Man found hanged in shed
A 54-YEAR-OLD man from Harrietsham took his own life twodaysafterhewas inter- viewed by police investigating a serious offence. Factory worker John Hickey denied being involved, but was later found hanging in a shed by his partner Abigail Nhamo, aMaidstone inquest heard. In a statement, she described
their very happy life together. He had been asleep when she left for work on Wednesday, July 3, but she had rung him several times, and became con- cerned when she got no reply. When she got back to their
home in Taylor Close at about 7pm, his car was there and she sensed something was wrong. “I looked through the win-
dow of the shed and saw him hanging,” she said. Paramedics forced open the locked door butMrHickey was pronounced dead at the scene. The keys to the shed were in his pocket. The inquest heard police had
gone to the house with a search warrant two days earlier, in re- lation to a serious offence. Mr Hickey had been cautioned. Returning a verdict that he
took his own life, Mid Kent and Medway Coroner Patricia Harding said: “I am satisfied that he did not intend to be found until after his death.”
Family suport centre at risk
A CHARITY which has been of- fering support to Maidstone families for 25 years is facing closure. In spite of achieving “consis-
tently positive outcomes for families”, Home-Start Maid- stone’s manager, Sharon Man- ning, says the charity will be forced to shut in a matter of months, due to a lack of funding from the county council. “Without the necessary grant,
there is no way we can con- tinue. We need at least £80,000 to keep the scheme running for another 12 months,” says Sharon.
Home-Start Maidstone offers
help to parents and carers who are experiencing issues such as
THE Bishop of Dover, the Rt Rev Trevor Willmott, has marked a new partnership between the Diocese of Canterbury and Kent Savers Credit. The event at All Saints’ Church, Maidstone, followed a call from the Archbishop of Can- terbury for churches to work with credit unions so that more people can access local, ethical and affordable financial services. The event was attended by the Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Clive English, KCC chairman EricHot- son, volunteers, staff and cus-
loneliness, relationship break- down, bereavement, post-natal depression, mental illness or multiple births. An appeal to find the money
to keep the scheme going has now been launched. Amy Van der
Weide (right) had eight- month-old twins when she turned to Home-Start Maidstone for help. She told Downs Mail: “I was struggling and petrified of leav- ing the house. My volunteer was amazing and got me out with the twins each time she
Bishop backs credit union link
tomers from Kent Savers, along with representatives from churches, Barclays Bank, local businesses, housing associations and local authorities. The partnership will see churches across Kent becoming access points of ‘branches’ of the credit union Kent Savers, pro- viding local people with finan- cial advice, including help with debt and savings and providing some banking services. For more information on join-
ing Kent Savers Credit Union, visit
www.kentsavers.co.uk.
came and slowly, my confi- dence started to build. There was no judgment and the sup- port made such a difference to me and my family.” She was so enthusiastic about Home-Start, she joined the board of trustees and is now its chairman. She added: “I am desperate to find a funding so- lution; the prospect of this serv- ice not being available to other struggling parents and carers is devastating.” Without outside funding, the centre in Marsham Street will close in the spring. Donate by searching Home- Start Maidstone
onwww.virgin-
moneygiving.com, or call the office on 01622 675879.
Present appeal THE Salvation Army’s Christ- mas Present Appeal aims to en- sure that those in need in our communities receive gifts. New unwrapped gifts or toys
can be taken to the community office at The Salvation Army, 74-80 Union Street, Maidstone (ME14 1ED) from Saturday, No- vember 23 to Sunday, Decem- ber 15. By giving a gift to the appeal,
you can make a real difference in someone’s life. For further information, call the commu- nity office on 01622 681808.
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