Tracey

Tracey, a bereaved military spouse, joined the DGS 10-week programme living with a degenerative spinal cord disease and a personal history marked by significant traumas and losses. In recent years, her life had become largely confined to home, leaving her social confidence and mood severely impacted.

Using a motorised wheelchair, Tracey faced practical barriers to participating fully in outdoor activities. The DGS team made several important adaptations to ensure she could engage fully: 

• A lowered table area so she could sit comfortably with the group

• A raised bed, easy to plant and maintain

• Cleared pathways and a small riverside area accessible by wheelchair
  

These adjustments had an immediate impact. Tracey felt seen, valued, and included, and within weeks her mood visibly improved as she began to look forward to her time with the programme.

Tracey gradually rebuilt her social confidence, meeting new people and sustaining these relationships over time. She shared that she had previously been an extrovert but had found it difficult to socialise in recent years. By the end of the programme, she was actively seeking out other social opportunities outside the sessions.

Through engaging in a variety of horticultural techniques, Tracey began to focus on what she could achieve rather than her limitations. Her raised bed gave her a sense of pride, ownership, and achievement, experiences she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Although Tracey had previously had negative experiences with talking therapies, she was able to open up in 1-2-1 sessions, exploring healthier boundaries and strategies for moving forward. Outdoor mindfulness sessions by the river offered her peace, calm, and connection with nature, which she began to practice independently between DGS sessions.

Tracey’s experience highlights how the programme creates a nurturing space where participants are supported through nature, practical adaptations, and skilled facilitation, enabling meaningful, sustainable change in wellbeing, confidence, and social participation.