The Garden Gym

One of the UK’s top doctors believes that there is a clear link between urban green space and benefits to human wellbeing.

Royal College of Physicians president Sir Richard Thompson says that plants help reduce stress, anger and depression. With the fourth biggest cause of death in the UK being lack of activity, Sir Richard supports the idea that urban green spaces can help improve health and well being, whilst reducing pressure on healthcare services.

Sir Richard, a patron of the charity Thrive – which champions the benefits of gardening for people with disabilities or mental ill health – points to a significant body of scientific evidence which document the health benefits of gardening;

“It improves your mood, increases flexibility, improves your balance and reduces the number of falls, which is a great problem for older people living at home by themselves.”