By Esther Smith, Senior Officer, Health and Environment (North East and Yorkshire)
This blog outlines the importance of green spaces in improving health and wellbeing, with a focus on occupational therapy, while showcasing some of the amazing projects in this field.
Natural England's Strategy aims to improve health and wellbeing by enabling more people to connect with, access and benefit from nature. As part of this, we are working with NHS organisations providing expert advice and early-stage funding to help develop nature-based health initiatives.
Across the NHS, there is growing interest in nature-based approaches and therapies that support physical and mental health. High-quality green spaces can play an important role in promoting wellbeing, aiding recovery, and helping to reduce health inequalities.
Oliver Harmar, Chief Strategy Officer at Natural England, said:
"Nature really is our Natural Health Service, and its economic and social value in delivering health benefits is huge. Being in and around green spaces is genuinely transformative for both our mental and physical wellbeing, easing anxiety, lifting our mood, and supporting recovery after illness. The programmes we're seeing in Bradford and beyond show exactly why nature-based approaches deserve a central place in how we think about health. With a 10-year gap in life expectancy across the Bradford district alone, and the NHS's 10-year plan rightly prioritising prevention, partnerships connecting people with nature offer a real opportunity to close that gap, delivering one of the most powerful, cost-effective ways to support people's health and wellbeing."
Green spaces offer powerful settings for occupational therapy, supporting people to manage everyday activities whether they are recovering from illness, living with a disability, facing mental health challenges or adapting to later life. Operational colleagues across our area teams are increasingly working alongside occupational therapists as part of our health and environment programme. The examples below show how these partnerships are opening up nature to more people through their occupational therapy treatment.
Bradford Green Therapy Programme
The Green Therapy initiative is woven into the occupational therapy curriculum and embedded across Bradford District Care Trust more widely. It brings together health, environmental and community organisations including Aire Rivers Trust, Forestry England, Canal & River Trust, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, YorGreen CIC, Word Up North and Pieces Project. With initial funding from Natural England for a student placement, the initiative has since expanded to include:
- The Nature in Mind programme with Bradford and Craven Mind, creating two nature support worker posts and four nature-based groups supporting participants weekly.
- A partnership with the specialist Mother and Babies Team to develop a new nature-based intervention.
- Funding from the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare for a Nature Ranger role, supporting activities across inpatient mental health sites while strengthening links with local nature recovery initiatives.
- Weekly allotment groups, with plans underway to develop two more sites.
- Workforce development, through a nature therapy training programme developed with Mind, alongside Horticultural training delivered by Thrive.
Kelly Barker, Chief Operating Officer at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“I have seen first-hand the positive impact that nature-based therapies can have on both the people who use our services and the staff who support them. These approaches help people build confidence, improve wellbeing, and reconnect with their communities. By bringing people together in nature, we are supporting healthier lives and stronger communities. I am incredibly proud of the colleagues, volunteers and partners making this work possible.”
Watch this video to find out more.
A participant in the allotment group said:
“A positive response for my mental health... I look forward to the allotment each week giving me a purpose to get up in a morning...! I love being at one with nature, bird watching, music, collecting insects, photography, crafts, art, walking, planting, and canoeing!”
Building the case for green therapy
Natural England is partnering with a range of organisations to develop and expand green therapy approaches:
- A Northumbria University student placement is uncovering new nature-based opportunities within National Nature Reserves.
- South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is exploring occupational therapy placements to strengthen its Active Hospitals programme and deliver on its Green Plan.
- A partnership with the University of Worcester is bringing outdoor classrooms, a community orchard and future nature prescription initiatives with the RSPB to life.
- At Newcastle's NHS Freeman Hospital, the Centre for Sustainable Health is working alongside Occupational Therapists to help patients reconnect with the natural world through the power of scent.
- Occupational Therapy students from the University of Huddersfield are testing new approaches to connecting children with nature, producing recommendations, training resources and transition materials to shape community engagement through the National Health Innovation Campus and developing a nature connection pack with the Canal & River Trust.
Looking ahead: driving innovation
Two events planned for autumn 2026 will help shape the future of green therapy. A roundtable will bring together NHS organisations, universities and placement hosts to explore new opportunities, while a wider stakeholder webinar will showcase green occupational therapy projects, research and partnerships from across the country.
Together, these reflect growing momentum behind nature-based approaches in occupational therapy and the power of partnership to improve health outcomes and deepen connections between people, places and communities.
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