A man who once spent winter months sleeping rough in a ditch, has celebrated his first Christmas in his new home.

Adam Broadbent, who was left homeless after having a difficult relationship with his family, becoming unemployed and falling ill, used to drift between staying with friends and sleeping rough.

He eventually found support at a Bradford Foyer, a centre for young, homeless people in the city, and after doing volunteer work he was recommended for a Ready For Work programme run by the Business in the Community (BITC) charity.

The scheme helped him gain training and a work placement at Bradford & Bingley. He now has a full time job with the bank which has enabled him to find somewhere to live.

Mr Broadbent said the best thing about his new home is “just being able to sit in my house, on my own sofa and watch a DVD with my fiancee”.

He added: “Thinking back, I never would have hoped to dream that I would be in this position in such a short period of time. I knew if I could get a job, everything else would fall into place.”

The BITC charity runs a campaign called Business Action on Homelessness (BAOH), which runs the programme that helped Mr Broadbent into work.

The campaign enlisted the help of Neil Vanham, to act as a job coach to Mr Broadbent.

Mr Vanham said: “Adam is a great example of how the BAOH programme can give those a bit down on their luck the assistance they need to get back on their feet and into work.

“Adam was dedicated from the start, and recognised the opportunity the programme was giving him.

“The quiet, not so confident person that I met on the first day is now an integral part of the team he works in and is very much on his way to making a good career for himself.”