Public Health and Wellbeing

What the Land Trust believes

We believe that everyone should have access to well-managed, good quality, green space which has contributes significant to people’s health and wellbeing. The benefits include:

• Improving and strengthening physical and mental health
• Promoting healthy and active lifestyles, being places to exercise, relax and unwind.
• Increasing community cohesion, reducing anti-social behaviour, isolation and stress.
• Creating opportunities for working, learning and development, volunteering and connecting people in a positive way to their local area
• Improving air, water and soil quality, which in turn reduces pollution and the associated negative health impacts

In addition to these benefits to health and wellbeing, supporting green spaces makes economic sense. The business case for investment is that it:

• Reduces the pressures on public health services and thereby reducing potential costs
• Reduces business costs relating to absenteeism and lost productivity from ill health.

Green spaces make a demonstrable contribution to health objectives by providing safe, clean, green, accessible environments for people to use and enjoy. The Land Trust sites also support health and wellbeing through its broader programmes around the environment, education and social cohesion.

What we want to achieve

We want decision makers to recognise the value of green spaces to society and for this to be reflected in national and local guidance across relevant sectors (such as health, transport, planning) and ensure that opportunities for green spaces and green infrastructure to be embedded into all aspects of society are maximised.

What we are doing

We are raising awareness of the benefit of green spaces to public health amongst national and local government and other partners, to secure a clear commitment to support green spaces as part of a broader health and wellbeing strategy.

We are developing the economic case for investment in green spaces, showing the return on investment. We are developing social value assessments and natural capital accounting to demonstrate in monetary terms how people’s health and wellbeing improves with access to good quality green space.

Kids at Southern Park playground

Enjoying Wellesley Woodlands in autumn (c) Andy McKenna

The Countess of Chester Country Park.

Volunteers at Monkton Community Woodlands