Kent Online

You can buy all sorts on Facebook Marketplace – but what about a fully working fire engine? The bright red emergency vehicle is owned by an ex-Kent firefighter who bought it to protect his own period thatched home village near Canterbury. And he even had to use it to hose down his home when embers from a neighboring blaze threatened to set his roof alight. “When the official firefighters arrived, they were surprised to see me already hosing it down,” says Kris Saxby. The 61-year-old was based at Folkestone with Kent Fire and Rescue Service for 14 years before moving to Preston, near Wingham. …

An internet con artist tried to scam people by asking for money to have a stall at a primary school Christmas fair that didn't exist. A post was sent to a Facebook residents' group offering £40 pitches at an event at Parkwood Primary School in Deanwood Drive, Rainham. It said the fair would take place at the school between 10am and 5pm on November 25 and 26. However, when people messaged the scammer, the person requested that money be paid into a private bank account. Four mums replied but became wary and contacted the school and fellow parents who confirmed the individual’s name was not known…

One of Kent's biggest Facebook residents' groups is among just 10 in the country to be awarded funding by the platform owner Meta to put on a community celebration. The grant has gone to the Canterbury Residents Group which was set up in 2014 and has since grown to almost 64,000 members. Now its administrators say the “lion's share” of the cash – around £9,000 – is being used to put on a new weekend celebration of the city next month to showcase what it has to offer to the world. Canterbury City Show, it is being held on July 8 and 9 and features music, art, food, and workshops as …