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Green Gyms: Volunteering Outdoors for Wellbeing, and What a 2022 Study and the NHS Say

Posted on by Just Relax Store

For people who find the idea of exercise for its own sake dull, a Green Gym offers a different route: outdoor volunteering that involves planting, path repairs and habitat work in a group. The NHS mentions green gyms in its advice on being active for mental wellbeing, and a peer-reviewed study of The Conservation Volunteers’ (TCV) programme examined what happened to attendees’ wellbeing. This guide sets out what a session involves and what the evidence does and does not show. It is general wellbeing information, not a treatment, and anyone with a health condition should check with a GP before starting new activity.

What the NHS says

The NHS Every Mind Matters page on being active suggests getting outdoors and trying a green gym, particularly for those without outside space of their own. It describes green gyms as free outdoor volunteering sessions that offer a chance to move more, learn gardening skills and meet people, and says they are available across the UK. The same page says being out in nature can boost mental wellbeing. It also advises that anyone with a health condition or who takes medicines should make sure the activity is right for them and check with a GP if in doubt (NHS Every Mind Matters, “Be active for your mental health”). Our guide to the NHS’s six ways to be active covers the wider page.

What a session involves

The 2022 paper on TCV’s Green Gym, published in the journal Healthcare, describes the programme in detail. Attendees complete practical activities such as planting trees, managing wildflowers, community growing or path improvements, together with nature connection activities such as learning about species or habitats. Sessions take place in urban natural spaces and woodlands, usually weekly and during the daytime. Attendance is flexible: people are not committed to attend consecutively, for a set number of sessions or for a set period. Typically between 6 and 20 people attend any one session, which lasts three to four hours and is led by a trained Green Gym Project Officer or Volunteer Co-ordinator, starting with a warm-up and ending with a cool-down. At the time of the study, the paper says the programme had over 60 Green Gyms across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and it is based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing: connecting with people and nature, being physically active, learning new skills, giving to others and being mindful (Smyth et al., Healthcare, 2022).

What the study measured

The researchers, from the University of Westminster and the University of Essex working with TCV and an NHS integrated care system, asked attendees to complete a survey before and after taking part. Before attending, 892 attendees completed questions on their demographics, health characteristics and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Short-Form Scale. Of these, 253 (28.4%) provided a follow-up measure on average 4.5 months later.

The paper reports significant increases in wellbeing after engaging in Green Gym, with the greatest increases among those who started with the lowest wellbeing scores. Among those who gave further follow-up measures, the increases were sustained on average 8.5 months later (92 people) and 13 months later (40 people). The authors conclude that the findings suggest Green Gym can facilitate wellbeing improvements, and that they provide evidence of the wellbeing benefits of community nature-based activities and social (“green”) prescribing initiatives.

How far the evidence goes

The design has limits that affect how the results should be read. Fewer than three in ten of the original 892 provided a first follow-up measure, so the results describe those who did. The paper also reports that attendees who kept attending but did not provide follow-up data (318 people, 35.7%) tended to be more deprived, female and to report a health condition, while those who stopped attending (321 people, 36.0%) tended to be less deprived and younger. The authors point to a need for more research in diverse samples, and note that earlier studies of nature-based programmes have shown mixed results. In short, the study shows wellbeing scores rose among those who stayed and responded, but it cannot show that Green Gym caused the rise for everyone or that it works better than other group activities.

Is it for you?

  • It suits people who prefer activity with a purpose over a workout, and who enjoy outdoor work with a group.
  • Flexible attendance means there is no obligation to commit to a fixed number of sessions, according to the paper.
  • Sessions involve practical tasks in weather that varies, so suitable clothing and the organiser’s guidance on what to bring are worth checking first.
  • Those with a health condition or medicines should follow the NHS’s advice to check with a GP first if in doubt.

For other ways to spend time outdoors, see our guides to nature and mental health and gardening for relaxation.

Questions readers often ask

Does it cost anything?

The NHS describes green gyms as free outdoor volunteering sessions.

Do I need experience?

The NHS says sessions offer a chance to learn gardening skills, and the paper describes sessions led by trained staff, so prior experience is not described as a requirement.

The bottom line

Green Gyms are free outdoor volunteering sessions, according to the NHS, that combine gentle activity, conservation work and company. A peer-reviewed study of 892 attendees at TCV Green Gyms reported significant wellbeing increases, largest for those who started lowest, which were sustained among those who responded to later follow-ups, though fewer than three in ten gave a first follow-up. It is encouraging evidence for a low-pressure way to be active, not proof that it works for everyone.

Sources

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