This week on Love Your Garden, Alan accepts the challenge of creating a garden for a family with twin girls who have a serious, life limiting condition. Three year old Darcie and Evie Chapman have both been diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome, a very rare form of epilepsy affecting just 1 in 40,000 people, that can trigger seizures at any time of day or night. Their parents, Mark and Natalie, must be on permanent watch to prevent these seizures leading to something even more serious and with twin girls to look after the pressure on them is doubled. Family days out or holidays are virtually non-existent and, if it weren't for very supportive friends and relatives, the family would really struggle to cope. Their current garden is not suitable for the girls with changes of levels, colours of plants and even the light through branches influencing their condition. Alan and the team must not only make over the garden to be more suited to them, but must also give the adults somewhere that they can relax.
This week Alan comes to the aid of wounded war hero Luke Simpson who lost his leg to an IED on his last tour of duty in Afghanistan. Luke was in the Royal Engineers when he was injured in an explosion three years ago and has had to rebuild his life and health with the support of his wife Jackie. ...