Natural England

Natural England, the nation’s environmental champion, is inviting people to go wild and celebrate the wonders of England’s natural world at a garden party in Peterborough as part of the BBC’s Springwatch festivals.

On Sunday June 10, wildlife gardening guru Chris Baines will be joining us at the Breathing Places event in Central Park, where we will be inviting visitors to help us transform an area of the park into a wildlife garden, complete with a pond, to show the fantastic effects gardening can have on people and wildlife.

Chris is one of the UK’s leading environmental campaigners and has been named as one of the UK’s top 20 conservationists in this month’s BBC Wildlife Magazine. In 2004 he was awarded the RSPB’s coveted Medal of Honour. Chris is committed to urban wildlife and wildlife gardening and his book “How to Make a Wildlife Garden” is regarded as a classic. We will be making the most of his expert knowledge to ensure the garden we leave behind is a haven for wildlife.

Shaun Thomas, Natural England’s regional director in the East of England, said: “Getting up close to our natural world is fun, exciting and easier than you might think - you don’t have to trek out into the wilderness to do it. England’s gardens are some of the wildest places on the planet.

“With a little hard work and patience, you can create your own wildlife garden in ten easy steps. Come to Natural England’s garden party and find out how.”

Gardens are almost certainly the most biodiverse habitats on the planet, but gardens and greenspaces are being lost and this is damaging to people, wildlife and urban environments. We will be showing gardeners how they can help stem the damage caused by garden losses and help wildlife with a few simple actions. For example, a pile of dead wood left in a shady spot can make a home for beetles and mini-beasts, while a patch of long grass encourages wildflowers and provides shelter for small mammals.

In our marquee there will be a range of activities to suit all ages. Children can make their own ‘beetle bling’ jewellery, have their face painted like their favourite mini-beast, or chill out in our ladybird tent, while adults can quiz our gardening experts on wildlife friendly gardening and find out how to make a bird feeder. Everyone can get their hands dirty and help us create our wildlife garden, and learn about the health benefits of exercising in a natural place.

Natural England staff will be handing out ‘green prescriptions’ offering help on how to get healthy outdoors.

There is mounting medical evidence showing that contact with the natural environment improves mental and physical health. At the same time fewer people are visiting the countryside, making urban gardens and greenspaces all the more important. Being more active and having more contact with the outdoors reduces stress and can prevent and reduce depression and anxiety. It has also been proven that doing physical activity reduces the risk of up to 20 chronic diseases and disorders including obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.

For more wildlife gardening tips, ideas about where to find green space, and details of local walking groups, go to www.naturalengland.org.uk/campaigns/breathingplaces

For further information contact Helen Payn on 01733 455131 or email helen.payn@naturalengland.org.uk or the Natural England press office on: Telephone: 0845 603 9953, or out of hours 07970 098005 Email: press.office@naturalengland.org.uk

Notes to editors

1. Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas. We conserve and enhance the natural environment for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people, and the economic prosperity it brings.

2. Contact with the natural environment improves children's mental and physical health

• A child's self discipline can be improved by 20% by simply having views of trees and vegetation outside their homes.
• Children are more likely to play in a green environment than on hard tarmac and at school this can reduce bullying.
• Obesity levels for children aged 6 have doubled in the last 10 years, and have tripled in 15 year olds. 22% of adults are obese and about 40% are overweight. Being overweight or obese accounts for as much as 30% of heart disease and 80% of diabetes and costs the UK £2.5 billion a year.

3. Contact with the natural environment also brings benefits to communities.

• Aggression and domestic violence is less likely in low-income families with views or access to natural green space.
• Crime rates are lower in tower blocks with more natural green space than identical tower blocks with no surrounding vegetation.
• Studies have shown the presence of vegetation can halve the incidence of violent and property crimes in otherwise identical public housing blocks with randomly allocated tenants.