logo
Maidstone girls supported by horses through Kent Police course

Maidstone girls supported by horses through Kent Police course

BBC News16-07-2025
Young girls in Kent who have had issues with behaviour, school absence or confidence have said their outlooks have changed after working with horses.Tutsham Farm riding stables in West Farleigh, near Maidstone, teamed up with Kent Police to provide the Crime Cloppers course, which is now in its second year.Four girls from the Maidstone area have just completed the course funded by the charity Safer Kent.One girl told the BBC it had increased her self-confidence, while another said her school attendance was "really good this term".
One 13-year-old said she struggled to attend school prior to the course. She said: "I'm quite a naughty kid in school."My mental health was quite bad because of stuff that went on and my attendance. I never liked going in to school, but now my attendance is really good this term."
The course also looks at issues such as self-esteem and drink spiking.Alongside learning to look after the horses, the girls also learn how to read body language and trust their instincts.Jo Considine, an equine assisted learning practitioner from Tutsham Academy, said horses were "like mirrors." and were "really good at responding to emotions"."If you're walking a horse and you're nervous or you're not clear with it, it will eat the grass while you're walking it, but as soon as you start saying to it, 'no, I'm asking you to walk', and be firm, the horse responds," she said.
Kent Police PCSO Kirsty Greaves, who set up the initiative, said education was key to keeping young girls safe. "We hope that by educating young girls about potential risks and teaching them to identify dangerous and risky situations and behaviours, we can reduce their risk of being exploited," she said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bradford City of Culture baton finishes district-wide journey
Bradford City of Culture baton finishes district-wide journey

BBC News

time18 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Bradford City of Culture baton finishes district-wide journey

A celebratory baton designed by pupils at a Bradford school is on the final day of a four-week tour of the artwork, commissioned to commemorate the City of Culture year, was created by students at Carlton Bolling and has visited each of the district's 30 electoral journey, which began in the Keighley and Ilkley area, ends in Clayton on Thursday, and has seen hundreds of pairs of hands carry the piece since the start of Boyle, head of art at the school which came up with the design, said: "It's been named the Baton of Cohesion because the whole point of the event is to try and link all the wards together with a single event during the City of Culture year." Mr Boyle said about 20 pupils had been involved with coming up with the distinctive design which ended up resembling the Olympic torch."We've made 10 all together. Of the first four there's one left that's been taped together and is making its way around."But we've made another six in the last week-and-a-half with the idea that hopefully that will get them to the end," he each ward the baton was carried by someone from the local area, with nominations coming via Bradford Council concluding in a celebratory Boyle said: "The Baton of Cohesion has given some students the opportunity to see other parts of Bradford."And I know that seems strange; why aren't they going to other parts of Bradford? "But for some students that is a challenge." Thursday's final handover at Clayton Village will be followed by a special family fun day at Odsal Stadium on Thursday, 31 will happen to the remaining batons is still Boyle said: "I know we've got one for our school. And there are six (in total)."It could be that they're distributed to different organisations in Bradford to hold on to on a permanent basis... depending on how many are left, of course."

'Dickensian conditions' in rat-infested flats in Sandbach
'Dickensian conditions' in rat-infested flats in Sandbach

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

'Dickensian conditions' in rat-infested flats in Sandbach

People living in a residential block in Cheshire which has an infestation of rats have said they are living in "Dickensian" of Valley Court in Sandbach said there were rats throughout the building and also raised concerns about fire doors which do not close and security Fernay, who lives with his 10-year-old son in the building, said he wanted those who own the building to "realise that we're not just numbers in flats, these are families".Housing association Torus, which owns the building, apologised and said a "comprehensive approach" would be taken to resolve the issues. Mr Fernay and his son moved into the flats in March and said they were "really happy" but soon faced issues with rats."It started after we've been here about four weeks, and first heard it behind the oven and the extractor fan," he said, adding he thought it was a bird initially."I banged the oven and a head of a rat popped out from behind the oven," he said in recent days he also found a dead rat on the floor of his living room.A pest control officer was sent out who said the issue in his apartment was from a large hole underneath his sink, but filling it would involve ripping out the a meeting with the housing association on Wednesday, Mr Fernay said the work had added he was also told by a pest controller that the complex's rat problems had been caused by a collapsed drain."Surely these are urgent cases? What is more urgent than a rat infestation when there's children around it?" he added he had hired a carpet cleaner and was "constantly bleaching everywhere"."You shouldn't be having to be living like this. It's 2025 and it's Dickensian," he said. Dale Hunter lives on the top floor of the said although he hadn't had rats in his apartment, he had heard them underneath the floor and had other issues with the moved in in May 2024 but found out that due to an issue with his meter, he was paying for a neighbour's bill as well as his, and is still waiting for an accurate his biggest concern is fire safety in the building, as a number of the fire doors do not close."If you look at the door outside my apartment, it stays open. The floor isn't straight, so when you push it a bit too far, it catches," he said."I'm extremely embarrassed of where I live, unfortunately I'm not in a financial situation to put myself into private." Cath Murray-Howard, the chief operating officer at Torus, said: "We are really sorry for the distress this has caused our tenants and the unpleasant conditions they have had to live in; it is clear we have fallen far short of our expected standards in this said the company had tried numerous tactics to rid Valley Court of the problems, and a "comprehensive approach" would now be taken."A full clean-up will also be carried out and once finished, we will monitor the works going forward so the issues do not return," she said."Tenants have been incredibly patient and we thank them for this and we will be keeping them updated..."Once again, we apologise and want to assure them we are committed to fixing these problems as quickly as possible." Read more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.

Machine blasts chewing gum off Farnborough town centre streets
Machine blasts chewing gum off Farnborough town centre streets

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

Machine blasts chewing gum off Farnborough town centre streets

Chewing gum is being blasted from the streets of a town centre thanks to a £17,300 clean-up in Farnborough comes after Rushmoor Borough Council became one of 52 areas across the country to receive money from the Chewing Gum Task Guinness, council cabinet member, said: "Chewing gum is unsightly and nobody wants it stuck on the end of their shoes and then traipsed in through their house."She said the clean-up makes people think twice about dropping their gum on the floor. "People think more afterwards about what they're doing and and you find that for quite a long time people don't put their chewing gum on the floor and do actually use the bins."She added: "Hopefully Farnborough will look amazing."Cleaning teams used a machine to clean away detritus from the pavements to see the then use heat and low pressure which melts the gum so it drains away along with other dirt. Cleanliness Town centres and markets manager Diane Highet said: "We want a town centre that people are proud to visit."We want people to be able to sit and not have to worry about what they're sitting in."According to a recent council survey 98% of people were concerned about the cleanliness of town centres. Some shoppers who spoke to the BBC backed the clean-up, while one thought it was a waste of money. Paul Hamilton welcomed the move. "I've trodden in it, I think we all have, it's horrible," he Chapman, from Farnborough, added: "It's a very good idea. It's disgusting on the streets."The Chewing Gum Task Force was established by the government and is administered by Keep Britain Tidy. It brings together major gum producers to clean-up litter on the streets.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store