Founder CEO

Sally is a former regular and reservist Army officer with career experience in education, training, and personnel policy and strategy. She has worked as a Programme Manager for the Royal British Legion Training College.In 2017, Sally studied an MSc in Social and Therapeutic Horticulture and In 2019 was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study Nature Based Therapy for military personnel in Denmark and the USA. The Defence Gardens Scheme has been developed from her experience and this research.

Head of Operations

Charlie served in the Army for 22 years, from private soldier to Regimental Sergeant Major and subsequently was commissioned to the rank of captain as a late entry officer. The majority of his service had been operational in Northern Ireland, with a 12-month tour in Sierra Leone. He retired in 2007 due to the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. ‘My transition on medical grounds was something that affected, and still does to a certain extent, my own mental health; gardening  has helped me get through some very dark days. The sense of relief and distance from the outside world seems to take away the madness’.

Head of Partnerships

Helen is a passionate advocate for the outdoors and although she has the least green-fingers of the DGS team, as a member of the Armed Forces community, she understands and sees first-hand the benefits of social and therapeutic horticulture. More recently Helen was part of the Invictus Games Foundation and the VPPP Programme in the Southwest. This programme was focused on supporting veterans and their families on their mental health recovery journey and she is looking forward to continuing this through DGS.

Communications and Project Support Officer

Rachel served in the Army for over 20yrs before being medically discharged with physical and mental health issues. Her last role was in the Army Welfare Team so she has extensive experience of the wider welfare needs of transitioning and veteran personnel. Rachel used horticulture as her main therapy while transitioning to civilian life and has personal experience of the benefits. The DGS network has similar echoes of her own recovery journey, which is one she would like to share and develop.

Programme Manager Scotland (Highlands)

Pip is former Commando-trained British Army Officer and military educator. During her service, she held instructional and inspection roles across the Army’s education and training system, developing programmes that built confidence, resilience, and teamwork. After leaving the military, Pip retrained as a Therapeutic Forest Practitioner, combining her deep connection to nature with evidence-based approaches to recovery and personal growth. Pip is passionate about using her training background and therapeutic practice to help veterans and their families rediscover purpose, build skills, and thrive through the Defence Garden Scheme

Project Manager Scotland (Central-belt)

For Sallie, it was not until a change in career path from textile design to horticulture that she began to realise the power held within the relationship between people and plants. In 2011 she enrolled on the Professional Development Diploma in Social and Therapeutic Horticulture at Coventry University/Thrive and using this knowledge went to work for a veteran’s charity. In 2017 Sallie was awarded Scotland’s Garden,   Gardener of the year and is excited to be a part of DGS;  connecting veterans and their families to Nature Based Therapy workshops and sessions to build resilience and recovery for better lives and futures.