WATCH: Community pitches in to replace crumbling wall at Wellington home of war veteran
A retired hospice worker and military veteran says he is over the moon after businesses gave him a helping hand to replace his crumbling garden wall.
George McDonald, 88, a former Severn Hospice administrator, had been making arrangements to get the brick wall rebuilt when builder Jeff Evason decided to appeal for donations of materials and labour to offset the cost.
A former major in the Royal Army Logistics Corps, George served from 1954 to 1990 touring post-war Germany, Libya, Hong Kong and Malta before joining the hospice shortly after it opened.
"The wall looks beautiful now. Before it was a crumbling brick wall, now I've got a lovely wooden fence thanks to Jeff. It was a bit of a surprise. I had no idea about the donations.
"I'm really grateful. It's good to know that there are still some genuine people in the world doing what they can to help others," Mr McDonald, of Wellington, said.
The father-of three and grandfather added that he now planned to spend more time gardening.
"My late wife Shirley, who died aged 82 in 2018, used to look after the garden."
Helpers
Donors were Ketley builders' merchant MKM; Tweedale recycling firm A1; electrician Stu Evans; Perry Evason; Maria Smith; and Dean Humphreys.
Mr Evason, of Evason Home Improvements, said: "George is a neighbour of somebody we were doing work for and we noticed the wall dividing the gardens was dangerously damaged. We decided to put an appeal out via Facebook to see if anybody could donate some stuff towards it after he told us a bit about himself.
"He is a war veteran and without people like him back in the day we wouldn't have the freedom we have nowadays.
"We agreed to donate our time to take the old wall down and put new fence in, and the feedback was brilliant."
Mr McDonald was based in Oxfordshire during his time in the forces and has also served as an instructor with the Territorial Army in Donnington, Telford.
