A new report by the charity Fields in Trust claims the £34 billion figure is a result of people enjoying improved physical and mental health, directly as a result of using parks and open spaces.
According to the report, an individual would need to be compensated by £974 a year to replace the satisfaction and benefits they would have gained from using their local park more than once a month.
The report estimates that if every person in the country was compensated then it would amount to £34.2 billion.
It also claims parks and green spaces save the NHS around £111 million per year, based on less visits to the doctors.
“We know that if more people use parks and green spaces on a regular basis this would improve their health and wellbeing and subsequently increase the level of savings to the Exchequer,” the report states.
But it also notes that many parks and green spaces are at risk, because of public sector spending cuts.
Recent research by the Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) revealed 95% of park staff are worried that a lack of investment in green spaces will have health and social impacts.
While a previous report by Fields in Trust showed nearly one in five people believe their local park is under threat of being lost of built on.
“At a time when parks and green spaces are under threat, this is valuable evidence that the loss of green space is hugely damaging to people’s welfare,” said Fields in Trust Chief Executive, Helen Griffiths.
“The research also confirms that any decision by a public body to remove a park or green space is completely short-sighted – and will in fact cost more money than is saved.
“In health alone, parks and green spaces saved the NHS at least £111 million per year through prevented GP visits – enough to pay for more than 3,500 nurses.”
To read the full report by Fields in Trust, click here.
In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.
We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.
