Help with home means Jonny can help at home

Housing adaptations funded by several charities are enabling injured veteran Jonny Holloway to fulfil his role as a young dad. When Jonny’s left leg was amputated below the knee in 2016 his home, where he lives with wife Lauren, three-year old daughter Amalie and four-month-old son Maverick, was unfit for a wheelchair.

“I work full time and am standing up all day. When I get home, I want to take my prosthetic off and rest my leg for the next day,” said Jonny. “But I couldn’t use my wheelchair around the house, and I wasn’t much help using crutches. It was difficult.”

Eager to help Lauren look after their daughter, Jonny turned to Blesma and the Association spearheaded a project to revamp the Holloways’ house and garden.

The stairs and hallways have now been widened for wheelchair accessibility, while a wet room and drop curb have been added for Jonny’s needs and have improved access to the garden. After 24 months of renovation work, the house was finished in December in time for the arrival of Maverick.

“The adaptations have been discreetly but effectively done, which is great for me being in my late twenties,” said Jonny. “You don’t walk into the house and think ‘disability’. It was incredibly reassuring to know the work would be done in time for the arrival of baby number two. It means I can get around the house with ease which has made all our lives easier!

“Without Kev Long, my Support Officer, the adaptations would have taken much longer. Kev played a vital part throughout the process, helping with all sorts of building and funding issues. Whenever we had an issue, Blesma was there to step in and rectify the problem. The Association’s help made it easier to sort out the contracts to get the accessibility I needed within the house and garden.”