Hampstead Heath & Mental Health
By Heath Hands volunteer Sue Cullinan
Everyone who has walked on Hampstead Heath feels better for it. This was especially the case during lockdown when hundreds of people sought the open spaces, trees and pathways of this wonderful urban oasis. Today, dogs and people compete for space along the tarred paths around Parliament Hill but you can always escape to the wooded areas or open fields - and this has had a profound effect on my sense of wellbeing.
Diagnosed with depression in 2019, I made it my habit to walk up Kite Hill and around the Highgate ponds every day, no matter the weather. From wearing thick puffa coats in the winter to sunblock in summer, I have felt the effects of walking on the Heath and how it improves your wellbeing. If you walk mindfully, employing the senses to observe, hear, and smell your surroundings, every walk becomes an adventure and no two occasions the same. The changing seasons are a reminder of nature's fortitude in carrying on, even while under pressure from stress and a degenerating environment.
Oak tree in its full autumn colours
As you walk, you feel the weight of the world lifting and new thoughts taking over. Even if you cogitate on a problem, the fresh air seems to aid one’s thinking, and it is said that the famous writer John le Carre conceived many of his books while meandering up the hills and own the dales.
A recent study by Nature magazine showed that outdoor exercise improves cognitive function more than exercising indoors – and anyone who runs or walk on the Heath can testify to the increased sense of achievement and happiness from being out in nature.
One of the most rewarding experiences for me has been volunteering with the Nature calendar project - a survey run by Heath Hands monitoring the seasonal changes on the Heath - e.g when buds/flowers first appear. Anyone can volunteer and the feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself (the records are fed into a nationwide database) brings new meaning to walking and observing the many wonders of the Heath. Each season has its own rewards, but summer is a particular delight, with butterflies and birds all out and feeding on the nectar and insects.
Fox gloves at the Sphagnum Bog in early summer
The warmer weather also brings the chance to swim in one of the ponds on the Hampstead or Highgate side of the Heath - another dopamine rush which draws people from all over London and beyond.
The Heath would not be what it is without the careful monitoring and conservation work done by the City of London Corporation’s rangers and Heath Hand volunteers. Through all seasons, dedicated teams prune, clear, dig and weed, also collecting litter left by thoughtless picnickers.
Heath Hands volunteers enjoy a well deserved cuppa
They lead walks for groups ranging from schoolchildren to members of the public, sharing their knowledge of the plants, wildlife and insects that flourish in this vast open space. Heath Hands has just celebrated its 25th anniversary and is ably run by a team operating out of the Dairy in Kenwood and the Hive near Parliament Hill Fields.
What more can I say? Get out there and do it! Once it becomes a regular activity, your life will never be the same. And volunteer – it will bring a new sense of purpose to your days and the Heath will thank you for it.
Nature’s Calendar volunteers
Volunteers planting trees
