Sally’s Journey - from isolation to connection

When Sally joined Tracks&Dales at the end of 2025, she was carrying an enormous amount of responsibility.

In her late forties, Sally lives alone while supporting her father, who is living with cancer. Having already lost her mum to cancer several years ago, Sally is now facing the painful reality of supporting another parent through a terminal illness.

Her dad is very reluctant to accept help from anyone else and refuses to have a carer, meaning that much of his care falls entirely on Sally. Her siblings are unable to provide the support she needs, while one of her siblings lives in supported accommodation due to a disability.

Alongside her caring responsibilities, Sally works full-time as an accounts clerk. She has found it particularly difficult to receive understanding or support from her employer, despite asking for time away from work to protect her own wellbeing. Instead, when she needs to support her dad with hospital appointments and other medical needs, she has to use her annual leave.

This leaves Sally with very little time that is truly her own. Even attending Tracks&Dales means using precious annual leave, making the time she spends with us particularly important to her.

For many years, Sally’s life has revolved around caring for other people. From supporting her sibling, to caring for her mum and now her dad, she has rarely had the opportunity to put herself first.

Through one-to-one support with Tracks&Dales, Sally has been given something she has often struggled to find elsewhere: time and space that is just for her.

Since meeting us, getting outdoors has become the “highlight of my month”—something she looks forward to and genuinely cherishes. The one-to-one nature of our sessions gives Sally the opportunity to talk openly, be listened to and work through some of the challenges she is facing, while also having the chance to step away from the pressures of everyday life.

Despite being brought up in the local area, Sally had never had the opportunity to visit many of the wonderful places on her doorstep. Together, we have explored places such as Arnside Knott and Whitbarrow Scar, giving Sally the opportunity to experience the natural environment while taking some much-needed time for herself.

The support has also helped Sally begin to recognise that her own wellbeing deserves to be a priority. We have encouraged her to build her confidence and look for additional sources of support around the challenges she faces with her dad and at work.

Most importantly, Tracks&Dales provides Sally with a consistent space where she doesn't have to be the person caring for somebody else. She can simply be Sally.

For someone who has spent so much of her life putting the needs of others before her own, these moments are incredibly valuable.

The outdoors has become a place where Sally can breathe, talk, reflect and begin to heal. And although finding time for herself remains difficult, she continues to make that time because she recognises how important it has become.

For Sally, Tracks&Dales is more than a walk. It is a chance to put herself first, even if only for a few hours, and to remember that her wellbeing matters too.