Nature should be central to our approach to tackling worse health and life outcomes - James Metcalfe

Worse health outcomes affect children and young people most acutely. Obesity, mental health problems, and rates of diabetes and severe asthma are all on the rise. They live more sedentary lifestyles, with only one in four children playing outdoors, compared to three in four of their grandparents’ generation. There are also challenges in developmental and learning areas, from speech to school attendance.

The list of potential solutions is long, sometimes costly, and not always immediate. Reintroducing Sure Start, offering free school meals, mental health support, or even reimagining the education system could help.

Nature, an often-overlooked solution, should be central to our approach to tackling worse health and life outcomes. It may not always be as eye-catching as other solutions, but it is proven – we are hard-wired to respond positively to nature.

Nature is everywhere, but as a nation we have an abundance of green and blue spaces which can be harnessed to address systemic health, social, educational and economic challenges. Connecting with nature can be done from National Parks to back yards.

In 2018, a Fields in Trust report found that green spaces saved the NHS over £111m annually. A 2023 report from the Wildlife Trust projected that green prescribing could save over £635m annually. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy estimated the health benefits from nature were worth £5.5bn.

Providing children and young people with access and opportunity to sustained, quality and meaningful interactions with nature should be at the forefront of our response to worsening health outcomes.

Like nature itself, they have the potential to recover and thrive when provided with the right environment, space and time. Nature should be part of both treatment and prevention, woven into daily life from nursery to school, workplaces, community art programmes, and sports clubs.

These connections are essential to healthy development, enhancing resilience, fine motor skills, decision-making, confidence, and wellbeing. Nature’s impact is immediate and long-lasting, with the benefits enduring throughout life.

I’ve seen firsthand how well this approach works. As director of the North York Moors Trust, a charity focused on lifting the health of people and nature, I have witnessed the healing power of nature-based interventions.

Our projects connect children and young people from some of England’s most disadvantaged communities that surround the North York Moors National Park with nature, and in ways that are meaningful to them—from art and rap to carpentry and outdoor skills.

In one project, anxious children blossom in a classroom without walls and big skies. Older children, rather than being put in seclusion for behaviour management, were instead became ‘nature mentors’ during sessions, guiding younger children through tasks and gaining responsibility. A positive outcome for all involved.

In another project, ‘boisterous’ young people found focus through physical, hands-on tasks and creative play in green spaces.

Through all these projects there is a common theme: teachers have been enamoured with the positive change they have witnessed in their pupils, prompted by a connection with nature, from better behaviour to attendance, concentration, and importantly happiness and wellbeing.

Nature-based activities help children and young people develop crucial life skills, emotional intelligence, and resilience, while opening sensory pathways key to improving health and wellbeing.

And a nature-based approach is not limited to children. It works for adults too. Green social prescribing - another focus of the North York Moors Trust - continues to grow, supporting people of all ages to cope, recover and thrive.

There is a wealth of evidence supporting the benefits of nature, and many amazing people and organisations are doing vital work in this space.

If the Government is seriously committed to creating ‘the healthiest generation of children ever’, nature must be part of their prevention-first mission. Funding and freedom need to be devolved to empower health, education and local government services to work much closer with communities, charities, and local organisations to realise the potential of nature-based interventions, improve interaction with nature and increase access to green spaces and National Parks to tackle today’s challenges and prevent them tomorrow.

Nature is a proven, positive, and cost-effective solution for improving health and development.

If we are to give our children their future back - a future where they can navigate life’s challenges, grow up well and lead healthier and fulfilled lives - nature should be integrated to play a central role in their development, learning, and life.

James Metcalfe is a director at the North York Moors Trust.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​