It was me!

Photo: Vincent Brown

CAUGHT in the act . . . Stephen hard at work

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Mystery Mr Fix-it revealed

THE cover has been blown on the identity of a mystery repairman who has saved the borough thousands of pounds by carrying out secret repairs.

Ex-serviceman Stephen Rimmer changed the face of local beauty spots when he engaged in a cloak-and-dagger operation to patch broken benches, fences and footpaths.

He loaded up his mountain bike with wood and tools and pedalled the streets to his latest project “when most people were in bed.”

The overnight repairs appeared over a period of 12 weeks — the result of 4am trips to mend items that had caught his eye. The result was a colourful array of repairs springing up everywhere from Daisy Nook to the towpaths of Huddersfield and Rochdale canals.

It left Oldham’s countryside bosses scratching their heads, and Steve Smith, head of parks and countryside, was prompted to start an investigation to unravel the mystery when his efforts to find out who had done the repairs fell on stony ground.

He thought rangers were working with local schools on a project, but when no-one claimed to know anything about it, he made an appeal through the Oldham Chronicle for help in tracking down the guerilla tradesman to thank him. Stephen eventually own up to the Chronicle.

The woodworker and craftsman, from Chadderton, had signed up with Manchester Metropolitan University for a three-dimensional design degree course. His studies covered recycling, and when he spotted old planks lying in the canal he decided to drag them out and turn them into a seat for the remnants of a damaged bench.

Proud of his work, he began to sneak out under the cover of darkness to mend other items, to help with his degree course.

The 37-year-old began studying art at Oldham College six years ago. He left the Army in 1997, after three years’ service.

He said: “The Army wasn’t right for me. I came back lost, it was such a weird environment, I found myself going from from job to job and that’s when I started painting.

Steve forked out his own money to buy the paint and other supplies to make the repairs, but most of the timber he found lying around, or cadged.

“I suppose I had a bit of a grumpy old man attitude,” he said. “I saw broken benches when I was out on my bike which have been like that for years, yet you only needed to move your head a few degrees to see something that could be used to fix it.”

Stephen used the remnants of pruned trees and changed the face of planks with skilful use of a blowtorch, to leave his mark.

His efforts, heralded by parks bosses as “clever, inventive, innovative and eye-catching,” have brought 16 benches back into use — all with reclaimed and recycled wood, and have saved the borough between £2,000 and £3,000.

He explained: “I used to be in the military, when we were always out at night-time. I feel a lot better going out to help people than going out with a gun and a bomb in my pocket.”

Prospective employers can e-mail him at sr7365@hotmail.co.uk