Third Age: All is now rosy in the garden

GARDENER Dermot O’Neill has a lot to celebrate. A new TV series is currently being aired, he has a book coming out in the autumn, but more importantly he has been cancer free for two years.

“I feel a great sense of freedom,’’ he says. “Cancer is a heavy burden to carry, and when you are being treated you are not sure which way it is going to go. So when you do get good news it is fantastic.

“I appreciate and value life. When you face something like cancer, it forces you to re-evaluate life and look at things.”