An 80-year-old widow has received an apology from a Kent hospital after her foot became infested with maggots during her stay.
She’d made the discovery while being treated for kidney failure and ulcerated feet – but it was left untreated until the following day.
Also in today’s podcast, a man on trial for the murder of a dad of three outside a village pub has told a jury he had only wanted to "scare off" his alleged victim.
The 34-year-old is accused of grabbing a large knife from the pub kitchen before trying to diffuse the situation.
There are calls for charges at a newly revamped car park on Sheppey to be slashed - to encourage more people to use it.
Punters are pleased with the £70k upgrades, but say the the steep hourly rate is putting people off.
You can also hear from a “slightly mad” man from Sittingbourne who’s gone all out for spooky season and transformed his home into a house of horrors.
The almost annual attraction, dubbed Finches Rest Cemetery, started as a hobby for the father-of-three but has quickly grown into a well-loved visitor attraction attended by “thousands”.
And could the discovery of a rare fungus block the progress of an 1,800 home development near Canterbury?
It was once though to be extinct in the UK but has been found in South Blean Woods where plans for a new “village” are well underway.
We'll hear from a woman in her and bay who has shared her remarkable story after singing helped her to overcome a stammer. We'll also hear from the Jills boss ahead of their leg to clash with Grimmsby Town later. But first taking a look at our top story today at Kent Hospital has apologized after a patient ended up with maggots in a wound on her foot. 80-year-old Linda Nelson had been admitted to Medway maritime in Gillingham with kidney failure, ulcerated feet and other symptoms. She spent seven weeks being treated and is now back home. Her daughter Amanda Robinson says people just can't believe what happened. Everyone I speak to is like they're like what? Your mum got four? Maggots. Maggots? I went maggots in her foot and they weren't there when she went in and it's, as you say, they were seen and nothing done. 2024 maggots in hospital. It is unbelievable. They just washed the floors every day in the hospital. Yeah but they didn't obviously wash your foot. Yeah they didn't wash your foot mum though did they? That's the thing, that's the thing. But yeah it's crazy. Absolutely crazy, unbelievable and I'm gobsmacked. As a family we're just gobsmacked but that can happen. Do you know what? I just can't get over it. I just can't get over it. It's unbelievable. Unbelievable in this day and age. Apologize to mum. Apologize to my mum. What harm? The benefits without way the harm. Just write a letter to my mum, a handwritten letter to say we're sorry. Here's a bunch of flowers Linda Nelson. We do apologize. You know we recognize we're at fault. We're trying to change things before she went into hospital. She was mobile looking after herself. No personal care. She could shower herself. She's a very proud woman my mother. Every morning she'd go and have a shower. She could make her own breakfast lunch and dinner. No she couldn't go out of the shop but she could actually function in the house. She'd do the house work. That's right people take you to the shop but as you say in a matter of seven to eight weeks she's now bedbound. So I know she's 80 years of age but it just seems that they've maybe I don't know the hospital contributed to how she's come out. A letter seen by the Council Online podcast says following a review of Linda's wound on her right foot. It was found that there was poor wound care and there were maggots present in the wound. The letter adds we are truly sorry for what happened and for the distress caused to you and your family. This is not the experience we wish Linda to have and we want to appropriately support you at this time. An investigation is still ongoing. Kent online news. A man who's accused of murdering a dad of three outside a pub near Favisham says he only wanted to scare off the alleged victim. William Cozy has told a court he armed himself with a knife after spotting Adam Prichard with a gun during a confrontation at the Queen's head in Borton underbleen in March this year. The 34 year old from well-laid in Fortage denies murder and manslaughter. The trial continues. Two drug dealers who stored £28,000 worth of cannabis and cocaine in a tent near Favisham have been jailed. Police search land near Hearn Hill in September 2022. The man who were 57 and 36 have been locked up for a total of five years and 10 months. A man in his 30s has died after being hit by a car on the M2 near Rochester. The coastbound carriageway was closed for around five hours yesterday. It's not being treated as suspicious, but police want to hear from witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage. As energy prices go up from today, protests have been held across Kent. The regulator's new price cap for October to December has come into force and will add 149 pounds to average household bills off Gem's Chief Executive Jonathan Brilly had this to say when the rate was announced in August. It is not a bubble that's going to go away. This is not a situation that we can say, well, you know, things will ease and we'll get back to normal. They might. And as I say, it's a full that predicts what's going to happen to the gas price. But I think a reasonable assumption for all of us is that this may well be here for some time to come. Rallies have taken place in Dover, Chatham and Canterbury. A man's been taken to hospital after being attacked as he left a pub in Ashford. He suffered broken bones and facial injuries after it happened on Meade Road in the Willsborough part of town on Saturday night. Elsewhere a search is underway for a suspect after a man was attacked during the Hop Festival in Favisham. He suffered a serious ear injury after it happened near standard key at the end of August, although police have only just released the details. I want to hear from any witnesses. Now, a Kent MP who used to live in the Middle East has been reacting as Israel launches a ground operation in southern Lebanon. The military says troops are targeting Hezbollah militants defying international calls for a ceasefire. Tundbridge MP Tom Tugenart has been speaking as part of his bid to become the new Conservative leader. I lived in Lebanon for two years in the late 90s. One of the things I'm struck by is the concern I and many have for Lebanese civilians at this moment. Lebanese Hezbollah has been a vile terrorist organisation that has quite literally trafficked children and drugs for many, many years. In fact, it's one of the world's biggest drug dealing networks. There's a vile and evil organisation, but at the same time, there are many civilians who live in and around these areas. It's extremely worrying. I support absolutely Israel's right to self-defence, and I'm afraid I don't know the details of these operations. We don't know exactly the targets. So, depending on what Israel's doing, we need to be very clear that they need to be targeting the military targets that we know are in the area, and I'm sure that they'll be working to make sure that they protect their own people from this organisation as well. I can't give unqualified support, and I don't think it would be right to. What I'm supporting Israel is the right to self-defense and to protect itself from the rockets that have been fired from positions by Lebanese Hezbollah inside Lebanon. Now, this is a terrorist organisation that has effectively taken over a state, and we need to recognise that those rockets have been raining down on schools, on playgroups, on nurseries, on hospitals inside Israel. And would you or I argue that if such things were happening in the UK, we wouldn't take on the targets. We wouldn't stop those rockets falling. Of course, we would. We'd do everything we could to protect the British people. And so, I respect what Israel is trying to do, and I'm just hoping and praying that Lebanese civilians are protected and are safe. Kent Online News. Tumbridge Wells has become the first town in Kent to launch a crackdown on underage vaping. Police will work alongside trading standards, health bosses and community safety teams. The idea is to stop young people getting hold of the devices in local shops. Local democracy reporter Simon Finley went along to the launch and spoke to the town's MP. Mike Modern, why is the LVA important? I'm delighted to be here at the launch of the local vape action in Tumbridge Wells. And we're in this age where less people are smoking, but more people are vaping and particularly children and those who shouldn't be vaping, and they're getting access to that through shops and other premises that are offering them vapes when they shouldn't be. And so what local vape action is about is about making sure that shops know their responsibilities, that they act within the law, and it gives a framework so that less youngsters are going to end up vaping and damaging their health. Bosses at Margate leisure center say they've made the sad decision to close immediately. It follows what they've described as a challenging some other site opened in 2022 and includes an event space and axe throwing. RSPCA bosses in Kent say they're facing a rehoming crisis as their center in Leiborne is at capacity. Nationally, figures show 42% more animals arrived at the charity than were adopted from them in 2023. They're currently 83 pets at the animal center near Westmoreling. They're now launching their adopt Hoba campaign. Now, a Kent Olympian has been telling us about his campaign to get walking prescribed on the NHS. Tom Bosworth competed for Team GB in the race walking at Rio and Tokyo and wants to encourage people to get outside and be active. Lucy's been chatting to the 34-year-old from Seven Oaks. We hear a lot about exercise being good for our mental and physical health. Walking is sort of a really easy accessible entry point to that and it's something I try and champion is walking is just as good as anything else and you should feel that sort of sense of accomplishment when you get in. Especially you've been out in the rain, you might not be enjoying the entire walk but it's when you're sat in the sofa with a hot chocolate or a warm drink at the end of it. You feel like you've achieved something and that's massive as safe for your mental health as well as your physical health and it's something I'm really working on at the moment. I'm trying to look to see if we can get walking prescribed within the UK. It's something I'm campaigning for and I've created something called walking for purpose which is trying to achieve that and help those perhaps never be considered walking or feel like they can't do any sort of exercise and using a program I've created hopefully can get people active. Did you just tell us a little bit about that Tom had just explained kind of how you came up with the idea what you're aiming to do and the benefits of it? Yeah walking for purpose is about you know there's so many options for people that already do some sort of form of exercise but there's often barriers to those and if perhaps you've had a chronic illness or you know you're not confident enough to leave the house or you just don't know where to go and exercise this is something I've created where hopefully we can start off at really what would seem minimal to some people but might seem a really big challenge of just five, 10, 15 minutes of walking and then increasing a little bit every single day even just by one minute because if they do that for two weeks suddenly you've got you're starting at 15 minutes you've got 30 minutes worth of walking and suddenly 30 minutes of activity every day your life can change really quite dramatically from such small little improvements and so that's what I'm trying to do we're looking to bring this into the workplace as well as into the healthcare so hopefully it's something that can have a huge huge impact and we're already seeing some amazing results from the pilots that I'm running at at the moment. That's excellent and have you sort of taken this to any sort of the government or pharmacies or anything to try and get this? I know that do they prescribe gardening at the moment is that one of the things for sort of mental well-being and stuff is that something you're hoping to get done? It's you know that's just another example of how getting outside can just be good for you in in general you know we're all glued to screens nowadays or there's often people who as I say don't feel comfortable competent to go outside for whatever reason that might be and hopefully various routes like this are going to change it ultimately I want to sort of create a workplace movement minimum standard as well and take that to the government but yeah I would love to see walking for a purpose as a prescribed walking program or you know within the NHS and GPs. He's also encouraging people to get out and find new routes in their local area. Kent Online News plans for an 1800 home village off the A2 near Canterbury could face a delay following the discovery of a rare fungus. The candelabra coral is normally found in North America but has been confirmed in South Blaine Woods close to the Winterborne Fields Development site. Campaigners say it proves the site isn't suitable for the development. There are calls for fees at a sheppy car park to be cut amid claims it's being underused. Almost £69,000 were spent resurfacing the 48 space facility on marine parade in Shinnah six months ago but residents think the £1.40 an hour is too much and figures show it's being used an average of 11 times a day. Council say the pricing is consistent with other facilities in the area. A woman from her bay has been telling the council line podcast how singing has helped her overcome her stammer. Lucy Holness has had a speech impairment for her whole life but is now taking part in therapy with the Maguire program. This is a short recording from her very first session. "Can you tell me your full name please?" The 24 year old has since made a lot of progress and wants to raise awareness of what it's like to live with a stammer. She says her love for performing arts has also helped her journey. In primary school I was very self-conscious about it and obviously I had to tackle some children who were pretty brutal about it and so like I would always help on shows however not partake in shows. I was always even the one to do the hair or help the production but not on stage and then in high school I think I helped in the production aspect in years, seven in year, eight and then year ten I was having a chat with the head of drama and she just said to me Lucy there is zero judgment just I like you normally do just head off on that stage and so I done my first show then I can't remember what it was I think it was Alice in Wonderland. I only had a tiny beacon roll however that was like that first step of right okay I said one line and then I took part in a musical the next year as when I sing it completely stops however you hear that a lot with stammers when when they talk zero chance when they sing fluent as you're using another part of your brain and I also think it's to do with the fact of they all flow the words as it's not you're just talking it's in tune it's a song. Lucy is urging people to be more patient with those who might be struggling Kent Online News. The King has sent a message to people in Seven Oaks congratulating them for saving an area of woodland more than 100,000 pounds was raised in just 23 days to buy long spring woods and keep it for future generations the 400 year old site covers 14 acres and overlooks the town. Paula Grady's home in Kent has gone on the market for three and a half million pounds the TV presenter passed away in March last year at the age of 67. Knoll Hill House in Aldington near Ashford sits in 20 acres and used to be owned by the comedian Vic Reeves. As we head into spooky season Kent Online's been hearing from a sitting born man who's turning his house into a scary Halloween attraction. Robert Aimee is transforming his home in the finches to raise money for charity he's been chatting to reporter Joe Crossley. So I'd offer a pet project it's a sort of hobby interest and it's grown out of control it's probably the honest answer a little bit obsessive. We've been running a haunted house event where we build this building on our phone and have people come through to raise money for this will be the third time we've run it. So it was two years we did 21 and 22 had 23 off and now we're back for a final year in 24 so it's a good final run. Raising money for Kent Autistic's Autism Society it's Autism Trust so everything raised will go to them so there is a go fund the page as well. There's autism in our family I'm autistic my two daughters and son are all autistic so it's something we've got quite a personal relationship with so it's part of our part of our day to day existence so it's just nice because it's it's a lot of families out there that struggle with it much more than we do in you know in finding it's very difficult to get the help you need and the support you need and everything like that and and to learn to understand yourself and accept yourself in that in that sort of way and it's a very positive thing actually autism it's not a it's not a condition you need to be afraid of it's just a difference that's all it is. Sure and talk to me a little bit about the house itself. Okay yeah it takes about a month to build I normally keep all these panels and everything stored in a garage takes up a whole garage and then I have to get a removal firm to unload it deliver it all to my front garden and then we start construction at the beginning of September because it takes a month to get it all together. The main construction will take a week 10 days maybe but the internal stuff the dressing the you know the weathering the effects or different lights and folks and fog effects electronics and stuff like that all of that takes a bit of time to get get right so it's going to it will be ready for our opening on the 11th of October but it's it's a little way off still yet. What should people expect? Jumpscays and fun. The screams and laughter normally the screams first and the laughter comes second but it's we always always get the laughter afterwards and then it's lovely to hear because people just enjoy it and everyone likes a bit of a thrill and a bit of excitement and that and there is a few noise makers some jumpscares some a couple of light effects and fog effects and what have you I won't give anything away obviously but but you know we will hopefully try and scare you a little bit but all of the jumpscares generally generate first of scream and immediately afterwards a lot of laughter and that's what makes it worthwhile to ask that it's this is lovely to hear people having so much fun with it and we do raise good amount for our chosen charity. You can see pictures of the site over on our website and a new light show probably is at Rochester Cathedral tonight the show by Lux Morales is themed around medieval England and we'll see huge projections on the historic buildings walls it's the fourth time the company has brought its artwork to the town and it runs until saturday. Ken's online sport. Football now and top of the table jillingham will be hoping to keep their unbeaten home streak alive tonight they welcome grimsby town to pre-spield for their latest league to clash it follows a two nil win over barrow at the weekend speaking after saturday's match jills manager mark bonner said he'll do his best to manage the quick turnaround. In the end it's it's more about us like what do we look like what do we want to be the players responsibilities to be a top professional use tonight well use tomorrow well be ready to come in monday we can't do a lot on the grass we can do a bit in here we'll give them as much information as we feel they need on the opposition but we have to get ourselves right as well so we'll try and use that turn around the best way we can we'll work on it tomorrow we'll give them the information they need on monday and hope that when we turn up tuesday we're at a really good level and able to get another result i think if you if you um if you're honest english football would be better with less games definitely the standard will be better because players will be fresher and you'd have more time to prepare and practice and actually improving on the things you need to improve on but um it's irrelevant really we just have to deal with the fixtures as they come um we have to get good at winning tuesday games because in the end if we're going to be a successful team we need a lot of not a positive result so um yeah crack on get ready for it and um yeah give them what they need monday and hope that they use their time well to be ready kickoff is at 745 staying with football and there'll be an all Kent tie in the fourth qualifying round of the f.a. cup mates john united have been drawn against ebbs fleet after national league teams enter the competition at this stage ton bridge angels will travel to cray wanderers and mar gate will host gollstone if they win their replay with horsham and in cricket can't have signed a new player after their season came to a disappointing end chris benjamin will be joining from warrick she on a contract that will run until at least 2027 kent have been relegated from division one in the county championship and will also be getting a new manager that's all from us today thanks ever so much for listening don't forget you can follow us on facebook x instagram tick tock and threads you can also get the details on the top stories direct your email each morning via the briefing to sign up just head to kentonline.co.uk news you can trust this is the kent online podcast [BLANK_AUDIO]
