On Monday 3^rd July we were able to take our online gardening group on a visit to Chatsworth gardens. Despite the weather, a great time was had by all

One of our lovely members, Gill, wanted to share her thoughts on the day and a little background into why this was the first time in years, she has attended an in-person event with DCA.

 

Gill cares for her father, and her husband cares for Gill. A serious medical condition means that Gill is extremely vulnerable, her medicines can be affected by vaccines, such as the Covid vaccination, which has meant that Gill has been shielding for a number of years.

 

Gill is only able to meet outdoors, distanced and avoiding crowds as much as possible. This still causes Gill anxiety as there are lots of people who are not always aware that some individuals are still vulnerable and don’t always take precautions. This is understandable because thankfully most people have been able to move on.

 

Gill’s daughters and father test before visiting, and hospital staff all wear masks and even allow Gill to sit in a separate waiting room on her own. Gill is hoping that the trials on new antibody treatments, which she hopes to be a part of, will be successful and provide protection for the many vulnerable people who are still shielding.  

 

After attending a number of online groups with DCA over the years, Gill decided to take a huge leap of faith and attend her first DCA in-person event at Chatsworth Gardens.

 

This is the lovely message that Gill has kindly shared with us all

“Thank you for a lovely day out and it was a joy to see everyone, even if we did have to keep a distance.

We went home and got changed out of our wet clothes and had our 'Chatsworth Picnic' in the front room. Derek then took my father to his group session, because it was too wet for him to go on his scooter and then picked him up later, whilst I sorted out my Dads meds. The weather then improved so we took the impulsive decision to return to Chatsworth! We returned 4pm - 5.30pm.  It was like another day, sunny and dry. We were able to amble around slowly, sit and rest, when needed, and enjoy the views. It was very relaxing and did us both a world of good, so another big thank you. A productive and enjoyable day all in all.

Thank you for all the support DCA has given us!

 Thanks again Gill and Derek”