A DREAM that turned a Bude man's life around has led him to do the same for many others — in Rio de Janeiro.

After going through a relationship breakdown, Jody King suffered with depression and felt he would never find happiness again until one night, during his darkest days, he had a dream that changed everything.

The dream encouraged Jody to make the leap and head for Rio — he has not looked back since, establishing himself within the community. Now he is setting up a charity to help those in need.

He said: "At the next opportunity I went for it. I packed my bags and got on a flight to Rio with the intention of not returning to England for a long time.

"Hands down the best decision I ever made in my life — the craziest, but the best!"

The morning after arriving, Jody stood out on some rocks at the end of the beach and watched the magical sunrise; a moment that he felt turned his life around.

He recalls: "The effect was immediate. I felt all the stress, heartache and pain lift from me during the sunrise. I actually started laughing to myself and it was as if I felt this wave of happiness come over me. I no longer cared what I went through in England.

"I had this amazing adventure and new life in front of me, and it was the single best feeling of my life."

For the full report, and a round-up of the area news and sport, see this week's edition of the Post.