Half a million pounds has been awarded to 16 projects across England and Scotland to support people who have mental health problems and who experience socio-economic disadvantage, discrimination and marginalisation through access to nature.

The investment will support 16 expert community organisations to enable people who need it most to have greater access to natural spaces and nature-based activities, including transforming disused land into community green space, and using green space to help overcome trauma.

The projects will provide additional support to access other services, such as advice or specialist mental health services. They will also seek to use learning to work with decision-makers locally to make changes that benefit local people’s access to nature.

The organisations will support a diverse group of communities, including young people, racialised communities, refugees and people seeking asylum, women who have experienced abuse, Gypsy and Traveller communities, and disabled people.

One Nature for Health funded partner, Birch Collective, based in Bristol, is an organisation supporting young people, who are not in work, education or training, to access nature.James, a staff member at Birch Collective, said:

“Many young people find that when they get to 18, there’s a drop off in mental health services available to them and we’ve heard from participants of the ‘cliff edge’ of approaching 18 and the lack of available support. What we provide is exposure to and a relationship with nature and the earth which can alleviate mental health problems.”

People’s Health Trust Chief Executive, John Hume, said:

“The organisations we have partnered with are responding to the growing mental health crisis in the country today. Access to nature is highly beneficial for mental health: a ten percent increase in exposure to nature can translate into five years of better health but access to nature is not equal and poorer neighbourhoods are missing out greatly. Our investment through Nature for Health will provide vital access to nature for some of the most marginalised people experiencing disadvantage in Great Britain.”

The funding comes through People’s Health Trust’s Nature for Health priority, part of its Health Justice Fund.

Notes to Editors

Media Enquiries

For media enquiries please contact Bradford Watson – press@peopleshealthtrust.org.uk / 020 4548 0940

About People’s Health Trust

People’s Health Trust is a health equity charity with over a decade’s experience working with local communities across Great Britain to address health inequalities through the building blocks of health. We want to stop people dying too young and make health equal.

Since 2011 People’s Health Trust has distributed £132 million to 3,598 local projects reaching 770,734 people.

Funded organisations

The full list of projects awarded funding as part of Nature for Health is:

  • Belville Community Garden Trust – Greenock, Inverclyde
  • Gilgal Birmingham - Birmingham
  • Growing Together Levenshulme - Manchester
  • Hope Kitchen SCIO – Oban
  • Jewish Action for Mental Health - Manchester
  • Luton All Women's Centre - Luton
  • Manchester Urban Diggers CIC - Manchester
  • North Glasgow Community Food Initiative – Glasgow
  • Peterborough Asylum and Refugee Community Association (PARCA) - Peterborough
  • Project Rewild CIC – Hastings and St Leonards
  • Suffolk Refugee Support - Suffolk
  • The Birch Collective CIC - Bristol
  • The Recovery Foundation - Birmingham
  • The Red Earth Collective CIC - Birmingham
  • Trelya - Penzance
  • WETA - Community Services CIC - Manchester