Staff at a nursery which has been open inside a recreation centre since 1996 say they have been told to “leave immediately” by new owners.
Bosses at centre in Ashford have told the KentOnline Podcast they were informed via the new owner’s solicitors that they need to leave.
Also in today’s podcast, you can hear from the RSPCA following a spate of attacks on wildlife in Kent by people using catapults.
Ducks and pigeons are among the animals that have been targeted in the county – with fears it’s being made popular by videos on social media.
A Kent based charity says the record number of people crossing the Channel this week is proof the Rwanda scheme won’t work.
More than 700 people made the journey on Wednesday – that’s the highest daily total so far this year.
One of Canterbury’s ugliest buildings could be turned into flats - with a plush rooftop penthouse boasting panoramic views.
The fading five-storey building in Lower Bridge Street along the city’s ring-road dated back to the 1960s.
And a disheartened Canterbury bistro boss has mounted an extraordinary fightback - by rolling out a ban on laptops.
He says the "tough decision" was well received, with many punters preferring to socialise rather than spending time on the screen.
10 - Kent Online News News You Can Trust This is the Kent Online Podcast. Kate Faulkner Hello, Happy Friday. Hope you're okay and thank you for downloading today's podcast on May 3rd. On the podcast today, we've heard from a Kent-based charity about the record number of people crossing the channel and an appeal from a Hearn Bay family for people to sign up to the stem cell donor register. But first, taking a look at our top story today, staff at a nursery in Ashford say they've been told to leave immediately after the building was taken over by new owners. Little Acorns Preschool has been based in Kings North Recreation Centre for nearly 30 years. The site was sold by the council a few months ago and an application has been put into turn it into a church, Chris and Sue Myers say if the nursery closes, it will cause them a lot of disruption. My wife would have to give up work for childcare. We don't have any other options and it's a brilliant little establishment here really. Our elders came here, she's now secondary school, Littland's Covert, she loves it and yeah it'll be a big disruption. All the ladies are absolutely amazing. They understand the neurodiverse child, the neurotypical child. They're just amazing, they get it and they've just been so supportive of everything coming here from COVID being the first place the little one went to. Just yesterday when we got the email I cried. It was a shot. It was a shot. It was a shot. It's part of the community. Everyone knows Little Acorns and it's been here 28 years and if it has to close it's a very sad and all the people that are here. Some of them are still here from what our elders took here 10 years ago. So it's going to have a massive knock on effect on the whole community because the ladies who work here, they've got to find new jobs. Some of them are a few minutes ago were saying they've tried to find new schools and places have got places, haven't got spaces until at least some 12, 15 months. So then where do all the children go if this place is gone? It's not the only preschool left on the estate now because there's one of jelly beans obviously closed down so Little Acorns is little stars but they're over subscribed as well. So it's just been a big loss to the community and the fact is the community building. It was a community building. It doesn't sound like it will be anymore so it's going to have a big knock on effect on everybody. Our reporter Leanne has also been chatting to Rebecca Wooden who's two-year-old son Danny goes to Little Acorns. He's only just settled in, he's learning so much from his nursery experience here, obviously working parents, my daughter who's now in year four at Kings North, church of primary school, come that attended here. So it's going to impact not only myself but everyone in the community whose children are here, who have been here. When you first got the email yesterday, was it yesterday? Yes, today I feel it was your initial reaction. Truthfully I literally just burst into tears. I just think it's such a big thing trusting in a space for your children especially at any age to be cared for while sure out, working and I just thought what am I going to do? I can't think of anywhere else I'd like to put him and all my other children that ever tended this set in. There's great nurseries around but if you look around at the nurseries and the list, there's no spaces anywhere, there's no spaces for September, there's huge huge demand for nurseries which there is nowhere that we will put our children. Laura Clegg is another mum who's been left angry by the news. I'm tiredly blame the council, this is on them and I really want to know what it is they're going to do to put things right. Are they going to find a new building for Little Acorns? You clearly aren't going to be allowed to stay here. Are they going to put up the money to revamp it and to remake that place into a nursery because a nursery needs certain facilities? You can't just put it anywhere. Are they going to provide jobs for the people who work here if they do end up closing? Are they going to be providing childcare for the children who are out of work and the people who might have to give up their work to look after their own children until they start school or until further notice. I want to know what they're going to do to put things right because this is devastating and not just for us, it's devastating for all of the families whose children come here and all of the staff who've worked here and even people in the community. This has been part of the community for such a long time and I entirely blame the council for having made such terrible decisions that it's led to this. A local councillor is calling on the new owners to reconsider the eviction. Lucy's been reading a statement from a solicitor on behalf of winners Chappell. The nursery has a tendency at will so there is no existing arrangements between the council and the nursery. A tendency at will means it does not require a notice period. Discussions have taken place with the nursery to find a solution. We are a charitable organisation. We love our community. We would like to operate peacefully with the community. We are not for profit. We are here to advance our cause which is to help the community. It is open to everybody. The love of Christ is centred for all. My client will look at the nursery's best interest as it has a social responsibility for the area. Kent Online News. A teenage boy has been arrested following reports of a group of boys carrying weapons at Ramsgate station. Police were called on Wednesday afternoon and a hammer was seized at the scene. A 15 year old boy was detained on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and later released while investigations continue. Police have released footage of the moment a burglar was arrested after being pulled over on the M20. This one cuts on your mate, all right? I'm sitting here on the vehicle, you stay in no contact. We're going to do it. Okay, put yourself out, let your nose go, there's a handbrake on. Stick the handbrake on. Handbrake. Put yourself out for that, all right? Revaldo Toma was seen driving his red Peugeot near Maidstone. The same vehicle had been linked to an attempted robbery in Canterbury just days before. The 24 year old who has no fixed address also had pictures on his phone incriminating him in nine other burglaries. He's been jailed for more than two years. He's accomplice will serve more than three years. Three men have been charged after more than a million pounds worth of cannabis was found being grown in Ramsgate. Police discovered around 1700 plants and cultivation equipment in a commercial unit. Electricity to the building had also been tampered with. The group have appeared in court. Kent Online News. We've had reaction from a Kent based charity after a record number of asylum seekers crossed the channel on small boats this week. On Wednesday alone, home office figures show 711 asylum seekers made the journey in 14 vessels. It's the highest number on a single day so far this year and takes the total since the Rwanda bill became law to more than 1600. The government insists the deportation scheme will act as a deterrent and say the first flights will take off to Africa in a number of weeks. Kate Marsh is from Dover charity. Sam fire. Well, of course, you know, happenings like this have just become all too regular. Haven't they? We've all become a little bit desensitized to them, even hearing the new record here and there. We hear that so often, don't we? So it's just another day, unfortunately, down here in Dover. Of course, it does sort of make people think what affects Rwanda is actually going to have. Is it going to stop the boats? Of course not. Of course, it isn't. And this is just we're going to see more of this. We're going to continue to see this. My main concern is, of course, Rwanda isn't going to stop the boats, but is it going to push people into taking more risk and more dangerous journeys to get here? We were very much told that it was going to be a deterrent from the looks of the figures since it became law. As you mentioned there, it doesn't seem to be at the moment. No, absolutely not. And neither have any of the deterrents that have been put forward so far in the last few years. Obviously, Rwanda has just come into law this week or last week, sorry, but the plan has been around for two years. So any messaging or word of this that we're going to get across the water would have done so by now. And those who, anybody who doesn't want to take the risk of Rwanda would have chosen not to. So I think that if the boats would have been stopped by Rwanda, we certainly would have seen that by now and we haven't, of course, the flights under that particular scheme haven't set off yet. We're told 11 or so weeks, maybe, obviously the voluntary flights have taken off. When the flights actually do go, we've heard that people have been detained and they're getting ready to go on those flights. Do you think that will make any difference when people see it actually happening? I don't believe so. No, I don't believe so. I think we've known for quite some time now that it was definitely going to pass into law. Obviously, it's taken quite a while. It was sort of ping ponged between back and forth in government. So we have been waiting, but it has been quite a while since we realized that in some way, at some point, it was going to come into law. So I know I don't think seeing actual flight taking off is going to make any more difference than it's already made. We heard yesterday from a young woman who'd crossed over to Kez. She'd attempted more than 30 times. And I think it was like her 31st crossings she'd made. So that shows the determination of people to get here, doesn't it? Yes, absolutely. That's not an uncommon story to hear. People are having here on a small boat haven't just turned up in France yesterday and go, "Oh, I'll just hop on the next boat." It doesn't work like that. There is a level of dissemination and a last chance, if you will. They feel like it's their last chance, their only option. And they will take that chance. Whatever awaits them descend, I feel like that is a chance they will always take. And the only way we stop the boat is by offering an alternative. At the moment, we have a lot of people coming over on small boats who have a legitimate claim to asylum and who will be given asylum when they get here. But because of where they come from or their situation, they're not covered by any of the current safe legal routes that we do have. Those legal routes need to be looked at to broaden the criteria so we can accept more people or implement a new safe legal route where we can scoot these people up and take away the need for them to take these routes. A Kent motorcyclist says he's furious after a pothole caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage to his bike. The rider was travelling along Monks Hill in Smardon, the Ashford when he hit the crater, which buckled the wheels of his bike, leaving him with a 500-pound bill, the 69-year-old, who lives in the village. For his one day, he'll be thrown from his bike. He's calling for better upkeep of rural roads. The RSPCA has been telling the Kent Online podcast they're worried about an increase of catapult attacks in Kent. Last week, we reported that a pet peacock had been killed in Maidstone and there have also been reports of ducks and other wildlife being targeted. It's feared it's a trend that's being made popular on social media. Jeff Edmond is from the animal charity. It's a worrying trend, you know, we're seeing animals producing birds targeted, suffering horrendous cruelty and suffering. And I have to say that it's not just in Kent, it's elsewhere as well. So it is a trend that we are worried about. We are talking to the police and I'd like to thank the police for investigating the incidents they are in Kent, but we're seeing this and it's really worrying that people are potentially targeting birds in particular animals as well with catapults causing horrendous suffering. And why for fun or why are they doing it? It's a real worry. What's it like for RSPCA officers who are called out to these cases? It's distressing for us to have to do with it. As indeed, as I say, it is our colleagues and the police. You know, what we're seeing here, we're seeing an animal that's been injured, quite seriously injured, in pain, in suffering as a result of some of these actions. And also often we forget there when we found the animal and we don't know who's done it, you know, which I've got to make lots of inquiries as to try and find out the people who are committing these sort of incidents because it's horrendous. We're talking here of badly injured wildlife. And it must be really traumatic for members of the public as well who see this happening or, you know, come across the body of an animal that has been injured in this way. I mean, we're a nation of animal lovers. It's really awful that this is happening. I think you right, we do claim to be a nation of animal lovers and certainly in the RSPCA, we want everybody to be there with us, you know, for every kind of animal to protect everything we've got and look after it. And it must be very distressing to the public to see this, to see people using animals effectively to target practice by the use of catapults, you know, firing weapons and the pain and suffering is horrendous because, as I say, the injuries can be very serious that are caused. An animal can be left there suffering. So it's part of really strengthening links with the community that we all need to be aware that this is going on. We need to report at the police. The RSPCA needs to be working with the police to tackle these issues. And we have to talk about it. It's sadly a trend that we don't want to see, but we are seeing. And I suppose there's a risk that that behaviour could escalate as well if people were harming, as you say, birds is quite a common one. Could they then go on to start harming dogs or even children? The worry is, and you quite right, that it often is birds that are targeted and it tends to be thinking, "I know there's been this incident of the peacocking tent." We've had incidents of swans, geese, ducks, and it tends to be because they are birds that are sat there and become sadly victims. So we know innocent victims, if you like, of a violence attack. But equally, we're seeing it in animals, you know, we're seeing rabbits, we're seeing it potentially in squirrels and other animals that are there. So this is where we must work in partnership with the police, which we are doing, and I'd like to thank the many rural task forces, the police that are working with at the moment, that we are talking about this, and the worries are there. But we need to talk about it to make a difference. We need to strengthen those links in the community that as a nation of animals, we care for every kind of animal. It comes as two catapults and more than 60 bull bearings were seized from two boys in paddock wood. A building dubbed one of the ugliest in Canterbury could be turned into flats with a plush rooftop penthouse. The proposals were seen New Engate House on Lower Bridge Street turned into 32 flats. The grey exterior brickwork would also be covered with multi-coloured cladding panels. Council will make a decision on the development later this year. Neighbors of a derelict office block in Canterbury say a loud alarm continuously going off has been making their lives a misery. Residents have complained about the noise coming from Beckett House. They say the alarm is going off as often as every 15 minutes, a spokesperson from Council, so they've contacted the property's management agent and will be sending a crew out. The operators of a recycling plant in Canterbury that was built without planning commission now want to increase the amount of waste they can process. The facility at the Shelford landfill site is not up and running yet while bosses at Valencia Waste Management wait for approval from KCC and the Environment Agency, but they want to increase capacity by 66% to be able to process a quarter of a million tonnes each year. Bosses have hit back at suggestions. A multi-million pound regeneration project in Gravesend has been sold off. It's one of the rumours about the charter in the town centre. Others include that it will be used for asylum seekers and has been built using the wrong concrete. A statement from the commercial trading company called the theories outlandish and say the project is nearing completion. There are fears a care home planned for Kingshill and Westmoreling would put a strain on GPs in the area. The approved facilities have more than 140 beds between them. According to a patients group who will impact local doctors' ability to care for people already on the books, it's understood plans for two more care homes are also being considered. Kent Online News. The family of a Hernbei boy who underwent a life-saving stem cell transplant is encouraging more people to sign up to be donors. Ethan Wells was just 10 when he was diagnosed with a potentially fatal blood condition but found an anonymous donor in 2022. Deborah Hyde is from Blood Cancer Charity DKMS who supported Ethan and his family. Ethan was diagnosed with very severe aplastic anemia. That's just one of the many blood cancers or blood disorders that mainly treatment with a stem cell transplant. For any family receiving a diagnosis like that and learning that their loved one might need a stem cell transplant is really, really shocking news. I know it kind of rocked his family's world. But what his medical team did was to look at the stem cell register. We have stem cell registers in the UK and many countries across the globe and they're all aligned and although sometimes it can be a little bit like looking for a needle in a haystack, very happily, a stem cell transplant, the compatible match was a donor was found for Ethan and he was able to have a stem cell transplant. That is obviously a major procedure. He was very on well but we're absolutely delighted at DKMS to hear that he is now thriving. He's back at school. He's back playing football. I know that recently he was able to enjoy a trip to France and he climbed the Eiffel Tower and he's back playing with his sibling. He really has had a second chance at life thanks to his donor and to that stem cell transplant which is why we need as many people as possible to join the stem cell register. That's why we're so grateful to Ethan and his family and particularly his mom Tracy who have organised this wonderful event on Sunday the 5th of May at Whitstable Rugby Club to encourage more people to sign up to the stem cell register. Signing up as a stem cell, a potential stem cell donor is a really quick and easy process. All you have to do is to complete a few very simple mouth swabs and answer a few health questions. If you're aged between 17 and 55 and you're in general good health you'll be eligible to sign up. Even if you're not there are lots of other ways you can help the fight against blood cancer that you can help DKMS in its mission. For example there are things you can do like liking or sharing our posts, you can volunteer, you can donate money, all the information is on our website at DKMS.org.uk. As a reminder to check before you travel by training Kent over the bank holiday weekend, engineering works will impact a number of routes on Sunday including between Seven Oaks, Patek, Wood and Tundridge Wells. Replacement buses will also be running between Mepam and Medway stations as well as between Red Hill and Tundridge. Nicholas has been speaking to Paul Prentice from Network Rail. But the good news is actually that almost all of the Southeastern routes are open over the weekend but on Sunday the 5th of May between Seven Oaks and Patek Wood our teams will be carrying out earthworks, vegetation clearance and tunnel works as well as work on the track which means we'll have to run replacement buses between Seven Oaks and Patek Wood and from Seven Oaks and Tundridge Wells. Also on the Sunday between Soul Street, Strewdon and Rainham we've got track refurbishment taking place that means our engineers will be carrying out maintenance on the track, vegetation clearance and examining some of the structures around the track as well as works on drainage that means there'll be buses replacing trains between Mepam and Rainham and between Strewdon and Rainham and on the lines between Red Hill and Tundridge and Seven Oaks and Patek Wood our teams will be working from early Sunday until early Monday to carry out embankment works and electrification works. Again buses replace trains on that route and people will know that recently there was a land slip on the line between Red Hill and Tundridge our teams are just going back just to finish off a few pieces of work there even though the route is reopened we just still need to just finish a number of tasks on that route. Why is it called that these works are generally carried out over a bank holiday? What does this period of time give you that you can't do in ordinary times or during the week? That's a great question and the reason we do this work over a bank holiday is because fewer people will be traveling we in fact do a lot of work during the night anyway and at weekends but fewer people will be traveling compared with a normal weekday because why we take the opportunity to disrupt as few people as possible so that we can carry out the work in a efficient time scale basically. It's about doing the work at the times that disrupt the fewest people. Obviously though there are some big events taking place particularly in Rochester we've got say like the sweeps festival are you confident though those rail replacement buses if they are needed are going to be enough to get people to where they want to be? Yes absolutely and our message to customers would be to please check before you travel there are some engineering works as I've said taking place over the weekend most routes are open it's just that on some places we will be asking people to change for rail replacement buses but there are lots of routes open and we do encourage people to use the railway this weekend. Tundridge Wells is said to see 11 new homes built in the space of just a few weeks thanks to a new construction method. Developers specializing in modular building are installing the rooftop apartments in Chilston Road. The flats have been made in a factory in Southampton and will be lifted into place by crane. The owners of a Canterbury cafe have defended their decision to ban laptops. Alfie Edwards who runs Fringe and Jinge Coffee says some customers were telling people to be quiet because they were on a zoom call he wanted to create a more social space so people could connect with their community. Kent Online News and now with a look at what's on around the county this weekend here's Sam Laurie. It's Friday but not just any Friday it's the Friday before a bank holiday weekend which is the best kind of Friday there is. The promise of an extra day off is always a great feeling especially when it's the start of the summer season which is exactly why we celebrate the Mayday weekend in the first place. If you want to kick off summer with a bank there are lots of brilliant days out over this early Maybank holiday. There's Maypole dancing at Kent Life and Heaver Castle, Dog Days at Dreamland in Margate and McNade in Thavisham, free film screenings at Folkston's Harbour Arm the list just goes on. In fact if you want to see the full list you can always find it on what's on and Kent Online. Or perhaps you'd rather spend the weekend in a beer garden in which case you can check out our guide to Mayday weekend pubs where you can find live music, barbecues, beer festivals and more all over the county. Now speaking of beer you can grab a pint of rear-layer or craft cider at one of Kent's biggest folk festivals which returns this weekend. The annual Sweeps Festival in Rochester is a huge Mayday celebration with Morris Dancers, folk music, outdoor entertainment, food stalls, pop-up bars and craft stalls taking over the whole town. The event will be on from Saturday to Monday with plenty of things to do for the whole family. We've got our Sweeps Best of the Fest picks up on what's on from where to park to the best bites and booze over the weekend. Now moving on to some great theatre and the Marlow Theatre in Canterbury has some fantastic shows over the weekend. The musical adaptation of Family Favourite Shrek is still running until Saturday, starring former Strictly Champ Joanne Clifton. Then fellow Strictly dancer Johannes Radabay will be rocking up with his fabulous extravaganza House of Jojo which is brimming with funnery teens and spectacular costumes and that will be at the theatre on Saturday and Sunday. Also now is the time to get your tickets booked up for next week as Pretty Women is Coming to Town. The new musical based on the 1990 rom-com starring Julia Roberts will be at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley from Monday. You might spot some familiar faces in the cast as Love Island winner Amber Davies and TV host Oreo Duba are part of the new touring production. So whatever you get up to over the next few days, I really hope you have a fun filled bank holiday weekend and you make the most of that extra day off. I know I will. Thanks Sam. That's all from us today. Thanks ever so much for listening. Don't forget you can follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and threads. You can also get the details on the top stories direct to your email each morning via the briefing to sign up just head to kentonline.co.uk and while you're on the website why not check out the latest review from The Secret Drinker.
