17/12/2012 Inside Out South East

What happens to young people when they leave care and they have no

one to turn to? I was living in a B&B when I was 15. That is very

young. We have an exclusive record -- report. What they are doing is

facing this cliff-edge. He returns of the working course to our

countryside. I could not do that with a tractor! I cannot even

explain it. On the search for our rarest plants. I have the honour

and privilege of introducing new to the rarest and most precious and

unusual plants in southern England. I and Natalie Graham with untold

stories closer to home. This is Tonight, I am just outside

Tenterden. I will be back here In these difficult economic times

many young people turn to their parents for help until they can

afford stand on their own two feet. But what happens to the young

people who don't have parents to turn to? Who can't go home and who

can't rely on the bank of mum and dad? What happens to young people

who have been in care for their childhood in foster homes or

childrens homes? They can find themselves expected to live

indepently at 16 entering adult life alone. Inside Out has been

given exclusive access to a new survey studying what actually

happens to young people when they leave the care system. Its findings

are extremely disturbing. The research the University of Kent due

to be published next year shows these young people have a very high

chance of becoming homeness. Almost two out of three at some time after

leaving care will be without a home - a very different picture to the

one painted by the government. The research includes in-depth

information from more than 250 care leavers. The highlights have been

the sheer number that have been homless with 61 per cent of those

sampled being homeless and of those 61 per cent 48 per cent of them

have been homeless for longer than three months. Ashley O'Brien has

been living rough on and around the streets of Canterbury for most of

the last four years since he was 19. He went into care when he was eight

years old after suffering abuse. We met him one evening begging in the

town streets. At the minute I'm basically out here on the streets

fighting for survival sometimes it's that cold no matter how much

bedding you've can't get warm you can't get comfortable you have to

walk about to keep warm otherwise you are going to freeze to death

out here. After spending his childhood in foster care and

childrens' homes Ashley was deemed old enough to have a flat of his

own when he was just 18. But Ashley wasn't ready and didn't cope. I had

a little part time job and couldn't affiord to pay for anything cos my

job just wasn't paying the money to pay the rent. When was the last

time you saw your social worker who was meant to look after you as a

child in care? 18. And what was the last conversation you had with that

person can you remember were they like come back if you need us or

anything like that? No, all they said is they bought me a kettle a

toaster some knives and forks and some cutlery and a bit of food and

said we hope you get on. Ashley's story is extreme but sadly he is

not alone. Ben King left care only to end up homeless he took me to

one of the places that he used to spend many dark nights under the

Bridge to the Isle of Sheppey. When I came out of care, they put me in

supported lodgings then the woman gave up he surported lodgings she

didn't want to do it any more but I had a job at the time a full time

job and the people that were in charge of her came to me and said

we have foiund you a full time place in Ashford you need to give

up your job and I didn't want to do that. Rather than give up the job,

Ben chose to sleep in his van but the struggle of living like that

meant he lost the job he then spent two years in that terrible

situation. It was indescribably cold, wet and it's damp not just

the rainwater its damp as well indescribable really something I

Ben's now in a council flat and his life is slowly getting better

although he is still traumatised by his experience of living rough.

According to the government cases like Ben and Ashley's are the

minority they say 90 per cent of are care leavers are in suitable

accomodation. So how can there be such a discrepancy between the

government figures and those of the Kent research? The government

routinely collects data on care leavers but unfortunately only goes

up to the age of 19 for me. That's akin to evaluating the a wedding

after the honeymoon that's far too early but also the data that they

collect is from local authrotieis one of the key indicators in being

in settled accommodation where on the surface local authroties seem

to be doing well but the data that s published by the government is

certainly not corresponding to mine. What are the other findings in the

survey? Much has been confirmed from previous research of the

amounts that have been exposed or found themselves caught up in the

criminal justice system. We asked a question whether they had ever had

sex for money, somewhere to stay or drugs and it was quite surprising

the number who had admitted having sex for somewhere to stay. But not

all homeless care leavers end up on the streets many stay with friends

so called sofa surfing. Some young female care leavers live with a

boyfriend at a young age. Kayla Coley is 19 and living with her

fiance, a choice she's happy about. But she hasn't always had much

choice. She moved in with a boyfriend at 16 to get away from

bed and breakfast accommodation where she felt unsafe. I first went

to independent living in a bed and breakfast when I was 15. 15 -

that's very young. What was that like? At first I thought it was

great. I wanted the independence you like the fact that you are not

with adults or anyone to watch over you, but after a while you start to

feel kind of vulnerable and then theres the comings and goings

because it is a B&B you've got a lot strangers around all the time

and drug users people like that. Children in care are not supposed

to enter the adult world unsupported. Local authorities have

a duty to care to help them make that transition successfully and

safely, so what's going wrong? I think there is an issue to be

absolutely candid about councils talking to each other, so district

and county councils where one tier of authority has responsibility for

housing and another has the county council has responsibility for

education support social worker and other things and we need to make

sure those public agenices are all talking to each other so that the

young person doesn't fall through the net and become homeless. I

asked her what a person in Ashley's situation should do. Well, he

should write if he's not getting the support he should write to the

leader of the council and ask to meet with him or her to find the

support that's needed. The government is aware of some of the

problems facing care leavers recently they launched a care

leavers charter which promises lifelong help. Scott King, Ben

King's younger brother, was one of the people who helped them frame it.

His own situation was that after returning to college at 21 to

better himself he struggled to pay his rent. When he he went back to

his former social workers for help, he didn't get it because of his age.

It was really unexpected because before they had been so supportive.

They'd done a lot for me but as soon as I went back into education,

I said I've got part-time work and I need a little bit of a top up,

because I've done the reseach and can't claim benefits because I'm in

full time education the college is The Care Leaver's Charter was

launched in the autumn by the Children's Minister it makes many

promises but will those promises I think one of the problems we face

is the past is that too many people I think the average age a chid now

leaves home is 25. We have found through this report and working

with kent university they hav done a survey which has 60 per cent of

care leavers facing homelessness at some time around 40 per cent of

those for more than three months. Is the government aware of these

high levels of homelessness? Those are completely unacceptable figures

and local authorities need to do more to support children leaving

care so they don't end up in that dreadful situation. The charter

offers lifelong support. Jenny Whittle has promised that Kent will

sign up to it but is it affordable? I think it's possible I'm not sure

it's affordable but having said that if a care leaver who has

undergone enormous trauma, instability, and a dysfunctional

childhood then has mental health issues at 35 40 do we take away the

safety net and say sorry you are not entitled to anything now

because if we don't deal with hose issues many of them end up in

prison, prostitution, drugs, alcohol and then another agency has

to pick up the tab. But will the new charter help Scott? He still

struggling to stay at college and pay his for his flat. When he went

to his social workers for help, his corporate parents, he was let down.

You have parents and cousins and aunts and uncles I literally have

nothng the only thing I have is you and you are the last resort, and

I've tried every other option and now I've come to you not cos I want

to or because I'm a sponge but because as my perents you should be

there for me when I need it. And what about Ashley the young man

living on the streets of Canterbury will the charter change his life?

If it can, he's not aware of it. He's living on the streets and no

one has come to help him. He's already been in trouble and spent

time in prison he fears he may get locked up again, for begging. A

bleak prospect. I have no income. I have to beg I keep getting arrested

told me if catch me one more time begging, even if I don't see me

asking people, hear me asking people if I don't have a sign in

front of me or no money out in front of me they will arest me,

charge me and and take me to court and possibly imprisonment. Social

services is supposed to provide a safety net for the needy in this

country. But at the moment, one group, care leavers are prone to

Coming up. Rare plants in danger. We are going to be showing you a

Working horses used to be a fundamental part of the way we

farmed. With the internal combustion engine doing things for

our barman, is it time to work with There was a time when they were

everywhere - on farms, at factories and docks, by canals or railways

and fighting alongside the troops in both world wars. Plodding,

sweating, grafting. Our industrial power, agricultural power, even

political power, was achieved by horsepower. The importance of the

horse in Britain's history is all too often overlooked. Look at this

fine fellow. He would pitch almost copped a shame. But life became

more and more mechanised and the working horse was almost forgotten.

But there's been a revival with more people harnessing the power of

It may be on a smaller scale, but some people are demonstrating that

the working horse isn't just a nostalgic ideal. Frankie Woodgate

from Tenterden has been a horse logger for 16 years. She

specialises in the sustainable management of ancient, semi-natural

woodland across Kent and Sussex. That means felling trees and using

her colleagues Jeton, Esa and Tagus to do the heavy shifting. Why use

heavy horses rather than a tractor? Well, in here specifically horses

are light, quiet, manoeuvrable, and we cause no rutting which can cause

a great deal of damage in the ancient soil and in ancient

woodland such as this. Horses are so manoeuvrable. We can get in and

out of any of the regrowth you see around you. There are these

coppiced trees which have got the summer's regrowth on them. If you

brought a tractor in here, you could possibly damage that regrowth.

Full woodlands in the South East, that is great. We have some of the

finest resources here on our doorstep. Horses can move in and

out and extract them causing no damage at all. Frankie uses

machinery alongside her horses to get the job done and believes both

work beautifully together. Deep in the ancient woods it's the agility

of the horse that comes up trumps. And a horse the size of Jeton is

happy to haul up to a tonne of At the turn of the 20th Century

there were over 3 million working horses in Britain. Most worked on

the farms, but you could find many in the cities working for the

breweries and even policing the streets. But it was a tough

existence and many suffered terribly. The life expectancy of a

whore so in London was only 18 months. -- horse. Many horses get

up to 20 years old. You have to remember that they were working

night and day. And some of them died while they were working? Yes.

The expression died in on this is from where the course was working,

and drops dead on the road. The advent of the Great War in 1914

lead to the British army commandeering a million horses to

fight alongside the troops in France. When the war ended four

years later, just 62,000 returned home from battle. As the decades

rolled by pressure to grow more crops coupled with advances in

technology meant the numbers of working horses dwindled, some

breeds even came close to Today while some breeds are still

very much at risk, enthusiasts keen to keep horses working the land are

displaying them in ploughing matches. It's a pastime growing in

popularity for people like Ray Dawkins. Why do you do this, Ray?

It keeps the tradition going. It's something for the horses as well

and it's for the people - they always like to see the horses. And

that's why they do this, to keep them going? Yeah, we owe them a bit

of debt to keep them going and show people what it used to be. Ray's

won awards for his ploughing prowess. He's decided to let me

have a go, and I'm feeling the pressure. This is more nerve-

racking than taking to the wheel of the car for the first time! Tell

them to walk on. War on! 4,! -- walk on! They will only work for

Ploughing matches are growing in popularity, but many breeds of

heavy horses are still on the endangered species list. It's

costly to keep one and essential knowledge is being lost because the

horsemen with the traditional know- But despite all the setbacks there

is hope because some owners are convinced their horses shouldn't

just be a reminder of a world gone by. 28-year-old Ree and her sister

Charlie are quite capable of teaching old ponies new tricks. But

Ree has combined her horse sense with her business sense. Last year

she set up a market garden in Wartling called Court Lodge Veg,

using her ponies to do the horse work. Horses live off the land

anyway, they eat whatever's around in the field and they convert that

to manure and energy. And then the manure we can collect up and

fertilise the land with it as well, so they are useful in lots of ways.

And they are very much a part of the system. With a tractor you are

buying diesel to power it and it's a whole different energy coming in.

I suppose the energy here is contained. It's magic working with

contained. It's magic working with a horse, there is nothing like

a horse, there is nothing like working with a horse. Back in the

ancient wood near Tenterden there's more logging to be done and

Frankie's handed over the reins to me! Through their business success

Frankie and Ree are proving it is still a viable proposition to use

horses to earn a living. Keeper off to the right. We are now at a time

when we need to assess what we are, and see how we can slot the use of

draught animals backing to our lives. That is not to say that we

have to slow the whole thing down and become ponderous, but I think

it is vital, a role that they can play. Through their picnics --

business success, they are proving that they are showing they can make

a living. After all, horses have served us for centuries so why

shouldn't they be a valuable part Tom Hart Dyke knows a thing or two

about the extreme length people will go to in search of rare plants.

He nearly lost his own life trying to get an orchid in the South

American jungles. He should have stayed closer to home because we

have some equally precious plants and they are being held under heavy

security to keep them away from thieves. I am Tom Hart Dyke and

welcome to my garden at our family home. Today I have got the Honour,

the privilege, of introducing you to some of the rarest and most

unusual plants in southern England. On a sadder note, bringing a tier 2

my horticultural I, I am going to be showing you the darker side of

the plant world. First, I am going to give you a mini-tour of my world

garden. There are 8000 varieties of Deep down here in the UK section of

the garden I have got my first orchid that my grandmother bought

me at the Age Of seven. It is a common spotted orchid, marsh orchid

hybrids. After purchasing this plant, I have never looked back in

the world of orchids. I have gone to every corner of the globe to see

these plants in the wild. I know what it is like to be mystically

seduced by these wonderful plants. People go to any lengths to see

these plants. And don't I know it. I was even kidnapped in Colombia

and held hostage for nine months while I was trying to find a rare

orchid. But even in England people can be just as obsessed by rarities,

like the one we are going to see. I am just about to show you one of

the rarest plants in this country. I may have been to every far corner

of this globe looking for orchids, but now on my doorstep, I have

never seen the red helleborine. It is fabulous. It is on the brink of

extinction. An excessive phrase? has been on the brink of extinction

for the last 20 years. This delicate and very fussy orchid only

grows on three sides in England and that is why dislocation is secret,

to protect it from plant thieves. They even put up a fence as a

deterrent after a nasty incident. We turned up one day and we came

round here and all but one of them had been cut off and the flowers

had been taken. What was the point? I do not know, people want to deny

the pleasure and the excitement of it to other people. I cannot

understand it. The Wild Life Trust is working with Kew Gardens to try

and find ways of spreading the plant, but the closest I am going

to be able to get to the red helleborine is this. Next, I have

come to the Nymans Estate in Sussex to look at another rarity that was

targeted by unscrupulous collectors. It is a fantastic place up here.

Look at that beech tree. This is that tiny fern, with the delicate

little fronds. This is the tiny Tunbridge filmy fern and all that

much that remains from a larger patch which was last year ripped

from the rocks. The empty space below is where it was before it.

This whole patch here? I spotted it from way down in the valley because

after it was pulled off it was a bright white piece of rock. How old

would it be? I would have to say it was hundreds, because it spreads so

slowly, it was the equivalent of taking a whole forest. What was the

point? Was it a specialist collector? I do not understand,

because you have to be a specialist to know exactly what you are

looking for. It is a fantastic name. Seeing it for the first time it is

as exciting as seeing an orchid in the Bolivian Highlands. I am now on

my way to the Isle of Wight to see my third and final rare plant which

grows here and know where else in Britain. I have found it, I have

discovered it, the best location in the country and the only location

in the UK where to find the wood calamint. The plant was only

discovered in the 19th century in Great Britain. The seat was under

licence and we scattered it here and transplanted four plants from

another area and the following year we had quite a nice show, which was

the impetus to get us to take it elsewhere. You have saved one of

the rarest plants in this country from extinction in your work and it

is fantastic. In your capable hands If you want any more information

about tonight's show, you can visit our Kent or Sussex websites and you