Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Oliver Leader De Saxe.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Kentonite live here on KMTV.
00:29I'm Oliver, leader of the sacks, and here are your top stories on Friday 7th March.
00:35Stealing from those who need it, Gillingham Street Angels charity shop suffers two break-ins
00:41in one night.
00:46Still a long way to go, the message on the streets of Rochester ahead of International
00:51Women's Day.
00:53And toying with history at Chatham's brand new LEGO exhibit.
01:01Good evening.
01:02Volunteers at Gillingham Street Angels say they're worried for their safety after facing
01:07two break-ins at two of their locations across Medway.
01:11The homeless charity, which operates food banks and charity shops, has been left with
01:16more than £1,000 worth of damage after the attacks in the early hours of the morning.
01:21Well, our reporter, Finn McDermott, went down to find out more.
01:26Of all the places to be stolen from, a charity shop is the last place you might expect.
01:30But when Gillingham Street Angels store owner, Neil Sharlick, arrived to his shop at 3am
01:35to find a broken window and an empty till, he knew what had happened.
01:39Well it's even rare enough for a charity shop to be broken into, but it's rarer still for
01:43it to be broken into twice on the same day at different locations.
01:47It didn't just happen at the Gillingham shop, but here at the Chatham store as well.
01:51As you can see, this window has been replaced with wood since at 3am yesterday morning the
01:56thieves broke through the bottom part of it to gain access to the store and then steal
02:00from the tills.
02:01I went to the Raynham store to find out exactly what happened on the night at their Gillingham
02:05and Chatham locations.
02:06Me and a fellow member of staff go around the shops early in the morning and collect
02:10stock up that needs to be moved to other sites.
02:13We realised what a door that had been pushed open, thought this was a bit odd, then decided
02:18to look around the building, it's the old Argos store in Chatham, looked around then
02:21realised quite quickly they'd gone into various rooms, taken a till, taken costume, jewellery
02:27and other items of not huge value, it's more the damage they've done to the property that's
02:33the inconvenience.
02:35Neil says it's extremely rare for a charity shop of all places to be stolen from, since
02:39the public backlash on whoever committed the crime would be that much worse, and since
02:43most of their stock is donated they aren't often a common target.
02:47After looking at the cameras Neil realised that at different times at each shop the tills
02:51were stolen from, but one thief also took a large bag of costume jewellery.
02:55Break-ins can also make it more difficult for those who work or volunteer here to feel
03:00safe.
03:01We went round the building and checked all the areas and it was quite scary to be honest
03:06because you don't know if someone's in the building or not and obviously it was just
03:10me and Neil, so we've gone round and had a look, found out where they've come in, where
03:14they've gone back out, what they've taken, and it is quite a scary thing to be honest.
03:19And it's quite rare isn't it, what was your reaction like, do you ever get this kind of
03:23thing normally?
03:24No it's very rare, no we don't normally, especially not two in one night, it's bad.
03:29The volunteers and the staff say they may need to up their security for the future,
03:33but with 24 hour cameras they aren't exactly sure what more they can do, but they do know
03:37that they can't afford for it to happen again.
03:40Finn McDermid for KMTV in Medway.
03:44Now a chicken charity in Aylesford has managed to find new homes for around 200 of their
03:51feathered friends.
03:52Fresh Start for Hens sees volunteers rescue the lives of ex-commercial egg-laying hens
03:57and give people the chance to adopt them.
04:00It's this initiative that stops many retired chickens from going to slaughter and the organisation
04:06is always looking for the public to help out, either through volunteering or adopting
04:11the birds, as our reporter Henry Lark has been finding out.
04:15It's fact that you can't make an omelette without breaking a couple of eggs, but it's
04:20also true that chickens can't be happy without a proper home, which is what Fresh Start for
04:26Hens in Aylesford are providing for the whole coop by letting the public register and collect
04:33them.
04:34Fresh Start for Hens are here in Aylesford to donate all the chickens they've rescued
04:39to New Forever Homes.
04:41These hens have retired from commercial use and would have traditionally been put to slaughter
04:47if not for charities like this.
04:50The birds being donated are the egg-laying kind, meaning they're not fit for human consumption
04:57because unlike broiler hens, they don't have much meat on their bones.
05:01These hens weren't rehomed, they would go to slaughter and they're only 72 weeks, they've
05:06got a good few years of egg-laying left in them and they've got personalities, they're
05:11friendly, they've got a lot of life to live so they don't deserve to be killed.
05:17Speaking to volunteers, they talked about the benefits owning these types of chickens
05:22can bring.
05:23So I've kept chickens for about four years now, I have quite a few.
05:28I think most people who own chickens realise that once you have one chicken, it's very
05:32easy to start getting more chickens, they call it chicken math.
05:36So I actually have about, I think about 70 chickens now in my garden and they are fantastic.
05:41We love fresh eggs every day and they're great for kids, I have two children and they absolutely
05:46love them.
05:48Fresh Start for Hens are also encouraging more people to get involved with the scheme
05:53as they're looking to return with more chickens on the 8th of March.
05:58So please, if you can, support us by supporting the hens, by rehoming if you can, we just
06:06ask you to register on our website, please www.freshstartforhens, ask for a minimum donation
06:14of £2.75 a hen, we ask for pictures of your set-up, we have a wonderful back-up system
06:21where someone is always available to give help and advice, you're not on your own, we
06:28have vets, so it's fantastic, it is so worth it.
06:34With many more birds in need at homes, Fresh Start for Hens are hoping more people take
06:40up their fur-fed friends for the upcoming spring season.
06:45Henry Luck for CAME TV in Ellesford.
06:52Now all trains from Europe's busiest railway station, the Gare du Nord, have been cancelled
06:57today following the discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb, leaving Kent passengers
07:04stranded.
07:05To find out more, I spoke to Maisie Walker, our reporter, earlier today.
07:10So this has been causing chaos for commuters throughout the day, obviously Eurostar runs
07:16through Kent, what more can you tell us about these delays?
07:20Yes, that's absolutely right, many are frustrated with the cancellations today, queues lasting
07:26at least two hours inside the stations to re-book, a lot of people from Kent do rely
07:31on these services for things like work and to see family, but now have to wait till Saturday
07:36for services to return back to normal after finding an unexploded World War II bomb on
07:42the tracks.
07:43Not something you talk about every day, is it a bomb being found near the tracks, tell
07:48us a bit more about that bomb, I believe it's just near Paris if I'm right.
07:53Yes, so the bomb was found during night work on the tracks and the bomb disposal team was
07:58on site this morning and assured the public that there was nothing to worry about, everything
08:02was absolutely fine, other than of course the major transportation delays, but everything
08:08is expected to return back to normal tomorrow, but obviously this leaves a lot of people
08:13with not much of a choice but to book hotels and delay plans.
08:17Well it isn't necessarily Eurostar's fault on this occasion, they have got a lot of flack
08:21in the past, can you talk about some of the heat the service has been under over the last
08:25couple of years?
08:26Yes, so since the pandemic, Eurostar has not stopped at Ashford or Ebbsfleet, so naturally
08:33this makes it quite difficult for those travelling from Kent to Paris and vice versa, it used
08:39to be quite simple, you hop on a Eurostar to Paris, now though there are a few things
08:45in between, you have to commute to London, switch stations and so on.
08:51And so now of course, as you can imagine, people waiting for up to two hours to get
08:55their tickets from the stations, people aren't very happy.
08:59Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your stories from across Kent by logging
09:03on to our website kntv.co.uk, there you'll find all our reports, including this one at
09:09a National Trust Parks very special anniversary.
09:14A painting by Winston Churchill, Generations of Spies, and a building from the time of
09:19Henry VIII are just some of the items at Item Moat, Tonbridge's own moated house that dates
09:24back to the 14th century.
09:27Now it's been 40 years since Charles Henry Robinson, an American businessman, gave Item
09:32Moat to the National Trust.
09:33The anniversary was kicked off by local MP Tom Tugendhart cutting the ribbon ahead of
09:38its reopening tomorrow for the summer season.
09:40The amazing thing about it is that it tells a story not just about the family who lived
09:45here actually, but about the whole of Kent.
09:46It tells the story of wars and revolutions, it tells the story of religion, of hope and
09:52dreams and it also shows what art and beauty can give to a community and so I'm a huge
09:58fan of the moat, it's the best of the National Trust.
10:02Across the seven centuries of its history, Item Moat has been rebuilt and restored many
10:07times with various eras of its history blending between different rooms.
10:11Now I'm in the new chapel and it's called that because it's actually not even the oldest
10:16chapel here at Item Moat.
10:18It's got a medieval framework, a Tudor ceiling and parts of Victorian history as well layered
10:23here and it's thanks to Henry Robinson who was an American businessman who bought the
10:27house back in 1953 to stop it becoming a hotel or a country club and he took it upon himself
10:34to maintain the house and start buying back items from local people all the way back from
10:39the Victorian era and it's really thanks to him that when you're walking through the different
10:43rooms of the house it feels like you're walking through different centuries of history.
10:48But it's not always easy to keep everything in order, especially when it's so old.
10:51The house team work to make sure the house is as accurate as possible to the periods
10:55of history that it represents.
10:56Particularly in the winter, that's when we do our deep clean of the house and we get
11:00our experts in, our conservators, who come in and we have a really good look at objects
11:06that we think need a bit of repair.
11:08And we've been, because it's the 40th anniversary of the Trust taking over the house from Mr
11:12Robinson, we've been concentrating on objects that belonged to him.
11:17So in this particular room you can see you've got a sofa, the beautiful screen, another
11:22settee.
11:23They've all been restored in the last few years.
11:25The team say they're looking forward to the next 40 years and hope to expand their collection
11:29of antiques to fill the halls of one of Kent's most decorated historical homes.
11:34Finn McDermid for KMTV in Tunbridge.
11:39Now coming up after the break we look at the challenges facing Kent's women on the streets
11:43of Rochester ahead of International Women's Day and a very special Lego exhibition as
11:49well.
11:50Stick with us and see you in a few minutes.
14:59Hello and welcome back to KMTV live here on, Kent's Night Live here on KMTV.
15:19Now NHS England has confirmed this week their South East Coast Ambulance Service has been
15:23removed from the Recovery Support Programme.
15:27The programme, which used to be called Special Measures, was put in place after the Ambulance
15:32Service was told it requires improvement in 2022.
15:36The programme provides support to the NHS services to address specific challenges in
15:40trusts, with Simon Weldon, Chief Executive of the South Coast Ambulance Service, thanking
15:46the intended programme for all the support they received after the last few years.
15:53A drunk party-goer in Broadstairs stole a car and crashed it multiple times, causing
15:57thousands of pounds of damage.
16:00Police bodycam footage shows the aftermath of the crash, which led to a trial and destruction
16:04in Reading Street.
16:05The car was stolen around 2.30am and ended up hitting a tree, fence and wall.
16:1021-year-old Louis Fillory fled the scene, was later charged with aggravated vehicle
16:14taking without the owner's consent and driving without a licence and insurance.
16:19As a result, Fillory was jailed for 12 weeks and ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid work.
16:26Now as we celebrate International Women's History Month, we recognise the incredible
16:30contributions women have made and continue to make across all areas of life.
16:35The theme this year is moving forward together, and women here in Kent have been doing just
16:40that.
16:41But despite this progress, challenges like gender bias and safety concerns still persist,
16:46as our reporter Kristin Hawthorne has been finding out on the streets of Rochester.
16:51Kent is home to countless inspiring women, from female business owners and charity leaders
16:56to those making a difference in their families and communities.
17:01But with the incredible progress that has been made throughout women's history, some
17:05challenges still remain.
17:07Female-led businesses and women in business can be found all around.
17:10These are just some board games that have been made by women.
17:13However, many women in the workplace deal with prejudice, such as not being taken seriously
17:18in the workplace and having to deal with stereotypes that assume what they can and cannot do.
17:23Playopolis in Rochester is a board game cafe, and it's just one of many women-led businesses
17:28in the county.
17:30But despite almost 10 years of experience, owner Rebecca says gender bias is something
17:34she still faces.
17:35Certainly there are challenges with like a gender bias.
17:39We will still have people come in and say, can I speak to your manager?
17:42Is he in?
17:44And we do have men's staff, male staff as well, but we are predominantly even female
17:49like employees as well.
17:51And we'll get quite annoyed when it's like the gender bias of what it's got to be a man
17:55can get a little bit frustrating.
17:57We've been within the board game industry as well, which is fairly male dominated as well.
18:02Some people will assume we don't know as much about the games and things as we do, which
18:08can be a little bit frustrating.
18:10But it's not just female business owners that face these difficulties.
18:14I think there is a lot of bias towards men, unfortunately, still in our society.
18:21I've seen that a lot in terms of I'm currently trying to buy a flat with my husband.
18:27It's a joint everything, but he gets CC'd into the emails, I get CC'd out specifically
18:33of a lot of the correspondence.
18:36They have a bias towards him, even though we've never stated that he should be the main
18:39point of contact.
18:40And it would actually be me as I hold the deposit, but I am overlooked in every single
18:45aspect of this process.
18:47I think women still really struggle with trying to do it all.
18:51So I work and just trying to juggle childcare, work, everything is still expected of you.
18:58You're expected to be in 10 different places at once.
19:01I think there's a bit of an expectation for us to be perfect.
19:04If you're a woman thinking of starting a business, Rebecca has some advice.
19:09Just to continue to persevere with it.
19:11You know your own kind of abilities and things, and it's important to stick with them and
19:16like regardless of your gender, you can do anything.
19:21Beyond the workplace, another growing concern in the county is violence against women.
19:26But despite this, many are coming together, supporting one another, educating others and
19:31working to create a safer future, hoping to create more positive history for women.
19:36Kristen Hawthorne for CAMTV in Rochester.
19:44Now Maidstone Borough Council has given workers of the COVID-19 pandemic the Freedom of the
19:49Borough Award.
19:50Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, one Maidstone Business Improvement District and
19:55involved Kent representatives were invited to accept the honour, with Councillor Stuart
20:00Jeffery saying it's important to recognise the contributions and sacrifices made by key
20:05workers as 2025 marks the fifth anniversary of the first lockdown.
20:11Henry Luck has more.
20:13A historic decision has been made for the key workers of Maidstone, as the Borough Council
20:19has overwhelmingly voted in favour of granting those on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic
20:26with the Freedom of the Borough Award.
20:29This honour is the highest Maidstone Borough Council can grant, which recognises the outstanding
20:35contribution of individuals and organisations.
20:41Representatives of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, one Maidstone and involved
20:46Kent are accepting the award for the public, private and voluntary sectors of the pandemic,
20:54bestowed by Mayor of the Council, Councillor John Perry.
20:58Now, a Freedom of the Borough Award looks exactly like this.
21:03Leader of the Borough Council, Councillor Stuart Jeffery, described it like getting
21:08a knighthood.
21:10Speaking to him earlier, here's what he had to say about the importance of bestowing this
21:15honour upon key workers.
21:18We've given the Freedom of the Borough to regiments in the past for their sacrifice
21:23during the wars, the Second World War for example, and it feels like the key workers
21:31have given that same level of risk and sacrifice to people, so anything we can do to honour
21:40the work they did is really, really important.
21:43I'm immensely proud and privileged.
21:45I do also feel like a bit of a fraud because I was the CEO of Involve, so a lot of my responsibilities
21:52were back office and I'm really accepting this on behalf of all those frontline workers
21:57and all those volunteers who put their lives on the line to look after people in their
22:01community who they didn't even know.
22:03We're going to be sharing this award with them and going out and showing it to them
22:08and speaking to them and thanking them for the work that they did and just reminding
22:13them of how resilient they were and also in the current climate, I don't think that we
22:17are in a particularly easy climate still.
22:22There are still many challenges around and I think that it's our role to help them remain
22:26positive and remind them of their resilience during this time.
22:29Across Maidstone, 633 people lost their lives to the virus and Sunday 9th March will see
22:38the Borough remember them on the National Day of Reflection, five years on from an event
22:44that shook the entire world.
22:47Henry Luck for KMTV in Maidstone.
22:52Well, tonight's going to be clear skies and warm temperatures around nine to ten degrees
23:02going into tomorrow morning, greeted with sunshine, similar temperatures as well, lots
23:07of wind over in the west of the county into the afternoon, those temperatures really heating
23:13up 16 degrees over in Maidstone and Dartford, sunny temperatures across the board and Sunday
23:19through to Tuesday, clouds, some sun peeking through, temperatures dropping to nine degrees
23:24by the beginning of next week.
23:33And finally, a new Lego exhibition is making its UK debut at the historic Dockyard in Chatham.
23:39Brickwrecks, sunken ships in Lego bricks, the new installation that features 11 large
23:44scale models and tells the tale of eight different shipwrecks as our reporter Kai Wey has been
23:49finding out.
23:57The Titanic, one of the most infamous sunken ships in the world, has been recreated out
24:04of Lego.
24:06Now, this camera isn't quite big enough to film things on, but it is made of Lego, just
24:11like all the ships around me at the historic Dockyard's newest exhibition.
24:15The exhibition's called Brickwrecks and this tells the story of sunken ships in Lego bricks
24:20and there's eight shipwreck stories and they're all told through Lego, so there's some going
24:26back to the Bronze Age, we've got the Uluburun, which is the oldest shipwreck ever discovered
24:31and you can see a model that's been recreated to show the wreck.
24:36We've also got Vasa, which was a Swedish ship, famously sank on its maiden voyage.
24:43We've also got more famous ships like Titanic as well, which you can see behind me and really
24:47it's about telling the story of these famous shipwrecks through Lego and there's loads
24:53of interactivity, so you can come and learn about the ships, you can also build your own
24:57Lego creation and hopefully inspired by the models we have here.
25:02Originating in Australia, this exhibition has made its way around the world to places
25:06like Sweden and now, for the first time ever, it's landed in the UK, right here in Kent.
25:12So the Historic Dockyard Chatham has a huge amount of background with regards to maritime
25:17history within the region, so it's been on this site for over 400 years.
25:21The significance, particularly in this exhibition, to Chatham and the Kent area really revolves
25:27around the stories of HMS Terra and HMS Erebus, both of which were fitted out as part of their
25:32final expedition to try and find the North West Passage.
25:36So there is a truly local story to this exhibition, bear in mind all of these models were developed
25:43and built in Australia originally, but it shows you that actually maritime history and
25:50the link that this place had really, really did truly span the world.
25:53Lego is a brand and a thing that I remember from my childhood and still has a universal
26:00appeal, whether it be as a toy or whether it be something that adults use to relax and
26:04unwind through stress.
26:06It's truly fantastic to be able to tell a Chatham story, but also alongside the stories
26:11of the Titanic, the Vasa, the Batavia, it just goes to show what a world platform this
26:18amazing place was on for over 400 years.
26:22So I have a personal passion for Lego myself, yeah, still building Lego today and will probably
26:28still be building some Lego in this very exhibition very, very soon.
26:32Opening on the 8th of March for six whole months, this new exhibition is anything but
26:36a shipwreck.
26:37Kai Wei for KMTV in Chatham.
26:43Very exciting exhibition there, but we'll be back with more news next week.
26:46See you soon, goodbye.