Charity's foot care gives homeless man hope

Steve began having his feet treated fortnightly at Shekinah's free podiatry clinic

A man who had been living in his car for four months has spoken about the life-changing support he received from a charity's foot clinic.

Steve, who found himself homeless in July this year, was not only battling physical pain but also struggling mentally.

"When I first came to Forgotten Feet, I was homeless," Steve, from Plymouth, recalled. "My feet were in pain, I was struggling to walk, it felt like I was kicking my toes against a brick wall."

Forgotten Feet, founded in 2013 by Deborah Monk, provides free foot care to people who are homeless or socially isolated.

Helen Jones, who runs her own podiatry business, described the work as "incredibly fulfilling"

Steve said he began having his feet treated fortnightly at the charity's free podiatry clinic held at the Shekinah Mission and said his condition had improved.

"Physically and mentally it made a lot of difference, when you are in your car you are isolated on your own and lots of things go through your head so being able to come to places like this helps you," he said.

Steve said since being referred to Forgotten Feet by Plymouth Soup Run, he was now in temporary accommodation and his life was in a "better place".

He added: "The ladies that do your feet, they are as good as gold, they are always happy and talkative, and nothing is too much. You cannot pay back what they do, it gives you a lot of hope."

Podiatrist Jo Bower volunteers her skills with the charity

Forgotten Feet now runs dozens of free clinics across the UK.

In Plymouth the sessions are held every other Saturday morning and organisers say they can see up to 10 clients per session, but the numbers are increasing and so the charity is appealing for more qualified podiatrists to volunteer.

Helen Jones, who runs her own podiatry business in Devon but regularly volunteers for Forgotten Feet, described the work as "incredibly fulfilling".

"We've approximately 13 podiatrists who volunteer as and when they can," she said.

"Sometimes it's just a case of once every six months or once every six weeks, whatever people can offer is always really valuable."

Forgotten Feet said research suggested vulnerable or homeless people taking up the offer of a free podiatry service were more likely to go on to see other health care professionals such as GP services, drug and alcohol advisory services and emergency shelters.

Podiatrist Jo Bower, who volunteers her skills with the charity, said she believes listening to the people whose feet she is caring for is just as important as looking after their feet.

She said: "We predominantly see people like Steve that have been rough sleeping and that puts a colossal physical strain on their bodies.

"Giving them a bit of time and making them feel worthy and part of our society is important.

"I think often they are very isolated, and it is a very lonely place to be out there sleeping rough so coming in here and just giving them that half an hour is lovely really."