Natural England - Unlocking the Potential of Our Natural Health Service
Unlocking the Potential of Our Natural Health Service
Dorset’s natural environment has it all, from sea to sand, heath to woodland, rivers to rolling hills. These landscapes hold the key to a healthy lifestyle and the 2012 Olympics is the ideal portal to develop a healthy living legacy for the people who live here or visit them.
To unlock the full potential of Dorset’s natural environment, Natural England and Team Dorset have invited over 60 representatives from organisations across the county to take part in ‘Our Natural Health Service’ seminar at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, the venue for the sailing competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, on 3 February. Linking strongly with local public health priorities, national and local experts will be presenting case studies from a diverse range of activities and projects that promote the use of the natural environment to boast, improve and maintain our health and well being.
Chris Hines, co-founder of Surfers Against Sewage and environmental campaigner will be promoting the use of the Blue Gym. This involves getting active along the glorious Jurassic coast and also the inland rivers, canals and lakes. Surfing, sailing, fishing and volunteering are a few of the activities suggested.
‘One Million Children Outdoors,’ will be the quest of Jim Burt, who aims to encourage a greater interest and understanding of the natural environment amongst school children in Dorset. Visits to Dorset’s special wildlife sites, setting up wildlife gardens and dig-in allotment areas are some of the projects where Natural England can offer support.
The Team Dorset Challenge is a community-based programme which aims to use the 2012 Olympic Games as an accelerant to encourage people across the Dorset area to adopt a healthier lifestyle, through increased physical exercise, improved diet and participation in community, cultural and environmental activities.
The seminar will also host representatives on a range of topics and case studies including; ‘Walking for Health’, ‘Wild about Weymouth’, ‘Let’s get Moving’, ‘Sail for a Fiver’, Natural England’s ‘Natural Health Service’, Weymouth & Portland Green Space’ and the public health priorities in Dorset.
Notes for editors
1. Our Natural Health Service
A recent study commissioned by Natural England found that people living in neighbourhoods more than a mile from a park had a 27 per cent greater chance of being overweight or obese. The study proved what might seem to be common sense – that people are healthier if they live within an attractive natural environment. Natural England wants to encourage everyone to make the most of their green space. We believe our parks, woodlands, and countryside, even our tree lined streets are a major resource that can help us combat rising levels of diseases such as diabetes, obesity and depression. A new campaign, Our Natural Health Service, wants to ensure that everyone in the country has good access to green space and that our health services make better use of it. For more information on Our Natural Health Service and a copy of the Manifesto please visit our website pages.
2. Team Dorset
Team Dorset is all about helping Dorset benefit from hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Weymouth & Portland and leaving a real significant legacy. What we do together before, during and beyond 2012 will shape our future. The run up to 2012 are undeniably dynamic times for Dorset - at Team Dorset we want life in our County to improve and progress for years to come.
The 2012 Games are a once in a lifetime opportunity for Dorset to create positive change, regeneration and a sustainable legacy for all. 2012 is a catalyst, an accelerant, a springboard and a lever for change. There are significant social, cultural, sporting, and business opportunities to be won before, during and beyond 2012. To win them requires drive, vision, new thinking, entrepreneurialism, creativity, risk, belief, positive attitudes and actions.
Our legacy vision is not just about bricks, mortar and physical infrastructure; it is about education, skills, employment and social regeneration as represented by the five legacy themes:
Community and wellbeing
Economy and infrastructure.
Education and skills
Environment and sustainability
Sports and culture
Find out more at www.teamdorset.org.uk or by contacting Gary Fooks, Olympic Legacy Manager at Team Dorset on 01305 823411.
3. One Million Children Outdoors
Findings from a recent survey suggest that:
children today spend less time in natural places, and enjoy less unsupervised natural play than previous generations
most children would like to spend more time playing unsupervised in natural places, and most parents would like them to be able to.
If children are able to experience nature, they care about it and want to conserve it
Natural England is working on a range of projects to encourage an interest in and understanding of the natural environment amongst school children. We want one million children to have the opportunity to enjoy nature and the natural environment.
To find out how to encourage children to play outdoors visit our website page.
4. ‘Walking for Health’
Natural England is working with the Department of Health to support the expansion of Walking for Health (WfH). This national project trains local people to lead regular short walks (Health Walks) and is open to anyone who wants to become more active. Each local walk scheme is supported nationally with first class evaluation, accreditation, marketing, training and insurance. WfH helps Natural England achieve its aim by getting more people engaged with the natural environment and the Department of Health gets more inactive people active.
Walking for Health, previously known as Walking the Way to Health was developed within a general practice in 1996 adopted by the Countryside Agency and British Heart Foundation in 1998 and taken on by Natural England in 2007. The majority of participants are over 50 years old with two thirds being female. The schemes operate both in urban and rural areas.
This 3 year partnership will quadruple the size of Walking for Health to 130,000 people participating every week by 31 March 2012. The Department of Health is jointly responsible for delivering a cross government target of 2 million adults becoming active by 2012 as part of its Legacy Action Plan for the Olympics. WfH will contribute 200,000 new people to this target over the next three years.
Find out more about Walking for Health on our website pages.
5. 'Sail for a Fiver' Scheme
More than 3,000 Dorset school children have successfully navigated themselves through the 'Sail for a Fiver' scheme, which offers young, disabled and disadvantaged people the chance to learn to experience the thrills of sailing on the Games' waters for just £5.
The success of the scheme, supported by the WPNSA, Sail Laser, the Weymouth Outdoor Education Centre and the Dorset-based Chesil Trust charity, has also gone a long way in proving that sailing is not an elitist sport.
The sessions are available to Year 6 pupils attending Dorset state schools. Most pupils will enjoy their afternoon at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA), the venue for the sailing competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, through sessions run by Sail Laser, and other students will have similar sessions organised by the Weymouth Outdoor Education Centre.
The WPNSA and Sail Laser, in conjunction with the Chesil Trust, also assist a number of pupils to go on and complete the two day RYA Stage 1 course and others to complete the four day RYA Stage 1 and 2 courses.
On top of the ‘Sail for £5' scheme the Chesil Trust also fund scholarships and other sailing schemes aimed at local children. To date the Trust has assisted 7 talented young sailors from Dorset, who between them have won a number of major competitions, including three Gold medals at the World Youth Sailing Championships. One of these young sailors has now joined the Team GBR Olympic Development Squad.
Dorset has some of the best small boat sailing waters in the World and through the work of the Trust we hope to give increasing numbers of young or disabled people the opportunity of experiencing sailing on these waters. Contact: John Tweed FRICS, Clerk to the Trustees, The Chesil Trust, c/o Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, Osprey Quay, Portland, Dorset, DT5 1SA Tel: 01305 866066, Fax: 01305 866067.
6. The Blue Gym
This exciting new initiative promotes the mental and physical health benefits of getting active along our coasts and inland waterways The Blue Gym project, which is being piloted in the South West, aims to encourage safe, fun activity in or close to the aquatic environment.
Dr William Bird, Strategic Health Advisor for Natural England said: ‘‘Natural England is delighted to be working with The Peninsula Medical School, the Environment Agency and Department of Health to promote the Blue Gym in the South West. The Blue Gym will demonstrate the importance of both a healthy natural environment and our own health by getting more people to be active outdoors using the sea, rivers, lakes and canals. There is evidence to show that people near the coast can be more active and we know that contact with nature has additional mental health benefits that make it so important to maintain a clean and healthy water environment’.
7. Let’s get Moving
The new Let's Get Moving (LGM) physical activity care pathway is based on the principles of the NICE public health guidance 2006: Four Commonly Used Methods to Promote Physical Activity, which endorses the delivery of brief interventions for physical activity in primary care as both clinically and cost effective in the long term.
The launch of LGM provides a unique opportunity to embed the promotion of physical activity at the very core of the NHS, offering a major opportunity for health professionals to make a significant difference to the health of our nation.
Find out more on the Department for Health website
8. The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy
The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) is a world class sailing venue and effectively promotes the sport of sailing to all levels of competence and ability, through courses, training and events, whilst supporting and working closely with the local community. The WPNSA will be the venue for the sailing competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, Weymouth and Portland has been recognised as having some of the best boating waters on the planet. The Academy currently runs a number of high profile regattas throughout the year and boasts fantastic conference and event facilities. The WPNSA is committed to conserving the local environment winning the 2008 Sport Industry Award for Environmental Concern in Sport.
For further press information contact:
Cailah Leask - Fast Track Sailing T: +44 (0) 207 593 5268 M: +44 (0) 778 529 4321 or
Katie Doerr - Fast Track Sailing T: +44 (0) 207 593 5288 M: +44 (0) 779 273 9096
9. About Natural England
Natural England is the government’s independent advisor on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public
We establish and care for England’s main wildlife sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved.
We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and Marine Conservation Zones, and advising widely on their conservation.
We run England’s Environmental Stewardship green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland.
We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats.
We promote access to the wider countryside, helping establish National Trails and coastal trails and ensuring that the public can enjoy and benefit from them.
For further media information contact the Natural England press office on 0845 603 9953, out of hours 07970 098005.
10. For further information about ‘Our Natural Health Seminar’ please contact Jane Beech on 07900 608040
11. Press/media - If you would like to attend the seminar or arrange an interview any of the presenters please contact Dot Isgrove on 07880 784757