A couple from Ashford who quit their jobs after lockdown have created the ultimate gaming truck for birthday parties and events.

Philip and Dorota Radley, from Repton Park, launched Kings of Games after kitting out a Peugeot Boxer van with nine screens, an Xbox and a PlayStation wall, and a racing simulator.

They came up with the idea as the UK was coming out of lockdown.

The couple were thinking of ways they could work together after struggling to return to their regular jobs, and instead decided to create their own roles.

Mr Radley, 50, who used to work in the car industry, said: "We both had time completely apart when we went back to work and we just didn't like it because we’d spent a year and a half together everyday.

"I know it was a horrible situation, but we just embraced it.

"Then when we went back to work, we couldn’t do it.

"We thought, there has to be something else we can do so we sat there with a mood board and thought about running a pub.

"We explored that avenue and decided it wasn’t for us.

"Then it was our son’s birthday and we asked him what he would like, we read this article about gaming trucks in America so we asked if he’d like one and he said yes.

"But, we couldn't find anyone who could do what we wanted so we thought about doing it ourselves."

The truck has a PlayStation 5 driving simulator, four Xbox consoles, four PlayStations, a Nintendo Switch and an Oculus Quest 2 VR.

It also has 5G for online gaming, a smoke machine, lasers and Netflix for movie nights.

From having the first idea, it took eight weeks to get the business up and running.

Mr Radley added: "The idea was cooked up on a Sunday, by Tuesday we had bought the truck.

"We had to find somebody to help us kit it out and we found a guy in Essex.

"I spoke to him on a Tuesday evening and we were driving it up on Wednesday afternoon.

"Everything fell into place for us.

"Six weeks later we went to pick it up, then the next day we had the sign writing done so it took about eight weeks in total."

While there are other gaming trucks in Kent, Mrs Radley, a former massage therapist, said the design of their truck is what makes them stand out.

She added: "The nearest one that was similar was in Tunbridge Wells, and there was another somewhere in Canterbury but they are different to us so we are unique."

The truck, which costs more than £30,000 to create, is predominantly used for children's parties and can cater for up to 15 kids at one time.

However it can also be used at events, weddings, fairs, hen parties and stag dos.

With the cost of electricity rising, Mr Radley says this has not been an issue as it only costs 46p an hour to run the truck.

There are around 15 games, from Minecraft, Rocket League and Roblox but the couple hope to add more as the truck evolves.

It can be hired out for £249 for 90 minutes.

While unemployment is at its lowest rate for decades, the current job market has record high vacancies.

Experts say this is because attitudes to work have been changed by the pandemic.

From key decisions in terms of striking the right home/work balance, to swathes of the upper end of the workforce opting to leave the world of employment altogether, it has altered the approach many have to work.

While some who were put on furlough found employment elsewhere, others like the Radleys created their own jobs.

Despite the high numbers of unemployment, the latest stats reveal 1,175 have returned to work within the last month.

In Kent, the number dropped from 32,510 to 31,625. In Medway it went from 7,235 to 6,945.