A MAN who lost both his legs, but still managed to help others in the community was described yesterday by friends as a one-off.

Kim Bon, 41, of Verwood Close, Park North, fell ill suddenly with a blood clot and died a few days later in hospital on Tuesday July 6.

He had suffered with similar problems for the past 11 years.

The former Churchfields School pupil was well known and liked in the Parks community where he worked as a volunteer at The Shop, a community resource facility in Cavendish Square.

Paying tribute to Kim, his mother Doreen Bond, 75, of Crombey Street, town centre, said: “He was just an inspiration to everybody and just a good son.

“He was very independent I would say very thoughtful, I think people would go to him for advice.”

Kim was adopted by Doreen and her ex-husband aged just 10 days old and grew up in a home on Gambia Street.

His health problems started in his late 20s after he moved to Bristol when he had his first blood clot, but it was while he was in Bournemouth that the condition became more serious.

Doctors attributed the clots to poor circulation thought to be caused by Buerger’s Disease.

Kim had to give up his work in the kitchen of the local YMCA, which he loved, and moved back to Swindon.

As a result of this poor circulation, he had one of his legs amputated in 2006 aged 37 and then another after gangrene set in in 2007.

Doreen said: “He seemed to overcome that well, he just accepted things so well and he never complained.

Despite his problems, for the last 18 months Kim had been working for The Shop in Cavendish and had completed a course to become qualified to conduct tests on all the electrical appliances donated to the shop.

He also helped to sort donated clothes.

In his spare time Kim enjoyed photography, music, particularly hip hop and rap.

He also appreciated graffiti as pieces of artwork and his mother has arranged for his coffin to be decorated in it.

Sam Burnley, project support worker at The Shop, said: “I can only describe him as a great man.

“After everything he’d faced throughout his life he was always positive, happy, funny.

“He was such a one-off, unique, I don’t think we’ll meet anyone like him again.

“Whatever life threw at him he dealt with it.

“He was really well thought of in the shop and nobody had a bad word to say about him.

“He was a lovely man and we’re all going to miss him.

“He summed up everything this shop is about, he needed us as much as we needed him.”

Kim’s funeral service will be on Monday at Kingsdown Crematorium at noon and anybody that knew Kim is welcome to attend.

There will be a gathering at the Moonrakers pub in Stratton afterwards.