A GARDENING enthusiast who built a 26ft tall flower tower in front of his house will now sell flower pots from it to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.

Edward Hayes, aged 72, of Gibbs Road, Beechwood, Newport, showed off his 5ft square and 26ft tall tower to the Argus last year. The structure took three months to complete and is made of six steel sections, welded together and all made from recycled old office desks.

Mr Hayes now plans to cover the tower in flowering pots and sell over more than 150 of them in the hope of raising £3,000 for BHF – a charity which helped him following his own heart surgery.

“I decided not to sell the tower as I built it as an amateur and couldn’t sell it in case it collapses,” he said.

“The pots on the tower are absolutely gorgeous and I will be selling a fully planted pot for £20 with all proceeds going to the British Heart Foundation.”

About 16ft of the tower, which is at the end of Mr Hayes’ drive, can be seen from the road and turned a few heads when it was covered with lights over the Christmas period. Speaking to the Argus last year he said: “I had a triple bypass nearly eight years ago and I feel fantastic.”

“I really believe in what the BHF are doing and I hope, with the help of the Argus, that we can get people from all over to take a look at the tower.”

Mr Hayes, whose main job is buying and selling office furniture, has sold his first pot to his son and hopes to raise the money by the end of May.

If you are interested in buying a plant pot, contact Mr Hayes on 01633 664308.