Parks provide a much needed space for people to take part in organised or informal sports and provide recreational opportunities for those unable or unwilling to join a gym or leisure centre. We all know that a walk in the park can help clear the mind and the mental health benefits of parks and green space are well documented.
Did you know
- Potential psychological and mental health benefits from exposure to nature are not limited to exposure in the countryside only; within urban and semi-urban settings, access to green, open spaces can have a beneficial effect.
Nature and Psychological Well-being, Mentality (2003)
- There is increasing evidence that access to high quality green spaces can produce measurable improvements to stress levels in a relatively short space of time.
Julia Thrift, Journal of Public Mental Health (2005)
- For every 10% increase in green space there was a reduction in health complaints equivalent to a reduction of 5 years age.
Dr William Bird, Natural Fit (2004)
- Obesity has increased by 50% in adults in the past decade.
2006 Coronary Heart Disease Statistics, British Heart Foundation (2006)
- The Government aims to increase participation in physical activity from 32% to 70% by 2020.
Dr William Bird, Natural Fit (2004)
- Only 11% of adults claimed to use a park to take part in formal organised sporting a ctivity with the most popular activity being football (7% of all adults).
The Use of Public Parks in England, Sport England (2003)
- Walking is the most popular sporting activity (in parks) with over a third of men and women in the UK participating regularly.
Taking Part: The National Survey of Culture, Leisure and Sport,
National Statistics (2006)
- Going for a walk was the most popular leisure activity of visitors to parks (75%), followed by taking children to a play area (43%) and sitting and enjoying the surroundings (28%).
The Use of Public Parks in England, Sport England (2003)
For more information please visit the GreenSpace website here
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