Mental Health Awareness Week and the Impact Nature has on our Wellbeing
During lockdown, time spent outside the house in green spaces has been valued more than ever. People seem more engaged in learning about nature and online educators such as the lovely irish four year old, Nora, who has been sharing her knowledge on foraging have received thousands of views online.
A survey that used data from a Natural England survey, the world’s largest study collecting data on people’s weekly contact with the natural world, has found that a two-hour “dose” of nature a week significantly boosts health and wellbeing, even if you simply sit and enjoy the peace.
However it has been harder this year to get a chance to get back to nature due to Covid-19.
In May, The Green Alliance organised an amazing webinar on “Covid-19: what will the role of nature be in the nation’s recovery?” with speakers from the National Trust, Natural England and the RSPB.
Here are some snippets:
- Hilary McGrady, Executive Director of The National Trust, called for everyone to have access to green space within a mile of their homes – first, connecting with local nature, then further afield to farms and AONBs, with National Parks. If people are engaged with nature there will be an intellectual connection with nature which will help us to protect it.
- Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, advocated a post-Covid future in which health and wellbeing is embedded in a healthy economy. He anticipated plenty of positive energy to link up the Government’s health and environmental policies in its 25-year Environment Plan. His big idea was a ‘multi-purpose nature recovery network’ with rewilding, new woodland creation and other targets that deliver public health and wellbeing gains and climate resilience.
- Beccy Speight, Chief Executive of the RSPB, was hoping post-Covid for a stronger sense of community cohesion to deliver equal access to nature. The conservation movement has been seen as elitist in the past and needs to be more accessible.
The discussion can be found on the Green Alliance’s website
Another study was conducted by the University of Derby and The Wildlife Trusts to try and measure the impact of last year’s “30 Days Wild” campaign, run by the charity.
Impressively, says Lucy McRobert, nature matters campaigns manager for The Wildlife Trusts, the number of people reporting their health as “excellent” increased by 30% and this improvement in health being predicted by the increase in happiness, this relationship is mediated by the change in connection to nature. It adds to a growing body of evidence that shows definitively that we need nature for our health and wellbeing.
At Tree Tents we aim to inspire a closer connection with nature through our structures that create rejuvenating experiences. We have been fortunate enough to install them in beautiful parts of the world, but while it’s not possible to escape to one of our structures at the moment, just sitting still in your local park or woodland will still allow you to enjoy the healing benefits of nature.
