A CARNOCK army veteran who damaged his hearing while in in the forces has emerged from lockdown with a new business.

Mac Stevenson had latterly been working out in Texas but, after his hearing deteriorated, found he was struggling to do his job and stepped down last year.

He has now set up his own business, Gutter Clear Pro, and has pledged that a percentage of each job will be donated to the UK Veterans Hearing Foundation.

"In November 2019, I decided at the age of 48 my hearing had deteriorated to a level that I couldn’t go on in my job and wanted to take a step back," explained Mac.

"There were constant conference calls and crowded meetings that I really struggled with so I decided to leave the company. I decided to take a few months off and re-evaluate what I was going to do next year.

"Then COVID hit, this was my turning point to start thinking out of the box and Gutter Clear Pro was born. Cleaning gutters is a relatively simple concept but I wanted to do it differently and at the same time give something back. It was a no-brainer for me to partner with UK Veterans Hearing Foundation to raise awareness for the charity and to also contribute by having various fundraising activities throughout the year.

"It’s a veteran-run and veteran-owned business. As we add more vans, every van will be a self-employed veteran running it as their own business. From every job we complete, industrial or residential, a percentage of the job goes to a military charity of choice."

Mac has already got one van for the new business which has state-of-the-art equipment including what he describes as "the world's most powerful vacuum" that has a reach of more than four storeys. He also has an HD wireless SkyCam for before and after pictures and inspections and plans to offer a simple cost structure with OAP and veteran discount.

"All going well, I would like to get a second van with a veteran running as their own business at the start of next year and add more vans every six months or so – COVID-dependant of course," he added.

"Although the business is residential and commercial, the focus will be on commercial and industrial contracts but I love getting out and speaking to people while doing their houses."