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Lad Builds Father Pub In Back Garden After Stroke To Help Him Get Social Life Back

Lad Builds Father Pub In Back Garden After Stroke To Help Him Get Social Life Back

Top lad!

George Pavlou

George Pavlou

We've seen a fair few man caves in our time and this one is up there with the very best of them.

Gary Bourne decided to build his dad a pub in the back garden because he was too ill to make it to his own local.

Gary, 48, saw his 73-year-old father Gerard suffer a stroke, leaving him without feeling in one side of his body. The retired airplane engineer said 'Bar 29', named after Gary's house number, has given him a 'new lease of life'.

The whole thing cost £600 to build and was kitted it out with a TV and a garden bench outside. Now friends and family come round almost every weekend to watch the sport in there.

"The other day we had 15 people around to watch the grand national. I've basically become a pub landlord and my dad's in it so much sometimes I think I need to evict him," Gary said.

Gerard has previously had triple heart bypass surgery before his stroke in 2013 which, in Gary's words, pretty much disabled him overnight. A sociable man, Gerard's inability to get to the pub meant he rarely saw his friends.

But when Gerard and his wife Reen, 71, moved closer to their son in Failsworth, near Manchester, Gary couldn't help but create the back garden bar to help his dad.

Gerard said: "I can't drink too much, but having my social life back has been so good. The whole community comes around, it's been really enjoyable, my wife loves it too.

"Gary changing his garage into a bar has been absolutely first class."

Too right it is. Top lad Gary, that's how to look after your old man.

Words by George Pavlou

Images credited to SWNS

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