A TERMINALLY-ILL pensioner whose life was turned upside down after the theft of his mobility scooter robbed him of his independence, has been inundated with offers of help.

David Goddard, 65, was left housebound after a battle with throat cancer left him unable to breathe unaided, suffering from high blood pressure and emphysema - a disease that weakens the lungs.

The theft of his mobility scooter, and hundreds of pounds worth of equipment, last month left him devastated and without means of leaving the house.

As well as allowing David his freedom, his scooter was also a lifeline for his dog, Ersa, a ten-year-old mini Jack Russell, who lost control of her hind legs three years ago and would sit in the basket.

David issued an urgent appeal for the thief to return his mobility scooter, if not for him, for Ersa, who now finds it difficult to walk and who relies on the scooter to leave the house.

In response to his plea, many people came forward with offers of help and equipment to get David out and about again.

Christine Hodgson, 65, was one of the people who wanted to help David with the offer or a second-hand mobility scooter.

She said: “When I heard about David’s situation I immediately wanted to help.

“I can’t believe someone would stoop so low as to steal someone’s scooter that they so heavily rely on.

“I’m glad he has a new scooter to be able to keep his independence.”

David accepted a new mobility scooter and admits he didn’t think there were any ‘nice people’ left in the world.

David said: “I was so shocked when people wanted to help me.

“Finding out my scooter had been stolen was horrible and it’s just lovely that there are good people left in the world.

“I’ve actually got two scooters now as someone dropped one off this morning so I’ve got too many.

“There was also a fundraiser set up for me on Facebook which I am really grateful for. It’s making me emotional because I’ve realised there are some kind and generous people in the world who want to help me after this horrible thing that happened.”

David reached out to KSS Fabrication to install extra security on his house to prevent any theft from happening again.

Owner Andy Kelly, said: “He came in and I tried not to charge him but he wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer so I took a tenner off him. The system is worth £50 but I didn’t want to take his money.

“We designed the system and it stops the garage door from being lifted up. No matter who tries to lift it, the door will stay firmly shut.”

David can now relax, knowing he and Ersa have got their independence back again, all thanks to the kindness of strangers.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who has helped me, I feel really humbled.”