Green and Healthy Ufton

Green and Healthy Ufton

Steven Cheshire

We're launching a new initiative to get the people of Warwickshire greener and healthier! Ufton Fields Nature Reserve near Southam offers more than just the chance to catch a breath of fresh air, our Green and Healthy Ufton Project encourages local people to get out and get active.

Due to the success of the project in Rugby from 2016 - 2018, we will be initiating a new volunteer group at Ufton Fields Nature Reserve this summer as well as hosting a series of events for the whole community to get involved in.  New volunteers will have the opportunity to work on conservation tasks which vary throughout the year, from creating homes for wildlife to hedge laying.

Faye Irvine, our Wildlife Engagement Officer said, “There is increasing evidence* of the benefits of engaging in physical activity outside, on both health and well-being.  Indeed we see the impacts of volunteering outdoors on our volunteers every day.  Volunteers enjoy keeping active, meeting like-minded people and learning new skills.”

The South Warwickshire Health and Well-being Partnership funded the project with the aim of reducing social isolation and improving and using green spaces to promote health and well-being.

Sessions will be held fortnightly on Tuesday mornings from 10am - 1pm, starting on Tuesday 14th May.  Everyone is welcome and no time commitment or prior experience required.

For more information, please visit the Green and Healthy Ufton page

*Natural England’s 2009 report into their Walking the Way to Health Initiative scheme found that if everyone was given equal access to green spaces, the estimated saving to the NHS would be £2.1 billion per year.  The report found that people are 24% more likely to be physically active if they have access to a green space.

*Public Health England’s 2014 health profile of Warwick Rural East District showed that 22.6% of adults in the district are obese.  The report identifies tackling obesity as a local priority and demonstrates that the number of physically active adults in this area is slightly below the England average of 24.1%.