“Access to green spaces is a basic human right, with everyone having the opportunity to connect with nature, regardless of their background or circumstances."
A million fewer people are gaining health benefits from nature since 2020.
An estimated 1.1 million fewer people across the UK gained health benefits from spending time in nature in 2022 compared with two years earlier. The value of those lost health benefits was estimated at around £390 million, equivalent to £356 per person on average.
This drop in health benefits was also equivalent to more than 22,000 years of life in perfect health lost across people in the UK.
The reasons people are spending less time with nature are many and varied, but nearly 20% of people cited ‘poor physical health’ making travel to green spaces more challenging.
It is this group of people mentioned above, and others who experience barriers to leaving their homes such as those experiencing poor mental health, who are most dependent on their personal garden space to access the health benefits of being outside with nature.
Yet, these very same people are those who may struggle to maintain their gardens, and have also been most impacted by the Cost of Living Crisis meaning they are less able to afford help with regular garden maintenance, and therefore more likely to have lost control of their outdoor space.
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“Losing control of my garden mirrored my life spinning out of control. I have lived in my living room with the curtains closed so I couldn’t see the garden but, once you left, I sat outside in the sunshine and it was amazing!”
Service user