"We need reminders of how to connect with nature." Wellbeing initiative launched in West Midlands
RSPB Nature Prescriptions encourage people to engage with their surroundings
Last updated 30th May 2025
A new initiative using nature to support physical and mental wellbeing has been launched in the West Midlands.
The new project, set up the RSPB charity, provides training and resources for healthcare professionals across the West Midlands Combined Authority to launch ‘RSPB Nature Prescriptions’, which encourage people to connect with the natural world to boost their wellbeing.
The prescriptions involve a guided conversation with a healthcare professional and suggestions to help people explore ways of connecting to nature that are personal and meaningful to them.
The RSPB says it also hopes the project, which uses funding from the People's Postcode Lottery, will help people develop a lasting appreciation for nature and a desire to protect it.
According to the charity, evidence shows spending time in nature can reduce stress and help with conditions like anxiety and depression and give physical benefits such as reducing blood pressure and boosting our immune system.
Research has also shown that simply noticing nature – the changing colours of leaves in autumn or watching a sunset from a window - can help us to feel better.
The launch in the West Midlands follows projects that have been rolled out in other parts of the UK since 2022.
More than 40 healthcare providers in the West Midlands have already received training and free booklets for the people they support, and the RSPB says it welcomes more professionals taking part, particularly those based in Sandwell, Walsall, and Birmingham.
Alexis Johnson, RSPB Nature and Wellbeing Officer, said:
“I’ve personally benefited from connecting to nature during challenging moments of my own life, and I am eager to share its potential with so many others. We are thrilled to be working with passionate healthcare professionals with all of them providing person-centred care in our local communities.
“Nature is all around us and we’re a part of it; listening to birdsong or feeling a cooling breeze on a warm day can truly lift our spirits.”
Anne Glover, Recovery Improvement Lead at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said:
"I am really excited to be working with Experts by Experience to facilitate a Recovery College group session based on RSPB Nature Prescriptions. We completed our training session in April, and it was lovely to see how passionate and inspired everyone is. We have developed a fun, interactive session based on the RSPB resources to create an exciting session.
"We've already fully booked out the places for this August session, so it's clear to see there's appetite."