A PEACEFUL haven was unveiled in a park in tribute to three pillars of a community.

Residents in Blackbird Leys gathered on Saturday for the official opening of a memorial garden commemorating three stalwarts of the estate - former councillors Val Smith, Carole Roberts and Barbara Gatehouse.

The garden is dedicated to Mrs Smith, who died in May 2015 after battling cancer, but leaves a legacy for each of the ladies to be remembered.

It consists of three handcrafted wooden benches each etched with a dedication, centred around a sapling and encircled by grasses.

Speaking at the ceremony at Blackbird Leys Park, Mrs Smith’s widower Andrew Smith said: “It’s a truly fitting memorial for our beautiful Val. We are celebrating three remarkable women with unique personalities, who shared a fierce and caring dedication to the communities and people they served. They had the formidable ability to fight their corner."

The event was particularly poignant as the following day marked Mr and Mrs Smith’s 41st wedding anniversary.

The memorial’s location next to Leys Pools and Leisure Centre was chosen because it was where Mrs Smith, who earned the nickname ‘Mrs Blackbird Leys’, had her last public event before her illness took a turn.

Oxford East MP Mr Smith said he remembered that day in September 2014, walking from the Leys fair to the leisure centre where his wife opened new changing facilities.

He said: “I have photos from that day of her happy, smiling that irresistible smile, looking to a future that she was not to see.

“They would not have wanted us to be mournful today. They cared for life, their loved ones and worked to make the community and people's lives better. They cared with a passion and we remember them better by caring too.”

Blackbird Leys Parish Council chairman Gordon Roper, who pushed for the memorial garden, added: “We all thought the world of Val and she thought the world of this estate - so did Barbara and Carole.”

The garden was partly funded by the parish council and partly by Oxford City Council, whose parks operations manager Tina Mould designed the memorial.

The city council has also put up a plaque on the outside of the leisure centre dedicated to Mrs Smith.

Loved ones were asked to plant flowers around the benches, including Mrs Robert’s stepson Kevin Roberts.

The Headington resident, 58, said: “The ladies all did so much for Blackbird Leys. [Carole] loved her family and looked out for us - she never wanted for anything and always put other people first.”

Former Lord Mayor Mrs Roberts, 71, died in August 2015 following illness. Mrs Gatehouse, 89, was also lost to illness in January 2016.

Her daughter Kay Gatehouse, who lives in Headington, said: “Mum and dad would be absolutely thrilled with this. We don't mind that some people might not know who they are, they would just be delighted that people could take enjoyment from this and just sit. We are immensely proud."