What is Green Health?
Green health is the term given to activities that use the natural environment benefiting your physical and mental health.
It includes things like:
- walking
- running
- cycling
- outdoor learning and play
- gardening
- food growing
- water activities like paddleboarding or open water swimming
- conservation activities like tree planting
It can also include:
- drawing or painting outdoors
- taking part in gentle exercise like yoga, tai chi or mindfulness in natural surroundings
This video outlines the benefits of green health activities, and how being outside and enjoying nature can help you feel better about yourself.
There is lots of evidence which shows that using the outdoors has a direct benefit on your health.
It is easy to build in green health activities to your everyday routine, simply by swapping car or bus journeys for walking or cycling, which also provides a more sustainable form of transport.
Five Ways to Wellbeing
- Connect with nature and other people as an individual or part of a group
- Be active: join a health walk, community growing or conservation project
- Keep learning about wildlife, horticulture and greenspaces
- Give back: put up a bird feeder, grow organic, plant some wildflowers, volunteer outdoors or leave the car behind
- Take notice: walk, cycle or wheel and take notice of the different seasonal changes to our landscapes
How can I access green health opportunities?
Green gym and nature walks on NHS sites
NHS Ayrshire & Arran, in partnership with The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), are offering weekly green health activities on their hospital sites in North and South Ayrshire.
A number of different walking and ‘green gym’ sessions are now available on a weekly basis at:
- Ayrshire Central Hospital in Irvine
- Ailsa Hospital, Ayr
- University Hospital, Ayr
Green gym sessions are group based outdoor activities with a purpose, such as:
- gardening
- growing
- practical conservation
- citizen science activities to monitor biodiversity
- basic path maintenance
The walking sessions vary in distance and pace.
If you’re interested in attending any of the sessions below, please contact:
- Lindsay Twilley, TCV Greenspace for Health Project: lindsay.twilley@tcv.org.uk
Ayrshire Central Hospital
- Get Moving Health Walk (Mondays, 12.30pm): A slow paced, small group health walk. Time to enjoy nature, chat and be active. Duration: around 45 minutes.
- Ayrshire Central Walking Group (Mondays, 2pm): A longer distance health walk. Time to enjoy nature, chat and be active. Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Irvine Green Gym (Tuesdays, 10am): Group based outdoor activity with a purpose, such as gardening and citizen science. Duration: 3 hours.
Ayr/Ailsa Hospital
Ayr Hospital Green Gym (Thursdays, 10am): Group based outdoor activity with a purpose, such as gardening and citizen science. Duration: up to 3 hours.
Ayr Greenspace Walk (Thursdays, 2.15pm): A slow paced, small group health walk in the hospital greenspace. Time to enjoy nature, chat and be active.
North Ayrshire
In North Ayrshire a range of information and resources (as detailed below), can be found at Ayrshire Green Health Partnership website . Or follow @NAGreenHealth on Facebook or Twitter.
- Green Health activities e.g. walking, cycling, gardening, practical conservation etc.
- Walking & cycling routes
- Directory – information linked specifically to that locality
- Activity packs and resources e.g. Green Health Calendar
- Evidence – GHP Reports and wider research
East Ayrshire
This website provides opportunities to visit green sites in East Ayrshire – Discover East Ayrshire’s Great Outdoors | East Ayrshire Leisure Trust.
South Ayrshire
NHS Ayrshire and Arran Green Health app provides details of green health opportunities in South Ayrshire. Download the NHS Ayrshire and Arran app and search for ‘green health’ to add the app. Opportunities are listed by activity type, groups and location.
Look at the South Ayrshire Green Health calendar to see monthly ideas on:
- building nature connections
- trying green health activities at home
- different locations to visit in South Ayrshire
NHS Ayrshire and Arran Green Health app provides details of green health opportunities in South Ayrshire. Download the NHS Ayrshire and Arran app and search for ‘green health’ to add the app. Opportunities are listed by activity type, groups and location.
What green health activities can I do at home?
There is lots of research to show that spending time outdoors in nature can have a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing. This video gives some examples of activities you can try Spending time outdoors – Mental Health and Wellbeing – YouTube
- If you have a garden, do some weeding or planting or learn about food growing. If you don’t have access to a garden, you could plant your own window box, or find out where your local community allotments are.
- Engage in mindfulness – take some time out, stand or sit and listen to the sounds around you, what can you smell? What can you see? Enjoy the colours, sights, sounds and smells of nature around you.
- Take some time out and try to increase your daily step count by going for a walk around your local area or greenspace. Visit Health Walks | Paths for All to find a health walk in your local area.
- Make a bird feeder with recycled materials. Place it near your window and see if you can identify the different birds visiting for treats.
- Use what you have in the garden, local green space or beach to create some natural art or make a collage. Take a photo and share it with friends or post on social media.
- Make a bee hotel to help encourage these important pollinators to visit and spend time in your garden.
- Take photos of the wildlife, landscapes close to you or plants that you see. Share them with friends or on social media.
- Get the kids involved by encouraging them to make chalk art pictures on paving slabs, den building in your local woodland, try some of the Woodland Trust Nature Detective activities, or conquer some of the National Trust 50 Things to do before you are 11 ¾
- Follow @NorthAyrshireRangerService or @TCVScotland for more ideas on how to make the most of the outdoors.