KentOnline

The owners of a Medway pub have spoken of the devastation caused by flooding.
The Fenn Bell Inn at Hoo is also home to an animal conservation project.
They were alerted to rising water in the early hours of this morning and say even firefighters couldn’t stop it.
Also in today’s podcast, nursery school staff have been overlooked during the pandemic according to one academy head.
There are calls for the government to extend a ban on landlords being able to evict tenants to avoid a spike in homelessness after the pandemic.
And, why squirrels, lions and bats are all making the headlines in Kent.

Food hampers sent to low income families to help feed children while they learn from home have been criticised after pictures of the contents were shared on social media.The government has responded today saying it ‘will not be tolerated’ and catering companies have been ordered to improve.My Kent Family editor Lauren Abbott did a £30 shop to feed her two children – find out how she got on.
Also in today’s podcast – the minister in charge of the Covid vaccine roll-out has been quizzed by Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark.A former Kent police officer is calling for current members of the force to have more powers during lockdown 3.And, there’s a rather unusual job up for grabs in Kent – we’ve got the details.

A woman from Medway who thought the government were exaggerating how serious coronavirus is, has revealed how it left her in a coma.
Kelly Cooney contracted the virus in mid-December and was rushed to hospital on Christmas Day.
She’s spoken to the KentOnline Podcast from her hospital bed at Medway Maritime in Gillingham.
Also in today’s podcast, more coronavirus testing sites are opening in the county.
We’ve been speaking to a Dover man who’s spent the past 20 years researching video games that never made it onto shop shelves.
And there was a sonic boom in Kent today – hear what it sounded like and why it happened.

Figures given to the KentOnline Podcast show thousands more children are going into school during the third lockdown compared to the first national restrictions introduced last March.Some school heads say their staff are fearful of catching the virus and have mounting workloads as they juggle teaching in classrooms and remotely to those at home.Hear from the chief executive of an academy trust that oversees 10 primary schools in the east of the county.
Also in today’s podcast, the man in charge of Britain’s oldest Brewer, Faversham based Shepherd Neame, is backing calls for a hospitality minister as the idea is debated in parliament.A therapist from Tonbridge has advice on how to avoid suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder during Lockdown 3.And we hear from Gillingham’s assistant manager after they suffered a 1-0 defeat to bottom of the table Burton Albion at the weekend.

A councillor who’s battling coronavirus has described the conditions in hospital from his bed.
Ricky Jones is being treated at Dartford’s Darent Valley where critical care is at ‘full stretch’ according to bosses.
It comes after grim statistics revealed 50 people had died with the virus at hospitals in Kent – the highest figure in the county in a single day.
Meantime, there are calls for decisions to be made sooner rather than later on whether the Kent Test will go ahead at normal this year.
We hear from a student who says they should get some of their tuition fee money back as they study from home.
Away from covid news – there’s a football revolution happening in Margate and we’ve been finding out about it.
Plus we catch up with Gillingham’s Jordan Graham ahead of their game against Burton Albion this weekend.

Paul and Oliver are back to break down the most important political stories of the week.
GCSE and A-level exams have been scrapped as schools close again, but will the Kent Test be next? 
All seems quiet on the roads after the end of the Brexit transition period, but is it the calm before the storm? 
Plus, one Kent MP swipes at social media giants after Donald Trump uses platforms to stoke up the rioters who stormed Capitol Hill. 

Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner has been speaking to the KentOnline Podcast about how officers in the county will deal with the new lockdown.Matthew Scott has recently criticised a counterpart in the West Midlands for saying officers should have more powers to force their way into the homes of suspected lockdown rule breakers.He also talks about why he’s calling for members of the force to be higher up the Covid vaccination priority list.In today’s episode you can also hear from the chair of the Kent Association of Headteachers who says schools desperately need more tech to help children learn from home.And a Rainham family have released a video as they desperately search for information on their missing dog which they think was stolen.

Days after it was confirmed GCSE and A-level exams will not go ahead this summer, the government has confirmed how grades will be decided.Gone is the controversial algorithm used last year with teacher assessment being used instead.In today’s podcast, hear from an education law expert who has also been speaking about university students who are paying thousands to study at home.We’ve also been looking at children’s mental health as they spend much more time in doors during lockdown this time around.A counsellor from Childline has been chatting to us, along with the editor of My Kent Family who is home schooling her two children.Plus the boss of Britain’s oldest brewer, which is based in Faversham, says his pubs are available to become Covid vaccination centres.

It’s feared the third national lockdown in England could last until March.
The Prime Minister announced the measures last night in yet another bid to try and get the spread of coronavirus under control.
In today’s podcast, hear from Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clarke who’s confident the roll out of the vaccine will help things get back to normal sooner rather than later.
We’ve also been speaking to a student who was due to take A level exams and is now waiting to find out how he’ll be graded instead.
What’s the future for the high street? The Chancellor has announced a financial package to help – we get reaction from the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce.
And, a personal trainer says we should still try and stay as active as possible – even though this lockdown is in the middle of winter.

It is feared we could be heading for another national lockdown as coronavirus cases continue to rise.The Prime Minister will address the nation tonight as Kent starts the year in tough tier 4 restrictions.Many schools across the county are closed – we’ve been speaking to a leading headteacher about the challenges of testing pupils when they re-open.Also in today’s podcast, more testing facilities are opening across the county, but just how accurate are the results? We’ve been speaking to a GP about the chances of getting a false positive.The daughter of a Maidstone bus driver who died after contracting Covid-19 has revealed how he worked throughout the pandemic despite concerns he could get ill.In Brexit news we hear from a fishermen who isn’t happy with the trade deal that’s now in place.And in sport, the Gillingham manager has been reacting to their defeat at the weekend to Plymouth Argyle.