What is Green Social Prescribing and why is it in vogue?

Green social prescibing is all the rage in public health circles and has been for a few years. Green social prescribing is the practice of supporting people to engage in nature-based interventions and activities to improve their mental and physical health, particularly in communities affected by health inequalities. 

Walkers from Roundabout sketching

during a recent green social prescibing

walk delivered by Open Gates Outdoors

In April 2023 George Yates set up Open Gates Outdoors as a social enterprise/community interest company with the specific and sole purpose of widening participation in the outdoors in and around Sheffield to communities that are isolated or vulnerable, ie suffer health inequalities. As a life long fell walker and fell runner it has always grated with me the very narrow post code range of those who regularly enjoy being active outdoors and access the health benefits of being so. When I retired from teaching in February 2023 I decided to try to widen the social background of those who enjoy quality experiences exploring the outdoors. Little did I know that Open Gates Outdoors would hit the crest of the green social prescribing wave.  
 
On 11 September 2024 the Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a key note speech setting out the new government's health policy in the light of a damning report by Ara Dazi, surgeon and peer in the House of Lords. Starmer warned that the NHS must "reform or die" and, together with Health Secretary Wes Streeting, announced the principles behind a 10 year plan of reform. Central to this was preventing people from becoming ill in then first place and more health care being provided in communities. 

Starmer's speech was a big nod towards green social prescribing continuing to have a significant role in reducing the rising costs of health care.

It is therefore great news for Open Gates Outdoors and other providers of green social prescribing activities in and around Sheffield that South Yorkshire was one of 7 regions nationally to receive funding of £500K from central government to be spent on green social prescribing between 2021-2023 and has recently received a further £298K to take the work forward into 2024-2025.

Open Gates aims to fund its green social prescribing work in one of three ways. 

First, Open Gates  provides outdoor activities to corporate clients for team building or leadership training purposes and uses income raised from this to finance free walks for community groups and charities. For example in September 2024 Open Gates successfully delivered a three day residential for new apprentices at Gripple UK & Ireland in Sheffield and funds raised from this will enable Open Gates to provide a walk to a community group in Sheffield. In November 2023 Open Gates provided coaching to an NHS health trust in the south of England and income from this was used to provide walks for free to Roundabout, a youth homeless hostel in Sheffield, and Archer Project, an adult homeless charity.

Apprentices from Gripple UK & Ireland 

enjoying topping out at Lose Hill during

 their residential delivered by Open Gates Outdoors.

Second, it Open Gates collaborates with community groups and charities to submit bids for funding to provide green social prescribing activities through Open Gates Outdoors. In May 2024 Open Gates worked with Darnall Well Being in Sheffield to put together its successful bid to South Yorkshire Community Foundation for a grant covering the costs of 8 day walks in the Peak District. At the time of writing Open Gates has delivered four of these walks to great success with participants being very clear about the impact on their wellbeing. Darnall Well Being said of the walks provided for its community by Open Gates "We hear nothing but good things about Open Gates from our participants, and the way it leads our further afield walks has been really well received". 

Some of the Darnall 

green social prescribers on Totley Moor

Third, Open Gates Outdoors itself applies for funding to deliver activities to community groups and charities in Sheffield. This year Open Gates was successful in an application to Zest Community Centre in Upperthorpe Sheffield and this month will lead a walk in the Peak District for its women's only Muslim walking group. 

Open Gates Outdoors is in a unique position to be able to provide social prescribing activities to community groups and charities as well as outdoor activities to corporate clients due to George and its freelancers being qualified mountain leaders and hill and moorland leaders, but also George being a qualified life coach which means conversations in the outdoors are always positive and solution focused which enhances the wellbeing impact for those who participate. Open Gates also has several freelancers that are qualified to provide supporting activities such as forest school and outdoor strategy games which are fun but also improve team and leadership skills in corporate groups. 

Why not contact Open Gates Outdoors if your corporate teams or community groups would benefit from fun and purposeful activities outdoors or if you as an individual would like support and guidance in enjoying the outdoors.