Gardening means ‘a lot’ to me
Allotments are a blessing
An East Kilbride woman credits exercise with helping her to accept her ‘new l i f e’ 20 years af t er a diagnosis of MS.
Amanda Barrie was first told she had Multiple Sclerosis in 1991, aged just 20.
And for the inter vening two decades, which saw her retire from her job and give up her driving licence, she struggled with the roller-coaster of symptoms and emotions of her disease.
However, over the last year, Amanda, 48, has turned a corner, embracing countless n e w o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o b e c o me more physically active, including keeping her own veg patch, courtesy of the raised beds at South Lanarkshire Council’s Murray Recreation site.
And, having successfully regained her driving licence last year, Amanda, who uses a powered wheelchair, has been able to fully embrace the chance to cultivate her own plot in the great outdoors.
Amanda told the News: “Twenty years after my diagnosis, in 2011, I trained for six months and completed the Great North Run. Just three years after that I had to medically retire from work and in 2018 had to give up my driving licence.
“I wa s a t a r e a l l y l o w p o i nt , a n d I wit hdrew f or a number of y ears f ro m all but immediate family and medical professionals.
“Then in January 2019 I started going to daily sessions at the Physical Disability Rehabilitation Unit (PDRU) at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, and within just a couple of weeks began to feel more energised and enthusiastic.
“In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so physically good.
“I understood why at ever y medical appointment, exercise was stressed as so important, and, not only is it possible to exercise with MS, it’s one of the best things you can do for yourself.
“When I heard about the opportunity to grow my own food, something I thought I might never do, I was determined to give it a go and, like so many of the other activities I have resumed re cently, i t genuinely enriches my life.
“It has given me access to the outdoors, fresh air, and a sense of community – not something you get from sitting indoors behind your PC day in and day out.
“It is a learning curve - from weeds to wild flowers to fruit and veg and advice is given freely from other plot holders.
“But again, being able to be outdoors and ‘productive’ - it helps with my self-esteem. it’s something I can still ‘do’ - the raised beds are perfect for this.
“Don’t get me wrong, exercising with MS is not easy but to me, the prize was absolutely worth the struggle.”
Murray Recreation is the first dedicated ra i s ed bed s i t e i n S outh Lanarkshire, housing 70 plots, and developed to ensure that the council can make food growing not just affordable, but accessible, to all, i ncluding t hose unable t o l ook after a traditional allotment.