A VETERAN with who found himself homeless now has the keys to his own flat thanks to a team effort.

Paul Nixon was born and brought up in Rossendale and in 1997 he joined the Horse Guards Cavalry and was posted to Windsor.

In 2010 he joined the 4th Battalion Parachute Regiment and during his service he served four tours in Bosnia, the Falkland Islands, Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland.

Incidents that happened while he was serving, including losing comrades to 'friendly fire' in Iraq, left Paul with PTSD.

He said: “I got jobs in security, but I could see visions of things that weren't there and so I had to leave.”

Paul, 43, had been living with his parents in Stacksteads, but his mum had a serious operation and when she returned from hospital needed her own room so there was no longer anywhere for Paul to live.

He said: “I found myself homeless and so I contacted Healthier Heroes in Burnley, but they were full.”

The veterans’ charity contacted Rossendale Council Housing Options Team and emergency accommodation was located at a bed and breakfast in Blackburn, but there were unsuitable people in the same property and Paul said he didn't feel safe living in Blackburn.

Since February, Veterans In Communities, based in Haslingden, has been working with multiple agencies to get Paul more suitable accommodation in Rossendale.

VIC Project Worker Ray Sharkey, who coincidentally is a veteran Scots Guard, said: “Following a multi-agency meeting with ourselves, Rossendale Council housing team, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust and the Calico Next Step Programme team a plan was put into place to get him rehoused in his local area.

“He has now received the keys to his own flat in the Waterfoot area. This is the start of his new life; he can now look forward not backwards. I think this will give him the stability he needs.

“Part of his tenancy agreement is that need must keep on engaging with us and other services.”

The flat was unfurnished, but VIC had received a call from Jane Whitaker, whose cousin had sadly died, and she said she would have wanted the furnishings in her flat to go to a veteran.

VIC was able to store everything at its Accrington shop and then veterans Barry Clarke and Chaplain Glen Lewis from the Salvation Army from Blackburn stepped in to help move the furniture into Paul’s flat.

Glen said: “Paul has been coming into our centre and he was struggling where he was living. He would come in twice a week and he asked if we could help him to move into his new flat. I felt really good being able to help.”

Paul added: “My new flat is just a mile from my parents and I have two brothers who live in Bacup. My other brother is out in Australia. When I am in the Rossendale Valley I feel safe because it is where I know, this is where I grew up.

“I am a runner and I will be looking to do a run to raise money for VIC in the future.”