An amazing win in the rugby, Murray in the Wimbledon final and the hottest weekend of the year all helped to turn up the feel good factor in Medway.

The Strand Leisure Park in Gillingham was heaving with sunbathers soaking up the rays on Saturday as manager Richard Cooper recorded his busiest day of the year so far.
Richard said: “When the sun come out this place is like being abroad on your doorstep."

Jerry Himmet, who runs Rockys Ice Cream, was doing a roaring trade with queues snaking across the park. Jerry said: “This year has been a washout, so a bit of sunshine and everyone comes out. In this country, it can be windy, raining so you really have to make the most of it when the weather is good.”

Pubs were also busy as punters cooled off with ice cold drinks. Ryan Denny, licensee of the Jolly Knight and Ye Arrow in Rochester High Street, said the weather had boosted trade significantly. And sports fans keen had also played a part. Ryan said: “I had a couple of rugby fans banging on the door at 10am. But we can’t rely on a couple of days. We need a couple of months of this to really make a difference.”

Families flocked to the second Medway River Festival and operations manager Verne Sanderson said the weather brought out the best in people.
Mr Sanderson said; “It was a family event and eveyone seemed to be having fun. There was a lot of laughing going on.”

He was forced to hurriedly book another ice cream van, adding: “The queues were about a dozen deep and it was becoming hard to keep up demand. So about two hours before it ended I had to call up a back-up.”

Customers keen to make the most of the sun were waiting outside Morrisons in Strood before doors opened today.

And most of them made a beeline for beers, buns, sausages and the salad counter.
Managers at the store in Knight Road got wind of the heatwave and increased their stock by up to 30 per cent to ensure shoppers were not disappointed.