RaH Client ‘overjoyed’ as CareGiver gives new life to late son’s blossom tree

A Right at Home Client who was forced to cut back a cherry blossom tree her had son planted before he died said she “cried with happiness” after her CareGiver created a piece of art using its branches.

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.

Explaining how much the tree meant to her, Carole said: “It was like having a part of Bugsy with me in the garden. 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, a CareGiver at RaH North Somerset, 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.”

Sammy’s willingness to go the extra mile for her Client caught the attention of the Somerset press this earlier this month.

She was featured in the Weston Mercury after the office team worked with the local paper to highlight the positive difference Sammy — and her fellow CareGivers — make to the lives of their Clients every day.

Click here to read the article.

Carole said she was “overwhelmed” when she was handed the piece of artwork Sammy had created.

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 said: “I just wanted to make her smile and do something that meant so much to her. 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.”