Green-fingered Carol James loved spending time in her pretty cottage garden until she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Carol, 56, a former designer dress maker from Malpas , was already suffering from chronic fibromyalgia when doctors broke the devastating news.

She underwent a lumpectomy and then a mastectomy to beat the disease, but the treatment left her unable to tend the garden which had been her pride and joy.

Now, thanks to a new volunteer initiative called Team Up, created by Macmillan Cancer Support and Brio Leisure, Carol’s garden has been cleared of weeds and overgrown plants and is back to its tidy best.

“This has restored my faith in human kind. I can’t tell you how happy I am,” said Carol, who asked for help after hearing about the Team Up scheme.

The initiative matches those with, or recovering from, cancer across Cheshire West and Chester, who need help with day-to-day tasks, with volunteers willing to offer support.

Tasks depend on the skills of the volunteers, but typically can range from running errands, helping with shopping, ironing, simple DIY tasks or even keep you company while you’re walking the dog.

Volunteers offering help are interviewed and trained before being matched with those in need.

Ceri Shotton, a Brio and Macmillan volunteer support worker, said once a person affected by cancer has registered on the Team Up website they would be contacted to discuss the support they are looking for.

“After registering online, we provide training and conduct the necessary DBS checks to ensure all of our volunteers are suitable.

“Once approved, they become part of the team and can log into the site to see how they can provide the help being requested by people affected by cancer,” added Ceri.

Those needing support are also contacted to explain what they can expect from the volunteers.

Volunteers can only offer a helping hand with tasks they have been registered to provide.

They are not permitted to offer any medical advice or the support given by health and care professionals.

Brio managing director Elly McFahn said: “Team Up is there to create a network of community volunteers who can spare a small amount of their time to make life easier for those who need a helping hand.

“The tasks are often simple but make a huge difference to people’s lives.

“The scheme is open to individuals, but we would also love to see groups, companies and work colleagues coming forward to register as it gives us more flexibility to take on bigger tasks if asked.”

Carol’s garden was transformed by staff from ISS, a leading UK facilities management company with offices worldwide.

ISS regional operations manager Kevin Crompton, from Chester, registered himself as a volunteer but also enlisted the support of work colleagues when he heard about Carol’s garden woes.

He said: “Like many other people, I’ve known friends who have been affected by cancer and was happy to become a Brio and Macmillan volunteer.

“I work for a company that believes in corporate responsibility and is fully supportive of its staff offering this type of help and we also had a number of managers who were happy to pitch in and get this job done.”

Kevin and colleagues Karen Burgess, Vinny Whelan and Neil Tranter, spent a day in Carol’s garden, weeding, pruning, removing rubbish and clearing pathways.

Carol said: “It took a lot for me to take the first step, recognise that I was no longer able to do certain things and ask for help.

“I never expected to be like this – in fact I always wanted to help others, not the other way around.

“This is such a big thing and made a huge difference to me.

“I now want to give something back and plan to register and volunteer myself for anyone who needs the skills I can offer as a seamstress.”

For more information visit www.brioleisure.org/blog/team-support-people-affected-cancer .

Any organisations that would like to get involved can email macmillan@brioleisure.org or call 01244 886 887.