AN ELDERLY man who is battling lung cancer was given a surprise treat with two of his favourite things – horses and beer.

Fred Garwood, 84, was visited by Monty and Winston, the two horses that pull the Harveys dray cart.

The surprise was organised by Mr Garwood’s daughter Sarah Stapley, 37, outside his house in Hazelgrove Road, Haywards Heath.

Sarah, a part-time bartender at the United Services Club organised the event after seeing a poster advertising that Harveys would be visiting Haywards Heath.

She said: “When we arrived, Dad said ‘what on earth is going on?’ and kept saying he must be in a dream.”

Mr Garwood, who has beaten cancer before, was also visited by other family members.

Sarah was picked up by the dray cart outside the United Services Club and was allowed to ride on board to the house where her father was waiting in a wheelchair the family had hired for the day.

She said: “Once outside, the next thing he saw was the horse and cart coming around the roundabout with me on it. He said ‘What on earth is she doing up there?’ He couldn’t believe it.”

The event was arranged with the help of Harveys and The Maple Leaf Carriage Company who made a detour on their route to visit Mr Garwood.

As part of the arrangement, Harveys presented Mr Garwood, a long-time fan of the company, with a special box of beer.

A spokesman for Harveys said: “We were presented with the opportunity to make somebody’s day and we were more than happy to do that.

“We arranged for the horsemen to take Mrs Stapley to her father’s house and gave him the opportunity to meet the horses and present him with a small gift.”

Mrs Stapley said the day was “quite emotional” but was pleased to have given her father the chance to see the horses.