A SOLDIER who fell upon hard times after being diagnosed with a serious illness is looking forward to a brighter future thanks to a veteran support charity.

Omar Barrow and his family left their home in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, to start a new life in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, earlier this month with nothing more than a bed and an old sofa.

Originally from Gambia, the father-of-one served with the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment for nine years but was medically discharged in July.

Mr Barrow, who is in his late 20s, was keen to move closer to relatives in the Wakefield area and although he managed to secure a house, the family had no money left to furnish the property.

Unable to work due to his illness and unfamiliar with the benefits system, the future was looking bleak, and Mr Barrow and his wife were heartbroken at the prospect of their four-year-old son, Tijan, having no presents to open on Christmas Day.

When Tommy Lowther, founder of the County Durham veteran support charity Sporting Force, heard of the family’s plight, he was determined to help and launched an appeal for furniture donations.

Mr Lowther’s contacts at Leeds United Football Club shared his social media posts, spreading the message to an audience in excess of 60,000, and it was not long before the offers to help came flooding in.

“We were inundated,” said Mr Lowther, a former 1st Battalion Light Infantry private who served in Iraq, Ireland and Gibraltar

“Leeds United had to open up a store room in the ground because so many people were bringing stuff in for Omar and his family.”

The people of the North-East also answered the call, with Bishop Auckland Car and Van Hire providing a free vehicle to allow Mr Lowther to pick up and deliver donations of furniture and toys from across the region to Wakefield.

Mr Lowther, from Butterknowle in Teesdale, said: “I take all the problems that people come to us with very personally and I want to do everything I can to help. I want to say a big thank you to everybody who supported the appeal. The response was overwhelming and it means so much to Omar and his family.”

Mr Lowther set up Sporting Force in 2014 to help wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women adjust to civilian life. He now works with sports clubs across the country to provide work experience opportunities for veterans.

Donations are always needed. To find out more, visit sportingforce.org or like the Facebook page.