A dose of nature - new partnership to inspire healthier, more active living through North Yorkshire’s landscapes

The Natural Health Service for North Yorkshire is a regional green social prescribing programme. Through nature-based activities in Protected Landscapes, the programme is designed to enhance physical and mental health, reduce social isolation, increase social and economic activity, and create healthier, more active communities across the region. 

The programme received £100,000 from York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It forms part of Mayor David Skaith’s Moving Forward campaign, a £7million investment to create healthy and thriving communities. The programme will be delivered by a partnership, led by the North York Moors Trust. It will bring together the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Park Authorities, and the Howardian Hills and Nidderdale National Landscapes, the region’s family of Protected Landscapes. 

Participants in the programme will take part in sensory and practical activities, from foraging and art to habitat management. The activities will be delivered in a phased approach that gently builds confidence, skills, and deeper connections with nature and others. 

A team of researchers from York Business School and the Institute for Health and Care Improvement at York St John University are partnering with the North York Moors Trust and North Yorkshire’s Protected Landscapes group to evaluate the effectiveness and future direction of the programme.  

Led by Dr Tom Ratcliffe, Lecturer in Sustainability, Tourism and Heritage Management at York Business School, the evaluation will research the impact and sustainability of the 10-week intervention programme on participants and the training sessions delivered to health professionals, and those who work across care, social, skills and employment, probation and voluntary sector. The research project is part of a wider research theme at York Business School which focuses on Protected Landscapes including National Parks. 

Commenting on the significance of the programme, Dr Tom Ratcliffe said:

“The programme has the potential to make a huge difference to people’s lives across North Yorkshire. It raises awareness about the importance of spending time in nature and the health and wellbeing implications of engaging with our Protected Landscapes. Our evaluation will seek to understand the evidence behind this.” 

The 10-week nature sessions will be delivered in towns, villages, and communities both within the Protected Landscapes and across the wider region, with a particular focus on coastal communities, sparsely populated areas in deeply rural pockets and communities on the urban-Protected Landscapes fringe. This phase of the work is aimed at working age adults who are not in employment or who have, or are, accessing support services. It is designed to enhance health and wellbeing, build connection and increase social and economic activity of participants referred into the service. 

Those taking part will create personalised ‘Nature Plans’, which are a simple set of achievable steps to keep engaging with nature and to connect with other community activities that sustain the benefits of being active outdoors. 

The programme will engage professionals across the health, social care, and community sectors, including GPs, link workers, social prescribers, job advisers, and probation services, to help them understand the benefits of nature connection and how it can be used as a health asset to support treatment, recovery, and the prevention of health and social challenges within their services. A standardised referral pathway will be developed to streamline access to nature-based interventions. 

James Metcalfe, Executive Director of the North York Moors Trust, said: 

“The Natural Health Service for North Yorkshire is an exciting programme that will help people live healthier, more active, and connected lives. With half of our region made up of Protected Landscapes, we are uniquely placed to realise the health benefits that nature and these special places can provide – and hopefully will serve as a greenprint nationally for how nature can be utilised as an asset to improve health and life outcomes.” 

Heather McNiff, Head of Engagement and Wellbeing at the North York Moors National Park Authority, added: 

“We’re proud to be working as part of the Protected Landscapes family to deliver this inspiring programme. The Natural Health Service recognises that our landscapes aren’t just places of great beauty, they are powerful spaces for connection, physical health and wellbeing.” 

Running until April 2026, the partnership aims to lay the groundwork to make the Natural Health Service for North Yorkshire a viable, long-term service.