KentOnline

A young man has suffered ‘life-changing injuries’ after being stabbed at a nightclub in Medway.
A second man was also hurt at Coyotes in Chatham in the early hours of Sunday.
Hear a statement from police which reveals two people have been arrested.
Also in today’s podcast, just a day after it was revealed a fourth boy has died after falling into a frozen lake near Birmingham, a Folkestone woman says she was shocked to see children trying to walk on a frozen pond.
Amanda De Feo saw the boys testing the ice at Radnor Park in the town.
A French charity’s revealed it was sent a voice message begging for help just before a boat carrying asylum seekers capsized in the Channel.
Four people died when it happened off the coast of Dungeness yesterday morning.
A man who maintains an area of woodland near Canterbury says he can’t believe he’s been told to tear down the building he uses as an office.
There are six structures on the site in Adisham and council bosses have decided they’re in breach of planning regulations.
The KentOnline Podcast has been told the housing market in Kent is looking positive heading into 2023 – despite national reports of falling property prices.
They dropped by 2.3% in November, the third monthly fall in a row.
Hear from expert Spencer Fortag from Dockside property services in Medway.
And, more of the gifts you donated to the Give a Gift appeal on kmfm have been delivered to charities in Kent.
We received thousands of toys and games which’ll be given to children in time for the big day. Hear from a charity and hospital that have been taking delivery of the presents.

Four people have been confirmed to have died after a boat carrying asylum seekers capsized in the Channel.
More than 40 people who were on the vessel have been rescued alive.
Hear from the Home Secretary who has given a statement in the Commons. We’ve also been getting reaction from some of Kent’s MP and charities that work with asylum seekers.
Also in today’s podcast, a coroner’s confirmed a dad-of-three died in Strood after being crushed by a lorry.
An inquest’s opened into the death of 44-year-old Andy Millward who was killed when his car was hit by the vehicle which overturned on Station Road last month.
The mum of an autistic boy from north Kent says some of the community’s most vulnerable children are at risk of being left behind.
It comes after the parents of another teenager with autism say he took his own life after being bullied and then let down by social services.
A Herne Bay couple could be forced to spend Christmas in an Airbnb after their flat was flooded with sewage.
Frances and Tony’s home on Central Parade has been left badly damaged and presents for friends and family were also destroyed.
A search is under way for a mystery man who’s delivered Christmas cards with money in to people in Chatham.
Residents on Larkspur Road have received £5 each with a note saying it’s to help with heating bills.
More of the presents you generously donated to the Give a Gift appeal on our sister radio station kmfm have been delivered to children in Kent.
The presents are going to charities, hospitals and those in care this festive time.

A woman has been taken to hospital following a crash on an icy road in Ashford.
Police and ambulance crews were called at about 6.30am.
It comes as we’re reminded to take extra care while out and about because of the freezing conditions.
Hear from a forecaster at the Met Office on what’s in store for the rest of the week and whether we might have a white Christmas.
Also in today’s podcast, the first in a series of rail strikes in Kent over Christmas and New Year is under way.
There’ll be serious disruption between now and January 7 as members of the RMT union walkout or refuse to do overtime.
Hear from Southeaster, Network Rail and the general secretary of the RMT.
More safe and legal routes are going to be set up for people wanting to seek asylum in the UK.
The Prime Minister’s been speaking in the Commons about how the Government plans to tackle the issue of small boats crossing the Channel to Kent.
A small business owner says she’s going to have to bring in security after a thief ran off with a load of jewellery during the Westgate Christmas lights switch on.
Two busts full of necklaces were taken from Bling and Rocks.
We’ve been catching up with a Dartford teenager who is set to take on a cycling marathon in a bid raise funds for research into Alzheimer’s.
Piper Monk is aiming to use a static bike to complete the challenge in under three hours at her school, Wilmington Academy.
A Kent nature reserve has been named as a champion site for one of the UK’s rarest bumblebees.
Victory Wood near Whitstable was bought by the Woodland Trust in 2004, and has since become a haven for wildlife.
And, congratulations to Olivia Coleman who has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in a new movie filmed in Kent.

Volunteers have been rescuing drivers stranded in cars and dozens of schools have been forced to close after heavy snow hit Kent.
Many roads became impassable when the wintry conditions swept across the county last night. Hear from a member of the South East 4×4 Response.
We’ve also been finding out how Network Rail have been trying to keep Kent’s trains running and the boss of a foodbank charity says they’ll keep feeding people whatever the weather. Plus we have details on some festive events that have been cancelled.
Also on today’s podcast, a woman has been left covered in shattered glass after a car crashed into the front of her home in Deal.
Hear about the moment it happened and why there are calls for safety at a junction to be improved.
A small businesses owner from Snodland has been speaking about the impact of Royal Mail strikes with more happening in the run-up to Christmas.
Rail operator Southeastern have brought in a new timetable.
It’s in response to changes in the way we travel following the pandemic – hear what it means in the county.
And, find out who’s going to be joining Kent cricket for their T20 Blast games next season.

Could we be about to see the first snow of the winter in Kent?Forecasters have issued a yellow weather alert for Sunday – we have the full details.
Also in today’s podcast, a mum’s launching legal action against a Kent hospital trust after a coroner ruled her baby’s death was avoidable.Rosanna Mathews passed away just three days after being born at Tunbridge Wells hospital in Pembury in November 2020.People living in part of Dartford say they’re so fed up with anti-social behaviour they’re setting up their own Neighbourhood watch to try and stop it.Young people are said to be causing a nuisance in Wilmot Park in the West Hill part of town. Hear from one of the new members of the community group.The Archbishop of Canterbury is urging the government to take a more compassionate approach towards asylum seekers who cross the Channel to Kent in small boats.Justin Welby’s been speaking in the House of Lords as figures show more than 43,000 people have made the dangerous journey so far this year.The KentOnline Podcast has been hearing how virtual reality is being used as a form of therapy for young people in Kent.A pilot programme was initially launched by FCS Talking Therapies in January to support 17 to 25 year-olds. Hear from their clinical director.Presents you donated through the Give a Gift appeal on our sister radio station kmfm are going to benefit children who’re homeless this Christmas.We’ve been delivering the thousands of toys and games to hospitals and charities ahead of the big day.Gillingham are through to the third round of the FA Cup after a dramatic win at Priestfield last night. Hear the thoughts of manager Neil Harris.And we speak to the bosses at Folkestone harbour arm where hundreds of people are expected to watch England take on France in the quarter final of the World Cup on Saturday night.

A car has crashed into the front of a hair salon in Herne Bay.
Emergency crews were called and closed off the High Street after it happened at around 11.30am. Hear from our reporter at the scene and a shop owner who heard it happen.
Also in today’s podcast, a drug-driver who killed a father and daughter in a crash in Ramsgate has been jailed for 16 years.
Nitesh Bissendary’s car went onto the pavement on Leopold Street in August. Hear from our court reporter who followed the case.
You’re being urged to try and keep the thermostat at 18c as bitterly cold weather hits Kent.
We’re officially now in a cold weather alert thanks to an icy blast of weather from the arctic. We’ve been speaking to Strood GP Dr Julian Spinks.
A Kent MP says she turned down a chance to go to the World Cup in Qatar because of the country’s human rights record.
Chatham and Aylesford’s Tracey Crouch used to be sports minister, and was invited out for the tournament. She’s been chatting to our colleagues at KMTV.
A Sittingbourne woman has made a tearful appeal in a bid to bring two street dogs back from Turkey.
Jade Carter fell in love with them after a recent stay in the country. Hear her emotional post online.
More of the toys you’ve donated to kmfm’s Give a Gift appeal have been delivered across the county.
Presents are going to children’s charities as well as youngsters in hospital or care this festive season.
And, Gillingham will be looking to make the third round of the FA Cup tonight.
They take on non-league Dagenham and Redbridge in a replay at Priestfield – hear from manager Neil Harris.

A man who abused dozens of bodies in hospital mortuaries in Kent has been sentenced to an extra four years in prison.68-year-old David Fuller from East Sussex had admitted 16 new charges.
Also in today’s podcast, we’ve been finding out what’s being done to get homeless people off Kent’s streets as temperatures plummet.Freezing conditions from the Arctic mean a cold weather alert has been put in place.We’ve been hearing from homelessness charity Porchlight and Gravesham Borough Council.The new man in charge of Kent Police has been telling us about his priorities as he starts the job.Chief Constable Tim Smith has been in temporary charge since Alan Pughsley retired in October.There are fears Aldi could leave Sheppey altogether if plans for a new store on the island are turned down.The supermarket wants to build at Neats Court and close its current shop in the Sheerness town centre. Hear from reporter and Sheppey resident John Nurden.Toys generously donated by you are being delivered to charities across Kent ahead of Christmas.We were inundated with presents as part of the Give a Gift appeal run by our sister radio station kmfm.Toys and games will also be going to young people in care or hospital this festive season.A popular burger place in Rochester is set to relocate.Chuck and Blade on the High Street is looking to move into the vacant Natwest building.And, a Kent hotel has been completely booked out by film crews from The Crown.They stayed at the Blazing Donkey not far from Sandwich last week while working in the nearby Discovery Park.

A mum has taken her three children out of a school in Medway after her eldest son was attacked.
The 16-year-old had to go to hospital after it happened at Greenacre Academy.
Also in today’s podcast, if there’s an outbreak of Strep A at your child’s school, the whole class could be given antibiotics.
Health officials have recommended the rare move as nine children have now died from the bacterial infection, which causes scarlet fever.
In other health news, find out when ambulance workers in Kent are set to go on strike.
Three climate protesters have been sentenced after staging a demo at an Amazon warehouse in Dartford.
Extinction Rebellion blockaded the site on Black Friday in November last year. They spoke to our court reporter following the case at Medway Magistrates’ Court.
You’re being asked what you think about England’s first secure school being set up in Kent.
Work on transforming the old youth jail in Rochester started in the summer and the aim is to have it open in early 2024.
We’ve been speaking to Steve Chalke who is the founder of Oasis, the group behind the new facility.
Three people from Kent who are living with long Covid have been sharing their stories to encourage everyone to get the vaccine.
It’s almost two year since the first jab was administered in the county as the vaccine programme got under way.
Find out which Kent town has been named as one of the unhappiest in the UK.
And, the team at our sister radio station kmfm have spent a second day giving out the thousands of presents you donated to their Give a Gift Appeal.
The toys and games are going to youngsters in hospital or care, and to children’s charities, ahead of Christmas.

Tributes have been paid to a young woman who died in a crash in Canterbury.
Lucy Billingham, 18, was a passenger in a Ford Fiesta that ploughed into a pub in the early hours of Saturday.
We have the latest on the police investigation.
Also in today’s podcast, a mum from Chatham has been given compensation after living with a mouse infestation for years.
Laura Clout says her three-storey property in Hardstown has been riddled with mice since she moved in seven years ago.
A butcher from Medway has been reduced to tears over the cost of living crisis.
Hear from the manager of Denis Hills Quality Butcher in Strood who is worried about the impact of rising energy bills.
The KentOnline Podcast has been told how care homes in Kent are losing staff to McDonald’s and Aldi because of poor pay and low morale.
Now there are calls for extra funding to make the job more attractive and reduce the need to call in expensive agency staff.
A former department store in Kent has been given a new lease of life as a family entertainment centre.
Husband and wife entrepreneurs Alex and Monique Souter started a panic room in Gravesend in 2016 and have now converted the former BHS in the town.
The first presents donated by you to kmfm’s Give a Gift appeal are being delivered across the county.
They’ll be going to children in hospital or care and to children’s charities this festive season.
And in sport, hear from the Gillingham manager following their 3-0 defeat to Salford City at the weekend.

A man has staged a peaceful protest at a GP surgery after struggling to get a face-to-face appointment.
We hear how busy doctors are right now.
Also in today’s podcast, a former Kent MP has admitted possessing and distributing indecent images.
Paul Clark used to represent Gillingham and appeared at Medway Magistrates Court earlier.
The parents of a Margate boy who died after being bullied for being autistic say he was let down by a lack of support.
Stefan Kluibenschadl passed away in hospital in March, but a coroner says it’s unclear whether he intended to take his own life. His dad has paid tribute.
The Kent test has been discussed in the House of Lords today.
A bill calling for the selective system to be scrapped has been having a second reading. We’ve been speaking to campaign group Comprehensive Future.
A charity says just punishing drug use doesn’t solve the issue, as it’s emerged Kent Police deal with an average of almost 500 offences involving under 18s every year.
Since 2018, there’ve been more than 17-hundred reports involving cannabis, heroin and cocaine.
A Sittingbourne mum who lost her baby at 32 weeks says a teddy bear with her daughter’s heartbeat in has helped her come to terms with the grief.
Lizzie Phillips knew from early on her pregnancy that baby Penelope was unlikely to live – she’s been telling her story to the Podcast.
A Margate charity is celebrating 20 years of providing opportunities to young people in Kent.
Pie Factory Music was set up in 2002 and has supported 50,000 people through youth work, music and arts projects, pastoral care and counselling.
Hear from their managing director ahead of a celebration this weekend.
And, our features writer Sam Lawrie looks ahead to everything going on in Kent this weekend.