New funding boost for green social prescribing in South Yorkshire

NHS South Yorkshire has received further national funding to support green social prescribing and improve the mental health and wellbeing of people living across South Yorkshire.

Green social prescribing is the practice of supporting people to engage in nature-based interventions and activities to improve their mental and physical health, particularly in communities affected by health inequalities.

South Yorkshire is one of 7 national test and learn sites for green social prescribing, initially receiving £500k of national investment over two years in 2021-2023. South Yorkshire has recently been awarded a further £298k to take this work forward in 2024/25.

Voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations from across the region, who can demonstrate that they can support the programme through existing activities, have been invited to bid for monies from the funds, and following a huge response 23 grant awards have been made.

Dr David Crichton, GP and Chief Medical Officer at NHS South Yorkshire, said:

Spending time in and connecting with nature is shown to improve people’s mood, anxiety levels and physical health. In South Yorkshire we are lucky to be surrounded by world renowned green spaces, as well as ‘blue’ spaces such as canals and waterways, fishing ponds and reservoirs.

Thanks to the previous funding, we are already working in partnership with voluntary and community organisations to support people who don’t feel they have access to, or the opportunity to, appreciate the positive effects of the natural world around them. We’re really pleased we’ve received the additional funding to expand this programme further.

 

NHS South Yorkshire is working in partnership with key organisations from across South Yorkshire, including local authorities, universities, VCSE organisations and social prescribing organisations, to deliver the system work on green social prescribing.

One of these organisations, South Yorkshire's Community Foundation (SYCF) is supporting the grants process on behalf of NHS South Yorkshire and the partnership system.

Jess O’Neill, Grants and Partnerships Manager at South Yorkshire's Community Foundation, said: 

We are so pleased that we have been able to provide funding to 23 organisations from across South Yorkshire who will each be providing activities and programmes via green social prescribing.

From local walks to wilderness activities, the funding is supporting a wide range of new sessions which will help to improve the mental health and wellbeing of people living in our local communities. We’re proud to be working in partnership on this innovative project.

 

Darnall Well Being is one of the 23 organisation who have received funding for green social prescribing. Fran Arnold, Communications & Contracts Manager at Darnall Well Being, explains:

We’re pleased to have already been able to run three Green Social Prescribing walks within Sheffield so far, taking local people around the Botanical Gardens, Weston Park and 70 Acre Hill, which is a hidden gem, right on our doorstep in Darnall.

We’re also offering walks further afield with Open Gates CIC, and have taken groups to Porter Valley and Totley Moor with them this August, with plenty more walks planned. As well as hearing from participants that they feel ‘free’ and have ‘peace of mind’ whilst out in nature, they have also told us that they enjoy ‘seeing a new place, enjoying the views and discovering new plants’, with one person noting ‘for mental health, it was fantastic – lots of conversations about health and wellbeing.

 

Green social prescribing helps people to engage in non-clinical nature-based activities and interventions to improve their physical and mental health. Social prescribing link workers and other trusted professionals connect people to local community nature-based activities.