TWO kind-hearted Boltonians have helped to find a man a home for Christmas after an appeal went viral online.

When Roy Berry, from Deane, and Lindsey Ahmet posted an appeal to help a homeless man they met on the streets of Bolton on Facebook little did they know what impact it would have.

The pair encountered the man called ‘Shaun’ separately but were both struck with a need to help him.

And when Lindsey, a 28-year-old mature student at the University of Bolton, posted an appeal on Facebook at the end of November, it was shared more than 5,800 times and last week they were glad to announce that Shaun has found a temporary home for over Christmas.

Rob, aged 23, had also met Shaun while out and about and, on seeing Lindsey’s post, they decided to combine forced to help get Shaun back on his feet.

Rob said: “I just saw this homeless lad and started chatting to him. I love tattoos and saw his drawings and something pulled me towards him.

“I sat down and he told me about his life, he’s just someone who has fallen on hard times. He was a tattoo artist and wants to get back into doing it.

“He's a a human who deserves a break and needs a hand to pull him back up.

“We are not doing it to be popular, we are doing this because he’s a human. I wouldn’t like to see my brother or sister on the street or would hope someone would help me if I ended up on the street.”

Rob donated some clothes to Shaun and brought him supplies such as food and sanitary products.

In the meantime, Lindsey also met Shaun after spotting his drawings.

The mum-of-two and graphic design student often donates goods to the homeless and was equally enthralled by Shaun’s skills and story, sharing it online in the hope of finding him a position at a local tattoo parlour.

She said: “I just posted it in the hope that someone might know where a job was going and it’s been shared thousands of times, even reaching places like Canada and Bulgaria.

“Not in a million years did I think it would spread across the world!

“Last time I saw him he said he couldn’t thank me enough and that he could never imagine this is where he would be a week later.”

Lindsay and Rob have promised to keep in touch with Shaun, and while accommodation has been found until at least Christmas, the pair have vowed to continue their search to help him find a job and build a life off the streets.