In some truly heartwarming booze news, an 89-year-old man has his local pub to thank for giving his dilapidated home a makeover.
Carl Marshall, a retired park ranger, was forced to move out of his Glossop, England home after he started experiencing health issues because of damp conditions and a lack of heating.
When the staff of The Oakwood pub, where Marshall is a regular, saw the state of his home, they decided to take action.
“It was not fit to live in. It’s shocking but Carl is such a gent, he didn’t want to bother anyone so no-one knew,” Marshall’s landlord Alison Swithenback told the BBC. “But when we saw it, we had to do something.”
Raising nearly £16,000 (approximately $20,600) in cash and materials, a group of 50 volunteers from the community spent the next 11 months completely renovating Marshall’s home. Now, thanks to their efforts and financial support, Marshall is back in his home, just in time for his 90th birthday.
Blown away by the support from his community, the act has given Marshall more than just a new living space.
“You can see it in his face, it has given him years of life back,” Swithenback says.