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Bristol is home to plenty of legendary characters who all play a part in giving the city its renowned charm and vibrancy.

One of the most well-known is Jeffrey Knight, more commonly referred to as Jeff, who puts a smile on the faces of countless people every day by fist bumping, hugging and chatting to them.

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The Big Issue seller is one of the happiest and most positive people in Bristol, despite the fact he's had to overcome major struggles in his life and has lived in difficult circumstances.

But he will no longer have to worry about sleeping rough, as over 500 people in Bristol have chipped in to buy him the best present imaginable - a new home.

In November, a fundraising campaign was launched by one of his admirers to buy him a van he could call home and, unsurprisingly given his popularity, it didn't take long for the donations to start pouring in.

UPDATE: 'I'm an emotional wreck!' Bristol's incredible reaction to big issue seller Jeff finding a home

(Image: Bristol Live)

The target was smashed in no time at all and Jeff is now all set up in his plush new Volkswagen van, just two months after the appeal was launched.

Needless to say he is loving having a roof over his head and is incredibly grateful for the support shown.

“It’s just amazing and I want to thank everyone who has made this happen," he said.

“Money is important but this is more than money - this is love, and there isn’t anything more important than that.

“I’m in my van now and I’m happy. It just makes me feel good having somewhere warm to go at the end of the day.

“Now every morning I get up and say 'Yes! I’m indoors and I’m safe'.

“Sometimes when you’re sleeping rough, people aren't very nice when they walk past.

“A few months back someone threw some booze on my sleeping bag at night and it’s not what you need, but now I’m in the van nobody can do that to me.

“I want to say thank you to everyone and I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I love you Bristol.

(Image: Bristol Live)

Jeff was handed the keys to the van on Saturday and said he spent the first night in it watching television, mainly the History Channel, and is looking forward to watching more at the end of his shifts.

The van was bought for £4,750 from Jody Lowe of Ontourcampervans, who sold it at a cut price after hearing the back story, while Webb Biomass in Tiverton carried out a mechanical and electrical check completely free-of-charge.

So far £7,257 has been raised and the rest of the overall fund will be used for tax, insurance and M.O.Ts to ensure Jeff can live stress-free for the coming years.

'It's been a real honour to be part of this'

The campaign was started by Deasy Bamford, who has got to know Jeff through working at Hamilton House, where he is commonly positioned.

"I was cycling home one very cold evening in November when I saw someone bedding up for the night," she said.

"I stopped to check he had enough bedding and when he turned around I saw it was Jeff. I guess I'd never thought about his living situation before and I thought there's no way that he should be sleeping on the streets.

"So along with Valerie Glenn, who knows Jeff very well, we had a think about what we could do and decided to raise money for a van. I set up the page and thought it might raise about £2,000 at most.

(Image: Bristol Live)

"But when I returned from Gambia after Christmas it had raised over £5,000 which was amazing to see. It snowballed really quickly and I know that Valerie, along with quite a few others, put in a lot of effort to spread the word.

"The van is really decent and we're so grateful that it was sold to us by Jody at a cut price.

"The whole thing just shows that people want good things to happen to others and they want to come together to make a difference, despite the tough times we live in.

"I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who got behind the campaign, it's been a real honour to part of this Bristol buzz and it's so nice to see Jeff in his van, he absolutely loves it."

If you would like to contribute, donations are still open on the GoFundMe page.