We are delighted to invite you to our online NHS Forest conference, on the theme of An Equitable Recovery for People and Nature
Date: Tuesday 19 October 2021
Time: 2pm - 5pm BST
Register for free: Via Eventbrite
In June 2021, the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare launched our programme of “NatureWell” sessions for hospital staff in Bristol and London. These sessions, run in partnership with The Natural Academy, aim to teach healthcare professionals how to use nature to boost their wellbeing. Three intensive, three-hour sessions enable them to experience the healing power of nature and to gain inspirational techniques they can use on a regular basis.
This week, the first week of June 2021, is the UK’s first ever National Hedgerow Week. It couldn’t be a better time – the hawthorn is blossoming, birds are singing, and wildflowers are bursting into colour. The week has been organised by The Tree Council to highlight the huge contribution hedgerows make to our natural world: increasing biodiversity, capturing carbon, and reducing air pollution.
A new report from Groundwork calls on planners and landscape managers to tackle barriers that prevent communities from connecting to nature in towns and cities. “Out of Bounds: Equity in Access to Urban Nature” highlights disparities in access to urban green and blue space. It argues for more support and training for health and care workers to offer nature-based activities for their clients.
Around one in four people in the UK suffer from hayfever – and for those who also have asthma, pollen can exacerbate their symptoms. As such, the impact of pollen should be a key consideration for healthcare sites looking to expand their tree planting and landscaping. It is often said that the key to successful tree planting is the right tree, in the right place – if your species choice has a negative impact on your staff and patients, it’s probably the wrong tree in the wrong place!
The NHS Forest expanded by nearly four and a half thousand trees in the 2020/21 season. With funding from the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, Ecosia, The Great Outdoor Gym Company and many individual sponsors, we have supplied trees to 18 NHS Trusts – from Cornwall to Edinburgh and South Wales to Newcastle. Navigating covid-19 restrictions and the coldest February since 1955, NHS sites across the UK have developed their green spaces, improved their local environment and supported wider goals of capturing carbon and protecting biodiversity through their activities.
The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare is expanding its Green Space for Health Programme with new funding from the Government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund.
Richard Hughes, Grounds and Gardens Manager at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford writes:
