Leamington homeless shelters pay tribute to man who died in Jephson Gardens

The man in his 40s died in the park on Monday July 9.

West Midlands Ambulance Service and Warwickshire Police were called to Jephson Gardens at just before 9am to reports of the man undergoing cardiac arrest. The man, however, was confirmed deceased.

And LWS Night Shelter, based in the Priors Club off Clemens Street, paid tribute to the man who used the shelter.

A statement on their Facebook page said: "Heartbroken to hear that one of our guests passed away suddenly in Jephson Gardens on Monday morning.

"This man never failed to make us laugh, and always had a smile on his face, despite the extremely tough circumstances he found himself in. His untimely death has come as a shock to all of us who knew him.

"No one should have to spend their final moments alone on a park bench and we will continue to do what we can, along with all the other local services, to prevent this from happening again.

"Rest in peace. You will be greatly missed and remembered fondly."

Helping Hands Community Project also released a statement in tribute, which said: "Sadly the man who died in Jephson Gardens was one of our homeless clients who has been attending our soup kitchen for a some time.

"He was a very smiley character despite his difficulties of living on the streets.

"We will all miss him and I know the homeless community in Leamington were very saddened to learn of this at our soup kitchen last night.

"(His death is) all the more reason for us to keep what we are doing to ensure we help as many people off the streets as possible."

The man has not yet been named.