When George Thomas was eight he walked everywhere.
It was 1926 and his parents were unable to afford the fare for a tram, let alone the cost of a bike and he regularly walked six miles to his favourite fishing haunt without adult supervision.
[Edward, his grandson,] is driven the few minutes to school, is taken by car to a safe place to ride his bike and can roam no more than 300 yards from home. [Even if he wanted to, his friends simply aren’t allowed to.]
“Over four generations our family is poles apart in terms of affluence. But I’m not sure our lives are any richer.”
While he enjoys piano lessons, cubs, skiing lessons, regular holidays and the trampoline, slide and climbing frame in the garden,
his mother is concerned he may be missing out.
The report’s author, Dr William Bird, the health adviser to Natural England and the organiser of a conference on nature and health on Monday, believes children’s long-term mental health is at risk.
He has compiled evidence that people are healthier and better adjusted if they get out into the countryside, parks or gardens.
Stress levels fall within minutes of seeing green spaces, he says. Even filling a home with flowers and plants can
improve concentration and lower stress.
“If children haven’t had contact with nature, they never develop a relationship with natural environment and they are unable to
use it to cope with stress,” he said.
“Studies have shown that people deprived of contact with nature were at greater risk of depression and anxiety. Children are getting less and less unsupervised time in the natural environment.
“They need time playing in the countryside, in parks and in gardens where they can explore, dig up the ground and build dens.”
It also found evidence that hospital patients need fewer painkillers after surgery if they have views of nature from their bed.
