How Nature Saved One Man’s Life

After decades spent in high-pressure roles — from serving in the British Army and French Foreign Legion to managing health and safety during the COVID-19 crisis — 62-year-old Steve Court found himself on the edge of collapse. Years of service, stress, and sleepless nights had taken their toll, leaving him burnt out, overweight, and battling type 2 diabetes.

“I was overworked, unhappy, and unhealthy,” Steve recalls. “I didn’t want to go to work, but I didn’t want to go to sleep either — because that meant waking up and doing it all over again.”

What came next was an act of courage that would transform his life. Steve walked away from his corporate career and, in doing so, walked towards nature. He bought a small woodland on the Isle of Wight through Woodlands.co.uk — and in that quiet, green sanctuary, everything began to change.

“Buying the woodland was the turning point,” he says simply. “It hasn’t just improved my life. It’s saved it.”

From Soldier to Survivor

For Steve, resilience was forged early. Leaving school at 17, he joined the British Army, inspired by his older brother’s service. When a hearing injury from his time in the cadets led to a medical discharge, the disappointment was crushing. “All I ever wanted was to be a soldier,” he says. “When that was taken away, the world just fell out from under me.”

After being medically discharged from the British Army, he could have surrendered his dream of a life in uniform, but fate had other plans. After discovering An Englishman in the French Foreign Legion in a local library, Steve decided to take a leap of faith — travelling to France with just £50 and no guarantee of success, he crossed the Channel to find a unit many only know from myth: the French Foreign Legion.

Nothing about those first days was easy. He navigated embassies and gendarmeries in a language he didn’t speak, slept rough to stretch his last francs, and kept showing up—patiently, respectfully—until the right door opened. That quiet persistence is the thread that runs through his story: when the official path disappeared, he carved his own.

Selection and training demanded everything: physical endurance, mental discipline, and an absolute commitment to the man beside you. Steve earned his place and deployed to the Legion’s jungle regiment in South America, where heat, humidity, and relentless terrain tested the body while the code of the Legion—honour, solidarity, service—shaped the mind. He learned to work with chainsaws and field craft when explosives weren’t an option, to move decisively under pressure, and to remain calm when others could not. He also spent time in Africa whilst serving in the French Legion parachute regiment 2nd REP.

“The Legion gave me purpose again,” he says. “Discipline, endurance—and the understanding that nature can be your greatest teacher.”

This chapter reveals a man who refuses to be defined by setbacks. It shows the bravery of beginning again when the first dream is taken away; the perseverance to endure when conditions are harsh; and the commitment to serve—first in uniform, later in civilian life—whenever others’ safety depends on him. The same qualities that carried him through the Legion now anchor his life in the woods: steadiness, self-reliance, and a protective instinct for the world around him.

After returning to civilian life, Steve worked as a bodyguard, then as a senior manager in logistics and health and safety. But years of long hours, corporate stress, and emotional strain began to erode his health. “I was injecting insulin, not sleeping, and living on junk food,” he admits. “I was losing myself.”

The Breaking Point — and the Breakthrough

When COVID-19 struck, Steve’s role intensified. As the person responsible for keeping essential operations safe, he carried the weight of responsibility for others’ lives. “It was relentless,” he remembers. “When restrictions eased, I realised I couldn’t go back to that world.”

So, he didn’t. He resigned — and began walking. “I started walking ten, fifteen miles a day. The weight fell off, my blood sugar stabilised, and I began to feel alive again.”

Soon after, Steve discovered the idea of owning a small woodland. “It was like something clicked,” he says. “I found this beautiful plot on the Isle of Wight — just two and a half acres — and I knew it was where I needed to be.”

Healing Among the Trees

Today, Steve’s life is unrecognisable from the one he left behind. His days begin at sunrise, often with a swim in the sea, followed by tending to his woodland: clearing overgrowth, building bird boxes, and learning the delicate art of mushroom and plant foraging.

He’s lost weight, reversed his diabetes, and sleeps deeply under the rhythm of daylight and dusk. “My body clock is now set by the sun,” he smiles. “I breathe deeply, and I listen. The woodland has taught me to slow down — to be still enough to hear the world around me.”

Even the local wildlife has become part of his healing. “The squirrels eat from my hand now,” he says, laughing softly. “The birds, the foxes — they’re my company. When you sit quietly long enough, you realise you’re never really alone.”

Reconnection and Renewal

Living in harmony with the land has also rekindled Steve’s connection with his family. “I’d grown distant from my daughter and grandchildren,” he admits. “But as I began to heal, so did those relationships. Now, we’re closer than ever. I can only thank the woods for that.”

He forages for chestnuts and rosehips, makes rosehip tea, and crafts natural oils. “It’s amazing what nature gives you when you respect it,” he says. “Every day feels like a small miracle.”

When asked what he’s learned from this journey, Steve doesn’t hesitate:

“Fear destroys more dreams than failure ever will. I was afraid to change — but once I did, life became beautiful again.”

A Life Rewilded

Steve’s woodland, though only two and a half acres, has given him more than space — it’s given him peace. “It’s not just about owning land,” he reflects. “It’s about belonging to something bigger. Every season brings new lessons — and I’ve found that happiness isn’t about success or money. It’s about freedom, simplicity, and connection.”

As twilight falls through the trees and the red squirrels chatter nearby, Steve often finds himself pausing to take it all in. “I used to hate myself,” he says quietly. “Now, I wake up grateful every day. The woodland didn’t just save my life — it gave me back to myself.”

Wellbeing Reflection

Nature has an extraordinary power to restore balance where life has created chaos. Whether through forest walks, wild swimming, or simply sitting beneath a tree, time in nature can recalibrate the nervous system, lower stress hormones, and remind us of our place in the natural order.

For Steve, that reconnection wasn’t a luxury — it was survival. For the rest of us, it’s a gentle reminder that healing is often closer than we think — just beyond the trees.

DISCOVER:

For over 35 years, Woodlands.co.uk has been helping individuals and families realise the dream of owning a small woodland. By making woods of 1–10 acres available for private ownership, the organisation has enabled thousands to reconnect with nature, protect biodiversity, and create their own personal sanctuaries across the UK.