A COMMUNITY came together to create an oasis for a neighbour diagnosed with cancer by pulling off a surprise Ground Force-style garden makeover.

Friends, family, traders and businesses all united to treat Bicester resident Sarah Day and her family to a newly-overhauled garden whilst she was away on holiday.

The mum-of-three was diagnosed with breast cancer in October and said the side effects of her treatment, including not being able to properly feel her hands and feet anymore, made the thought of revamping the garden a 'struggle'.

So neighbour and close friend Debbie Ford set about staging the grand surprise whilst Ms Day holidayed with her children in Cornwall, and jetted off for a few days to Croatia with partner Graham Hazleton last week.

Mrs Ford said: "I just wanted to do something nice for Sarah to help keep her smiling through the tough days.

"Whenever she would come over to mine she would sit in the garden and say how she wanted hers like this, so I wanted to help her have a low maintenance garden and somewhere to go and relax.

"I never imagined how much the community would pull together and I am overwhelmed by the generosity of local companies for their donations and friends and neighbours for their help."

Mrs Ford managed to rope in a number of traders and businesses to join friends and family rolling up their sleeves and overhauling the garden in just a matter of days.

Mr Ford, owner of SJF Property Services, was first in the garden chopping down dead trees before many others followed helping to clear, plant and relay patio creating an incredible new space.

Ms Day said she had no idea what was going on back at home whilst she was away holidaying and was even more surprised her two eldest children Charlie and Alice also managed to help keep the secret.

She said: "I am just gobsmacked.

"We came back from holiday early Sunday morning and noticed some stuff had been moved down the side of the house, then the blind was half down in the kitchen and I saw something glistening.

"So I went to go see what it was and could see from my back door it had all changed, I walked round but it was so much to take in.

"I went to sleep and then woke up thinking was it all a dream, so looked in the morning and just couldn't believe it."

Mrs Ford had help from a number of neighbours in Derwent Road, plus her own children Amber and Connor, Ms Day's children Charlie, Alice and Matthew Wilkinson and countless local traders.

Ms Day, an accountant with Chaplin Associates, added: "I just feel really touched by it all, the more I realise how many people helped out and for Debbie to manage to pull off the surprise is incredible.

"It makes a huge difference to me, I am currently on a treatment break and the side affects mean I cant feel my feet and hands properly so I would've struggled to sort it out myself.

"I have been out there every evening making the most of it, we can now all sit out there as a family, plus I work from home so it gives me something to enjoy a lunch break."

Thanks have been made to friends, family and neighbours plus Homebase Bicester, Wyevale, Travis Perkins, John Nicholls timber decking, Blanchford Building Supplies and Lowe and Oliver.