WORK has been completed on the garden of a blind woman from Pontypool who felt she had “been taken advantage of” after paying thousands for work in her garden which she said was unsafe and used “sub-standard materials”.

Lisa Potter was left unable to use her garden in August last year, as her fence had warped, decking had been incorrectly fitted, and the patio was left uneven with bricks and offcuts strewn across it.

Ms Potter had paid £6,500 for the work, and set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs of fixing her now “unsafe” garden.

South Wales Argus: A pile of offcuts, mud and bricks were left uncleared by workers in Lisa Potter's garden. Picture: Lisa Potter.A pile of offcuts, mud and bricks were left uncleared by workers in Lisa Potter's garden. Picture: Lisa Potter.

After seeing her story, three local companies came forward, agreeing to revamp Ms Potter’s New Inn garden and make it safe and usable for her and her guide dog Henry.

Representatives from Dragon Taxis, Magor-based housing experts The Edenstone Group, and Pontypool-based construction firm OTL Group met with Ms Potter in September,

“We were horrified by the standard of the initial garden makeover,” said Martin Barnfield, operations director at OTL Group.

South Wales Argus: The fence which had been installed in Lisa Potter's garden warped within a few weeks. Picture: Lisa Potter.The fence which had been installed in Lisa Potter's garden warped within a few weeks. Picture: Lisa Potter.

Now – just in time for spring – the work has been completed.

“I will be forever grateful for what they have managed to salvage from my garden and to them coming to my rescue at a stressful time,” Ms Potter said. “I had lost confidence.

“Not only did they construct the decking in a way that was safe and easy for me to get up to my garden, but they also made the rest of the garden a usable and safe place for me, my dog and my family to use.

“They’ve also done an amazing job on the fence, so it will last now for many years to come.”

Jack Price, from Dragon Taxis said: “We were really disappointed to hear about Lisa’s garden makeover experience.

“We are always keen to give back to our local communities and to hear how happy she is now is great.

“Edenstone and OTL offered their expert workmanship and have done such a good job.

“We were happy to contribute to the costs of transforming the garden so that Lisa would not be further out of pocket.”

Nick Barrett, operations manager at Ashgrove Partnerships, part of the Edenstone Group, said: “We are all delighted that Lisa is so happy with the outcome.

“As well as repairing the existing garden fence, we installed a new one to the top of the garden and levelled and re-turfed the rear garden.

“The decking is now much safer and more accessible, with a new handrail and a ramp to the garden replacing the previous fixtures and steps. This means that Lisa can enjoy the outdoors, whenever she wants.

“To complete her garden makeover, we cleared the lower level of the garden and gave the whole area a face lift with a new raised planter, Cotswold stone and a new side gate.”