Home to help ex offenders go straight


A FORMER town centre pub is to have a new lease of life – helping vulnerable adults get into employment and a new way of life. Accommodation YES and UK Resettle-


ment have converted the former Royal George pub in Boxley Road into 12 self-con- tained units for ex-prisoners and other “troubled”men, in a bid to restore their self- worth and get them out of the benefits’ spi- ral.


Lorna O’Shea, director of Medway-based Accommodation YES, bought the property four years ago, along with two nearby build- ings which will be used as educational fa- cilities and workshops, and the building has been modified with advice from police officers to ensure it has enhanced security features. Key fobs will monitor when residents


enter and leave the building and only those who truly want to make a fresh start will be offered the chance of a room. Dr Albert Barnes, chief executive of UK Resettlement, who has masterminded the project said: “We only want people who are prepared to work and who want to work. Young people who are falling into a life of


Firms pitch in to help hospice


A WIDE range of hand-picked exhibitors from the homeware, interiors and lifestyle sectors are getting together to raise funds for The Heart of Kent Hospice. The event, A Unique A-fayre,


is being partnered by Saks Hair and Beauty Kings Hill, which will offer hair and beauty demonstrations and treatments. It takes place from 11am to


3pm on Sunday, October 6, at The North Barn, The Friars, Aylesford Priory. There is no admission fee, but donations are invited on entry. Exhibitors are all local busi- nesses and include: Happy and Glorious; Katie Brinsley Ceramics; Penrose Stationery; Rockville Lampshades, My Fayre Favourite; Dotty Diva Designs; Big red Zippy and Maddigan Mooch. The event is also being sup- ported by several local firms that have offered their time and services for free, including Amanda Jane Wedding and Events Planning; Rix Hanlon Design; Popi Printing of Lark- field; Timesavers of Bearsted; Sennockian Quartet; and Unique Floral Creations Therewill also be a raffle and


silent auction for prizes includ- ing a signed Chelsea FC shirt, beauty treatments, family pho- tography shoot, meals out, and Go Ape vouchers. A children’s activity tent will


be run by Bearsted Babes, who will look after children while parents browse the stalls. For more details visit www. uniqueafayre.co.uk where there is a link to its Facebook page.


34 Town


crime need to be told the truth and given a reality check. “The property is close to the prison so


they can see what their future holds if they are not prepared to make changes to their lives.”


Potential sponsors


and stakeholders were invited to an open day at the centre, where Dr Barnes (right) outlined his vision for its fu- ture. He said: “I have al-


ways wanted to do something to help people with mental health issues. If I can get 10 out of the 12 people each year off the benefits system and into work, I will have achieved my aim.” Dr Barnes, an ex-policy advisor to the


Home Office, has spent a lifetime working with the criminal justice system and be- lieves it fails, in that criminals get “caught up” in the system and re-offend, rather than turning their lives around. “It is the taxpayer who pays the cost of


AN independent hospital for people with mental health diffi- culties in Maidstone has re- ceived a glowing report from the CQC (Care Quality Commis- sion).


Glenhurst Lodge, in Vinters


Road, Vinters Park, part of The Glen Care Group, provides care and treatment for patients with mental health needs, learning disabilities and problems with substancemisuse. The hospital provides accom- modation with nursing and per- sonal care, treatment and diagnostic services for people with mental health difficulties undergoing rehabilitation in a


A FORMER chef who has shared his culinary talents with diners around the world has been


ap-


pointed the new vice-prin- cipal of Mid- Kent College. The aptly- named Simon Cook will join the college in September from his current position as head of retail and service industries at Cornwall College. His appointment coincides


with the beginning of a new era at MidKent under the leader- ship of its first female principal,


running our jails and the taxpayer who pays for the health service which supports vic- tims of crime,” he said. “If we can take of- fenders out of ‘the system’ and get them back into work, they are contributing to the community and the economy – not taking from it.” Dr Barnes is waiting to hear if he has re- ceived funding from KCC to help get the project off the ground, as he already has people queuing up to take part. Residents, who must be drug and alcohol


free, will be taught woodworking skills and be offered jobs in the community, such as grounds maintenance work, which give them the chance to “give something back”, said Dr Barnes. “If we reduce the number of offenders on


the streets, how many victims of crime are we saving?” he asked. Dr Barnes has already notched up suc-


cesses with a similar project in North Kent. He said: “Our aim is to change people’s lives. They must want to change and bemotivated. We want to break the cycle of re-offending – this is not an easy option for homeless peo- ple who just want somewhere to live.”


Inspector praises mental hospital


locked setting. Inspectors found that each per-


son had an individual set of care plans in place and their care needswere reviewed eachweek. In addition, patients were in- volved in making decisions about their care and could speak to healthcare professionals when they needed to. A number of patients were


asked about their experiences at Glenhurst Lodge and comments included “the staff here are won- derful”, “I’ve really made progress since I’ve been here”, and “we are able to make choices about what we do each day”.


Ex-chef’s new role at college


Sue McLeod. Mr Cook studied as an apprentice chef at Suffolk College before landing a job at London’s InterContinental hotel. He worked there for two years before moving to Germany, where he worked in the very best Michelin-starred restau- rants for five years before taking up a position at the Grand Roche Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa. He eventually returned to the


UK and secured his first educa- tional role with Aylesbury Col- lege in 2001. He joined Somerset College in 2004 before moving to Cornwall College in 2011.


Arrests in drink and drug campaign A MONTH-long anti-drink and drug driving campaign saw 18 people arrested in the Maidstone area and five in the Tonbridge andMalling area. Kent police launched the campaignwith its partner agencies on


June 1. As well as usual patrols, road checkswere used for the first time at places where officers believed they were most likely to catch offenders. But 72 motoristswere stopped at a road check on the A20 in Ditton and none gave a positive test for alcohol.


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk Vanessa Ling, registered man-


ager at Glenhurst Lodge, said: “This report is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team at Glenhust Lodge. “We have always worked openly with the CQC and other regulatory and commissioning authorities to ensure service user experiences within our organisa- tion are positive. To have inde- pendent endorsement of this is very rewarding.” Glen Care is a specialist provider of low secure hospitals, locked rehabilitation hospitals, enhanced residential services and supported living for de- tained and informal patients.


Supply crisis


at food bank THE autumn harvest can’t come quickly enough for one Maidstone charity, which is rapidly running out of supplies. The Salvation Army, which


gives food parcels to the needy, says demand has doubled in the past six months and stocks of non-perishable items are running at an all-time low. The change in the Govern-


ment’s welfare reforms could have played a part,with a sharp rise in demand when the changes came in in April. Many schools pass on their harvest festival donations to the Salvation Army in September or October. In the meantime, stocks at the Union Street citadel are rapidly running out. Maidstone Council will put a


food collection point at its King Street Gateway. Other dona- tions can be taken to the Salva- tion Army in Union Street, which acts as a distribution cen- tre for the parcels between 9am and noon, Monday to Friday.


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