A BEREAVED husband who was left in the depths of despair following the loss of his wife has found a new lease of life thanks to a local community garden.

The Telegraph told in July how Greenock resident John Thomson had issued a plea asking for locals to help him fulfil a promise he made to his dying wife Alexandra by restoring a bench in her memory.

John said that losing his beloved wife of 23 years in June 2020 had left him feeling directionless, isolated and severely depressed.

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After seeing the article about John’s situation in the Tele, the team at Belville Community Garden in Greenock reached out to the 53-year-old and have now supported him in rebuilding the bench.

John told the Telegraph he felt as though Belville had helped give him his life back after years of grief.

(Image: George Munro)

He added: “I said to Alexa when she passed away I was going to make her a bench or something, and now I’ve been able to fulfil that, thanks to Belville.

“I had the depression because I lost my wife, and the grief actually made things a lot worse.

"I felt so low, like nobody actually understood me. But now I’m feeling a lot better and more motivated.

“I think it’s helped heal a lot of the pain I had. I’m more relaxed, I’m happier and I feel like I’ve found a place I can call home.”

John, who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, says that he now goes to Belville regularly and has found that attending their sessions has helped improve his mental health.

John told the Tele this summer about his final promise to Alexandra. (Image: George Munro)

The former chef has also used his cooking skills to prepare a variety of delicious soups for everyone on the Belville team.

He said: “I used to be very quiet and reserved, but now I feel like I can make a contribution and help out.

"I can’t work because of my condition,so I’ll be here helping for a long time.

“I feel really happy to see it restored, and my anxiety’s now at bay.

“I’m still dealing with PTSD and can get overwhelmed with a lot of things, but I’m a lot happier in myself.

“I feel like I have somewhere to relive my wife’s memory, and I can put the bench back where she had it in our garden.

“I can’t believe everybody wanted to help me. I feel very overwhelmed about it.

“I’m usually stuck in the house all the time because of my PTSD.

"I felt as if I had nobody, but now I feel like I’m part of a family.

“It’s helped heal a lot of the pain I had. I’m more relaxed, I’m happier and I feel like I’ve found a place I can call home.”

John McLennan, from the Belville team, says he reached out to John after reading the Tele article about his plight, and was delighted to be able to help.

The Belville Community Garden Trust team restored the bench for John. (Image: George Munro)

He added: “We replaced all of the wood with oak donated by David Watson Cabinet Makers and the nuts and bolts were donated by McLean’s in Greenock.

“We sanded all the arms down, painted them and just rebuilt it.

“Our only condition for refurbishing the bench was that we did it on the condition he joined in.

"But after he came here we found out he was a chef, which was even better. We got him to make homemade soup!

“He’s part of the gang now and he now comes along on a Tuesday and a Wednesday.

“This has helped in other ways. it’s not just a case of fixing the bench.

“It’s important for Belville to help people and move them on through difficult times in their lives.

"John’s is only one story. We’ve got loads of people we help here.”