NHS Forest Conference 2024
Healthy Spaces: Integrating trees and green space into the NHS
In 2024 the theme for the NHS Forest Conference was ‘Integrating trees and green space into the NHS’. It explored how trees on healthcare sites are important for sustainability, clinical practice and community. It was our first ever hybrid conference taking place online and in person at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester on 4 October 2024.
Flo Headlam was our keynote speaker. Flo spent more than 20 years working in the charity sector before beginning a journey into horticulture. Flo is a TV presenter and a regular contributor to Gardeners’ World online magazine. She is currently involved in several community gardening initiatives in the London area and is patron at Green Hub Project for Teens and trustee at Vital Beats charity. She is an Equity Ambassador for British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI).
We were also delighted to have Professor Baroness Kathy Willis as our chair. Kathy is Professor of Biodiversity in the Department of Biology and the Principal of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford. She is also a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords. Previous roles include Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and a member of the UK Government’s Natural Capital Committee.
Other speakers included:
- Claudia Holroyd – Head of Sustainability & Waste, University Hospitals Leicester
- Dave Bell, Principal Adviser: Health and the Environment, Natural England
- Liz Rees, Green Space for Health Programme Director, Centre for Sustainable Healthcare
- Alex Watkins, Occupational Therapist Technician at Langdon Hospital
- Dr Mark Hayden, Consultant in Cardiac Intensive Care at Great Ormond St Hospital
- Emma Myers, Horticultural Therapist, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Professor Gurch Randhawa, Professor of Diversity in Public Health & Director of the Institute for Health Research at University of Bedfordshire
- Ali Sinclair, Founder, All In
- Will Beasley, Director Cae Felin CSA CIC and Consultant UGI Surgeon at Swansea Bay University Health Board
We also announced the winners of the NHS Forest Awards. You can read more about the winners on the NHS Forest website.
Opening remarks and keynote
Trees for sustainability
Trees for clinical practice
Trees for community
This project is funded by the Trees Call to Action Fund. The fund was developed by Defra in partnership with the Forestry Commission and is being delivered by the Heritage Fund. We are also grateful for separate funding for this event from the Forestry Commission.