A PENSIONER who was left homeless after a fire ravaged the block of flats where he lived has thanked the people who helped him get back on his feet.

Michael Goldsmith, aged 66, was one of 30 residents who lost their home in an inferno that destroyed Wheatfield Court, in Callow End, at 1am in the morning of Good Friday last April.

The ex-serviceman, who had lived in the Victorian building for 14 years, has now described how the months following the incident were "hell" for him.

"The shock of it all made me ill," he told the Evening News. "I spent some time in hospital and I had a stroke which meant I have lost the use of my left arm.

"I also have flashbacks and keep seeing the fire."

But Mr Goldsmith said thanks to friends, doctors, social workers, Age Concern and the Royal British Legion, he is finally getting over his ordeal.

"Initially we were looked after by the nuns at Stanbrook Abbey, before being taken to the Fownes Hotel then the Great Western Hotel then the Tudor House Hotel in Tewkesbury.

"I was eventually found a flat but I hated living on my own, so now I am in sheltered accommodation in Kempsey and I am really enjoying it.

"But I couldn't have got here without lots of help and I feel humbled that so many people have gone out of their way to support me."

Mr Goldsmith said he was particularly grateful to the Royal British Legion who, among other things, arranged for his possessions salvaged from the fire to be taken to his new home.

"And Elgar Housing Association have been wonderful - they provided me with a television, a table and four chairs and I can't thank them enough," he added.

"It is thanks to all these people that I have gradually got my life back together."