KentOnline

Hundreds of teachers across Kent have gone on strike in a dispute over pay.
Marches and rallies have been taking place across the county as they urge the government to increase their wages and improve funding for education.
Our reporters have been out speaking to some of those on picket lines.
Also in today’s podcast, a new report’s raised concerns about coastal communities like Margate being overlooked in the government’s levelling up agenda.
Research has found household income in coastal areas is almost £3,000 a year lower than places inland, with nearly one in five jobs paying below the living wage.
Hear from Sally-Ann Hart who is chair of a parliamentary committee that’s been looking into the issue.
Four sites on the high street between Rochester and Chatham have been given protected status.
An old brewery, small cottage, Jewish burial ground and a tomb have been listed as Grade II. We’ve been speaking to Posy Metz from Historic England.
And, as expected, Gillingham added to their squad on the final day of the football transfer window.
Our sports reporter Luke Cawdell as all the details.

Parents have criticised a soft place facility – branding it ‘filthy’ and ‘disgusting’.Pictures of the venue at Ashford’s Stour Centre were posted online and attracted dozens of comments.
Bosses who run the site say it was due to staff sickness over the weekend – hear their statement in full.Also in today’s podcast, more details have emerged about how a boy died at a funfair in Dover.14-year-old Mackenzie Croxford-Cook was discovered at the site within Pencester Gardens last August.There’s due to be significant disruption tomorrow as teachers across Kent go on strike.Members of the National Education Union are walking out in a dispute over pay. We’ve been speaking to one teacher on the impact wages are having.Meantime, firefighters in Kent could announce strike dates as early as next week.They voted yesterday to walk out. The amount they are paid is also the issue. We’ve been speaking to Joe Weir who is from the Fire Brigades Union in the south east.There are calls for a 20mph speed limit along a busy road in Margate where one resident has had three cars written off.The most recent crash on Dane Valley Road left two men in a serious condition.A Kent theatre is at risk of closure after seeing audience numbers fall by around 60% compared to before Covid.Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells needs to raise £100,000 – hear from the executive director.And in sport, Maidstone Lioness Alessia Russo could soon become the most expensive female footballer in the world.It’s understood Arsenal are thinking of putting in another record bid for the 23 year-old to move from Manchester United.

Parents have been left needing to find alternative childcare arrangements after a nursery in Medway suddenly announced it was closing.
Bosses at The Sunflower Nursery in Chatham are blaming recruitment issues.
Meantime, campaigns are under way across the county to try and save 35 children’s centres that are at risk of closure.
It’s part of the county council’s plan to save millions of pounds amid huge pressure on their budgets.
Hear from a mum who uses a Ramsgate nursery that’s at risk, we’ve also been speaking to the manager there and the lady in charge of children’s services at the county council.
Also in today’s podcast, a Kent MP is promising government plans to tackle the crisis in the NHS will include recruiting more staff.
You’re going to start to see adverts telling you to take photo ID if you want to vote at the local elections in May.
It will also apply to General Elections from October. Hear from bosses at Gravesham Borough Council.
The new owners of a Kent pub insist turning it into a place for car lovers won’t encourage so-called boy racers…
Roger Gray and Edd Little have taken over the Halfway House in Challock, between Ashford and Canterbury.
Three teenagers have been praised for saving an elderly man who collapsed in Rainham High Street.
The Howard School sixth-formers sat down with the 81 year-old, gave him some water and carried his shopping home after he fell.
Zara Larsson’s been telling our sister radio station kmfm how her new song was inspired by 80s music…
She teamed up with MNEK to write ‘Can’t Tame Her’.
And in sport, it was a point for Gillingham on the road at the weekend.
They drew 3-3 with Swindon – hear from manager Neil Harris.

A court’s been told how a Herne Bay woman who was high on cocaine, escaped from a police car while half-naked.Hear from our reporter Sean Axtell who covered this case at Canterbury Crown Court.
Also in today’s podcast, a man’s been arrested following what police have called an “unexplained death” at a Kent Shopping centre.A man in his 30s was confirmed dead at County Square in Ashford yesterday evening.A hairdresser’s explained how she’s had to stockpile water to rinse customer’s hair, because she can’t rely on normal supplies.Loose near Maidstone has been affected by low pressure or no water at all over the past year.Sharon Hope has been speaking to reporter Cara Simmonds.Former Bake Off presenter Sandi Toksvig has met with the Archbishop of Canterbury to discuss the church’s position on gay marriage.There are plans to allow same-sex unions to be blessed – but campaigners are calling for more progress on equality for the LGBTQ+ community.The man behind plans to re-open Kent’s Manston Airport has been telling the podcast more about a potential return for passenger flights.Tony Freudmann from RiverOak has also been revealed how many jobs the site could create.We’re being asked to keep an eye on how many birds are in our gardens in Kent this weekend.The RSPB wants us to spend an hour counting the different varieties to see how populations are faring.And, Gillingham will be hoping to make it three wins in a row when they travel to Swindon this weekend.The Gills have seen a real turn around in form after bringing in new players during the January transfer window.

A teenage girl has been treated in hospital after being stabbed at Kent’s biggest secondary school.The 13-year-old was attacked while standing with a group of friends at Homewood in Tenterden.
Hear from the victim’s dad as the police and school bosses investigate.Also in today’s podcast, a Margate man is starting life in prison for murdering his girlfriend.Thomas Allen stabbed 37-year-old Samantha Murphy in the leg with a kitchen knife after trouble broke out at a neighbours home in Elfrida Close last July.NHS physios are out on strike today – affecting services at Kent’s busiest hospital.Staff in Medway are among thousands walking out, with more industrial action also planned for next month. Hear from one of those on the picket line in Gillingham.The KentOnline Podcast has been told swimming pools could be forced to close if they don’t get more help from government to pay energy bills.Swim England has warned more than 100 pools could shut or reduce the services they provide by the summer.We’ve been speaking to the chief exec of Freedom Leisure which runs the Stour Centre in Ashford.And, a Kent woman is making final preparations before setting off on an epic charity trip to Uganda.Kat Smith from New Ash Green has converted a Land Rover into an off-road motorhome and plans to spend up to nine months away from home.

People living at a holiday park in Margate fear being evicted if they can’t pay a year’s worth of fees in one go.
Bosses at Bradgate Holiday Park say they’ve been left with no choice but to ask for the money after some residents defaulted on their payments.
Hear from one of the residents and what the chief exec of the company that owns the site has had to say.
Also in today’s podcast, an NHS volunteer from Kent has paid tribute to two British humanitarian aid workers who have been killed in Ukraine.
Chris Parry and Andrew Bagshaw were hit by a shell while rescuing an elderly woman.
It’s being claimed the food and drink sector in Kent faces a crisis – due to Brexit, Covid and the rising cost of living.
The group representing small producers in the county has spoken out and is encouraging us to shop local to try and reverse their fortunes.
Hear from the lady in charge of Produced in Kent.
But it’s not all bad news for the industry, a husband and wife team have opened a new micropub in Dover.
Jason and Serena Scobel transformed the site of the Thirsty Scarecrow on the high street into the Staggered Inn.
And, find out which celeb has come face-to-face with a tiger in Kent.
 

People living on the site of a proposed reservoir near Canterbury could lose their homes if the plans are approved.South East Water want to build the facility at Broad Oak to meeting increasing demand for supplies.
Hear from a lady who would have to move but says she can’t afford to stay living in the area.Also in today’s podcast, a report’s revealed a ‘catalogue of errors’ left a Kent man ‘free’ to kill Zara Aleena in London just nine days after he was released from prison.Jordan McSweeney, who used to live in Rochester, had his licence revoked for not going to meetings about his return to the community but his recall to jail was delayed.A campaign is under way to save 35 children’s centres across Kent, which are at risk of closure.The county council’s considering selling off the buildings as part of plans to save millions of pounds.A Kent couple say they’re at “breaking point” after living with bed bugs for years.Sally and Fred Matthews blame the problem on work done by a housing association and have called to be moved elsewhere. Hear from them and the response from MHS Homes.A Kent MP’s been leading a debate into the future of nuclear power in part of the county.Dungeness B power station has been in the process of being de-fuelled since 2021 after operators EDF Energy decided not to restart the plant.The KentOnline podcast has been told passengers flights from Kent to holiday hotspots like Spain and the Canary Islands could be taking off within the next five years.The people overseeing the relaunch of Manston airport in Thanet say they’re going to resume talks with big-name budget airlines.And, there’s been a rather spooky discovery under the flood of a shop in Maidstone high street.The secret crypts could date back as far as 1331.

An Ashford man who launched an unprovoked attack on a couple in the car park of a carvery has avoided being sent to prison.
The pair were punched after leaving the Neptune pub in August 2021 – Lucy Hickmott has the story.
Also in today’s podcast, the landlady of a property in Chatham says she’s been left feeling vulnerable after a family of four moved in to her vacant rental property without her say-so.
Kathryn Wareham and her husband noticed the locks has been changed on the house in Beaconsfield Road and a mother and three children squatting inside – she’s been telling us what happened.
A Kent woman whose husband died while scuba diving off the coast of Dover has set up a podcast for other widows to share their stories.
Mum-of-three Rosie Gill-Moss struggled to deal with her grief after losing her husband Ben in 2018.
This was one of our most read stories from the weekend – there are calls for more signs to be installed directing people to an up and coming part of Ashford.
Coachworks at Dover Place has places to eat, drink and work – but businesses there say they’re not as busy as they should be. We’ve been speaking to the owner of two food outlets.
Former Strictly stars James and Ola Jordan have been telling the KentOnline podcast people struggled to recognise them when they put on a bit of weight.
The couple live in Kent with their two-year-old daughter Ella and have set up a new website to help people keep fit through dance.
Find out who made a surprise appearance at a music venue in Kent over the weekend.
And in sport, the Gillingham manager has been speaking after their first away win of the season.
They beat Colchester United 2-0 on Saturday.
 
 

A court’s heard how a mum from Deal crashed her car with her eight year-old daughter inside – the morning after drinking at a Christmas party.
Lauren Sanders was arrested after colliding with another car last month.
Our reporter talks us through the story.
Also in today’s podcast, there’s more reaction to Levelling Up cash that’s coming to Kent.
Sheerness is getting £20 million to transform the Beachfields area with a gym, cafe and soft play centre.
Hear from the area’s MP, Gorden Henderson, who is hoping it will boost employment levels with more jobs also coming to the island.
The head teacher of a Kent school that’s received its first ever ‘good’ rating says it’s a testament to the incredible staff working there.
Richmond Academy in Sheerness has been praised by Ofsted inspectors after turning its fortunes around.
We speak to Helen Evemy, who has been in charge for the past six years.
And in football, Gillingham will be looking to make it back-to-back wins in League Two this weekend.Hear the thoughts of the Gills boss ahead of their trip to Colchester.
 
 

The owner of an Ashford chip shop has criticised a decision to close a layby, which he says has forced him to remain shut on Sundays.Business are urging the council to take action so customers have somewhere to park.Also in today’s podcast, several Kent towns are being given millions of pounds through the government’s levelling up scheme.Find out how the money will be used to improve local communities and tackle queues around the Port of Dover, which is being hit with disruption today.A national strike in France means ferries have been suspended.Nurses here in Kent are also staging a second day of industrial action – we speak to one on the picket line.And, work’s underway on a major regeneration scheme in Canterbury.The St George’s Street area is getting a big revamp.