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Home move for Hull veteran who slept in chair for years

BBC Man sitting on an armchair in a bungalowBBC
Former soldier Chris Smart moved into a bungalow, which was renovated by a charity that has helped on the BBC TV programme DIY SOS

A veteran with a neurological condition who slept in an armchair in his living room because he could not get to his bedroom has moved into a new home.

Chris Smart, 54, who has ataxia which affects his mobility, had been living alone in a two-storey house in Hull when concerns were raised.

Charity Hull 4 Heroes helped him move into a bungalow on 13 July.

Mr Smart said: "It's a new beginning. Totally different to my old place."

The 54-year-old was found more than a year ago after his former wife became concerned for his welfare and contacted a veteran's breakfast club, which in turn highlighted his plight to the charity.

Hull4Heroes Mould in kitchen wallHull4Heroes
The kitchen wall in Mr Smart's old house was covered "floor-to-ceiling in black mould"
Hull4Heroes Armchair resting on a wooden blockHull4Heroes
Mr Smart's armchair, in which he slept, was raised using wooden blocks so "he could get out of the chair easily"

Dereck Hardman, founder of the Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Clubs, said: "When I saw the conditions that Chris was living in, entirely unsupported in a two-storey house that he'd not really had access to, it was shocking and upsetting."

Since the death of his second wife a few years ago, Mr Smart had been alone in the two-bedroom house, which the charity said was "damp, with black mould floor-to-ceiling" in places.

Paul Matson, founder and chairman of Hull 4 Heroes, said: "When we went in we just burst into tears. It's just an awful situation.

Paul Matson
Paul Matson described Mr Smart as "a proud lad who didn't tell anyone about his living conditions"

"The kitchen was leaking, it leaked through under the floor and the floor had to be lifted. He was living downstairs, sleeping on a chair in the living room.

"He didn't tell anyone what state he was living in and he didn't want to leave."

Hull 4 Heroes said "nobody was to blame" for Mr Smart's living conditions.

Dereck Hardman
Dereck Hardman, founder of the Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Clubs, said he was shocked and upset by how Mr Smart was living

Mr Matson said his charity renovated and adapted the bungalow to make it accessible with a ramp, hand rails and "a proper hospital bed that raises up and down electronically".

"We were gutted when the lockdown came. We had the property nearly ready so it was very frustrating.

"But we finished it a couple of weeks ago and it was an absolute joy to see him move in.

"The amount of people involved was massive and everybody's worked so hard on it."

Chris Smart
Chris Smart described the move as "a new beginning"
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