Somerset woman ‘overjoyed’ as CareGiver gives new life to late son’s blossom tree

Carole Collison, 72, from Weston-super-Mare, had the top half of the tree cut down after it had become overgrown, leaving her heartbroken.

The tree was planted in Carole’s garden by her son, Stephen, nicknamed ‘Bugsy’, in 2000. Sadly, Bugsy passed away from liver disease on January 5, 2019, at the age of 42.

Carole said that since Bugsy died, the tree had meant “everything” to her.

“It was like having a part of Bugsy with me in the garden,” she said. “Every time I woke up, I’d see the tree and knew he was still with me. I didn’t want to have the tree cut back, but it was something I had to do. It was a sad day for me.”

Hearing about the situation, Sammy Moore, Carole’s in-home CareGiver, created a piece of art using branches from the tree.

“Blossom trees take years to grow back, so I wanted Carole to have something that would sit in her lounge and remind her of Bugsy,” she said.

“I knew her favourite colours and I thought if I lit the tree up in a beautiful purple sunset, she would love it.”

Carole said she was “overwhelmed” when she was handed the canvas.

She added: “I cried with happiness. I feel like Bugsy is with me again, and I tell Sammy every day how much I love it. It meant the world to me for Sammy to create this for me.”

Sammy, who works at Right at Home North Somerset, felt “amazing” when she saw Carole’s reaction.

“I just wanted to make her smile and do something that meant so much to her,” she said. “Her face said it all. It was such a precious moment to see how amazed she was when she saw the piece. That’s what it’s all about, that’s why I did it.”