A BANK manager is returning to Maidstone after eight years. Ray Emery, new branch manager of HSBC, worked in the county town between 1896 and 1994 as commercial banking manager.

Mr Emery, 54, has taken over from Adrian Horwood who becomes the bank's senior manager for the Medway Towns.

Mr Horwood was well known for his work with Maidstone and Mid-Kent Young Enterprise, a scheme that encourages young people at school to understand the world of business.

Mr Emery, 54, has previously managed branches in Bromley, Sevenoaks and Yeovil, Somerset.

Born in Lewes, East Sussex, he joined the bank in 1964. He is an associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and lives with wife Sue in Headcorn.