Ricky Gervais has donated £200,000 to two animal sanctuaries in Kent.

The money, which comes from his comedy tours, will be shared between The Retreat near Ashford and Flori's Friends in Canterbury.

Hear from bosses who have described it as "monumental".

Also in today's podcast, a man who attacked a Maidstone woman and threatened to throw acid over her face has been jailed.

It was when Lee George headbutted his victim, leaving her with severe concussion, that she decided to report him to police.

Elle Jenkins believes she would have been killed if she had stayed in the relationship and thinks he is a threat to other women.

We're being urged to stay at home or wear a facemask if we feel unwell as rates of flu in Kent continue to rise.

There's a warning the virus will be particularly bad this year following trends seen in Australia and New Zealand during their winter.

Anyone who's eligible for a vaccine is still being urged to get one - hear from the Chief Medical Officer for NHS Kent and Medway.

People living in social housing in Larkfield have been told they face "tenancy action" after installing their own parking bollards.

Residents of Masefield Road say their 12-space car park has become a hub for anti-social behaviour and crime.

And in sport,  Gillingham's league two game against MK Dons next month has been postponed.

The sides were due to meet at Priestfield on January 10th - but the opposition are in FA Cup third round action.

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Victims’ families have spoken out about their relief after a jury found a special needs school teaching assistant guilty of child cruelty.

The 46-year-old was found to have subjected four pupils to acts of physical abuse that included pinching, hitting and spitting at them.

Also in today’s podcast, a fresh appeal to find those responsible for the brutal murder of a pensioner more than four decades ago has been issued.

Esme Hoad was found dead in her home in Tonbridge in1982, after concerned neighbours reported she had not been seen for several days – you can hear from Detective Inspector Lee Neiles. 

Angry residents near Dover have made their feelings clear as lorry park developers paid a visit - with banners warning they were “not welcome here”.

Other blunt messages displayed in West Hougham included: “Truck off. Do we look like a village that will back down?”

You can hear from a teenager who was hit by a car and dragged from the pavement onto a verge as she calls for safety measures at a “dangerous” roundabout.

The 17-year-old had just stepped off a bus in Challock and was heading home from sixth form when she heard tyres screech.

And, a Kent woman has shared her story of beating the odds two decades after she was diagnosed with a rare cancer.

Demie Lawson Wood was told she had neuroblastoma in 2004 when she was just six, but says the care she received while having treatment is what has inspired her to become a paediatric nurse. 

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NHS staff at two Kent Trusts have been invited to resign as part of plans to cut costs.

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust and Medway NHS Foundation Trust are offering severance payouts to try and address financial challenges.

Also in today's podcast, people in Tunbridge Wells are still being told to boil their water before drinking it - more than a week after being hit with supply issues.

24,000 properties have been impacted by a problem at the Pembury treatment works. 

Meantime, the town's MP is calling on government to provide Covid-style support to businesses affected by the supply issues.

Mike Martin has written to the Water Minister calling for £18.5 million. He's been speaking to our reporter Charlotte Phillips.

A woman in Sheerness is appealing for action to stop dog walkers leaving their pet's mess on a walkway leading to the beach.

Anne Tiller says she has to constantly dodge mounds of poo on the path in Marine Parade during her daily walks.

We've been invited to take a look inside the word's first mirco-pub which opened in Kent twenty years ago.

The Butcher's Arms, in Herne, was founded by Martyn Hillier in 2005 who'd always fantasised about a pub without TVs, mobile phones, food queues and smoking. He's been chatting to reporter James Pallant.

In sport, the boss of a Kent karting circuit says it was fantastic to see Lando Norris win the Formula One world title yesterday.

The 26 year-old regularly competed at Buckmore Park in Chatham as a youngster.

Football, and it was another point for Gillingham in league two at the weekend.

They held Colchester United to a goalless draw away from home - we've got reaction from manager Gareth Ainsworth.

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A steel manufacturer in Medway is consulting on redundancies for more than 80 employees.

ArcelorMittal Kent Wire, based at Chatham Docks, began the process last week ahead of pulling out of the site on Pier Road.

Also in today’s podcast, a man’s been locked up for nearly a decade after the stabbing death of another man in Canterbury.

The 32-year-old attacked his victim last October in what a judge has described as "senseless and brutal" violence and the "final and tragic culmination" of ongoing animosity between two groups.

A campaign run by our sister station kmfm has now raised more than £19,000 for children in Kent who are facing difficult situations this Christmas.

The money raised through Give a Gift will be spent on toys which will be distributed across the county – you can hear from one one company in Kent who donated more than £1000.

The leader of Medway Council says he's expecting tens of thousands of people at the Dickens Christmas Festival this weekend.

The annual event is back for 2025 in Rochester High Street – there'll be costume parades, Dickens themed workshops and live performances.

And in football, Gillingham boss Gareth Ainsworth has called for more of the same at Colchester after his side responded to a half-time scolding last weekend.

They were two goals behind twice against Shrewsbury last weekend but recovered to draw - something Ainsworth has taken the positives from.

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A huge development of 257 flats has been thrown into doubt after a construction firm went into administration, leaving huge blocks unfinished.

The £62.3 million scheme was underway to build the homes close to Ashford town centre but work has now ground to a halt. 

Also in today’s podcast, we’ll bring you an update as the water crisis in Tunbridge Wells enters its sixth day. 

Thousand of homes and businesses are still without water and thousands more are being asked to boil water from their taps before drinking it – you can hear from the Head of Water Quality at South East Water. 

The dramatic moment police arrested a knifeman who had exposed himself in front of multiple people has been caught on camera. 

Officers pursued him on foot after he approached a group of strangers in Faversham and threw a bin at a man plus a glass at a teenager.

Drivers are having to find CCTV to prove they have been incorrectly fined for overstaying in a shopping complex car park.

Shoppers say they have been hit with £100 penalty notices at Neats Court in error after parking at the site for consecutive days. 

And a Kent man who was made redundant during Covid has launched his own even space in Chatham.

When Scott Tulloch won a Kent and Medway Food and Drink award last year after starting Larry's Mobile Bar he told the judges he wanted to expand and that’s just what he’s done. 

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South East Water customers in Tunbridge Wells are being told to boil water coming out of their taps, if they want to drink it.

We're now into a fifth day of major supply issues in the town - affecting 24-thousand properties – we’ve been speaking to people as they queue to collect bottles of water. 

Also in today's podcast, a murder probe has been launched after a man was fatally stabbed in a residential street.

Police and paramedics were called to Thorold Road in Chatham in the early hours of yesterday morning and have been working alongside forensic experts. 

You can hear from a dad who has received a £390,000 payout from an electrical firm following a long-running dispute over the cause of a devastating fire that tore through his family home.

David Sercombe carried his daughter, Brontë, through thick black smoke when the blaze erupted at their seven-bed detached house near Hythe.

Bodycam footage has captured the moment officers arrested a suspected thief - after a stolen van on cloned planes was stopped by police.

Officers spotted the Volkswagen Transporter in Folkestone – the van had been reported in the Swindon area of Wiltshire around the same time, prompting officers to view the vehicle as “suspicious”. 

And holiday park bosses say a decision to refuse residents permission to stay there all year round will make 400 people homeless.

The operators of Kent Parks on the Isle of Sheppey had requested permission for caravan owners to use the holiday accommodation as their permanent homes on a temporary basis, due to a “deeply challenging” situation emerging at the site.

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The Tunbridge Wells MP is calling on the boss of South East Water to resign after thousands of people in the town were left without water.

Problems started over the weekend following an issue at a treatment plant in Pembury. It's also had an impact on businesses - hear from the landlady of a pub who was forced to cancel a Christmas event.

Also in today's podcast, the leader of Maidstone council says he's not surprised more younger voters are turning to the Green Party.

It's as there are suggestions support for the Green's from those aged 18 to 25 has doubled.

There's been mixed reaction to plans to build almost 300 homes on a golf course in part of the Kent coast.

Developers want to put houses and apartments on the land next to the Hythe Imperial hotel as they says it's 'under-utilised'.

Donations that could potentially save the life of a homeless person are being collected by a Kent charity in the run-up to Christmas.

Emmaus Dover are filling up so called Blessing Bags to hand out to people in need.

And in sport, Kent's Zak Crawley's kept his place in the England team for the second Ashes Test.

He'll open the batting against Australia - despite failing to score in both innings of the first game.

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Drivers are still facing delays in a village near Maidstone more than a month after a wall collapsed.

It borders a house in Leeds and is thought to have been hit by a lorry in October, leaving rubble over the carriageway of the B2163. We've been speaking to residents.

There's a warning homelessness in Kent has reached some of the highest levels on record as we head into winter.

Government figures show rough sleeping in the county has risen by 28 percent in just four months - with 248 people now living on the streets.

A man's described how he was left screaming in pain after tripping over a drain cover in Folkestone.

Colin Waldron suffered a broken arm and bruises to his ribs after it happened in the Old High Street.

Schools across Kent have been recognised for the work they're doing to protect the environment.

The Green School Awards celebrates projects from building bug boxes to installing solar panels.

Football, and it was an epic fight back for Gillingham to claim a point in league two at the weekend...

They came from 3-1 down away at Shrewsbury Town to draw 3-3.

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The family of a woman who was murdered by her estranged husband believe police should have banned him from the tattoo parlour in Canterbury where they both worked while sex assault allegations were investigated.

Ramona Stoia was stabbed by Catalin Micu at Gothink Studio in April 2022, just weeks after he'd been arrested.

Also in today's episode, a Dartford man who stabbed his mother's friend to death in her sleep before sexually assaulting her has been jailed.

The 21-year-old was found by police sitting on the pavement outside the property where it happened.

The leader of Kent County Council has criticised Labour for lifting the two-child benefit cap in this week's Budget.

Linden Kemkaran says people should use contraception to prevent them having children they cannot afford.

The MP for Dover and Deal insists the government is taking control, as data shows the number of people being housed in asylum hotels has risen by 13% since June.

The Home Office is said to be 'furious' at the official figures.

A Tenterden man who gave up motorbike riding after the deaths of two close friends is aiming to teach young people about road safety.

20-year-old Charlie Green said he struggled with the losses last year, and wanted to find a way to make a difference.

A warning has been issued by Kent Fire and Rescue for anyone looking for a Black Friday deal.

Crews are concerned that buying cheap appliances, chargers and devices could lead to fires breaking out.

A 12-year-old entrepreneur has been telling us about a festive market she is involved in this weekend.

Dozens of stalls will be set up in Margate to help young business owners sell their products.

And in football, the Gillingham manager is expecting a frosty reception when he returns to his former club tomorrow.

Gareth Ainsworth left Shrewsbury for Priestfield towards the end of last season.

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A bin man from Dover with terminal cancer has been escorted to his wedding by a procession of refuse trucks.

Stephen Addley's been told he has just months to live and one of his final wishes was to marry his fiancée and make memories with their one-year-old daughter.

Also in today's podcast, we've got reaction to yesterday's budget after the chancellor announced £26 billion of tax hikes.

Rachel Reeves has insisted the financial plans she announced in the Commons were based on her priorities.

She also says the measures will give working class children the chance to have a fulfilling life.

Hear from Andrew Tate and Rachel Emmerson from Chatham based accountants Kreston Reeves, Chatham and Aylesford MP Tris Osborne and the CEO of Canterbury based homeless charity Porchlight.

Two men involved in a violent axe attack near Canterbury have been jailed for a total of 48 years.

Police were called to reports of an assault involving people in two cars on the A2 near Wincheap in December last year.

A driver involved in a serious crash on the A21 has called for safety improvements to be made.

Conor Hardy says his vehicle aquaplaned at 70-miles-per-hour on the Tonbridge bypass following heavy rain, due to poor drainage. He's been speaking to reporter Elli Hodgson.

A Medway man with incurable prostate cancer is among those calling on the health secretary to bring in a national screening programme.

More than 120 MPs have also written to Wes Streeting after former Prime Minister David Cameron revealed he was treated for the disease last year. Hear from Paul Dennington who has raised more than £155,000 for Prostate Cancer UK.

And, Ashford Designer Outlet has reached full occupancy for the first time since its 90 million pound extension opened six years ago.

Two new fashion brands have opened at the shopping centre.

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