoping to change that.
05:14An eight minute walk from the town hall is Brenchley Gardens, where there have been a
05:17number of violent incidents over the years.
05:20In broad daylight you can see people walking their dogs or here with their friends, but
05:24the garden shuts at dusk.
05:26It's a place that a lot of people, especially young women, wouldn't want to come in the dark.
05:31When it comes to violence against women and girls, so much of it is about us and our personal
05:35safety and us having to take responsibility for that, so all the different things that
05:38we are supposed to do.
05:39And we're so used to, as women, to taking those precautions of working out how you're
05:45going to get home, when you have your keys in your hands, are you wearing the right footwear
05:48that would mean that you could run if you needed to, all of those things, and it's just
05:52not good enough.
05:53Changes are planned in a number of areas, including using the council's powers of licensing
05:57to address behaviours in taxis, pubs and bars, and making sure safety is front and centre
06:02in any planning decisions, including the use of CCTV and street lighting.
06:07The challenge now has to be to shift it from women taking responsibility for their personal
06:13safety to it not happening in the first place.
06:15Councillor Sweetman also voted in favour of the motion, recalling how violence against
06:19women had affected her since she was a young girl.
06:23I've seen flashes and I've had harassment as a young person, but I don't know whether
06:30it was the era, you just accepted it, and you shouldn't have accepted it.
06:34And after that I was very self-conscious and frightened to walk on my own in the woods,
06:40in anywhere, countryside, because every man I saw I thought they were going to hurt me.
06:45It's very important to tackle because women need to be safe, they need to feel safe.
06:50We will be watching, the women on this council will be watching.
06:53A strong word of warning from Councillor Maureen Cleater.
06:57The final recommendation is that progress be reported back to council in April.
07:02Tara Mawawala for KMTV in Maidstone.
07:06Next this evening, a baby loss charity has been giving the gift of time to families in Medway.
07:12Abigail's Footsteps have donated cooling cots to hospitals so parents can be with a child
07:17they've just lost at birth.
07:18The Abbey cooling cot keeps the baby at a specific temperature, meaning that families
07:22can have days to say goodbye.
07:25David Ward lost Abigail in 2009 and since their charity has helped thousands of families
07:31and fundamentally changed the way a lot of hospitals manage bereavement across the country.
07:36Earlier David explained to me why this equipment is so crucial.
07:40So the cooling cot enables mum and dad to have time with their baby after the baby sadly
07:46passed away.
07:48When we lost Abigail back in 2009 there weren't any such things about, so we only had a two
07:53or three hour period with her, whereas now parents can have days with baby if they wish
07:59using the cot to keep the baby at a temperature where the baby is still okay to be viewed
08:05and touched and just allows the parents more time together with baby.
08:10What difference would that have made to you at that time if you had had something like this?
08:16For us we only had those two or three hours and literally tried to get all the family
08:20up to get a chance to meet her and then to say hello to her and it sounds a bit bizarre
08:25if you've not been in that situation why would you want to do that, but people wanted
08:29to see her, they wanted to understand what had happened and it was all very, very rushed
08:35and where we are now with Medway Hospital and Abigail's Place, the bereavement suite,
08:39mum and dad can have time, they can bring their family, they can bring other children
08:43up to the hospital and spend that time with baby to try and make those memories.
08:47What's the response you've got from not only the hospital but those parents, those families
08:52who have effectively had their lives changed in a moment and then found some time, some
09:00peace being able to use one of these calling cots and have those bereavement suites too?
09:07We see Medway Place as a transitional period from that busy delivery suite where obviously
09:12everything's been happening and it's very busy anyway and lots of people are celebrating
09:16live births and obviously quite happily, understandably very happy and very excited.
09:22So to come away from that very busy area to this quiet place and just have time to reflect
09:27before going home and having to deal with it all again with everybody around them.
09:31And we have a number of books in the bereavement suite which people have written in, I can't
09:37read them so I find it very difficult but the feedback we have had has been, people
09:42have been so grateful that they've had that time, that opportunity to spend time, a, to
09:47reflect and to get themselves together but also to spend time with baby.
09:51And this is such a crucial piece of medical equipment as well that offers so much to families.
09:55Why do you think it is that hospitals don't have them? Are they really expensive?
10:00They're not cheap, I think that's a way of saying they are a little bit expensive. They're
10:03not cheap, I think we're now looking at about £3,500 to £4,000 for a cot and the maintenance
10:10package that goes with that. In the 14 years we've been doing this they've not increased
10:15in price very much at all. The bond group have been fantastic and kept costs to the
10:19bare minimum. The charity don't make any money out of them at all, it's very much about providing
10:24that service. There are about 300 around the UK now, we can't remember the exact number
10:29because we didn't keep records accurately at the very beginning. There was only going
10:32to be one, then there was only going to be two and they are around the whole of the UK
10:36now, Northern Ireland and Scotland. They're only used once a month by each hospital, that's
10:4212 families a year. That's 3,500 people a year have been helped by those cots. And I
10:49think from our point of view we'd obviously never have wished the charity to have been
10:52in existence, we'd rather have had Abigail. But the fact the charity does exist, the fact
10:56we can help that many people thanks to an extensive network of supporters and the team
11:01at the charity are amazing. Fay Hill runs the team there for us and they are brilliant,
11:06they work so hard and diligently to make sure families are looked after and we are
11:12really proud. Abigail's legacy will outlive us.
11:17Very special what Abigail's footsteps are doing for families, especially during a tricky
11:21Christmas period too. Now it's time for a very short break but coming up, we had a brand
11:26new episode of the Kent Politics Show this evening. The show's producer Oliver Leeder-DeSax
11:30will join me to give us a round up of the county's politics both here and in Westminster.
11:34Coming back on what a year 2024 was for the political landscape here in Kent. Plus we
11:40hear from pupils at a school in Faversham who've been making Christmas cards for the
11:44mayor. Find out the lucky four that won after the break. See you then.
15:04Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV. Now with Kent's political landscape
15:15set to change after a big devolution announcement earlier this week and Reform UK winning yet
15:21another council by-election. Political news isn't letting up even a week before Christmas.
15:26Well straight off the back of the last Kent Politics Show of the year, the producer Oliver
15:30Leeder-DeSax joins me in the studio to try and make some sense of it all, Ollie. Tell
15:35me, you had Matt Borton and Thomas Mallon on the show this evening. What were some of
15:40the takeaways? So obviously Matt Borton, leader of Tunbridge and Moorling Borough Council.
15:44He's a pretty big week given the fact that his council probably won't exist in a couple
15:48years' time. Obviously government devolution means that district and borough councils with
15:52that two-tier system of them and county council and Kent County Council just won't exist because
15:59they'll all be merged together. And that's kind of what we discussed as well as with
16:04Thomas Mallon, KCC's first Reform UK councillor. But one thing Matt brought up that I was quite
16:10interested by was the staff who work at these district and borough councils, because these
16:16staff haven't really been mentioned that much in the press, in the media by other politicians,
16:22but they could be potential victims of devolution if they aren't absorbed into these new authorities.
16:29As Matt Borton was telling me on the show earlier. The government, if we take their word for it,
16:34says this devolution agenda is about delivering more locally. Now if that is believed to be the
16:41case and if that is where this ends up, then we know that all of our staff are playing such
16:46important roles at the moment that they will continue to play important roles, albeit perhaps
16:51in an authority with a different name and with a different boundary. So there's a real opportunity
16:56for staff there, but of course it's an opportunity that is uncertain in how it looks in the future.
17:02As you quite rightly say, Ollie, I don't think that has been considered very much
17:07by the government when they publish their white paper on Monday.
17:14So tell me a bit more about the reaction from Matt today. Obviously this could be, we heard a bit
17:20from him then on devolution and what could be effectively the end of him leading that council.
17:26Yeah, it's really interesting. I think it's divided a lot of politicians around Kent and
17:32obviously everyone has a different idea of how they're going to redraw the political map. At
17:37the moment we have 14 local authorities. We have Medway which does everything, we have KCC,
17:42we have all these districts and boroughs, but it's kind of interesting what they want. Obviously
17:48Matt told us what he wants to see is closer working with Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Tunbridge,
17:53Wells, all the surrounding boroughs in that end, which kind of almost aligns with what something
17:57Vince Maple told me earlier this week. He said that he wants to kind of see health partnerships,
18:02which is across Kent, Swale and Medway for example, banding together. But obviously we
18:08don't really know what they're going to negotiate until the 10th of January to get these proposals
18:13over the line. And obviously with the rise of reform as well, what's going to happen to the
18:18political landscape once these changes have gone through? We have seen a reform by election winning
18:23City Mall today, not by much, not a big turnout, but it does show you that they are on track to
18:28become a big force whenever the next local election actually is. That's something we just
18:32don't know at this point. Well, it looks like another busy year for you in politics, Oliver.
18:36We thought we had it in 2024 and of course your documentary, looking back at the year we've had,
18:42how monumental it was, looking to 2025 as well, on demand on our website too. Oliver, thank you very
18:47much. Now, don't forget, as well as watching us here at 5.30 every evening, you can keep up to
18:52date with all your latest stories across Kent by logging onto our website, kntv.co.uk. There you
18:58can find all our special reports, including this one about a community hub in Canterbury opening
19:03their doors on Christmas Day to serve up some traditional festive food and cheer. The Umbrella
19:09Centre in Canterbury has been offering meals at a low price to those in the community for many
19:13years. They're one of the few places open on Christmas Day to give these homemade meals.
19:18Today, however, it's not a traditional Christmas meal, but a Kentish one, fish and chips. It's been
19:24running for 40 years and supports hundreds every one of those years, and in recent months the
19:29numbers have only been increasing. They say it's crucial for those suffering with mental health,
19:34especially around this time of year, and for those with learning difficulties, to find comfort and a
19:38sense of belonging at the centre. It's been totally inclusive, it's a safe space, and everybody's
19:44welcome. And the great thing is that we've got the whole community behind us, we've got lots of
19:49people who are donating to us, which helps me in the kitchen, so we can give subsidised meals and
19:54we're really helping lots of people. We do a food bank, which is really necessary at the moment.
19:59Everyone who works here, including the volunteers, are offered a range of opportunities that are
20:03difficult to find elsewhere. I say this is a good vibe for people to come if they're lonely,
20:10need to talk to someone. Basically, just if you're lonely and want to chat to anyone, really,
20:15we're here for support to chat with. Sometimes I work in the kitchen, I work in the kitchen
20:21mostly Wednesdays, and I work down here sometimes. Sometimes I work upstairs. Basically, I've worked
20:28everywhere in this building. They extend the welcoming atmosphere to those from different
20:32circumstances as well, such as those from the Ukrainian community. Two and a half years ago,
20:38when they came to the UK, they were in depression because they were not working anywhere,
20:48they were sitting at home, so we decided to organise this club for them. Umbrella Centre
20:55gave this room. For some people, finding a warm, friendly place with a hot meal can be difficult,
21:03and while the cost of food is rising, something like a Christmas meal may stretch budgets just
21:08too far. Well, Christmas Day, we have a day next Tuesday, we'll be setting all the tables up with
21:15Christmas crackers, with presents. It's going to be really wonderful. We've got a wonderful
21:20Christmas tree. We're going to have choir singing here. We're working in harmony with
21:25the Ukrainian community. From the short time I've spent here, I have seen just how popular the
21:30service really is, and how vital people like this are for the community, especially during Christmas.
21:36Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV in Canterbury.
21:45Now, let's take a very quick look at the weather where you are over the coming days.
21:50Well, this evening, expect clear skies with temperatures around the high single digits,
21:58lows of six degrees in Tunbridge Wells and Ashford. Tomorrow morning, the heavens will
22:03open. The worst of the rain in Margate, temperatures around seven or eight degrees,
22:06with winds picking up to Sunday, Saturday afternoon, sorry, rain clearing in the south
22:12towards Dover, with things warming to around 11 and 12. And here's your outlook for Kent.
22:17Much of the same, a mixed picture. Some cloud, but Christmas Eve, cloudy. Highs of 11.
22:30Next this evening, while it's the last day of term for most children across
22:34Kent, not every school can say their town's mayor has paid a visit.
22:38Pupils at Ethelbert Road Primary School in Faversham were chosen to design Christmas
22:42cards for Councillor Ben Martin. He returned to the school after leaving exactly 30 years ago
22:47in 1994 for the competition. Senior Nakvi went to meet with the students with their
22:52winning Christmas cards. Many children across Kent are gearing up for the Christmas holidays,
22:57but pupils at Ethelbert Road Primary School in Faversham were paid a special visit by ex-student
23:03the Mayor of Swale. Every year, Councillor Ben Martin sends out Christmas cards as part of his
23:09mayoral duties. But this year, things looked a little bit different. He asked children from his
23:14old school to design them. It's certainly expanded, but it still has those same values, those same
23:19community values that it had when I was here. And it's a special school. It's a wonderful place.
23:25I've got a lot of great memories, and that's one of the reasons I chose Ethelbert as the school to
23:29come to. You could go traditional. You could just have a nice photo of the mayor in front of a
23:32Christmas tree. But I thought, actually, Christmas, as a dyslexic, I do like to support the creative
23:38side of education as well. And I thought, what's more festive than asking the children to do it?
23:43They're then sent to other mayors, his chosen charities, and some are reserved for personal use.
23:48One of the primary school pupils even wrote a festive poem for inside the card.
23:52I also like poems, so that's why I did a poem. I was shocked because I didn't think it would be me.
24:00I thought it would be like three people in year six and maybe one person that's younger.
24:06I didn't think it would be me.
24:09I decided to do this card design because I thought it would be a fun, like, a funny sort of card, and just
24:19look at this Santa stuck in a chimney. Like, I'm happy. I'm shocked that I did, but yeah, I'm happy.
24:26I drew the Christmas tree because I liked when the Christmas tree went up and it made it all
24:34shiny with the baubles and the decoration. Really, really, really happy.
24:40I tried to copy the Christmas tree out there.
24:43It's clear that Ethelbert Road Primary School fosters a creative environment that encourages its
24:49210 pupils to get involved in the arts. So when the Mayor of Swale was looking for a school,
24:54around 100 pupils jumped at the chance and a total of four children were selected for his cards.
25:00Staff at Ethelbert put forward around 40 entries to the Mayor
25:03before the four lucky children were crowned winners.
25:06So we gave the children free range. They were able to either paint or draw a picture or write
25:12a poem to go, and then we sent off the ones that we felt were brilliant.
25:17We were very honoured that we were chosen by the Mayor to have the Christmas card competition here.
25:25Then when we found out he was a former pupil, he came and did an assembly with our children.
25:31Councillor Martin enlisted the help of previous Mayors for his judging panel.
25:35Once he'd finalised the four, designers at the Council scanned the prints and made them
25:39into both physical and digital cards. Xenia Nakvi for KMTV in Faversham.
25:46Well, congratulations to those lucky winners.
25:48Well, finally this evening, over the next two weeks, we'll be airing a range of
25:52Kentonite specials produced by our reporters.
25:55Finn McDermid has been looking into the Gillingham Samurai, Will Adams,
25:59how he went from dockyard worker to the right-hand man of the Shogun of Japan,
26:04and his place in both Kentish and Japanese culture and history.
26:07We find out how he embarked on a mission through enemy waters and ended up
26:129,000 kilometres away, but still left his mark on us here in Medway.
26:18And Kristen Hawthorne and Daisy Page have been looking 100 years into the future,
26:24finding out how Kent could look in 2125.
26:27Because of climate change, they've been exploring what risks human action and
26:31infrastructure will have on things like farming, flooding, health and wealth across the county.
26:37These Kentonite specials, along with our end-of-year shows,
26:39will air throughout Christmas and New Year only on KMTV.
26:44That's it from me and the team this evening. We'll see you again soon. Bye-bye.