Stockport woman trapped in own home pleads with lift companies to put an end to five year misery
Shelley Phillips has tried more than 60 lift companies but, so far, none have been able to help.
A woman has been “trapped” on the first floor of her house for more than half a decade, even missing her father's funeral - after the wrong size lift was installed.
Shelley Phillips, 51, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, has numerous medical conditions, including a hyper fixated leg that doesn’t bend.
The council-installed lift at her privately-owned home in Davenport is not long enough to fit her and her chair inside, meaning she has been trapped upstairs for more than five years.
“It’s horrible, your days are all the same," says Shelley.
“You lose a sense of time, you lose a sense of being a part of society, you’re just in here.
“You don’t know what’s going on around you. Homes are being built, flats are being done. People are moving into houses on the street, I have no idea.”
Shelley said her previous lift worked for years and helped her to maintain her independence. But it needed to be replaced. When a second lift was put in, it malfunctioned, so a third one was fitted, funded by a disabled facilities grant, but it turned out to be too small.
As Shelley has to keep her left leg out straight, the lift is around 15cm too short.
The former nursery worker, who has a number of conditions and survived a stroke, will soon need hospital treatment.
She is worried her health will deteriorate if the problem is not solved soon. Despite calling more than 60 lift companies, “nobody’s come back that can do it".
Shelley believes “they are out there and it’s just trying to find that one company.
“The money is waiting for them, I just need that one company.”
Shelley says adapting the downstairs of her home or moving to an alternative property, would both be far more expensive than installing a suitable lift.
Having lived on the same street all her life, she says could not face moving away.
Carers and a social worker have been helping her over the past five years.
She was also supported by her late father Stuart before he passed away in November 2020, but due to being stuck upstairs, Shelley wasn’t able to attend his funeral.
“The horse and carriage stayed outside my room for one minute so we could look out the window and I could say my goodbye," Shelley recalls.
“And then I had to watch the funeral service on the laptop, I couldn’t be there for him.
“And he died of Covid-19.
“It’s the hardest thing I have had to do.”
Dr Steve Moran has been supporting Shelley as a member of the same local epilepsy group.
He says the past five years have been “painful” for her “as she’s been denied the freedom she should have” but he’s tried to keep her “morale boosted”.
Stockport's Labour MP Navendu Mishra has also been fighting Shelley’s corner for the past two years.
Mr Mishra said: “I want to see a resolution where she’s able to use a lift, which meets her needs and she’s able to live an independent life.”
He added: “I’ve been trying but I’ll continue to search for appropriate solutions for this situation.”
Stockport Council said: "We are committed to doing everything we can to support our residents and in situations like this we explore all feasible options available to make sure people have independence and choices, as no one should feel trapped in their own home."
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