Just a few plants in a front garden give a measurable boost to wellbeing.
When plants in containers were added to small paved-over front gardens in Salford, residents were less stressed. Importantly, this study is the first to scientifically measure the change. The drop in stress levels was not just based on what participants said, but on the levels of cortisol recorded in their bodies. If they remain too high for too long, cortisol can do harm and has been linked with anxiety, depression, digestive problems, headaches, heart disease, sleep problems, weight gain, memory loss and concentration lapses.
More and more evidence is accumulating about the benefits to people of green spaces, gardens and gardening. But this Salford study is the first to show a direct physiological link between people’s wellbeing and the presence of plants in their front garden.
How was it done?
A team of researchers from several universities and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) worked with two housing associations in Salford, recruiting people living in Victorian terraced houses with small paved-over front gardens and no plants. All the residents who agreed to take part had their cortisol measured via saliva swabs. Then half received two large self-watering containers planted up with a mix of shrubs, climbers, bulbs and bedding plants, plus the option of a small tree. The other half, for comparison, received none the first year but got their containers and plants the second year.
The experiment started in Spring 2017. Residents could look after their plants themselves or rely on the RHS team to do it. Later in the year all had more cortisol tests, and the following Spring it was all repeated with the second group. Both groups also filled in regular questionnaires about their health and wellbeing.
What were the results?
Residents’ stress levels, as measured by cortisol tests, were significantly lower at the beginning of Autumn than they had been before the plants arrived. This was supported by residents written responses in the questionnaires. They said they felt more motivated, relaxed, had more of a sense of pride in their home and the area, and were more cheerful coming and going. Among the things they said:
“One of the big things I’ve noticed is when I come back from work and see all the daffodils, it switches me into home mode. It’s like a buffer zone between work and home.” (Male participant, 37)
“It’s lovely. It really cheers me up, honestly…. I love nature, and I see so little of it. So every time I get out of the house, I get a little wave of pride. It gives me a lift, a little swing in my step. Every time.” (Female participant, 51)
“It’s just nice to see the different colours. Otherwise, it looks dead bare. It made me feel brighter in myself.” (Female participant, 86)
Those who had mental health difficulties said they felt more motivated by looking after the plants. Some of their neighbours who had not taken part went out and bought plants and containers for their own homes, and there was an increased sense of community in the area:
“It makes it look like your area has not just been left to rot.” (Male participant, 40)
This is an important study because it shows, for the first time, that plants in front gardens really can improve people’s wellbeing and reduce stress. It only takes a few well-chosen and colourful plants to achieve this. And that is even more important now, because more people are depressed and have mental health problems due to the Covid pandemic.
Furthermore, it is the front garden that has this pivotal role. People leave and come home through it, and neighbours and passers-by see it from the pavement. In Salford even the neighbours got involved and the community felt more together.
This experiment has highlighted how important front gardens really are, often neglected or just used as car parking spaces. We need everyone to recognise this, stop obliterating front gardens with paving and concrete, and restore as many as possible to growing plants.
The aim should be for all houses, apartment and residential blocks to have planted front gardens. People really do benefit from them.
Reference
“It made me feel brighter in myself”- The health and well-being impacts of a residential front garden horticultural intervention, Lauriane Suyin Chalmin-Puia, Jenny Roe, Alistair Griffiths, Nina Smyth, Timothy Heaton, Andy Clayden and Ross Cameron, Landscape and Urban Planning, 205 (2021) 103958.
Whoever wins the London Mayoral election, or indeed anyone holding a political position covering the capital after this May’s vote, should be aware 88% of Londoners agree politicians should promote the London National Park City to make our capital greener, healthier and wilder.
London National Park City "Aster" mown into the grass at Millfields Park. Photo courtesy of Hackney Council.
London National Park City commissioned YouGov to conduct a survey of a representative sample of the Capital’s communities in March and April this year. Later this year, we will be reviewing politicians progress in delivering against their manifestos, especially commitments to improving green and public spaces.
- YouGov’s survey records the expectations and desires of Londoners, with 94% of Londoners wanting our parks, public gardens, waterways and open spaces protected. More than just protection, they want our shared spaces to be of a high quality, to attract diverse users and to be safe.
- Increasing London’s green, blue, public and wild open spaces and improving the quality, safety and diversity of existing spaces is important to 89% of participants.
- 87% want politicians to use London’s National Park City status and identity to inspire more people to get outdoors to enjoy London’s open spaces.
- 84% of respondents agree politicians should create a London National Park City strategy linking transport, health, education and the environment.
By adopting and delivering the five key returns above (in bold text), politicians will reduce air pollution, boost physical and mental health while reducing the burden on the NHS of treating conditions as diverse as asthma, depression, diabetes and obesity, simultaneously addressing public levels of anxiety and stress.
Ensuring the quality of existing green spaces and parks is improved and that new spaces of equal quality are created (and that all of it is maintained) will boost nature, making London more attractive for wildlife and people. Our air and waterways would be cleaner and there would be space for urban food production.
All of this would create new jobs and encourage creativity to develop new technologies, occupations and opportunities benefitting Londoners and local economies, reducing our dependency on some imported goods and services.
Quality of life burned brightly in the results, but safety in parks and public spaces concerned many survey participants, especially those who have experienced sexual, racial or other harassment or assault in public places.
Photo credit Paul Meyler.
Londoners want walking, running and cycling routes through and around the capital, linked with clean and efficient public transport. They want parks and gardens full of buzzing pollinators, colourful plants and singing birds. It should not be a surprise to see hedgehogs on their nightly rambles; clouds of starlings coming to roost in our parks and on our commons; or seals basking on the tidal beaches of the Thames along the Southbank.
Politicians at City Hall and in local authorities have been sent the details of our survey and have been urged to act on the findings. Voters of all ages and backgrounds were keen to see the adoption of long-term strategies for green space encompassing transport, education, health and energy.
London National Park City is one of the many organisations supporting A More Natural Capital campaign, with a shared agenda for change published in December 2020. The findings of the YouGov survey reflect public expectations underpinning our collective call for politicians to put nature at the centre of planning for the capital’s future.
It is time to recognise the important role our green and blue spaces play as vital components of public infrastructure and to invest in them accordingly. Anyone serious about meeting the UK Government’s commitment of slashing emissions 78% by 2035 cannot do it without this approach.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1051 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 30th March and 1st April 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all London adults (aged 18+).
Schools’ have broken, or are about to, for Easter and some of the Covid rules have eased enough to allow groups of six or two households to gather outdoors and for organised team sports to resume outdoors. Full details on the lockdown changes can be found on the Government’s webpages.
London still has a wealth of opportunities to enjoy and most of them are free, especially if it is one of the four thousand or more parks or public green spaces listed on the GoParks website. The listings include links to the London Garden’s Trust historic database or to the wildlife records office for London detailing what plants, bugs or other natural attractions you can discover.
England remains under lockdown, so you must stay at home, leaving only where permitted by law. You can be fined £200 minimum if do not follow the coronavirus rules. The two metre physical distancing rules remain in place so try to respect others personal space, especially where it gets crowded along narrow paths, bridges entrances or outside take-aways and other venues.
You can leave your home to exercise or to visit a public outdoor place for outdoor recreation, such as a coffee on a bench or a picnic in a park. You should minimise the time you spend outside your home, and you should not travel outside your local area, and must follow the guidance on how to stop the spread of coronavirus at all times.
Walking, sitting, cycling, playing football or running. Time to get more active together outdoors (c) Victoria Stewart
If you are planning to meet five friends or another household, there is one essential website you should remember. Lockdownloo.com is the most up to date service listing toilets not closed by the pandemic. Take water to keep hydrated and do not forget your mask, hand sanitiser and to let someone know where you are going and when you will be back.
One of the new lockdown changes is that outdoor sports facilities and team sports like football and tennis can resume. Check facilities are open before setting out as many still have restrictions. London’s outdoor swimming pools and wild swimming venues are re-opening; most with booked entry and one way swimming in force. Heated pools include Covent Garden’s Oasis pool, London Fields lido in Hackney, Hampton Pool and the lido’s at Park Road in Crouch End and Hornfair Park’s Charlton lido.
There are several unheated options too. These include Brockwell and Hillingdon lidos, and pools at Tooting Bec, Parliament Hill, Pools on the Park in Richmond and of course the Serpentine and Hampstead Heath ponds (nine degrees Centigrade on Monday 29th).
Several parks and nature reserves have set-up Easter nature trails where you can enjoy a stroll under trees full of blossom and catkins, or displays of daffodils, crocuses and other spring blooms which are starting to appear. Wildlife is emerging from its winter slumber rather like us staggering from our lockdown homes for some exercise or to clear our minds. Look out for frog and toad spawn. The first will appear like clumps of transparent rice pudding while toad spawn will be in strings. There may even be some tadpoles to enjoy. Migratory sand martins have started to return to nest in London from their winter break in Africa. Swallows and swifts will follow.
Art lovers could enjoy works by Anish Kapoor, Abigail Fallis and Anthony Gormley along London’s first dedicated art walk, The Line sculpture Trail. It takes you through some of London’s most historic areas and some of the newest. The route runs between Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and The O2, following the waterways through Three Mills Island (home of the MasterChef studios) and the line of the Greenwich Meridian. You can explore The Line virtually online too!
Thomas J Price's bronze silicon statue called Reaching Out depicting isolation and connectedness (c) Tim Webb
London National Park City’s new Wiki pages offer several top ten walks or attractions and lots more from street art and wildlife to the best places for kite flying or star gazing during International Dark Sky Week (Sunday, April 19 Sunday, April 26). Lots to see, discover and do by yourself, in a group of six or with one other household.
There are thousands of public paths and walking or cycling routes through and around London. Some are signposted like the London Loop, while others like canal pathways are obvious. They can become narrow and busy so may not be the most attractive option at busy times. Always respect others.
London has more than a hundred city farms and community gardens slowly re-opening with a variety of attractions from chickens and goats to donkeys and sheep. Many have take-away drinks and snacks available too and most will be in desperate need of income having been closed for so long.
Feed your mind, meet your ancestors and get fit with a walk in one of the capital’s magnificent seven garden cemeteries established by the Victorians. Kensal Green is the oldest. The other six are West Norwood, Highgate, Abney Park, Brompton, Nunhead and Tower Hamlets. All are a fascinating mix of monuments to the famous and the unknown who built London and shaped society, plus fine architecture, sculptures and nature.
If you want to immerse yourself in nature or try a bit of forest bathing, Epping Forest is our largest woodland but there are others around London, and many have a few cycle routes, walking routes and picnic areas. Make sure you do not leave any litter.
While we are celebrating spring and all things outdoors, please remember, we are not out of the pandemic woods yet! England is still under lockdown. Only going out for essential activities or exercise. The GoParks interactive map can be searched by borough or postcode to find parks and green spaces near you. Covid remains a major threat we must all beat, even if school pupils are on holiday and restless. When you do go out, stay local, stay distanced and stay well.
Emily Hamilton and Tim Webb, Trustees of the National Park City Foundation, reflect on the safety implications on our streets and in our parks, including how we can make the London National Park City welcoming for everyone.
The sickening, frightening circumstances surrounding Sarah Everard’s death has shaken women and men everywhere. Tragically, Sarah is not the first woman to have disappeared from our streets and to have been killed. The circumstances feel all too familiar for many women whose mind is racing when walking home alone. Our thoughts are with Sarah's boyfriend, family and friends at this deeply difficult time.
At the National Park City Foundation we passionately believe everyone everywhere should feel and be safe at any time in the London National Park City. Yet we know the reality is that many people simply do not feel safe on our streets and in our parks.
Whether it’s a woman experiencing harassment, local people intimidated by gang violence, or people being mugged, we are nowhere near where we need to be in ensuring everyone not only feels safe but is safe.
Last Saturday evening women with flowers gathered in Clapham Common during the day and evening to mourn Sarah and to mourn the fact a woman cannot just walk home. Whether they should or shouldn’t have gathered because of the pandemic is a different debate. The issue is that so many women felt a powerful need to come together to express their collective anger of lives warped by sexual harassment and assault. It is a national outcry with thousands holding their own vigil at home.
That this series of terrible events unfolded during International Women’s Week and the run-up to Mothering Sunday, both dedicated to celebrating women, is heartbreaking.
We’ve so much more to do as a society to achieve gender equality and equity. That includes helping everyone feel and be safe on our streets and in our parks.
Tim Webb wrote the insightful article below in February, before the awful truth of Sarah Everard’s whereabouts was known, but it could have been written this week, as the experiences women are sharing in his research just goes to emphasise that this is not a new occurrence. However, Tim’s research shows crime in parks is actually at an all-time low, so we hope it provides some reassurance to people that London’s parks are generally safe places to be. In terms of demanding gender equality and equity, that’s something we all need to keep working for together.
There are some fantastic examples we can learn from like Vienna, a city which has been working on gender mainstreaming for many years, for example widening over a kilometre of pavements to better accommodate prams, wheelchair users and elderly people. In Spain, the city of Barcelona is rethinking urban life, designing changes with women in mind by providing more public toilets, ensuring transport is joined up and fully accessible. Here in the UK, we know even small changes like putting benches in green spaces can help make women feel more connected to the space and therefore more likely to use their local green space. These modifications combined with behavioural changes such as more men working together to challenge their peers on harassment, or educating young boys to have empathy and respect for girls, women and people different to themselves are all ways we can deliver tangible, lasting change.
Shining a spotlight on park safety in London - Feb 2021
Our parks appear busier than ever. Visitor numbers are probably about the same as they were during their elevated peak in the original national lockdown, it is just that the days are shorter, so numbers are concentrated in fewer hours. There is less leisure and more pressure as the lockdown fatigue takes hold and hope falters. Park outings have become workaday practices with people pacing out their excess energy, or running for fitness before the light fades.
The pleasure of having time to simply “be” in a park has been wrapped-up and put on a shelf along with our summer clothes. The UK is not naturally an outdoor nation in the way southern France, Spain or warmer climes are. Here, Café culture was strictly an activity for when temperatures rose above 20 degrees centigrade. Because of the pandemic, we’re now happy to huddle in thick coats, scarves and gloves over our steaming drinks as long as it’s not raining.
We do not like to admit it, but parks have a societal issue we must address. Casual harassment or sexual intimidation.
Ask any woman and you will most likely discover they will routinely take the long route home to avoid dark parks, pretend to be mid-conversation on their phone as they walk briskly through, or hold keys bunched-up in their tightly-balled fists. Many won’t have trailing ponytails and will cover themselves head to toe in dark, shapeless clothing. A jog in a dark park is out of the question. Their behaviour and lives are unfairly shaped and twisted by their fears and experiences of sexual harassment, violence, racism or intimidation.
I can only repeat these facts having quizzed friends, colleagues and park users. I admit to being shocked by the experiences of female friends I’d never describe as easily intimidated, prone to exaggeration or susceptible to scare stories.
The figures are astonishing. From parks, university campuses and bus stops to our local high streets, girls across the UK are harassed every day. 1 in 5 young women has experienced harassment in the UK during lockdown. 94% want it made illegal [see www.ourstreetsnow.org for info]. Relentless harassment is holding girls and women back, impacting their mental health, restricting their freedom and making them feel unsafe. Anyone should be safe to enjoy a park or public space whenever they want.
Black Lives Matter and the Stop Street Harassment movements re-set the bar of public behaviour, pushing it upwards. Covid, adjustments to Brexit, the sickly economy and social inequality are dragging it back down; its descent aided by the desperation of people struggling to keep their homes or put food on the table. The more people we have in parks, the safer they become.
Under lockdown crime levels dipped a little. Responding to my Freedom of Information request, the Metropolitan Police supplied data on reported park crime. The Police records show men are twice as likely as women to be victims of crime in parks, but we can’t be sure that women always report crimes. Anecdotal evidence suggests many feel nothing will be done or that it’s too small an offence to warrant dialling 999. The same could be said for men too. I’m not going to pretend crime doesn’t exist, but it is far from being on a level some social media contributors would have us believe; in fact it’s at a seven year low.
The table below shows the total number of all crimes against women in London parks reported to the Police.
At a time when we need safe places for our physical and mental health more than ever, is our fear of dark parks holding us back? However hard or however long you wash your hands, you won’t be able to wash away the fear of what might happen in the park in the dark. Adding insult to injury, lots of people are masked because of the Covid pandemic, so even friends can look sinister at first glance.
The Metropolitan Police recorded all reported crimes in parks by type. These figures are for women and men. They show violence is the most common offence, followed by theft of property and drug offences. Sexual assaults are in sixth place.
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Across the last seven years
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Rank
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Type of Offence
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1
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Violence Against the Person
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2
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Theft of property
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3
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Drug Offences
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4
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Robbery against persons
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5
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Public Order Offences
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6
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Sexual Offences
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7
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Arson and Criminal Damage
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8
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Vehicle Offences
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9
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Possession of Weapons
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10
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Burglary
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11
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Miscellaneous Crimes Against Society
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So, what can we all do?
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust webpage is full of advice on personal safety, mainly for women but the guidance is good for men too: https://www.suzylamplugh.org/personal-safety-out-and-about
Parks went through a safety crisis once before when lots of shrubs and fences were ripped out and intrusive lighting systems were installed. That ‘progress’ came at the expense of the biodiversity in the parks. We now know that designated running routes and zoning areas to meet the needs of different visitors through parks are the way forward. Exercise areas are well lit, close to public areas and have wide clear views where people can’t hide. You can twin-up with a friend for an evening jog. Some Friends of Parks groups have discussed women only jogging evenings where there would be wardens monitoring designated routes.
Experimental lighting is being trialled in the Netherlands where streetlights have a wildlife friendly red glow, great for bats and other nocturnal creatures, but switch to low-energy white light when sensors detect the approach of people.
If you do exercise pre-dawn or post-dusk, the best advice is to wear bright reflective clothing to increase your visibility. Head-torches can help avoid twisted ankles from potholes and will of course light-up dark corners; but as your eyes adjust to their bright beam your peripheral vision will be reduced. Most people will instinctively stick to well-lit, busy areas for exercise. Some runners have started to liaise with friends to coordinate running times, effectively creating “busy” running routes.
There are personal alarms and apps you can download for peace of mind, such as the “Map My Run” app. Its live tracking feature can be shared with trusted friends, allowing them to monitor your location and progress.
Five other personal safety apps:
- bSafe
- Circle of 6
- Scream Alarm!
- Silent Beacon
- Watch over me
I contacted all sixteen of the candidates standing this May in the election to be the next Mayor of London, asking specifically for their policies on parks. As you’d expect, the bigger names referred me to their long manifesto documents and others simply said it is currently too early to be that specific.
To avoid having to publish details of all candidates for fairness, I am not going to name individuals, but I can say none of them plans to invest in parks. I acknowledge the role of Mayor of London has no direct control over the management or funding of parks but I would welcome their support in championing parks and the potential of green spaces to deliver “public good”.
As we come out of the Common Agricultural Policy [CAP], the UK replacement will pay farmers and landowners (not in urban settings) when they use their agricultural land to deliver “public good”. Surely, our future Mayor should be campaigning hard to ensure the same approach is taken for our parks and public spaces?
We will be living with Covid for years to come, even after the population has been vaccinated. We cannot put it back into the Pandora’s box of viruses it escaped from and don’t know what others may follow. On the plus side, we are probably better equipped than we ever have been to meet any new challenge.
We had let our guard down with emergency stocks of vital public health kit and equipment allowed to dwindle. Lessons have been painfully learned. But when it comes to the important role parks and public green spaces have played, we must all have been distracted. Christmas came and passed with no gift-wrapped present for parks. Future funding has been cut not increased.
Our parks are at the centre of our communities and like our High Streets, they are in trouble but remain much loved. These are the places where we automatically come together in times of crisis, joy or communal actions.
We have not had a Minister for Parks since Rishi Sunak was promoted to Chancellor and the Cross Party Select Committee on parks has been silent through the pandemic. We need leadership, a strong vision with funding and less reliance on the goodwill and hard work of volunteers.
Parks were and continue to be the safety valve for the UK’s population, helping to keep us fit and sane amid the trauma, loss and fear. They must be recognised for the important environmental role they play, and treated as the valuable infrastructure they are, not dismissed as a nice but expensive community perk. People need parks and parks should be elevated to important assets, essential for healthy communities.
Parks management is complex and highly fractured with lots of different owners, managers and stakeholders. It is a model which grew organically as our towns and cities expanded. But it is now a broken model. While all parks benefit from local controls and the support of their devoted communities, we need better national leadership, central funding and agreed standards which are properly resourced, monitored and policed.
One outcome of the Covid pandemic is that more people are working from home, so have a little more control over their own time, allowing them to exercise locally during daylight hours. There is a #GetUpGetOut campaign encouraging sunrise running or walks. It is a great time to experience local parks and spaces in the silver morning light when wildlife is waking.
The other photogenic time to get out is “golden hour” as the sun sets, casting long shadows and igniting nature’s colours.
We all need these public spaces too much to give them up to a minority of desperate lawbreakers or our own fears and concerns. Do continue to use parks and green spaces but do so safely and do report any suspicious activity or harassment when it’s safe for you to do so.
Remember the Covid rules too. Maintain your distance, respect and greet other park users and do follow the Suzy Lamplugh Trust guidance. Above all, enjoy and love your local park for all it brings to your community, then share that joy with your local MP and councillors, demanding existing parks be properly funded and managed to meet the needs of children families and all surrounding communities. We also need new parks created in deprived areas, reflecting the true value and role of these important spaces as vital public assets.
After all, everyone everywhere should feel and be safe at any time in the London National Park City.
