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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kent Tonight, live on KMTV.
00:28I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Tuesday the 15th of July.
00:34Ineffective and completely lacking, funeral sector slammed as David Fuller inquiry concludes
00:41the shocking Tunbridge Wells crimes could happen again.
00:46I am aware of other investigations.
00:50Blue badge, outrage, cancer patients denied parking in Kent take on Parliament.
00:56You pay your taxes all your life and you get kicked in the teeth.
01:03And banned on the beach, FANIC Council revives its fines for swearing scheme to curb antisocial behaviour.
01:11I agree, I think it should happen.
01:13There's groups of youngsters, not just locals, they're coming down by train and everything.
01:47Today, a total of 75 recommendations were made.
01:53A key one being that a statutory regulator should be put in place to protect the dignity of people after death.
02:00Bartholomew Hall sent us this report from Westminster.
02:03Today's published report forms the second phase of the independent David Fuller inquiry,
02:08looking into the broader national picture surrounding settings where the deceased are looked after.
02:14And we heard those preliminary findings back in October, where the inquiry said that it would be calling for a statutory regulator for those settings.
02:22You'll remember Sir Jonathan Michael called it a free-for-all in that you don't need a licence experience or any sort of qualifications to become a funeral director in this country.
02:33And those calls were repeated today, with the main conclusions being that the current arrangements for the regulation and oversight for the care of people after death are partial, ineffective and in some significant areas completely lacking.
02:47It goes on to say, quite shockingly, that it's possible that such offences committed by David Fuller could happen again, particularly in areas that lack statutory regulation.
02:57It then goes on to make 75 recommendations, its main one being that, as I've mentioned, introducing statutory regulation to protect the dignity of people after death.
03:08Well, speaking here in Westminster today, Sir Jonathan Michael had some very strong words for the government, calling on it to implement the recommendations of the inquiry without delay.
03:18But when he was asked if it's possible that crimes such as those committed by David Fuller could have already happened and gone undetected, well, this is what he had to say.
03:26I am aware of other investigations into areas where there may have been abused by neglect or incompetence, but as those are subject to a judicial process at the moment, I'm not able to comment any further.
03:44Now, as I mentioned earlier, this is the second phase of the independent inquiry, the first being the one that found serious failings in the Maystone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
03:53that allowed Fuller to commit his crimes and go undetected for so long.
03:57I spoke with the area MP, the Tunbridge Wells MP, Mike Martin, earlier today to get his reaction for the report's conclusion today.
04:05The clearest lines in the report to me was where Sir Jonathan Michael said,
04:11leaving things as they are, this patchwork quilt, and obviously many funeral homes are marvellous, but there is a bit of a patchwork quilt, varying qualities, no standards, means that this might happen again.
04:23My sense is that as we move to those national recommendations and implementing them, specifically regulation and standards across the sector, that helps people gain closure,
04:32because it's about being safe in the knowledge that this isn't going to happen again.
04:36So, what happens now? Well, the government said that it won't be responding to the inquiry until after the publication of Phase 2.
04:43That, of course, has now happened, so we are eagerly awaiting that response.
04:47In the meantime, a new crime and policing bill is going through that building behind me,
04:51which could see tougher sentences, easier convictions for those who commit crimes, such as the ones committed by David Fuller,
04:58meaning if we ever are in this situation again, victims' families could see justice a lot sooner.
05:03Bartholomew Hall reporting from Westminster for us there.
05:08Now, in a statement today, Health Secretary Wes Streeting shared his condolences to victims' families,
05:14saying every deceased individual deserves to receive the highest standard of care and dignity.
05:19The government will work to ensure this is the case across all settings.
05:23It adds that the government recognises the urgency of the concerns raised by the inquiry's recommendations
05:29and will respond at pace, including an interim update this year
05:34and a final response by this time next year.
05:38Now, next this evening, a huge fire at a recycling centre that sent thick black smoke over the Medway towns
05:44could have been caused by a discarded battery.
05:47Firefighters arrived at Medway City Estate around 6am last Friday
05:52and managed to extinguish it by 9pm that evening.
05:56At its peak, the smoke could be seen from as far away as Canterbury,
06:00and people in the business park and locals in Rochester
06:03were advised to keep their windows and doors shut while the fire burned.
06:08Viridore Recycling Centre have said they'll provide updates when further information becomes available,
06:13but the fire service believes it was started accidentally.
06:18Now, the NHS is urging people in the south-east with the rare B-negative blood type to donate this summer.
06:25It comes as the total number of donors with this blood type has dropped by at least 1,000 since 2023.
06:33Only 2% of the population actually have the rare blood type, which the service say is a vital supply.
06:39They added that people should consider how long it's been since their last donation,
06:44with men able to give blood every three months and women every four.
06:48Family members of those with B-negative blood are also being asked to donate,
06:52as they are 30% more likely to have the type.
07:00Now, next this evening, cancer patients have been left outraged
07:03after being denied blue badges by Kent councils, calling it an unnecessary extra suffering.
07:10The Kent Messenger Group's campaign has sparked a debate in Westminster tomorrow even.
07:16All Kent MPs and Medway Council are joining calls to extend blue badge eligibility
07:21to cancer patients and people with life-altering illnesses.
07:25Gabriel Morris has been looking into the story.
07:27Living with cancer, a tumour and heart problems while undergoing multiple rounds of chemo
07:34makes even simple tasks a struggle.
07:37Martin is one of many patients with a life-altering condition
07:40who are turned down for a blue badge because they didn't meet the criteria.
07:46Gutted. You know, let down really.
07:48You know, you pay your taxes all your life
07:51and you get kicked in the teeth sort of thing.
07:55I suppose when you're fighting cancer, the last thing you want to be doing
08:00is the battle for a blue badge.
08:02Yeah.
08:03It's only people behind you.
08:05People like Ellie, who, from your side, and from Joe down from my side,
08:14are the people that are fighting for you because nobody else will.
08:18Thanks to help from his cancer coordinator, Martin now has a badge
08:23and Kent County Council told us they urge people to include as much detail as possible when applying.
08:30But Martin isn't alone.
08:32A Freedom of Information request found more than 3,000 people
08:35were refused badges between 2023 and 4.
08:40There are two ways to get a blue badge.
08:43For some, they get one automatically.
08:46But for others, they have to be assessed by a professional
08:49and have a life-altering condition for at least three years.
08:56That's why Kent Online launched a campaign calling for a fairer system
09:01for people with short-term but serious illnesses.
09:04Reporter Ellie Hodgson started digging into the issue
09:07after receiving floods of letters and emails from those affected.
09:12Tomorrow, the campaign going to a Westminster Hall debate.
09:16Obviously, it's a really good milestone.
09:18There's still a lot of work to be done,
09:19but I think it's a big step to have it discussed in Parliament,
09:23especially with all the MPs that are now backing it,
09:25and to see if we can make something that should be a local fix,
09:28also a national fix.
09:29So hopefully it will be a positive result.
09:31Every MP now backs the campaign,
09:34and Medway Council joined this week.
09:37Well, I was really pleased to receive the cross-party letter
09:39from Helen Grant, and I know it's a campaign
09:41that Kent Online are supporting as well.
09:44Look, I think everyone recognises the value of a blue badge,
09:47but also there are some medical conditions
09:49which don't quite necessarily perfectly fit the current scheme.
09:53So really pleased to be working with my officers.
09:56The council leader has also called for a meeting
09:58with local politicians,
09:59and hopes Kent County Council will take part.
10:03Gabriel Morris for KMTV.
10:08Well, Gabriel joins me in the studio now.
10:11What more do we know about the parliamentary debate tomorrow?
10:15Well, it's going to be taking place at 4.30 in the afternoon tomorrow.
10:18It's Helen Grant, the MP for Maidstone and Morning,
10:23who's called this.
10:24She's been part of the Kent Online campaign since day one.
10:29And then since then,
10:30all of these MPs have joined on to the debate.
10:34Now, this is not going to be taking place
10:35in the main Houses of Parliament Commons room tomorrow.
10:39This is in a side room.
10:41It's called a Westminster Hall debate.
10:43So this isn't going to cause any legislation change tomorrow.
10:46But what this will do is let the government know the issue,
10:49which Helen Grant thinks is the case.
10:51And this could set the groundwork for an amendment to a future bill
10:53or a bill in itself.
10:55Well, I've been speaking to the Chatham and Elsford MP,
10:57Tris Osborne, a little bit more about tomorrow.
10:59Look, I'm, as I say,
11:01this is a really good example of cross-party working across Kent.
11:05I'm really pleased that Medway Council has stepped up
11:08and said that they're willing to move on this.
11:10I think so.
11:10Westminster Hall is the secondary chamber in the Commons.
11:15So it allows the minister to respond to some of those challenges.
11:18I know the minister is aware of this as a national issue as well
11:22and also gives you opportunities for Kent MPs
11:24to speak about their constituents.
11:26And Gabriel, of course, you'll be there tomorrow.
11:29MPs will be there, I'll be there.
11:31Ellie from Kent and I will be there,
11:32alongside some cancer sufferers as well
11:34to raise awareness of this issue.
11:36OK, Gabriel, we'll be sure to bring our viewers more on this
11:39as the week progresses
11:40and see what this debate comes out with tomorrow.
11:43As you've been reporting,
11:45it's gained attraction from a lot of MPs.
11:49All right, Gabriel, thank you very much.
11:50We'll be back after this short break.
11:58We'll be back after this short break.
12:11We'll be back after this short break.
20:03and not swearing or anything like that.
20:05But it hasn't changed for years and years and years.
20:07I can't see it changing at all.
20:09I don't think it's about swearing anti-social behaviour.
20:12I think it's about the bars selling cheap lager on the beach.
20:16I think it's hard to control that because how?
20:20I guess putting cameras maybe there and microphones.
20:24There's an element of free speech but I suppose there's an element
20:26of what is acceptable swearing and what isn't acceptable swearing.
20:30I think it should happen.
20:31There's groups of youngsters, not just locals.
20:33They're coming down by train and everything and they're just causing trouble.
20:39And for the businesses working on the front line,
20:41anything would help to scoop away disorder.
20:44It's not a bad idea.
20:46I don't know how they'd go about doing it.
20:49I don't think you could go around to every single person at once going,
20:52checking every word they're saying.
20:54Vanit District Council told us a spokesperson wasn't able to speak
20:58before the proposal had been officially heard by the authority.
21:01But it did give us this statement.
21:03Anti-social behaviour can have a damaging effect on our local community.
21:06We've sadly seen situations in our public spaces recently which have escalated.
21:10To be clear, the restriction around language is not aimed at preventing free speech or swearing,
21:15but foul language that is such to cause fear, distress or alarm.
21:19Evidence gathered by officers indicates that this is a significant issue impacting residents.
21:24Cabinet members are expected to consider the proposed order later this month.
21:28But until then, it's hoped the end of recent heatwaves can help melt the tensions for now.
21:33Bartholomew Hall for KMTV in Broadstairs.
21:37And you can join the conversation and debate over on Kent Online as well.
21:41But don't forget, you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent over on our website too.
21:46KMTV.co.uk there you'll find all our reports, including this one,
21:50about the Greenhithe woman taking on one of the largest housing management companies in the UK.
21:56A Greenhithe paralegal turned accidental crusader in the fight for fairer estate management.
22:05For much of her time at Unicorn Walk, Amber Needham faced rising service charges and delayed repairs.
22:13But when she struggled to sell her flat as a result, she decided to do something about it.
22:20Yeah, it's terrifying. Quite life changing as well because at the time,
22:26I was looking to sort of move in with a partner and buy a house.
22:29It was holding me back in that regard in my personal life.
22:32Just struggling to afford to pay the bills.
22:34We have to pay our service charges half yearly.
22:36So when it's up at two and a half, three grand, that's a lot of money to fork out every six months.
22:41The right to manage gives people the ability to get their estate manager removed
22:47if more than 50% of residents agree. But having halved her annual service fees
22:54since switching to a different property manager, she's now helping others to do the same.
23:01So far, I'm trying to do some others, but my block, which is over there,
23:05and then one of the smaller blocks over there, their claim was admitted the other day,
23:10so they've now got the right to manage as well.
23:12And then also my mum's block. My mum's got a flat in a block in Rochester called Lyon Court.
23:20She was in the same situation, but actually it was a little bit easier
23:23because we didn't need to do a right to manage for that.
23:26So she was also with First Port and her charges were just going up and up and up.
23:30I think they went up about £800 within the space of a year,
23:35and I was just looking at it like you're going to end up in the same situation that I was in essentially.
23:39It's there and in her own block that she teamed up with Stuart Grist to set up his estate management
23:46company with the purpose of providing a fairer deal for residents.
23:51The managing agent, the fees seemed to go up every year, but the service was going down.
23:58So cleaning wasn't done regularly. We were really frustrated at the quality
24:02of the building maintenance and things like that.
24:04And after many years of moaning, I decided, do you know what?
24:08I think I can probably have a crack at doing this better myself.
24:12So many of the estates where we've taken over, we've reduced service charges.
24:16In fact, actually, I'd say every single estate we've taken on,
24:19we've reduced service charges between 15% and 50% in total.
24:24A spokesperson for Firstport says the service charges are used to cover day-to-day running costs
24:33of a development, and that comparing charges isn't always straightforward.
24:38But the MPs for both estates say the wider system is broken.
24:44I think some of the problems we've got are very ingrained. I think these managing agents like Firstport
24:49operate within the legal framework that's set out at the moment, and that often hugely disadvantages
24:56residents receiving those services. In fact, I'd go as far as to say they're being ripped off
25:01and they're being abused by some very poor practices.
25:06And that's why the new Labour government is committed to introducing legislation this year
25:11and doing a really proper consultation with residents to make sure we get it right to tackle some of these issues.
25:18Amber's fight is not over, with plans to start a company to help with right to manage,
25:26up and down the country. And by the looks of it, she'll have her work cut out for her.
25:32Olly Leader in Greenhithe.
25:34More stories like that one over on our website, kntv.co.uk.
25:41There you can also watch back on demand all of our programmes as well.
25:45All right, now today marks the first day out of the heat health amber warning that was issued by
25:50the Met's office last week. So let's take a look at the forecast where you are for the coming days.
25:55Temperatures between 16 and 17 degrees across the county this evening.
26:07Some cloudy skies overhead. The sun coming out in most parts of the county tomorrow.
26:11Some clouds down in Ashford and Dover. The wind picking up as well.
26:15Dying down into the afternoon, some clouds moving to parts of North Kent warming up to highs of 26 though.
26:22And here's the picture for the next few days. Staying nice and dry. Sunshine behind the clouds.
26:27Highs of 28 degrees on Friday.
26:38All right, time for a very quick break now. When we come back,
26:40more of our headlines today from right across the county. I'll see you in a few minutes time.
26:52Drive Thermal Medicalzeni
26:56Nationalダm cars authored in Alex Sartre.
27:01All right, let us know the news app,
27:06we will be on screen and we will be on screen and we will watch you moments and go to the quantum
27:13Night in theulu位 atóすq.
36:36but it will get the message of these Kent MPs, the Kent Online campaign and all those voices
36:42with people with cancer and life-altering illnesses from the county into Parliament tomorrow
36:47to the people who make the decisions.
36:50All right, let's take a look at your report now.
36:53Living with cancer, a tumour and heart problems while undergoing multiple rounds of chemo
36:58makes even simple tasks a struggle.
37:01Martin is one of many patients with a life-altering condition
37:04who were turned down for a blue badge because they didn't meet the criteria.
37:10Gutted. You know, let down, really.
37:13You know, you pay your taxes all your life and you get kicked in the teeth sort of thing.
37:21I suppose when you're fighting cancer, the last thing you want to be doing is the battle for a blue badge.
37:26Yeah, it's only people behind you, people like Ellie from your side
37:33and from Joe down from my side are the people that are fighting for you because nobody else will.
37:43Thanks to help from his cancer coordinator, Martin now has a badge
37:47and Kent County Council told us they urged people to include as much detail as possible when applying.
37:53But Martin isn't alone. A Freedom of Information request found more than 3,000 people were refused badges
38:01between 2023 and four.
38:05There are two ways to get a blue badge.
38:08For some, they get one automatically, but for others, they have to be assessed by a professional
38:14and have a life-altering condition for at least three years.
38:20That's why Kent Online launched a campaign calling for a fairer system for people with short-term but serious illnesses.
38:29Reporter Ellie Hodgson started digging into the issue after receiving floods of letters and emails from those affected.
38:36Tomorrow, the campaign going to a Westminster Hall debate.
38:40Obviously, it's a really good milestone. There's still a lot of work to be done,
38:44but I think it's a big step to have it discussed in Parliament, especially with all the MPs that are now backing it,
38:49and to see if we can make something that should be a local fix, also a national fix.
38:54So, hopefully, it will be a positive result.
38:56Every MP now backs the campaign, and Medway Council joined this week.
39:01Well, I was really pleased to receive the cross-party letter from Helen Grant,
39:04and I know it's a campaign that Kent Online are supporting as well.
39:08Look, I think everyone recognises the value of a blue badge,
39:11but also there are some medical conditions which don't quite necessarily perfectly fit the current scheme.
39:17So, really pleased to be working with my officers.
39:20The council leader has also called for a meeting with local politicians
39:23and hopes Kent County Council will take part.
39:27Gabriel Morris for KNTV.
39:28And explain to us a bit more why the Kent Messenger Group actually had to step in in the first place.
39:38It's not something you see all the time, but it's not that uncommon.
39:42We'll start here.
39:43I think it shows the importance of local media organisations being a voice for the local community.
39:49Obviously, quite often or not, issues like this are unnoticed.
39:54In this case, for example, I was speaking to the cancer patient in my report.
39:59He said, we're battling cancer.
40:01That's a battle in itself.
40:02We don't have the energy to battle for a blue badge.
40:06So, these voices aren't often heard.
40:08But it was through another patient that Kent Messenger first talked to, Sandy,
40:13who we realised actually this then is an issue.
40:17Putting an article out sparked something across Kent, across the readers, to come to us.
40:23Now, as you were saying, Kent Online don't often do campaigns.
40:27It's not their first campaign, but this is one.
40:29And I think they decided to do this in the sense that, well, actually,
40:34we're hearing many people coming through.
40:35Ellie Hodgson, who you saw in my report, also the reporter who's been leading this campaign,
40:40she put a Freedom of Information request.
40:42More than 3,000 people potentially impacted by this day were refused it.
40:45We don't know quite for certain what their reasons were,
40:48but more than 3,000 people had it refused.
40:51And then senior editor at Kent Online, Matt Ramsom, saw the scale of this
40:56and decided, actually, as a media organisation, we can do something about this.
41:00We can rally the troops, as MPs, as he has said,
41:03come together and take them to Parliament.
41:05And I was speaking to him earlier a little bit about this.
41:08It's got to be the right campaign.
41:10It's got to be something very much in the public interest.
41:13And it's got to be something that is achievable.
41:16You know, you could launch a campaign which is never going to get anywhere,
41:19which might be knowable, but we want to achieve things.
41:22We want to get things done.
41:23And we want to make the best situation for our readers.
41:28And a way of solution potentially might come tomorrow?
41:31Not quite yet tomorrow.
41:33It's a stepping stone.
41:35Tomorrow can't make any legislation changes,
41:37but the voices of MPs who turn up tomorrow
41:40and the cancer patients who are there
41:41can influence the ministers to actually think,
41:44oh, maybe we need to look at a bill or amending something already set in stone.
41:48OK, we'll have more for our viewers and readers later this week.
41:52See you after the break.
45:34Well, Bartholomew Hall's been down to Broadstairs to speak with locals.
45:38Sun, sea and swearing? Well, soon that may be a thing of the past. At least that's what
45:44Thanet District Council is hoping for its beaches, as the local authority is planning
45:49to bring in a public space protection order that will see cursing banned. Anyone caught
45:54using foul or abusive language could be fined up to £100. The idea is to help officials
45:59tackle antisocial behaviour on the seafront and to keep the area family friendly. But in
46:06recent weeks, Broadstairs' beachfront has been anything but. These were the scenes back
46:11in June when the area saw days of violence and antisocial behaviour resulting in five arrests
46:16and one boy charged with assaulting a police officer.
46:19We thought it was just mindless, you know, chaos. We weren't quite worried about them pushing
46:26their way in here.
46:27It's not the first time a scheme of its kind has been put forward for Thanet. Another public
46:31space protection order, including rules on swearing, was revoked by the local authority
46:36last year. Opinions on the beachfront today, however, were mixed.
46:39We were brought up streets, weren't we, and not swearing or anything like that. But it hasn't
46:44changed for years and years and years. I can't see it changing at all.
46:48I don't think it's about swearing antisocial behaviour. I think it's about the bars selling
46:53cheap lager on the beach. I think it's hard to control that, because
46:58how? I guess putting cameras, maybe, there and microphones.
47:02There's an element of free speech, but I suppose there's an element of what is acceptable swearing
47:07and what isn't acceptable swearing. I think it should happen. There's groups of
47:11youngsters, not just locals, they're coming down by train and everything, and they're just
47:15causing trouble. And for the businesses working on the front line, anything would help to scoop
47:22away disorder. It's not a bad idea. I just don't know how they'd go about doing it.
47:27I don't think you could go around to every single person at once, going, checking every
47:32word they're saying.
47:33Thanet District Council told us a spokesperson wasn't able to speak before the proposal had
47:38been officially heard by the authority. But it did give us this statement.
47:42Antisocial behaviour can have a damaging effect on our local community. We've sadly seen situations
47:47in our public spaces recently which have escalated. To be clear, the restriction around language
47:51is not aimed at preventing free speech or swearing, but foul language that is such to
47:56cause fear, distress or alarm. Evidence gathered by officers indicates that this is a significant
48:01issue impacting residents. Cabinet members are expected to consider the proposed order
48:06later this month. But until then, it's hoped the end of recent heatwaves can help melt the
48:11tensions for now. Bartholomew Hall for KMTV in Broadstairs.
48:15Right now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent over
48:20on our website. It's of course KMTV.co.uk. There you'll find all our reports, including this
48:26one about a hospice in North Kent on the hunt, for more funding and support.
48:33Dartford is going on a bear hunt and this unveiling at the Dartford Football Club will be some of
48:44the many hiding around the borough next year. Inspired by the classic children's book, We're
48:50going on a bear hunt. This brand new art trial by Wild in Art is looking to raise funds for
48:57Eleanor, a hospice which specialises in providing end of life care from children to the elderly.
49:04Next year there's going to be 30 large bears around Dartford and Bluewater. Each of the bears
49:11are going to be decorated by different artists. Each of the bears is going to be sponsored by
49:15a different business. It's going to form an art trail, a trail of discovery around the
49:20area and we're just tonight inviting businesses, artists and schools to kind of get involved.
49:26We're hoping that it impacts the community in a number of ways. So connecting the community
49:32closer to local hospice care and specifically Eleanor and breaking down some of the misconceptions
49:38around hospice care and starting that open conversation. We're also hoping to raise funds
49:44funds to support the hospice as well. It costs about £28,000 a day to run the hospice. So
49:50this trail will contribute in a way to that fundraising as well.
49:54The event also saw panellists share some of the stories of what Eleanor means to them.
50:01Luke Cole talked about how the charity supported his terminally ill father.
50:06He unfortunately passed away in their care, but obviously the amazing support they gave
50:13to my mum and to my brothers and myself was really helpful during the time when he passed.
50:20So that's obviously led me to want to do this art trail for the Eleanor, try and give something
50:26back to them, try and get other companies, other people on board, get them to understand
50:30what the Eleanor's about.
50:31This new art trail is looking to tell families that when it comes to hospice care, you can't
50:38go over it, you can't go under it, you've got to go through it, but definitely not alone.
50:45Now this fair, and many others like it, will be spread out around the borough of
50:50Dartford from July to September next year, after which they'll be auctioned off to raise funds
50:58for Eleanor, so it looks like Dartford is going to be in for one big bear hunt.
51:05Henry Luck for Kame TV in Dartford.
51:10Alright, now let's take a look at the weather forecast where you are for the coming days.
51:20Temperatures between 16 and 17 degrees across the county this evening.
51:25Wind speeds the same by the coast and inland.
51:28Temperatures warming up tomorrow with some sunshine across most parts.
51:32Some cloud down in Dover and Ashford though.
51:34Spreading to parts of North Kent and over Medway, that cloud.
51:37But warming up, highs of 26 degrees to be expected.
51:41This is the picture for the rest of the week and into your weekend as well.
51:45Highs of 28 by Friday, some sunshine behind the cloud though.
51:49And finally this evening, Dartford FC hosted 240 young ballers at their annual fun day,
52:04where they got the chance to play and ask questions to both players and coaches.
52:08The Ismian Premier side also gave the children a free ticket to see one of their pre-season friendlies,
52:14in an effort to get some new fans on side.
52:17Finn McDermid went down to Princes Park Stadium for a kickabout.
52:20These are the footballers of tomorrow, these are the coaches of tomorrow,
52:31the referees of tomorrow and the manager of tomorrow.
52:33So yeah, it feels like a privilege to be able to be part of that.
52:36Before the start of the new season, Dartford held their annual fun day with one new addition.
52:41A simple training session with some of the first and women's team players
52:44that local young fans could join in on.
52:46They could learn skills, meet other Dartford fans their own age
52:49and get to play with members of the Ismian Premier side.
52:52What the club might not have expected was 240 children signing up to join it,
52:56making it, according to the club, the biggest ever free youth training session in Kent.
53:01At times there can be a bit of a gap between the first team of any club
53:04and the kids that come and watch us or the kids that are training as part of the academy.
53:08So to kind of bridge that gap with a day like today, I think it's an incredible opportunity.
53:13And again, Dartford's a massive community. We're a football club.
53:17You can look at us at the heart of it and it's nice to just get everyone in,
53:20kids included, but kids come with their parents and parents come with their friends.
53:23So it's all about just bringing the community of Dartford together around this football club.
53:26If you were to ask all these children what they want to be when they grow up,
53:30I think you might be able to guess the answer, footballer.
53:33So how valuable is it to them to be able to come down to their local club and play, talk to
53:38and even score against the players?
53:40Well, it's very expensive. Football is expensive.
53:42And it's tough times for everybody out there.
53:44As we know, the economy is not great and we know the country is not in a great position.
53:51And it's tough for families.
53:53But I think it's great for the football club to put this on free.
53:56They get a nice medal afterwards and a little goody pack.
53:59And in the goody pack, we're giving them free tickets for games.
54:01And that's what it's all about.
54:03Dartford Supporters Association wanted to make sure the session was free,
54:06to open their doors to as many fans, current or new, as they could,
54:10but with the understanding that football isn't always the cheapest sport.
54:14The free tickets let the children, some as young as five or six,
54:17gain admission for a match with a parent.
54:19And although this is the first time they've held the sessions,
54:22they say they'll likely keep running them for future fun days.
54:25Finn McDermid for KMTV.
54:29Finn joins me now in the studio.
54:31It got me thinking, Finn, did you want to be a footballer when you grew up?
54:34What would your answer have been?
54:36Actually, no.
54:37I wasn't really into sports as a kid.
54:39It was sort of, as a child, sorry.
54:41It was not really in the cards.
54:43I don't know.
54:44I lived right next to the Chelsea Academy
54:45and I knew so many people that nearly became footballers.
54:49Connor Gallagher actually went to the same school as me.
54:51Oh, wow.
54:52But you were like no TVs for me?
54:53I was more into theatre at the time.
54:55OK.
54:56Not following me then.
54:57All right.
54:58But tell us, what was it like on the day?
55:00Lots and lots of happy children.
55:01Actually, one of the biggest free events in Kent as well.
55:04Yeah.
55:05According to Dartford, it's the biggest ever free youth footballing training session.
55:09It was great there.
55:10All the kids were down in their favourite kits.
55:12And it's at a time for Dartford when, you know, they, I believe, just missed out on promotion from the Ithsmian Premier to the National League South.
55:21So it should be a sort of time to be maybe a little bit downcast, have these hard training sessions with the players.
55:26But instead, the players got to come out and coach all these children.
55:30It was the men's, some members of the men's first team, members of the women's first team and the manager, Aidy Pennock, who I spoke to there.
55:37All, you know, helping the kids out, saying, right, now it's time.
55:41Let's do some, I can't think of any names of skills now, but some dribbling, some passing, all that sort of good stuff.
55:47You're more on the pirouettes and acting.
55:49Yes.
55:50It must be really good as well with the summer holidays coming up and thinking of free activities for children can be really, really tricky for parents as well.
55:57And you can see how many children that drew in.
55:59Absolutely.
56:00I mean, the parents were really, really pleased.
56:01And especially, you know, for all these kids who, unlike me, might want to be the next Messi or the next Lamine Yamal.
56:07You know, it was really great to see them all having fun.
56:10Yeah, I'm sure, I think they all really had a good time.
56:13And strategically, you left out of your piece some footage of you saving goals.
56:19Yeah.
56:20Poor children, come here for a free fun day, and you actually saved the goals.
56:23It was an incredible save.
56:24Yeah, it was an incredible save.
56:25I don't want to big myself up.
56:27But if I was playing against mostly children, I think I'd do pretty well in the sticks.
56:32I just, full extension, like, just grazed it with my fingertips.
56:35It's spinning on the line, this poor kid.
56:37Right.
56:38Footage or it didn't happen.
56:39We don't believe it.
56:40All right.
56:41Thank you so much for this evening.
56:42I'll be back again tomorrow at 5.30.
56:43Bye-bye.
56:44Bye-bye.
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