Natural Health Service

‘83% of people are happier when they spend time in nature and 63% have greater self esteem.’

Just a couple of standout statistics that show how valuable nature is to us as humans. Apart from the fact that we rely on the natural world to provide our life essentials - air, water, food and shelter - we know spending time in the natural world inherently makes us feel better.

Part of my vision for NaturesGems is about engaging more people with the natural world, not just to help inform and engage a sense of wonder in the amazing spaces we have around us, but also to help with a deeper sense of belonging and connection to the natural world - being ‘a part of’ rather than ‘apart from’.

I’m starting to see some great projects linked to the NHS ‘green prescribing’ agenda - an initiative to support better physical and mental health by prescribing time outdoors. Not dissimilar to the Victorians prescribing sea air for a number of maladies!

Around Morecambe Bay the Morecambe Bay Woodlands project and the Bay - Blueprint for Recovery project are both great new initiatives engaging local people with the fabulous environment on their doorstep. NaturesGems hopes to join that suite of local green prescribing options via our Seasonal Nature walks.

Nature Connection and the knock on benefits, to the planet as a whole in how we live and consume, is not a new idea. But it does feel like there is a greater sense of urgency for us to really value the natural world in a way that guides our decisions and way of life. As individuals none of it needs to be expensive, time consuming or difficult but if we all changed a few small habits it could have a big impact.