Deborah Mullan is an accredited Counsellor & Psychotherapistleads and heads the DGS team at Ashes to to Gold, Co Londonderry

Ashes to Gold are situated in Coleraine, on a wonderful 10-acre site. The landscaped paths, a lake and forest as well as dedicated polytunnels provide every facility for a wide range of nature based therapy options.

Brett runs the garden and Deborah works with him on the DGS Programmes.

Dougal Dorman and Anja Rosler head the team at Brooke House Health and Wellbeing Centre. Dougal is Head Gardener and Anja is an EcoTherapist and they deliver within a traditional large walled kitchen garden.

Progression from the course is supported by an experienced veteran ensures each client has a clear progression plan. Opportunities range from volunteering to retraining and can lead to PT or FT employment or self- employment

James Clarke is the DGS Delivery Team lead at The Eden Project and delivers the programme at The Vounder Therapy Garden at The Eden Project Cornwall, offering a balance of practical horticultural skills and support in managing mental health and well-being.

The Therapy Garden is located at Eden in the Outer Estate, and is a safe and secure space away from all the noise and business of the main attraction.

Fiona S. J. Brown PhD heads the DHS delivery team at the Linburn Walled Garden , Edinburgh, Scotland

She is a social and therapeutic horticulturist in Scotland, who enjoys sharing her love of nature and gardening to support others with their mental health and wellbeing.

As well as designing and developing a new veterans community garden as a DGS Spoke Garden with Veterans Housing Scotland.

Imogen (R) and Rachel (L) head up the team here at the forest garden, Green Lane Nature Reserve in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, running the nature led therapy programme. Here participants learn how to develop, tend and maintain a forest garden. learning sustainable and affordable food growing, working in tune with nature and the environment.

Imogen Jackson MSc is a highly regarded horticultural therapist with experience as Head Gardener at Horatio’s Garden, Midlands Centre for Spinal Injuries and at Bethlem psychiatric hospital and Linnaeus nursery. Through experience and research, Imogen passionately believes that access to green spaces and nature-based therapies have an essential role in improving physical, psychological, cognitive, and social wellbeing.

Janice Powel MSc is an Occupational Therapist who heads up the team here along with Kim who assists in delivery.

Funded by Armed Force Covenant Fund Trust (AFCFT.) Woody’s Lodge guides veterans and their families to the help & support they need to re-engage with community life after active service. It also directly provides and signposts to a range of activities and events.

It is based within the grounds of the Amelia Trust Farm, tucked away in a tranquil corner with views over fields and rare breed sheep. The garden is a work in progress, with each cohort of DGS participants taking part in bringing the garden back to life , alongside learning about horticulture and benefiting from a variety of outdoor nature-based activities.

Donna Rowe-Green's background is in social and therapeutic horticulture. In additional to delivering the DGS programme she runs Rosemary and Time which started out as simple gardening project, but over the years has developed into something much bigger.  This was purely down to seeing a need in her local community and trying to fulfil it.

She is passionate about her work and meeting new wonderful people.  

Lucy Thrope heads up the DGS Delivery Team at RHC, she has been working in land based further education and therapeutic horticulture for 15 years.  She brings to us extensive experience in developing therapeutic gardens and facilitating programmes within these having worked with a wide range of client groups. 

Previously worked for Help for Heroes in their Wiltshire Recovery centre, where she ran a programme of nature-based activities, delivered for both educational and therapeutic benefits to military serving personnel, veterans and their families. During this time she collaborated with Sparsholt College and veterans to create a Chelsea Flower Show garden winning a Gold medal and Best in Discovery Exhibits award. 

More recently Lucy has been working as a Head Gardener and Horticultural Therapist for Horatio’s Garden in Salisbury supporting patients and their families to access and benefit from nature whilst recovering from life changing spinal injuries.  

Deborah McDonald heads the team here at HMP Maghaberry, NI, along with Charlie Marno. In the Autumn of 2023, the DGS delivered its first nature based therapy programme to Veterans within the Criminal Justice System. It took place in HMP Maghaberry which is a Category A prison with inmates who pose the greatest risk to the public. The aim of this programme was to improve employability of prisoners, when released, by enhancing well-being and self-esteem and learning new horticultural skills.