Amazing before and after photos show transformation of pensioner's mould and rat-infested home after locals raised £120,000 for a makeover

Pat's house was so bad that she was taking antibiotics for double pneumonia

These stunning photos show the dramatic £120,000 makeover of a disabled pensioner’s mould and rat-infested house.

Pat, 70, was forced out of her bungalow just before Christmas after becoming chronically ill from damp covering the walls and furniture.

After sharing the state of her living conditions on social media, generous businesses and kind locals rallied together to complete a radical overhaul.

Now the property in Swindon, Wiltshire, is finally fit for human habitation and Pat said she is grateful for the generosity.

She said: ‘It’s absolutely amazing what they’ve done for me.

Pat from Swindon (pictured) became ill after her home became infested with mould and rats

The pensioner said is grateful for the help and is excited about inviting people around for a cup of tea

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The pensioner was living amid black mould covering the walls and her furniture

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The volunteers had to rip up the rotting floorboards and also dehumidify the house

‘I’d like to thank them all from the bottom of my heart and I am so, so grateful to them all.’

Pat has said she is looking forward to inviting her friends round for a cup of tea.

She added: ‘They can call in and see me on their way home from work, which is wonderful. Make my life normal again.’

Before the makeover, the property only had electricity in two rooms and the central heating hadn’t worked for two years.

The pensioner, who is registered blind and suffers from early-onset heart failure, was having to bathe herself with water from the kettle.

Also, the bungalow was infested with rats, which Pat described as ‘awful’ and ‘scary’.

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The transformation cost £120,000 and has changed Pat’s life

Janet, a chef from Swindon, said she had no idea how bad her friend’s house was

More than 150 local people and 70 companies helped to clean and refurbish the house.

They bought a new boiler and furniture, ripped up the rotten floor, had the rats the rats pest-controlled and had the damp dehumidified.

Pat’s friend, Janet Reynolds, 44, had been helping her with weekly shops but had not been inside her house since the pandemic and did not know how bad the situation had become.

When Pat asked Janet for help cleaning the bungalow Janet admits she was ‘horrified’.

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Damp covering Pat’s bedroom including the walls, furniture and even making the ceiling fall apart

The transformation had made the bungalow liveable again and Pat’s life ‘normal’

Janet set up a GoFundMe page to pay for local tradespeople, fumigators and supplies

Janet, a chef from Swindon, said: ‘The house was covered in thick, black mould – it was horrendous. I could barely be in there myself.

‘I’ve known her for 20 years – we used to work together. She thinks of me like a daughter.

‘But after Covid happened, she stopped letting me into the house.

‘I thought it was odd then she asked me for help cleaning.

‘As soon as I stepped in, I knew she needed to get out.

‘Everything was covered, and she was on antibiotics for double pneumonia.’

The mould was so bad that Pat was forced to move out just before Christmas for work to be carried out

Pat cried after being overwhelmed by the generosity of the locals who volunteered to help

Janet ‘begged and pleaded’ with her friend to move in with her instead – while she sought help to refurbish the house.

She set up a GoFundMe page to pay for local tradespeople, fumigators and supplies and local tradespeople started offering their services.

Despite feeling ‘a little embarrassed’ Pat feels overwhelmed by the number of people who came out to help.

‘She’s a very proud lady,’ Janet added. ‘I told her, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.

‘She started crying – she can’t believe how generous everyone’s been. The situation was really desperate.’