You can help to care for homeless
DOWNS Mail is inviting our readers to join in a cam- paign to protect and care for the town’s homeless this Christmas and winter. It is simple. All you need to do to help is give a little
food, time or money. The new Maidstone Churches Winter Shelter and
MaidstoneDayCentre campaignwillofferawarmwel- comeovernight for the homeless in the winter months. Church members and other volunteers in seven par- ticipating churches will provideanevening meal, shel- ter for the night and support towards a better future. The campaign is being supported byMaidstone Sal-
vationArmy through Major GraysonWilliamsandMaid- stoneandWealdMPMrs Helen Grant,nowminister of sportandequalities,whoplans tohelp inthechurches. This is how Downs Mail readers can show true sea-
sonal spirit to help ensure success: Food: Non-perishable food can be taken to The Sal- vation Army, 74-80 Union Street, Maidstone.
Maidstone and the WealdMP Helen Grant with Major Grayson Williams of the Salvation Army
Time:Volunteersare needed to help at the churches (
www.maidstoneshelter.org.uk/volunteer.php). Money: It is easy to make a donation online or by text (
www.maidstoneshelter.org.uk/donate.php).
Park fishing accessible to all
ONGOING improvements to Mote Park have made angling more accessible for the elderly and disabled. MaidstoneVictory Angling So-
ciety, working in conjunction with Maidstone Council, has opened up a previously inacces- sible bankside for anglers less able to tackle the uneven ground and crumbling banks. Two years of hard work and planning by a group of club members have seen a total of 31 fishing platforms erected which, togetherwith the flat all-weather path around the lake, has opened
up the lake to many more anglers than before. The improvements have been
well received by anglers, with numbers reaching record levels this year. The increased number of an-
glers has brought other benefits, with more litter picking by con- scientious club members and re- ports of vandalism decreasing, due to the increased presence of anglers and bailiffs. Club secretary John Shrimpton
said: “This has been a great ex- ample of how volunteers can work with the council to produce
a huge benefit for those less able than ourselves. These platforms and the associated path mean that more people than ever can enjoy their sport in safety. They are also proving popular for feed- ing the ducks.” The platforms are the first stage
in a plan which will see the banks between the platforms re- stored and planted, in a further project with Medway Valley Countryside Partnership’s River Len action plan. The partnership hopes that, left undisturbed, these areas will be- come a haven for wildlife.
Samaritans’
60th birthday THE Samaritans movement re- cently celebrated its 60th birth- day. Its founder, Prebendary Dr
Chad Varah CH CBE, took the very first call to the helpline in November 1953. To mark this event, and in conjunction with BT, Maid- stone Samaritans was one of just 20 branches in the UK to have a telephone booth deco- rated with posters. A call box on Vinters Park was selected andsigns were putupbyBT. Local councillor David Naghi came along to show his sup- port. The Maidstone branch in Grecian Street has been open for 38 years. It has 79 volun- teers who last year answered more than 27,500 local and na- tional calls, emails and texts. Branch director Will Merri-
field said: “We are really proud that the Samaritans have been helping people through diffi- cult times for 60 years. People can contact us at any time of day or night. We are also al- ways looking for volunteers.” Maidstone andWeald Samar-
itans are based at 48 Grecian Street, Maidstone, ME14 2TS. They can be contacted on 01622 674444 or by email on
jo@samaritans.org. For details go to
www.samaritans.org/ maidstone.
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