Newsagents Mukesh and Usha Amin hit the headlines themselves for their community efforts during lockdown.

As just one of two "essential" shops in Rochester High Street, the couple remained open throughout, providing groceries.

And Mukesh even went a step further by personally delivering newspapers to residents shielding for months.

He said at the time: "It's not about making money. We are giving the service we have done over the last 30 years."

But after more than three decades of 5am starts and trading in the heart of the historic town centre, they are retiring today and handing over the reins of Newlands.

The Amins, who raised their three children living above the shop and worked downstairs at the counter, are looking forward to a lie-in and taking up new hobbies.

They initially moved to Medway from Yorkshire in October 1989 to be near their relatives.

Mukesh, 65, said: "We were missing out on family gatherings.

"We looked at a shop in Canterbury but preferred it here because we are literally in the centre of town.

"With the position we are in we get to know everyone.

"During lockdown, along with the chemist, we were the only ones open. It was so quiet, we closed about 2pm on some days."

He said this was a stark contrast to the days when Rochester boasted a weekly market and the Dickens Festivals attracted thousands from all over the world.

Usha, 64, said: "We had regular customers who would pick up their paper and then go to market every Friday."

Mukesh added: "There was a time the place was buzzing with tourists."

The business started off as a traditional newsagents and sweetshop selling paper and magazines about 100 years ago.

Schoolchildren would come in for bags of pear drops, aniseed balls and sherbet pineapples, scooped into paper bags from huge jars displayed in the front windows.

Over the years, the shop gradually expanded into an off-licence and general convenience store.

"It was the right decision as Rochester and the Medway Towns have given us lots of memories and happy times..."

Mukesh said: "We had to move with the times. The units in the High Street are all listed and too small to accommodate a supermarket. So we catered for people's needs."

As their two sons Amit, 40, Sagar, 30, and daughter Natasha 34, got older, they outgrew their living quarters upstairs and in 1998 moved to a house in City Way, Rochester, where they still live.

Usha plans to spend more time gardening and walking their pet dog.

And Mukesh, who has spent the last 33 years behind the counter, has "to find a hobby".

He said "Perhaps, I'll have more time to do some swimming, but I'm sure I'll still be getting up early."

Usha still intends to be a regular in the High Street visiting fellow traders, including her hairdressers, all of whom have become friends.

They will also be spending more time with their family including their three grandchildren and returning to India for a long-awaited holiday.

The new owners have already moved in upstairs and have been learning the ropes first-hand.

Mukesh said: "It will be just the same, even the name Newlands will be kept on, because that's what everybody knows it as."

The couple sent their thanks to friends and customers.

They said: "About 33 years-ago we had a choice to settle in Canterbury or Rochester. On our visits we decided that Rochester was the best place for us and our children to grow and educated.

"It was the right decision as Rochester and the Medway Towns have given us lots of memories and happy times. Thank you so much, love you all."

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