A tree surgeon was left stunned after he discovered a woman living in a hedge because she couldn't bear to be parted from her cat.
Gareth Olsen was clearing a field in Chester for a client when he found the woman, believed to be in her 50s, sleeping rough in a makeshift 'home' among the overgrowth.
The woman told Gareth that she had been living in the hedge for three years.
"It's such a sad story. I felt so shocked and sorry for her. I was clearing a piece of land for a private landlord and it hadn't been touched for years," Gareth said.
"One of our guys was in a tractor and a little hand appeared out of the hedge waving and saying 'I live here'."
The woman's 'home' consisted of a tarpaulin, a few umbrellas, an old sleeping bag and blankets and cushions, with her worldly possessions all around her in bags and boxes.
Gareth added: "Bless her. When I first met her I said I hope you don't mind me asking but how long have you been here and she said a couple of years - probably two or three. I asked her how she was managing and she said she was quite a hardy person and all she really needed was a sleeping bag as hers had seen better days. She was clearly not doing well.
"She was awfully nervous too, thinking we were going to kick her off the site. I said no, I'd like to try to help her. I wasn't leaving her there. I couldn't sleep that night, wanting to make sure she was OK. She was insistent at first that she would just move on and make sure the site was tidied before she did so."
The woman told Gareth that she couldn't bear to be parted from her cat and any accommodation she had been found in the past would not accept her pet so she ended up living in a hedge.
The tree surgeon, who gave her the change in his pocket so she could buy some food, said he was shocked to think she had been living there in all weathers and he quickly stepped in to ensure she had the support she needed courtesy of a local homeless charity, Share.
He also called his friend Adam Dandy, from the Chester-based charity, so they could swing into action to support her.
Gareth said: "I'm 43 and a tree surgeon and I consider myself quite hardy but I could not do what she has been doing. She had a tarpaulin, some umbrellas and cushions and her worldly possessions in bags and boxes. It was pretty shocking. It's literally a place to exist. She was clearly keeping herself out of the way.
"I asked her if she had had any accommodation and she said she had done over the years but she has had a cat for a few years who she described as her 'soulmate' and lots of places wouldn't take her cat. I'm glad that it all came good in the end and she is now getting support."
Adam said that Share's outreach team was informed and given a grid reference and with the help and assistance of other local agencies the woman was now receiving help and being found housing.
