THE mother of murdered Jayden Parkinson said she hoped her daughter’s memorial garden would be a place for everyone in the community.

As the sun shone on Forget Me Not garden yesterday morning, family and friends of Jayden gathered to officially open the space made in memory of the 17-year-old.

Jayden was strangled by 22-year-old Ben Blakeley in December 2013 and buried in his uncle’s grave at All Saints’ Church in Didcot.

Blakeley, from Reading, was jailed for a minimum of 20 years for murder and his brother, Jake, 18, was sentenced to three years for perverting the course of justice.

The garden is located off Foxhall Road, opposite the church.

Samantha Shrewsbury shed tears when she saw the garden for the first time after being blindfolded ahead of the official opening.

She said: “It’s beautiful. The garden is absolutely amazing.

“This will be a place of serenity and something good has come from something tragic that everyone can all share from young to old.

“I think we have laid Jayden to rest, now we can lay the community to rest.”

Supergrass bassist Mick Quinn cut the ribbon at the garden’s gates and said it was an “honour” to be a part of the day.

The garden echoes Jayden’s interests and hobbies. The fence is painted her favourite colour purple and her favourite plant – lavender – will nestle around the memorial headstone, which will be the main centrepiece.

There are also edible plants – a tribute to Jayden’s love of gardening.

Aspire, which offers grounds maintenance and property services across Oxfordshire, carried out the work and all the building materials and labour were donated.

Head gardener Gez Porter said building Forget Me Not was the “biggest” and “most important” job he had ever done in his 20-year career.

He added: “I feel quite relieved, very excited and very happy. It’s turned out far more beautiful than I could have possibly imagined.”

Jayden’s friend Bethany Ray came up with the idea and said she was “speechless”

at how well the garden turned out.

The 18-year-old said: “I had been thinking about doing it for a while and I knew this space was available so I just asked Soha Housing and they allowed it. I’m speechless really. It’s so nice.”

Mrs Shrewsbury added: “Without Bethany, this garden wouldn’t have got started.

I feel a sense of pride in the community of Didcot and the fact that they have taken Jayden into their hearts.

“Gez’s vision for the garden was amazing.”