07 Sept 2022
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Introducing our newest Associate Member, Norfolk Green Care Network
Contributor Nigel Boldero introduces our newest Associate Member organisation Norfolk Green Care Network, and outlines the ways connecting with nature, or ‘green care’ can benefit health and wellbeing.
With my colleague Carlyn Kilpatrick (who runs the Nurture Project just outside Fakenham) I set up the Network in February 2020- just before the pandemic struck. The motivation was a shared belief that the many great ‘green care’ projects across Norfolk might find it useful to find out about each other, share ideas and resources and maybe develop new projects.
‘Green Care’- a wide range of activities and opportunities for connecting with nature (see diagram) has seen an explosion of research papers demonstrating the positive impacts on health and wellbeing in the past 10 years. The pandemic has added to this with many people appreciating what being outside and ‘in nature’ can do for them and their loved ones.
Over the last couple of years the Network has grown to over 250 members from a wide range of projects, organisations and people just interested in Green Care. Having provided a largely ‘online’ opportunity for networking and learning, we are gradually increasing events for face-to-face contact between members.
As well as connecting our members, we have been fortunate in getting involved in development work that will expand the opportunities for nature connection across Norfolk and at the same time broadening our scope to include activities that are primarily about nature recovery, climate change mitigation and/or food security….other ‘shades of green’ which will probably to an extent contribute to the health and wellbeing of those participating.
As Convenor of the Network (which is a simple, unincorporated, membership organisation) I have been in a great position to facilitate collaborations across many organisations focusing on:
Growing Together - developing community led approaches to reviewing open spaces and developing plans for these which might include food growing, mini forest, natural play areas etc.
Community Wilding Norfolk - a model for inspiring and supporting community scale action to help nature recovery to complement that being developed for larger scale landscapes.
NHS Green Plans - working with the local Integrated Care System to promote the assessment and development of NHS sites across Norfolk and Waveney to aid recovery, promote health and wellbeing for service users, their carers and families, NHS staff and the wider community, aid nature recovery and mitigate climate change as well as reducing carbon emissions and waste.
First Nature! - developing and delivering a campaign to expand nature connection opportunities for children and young people across Norfolk. This will involve wide range of organisations, projects as well as children and young people and their families directly.
To find out more see Norfolk Green Care Network's website https://www.ngcn.uk
You can join the Network as a Full or associate member- see here for more details: Join Us – Norfolk Green Care Network (ngcn.uk)
We also have a Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ngcnet
UEA's Associate Professor in Community Health Sarah Hanson is advising Norfolk Green Care Network on their research. You can get in touch with Sarah at S.Hanson@uea.ac.uk.
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