A Norwich man who suffered a stroke on a long-haul flight home from Australia has continued to make a remarkable recovery.

Eddie Pleban, 63, worked for YMCA Norfolk for 26 years, latterly as the organisation's housing manager, and, most recently, for Solo Housing in Diss.

Mr Pleban and his wife Jeannie had been visiting their youngest daughter, Sarah-Jane, 31, and their newest grandchild, Charlotte, in Perth, Australia, in February of this year but ended up in a hospital in Dubai after the stroke.

He has since been recovering at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and Mr Pleban's daughter, Louise Hamilton, says her father is starting to get some use of his limbs back and is now able to go out in a wheelchair.

She said: 'Dad had tests on his swallow and they confirmed he'd be able to slowly return to a normal diet. He apparently ate an entire meal - slowly doesn't figure now in him wanting to get to rehab and home!

'He had his trachy out only last week and so is now able to go out in a wheelchair without a huge medical team and equipment following behind.

'He can now move his left side really rather well and can also move his right arm reasonably okay, he needs more physio to release his frozen shoulder. He can move his legs a little but cannot as yet hold himself sitting or standing - but sitting will now improve with him being in a chair rather than a bed more often.

'This feels like such a turning point and so far from what we were facing only a number of weeks ago. There is a lot of hard work to go but the worry of 'medical' issues seems now to be being lifted somewhat.

'Considering statistics on brain stem stroke and the recovery expectations of those who are 'locked in' I am so incredibly proud of my dad.'

To follow Mr Pleban's progress search for 'I love Eddie Pleban' on Facebook.