Tributes have been paid to the founder of a Kent Sure Start service who “dedicated his life to children and young people”.

John Fowler, described as a “well-liked, respected and fun mentor”, has passed away at the age 72 after living with semantic dementia for several years.

The father-of-two arrived on the Island in the autumn of 2001 to set up a new programme called Sure Start Sheerness.

Sure Start centres were a government initiative set up with the aim of "giving children the best possible start in life" through improvement of childcare, early education, health and family support, with an emphasis on outreach and community development.

John launched the Island’s service from a small first-floor office in Masters House in Trinity Road, which at the time was more commonly known as Sheerness District Office.

John, from Allington in Maidstone, came from the Prince’s Trust where he had a very senior role which included working with celebrities and dignitaries, including the current King, to help young people overcome challenges in their lives.

The first thing John did was set about speaking to anyone and everyone about the great opportunity that Sure Start represented for families with young children in Sheerness.

He spoke to mums, dads, teachers, head teachers, health workers, charities, councillors and many others.

Early on, he addressed a full council meeting at Swale House and explained how busy he was networking but joked that he realised “networking” was only one letter removed from “not working”.

As the director of Sure Start Sheerness, John oversaw the creation of a multi-disciplinary children’s centre team, the setting up of Seashells Nursery and the creation of the Seashells building.

He established Seashells’ approach to family work and the relationship with the community of Sheerness.

His influence is deeply embedded within Seashells.

Jim Duncan, chief executive of Seashells, said: “John had a schoolboy sense of humour and wasn’t afraid to use it in any situation, however formal.

“Not working was never an option for John. He worked incredibly hard because he believed very deeply in what he was doing and understood the vital importance of supporting children and young people to reach their full potential.”

In 2010, John moved on to set up Kent Savers credit union – a safer and cheaper alternative to other money lending sources – as their chief officer but stayed in touch with and remained a trustee of the charity that sits behind Seashells, FareShare Kent, and several other good causes.

John continued to do this until forced into early retirement due to the onset of semantic dementia, a rare type of the condition which can see those diagnosed lose the meaning of words.

Jim continued: “This was a particularly cruel disease for John as it rapidly affected his understanding of the meaning of language.

“However, he then volunteered as a driver for FareShare Kent for as long as he could, helping the charity to move much-needed food to other charities and people across Kent and Medway.

“There’s no doubt that John helped thousands of children and young people achieve a better start in life, both locally and overseas, throughout the course of his career.

“Those of us from Seashells and the local community who knew John miss his intelligent, vital and engaging persona.

“John was widely liked and respected and was also great fun as a colleague and mentor.

“A part of him, through his great influence over Seashells, remains in Sheerness.

“John is one of the great foundations upon which Seashells’ work rests and after many years of dedicating his life to children and young people, may he now rest in peace.”

John leaves his wife Rosemary, his children Rachel and Timothy, and his grandchildren.

Anyone who remembers John and would like to share their memories of him can email them to remembered@children-families.org. Recollections will be shared with John’s family.

A thanksgiving service for John’s life will be held on Tuesday, December 5, at midday at All Saints’ Church in Maidstone.