Charity boss found dead in building he was about to lose after rent increase

An embattled charity brag who ‘did his champion for everyone’ was recovered dormant aft a occurrence successful a warehouse helium was astir to lose.

John Mann, 50, was discovered successful the Burners Lane gathering successful Milton Keynes connected Wednesday aft a occurrence – believed to person been started successful a handbasket – acceptable disconnected the fume alarms overnight.

Margaret Mann, the charity’s co-founder, and John’s erstwhile partner, said: ‘It’s conscionable truthful very, precise sad.’

A lawsuit said: ‘This is simply a tragic nonaccomplishment of a antheral who conscionable wanted to bash bully and a charitable strategy that helped thousands of radical arsenic good arsenic the environment.

‘Our hearts spell retired to John’s children and his family. He did his champion for everyone.’

For 2 years, John had been struggling to support the furnishings recycling strategy Re-use unfastened aft the building’s rent had doubled.

This came aft landlord MK Community Foundation, a grant-making foundation and 1 of the richest successful Milton Keynes, axed rent subsidies and accrued the rent.

‘It went from £2,487 a period to £60,000 a twelvemonth – astir £6,000 a month’, a root told section publication, MKCitizen.

An email from the instauration successful 2022 said: ‘It remains for you to determine if you privation to revert to a afloat lease astatine a rent of £60,000 pa… oregon we terminate the tenancy and hold dilapidations.’

John replied: ‘Our extremity is to supply escaped and affordable furnishings and household goods to assistance those successful need, not to marque a ton of wealth to wage our rent.’

As a effect of the rent hike, Re-use faced the hazard of closure aft much than 25 years helping the section community.

One of the area’s archetypal recycling schemes erstwhile it started successful the precocious 1990s, it took unwanted furniture, household goods, schoolhouse uniforms and wintertime coats, which were past donated oregon sold cheaply to erstwhile stateless people, azygous parents and others successful need.

The section assembly had praised the group’s enactment arsenic ‘ticking each the boxes for helping the needy arsenic good arsenic encouraging eco-friendly recycling and reducing waste’.

A spokesperson for MK Community Foundation said: ‘We person been made alert of the passing of John Mann and are profoundly shocked and saddened to perceive the news.

‘Reuse Community Project MK has been a long-standing tenant of our spot astatine Kiln Farm and it’s been a pleasance to enactment the radical done a continuous and ongoing rent subsidy.

‘John’s decease volition beryllium a large nonaccomplishment to the foundation assemblage and each of those who Reuse supported. We nonstop our condolences to his household and friends during this incredibly hard time.’

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