News
Charity shelves halfway house plan for homeless
A CHARITY helping Maidstone’s homeless has been forced to pull out of a plan to provide short-stay accommodation at a former Maid- stone town centre pub. The charity Homeless Care was hoping to buy the former Cricketers pub (pictured) in Mote Road but has nowwithdrawn its offer after delays in obtaining planning consent made the project unaffordable. The trustees had been negotiating
the purchase of the former pub with the owner for more than a year, dur- ing which time property prices have risen. By the time the necessary planning consentswere obtained for the conversion, the vendor had in- creased the price by 8% – putting it beyond the charity’s budget. But every cloud has a silver lining
and the time lapsemeans Homeless Care is now looking at newways of supporting its clients, which may not necessarily require a “halfway house” such as this. Chairman Mike FitzGerald said:
“It isnowtwo years sincewe started looking for a property and life has changed.
“Instead of providing our clients
with short-term accommodation,we are looking atways of lending them support during the first period of their time living independently and trying to keep them housed. “We are still committed to seeking
the best way of bringing our clients into independent living, but each client has different needs, with sup- port required for varying periods.” Homeless Care says its volunteers,
staff and trustees will continue to concentrate their efforts on helping homeless men and women turn their lives around by assisting them to find accommodation and at the
same time providing basic needs such as hot showers, clean clothes and home-cooked meals. Homeless Care will also offer IT support, so clients can access bene- fits, accommodation and jobs online. MrFitzGerald said: “Our staff will continue to offer support to newly- housed people, but instead of look- ing at a ‘halfway house’ we will be seeking to get our clients housed and focus on keeping them there.” A soup run in 1986 organised by teachers and pupils from Maidstone Girls Grammar School was the be- ginning of what has now become Homeless Care, the town’s leading charity for homeless and vulnerable men and women. Originally Maidstone Christian
Care, it merged with Goodsell House Trust in 2013 to become Homeless Care, the umbrella organ- isation for the Maidstone Day Cen- tre, the community food share scheme Food for Thought, the 10- bed hostel at Goodsell House and Maidstone Christian Care, its link with the churches who continue to help the cause.
downsmail.co.uk Park to rock at
music festival LIVINGrock legends will be dusting down their Stratocasters for a two- day extravaganza of country, blues and rock in Maidstone’s Mote Park. Greg Allman, founding member
of the Allman Brothers which en- joyed huge success in the early ‘70s, and the Scorpions will make their only UK appearances of 2015 when they headline the Ramblin’Manfes- tival on July 25 and 26. Other top names include Camel, Marillion, Blue Oyster Cult and Sea- sick Steve, with Ian Anderson play- ing the best of Jethro Tull and Bernie Marsden reviving some of his old Whitesnake hits. There will also be a spoken word
stage, music cinema, luxury camp- ing, beer festival and food court. The festival will be supporting
local charities. For details go to
www.ramblinmanfair.com.
Pony fun day
LEYBOURNE Grange riding centre for the disabled is holding a pony fun day from 10.30am to 2pm on May 27. There will be pony rides as well as crafts such as decorating a horseshoe, making a horse head book, a pony hunt trail and bracelet- making. Entry is free but there are charges for activities.
HUGE SAVINGS BEDSTEADS
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Visit our huge showroom spread across 2 floors. Bedsteads, divans, drawer divans, adjustable beds and mattresses.
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Email:
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www.chrisgammonbedcentre.co.uk
UNIT 19/20 MID-KENT SHOPPING CENTRE, CASTLE ROAD (off London Road). ALLINGTON, MAIDSTONE,
KENT.ME16 0PU OPEN MONDAY TO SATURDAY 9am – 5.00 pm
4 Malling May 2015
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