THEY may have great sea views but Southampton's tower blocks are often seen as being dirty, no-go areas. But when you enter Meredith Towers in Thornhill, it positively gleams.

Plastic squirrels and butterflies adorn the walls. There are plants and flowers in the foyer and the smell of disinfectant is in the air.

It is a far cry from the image that tower blocks normally have in Thornhill, one of the most socially-deprived areas of the city.

The man responsible for Meredith's facelift is its warden, Ted Turpin.

Meeting Ted, you are almost bowled over by his radiant smile. It is this grin and a cheery hello that greets all the residents as they head off to work.

Ted has rescued the tower from being a place where the residents would ignore each other, scuttle into their flats and shut the door and turned it into a community where people have time for each other.

His masterplan to build a community in the sky is finally beginning to pay off.

But it was all very different when Ted first moved to Meredith Towers 17 years ago. He had been working as an assistant warden in Holyrood Estate, but jumped at the chance to become a warden with Southampton City Council.

Ted, a very youthful looking 59, said: "In my first few weeks in the job I wondered what I had let myself in for.

"The walls were covered with graffiti and there was human mess - excrement, vomit and urine - on the floor and stairs.

"Some people would send bags of dirty nappies down in the lift or just chuck them out of the window. I remember one time being outside cleaning up some broken glass when a leg of lamb came flying out of a window. The resident had cut a couple of slices from it, then threw it out. I did laugh about that occasion.

"I began the task of cleaning the tower, I got on my hands and knees with a scrubbing brush and scrubbed it all clean by hand.

"I would clean the graffiti off the walls, but as soon as I did this it would be back. I realised that it was the attitudes of the people that needed to change as well as creating a better environment for them.

"So I made it my mission to create a community feeling at Meredith Towers.

"I am around if anyone needs me any time of the day. I don't want to be nosy and interfere with their lives but I can reassure them if they are sick.

"Luckily I have a photographic memory and can always remember everyone's names when I say good morning to them.

"It has been a long hard slog, but after 17 years I am reaping the benefit as people respect the place."

But this is not something that Ted takes this for granted. In his time at Meredith he's had his car burnt out and been pinned to the wall by a drug dealer he confronted in the tower.

Despite all this he persevered with the people and the building, planting shrubs around the tower and repainting all the walls and floors.

"The council has also done its bit for the block. For example, they have installed a sliding door for disabled residents," Ted said.

Ted has become good friends with many of the residents and says that it is a bonus for him when a young couple manage to buy a home.

"I am sad to see them go," he said. "But I am always pleased for them.

"I love my job as the warden but sometimes I do get days when I wonder why I bother, but then I see how happy the residents are and it makes me pleased.

"I think that a lot of the problems that we get in the block are due to the fact that alcohol is so readily available and also because the youngsters get bored easily.

"The local youth club used to run a graffiti club, and every morning after the evening that it had run I would get up to graffiti scrawled all over the walls.

"In the end I had to ask the youth leader not to let the kids leave with any of the equipment."

Ted loves his job so much that he even ended up meeting and marrying the warden of the neighbouring block. Naomi, 36, lives in Dumbarton Towers with her nine-year-old son.

Ted joins them every weekend so he can still look after his other beloved - Meredith Towers.

He said: "Naomi started as a warden three and a half years ago.

"After courting for six months we decided to get married. It is hard not being able to spend the week together but we have the weekends.

"I guess I am proud of what I have achieved with Meredith Towers. I think that it is something that can be achieved in other areas of the city too.

"People need to learn that they should pull together. This is never going to stop unless society changes."