A RETIRED engineer who played football for Barrow has died after suffering head and spinal injuries after falling downstairs at his home, an inquest has found.

John Stephen Calvert, from Barrow, was found by his wife of 39 years, Linda Calvert, at the bottom of the stairs at their home on Beach Crescent, Walney, on the morning of March 2, 2022.

Mr Calvert, 69, who had played football for Barrow AFC and Fleetwood Town as a youth, had spent the evening of March 1 at the Kings Arms pub in Hawcoat drinking with friends, and returned home at around 10.45pm.

He was "not excessively drunk", according to Mrs Calvert, a retired secretary.

According to her statement read at the Coroners Court in Cockermouth, Mr Calvert, known as 'Steve', had had a "good night, with great company", at which point he made Mrs Calvert a gin and tonic and himself a vodka drink, when the couple chatted, before Mrs Calvert went to bed at around 2.30am.

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She woke at around 9am the following morning and heard no noise, presuming Mr Calvert was still asleep.

At 9.30am, she got up, saw the bedroom door open, then saw Mr Calvert lying prone at the bottom of the staircase.

Paramedics arrived shortly after from North West Ambulance Service, but could not resuscitate Mr Calvert, who was pronounced dead at 9.53am.

Assistant Coroner for Cumbria Mr Robert Cohen concluded from the postmortem that Mr Calvert's death was accidental, caused by fractures to his skull and spine, most likely linked to acute alcohol consumption, which would have impaired his movement.

Mrs Calvert described her husband as a "lovely husband, and very generous man", who played for Barrow AFC aged 18, when he began an engineering apprenticeship with BAE forerunner Vickers Engineering.

On completion he wanted to play professional football, but Barrow had dropped down a division, and he signed with Fleetwood Town FC, marrying Linda in 1983 at the age of 24, after a 7-year courtship, moving back to Walney Island, Barrow.

He spent most of his adult life working as an engineer, retiring in 2016 to care for Linda, who was experiencing ill health.

Mr Cohen offered: "I can only send my profound and deep sympathy to Mrs Calvert and all the other members of Mr Calvert's family - they have suffered a very grave loss."

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