As we prepare to welcome in the New Year we have been taking a lock back at the most memorable stories of 2018.

We started the year with the tragic tale of homeless Russell Lane.

Mr Lane died after being accidentally tipped into a bin lorry.

He had apparently wrapped himself in a discarded carpet and was sleeping wheelie bin on Rochester High Street when, despite checks, it was emptied into the dust cart and he became trapped.

He suffered leg and pelvis injuries and later died from a cardiac arrest.

In February the team dedicated a front page to the memory of Molly McLaren as her killer was given a life sentence.

Joshua Stimpson, 26, is currently serving a minimum of 26 years in prison for Molly’s murder, which happened at Chatham Dockside Outlet Centre on June 29, 2017

The 23-year-old was cruelly taken from her friends and family. At the time the Medway Messenger said: “It is important to take time to remember the University of Kent student as she was: A stunning young woman with her entire life ahead of her.”

One of the most iconic moments of the year was the demolition of Kingsnorth Power Station.

The Medway skyline was changed forever on March 22 when the 650ft chimney in Hoo was brought down.

Locals gathered to witness the explosion at Riverside Country Park in Rainham and The Strand in Gillingham.

The station was commissioned in the early 1970s but was closed in 2012.

April saw 17-year-old Kyle Yule’s killers brought to justice.

Kyle, from Hamilton Road, Gillingham, was fatally stabbed outside his friend’s house in East Street in October 2016 after a dispute between rival gangs.

The trial, which did not end until June, resulted in five teenagers being jailed. Victor Maibvisira, 19, Jordan Dania, 16, Shezakia Daley, 17, Ephrain Akinwunmi-Streets, 17, and Tyler Ralph, 17, received life sentences.

In May Medway was hit by torrential downpours which caused misery for drivers, homeowners and businesses.

Roads and properties across the Towns found themselves underwater after the thunder storms and heavy rain.

Some people even had to be rescued from their homes.

In June we ran a front page story about a robber who asked a student to call him a taxi after he made a bomb threat to three business in Gillingham.

Ryan Cooney, 30, of Hilltop Road, Strood, tried to rob two bookmakers and stole hundreds of pounds from Halifax.

In a bid to evade police he escaped to MidKent College, in Medway Road, and asked some of the students to call him a cab.

In July the whole nation was gripped by football fever as England battled their way into the semi-final of the World Cup.

Thousands of fans packed pubs and clubs all over Medway to cheer on the Three Lions as they took on Croatia on July 11.

A week earlier it had all kicked off in The Command House, Chatham.

Trouble flared in the riverside beer garden as England won a penalty shoot-out for the first time in history, clinching a win over Colombia.

Punches were thrown, beer cans went flying and female fans waded into the fracas. A video of the incident was posted online.

In August we had the most shocking exclusive of the year — the story of a man stealing the body of his mother-in-law from Butterfly Funeral Services in Rochester High Street.

The grieving relative strapped the corpse, which was not in a coffin and covered in a sheet, onto a trolley in broad daylight before putting it in a hired van and taking it to a rival undertaker.

The company formerly owned by Karen Calder, has since ceased trading.

September saw the Messenger cover the sad death of Peter Beale.

The 39-year-old was found with stab wounds next to Rochester Bridge on Tuesday, September18.

Billy Dole, of Chorister Crescent, Hoo, and Levi Webb, of Station Road, Northfleet, are alleged to have killed the dad-of-one. A preliminary trial date has been set for March 18.

In October we had a look at the issue of youngsters dicing with death by performing stunts on bikes in the middle of busy roads.

The front page, with the headline Wheelie Dangerous, came about after footage emerged of boy bikers doing wheelies into oncoming traffic and parked vehicles, swerving at the last minute.

One boy was seen doing a wheelie on the wrong side of the road in The Brook, Chatham.

In November we marked the centenary of the end of the First World War.

The striking ‘Honour and Disgrace’ front page featured two stories.

On was about William Moutrie, a soldier serving on the Western Front, who wrote a letter about life in the trenches.

When he died in 1975 it seemed all of his memories had gone with him, but his 97-year-old son, Douglas, of Queendown Avenue, Rainham, decided to share the words his father had penned all those years ago.

The second revealed how callous yobs had smashed poignant Tommy silhouettes.

The last month of the year brought the story of a young single mum who had to be treated in hospital for pneumonia after being left without any hot water for 11 weeks.

Ellie-Jay Taylor, who has a six-year-old son, was admitted to Medway Maritime Hospital where she was also diagnosed with water on the lung and an infection.

The 24-year-old had been forced to boil water for everyday chores at her flat in Twydall.

After numerous complaints to landlord mhs homes, the part-time carer and her child were eventually moved to temporary accommodation.

The story featured on Kent Online and received more than 350 comments from our readers.

Finally, we were excited to announce that next year Medway will play host to the HSBC UK/National Circuit Championship.

The nation’s top cyclists will compete in the Towns next summer.

Riders will go head to head in a race along the cobbled streets to earn the title of national champion on Sunday, July 21.