Kent Tonight - Friday 14th June 2024
Catch up on all the latest news across your county with Bartholomew Hall.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
00:29I'm Bartholomew Hall.
00:31Here are your top stories on Friday the 14th of June.
00:35Could it be coming home to Kent?
00:37As the Euros kick off, we head to the county's newest football hub.
00:41We want to be the place where people come for all things football.
00:43So whether you want to come and play or whether you want to come and watch football, we are
00:48the football wonderland.
00:49We are the place, the new home of football, certainly in Kent.
00:52Rainbows in the darkness.
00:54LGBTQ plus community comes together for Medway Awards ceremony.
00:59Everybody here has made such an impact and I'm just honoured to be in the same room as
01:03these people.
01:05And skating into summer.
01:06Youngsters offered free skateboarding lessons in Swanley.
01:10Being part of an organised group gives them legitimacy to be in the skate parks and to
01:18feel safe and to be able to do what they enjoy doing.
01:30Good evening.
01:31All eyes to the TV tonight, but not for another election debate.
01:34The football's less political this time.
01:36The Euros are of course finally here and thousands in Kent will be cheering England on this Sunday.
01:42Many of which at the brand new football hub in Bluewater, Ballers.
01:47Opened by a host of sporting legends such as Bobby Zamora and Rio Ferdinand, the business
01:52is hoping to boom with the summer of sport ahead.
01:55Abbey Hook has been kicking about in Bluewater.
01:59It can only mean one thing.
02:02The Euros are finally here and ballers in Bluewater are ready.
02:07Tonight kicking off with Scotland facing hosts Germany and Munich, with the favourites England
02:12playing Serbia on Sunday.
02:15And a buzz for the European Championship is starting to build here at Bluewater.
02:19I've been counting it down, I can't wait for the Euros.
02:22Sorry Scottish fans, I think Germany's going to take it.
02:24I hate to say it, Sunday England win obviously because we're going to hopefully go all the
02:29way this time and not be held back.
02:31I'm hoping 3-0, I'm hoping 3-0, Harry Kane, Patrick maybe.
02:36I think Serbia will sit deep, but I think England should have enough quality.
02:41England will do Serbia, we've got no doubt about it.
02:45Is England making it all the way to the final, are they winning it?
02:47They will this time, they're going to bring it home.
02:50This England team's actually one of the best England teams I've seen in 20 years.
02:54I've got a son and a husband that would love watching the Euros, but I won't be watching
02:57it tonight.
02:58But I should imagine Father's Day is the main day.
03:01The squad's really good, there's good young talent there, I think we'll get to the semis.
03:04Massive, massive football fan over here.
03:06Yeah, we go round yours and you have all the family round.
03:09Yeah, we've got this massive projector and then we project onto the wall in the garden
03:13and we have so many people around to watch it.
03:15It's coming home!
03:18It may be too early to tell if it is coming home, but thousands are expected at the new
03:23football dome in the coming weeks to watch England up on the big screen.
03:27We want to be the place where people come for all things football, so whether you want
03:30to come and play or whether you want to come and watch football, we are the football wonderland,
03:35we are the place, the new home of football, certainly in Kent and further afield in the
03:40future.
03:41And I think we're going to do some really exciting things.
03:43If you're on the pitch watching the game at half time, we might do a bit of a penalty
03:46shootout and stuff for our guests and just have a bit of fun.
03:49And we've definitely got some of the footballers, our ambassadors coming down throughout the
03:52period of the Euros and obviously we're hoping to progress as far as we can and win.
03:57But a win for ballers relies on the business booming after the championships too.
04:02How does it compare to other experiences of football for young people, especially in Kent?
04:07Is there anything else like this?
04:08I don't think there's anything like it anywhere in the world.
04:11You've got five-a-side and six-a-side centres all over the UK, but none of them offer what
04:15we do, which is this immersive experience around playing football.
04:18We've got professional changing rooms, an LED tunnel, crowd noises, instant goal replays.
04:25We really are making every kid's dream come true.
04:28And the dream team.
04:30Gareth Southgate's 26-man squad includes Crystal Palace defender and former Gravesend schoolboy
04:37Mark Gahey.
04:39The county's eyes on him as he'll be crucial in crushing concerns about England's defensive
04:44vulnerability.
04:45But it's not just about the defence of course, it's about them all-important goals.
04:49I'm not going to try and compare my football skills to that of the pros, but try and channel
04:53some of that Lioness energy, right.
04:56Let's give it a go.
04:57I see them all do this step back, so.
05:01Beginner's luck.
05:02Now let's hope some of that luck continues right up until Sunday when England take on
05:07Serbia at 9pm.
05:09And this pitch will be full of people from right across Kent watching that game.
05:14Abbey Hook for CAME TV at the Ballers Dome here at Bluewater.
05:20Now tributes have been pouring in for a teenager who was killed in a motorcycle crash in Biggin
05:25Hill.
05:26Vincent Thompson was among two teenage boys found injured by an off-duty police officer
05:32after a crash on Main Road.
05:34Both were given first aid at the scene before paramedics arrived, but the 17-year-old was
05:38later pronounced dead there.
05:40Flowers have since been placed at the area of the scene with a fundraising page set up
05:45to help with funeral costs.
05:46The second boy involved was treated at hospital before being arrested on suspicion of careless
05:50driving and was later arrested.
05:52An 18-year-old man has also been arrested and also released.
05:59Now an LGBTQ plus awards ceremony has been held in Medway as political parties have outlined
06:04their plans surrounding gender and equality.
06:08Organised by Medway Over Rainbows and held at the Glassbox Theatre in Gillingham, allies,
06:12activists and community partners were recognised for their efforts in supporting the community.
06:17Oliver Leader de Sacks was there.
06:19Music, dancing, celebration.
06:23This week Medway Over Rainbows have recognised allies, organisations and voices within the
06:28LGBTQ plus community for their work over the last year in their awards ceremony.
06:34The organisers say this is the only awards ceremony of its kind in Kent that they know
06:39of and it comes at a time of intense political debate about trans issues.
06:45But Shea Coffey, who organised the event and serves as director of Medway Pride, says the
06:50awards show that people in Kent are more unified on these issues than public debate would have
06:56us believe.
06:57There is a lot of darkness but it's created by a very, very small minority and nights
07:02like this remind us all that most people are really accepting and most people actually
07:07want to get involved and have a bit of a party.
07:09Helping open the night was guest speaker Verity Smith, a trans rugby player and advocate for
07:14greater inclusion in sport who has faced transphobia both on and off the pitch.
07:20He says the awards provide an opportunity to recognise the next generation.
07:25Even though we've seen quite a lot of the political side of things currently, it's about
07:30making sure the correct information is out there and that people are recognised for the
07:34amount of work that they're actually doing out there.
07:36And for me, just seeing the young people being themselves, being supported by their parents
07:41and Medway Pride as well, for me, supporting me within my rugby has just been absolutely
07:45amazing.
07:46And to show the young people they can be themselves, they are seen, they are cared about, you can't
07:52get the smiles off your faces when you see that and for me that's everything about trans
07:56joy.
07:57One person in attendance was Jordan Chan, the Kent-based Mr Gay Great Britain finalist,
08:03aiming to win the pageant in order to become an equalities adviser to the government.
08:09He says that seeing politicians, journalists, charities, schools and young people from all
08:14across Medway coming together means a lot to him on a personal level.
08:19As a mixed race gay person, I didn't have the most easiest of childhoods or easy life
08:25in my early teens and twenties, so Medway is actually my second home.
08:30That's where all the gay bars were and that's when I really felt like myself for the first
08:34time, escaping where I was from and coming to Medway, going to places like The Ship,
08:40the Riverside Tavern, Coyotes, opening my eyes up to the rainbow.
08:45Everybody here has made such an impact and I'm just honoured to be in the same room as
08:49these people.
08:50They're all inspirations and they all do an amazing job.
08:53And even if there's a long way to go, for the elders here within the LGBTQ plus community
08:58in Medway, these awards show how far the fight for equality has come.
09:04I have seen things that you would not believe, now I see happiness and joy for everyone.
09:17Oliver Leeds of the Sats for KMTV in Gillingham.
09:21Well I'm joined now by Shay Coffey, co-founder of Rainbows Over Medway, make sure I get that
09:26right, apologies for that, and award winner Destiny Coffee, now thank you both for being
09:30here.
09:31Shay, this is the second year of the awards, why are they so important, especially here
09:36in Medway?
09:37Medway has a very large LGBT community anyway, but there is an awful lot that goes on in
09:42Medway within that community that just often goes unrecognised.
09:46People like Derek who won the Lifetime Achievement Award, he's 90 this year, he has seen it all
09:52so it's a really good opportunity just to acknowledge that we have a very vibrant scene.
09:59And Destiny, you actually won an award at this year's event, can you just remind us
10:02which award it was and what it felt to take that home?
10:05So I won the Charlie James Youth Award which is for being a brave trans person because
10:12it can be hard to live life as a young trans person and I don't know, I just, I didn't
10:21expect to win it because I think that I am in a very lucky situation and that there are
10:25people that are much braver than I am and as long as I'm recognising that then I'm happy
10:30with what I'm doing.
10:32It's interesting you mention recognition there, obviously that's what awards are all for,
10:35but how important is that as part of the LGBTQ community to have recognition?
10:40I think it's incredibly important, I mean last year was the first year that they flew
10:43the flag over Gunmorph and we had people phoning us saying, the rainbow flag's up, the rainbow
10:47flag's up.
10:49Recognition translates as being seen and too many people in the LGBT community currently
10:55with all the hate aren't being seen.
10:57And just to finish up, just before we go to a break, it's June, it's Pride month of course,
11:03I was at Canterbury Pride just last week wasn't it, Phil what does it mean to you every time
11:09that June comes around?
11:11It's a lot of work for me so it's exhausting.
11:15And yourself?
11:16I just think it's a time to meet new people and celebrate the fact that I am not like
11:20everyone else and I'm proud about it.
11:22Fantastic, well thank you both for joining us, really good to chat with you.
11:26Time for a break now, but Ollie will be here afterwards to give us an update on today's
11:31campaigning with One Kent MP making a national speech today, plus we visit the brand new
11:37free skateboarding sessions being offered to young people in Sevenoaks.
11:40All that and plenty more including your pick of the papers coming up in just a few minutes.
11:45See you then.
15:06Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
15:16Now Sevenoaks Parliamentary candidate and Government Minister Laura Trott has responded
15:21to Labour's manifesto and hit out at Reform UK in a speech earlier today.
15:27It comes as Reform UK overtook Conservatives in one particular YouGov poll in a blow to
15:32an embattled Rishi Sunak.
15:34Our politics producer Oliver Leeders-Sacks joins me on the sofa today.
15:37Oliver, a former Kent MP not out on the doorsteps today but making a national speech.
15:43What was she saying?
15:44Obviously we've heard Laura Trott, the Sevenoaks Parliamentary candidate on the airwaves a
15:48lot.
15:49We've tried to catch up with her on the campaign trail actually to no avail, but she is the
15:53Chief Secretary of the Treasury, which means she's talking all about money.
15:56Of course today's speech was about cash.
16:00In particular she made claims that Labour has 18 secret taxes which it will impose on
16:05voters.
16:06Further stating they have £38.5 billion of a black hole in their manifesto pledges.
16:13Obviously this comes after Rishi Sunak's much disputed claims about Labour increasing taxes
16:18on voters by £2,000.
16:21Of course Zakir Starmer and his shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves have ruled out raising taxes
16:26on the big three.
16:27That's VAT, income tax and national insurance.
16:30But there could potentially be more in the future.
16:31They haven't ruled out things like council tax going up.
16:34Though the claims they've made have been described as desperate by Labour, which we can take
16:39as a bit of a rebuttal.
16:40It does come as Reform UK are polling in front of the Conservatives nationally for the first
16:46time.
16:47Nigel Farage saying he has branded himself the official opposition.
16:50That's not quite how it works, but it kind of shows you that this election campaign is
16:54heating up in quite an aggressive way now.
16:56Oliver, we're halfway through.
16:57Thank you very much for those details.
16:59Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across the county
17:03by logging on to our website kmtv.co.uk, there you'll see all of our reports including this
17:07one about an art inspired litter pick along Medway's waterfront.
17:12Volunteers Week is all about giving back to the community and Medway change makers are
17:18doing just that with the artful clean up of the town.
17:21Participants took part in litter picking Medway's waterfront before a variety of workshops
17:27led by local artists teaching them to bring new life to old recyclables.
17:32They can still be used for art and it's showing that once something's been used, once it can
17:37be used again.
17:38And maybe because they've been crushed by run over by cars and vehicles, maybe they
17:42can't be used as lids again, but they can be used for art and it's the idea that anything
17:46can be art.
17:47Anyone can be an artist.
17:48I think that's really important, so anyone can be an artist, including me, anyone can
17:53do art and anything can be made into art and they're going to be making mosaics and as
17:59teams as well, so it's a bit of teamwork as well.
18:01Esther's community champion was there and she expressed how volunteering is also important
18:07for future employment.
18:08It's vital actually for certain sectors, like today for example, clearing up our community
18:15It's a good thing to do and there's not enough people to do all the paid jobs, so volunteers
18:21doing something like this is very productive.
18:25Even though volunteering is vital for Medway's events, such as sweeps and the Dickens Festival,
18:31one of the biggest barriers stopping people from doing so is time, according to the Medway
18:36changemakers.
18:38Volunteering is evolving, it doesn't have to be in a charity shop doing two shifts a
18:43week every Tuesday for the rest of the time, that's really important and we need people
18:46to do that, but there are other ways to get involved and particularly we know that time
18:51is a huge barrier for people, so anything that we can do to connect people around that,
18:55to make volunteering work for volunteers, is what we're trying to do at Medway changemakers.
19:00Now I decided to help out with the clean up and here's what I've picked up.
19:03I was quite surprised by the amount of rubbish littering Medway's waterfront and this is
19:09just from what I picked up.
19:11As well as helping out in the community, this event's participants learnt how to make creative
19:16use of rubbish and the importance of giving waste a new life.
19:21Henry Luck for CAME TV in Medway.
19:26Moving on now, it's time for your pick of the papers, taking a look at what's making
19:29the headlines in Kent's newspapers, online and radio.
19:33And to talk us through all of the stories, including a Kent hotspot for film crews and
19:37the reintroduction of cows near Canterbury, I was joined earlier by Kristin Hawthorne
19:41who started by talking about high-tech changes to a market in Gravesend.
19:46Tell us what is your first story today?
19:48So my first story is about Gravesend Borough Market has revealed the opening date of their
19:53new food market to be called Hatch Market.
19:56The opening date is expected to be June 21st and will include new street vendors, lots
20:01of entertainment such as a German themed pub, a cheese counter, a cocktail bar, as well
20:07as shuffleboard, augmented reality darts and large screens for sporting events.
20:13The opening weekend will be celebrated with face painting, karaoke and live music.
20:18The venue has been created by pub owners Jamie Clarke and Thomas Mudge who have wanted to
20:22develop a foodies paradise.
20:25And it's really good because the venue went from having 14 empty units to only 4, so it's
20:29really good for Gravesend.
20:30Well it sounds really exciting, I mean developing the traditional idea of a market, bringing
20:36in those new kind of futuristic elements, it sounds interesting.
20:40Tell us what's the next story, why are we looking at a green space here?
20:43So the next one is about the National Trust has announced plans to reintroduce cattle
20:48to Golden Hill Harbolden in Canterbury.
20:52This is for the first time in 60 years the cows will be allowed to graze here alongside
20:56the popular nature walk.
20:58They will be introduced in October, 6 Dexter cattle will be introduced to the site and
21:05will continue to live there during the off season but during the summer, during the busier
21:08periods they'll be taken somewhere else.
21:12They will help by controlling the weeds and shrubs, allowing space for wildflowers and
21:17more biodiversity in the area such as bees and other animals.
21:20Well it sounds really interesting, it sounds like it'll be a lovely sight to see as well
21:23if you are lucky enough to go there and see the sight of the cows.
21:26Now tell us what are we looking at here, it looks like a film crew by the sea.
21:30Yes, so a film crew have been at Margate Beach recently to film a climate change advert.
21:37They used the coast at Margate as a backdrop to the production.
21:41They were seen at the steps of the sea, this is the parade I believe.
21:46The advert is shot and expected to be launched this summer.
21:49The rest of the filming will be done in the London area.
21:52The Margate Beach is actually used for quite a lot of things, it's been used for TV shows,
21:57music videos and lots of adverts really.
22:00Dua Lipa was actually seen there just last month recording a music video and that went
22:06really well and I know that it's been used, Margate has been used for Dreamland, the Dreamland
22:10for different episodes and things so it's really good, yeah.
22:14Now let's take a quick look at the weather.
22:21Tonight will be overcast with high winds and rain, temperatures ranging from 11 to 13 degrees.
22:28Tomorrow morning that wind and rain staying around, yet more sun is to be expected.
22:35In the afternoon on Saturday, temperatures continuing to rise, slightly more cloud coverage
22:39with that rain continuing.
22:42Over the next few days then, the weather remains the same yet temperatures continuing to rise
22:45over the weekend, 20 is your high.
22:47Finally from us this evening, ditching the football, forgetting the rugby and leaving
22:52hockey in the past.
22:54Youngsters in Swanley are being offered the chance to take on one of the newest Olympic
22:58sports for free, skateboarding.
23:00Sevenoaks District Council says the sessions are open to all children aged 7-16 years old
23:05with all the equipment provided for them.
23:07The idea is to encourage a new way to skate, a new way to enjoy the sport.
23:11After making its debut at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, skateboarding will feature again in the 2024
23:17Games in Paris.
23:19It's a good thing then that a brand new skate park has opened here in Swanley.
23:23The Town Council facilitate free skateboarding sessions for all ages, ages 7-16.
23:28The idea is to encourage a new way to skate, a new way to enjoy the sport.
23:33The idea is to encourage a new way to skate.
23:35The idea is to encourage a new way to skate.
23:38A brand new skate park has opened here in Swanley.
23:40The Town Council facilitate free classes for young people, ranging from true beginners to
23:45sporting hopefuls.
23:46I caught up with Swanley's Cabinet Member for People and Places, both of the skate coaches
23:50here and a student to find out why skateboarding is so important to this community.
23:55The old metal skate park was sort of end of life and we were faced with a tough choice
23:59of regenerating it or replacing it.
24:02We managed to get grant funding from numerous people and it cost a quarter of a million
24:05pounds in the end to develop.
24:07They've been mainly concentrating on the tennis courts because they're very beginner level
24:10and as they gain their skills week on week they'll eventually work their way over
24:14to doing the ramps sooner rather than later.
24:16Skateboarding is a sport that's available to everyone.
24:20We've even had a young girl out here in a wheelchair last year on one of the sessions
24:24which was absolutely fantastic.
24:26Accessibility isn't the only strength of these group classes, which are funded in
24:30equal measures by Swanley Town and Severn Oaks District Councils.
24:34Volunteer coaches here say that the sessions provide an encouraging environment in which
24:38new skaters can develop a variety of skills.
24:41With the girls only groups that we work with, so many of the young people find that being
24:47part of an organised group gives them legitimacy to be in the skate parks and to feel safe
24:55and to be able to do what they enjoy doing.
24:57It gets them used to taking falls and not having everything down perfectly first time
25:03so it helps them to build that personal resilience.
25:06My favourite thing is that there's room for everyone to express themselves in different ways.
25:10There's BMX bikes, there's scooters, there's inline skates as well.
25:15There's something for everyone in these sessions.
25:18The class I visited today was just one in a pilot series designed to introduce young
25:22people to the park and the sport.
25:24But given their success, I was keen to know what the future might hold for the skate park
25:28and other similar initiatives in Swanley beyond this exciting development.
25:32I'd like there to be regular access where kids could really progress and develop
25:36the skills that they've started here.
25:38We're trying to expand on it as well.
25:40We do football sessions, so we've teamed up with local Sutton Athletic Football Club
25:44and we've often worked with Charlton Athletic and Millwall for running free football sessions as well.
25:48And of course during the summer, Sevenoaks District Council run their Family Fun Days
25:52which are free for everyone.
25:54I think it's a real example that Swanley Council and others have set to make places
25:59like this more inclusive and more accessible to so many different people.
26:04Of course I couldn't leave without getting a review from a skater himself.
26:08I would recommend it, it's quite good if you're into sports stuff.
26:12Anyone who would like to participate in the programme as a teacher or a student
26:16should visit the Swanley Town Council website.
26:18This has been Charlotte Bourne for KMTV.
26:21Well you've been watching Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
26:24There's plenty more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:27Don't forget you can always keep up to date with all the latest news across your county
26:30by logging on to our website kmtv.co.uk.
26:33You can also keep us on all your social timelines by searching KMTV Kent.
26:38I'll be back with a late bulletin at 8 o'clock. See you then, bye bye.
26:57.