News Warning over


cut-price gear POLICE have warned people to be wary of being offered items of walking and outdoor clothing whichmay have been stolen. Items worth thousands of


pounds are believed to have been stolen in an early morning raid on an out-of-town store inMaidstone. Kent Police are investigating the


burglary at Cotswold Outdoor store inNewnhamCourt Shopping Village. Officers received a report that at


around 1amon Thursday, October 26, burglars broke into the store and stole branded clothing includ- ing North Face and Berghaus items. It is believed the items were loaded into a 4x4 vehicle. Anyone with information or of-


fered branded outdoor clothing is asked to call Kent Police on 01622 604100 quoting reference 26-0068 or Kent Crimestoppers, anony- mously, on 0800 555 111.


Drink-driver is


spared jail term A MAIDSTONE man was given a suspended jail term after being caught driving nearly four times over the drink-drive limit. Ionut Sava, of Heath Road, was


stopped by police on September 17 near his home, and gave a breath test of 133 microgrammes of alco- hol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35. MaidstoneMagistrates sentenced


the 43-year-old to 84 days in prison, suspended for 12months. Sava was also banned fromdriv-


ing for 32months,must pay a £115 surcharge and £85 in costs and carry out 200 hours of unpaidwork within the next 12months.


Man hit by car


A MAN was airlifted to hospital after being hit by a car inMaidstone. Police who attended the scene,


shortly after 7.20pmonOctober 24, said the he was hit while walking in the car park in Holland Road. After treatment by paramedics


the man was taken to a London hospital for treatment towhatwere described as “serious injuries”.


Fears for safety


POLICEwere called to the banks of the River Medway to help a man after concerns for hiswelfare. Officers and crewmembers from


South East CoastAmbulance Serv- ice spoke to the man at the water’s edge near an address in College Road at about 6pm on October 30 after receiving calls expressing con- cern about hiswelfare. Apolice spokesman said theman


was handed to health care profes- sionals for medical attention at a local hospital .


8 Maidstone December 2017


downsmail.co.uk


Church plans changes tomeetmodern times


AS THE Church of England con- fesses it “genuinely faces an un- certain future” – with tumbling attendances – a new vision is being born. The five-year emergency plan, to


stem the worrying and ongoing trend, is being devised for the 250 parishes in theCanterburyDiocese. And the long-awaited and much


debated “Changed Lives - Chang- ing Lives” document, which is ex- pected to be launched in the coming weeks, is understood to place at its heart the young and those living “on the edge of soci- ety”. Speaking ahead of the launch,


Maidstone Archdeacon Stephen Taylor said: “The Church faces some serious challenges; Chal- lenges rooted in a rapidly changing society, which has a different atti- tude towards faith, church, spiritu- ality and truth.One consequence of those changes is that the number of people who call themselves Chris- tians, and particularly the number of people who are part of a church community, is falling - and in some places quite fast. “Wewant to demonstrate that the


Church understands communities aren’t static and it can respond.” Examples of this have been


shown in recent months by churches in the North Downs Benefice and Ashford which have appointed missioners to engage with newpopulationsmoving into the vast number of new homes in the area. Archdeacon Taylor said: “This is


just one way we are looking to make our church offeringmore be-


Advertisement feature downsmail.co.uk


Advertisement Feature downsmail.co.uk NEVER TOO OLD FOR A MORTGAGE!


Sadly, due to schemes available in the past the term “Equity Release” has got itself a bad name.


Local adviser Sarah Ferrell speaks with many people who, through no fault of their own, are carrying debt into retirement or need to raise new finance and this can make the “Golden Years” potentially worrying.


Equity Release can, for many people, offer an ideal solution…..so why does everybody think it is such a bad thing?


Sarah says, “The finance industry has had to adapt as the need for lending in retirement has grown at a staggering rate. The schemes of the past bear no resemblance to those available today however many people’s thinking and understanding of the schemes available is still stuck in the 1970's!”


Archdeacon Stephen Taylor, with faithful companion springer spaniel Harvey at his side, will be tak- ing to the road to promote the Church’s vision for the future


spoke to particular needs and we will be looking to domore, particu- larly to show that the Christian faith is attractive to younger peo- ple. I’m confident that God wants us to flourish – and for that to hap- pen, of course, we need to trust God, but we also need to do some stuff!” Investment in four new hubs to


introduce secondary school chil- dren to faith and nine new Ignite churches, providing a route toGod for street sleepers, alcoholics and those living on the edge of society


A RESEARCH project which helped older residents into MaidstoneMuseumhas won a pair of awards. The programme is also helping to bring those who


may find themsleves on their own at home into the facility. TheMuseums on Prescription project was run by


are expected to be included in the guidance. To raise awareness of the new vision, Ven. Stephen Taylor will be taking to the road on Friday, November 17 with his springer spaniel Harvey. Starting in Maid- stone, at St Paul’s, at 6am, he will call at 12 churches for fiveminutes of prayer, stopping at Boxley church at 6.36am, Detling at 7.22am, Turnham at 7.52am and Hollingbourne at 9.22am. He will return on November 18 to join a diocesan day of prayer at St Mary of Charity in Faversham.


Museumwins awards for over-65s initiative


UCL (University College London) and Canterbury Christ Church University, and aimed to look at the impact visitingmuseums had on the over-65 demographic. There were 10 weekly sessions for older residents in


the borough. The learning and collections teams worked to create


a programme, with sessions beginning with a talk to stimulate conversation, followed by object handling and finished with a craft activity. The researchers were looking to research and


evaluate the benefits of such sessions, while the museums aimed to expand their audiences and understanding of this age category, which is in line with well-being initiatives and theMuseums Change Lives agenda. And the programme has now won top prize in the


arts and health category fromthe Royal Society for Public Health, and was highly commended by Public Health England. MaidstoneMuseumis now holdingmonthly ‘Café


Culture’ sessions for the over-65s. The free drop-in sessions are held on the last Friday of everymonth.


Maidstone December 2017 9


Many of Sarah’s clients need to repay a mortgage, finance some unexpected outlay or just make their retirement more comfortable. Others want to help their children with a deposit for a house, buy a new car, go on holiday or make improvements to their home.


Regardless of the reason for needing finance, there are plenty of safe and affordable solutions available and the choice of options is greater than ever.


MORTGAGES


Like all financial transactions there are advantages and disadvantages which means that Equity Release may not be suitable for everyone. Equity release schemes involve borrowing against your home, and may work out more expensive in the long term than downsizing to a smaller property. Depending on the scheme chosen releasing equity may reduce the value of your estate and therefore the amount of inheritance you will leave. “I take great care and time to fully discuss all aspects of the options available so that my clients are fully aware of what may be suitable and equally what they want to avoid!” Sarah comments.


Sarah finds many of the people she speaks to are worried about their finances at a time in life when they really want to be enjoying themselves. Often a lack of information, or confusing advertising causes them concern and they are just not sure what options are really available to them. This is where Sarah can bridge the gap.


Sarah says, “I’ve been in the finance industry for over 20 years and I consider I have come across most scenarios and would reassure anyone who is concerned about their finances that they are unlikely to be alone. Sometimes an initial chat is all that is needed to put people’s mind at rest and as soon as people know they have options this in itself can often lighten the burden”


Sarah takes time to work out which solution may be most suitable for each individual and will visit a client at home at a time to suit them.


Think carefully before securing other debts against your home.


Call Sarah on


M: 07789007447 T: 01622 631372


E:info@sarahferrell-equityrelease.co.uk www.sarahferrell-equityrelease.co.uk


Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. EQUITY RELEASE RE-MORTGAGE BUY-TO-LET


FIRST TIME BUYERS


Celebrate Christmas this year at Mercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel


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