I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that John Kirk and Eunice Gregson have finally given up their two decades of living in a camper van around Macclesfield and have found a home in Ridge View.
Every time I drove past that lay-by on the Silk Road and saw their vehicle parked up, often for months on end, I worried about their safety. Regardless of assurances that attacks are ‘rare’ I certainly wouldn’t like to be stuck in a lay-by near the centre of town overnight.
Last winter was the final straw with temperatures falling to minus fourteen. Life on the road just became too hard.
"We had no water and no heating. The gas was frozen. We wouldn’t have survived," said John explaining why they moved their camper van to a local business park.
"We had survived bad weather before, but this year was terrible."
At Christmas customers at the Red Lion in Bollington came to their aid giving John and Eunice a huge hamper.
"We do miss going out every day," said 82 year-old Eunice.
"We could walk to Tesco, the hospital and library but now we are warm and people could not be nicer."
It’s a fitting end to a road that has taken them to Provence each year between October and March and given John the opportunity to write a couple of books.
The first is an illustrated children’s book about a French mouse and the other a fictional story based on true war-time events. At 83 years of age John has seen a lot of life so if anyone can help find a publisher for his books they may discover a best selling author.
If you can offer publishing help e-mail ben.turner@menmedia.co.uk
The views on this page are Vic's and not necessarily those of the Express
