£500k fund to grow NHS nature and wellbeing projects

Fifteen more NHS charities will share £500,000 from NHS Charities Together to create and improve green spaces that support the wellbeing of staff, patients and communities through better access to nature.

The announcement comes as evaluation data from the first two funding rounds shows strong results, with 96% of surveyed patients saying access to green spaces improved their wellbeing and 79% of staff reporting it helped them cope with workplace challenges.

Delivered by NHS Charities Together in partnership with environmental charity Hubbub and Starbucks, this latest round of funding will bring the total number of projects funded to 32. All projects aim to tackle health inequalities through greater access to nature and will address the fact that, while research shows eight in 10 people feel healthier and more energetic after spending time in nature, one in five people in still live in areas without easy access to green spaces.   

Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive at NHS Charities Together, said: “Access to green spaces and the benefits that this brings to our health and wellbeing should not be something limited to a lucky few, but available to everyone across the UK no matter where they live. This latest round of funding, in partnership with Starbucks and Hubbub, will build on our achievements and learnings to date and enable even more NHS Charities to create and enhance access to green spaces that support the physical and mental health of NHS staff, patients and local communities”

To date £2.2m of grants have been distributed to 17 projects. So far, over 7,000 NHS staff, patients, volunteers and people in communities have benefitted from increased access to the green spaces created by the Fund and over 100,000 additional people in communities have engaged with funded projects through events. 

Projects funded as part of this third round of grants include the development of a large grassland area into a sensory garden and biodiversity-rich sanctuary for staff wellbeing at Tŷ Elwy Emergency Coordination Centre in Wales; the transforming of an underused lawn at Prospect Park mental health hospital in Berkshire into an accessible, biodiverse nature trail and therapeutic garden; and the creation of a wellbeing garden at Peterborough Ambulance Station with landscaping, biodiversity planting, and mindfulness activities for staff and volunteers. 

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