The Centre’s experts in greenspace appeared before the House of Lords last week, presenting their leading research into environment and health.

Dr Rebecca Lovell and Dr Ben Wheeler discussed their findings at the annual meeting of the Lords’ Rural Economy Research Group, and focused on the potential health and wellbeing benefits natural environments might provide.

The audience included peers, representatives of the farming community and academics with an interest in rural issues.

One of the key topics discussed was how to promote and support use of the countryside whilst overcoming the issues farmers face by providing public access to their land. Another was how the benefits of the natural environments could be harnessed to diversify the business model of some agricultural businesses.

The group also considered how care farming and horticultural therapy programmes could provide opportunities for the farming community to engage in the health and wellbeing process.

The research presented included the Beyond Greenspace project, the Centre’s systematic review on the links between health and environmental volunteering, and Dr Rebecca Lovell’s Defra fellowship.

The session provided an opportunity to underline the importance of using research evidence to inform policy decisions, and highlighted the value of academics working directly with governing bodies.

You can read more on the Beyond Greenspace Blog