Latest news with #BBCRadioKent
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Arrests as stolen WW1 plaque found in scrapyard
Two men have been arrested following the theft of two WW1 plaques from a Kent war memorial, police have said. Two military memorial plaques disappeared from the grounds of Christ Church Luton in Chatham between 22:00 BST on Friday and 10:00 on Saturday. Kent Police said one of the plaques was recovered from a scrapyard in Essex on Wednesday. The force said it has arrested a 26-year-old man and a 25-year-old man, both from the Dartford area. Christ Church Luton's priest in charge, the Reverend Andrea Leonard, told BBC Radio Kent on Thursday that she remains hopeful the other plaque will be found. She said: "Hats off to the person, who wants to obviously remain anonymous, but who had the integrity to phone the police and say 'I've got something here that you want'. "He actually spoke to me and he said he looked at the list and thought 'those poor lads that gave everything, they don't deserve this'." Kent Police said it is trying to find the second plaque and appealed for anyone with information about the missing plaques to get in touch. The plaques commemorate 163 people from the Chatham area who died in WW1 and each weigh 93kg. The memorial, which has been in place for 105 years, is "priceless" to the parish and relatives of the soldiers, Ms Leonard said. She believes there has not yet been time for the still-missing plaque to be melted down, but that they will find a suitable replacement if they have to as "it just wouldn't be right" to a have a memorial with names missing. "It was terrible when we discovered that they were gone," she said. "We just could not believe it because it's not only the church, it's the whole wider community." Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Military memorial plaques stolen from churchyard Kent Police
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chief constable to face questions on romance scams
Antisocial behaviour and romance fraud will be among the topics discussed when Kent's chief constable answers questions on BBC Radio Kent. Chief Constable Tim Smith will appear in the hot seat on Thursday, answering presenter Dominic King's questions on his programme live from 10:00 BST. The Kent Police boss will also answer questions on pay and working conditions in the force. This will be his fourth time in the hot seat. Appearing on the programme in January, Mr Smith said Kent Police had asked the government for funding to help with the "huge costs" of enforcing the ban on XL bully dogs. He has worked for Kent Police for 31 years and started as chief constable in 2022. The chief constable reports to the police and crime commissioner and is responsible for Kent Police's direction and managing its budget. Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. '£1.5m boost to put police in crime hotspots' - PCC Bully XL ban has 'huge costs' say Kent Police Shoplifters being targeted in Kent - police chief Kent Police
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Maidstone nature bathing advocate talks of mental health boost
An advocate of "nature bathing" has spoken of the benefits of a daily "digital detox" and a walk Nigliazzo-Masters, who works for Kent Fire & Rescue's press team, said he regularly walked through the Loose Valley Conservation Area, in Maidstone, Kent to lower his stress levels and boost his said he spent time in the conversation area, close to where he works, nearly every day and encouraged his team to do the same."Even if it's 10 minutes," he said, "just go for a walk, just calm, digital detox is the key". Nature bathing is originally a Japanese practice of slowing down, immersing yourself in nature and connecting with the natural world. Speaking to BBC Radio Kent, Mr Nigliazzo-Masters said he took his team to the conservation area occasionally for creative meetings. He said: "We might come for a 10-minute walk and within 10 minutes, not only have we got a different environment we're working in, but we've come up with some really different ideas and things we're going to deliver because we've shifted our working environment."Mr Nigliazzo-Masters said finding a way such as this to boost mental health was especially good for men who may feel uncomfortable talking about their emotions."When you get the opportunity to do it, [you can feel] the difference you've made," he said. Related Internet Content
BBC News
01-05-2025
- BBC News
Action promised in Canterbury to protect 'iconic' Westgate blooms
Tourists trampling on flowers to get the perfect picture at a public garden have been reminded to stay "respectful".Westgate Gardens by the River Stour, an area owned by Canterbury City Council, boasts colourful seasonal displays, along with punts and a backdrop of Medieval houses which attract large numbers of signs asking people to keep off the grass have failed to stop some from walking through the plants and causing authority said it is "actively looking" at more measures to protect the flower beds. The council turfed the area in 2021, but later removed it with agreement from the community that flowers would be a visitor from France, crossed the barrier and took photos on the mud path which has been created from constant told BBC Radio Kent: "It says keep off the grass but there is no grass there, so I thought I wasn't walking on the grass."If it's got to be more firm then maybe they need better signage to say no trespassing." A Canterbury City Council spokesperson said: "The flower displays in the Westgate Gardens are stunning and we enjoy seeing pictures popping up worldwide on Instagram, Tik Tok and other social media sites."The park is becoming increasingly iconic and being visited more and more as a result, and most people are very respectful of the displays. "But we are aware of the concerns of residents that a tiny minority of visitors are causing damage to the flowers through their over-exuberance to get that perfect snap."We are currently actively looking at measures we can put in place that would protect the flowerbeds while still allowing photographs to be taken."In many ways it's a nice problem to have, and we are sure that through a combination of common sense and some small changes to the layout at that area of the Westgate Gardens, everyone can continue to enjoy the park and its flowers."
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Girl, 10, crochets bunting for each week of chemo
A 10-year-old is crocheting a bunting triangle for every week of her chemotherapy to raise funds for cancer research. Doctors told Kirsty in November that she had a brain tumour, which was causing her to lose her eyesight and memory. The girl, from Tunbridge Wells, is currently undergoing 70 weeks of chemotherapy and took on the bunting challenge in support of Children with Cancer UK. Her mum Kate told BBC Radio Kent: "We try and be as positive as we can and I think this is the most positive thing we can possibly do." Kirsty said she was taught to crochet by a family friend last year and had been learning from different YouTube tutorials since. She has crocheted 44 of the 70 "unique" triangles so far and will hang the completed bunting in her local cafe initially, then move it to her hospital ward. Her Crochet for Cancer campaign has already raised more than £9,000 for the charity, and the 10-year-old wants to deliver leaflets about her work "to most of the houses in Kent". Kate said: "It's just so nice to see that the response from the community so far has been fantastic. "It really boosts us, because it's going to be a long road ahead." After her diagnosis Kirsty was hospitalised for two weeks to have a chunk of the tumour, which she has named Terry, surgically removed. She said her chemotherapy symptoms "aren't too bad" and her memory and sight have returned. "Because I've had experience of it, I feel more sympathy to even worse stories than my story," she added. Mum Kate said as a parent she felt "helpless" and she just had to "trust in the NHS, who have been wonderful". Kirsty's father Mat said the day they got the diagnosis was "pretty gruesome" and described Kirsty's time in hospital as "some of the lowest points we've had as parents". "You are sleeping on a roll-out bed alongside your daughter, listening to the beeps and the noises all through the night, just looking at her and willing her to get better," he said. Things started to look up once Kirsty returned home, he added, saying the whole family tries to "search for normality, no matter how much medical stuff is going on". He said: "Everyone said to us 'just take it day by day', which is easy advice to give but very hard to follow. "You're wondering about where they are going to go to school, what they are going to do, and who are they going to be. "This condition has forced us to focus on what we can do today, this week, this month to enjoy ourselves as much as we can." Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Family hit by cancer trauma calls for more support Charity set up in memory of girl, 7, donates £1m Inside cancer centre treating 150k patients a year Crochet for Cancer Children with Cancer UK
