Sunflower Therapy: How a Prescription Helped Fight Anorexia

Here’s⁤ a breakdown of the⁣ key information from the provided text,focusing on “green social prescribing”:

What is green Social Prescribing?

* It involves prescribing nature activities to ‍people to improve their mental and⁢ physical health. ⁣This can include things like walking in nature, gardening, or volunteering for conservation projects.

evidence of Success:

* A four-year national pilot program (ending in March) ⁣was ⁢deemed a success.
* an independent evaluation of the first two years ⁣showed a “statistically meaningful increase in wellbeing” for patients.
*‍ For every £1 invested, there ‍was a social and economic return of £2.42 (including getting people back ⁣into work).
* Over half of the nearly 8,500 people prescribed nature activities ⁢in the first⁤ two years lived in‍ socio-economically deprived areas.
*⁣ Experts state the‍ evidence that nature ⁢improves mental health ‍is “unequivocal.”

Current Concerns & Future Outlook:

* The future of green social prescribing is uncertain.
* ⁤There’s concern⁣ that funding for these schemes ⁤is being left to⁢ charities (like The Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, and Ocean Conservation ⁢Trust).
* These organizations are calling on the government to commit more funding and roll out⁣ the schemes beyond ⁣the initial seven trial areas.
* ⁤ The need is to make ⁣these opportunities available “everywhere” and to fund prevention and health⁤ creation within communities.

Key⁢ Quote:

* Dom Higgins (The Wildlife⁣ Trusts): “It is unequivocal that nature improves mental health… It’s⁣ time to seriously fund prevention and opportunities for people to⁤ create ⁣good health in the neighbourhoods where they live and work.”