Bordering on the Peak district, Sheffield has previously been known as the greenest city in the UK – but are more people struggling to find quality outdoor spaces to spend their time?
Manor and Castle Development Trust, set up in Sheffield, 1997 is at the heart of caring for local communities.
We spoke to Diane Cairns, Senior Development manager of the charity:
‘‘It’s alright being outside but actually, you need to be in a safe, quality, accessible space for it to benefit you. ‘’
‘’The healthiest place for us to be is outside. The environment we’re in, the office I’m sat in or the bedroom you’re in is not the best place for us to be, historically as human beings.’
Green prescribing is the practice of encouraging people to engage in nature-based activities to improve mental and physical health.
The pursuit is one of many offered by the charity.
The UK government began a two-year, £5.77 million cross-government Green Social Prescribing Programme in April 2021.
According to the NHS, the aims of the programme are to :
- Improve mental health outcomes
- reduce health inequalities
- reduce demand on the health and social care system
- develop best practices in making green social activities more resilient and accessible
- demonstrate how to spread and scale green social prescribing across integrated care systems
Diane Cairns said: ‘‘When you walk through a park, the sound of the birds, the trees the wind and the actual visual things, around the shapes of the leaves and the things you see, it calms you down and it’s good for your wellbeing.’’
”When we do green prescribing, we make sure it is in a space that has been well cared for.”
According to the NHS, over 8,500 people have been referred to a green social prescribing activity during the government programme from April 2021 to March 2023.
Manor and Castle Development continues to offer training and development activities, assisting people to find work and access physical and mental health support.
Volunteering opportunities and more details of their support can be found here:
Home – Manor & Castle Development Trust Ltd (manorandcastle.org.uk)