Good neighbour Bowles them over with his kindness

Colin Bowles could be forgiven for shutting himself away and feeling sorry for himself, but in fact you couldn’t hope to meet a nicer more generous man.

Colin lost his wife and children in tragic circumstances and then developed serious heart problems. He became homeless and there seemed to be no end in sight to his despair.

He believes the turning point in his life was when he fought back from the brink of death on an operating table following a major heart scare. After that he decided that despite his dire situation he would enjoy life and try to make others happy.

Colin is now living temporarily in an agency-managed L&Q property in Balham, South West London, where he has made it his mission to look after the 15 or so other residents.

He’s a chef by trade and he spends any money he has left after essentials on food, which he uses to prepare meals for any of his neighbours that are hungry.

Spaghetti Bolognese and cottage pie always go down well, but he knows to expect a stampede at 3pm on Sunday’s when he dishes up roast dinner.

He said: “We take and take in this life and very rarely give anything back. I am in a position where I can give a little something back so I do.
“My door is always open so there’s no need for people here to suffer in silence. If they want a meal, or need to borrow a few pounds, then they only have to ask.
“I know what they all like and don’t like, and when I’m cooking I’ve got a smile on my face.
“My dream is to teach kids to cook, and hopefully one day I’ll be able to do that.”

In a letter to Homelife, Colin’s neighbours and former residents said: “He is a complete and utter breath of fresh air to all of us. Colin is a man whose heart is in the right place.
“His meals are the best we have ever eaten and his door is always open for anyone to pop in for a cuppa and a chat. He would do everything in his power to help anybody.”

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