PERKS OF THE PARK

As Love Parks Week is taking place this week (24 July - 1 August), encouraging people all across the country to appreciate the beauty of our parks, a new report from the UK body for public health specialists shows that parks may be beneficial to our health as well.The Faculty of Public Health report “The Great Outdoors: How Our Natural Health Service Uses Green Space To Improve Wellbeing” says parks are essential to our mental wellbeing. Nature’s impact on mental conditions in children such as depression or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), has shown to be more effective than prescribed drugs because of the physical activity involved in outdoor leisure activities.Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for environmental and land-based industries, helps ensure the UK has the right skills to keep our parks in tip-top condition. David Winn, Lantra’s horticulture, landscaping and sports turf manager, said: “Encouraging people into a career in landscaping is essential for the maintenance of our parks. This report says poor mental health costs the UK economy £2.6 billion a year, so if parks can indeed help change this that’s good news. But don’t forget our parks need a highly skilled workforce to keep our green spaces accessible to everyone.”Not only do parks have a positive impact on visitors but they can help those working in them too. Susan Stuart, Battersea Park garden manager at horticultural therapy charity Thrive said: “There’s tangible evidence that gardening creates a sense of wellbeing. There’s so many things you can do with gardening, such as help people to develop, achieve and feel good about themselves and what they do.”To read more about how green spaces can impact our health, download the report at www.lantra.co.uk/horticulture-landscaping-sports-turf.

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Comments

chris nangle July 27, 2010 at 6:58pm

long live the parks lets hope that in the age of cut backs councils see the wonderful benefits of parks,and keep the green spaces open