We haven spoken on here many times before about the value of well maintained public green spaces.
Turf professionals know this better than anybody. But until now it's been mostly anecdotal, first-hand account evidence which could be cited for why they are so important. And crucially why it's so vital that their maintenance budgets do not get slashed any further.
Well now, thanks to national charity Fields In Trust, there are some hard statistics which could hopefully help in any argument over their true worth to the community.
New research from Fields in Trust demonstrates a direct and statistically significant link between publicly accessible parks and green spaces and health and well being.
Based on new analysis of existing data from Defra and Natural England and a new primary data (sample size 4,033) the charity say they have established, for the first time at the national level, a link between an individual’s use of parks and green spaces and an improvement in health and wellbeing (covering General Health and the four ONS wellbeing questions - life satisfaction, sense of worth, happiness and anxiety).
According to their findings, on average, the more frequently park/greenspace trips are made, the higher an individual’s wellbeing. The most practical and effective use of an individual’s time would be to visit their local park or green space at least once a week to gain most of the health and wellbeing benefits. This results in a recommended ‘dosage’ for parks and green space.
The way Fields In Trust describes it if it's ‘Five a day’ for fruit and veg then it is ‘Once a week’ for parks. Which is a catchy tag line and one that it would be great if it caught on in the national psyche.
The new research also identifies the importance of parks and green spaces as venues for community connections, helping to reduce the risk of loneliness. Research highlights links between park usage and demographics; parks and green spaces are particularly important to families who are twice as likely (33%) to be users of parks than non-users (18%).
The findings are released as Parks and Green Spaces Minister, Marcus Jones MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Minister for Local Government formally responds to the Department for Communities and Local Government Select Committee Inquiry into the Future of Public Parks. As part of his response, the Minister announced the creation of a ‘Parks Action Group’. This advisory panel, chaired by the minister, will include Fields in Trust as a member alongside other green space organisations who are tasked with applying their expertise to inform a new cross-departmental group of government departments.
Chief Executive, Helen Griffiths said: “I welcome the Ministers response to the CLG Parliamentary Committee and Fields in Trust’s appointment to the newly established “Parks Action Group” at this pivotal moment for the future of parks and green spaces. Our ongoing research recognises how these spaces help to address significant public policy issues including health and wellbeing and community integration. We are looking forward to furthering our work with colleagues across the sector to ensure that we value parks and green spaces and take account of the vital contribution they make to local communities.”
The full findings of the new Fields in Trust research will be published in a full academic paper which will identify not only details of park and green space usage but will also reveal the results of a new bespoke survey identifying the value placed on parks and green spaces by those who use them.
That paper will make no doubt fascinating reading and hopefully will make those in charge of the purse strings of our public green spaces sit up and take notice.
