A DISABLED who has been waiting half a decade to call somewhere "home" has finally been granted his wish.

Former BT technician Barrie Such has spent the last five years in and out of hospital and nursing homes after being paralysed in a fall from a telegraph pole in 1993.

But thanks to tireless campaigning by his wife Wendy and MP Peter Luff, today he will go home to a specially converted house right next door to his loved ones.

"Being able to do things for himself will make a huge difference to his life," said 57-year-old Mrs Such, who will continue to live at the family home in Badsey, Evesham.

"He's a bit frightened because he will be leaving people who have looked after him 24 hours a day for five years, but he's also very excited.

"I just hope he's a good neighbour!"

Mr Such was forced to move out of the Seward Road family home because of his disability in 1998, spending the next five years at Evesham hospital while the local authorities decided who should pay for a place for him to live.

Out of county

In 2000, his family's worst fears almost came true when they were told he would have to move to a residential home outside the county to free up the bed.

Fortunately, former Health Minister John Denham and MP Peter Luff intervened and Evesham and Pershore Housing Association agreed to buy the vacant house next to his home.

With a £170,000 grant from Wychavon District Council, Mr Such now has the home he has longed for with disabled facilities and four nurses to provide round-the-clock care.

But even though Mrs Such said she was "delighted", she condemned the amount of time it had taken to get to this point.

She claimed a lack of urgency by the many organisations involved had denied her 57-year-old husband the chance to see his three children grow up.

"It has been like a black comedy and at times I didn't know whether to laugh or cry," she said.

"I never doubted one day there would be a solution because what was happening to Barrie wasn't right."

"But it's just very sad that he's missed out on so much of our family life."