THE family of a disabled girl cried tears of joy after a TV-style garden makeover was completed for her by a small army of volunteers.
Bonnie Wiseman, seven, suffered complications at birth and has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, which means she needs constant support and to ensure her needs are being met
WellChild, a national UK charity for seriously ill children, wanted to help - and so did more than a dozen volunteers from British Gas, who on Thursday and Friday gave the garden a huge makeover.
When Bonnie and her family stepped out into their finished garden, mum Steph was so happy she was “speechless”.
Parents David and Steph, Bonnie and their two other daughters were blown away by their new garden.
Mum Steph said: “I didn’t realise our garden was so big.
“I’m so emotional I feel like I’m going to cry.
“It’s absolutely amazing.”
When the family moved into their home in Feering, they soon found the garden was not accessible for Bonnie.
The makeover created an outside space where Bonnie can “play, relax, regain independence and thrive”.
It also incorporates sensory items like water play, sensory lighting, play equipment and planters like those in Bonnie’s new garden for children to enjoy
Steph said: “We’ve been quite emotional about not being able to get out here, because we don’t get out a lot as it is.
“So being able to get out into the garden is just amazing. Bonnie’s chairs just sink in all the mud and the grass, and it's just not accessible at all.
“We didn’t know what we were going to do, and we would get a bit depressed about it.
“But now we’re going to be out here all the time — we will definitely make the most of all this space now.”
There were over a dozen engineers and manager volunteers from British Gas who worked for two days to transform the garden.
They dug up the garden, levelled the ground, and installed planters for a sensory garden so Bonnie can enjoy the smells and the family can grow plants.
WellChild is a national UK charity for seriously ill children which aims to get children out of hospital as soon as possible so that they can thrive at home with their families.
For more, visit: www.wellchild.org.uk
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