RESOLUTE community campaigner George Potten was "over the moon" after the finishing touches were put to his beloved Millennium Garden in Basingstoke. Last Monday, The Gazette reported how wheelchair-bound George was despondent after vandals and thieves targeted the octupus-shaped garden in Popley.

Residents and community leaders were angered by the action of the yobs who attacked the garden which George started planning in 1997.

But on Friday there were smiles all round as landscapers added benches to the garden between Chaucer Close and Dryden Close and put the final gloss on five years of campaigning by stroke victim George and other residents.

George, 55, said: "The garden is complete now. It looks very nice with the benches and no-one is going to steal them because it takes five men to lift one. They're the biggest benches I have ever seen. I feel the same as everybody in the square - we're all over the moon."

Residents are taking it in turns to clear any litter from the garden every day and George paid tribute to the community spirit of everyone involved.

"The square has always had a fantastic community spirit," he said. "Everyone watches out for each other's houses when they're away and everyone takes care of me as well. If they don't see me out and about they always come and knock on my door to make sure everything is okay."

George, of Dryden Close, started his campaigning to turn the patch of land between the two closes into a community garden five years ago when he came to The Gazette for some much-needed publicity. He thanked the paper for its support throughout his long campaign.

"I want to thank The Gazette because you started all of this off with me five years ago. You've been brilliant to us," he said.

The new community garden - largely funded by a £15,000 borough council grant - has been drawing envious glances from residents of surrounding squares.

John Rippon, from Shelley Close, said: "It looks fantastic. It would be nice if the council did the same to all the squares around here."