Green Light Trust and Natural England team up to hold Green Social Prescribing event at the Food Museum.
Green Light Trust will be co-hosting an event with Natural England to kick start a network in green social prescribing.
Green Light Trust has joined forces with Natural England to host a day of networking and workshops in the natural setting of the Food Museum in Stowmarket on Thursday 20 March.
The event aims to bring together a range of providers of nature-based interventions from across the East of England to share successes, challenges and learn about turning ambition to grow the sector into reality.
The day before, Wednesday 19 March, is National Social Prescribing Day – a celebration of the people, organisations and communities who make social prescribing happen. Green Social Prescribing – the practice of supporting people through nature-based interventions and activities to improve their mental and physical health – is growing in size and recognition as a sector. Over the past four years work has been underway to develop new and sustainable ways to embed green social prescribing into local mental health pathways – yet more needs to be done to roll this out on a greater scale.
Around 20% of children aged 7 to 16 had a probable mental health condition in 2023, up from 12% in 2017. This led to the NHS spending £16 billion on mental health services in 2022/2023 (which makes up 14% of local NHS funding allocations)1. Yet there is strong and growing evidence that nature based social prescribing plays an important role in improving both mental and physical health as well as reducing loneliness2.
The event will explore these issues and related topics with a panel of professionals, led by Caroline Emmerson from Natural England who will present on learning from phase one of the ‘National Cross Government programme: Preventing and Tackling Mental Ill-health through Green Social Prescribing’. All providers attending will get the chance to input into the day and an ‘Impact Wall’ will encourage delegates to share quotes and feedback from the participants that they support.
Catering will be provided by the Food Museum who create delicious organic food – sourced and cooked on-site from their own walled garden and kitchen, and there will be opportunities for attendees to participate in ‘green’ well-being activities in the grounds. At the end of the day, next steps will be captured and reviewed with the hope that the network of providers will continue and grow in size, to support each other and build on the current successes across the region.
Lauren Shand, Chief Executive, Green Light Trust, said: “We are excited to bring together organisations from across the sector for a day of collaboration at the Food Museum, in partnership with Natural England. While at Green Light Trust we have been engaging people in nature for over 30 years, it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to bring organisations together and unite our expertise so we can strengthen the sector and drive forward real change regarding support for our communities. This event is the start of a conversation to strengthen our roots as a sector and to push forward together.”
Caroline Emmerson, Principal Officer, Health and Environment at Natural England said: “We know there is strong evidence for the link between better health and time spent in nature. Natural England is delighted to support this important event and the ambition to improve the provision of Green Social Prescribing across our region. I look forward to taking part and sharing the learning, insights and wider evidence on the health benefits of nature with our partners.”
Marie Taylor, Events Manager, at the Food Museum said: “We are proud to host this event as partners with a shared vision and at the same time sharing our beautiful natural setting for this important day. Through partnerships with others, in academia and business, we seek to become part of the national conversation about the environment and how our food is grown, produced and its future in the UK and the effects on our health.”
References
1https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06988/SN06988.pdf
2https://www.england.nhs.uk/personalisedcare/social-prescribing/green-social-prescribing
Green Light Trust is an environmental education charity which uses the power of nature to transform lives. It offers expert-led wellbeing and educational programmes in woodland and green spaces in East Anglia, helping adults, children and young people to refocus, rebuild their lives and thrive. Run from woodlands in Suffolk and Norfolk, the programmes offer vital support to children and young people who need a ‘natural alternative’ to mainstream education, as well as those with mental health issues – and to adults with disabilities, additional needs, or those dealing with addiction and mental health.
The Food Museum is the UK’s only museum dedicated to food, located in East Anglia, ‘Britain’s Breadbasket’. Their mission is to connect people with where our food comes from and the impact of our choices: past, present and future.
Natural England is the government’s adviser for the natural environment in England, helping to protect England’s nature and landscapes for people to enjoy and for the services they provide. They are an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.
