Tributes have been paid to a “positive and strong-spirited” young man who died in a park.

Anatolii Cherevko is believed to have been involved in a scooter accident in Mote Park, Maidstone, on Saturday (July 27).

Police and paramedics were called at 5.20am and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Now, his friends have paid tribute to the 24-year-old who they described as kind and incredibly talented.

The Ukrainian-born man first moved to England in September 2021 from the small village of Kolki.

His friends Khrystyna Sorochan and Mykola Andriievskyi said in a joint statement: “Anatolii was born into a dysfunctional family and had a difficult childhood.

“He only has his grandmother, sister and brother as his mother passed away several years ago. His father wasn't part of his life.

“Despite the difficulties, he was always positive and strong in spirit.

“He was an incredibly talented person, he knew how to make people laugh when they were sad.

“At school, he showed his talent on stage. He told funny stories, danced, was very artistic, and wrote poetry.”

His friends explained he had dreams of becoming an artist and was also very athletic.

They continued: “He was goal-oriented and despite the difficult financial situation of his family he managed to raise funds to go abroad.”

He was most recently working at the Waitrose distribution centre in Aylesford and had previously packed apples for Bardsley.

He worked hard to save money to help his brother and sister join him in the UK.

This dream became a reality in May last year when Anna flew over. Their brother Vlad joined them in March but now lives in Poland.

Khrystyna and Mykola said: “This guy's life cannot be described in a few paragraphs. It was bright but at the same time very difficult with constant obstacles, but Anatolii never gave up.

"Since his passing, he has left only the warmest, kindest and brightest memories.

“He loved his life very much and had many friends. He was a true friend, one who you could rely on during difficult times.”

His friends, Khrystyna, Mykola, and Ilze Whybrow – who all worked with him at Waitrose – have set up a Gofundme page to raise enough money to return Anatolii’s body home.

The page was set up on Thursday (July 31) but has already exceeded its target of £5,000.

Ilze said the page will remain open until they know the dates for his return to Ukraine. Any further funds gained will go towards helping his sister with her travelling expenses back to Ukraine.

Anna will be going alone as Mykola and Vlad would be drafted into the war with Russia if they were to return home.

All three wanted to thank their team at Waitrose for their donations and support.

Khrystyna and Mykola said: “We express our deep gratitude for everyone’s attention, compassion, support, concern and warmth.

“We want to thank everyone for all the help they have given and support in this hard time.

“It’s so nice to know when good people are still around us and we can come all together in this hard time.

“He was such a good and kind, real person and friend. It is a great loss for all of us."