As I write I am in the process of planning to go tree planting at Great Avon Wood later this week. The first step was easy; as someone already signed up as an Avon Needs Trees (ANT) volunteer, I went to the portal, booked my place and flagged to the team that I would have some access needs.

Next came the stream of support that I have come to expect from the Avon Needs Trees team. They know me well now as someone who needs to maybe arrive a little later than others, maybe have a bit of support getting to the planting site and whose contribution will be to work alongside an able bodied planter to get the trees in the ground. More often than not the team mate is my husband.

There is something deeply satisfying about cheating the normal limitations of my Lupus by thinking creatively. I know, for instance, that if I try digging the hole for the tree I will probably exhaust myself very quickly, likewise if I try to wield the hammer to drive in the stake. However, if I sit on the ground I am a dab hand at positioning the tree and stake into the correct space, at securing the matting beneath the planting, and then ‘bum-shuffling’ in my waterproof trousers to the next planting spot.

I also help my able bodied partner by removing bending and kneeling from their part of the process.

Down at ground level I am in a privileged place. Last summer on the tree care days I could get stuck into weeding and could smell the delicious summer grass and see the insects buzzing through it.

This week, I am looking forward to the smell and feel of the earth softened by all this rain, and if the wind blows then close to the ground is the best place to be.

As anyone with a disability will know, at least half the problem of our condition is a lack of adaptations to our needs and for me the other half is the low mood I can feel when removed from the natural world.

By contrast, taking part in an activity planned around my needs where I can get down and dirty on the ground is a joyful release from normal body captivity. For this reason my heart is already singing in anticipation. Add to that the knowledge that I am helping, in a small way, to do something for the planet and a day of tree planting really hits the spot.

To find out more about planting at Great Avon Wood, visit their website.