A disabled man who “hadn’t had a good day in five years” has been given a new purpose in life after generous builders donated £2,000 worth of materials to transform his previously inaccessible garden.

Andy Rees, of Trevithick Drive in Temple Hill, Dartford, had to give up his job as a builder when a popped disc in his back forced him to rely on a wheelchair and take morphine four times a day to cope with the pain.

But when Andy got pally with construction workers at the Northern Gateway housing development in Dartford and asked for a cheeky few bricks, he got far more than he bargained for.

Many staff from construction company Coinford added a couple of extra hours to their day to help Andy meet his ambition of building a back garden to grow vegetables and spend time with his three daughters.

They also brought along tonnes of sand, crushed concrete, cement and bricks at their own cost.

Andy said: “It cuts me up, honestly. I haven’t had a good day in five years, but this has given me a purpose again and a sense of motivation.

“I was speaking to a couple of the workers – I go past there quite a lot – and I asked if they wouldn’t mind giving me a few bricks to help me build my garden. Since then, they have taken so much time to help me out.

“I would like to thank them all for the wonderful gesture. It is amazing that they are coming down here to do a bit of graft after working all day.”

Senior site manager Dave Gruber said: “We are glad Andy approached us about this and we want to help.

“We realise that we are having an impact on the communities around here and we want to do everything we can to help the people.”

"I haven't had a good day in five years, but this has given me a purpose again and a sense of motivation" - Andy Rees

Dave has also agreed to help Andy out with any labour that needs doing to rebuild his garden free of charge.

Andy gave up a hard-working job he loved when he lost feeling in his left leg after popping a few discs in his back.

He said: “Over a year and a half I went from walking with a limp and a back ache, to walking on crutches to occasionally using a wheelchair.

“I woke up one morning and I could not feel either of my legs. I panicked, it was terrifying – but by the time an ambulance got here I could feel the pain starting to set in.”

With the support of local builders behind him, Andy he is now able to carry out his old job and create a better environment for his children.

He said: “I can access my garden again, my children will soon have somewhere they can play when they are here, and when I’ve got my workshop built I can keep busy.”

He wants to help others going through similar difficulties.

“I want to set up a wheelchair support group in the area," he added. "When this first happened to me I tried to see if there were people in the area that I could turn to, but there was nothing within 25 miles.

“The local church has said I can use the space there so I’m hoping to get that up and running soon.”

Being the handyman he is, Andy has also took to fixing up other people’s wheelchairs free of charge after hearing of the high prices disabled people have to pay to maintain their mobility equipment.

He said: “It costs me three times as much money to live than most people, so if I can help a few people in a similar position as me save money, then why not?”

Andy added: “I would like to thank Dexter, Adam Yates, Liam and his son Graham, his neighbour Darren (aka Tank), Matty, BDW Trading for the scaffolding, and anyone else that has chipped in to transform the garden.”

However, Andy is only at the beginning of his project and welcomes any help in terms of labour or materials.

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