Green Social Prescribing On Hampstead Heath
You may not have heard of it, but today is Social Prescribing Day. While it might seem eccentric for doctors to prescribe ‘Hampstead Heath’, social prescribing has grown in popularity. It involves healthcare professionals, in addition to (or instead of) giving a standard prescription, helping to link people to relevant clubs, activities, local initiatives, and volunteering opportunities with organisations such as Heath Hands. Find out more below.
Group taking part in nature mindfulness workshop on Hampstead Heath
‘Green’ social prescribing is the branch of social prescribing that focuses on activities in nature to boost mental and physical wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of time spent outdoors and contact with nature for mental and physical wellbeing and the benefits of nature for wellbeing are well-documented.
Much of what we already do at Heath Hands, such as our regular conservation volunteering sessions and nature walks, is beneficial for mental and physical health and, indeed, ‘wellbeing’ is one the four pillars of our strategy to 2030 and, in our annual volunteer survey, 98% of respondents report that our activities are important for their mental and physical wellbeing.
Walking group on Hampstead Heath
In addition to our regular programmes, we have been working to develop specific green wellbeing initiatives over the past few years, which fall under what we call ‘health connections’, as we aim to connect people with the health benefits of our green spaces.
These more dedicated wellbeing initiatives include regular nature mindfulness sessions (keep an eye on our regularly updated ‘what’s on’ page for upcoming sessions later in the spring) and our regular Monday morning health walks.
We also offer chaperoning to support those who need it into beneficial activities - for instance, meeting someone to walk them to an activity, offering taster sessions for mental health support groups to boost people’s confidence to join our programmes or directing people to activities that might suit them. If you know of an individual who would like to get involved, but might need extra support, please contact us.
Nordic walkers at the top of Parliament Hill
Social prescribing is still a relatively new area of work and partnerships are essential to develop quality initiatives. As in our other areas of work, we work closely with local organisations, in this instance, healthcare providers, social prescribing navigators and mental health professionals, to build links and awareness about opportunities on Hampstead Heath and to develop programmes that meet the needs of the community. If you are a healthcare professional or support group who would like to explore wellbeing activities on our green spaces, please do get in touch and if you would like to take part as an individual, our what’s on page is a good place to start.
