Catch up with all your latest news across the county with Abby Hooks.
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:29I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Tuesday the 22nd of January.
00:34An uncertain future. Service cuts to come after Kent County Council axed contract for
00:40Margate Family Hub.
00:41I know the people who work here. It's like a second home away from home. They're the
00:46family.
00:47Rescue at risk. Green Hive Dog Shelter needs to find almost two million pounds to stay
00:53open.
00:54The most important thing would be securing somewhere for our sanctuary dogs because we've
00:58committed to those dogs. They cannot go into homes.
01:02And KMFM's new radio, Grit, find out why Kent's gritting teams are swapping freezing weather
01:09for ice cold bars.
01:11Ice, ice baby. We're gritting Kent, Kent baby.
01:25First this evening, the Millmead Family Hub in Margate has provided local families with
01:30childcare, pregnancy support and help for those with additional needs for many years.
01:34But after Kent County Council withdrew their annual funding for the hub, local residents
01:39were told the vital service would close by March.
01:42Finn McDermott has been speaking to those who say losing the hub would be like losing
01:46their home.
01:49Since last year, families using Millmead and Seashell's family hubs had the fact hanging
01:53over their heads that the service might not be open by this March.
01:57Family hubs offer information and support to parents and families, including early learning,
02:01health services, childcare and more.
02:04Kent County Council's decision to axe the funding for the family hub here in Millmead
02:08has certainly been a controversial one. Residents say that although it might be saving the council
02:12money, the real cost will come out of the livelihoods of the people who need the service
02:17most.
02:18Locals like Owen, who has autism, worries that he and his family won't be able to get
02:22the same support elsewhere.
02:23I kind of wonder really, what would have happened to us? What could have happened to Harvey
02:33if we didn't have their support? Because they've taught us so much. They've invited us to classes,
02:41they've invited my partner to an autism awareness class which helped further our communication
02:48in the relationship we have. And second to that, it's just been outstanding, the support
02:57we've had, it's been outstanding.
02:58Many years ago I did have a mental breakdown, I got very ill and the centre was nothing
03:05but supportive, they actually helped me a lot and I'm very thankful for it and it would
03:10be a shame if it goes.
03:12The MP for East Thanet, Polly Billington, also weighed in on the issue.
03:17These are some of the poorest families in the South East and they at the moment are
03:21within as we call it, pram or push chair push, right, of being able to get their kids to
03:27really good supportive services, things which helps the mums when they're pregnant, helps
03:32them get used to things like breastfeeding.
03:35It's clear that Kent's political priority is not to support deprived families in deprived
03:39communities such as the ones that rely on seashells in Sheppey and millmead in Margate
03:45and that is inexcusable.
03:48In a statement, Sue Chandler, Cabinet Member for Integrated Children's Services for Kent
03:52County Council, said,
03:53We understand that this decision is disappointing for some young people and youth services but
03:57Kent County Council is committed to continuing to run its youth provision through a mix of
04:01activity at family hub buildings and outreach locations based on the needs of young people
04:06within each district.
04:07The Council has agreed to allocate funding from the Healthy Living Budget but it won't
04:11cover the amount lost from KCC's axing.
04:14Until March, locals will be waiting to see if the vital service will get the funding
04:18it needs to survive.
04:20Finn McDermid for KMTV in Thanet.
04:23Finn joins me now in the studio.
04:25We could hear just how it meant to those contributors in your piece there, Finn.
04:29Tell us a bit more about what the family hubs actually do and that type of service that
04:34is so vital for them.
04:35It is very vital.
04:37Services at millmead currently include youth club, book library, cost of living advice,
04:41citizens advice service, there's a food bank, a garden, a pantry, there's a daycare.
04:46There's so many of these services that people use that they would struggle to find anywhere
04:50else and that's why people care so much about this closure.
04:53What exactly have Kent County Council offered as a solution to those who need the service?
04:57There has to be somewhere else or some sort of place that they can go where these hub
05:03services are provided.
05:05That was sort of the question on everyone's mind really when the consultation happened
05:08last year and Kent County Council's aim is sort of to have families to transition from
05:13using millmead to using some of the other family hubs that are nearby, Margate, Northden
05:18Road and Cliftonville but I don't think, they've been telling me it's not an easy transition.
05:24Some people who use the service, like Owen was saying, they've become like family to
05:28those that work at the service.
05:29It's like a second home to them and they feel comfortable getting support from them.
05:33We can hear more from him about why he's worried for the change for his family, especially
05:37since his wife suffers from epilepsy.
05:40They're telling us we should go to a centre, one and a half miles away down into Margate.
05:46I'm going to have to cross so many main roads, so many of them, but this time Harvey's going
05:52to, my four year old is going to be in the mum's hand.
05:58What if she has a seizure in the road?
06:01What if Harvey's holding her hand, she collapses onto the ground, she's fitting, it's going
06:07to be traumatic.
06:09It's going to cause so much distress for me.
06:12It's something he's going to remember for the rest of his life.
06:14And they're saying it's okay, we can use other services, no, no we can't.
06:18So the question is what does the centre's future have in store and for those people
06:22who rely on it?
06:23Well the easy answer is we just don't know.
06:25There is some funding coming through for the centre from their healthy living budget.
06:28The exact amount is sort of up for debate, it's not too clear but right now all we can
06:33do is sort of wait and see what the outcome will be, we don't know at this moment.
06:36And see if Kent County Council can get people to other services nearby as well and make
06:39it work for people like Owen and his family too.
06:42Finn, thank you very much for those details.
06:45Now next this evening, a nine month old baby is now recovering at home after an Excel bully
06:49attack in Hawkins.
06:51Back in December, Arabella was airlifted to hospital and put into an induced coma after
06:56she was attacked by this dog named Hunter.
06:58He was seized by police and later euthanised by a vet.
07:01On the day of the attack, we reported an 18-year-old man and a 76-year-old woman were
07:05arrested.
07:06It's been confirmed this week they remain on bail while investigations continue.
07:10It's emerged Hunter had been taken by police 13 months before the attack after he bit someone
07:15on the finger.
07:16The owner was asked to then voluntarily surrender him as there were no legal grounds at the
07:20time for police to take him away but the owner declined.
07:24Arabella's family say she's now at home and recovering well.
07:32Next this evening, a Greenhithe dog rescue centre are trying to raise £1.7 million to
07:37buy a new home after their landlord stopped extending their current lease.
07:41It comes after South East Dog Rescue had had their previous kennels in Maidstone knocked
07:45down for construction so they're having to find yet another place good enough for the
07:49hundreds of dogs they care for.
07:51With a deadline set in stone, they've started a GoFundMe to hopefully have enough by August.
07:56Kai Wei has been meeting those animals that could be left without a home.
08:02After five years at the same location, South East Dog Rescue are at risk of losing their
08:10kennels and must find a new home to take care of their dogs.
08:13Kim, the founder, has been running the rescue for more than 16 years.
08:17I was fostering a dog for another rescue who was struggling to find the dog a home so I
08:22found her a home and then felt like I could take in another dog from the pound so went
08:28back to the same pound, took a dog and then it sort of grew from there really.
08:34It was only ever supposed to be one dog at a time and that kind of grew as I became more
08:41involved in the rescue world and saw how many dogs were being put to sleep and so it sort
08:45of expanded over the 16 years and we've helped thousands of dogs along the way.
08:52Every contribution they've received has gone towards the welfare of the dogs so the
08:55rescue is solely run on volunteers.
08:58We're a no-kill rescue so that means that once we take a dog in we will not be putting
09:03them to sleep for aggressive issues or behavioural issues.
09:07If they're not ready to be rehomed they will remain in our care and as a sanctuary dog.
09:12We've never had a permanent place, we do have to keep moving, we've only been renting so
09:19I think the aim this time is to find somewhere permanently for us to live and for the dogs
09:23as well.
09:25This is Merlin, he was going to be put down at just six months old at the pound he was
09:29in until he was taken in by South East Dog Rescue.
09:32But his future remains uncertain along with all the other dogs here as the owners are
09:36scrambling to find the funds to find a permanent home for them.
09:40Really we just want to secure somewhere that is our own so that we've got the security
09:47going forward, not only for our sanctuary dogs but for the dogs that haven't even come
09:51to us for help yet and will do in the future.
09:53I mean this is my entire life, this is everything.
09:58Not just myself but all the volunteers have worked so hard to help create and continue.
10:06I'm devastated, I'm literally heartbroken.
10:09They have only half a year left to raise enough money for a permanent shelter and yet still
10:13above all else prioritise finding a home for the dogs under their care.
10:18Kai Wei for KMTV.
10:21Merlin.
10:24Well Kai joins me in the studio now, unfortunately without Merlin you couldn't bring him back
10:28with you.
10:29But tell us what's next for the rescue centre for those gorgeous dogs that might have nowhere
10:32to go.
10:33Yeah, so the owners mentioned that the dogs need a home, the dogs at their current kennels
10:42because obviously by August they won't have a place anymore and this is especially important
10:47for their sanctuary dogs who have stayed at the kennels longer, who have stayed with these
10:53specific staff longer because they might have aggression issues or they're just a bit harder
10:59to bring home, they take a bit longer to get used to.
11:03But just finding these dogs a home is what's most important for them right now.
11:07Yeah, they might not be suitable to go to a home so they have to be kept under care.
11:11How much have they raised because that £1.7 million is a big old target.
11:15It is, yeah.
11:16And as of today they've raised just over £43,000 which is quite a lot of money but it's not
11:24quite £1.7 million which they need.
11:27It's actually the amount of how much it is to buy the current kennels where they are
11:32right now in Greenhithe.
11:33So they want to stay in that location because it's perfect for the dogs who are already
11:36used to it.
11:37Yeah, not too much trouble to have them all moved as well if they can stay where they
11:41are.
11:42Kai, thank you very much.
11:44Now time for a very quick break but coming up we have more news from right across the
11:47county.
11:48See you then.
15:13Hello and welcome back to Kentonite live on KMTV.
15:16Now a man from Whitstable has been sent to prison for conning people out of tens of thousands
15:21of pounds.
15:2243-year-old Lewis Blake managed to take from 89 people across the county, defrauding customers
15:28of almost £65,000 between August 2020 and May 2021.
15:34He pled guilty in Canterbury Crown Court and was sentenced to 18 months in prison whilst
15:38also being banned from being a company director for seven years.
15:42The window installer would take deposits from clients before disappearing without completing
15:45the work.
15:46Those affected joined together on social media to share their experiences which led to his
15:51eventual conviction.
15:55Next this evening, from the cancellation of the London resort scheme to high praises for
15:59a restaurant in Sea Salter, there's lots to cover in this week's Business Roundup.
16:04Here's Sam Cochrane.
16:12After the announcement that the £2.5 billion London resort scheme has been cancelled, we
16:17have reaction from the local wildlife businesses about how they feel about the stopping of
16:21this project.
16:22Originally planned to be built on Swanscombe Peninsula, the planning application process
16:27which has been going on since 2014 has been stopped due to the company being ordered into
16:31liquidation.
16:32Jamie Robbins from Bug Life gave his feelings about the cancellation of the project.
16:38The London resort finally disappear off the map.
16:41It's been a threat to the fantastic habitats of the Swanscombe Peninsula for years now,
16:45but ourselves at Bug Life, the Kent Wildlife Trust, RSPB and the local Safe Swanscombe
16:50group have been working really hard to see this day, so we're really pleased that theme
16:55park has disappeared completely.
16:58Next up, chef Max Rocha, who is the owner of critically acclaimed East London restaurant
17:03Café Cecilia, has given praise to the sportsman based in Sea Salter, calling it his favourite
17:09restaurant in the world.
17:10Rocha spoke about his amazing experience at the restaurant and drew attention to its special
17:14cooking and its calm atmosphere.
17:17And finally, 200 year old pub King Street Arms, which had its grand opening only less
17:22than a year ago, is now up for sale again.
17:24Earlier in the year, the pub was bought up by Sean Todd, who came in to save the pub in
17:29Ramsgate, buying it and rebranding the venue.
17:32After almost 8 months, the property has now gone up for sale again at the value of £365,000,
17:38with hopes it will be bought up and continue to serve the locals as it has since 1828 when
17:43it first opened.
17:51That was Sam with the Business Roundup, and you can keep up to date with all the business
17:54news and our latest stories over on our website, kmtv.co.uk, there you'll find all our reports,
18:00including this one about Kent's latest ancient find, a 1,500 year old sword from the Anglo-Saxon
18:06period.
18:08Meet the scientist from Sittingbourne, who's been given the important task of preserving
18:13a 1,500 year old Anglo-Saxon sword, which was discovered down the road in East Kent.
18:22Scalpel blade is my most trusty, like for 40 years I've been wielding the scalpels.
18:29I also use thorns and, what is this, porcupine quill, because it's softer.
18:37Dana Goodburn-Brown is a conservation expert who's taken over one of the local shops in
18:42the town centre and set up a high-tech lab.
18:46Now she's teamed up with local archaeologist, that's Dr Andrew Richardson.
18:51But this sword is exceptional, because first it's still got its hilt fittings and there's
18:58a silver, it's got this ring on the pommel, which we think is significant.
19:02Well Andrew says the discovery should be a real source of local pride.
19:08At this time, Kent was the destination, and items as far afield as Sri Lanka and Africa
19:15came to Kent.
19:16They weren't going to London, they were coming to Kent, because Kent was such an important,
19:20vibrant, well-connected little kingdom at that time.
19:23So it's a time we should all look back on fondly.
19:27Now at the moment it's being kept here at the Heritage Centre, which is in the shopping
19:31centre in the heart of Sittingbourne.
19:33But inside the centre is where you'll find a kind of CSI lab, and I'm going to go meet
19:39the archaeologists and scientists who are trying to find out a bit more about this artefact's
19:44hidden history.
19:46And using her specialist microscope, Dana can magnify the details on the sword by more
19:53than ten times to reveal hidden clues.
19:57Like a sword in a burial is a sword and all the things that were buried with that person,
20:01so it's an amazing time capsule.
20:04And while the sword's final resting place will be at Folkestone Museum, for now it's
20:09staying in Sittingbourne, and will be the main feature of a festival next month.
20:15So we're having a festival on Sittingbourne High Street, February 22nd, and we'll have
20:21it displayed for that, for the Swale with Sail Sittingbourne High Street Festival.
20:25So there'll be people dressed up in Anglo-Saxon attire, doing weaving, talking about medicine
20:32in the past.
20:33We're celebrating the town's history.
20:39What an impressive find there.
20:41Now next this evening, gale force winds are set to hit Kent with a 24-hour yellow weather
20:46warning in place for midnight on Friday.
20:48Wind speeds from Storm Iowin are set to reach 60 miles per hour inland and 70 along the
20:53coast, gradually easing across southern areas later on Friday.
20:56But let's take a quick look at the full weather forecast for where you are over the coming days.
21:06Well tonight is looking cloudy across Kent, with partial moonlight along the coast averaging
21:10around 4 degrees.
21:11Tomorrow morning there's rain across Kent, with an average of 4 degrees, reaching 5 in
21:16Dover, dropping to 3 in Royal Tunbridge Wells.
21:19And tomorrow evening, still raining, with mist in Royal Tunbridge Wells reaching an
21:23average of 5 degrees.
21:25And here's your outlook for the coming days.
21:288 degrees on Thursday, with rain following through to Friday, with that storm on its
21:32way though, and partially cloudy on Saturday.
21:35Lows of 8.
21:42And finally, speaking of the cold, Claudia Sprinkleman, Luke Gritler, what do these have
21:47to do with the weather?
21:48Well, they're just a few of the names that have made it to the final of KMFM's Name
21:52a Gritter campaign, where you will have the chance to name one of the machines the council
21:56are using to keep Kent's roads ice-free.
21:59But while there are a few standouts topping the list, there may be a few new names topping
22:04the charts, as apparently our new Gritter superfan, Oliver Leader de Sacks, has been
22:09finding out.
22:18Buckle up and listen, ice is back and we're off on our mission, gritting all the stuff,
22:24hard and whitey, keeping Kent's roads clean all day and night.
22:27Will it ever stop?
22:28Yo, I don't know, turn on the lights, let's go, out, till the snow's just a memory, clearing
22:34the way to the roads how it should be.
22:36While their musical chops may be ice-cold, Kent County Council's gritting drivers play
22:42a crucial role in keeping 1,300 miles of Kent's roads safe during the winter.
22:50There's just one problem, one of their 64 Gritters is in need of a name.
22:57We always salute the Kent Gritters, I feel like they're unsung heroes in the county because
23:01they're the guys that keep us moving when the roads go to pot, basically.
23:06We were just like, do you know what would be cool?
23:08If we could actually name a Kent Gritter, of course not thinking it would happen.
23:11I was being enthusiastic beyond belief to think it could work out.
23:17And then all of a sudden I get a call last Wednesday from Gary, who's part of the Kent
23:22gritting team.
23:23So he actually drives the gritting machines out there and lays the salt on the roads.
23:28And his Gritter has no name.
23:31So he offered up the opportunity for the KMFM listeners to name his Gritter, basically.
23:37And that's where it all stemmed from.
23:39Of the 400 names submitted as part of the Name a Gritter competition, five have managed
23:45to ice out the competition.
23:48And you'll have until Thursday to decide whether you'll be chanting Luke Grittler's name, supporting
23:54Orlando Blooming Cold, staying faithful with Claudius Sprinkleman, roaring your approval
24:03for Grittasaurus Rex, or simply clicking on CTRL-SALT-DELETE.
24:09The winner will then be announced on Ben's Getting You Home show on Friday.
24:14And whichever name wins will be printed on the side of the machine that Kent's most unusual
24:20rap group will get the chance to use every day this winter.
24:26Oliver Leeder-Desax for KMTV.
24:31I'm not sure I'm going to get through the rest of the show, Oliver.
24:34At first I thought that was one of you taking part, the way I introduced it.
24:38But also some superb edits in there of all the names.
24:42Tell me, some of the other names on the list as well.
24:44Well, we can't really talk about it, that's my new workout song.
24:47I'm going to the gym with that every single day.
24:49But I'm not going to lie, there's some other great names that they have in their fleet.
24:55There's like quite a few.
24:56I think my favourite is, of course, David Plowie.
25:01But also Spready Mercury is pretty great as well, let alone Eddie Blizzard as well.
25:09So plenty of great names already within KCC's fleet of Gritters that do so much to keep
25:14the road safe during this time.
25:16And they took it incredibly seriously, their rap as well.
25:20It was impressive.
25:21Catchy, makes you realise how important it is what they do as well.
25:24But these names, I do like Claudia Sprinkleman, I mean, I am a Traitors fan, so that's perhaps
25:29why.
25:30But if I wanted to vote, how would I go about doing it?
25:32Well, Abbey, there's already hundreds of votes already, so you wouldn't be alone in Kent.
25:36You wouldn't be the only ones on board the Gritter Patrol.
25:39But voting is open now, you can go to the KMFM website.
25:42You have until midnight on Thursday, there's a form you fill out, you see it on screen
25:47right now.
25:48Just a few little details, you can vote as many times as you want, a bit of incentive,
25:53you can win an Amazon smart speaker by doing it as well, to support your Gritters while
25:57also getting your favourite name on the side of one of these really important machines.
26:03And I was talking to Ben earlier and he says that there may be a little re-opening ceremony
26:08for when it's named, you know, a little naming ceremony, so we'll keep an eye on this going
26:13forward.
26:14Obviously, we'll find out on Friday at 4.20 on Ben's programme, on the Going Home programme,
26:20so we'll break the news to our viewers then.
26:22I'm really excited about this, I'm really invested.
26:24I know, I've never seen you so passionate about a story before.
26:27And of course, if you win the speaker, you can listen to KMFM on it, so it's a win-win.
26:32And also, the parody song as well, even better.
26:34There we go.
26:35Gritters all the way, Ollie, thank you.
26:38What a way to end the show, that's all we've got time for this evening, I'll see you again
26:41tomorrow.
26:42Bye-bye.