This week is Green Health Week (Saturday 13 – Friday 19 May) and it could be the perfect time to embrace spending time outdoors.
With the better weather and lighter nights, it is a great time to get out and about locally doing the things you can enjoy outdoors and there are many opportunities available from NHS Lanarkshire to do so:
- Sign up to this year’s Walking Challenge;
- Benefits to the environment;
- An interactive map to explore local green spaces, play parks and health walks;
- Go Jauntly – an app to explore favourite local Lanarkshire walks;
- Green Health opportunities Lanarkshire.
Marie McKeown, partnership manager, Lanarkshire Green Health Partnership, NHS Lanarkshire said: “Green Health Week is a fantastic opportunity to explore outdoors and this year is even more important as it coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week’s theme of connecting with nature.
“The health benefits of spending time in nature are known to help relieve stress, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improve sleep.
“Our work as part of the Green Health Partnership, which is funded by NHS Endowments and NHS Charities Together, is to highlight Lanarkshire’s greenspace, parks and nature and we’re grateful to all our partners for supporting Green Health Week and offering such varied and fun activities across the week.
“We have included many opportunities you can take part in within Lanarkshire below.”
Sign up to this year’s Walking Challenge
NHS Lanarkshire’s Walking Challenge sign up is now open. Follow this link to register and join in the fun. Get your team of five together (or sign up on your own) and join the six-week (virtual) tour from Bute to Shetland via the Scottish Isles, starting on Thursday 25 May until Wednesday 5 July. Promising fresh air, the challenge is all about getting outdoors, taking some time to switch off and even winning some goody bags along the way with your teammates. Every step counts – whether it is walking, cycling, swimming or running, as long as you use your legs and feet, it all counts towards your total. Please print off the information poster to share with your team who do not have access to email. This year’s challenge is extra special as it finishes on the day of the NHS’s 75th anniversary, and to celebrate, we have chosen the virtual route of Scottish Isles with 27 milestones to reach. You will be doing your bit for the planet too, as for every five sign ups a tree will be planted by Big Team Challenge.
Emily Thyng, energy and environment officer, NHS Lanarkshire, said: “There are multiple benefits to taking up walking journeys. Choosing to walk instead of driving also presents an opportunity to make new connections with people in your community and also with the natural environment surrounds. It’s estimated that in the UK, 1/4 of the trips taken by car are under one mile, and with the cost of living crisis impacting the price of fuel, walking short distances instead of driving is an opportunity to find some savings, there is also the added benefit of reducing carbon emissions and air pollution by choosing to walk instead of driving. Taking fewer of these short journeys by car and choosing to walk will have a positive impact, not only the air that we breathe, but also the health of our communities.
“As part of the Big Team Challenge, Ecologi is planting one tree for every five participants who sign upT this means that if every employee in NHS Lanarkshire signs up to take part, over 2000 trees would be planted, every tree planted will help to tackle the climate and nature emergency through restoring our natural environment and absorbing carbon from our atmosphere.”
Interactive Map
NHS Lanarkshire’s health improvement team has put together an interactive map, which shows all the local outdoor gyms, health walks and most recently added; play parks. These local spots are a great way to spend time outdoors, with the family or include some extra physical activity into your day. Whatever your reason, there is something everyone can enjoy.
Go Jauntly App
NHS Lanarkshire and Get Outdoors Lanarkshire have joined forces with walking app Go Jauntly, to make spending time outdoors that little bit easier.
By downloading the app on iPhones and Androids, you can explore some of your favourite local Lanarkshire walks. The free, community-based walking app promotes walking for leisure and nature connection, and is a fabulous way to discover local walks created by the people who know and love them.
The app also highlights the greenest routes for local walking journeys or a place to note down the positive things seen in everyday nature, which research shows can help alleviate anxiety.
Green Health
There are many ways to enjoy these benefits, including walking, gardening, cycling, volunteering, outdoor learning and play as well as just enjoying being out in green spaces and nature. Find out more.
