A MAJOR health scare prompted retired teacher Gwynne Wallis to re-evaluate her life and opt for a greener lifestyle. Kate Thompson finds out more...

WHEN Gwynne Wallis was told the cancer in her breast had returned for a third time, she knew it was time to take action.

While the medical experts set about removing the latest malignancy, she decided to look at her lifestyle.

A keen green gardener, Gwynne realised it was time to bring those environmentally friendly principles into other areas of her life.

She and her husband Dave, 65, shared a love of organic gardening.

Gwynne married at the relatively late age of 43 and it was a shared love of the outdoors that brought them together.

"We met at the Ramblers Club and discovered we had been in the same class at school when we were eight years old.

"We like doing the garden and share an interest in walking, opera and cycling," said Gwynne.

As well as their cottage style garden at their Ringwood Road home in Totton, the pair have an allotment nearby.

"We grow our own vegetables and we've got a few apple trees.

"We also like growing soft fruits and freeze a lot for the winter months," she said.

Drawing on the influence of their garden and the food they grew, Gwynne has changed all her household cleaning aids to greener products.

And her beauty and body care has also changed.

"I have done it gradually and I have really noticed a difference.

"My skin is much better and I feel like I have more energy.

"I have lost weight around my middle and clothes I had relegated to the back of the wardrobe are back again because I can fit into them," she said.

Going green may not be the cheapest option but it is a price Gwynne is prepared to pay.

"Having cancer three times means I really want to look after myself now.

"I do believe that environmental factors play a part in our health and that is why I decided to make the changes.

"The products may be more expensive but they do last longer.

"With stuff like body lotion I only use a small amount because it goes such a long way.

"We are such a throw away society but the products that I buy can be re-used over and over again," she said.

Gwynne is a member of the Totton and Waterside Women's Environmental Network and that has helped her source products for every aspect of her life - and she has a new group of like-minded friends.

"From household cleaning liquids, to re-usable sanitary products and environmentally friendly toothpaste - Gwynne has found green products to suit her new lifestyle.

"If anyone is thinking of doing this I would advise them to take it a step at a time. It's difficult to change everything overnight.

"You could start by looking at the waste your home produces and see if there are ways you could recycle more - and use things like vegetable waste on your garden," she said.

Gwynne has even turned her holidays green by relying on public transport and letting the train take the strain.

"We went to York on the train recently and it was a really wonderful experience.

"It cost £24 to get there and I found it really relaxing.

"We are going on a cruise round the British Isles soon - and I've just discovered you can go all the way to Lapland on the train so I am trying to persuade Dave," she said.

"Going green becomes a way of life. I wonder why we didn't do it before."

The Totton and Waterside Environmental Network meets on the first Thursday of the month at the Totton and Eling Community Centre from 2pm to 4pm. Contact Gwynne on 023 8086 8348 for more details visit: www.greenpeople.co.uk and www.naturalcollection.com