Breadcrumbs
Green Exercise Pilot Programme
Green Exercise is any informal physical activity that takes place outdoors: from gardening, cycling and walking in urban green areas, to kite flying and conservation projects in the countryside. The aim is to connect people to nature in their local areas and it is one of the most cost-effective ways of improving the nation's physical and mental wellbeing.
This picture is from the 'Youth Outdoor Experience' project in the East of England region. The project ai
ms to engage and inspire young people through regular outdoor sessions of inspiring and fun activities over a 12 week period. Tasks range from practical conservation, like scrub bashing and coppicing, to environmental art, camp building and outdoor cooking, with responsibility directed towards the youngsters to make decisions about the direction they want to go as a group as the project progresses. The aim is to increase self awareness and confidence, to benefit well-being as well as learning new skills and understanding more about their local environment.
Evaluation is essential if this programme is to lead to adoption of green exercise more widely, and each project will complete their own evaluation, alongside an evaluation of the programme as a whole by our Evidence team. We will evaluate areas such as diversity achieved, access and connections to greenspace, as well as the achievement of targets for each project. This will lead to a best-practice advice on costs and delivery, with an emphasis on case studies and statistics.
For more information, please contact Cheryl Allibone, Green Exercise Coordinator, email: cheryl.allibone@naturalengland.org.uk or check out your regions project at: www.whi.org.uk/green
