Video: Watch man who's lived in Milton Keynes bus stop for 18 years given ‘home’ makeover by well-wishers

A 63-year-old man who has spent 18 years living in bus stops around Milton Keynes has received a makeover on his unconventional home to prevent him from freezing

John, a former printer, has spent the last few years living in one particular bus stop next to a city grid road. He is known to MK City Council and all the homeless charities, but has always politely refused offers of help and stuck rigidly to his bizarre lifestyle.

Last summer the council put him up in a hotel , but after a few weeks he left and returned to his bus stop, where passers-by stop for a chat and bring him food.

But the years spent in a cramped space, sleeping sitting up because the seat is not big enough to lie down, have now taken their toll on his health, say well-wishers.

"It’s affected his circulation and his feet are really swollen. It’s not good. And the weather is going to get colder and colder - it’s not right that he’s out there in extreme temperatures,” said Chris Bekooy, who visits John regularly.

"Last winter, temperatures dropped to -8C one night and John almost froze to death. That can’t happen again.”

Chris, who has ADHD and learning difficulties, has been homeless himself in the past but is now settled in his own accommodation. He decided to devote some time to ‘winterproofing’ John’s bus stop in a bid to keep him warmer.

"I’m not a builder, but I did what I could,” he said. First Chris insulated the inside of the bus stop with loft insulation. Then he blocked all the gaps on the outside to stop the wind from getting in and rigged up a makeshift door from a groundsheet. Inside he put another groundsheet on the floor and bought a fold-up bed so John can sleep lying down. Lastly he built shelving, so his meagre possessions can be neatly stacked. He recorded his efforts on his TikTok page

"John was really pleased. He calls me ‘The Builder’ now,” he said.

Chris has this week joined forces with the man John calls his best friend, a regular visitor who has launched an appeal for money to try to help him into a home of his own. You can view the fundraising page here.

"We know John will take some persuading but, given time, we think he will do it,” said Chris. "He’s refused offers of housing from the council because he doesn’t want to give up drinking. But he’s not even really an alcoholic – he actually gave up drinking for seven weeks a while ago.

"The problem is that people come along and give him alcohol, then he starts again. But if we could get enough money for a deposit on a flat, furnish it and see to all the paperwork, we think we could get him to move in if we took it gently.”

John’s remarkable lifestyle saga that began in 2007, when he took up residence in a bus shelter on the V10 Brickhill Street near the junction of Wolverton Road. He told the Citizen in 2021 from his bus stop: “Honestly, I wish people would stop worrying about me...I have everything I need.”