What does green health mean to you?
- sarahburgess5
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Green Health Week 2026 starts this Monday 18th May, and Public Health Scotland and their Green Health Learning Network have been encouraging us to think about green health in action - what it means to us and what it looks like in practice, showcasing the many different ways that we can help bring the health and wellbeing benefits of nature to everyone.
For my GHW blog, I'm going to focus on a small but powerful project at Rutherglen Health Centre. Nearly two years ago I attended a Health & Social Care Partnership networking event at Stonelaw Church in Rutherglen. On my mind was a text I'd received from a new friend accompanying a picture of their doctor's waiting room. The message said "Why do our doctors have pictures of fields?" One wall of the surgery waiting room was entirely given over to a photographic mural of trees and fields, a total contrast to the rest of the scene which was, as expected, clinical and beige with harsh overhead lighting. I imagined sitting in the waiting room looking out at this "window" of nature, as opposed to being surrounded by yellowing posters. It made the place look cared for, as though the care for their patients extended beyond the treatment rooms, an acknowledgement that your surroundings make a difference to how you're feeling.
So when I got talking to a psychologist from the Eastvale Resource Centre about how to make their waiting area more relaxing for patients, I couldn't help but suggest transforming the space with a photographic mural. These events are great for blue sky thinking, but the ideas generated don't always come to fruition. So I was thrilled when, over the next few months, as we emailed back and forth, visited Grow73, a community garden in Overtoun Park, a mere stone's throw from the health centre, a plan started to take shape. The team successfully applied for a small pot of funding to spend on the waiting room improvements, and my colleague Nick came out to Grow73 on a beautiful Spring day to take some photographs.
The staff chose their favourite pictures and their top three were voted on by patients visiting the centre; the winning picture amply demonstrates the glory of the Grow73 space, surrounded by big mature trees, the gardens a riot of colour and the polytunnel where a lot of the magic happens. Finally after many emails about file sizes and wall sizes and navigating the many NHS protocols to get work done, the day arrived for the mural to be installed. Fittingly this happened on the Spring Equinox, universally celebrated as a time for a fresh start and a new beginning. I think we all held our breath. However, there was no need to panic, as soon as the photographic evidence arrived in my inbox, I knew it was a success! The space has been transformed. I've subsequently seen it in real life and it makes me want to turn any beige wall into a natural haven, and consider how much nicer some municipal spaces could be if they were given this treatment.
We often hear about the benefits associated with being outside in nature, from the antimicrobial effects of chemicals released by trees to the antidepressant properties of soil microbes, as well as the fact that people who spend more time outside are more likely to be physically active. Dog owners are more likely to meet physical activity guidelines than those without a dog - unless you're the sort of person who goes for a walk just for the opportunity to meet other people's dogs! We don't hear so much about how you can connect with nature without going outside, however a lot of the research started with a landmark article published in 1984 and the effect of a view of a natural scene through a window is now among the most studied means of exposure to nature. The now famous Ulrich study compared patients who had undergone surgery, half of whom stayed in a room with a view of deciduous trees, while the other half stayed in a room with a view of a brick wall and it found that those exposed to a view of trees required less pain relief and had a reduced length of stay in hospital. Forty years later and it feels like this is still a bit of a controversial idea.
If you'd like to find out more about the project then check out their video; but that's not all that is going on at Rutherglen Health Centre. Grow73 have been successful in sourcing some funding to work with NHSL to improve biodiversity around the centre. They'll be installing some seating for both staff and patients to enjoy nature, increasing the tree canopy cover and putting in some raised beds for food growing. If you'd like to join them they're holding volunteering sessions every Friday from 2.00pm-4.00pm and you can find out more on their facebook page.
There's plenty going on during Green Health Week that you can get involved in. Start your Sunday with some nature connection in Cumbernauld! Join Cumbernauld Living Landscape for a gentle guided early morning walk through Forest Wood Wildlife reserve. It's the best time of day to hear the birds singing and spot wildlife, if you're lucky, you might spot some of the reserve's more elusive residents like green woodpeckers or pine martens! Find out more and book here.
Monday is World Therapeutic Horticulture Day; the Lanarkshire Green Health Partnership are honoured to support Clydesdale Community Initiatives therapeutic gardening sessions across many of the NHSL sites. Find out more here.
South Lanarkshire Countryside Rangers are looking for volunteers to join them for some conservation sessions this week. There are groups going out on both Tuesday and Thursday this week or be a Lunchtime Hero at Fernbrae Meadows on Wednesday.
We're holding a knowledge exchange event in Palacerigg Country Park on Tuesday for anyone who is involved in social prescribing in the Cumbernauld and Northern Corridor localities. We'd like to find out how green and creative social prescribing is working for you, and how we can improve it. Find out more and sign up here.
Finally, why not round off the week in Kilsyth's Musical Forest? Join Anam Alba at Colzium for live music, an open air ceilidh, forest art and walks as well as BookBug and Come & Play sessions, there really is something for everyone. They'll also be launching their forest choir! Keep an eye on their facebook page for more information.
Most of all, this Green Health Week, we encourage you to think about how you might bring a touch of nature into your home or workplace, as well as trying to make some time for a walking meeting with a colleague, or just taking your morning cup of coffee outside. We'll leave you with our 2026 Green Health Week message.
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