A NEIGHBOUR of a former army servicewoman, who recently underwent emergency surgery to remove a large brain tumour, has launched a fundraising campaign to aid her recovery.

Julie Read moved to Bourton-on-the-Water five years ago after being discharged from service after more than 20 years, on medical grounds, before being diagnosed with a benign Meningioma tumour in January.

Neighbour Kelly Soper, with help of husband Stuart and Julia’s brother Chris Tuck, hopes to raise £1,000 to make much-needed improvements to her house and garden area.

“One of the main things she needs is somewhere outside, to wrap warm and sit in the fresh air but her current garden does not facilitate this,” said Kelly.

Chris said his sister has “suffered badly for several years with PTSD, anxiety, depression, frequent migraines and over the last year has had occasional seizures”.

With regular dizzy spells having become unbearable, Julie went to her optician for an eye test, and was referred immediately to the Ophthalmologist at Cheltenham General Hospital.

CT scans revealed that the 43-year-old had a 69mm brain tumour, 40 per cent bigger than what is considered a large tumour in the medical profession.

Julie was then transported to Bristol Southmead Neurosurgery department to undergo emergency surgery.

Having moved to the Cotswolds from Hull, Julie, who served in the Royal Corps of Transport, lives with her 18-year-old son Joshua.

“Not having family in the area and being a single parent made it a more traumatic experience as she was literally on her own until family could travel up to assist,” said Kelly.

“The aim is to raise funds to improve the accessibility of the external areas of her home, which are uneven and badly lit,” said Chris.

“Pathways will be levelled and a hard standing area installed to provide somewhere for outdoor seating.”

Small modifications will also be made to the bathroom.

Visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stuart-soper-1 to donate.