Promoting wellbeing and community cohesion through nature connection
Our aims and activities
Reading Green Wellbeing Network brings together charities and other organisations across the Greater Reading Area that promote personal wellbeing and community cohesion through engagement with nature. Founded in 2019 by a group of like-minded people, we have grown to include 15 member organisations and a team of volunteers.
Our advocacy for nature connection
Our activities include:
advocacy to local government and mental health charities for nature engagement and the work of our members
promoting communication and collaboration between our members
outreach to the general public
education about the benefits of nature-based activities for mental and physical health, and the environment
engagement with local businesses to encourage support and involvement in our work.
Our Mission
Nature engagement can help people recover from or learn to live with life-changing illnesses, help support long-term carers and nurture resilience among individuals and communities. Encouraging children to enjoy being in nature will foster care for our environment in the face of climate crisis.
Reading Green Wellbeing Network unites organisations across the Greater Reading Area that foster nature engagement to improve wellbeing in our communities – alleviating social isolation, reducing mental illness and improving physical wellbeing.
Through building relationships with professionals in the health, social care, education and voluntary sectors, Reading Green Wellbeing Network seeks to promote green social prescribing, social inclusion and sustainability in nature-based activities and projects. By bringing together the organisations of the Greater Reading Area that offer nature-connection activities, Reading Green Wellbeing Network nurtures collaboration and sharing of guidance, expertise, resources and volunteers.
Through our strategic collaborations, Reading Green Wellbeing Network and its members are making the Greater Reading Area greener, healthier, and more connected — achieving together what would be impossible to do alone.
Our vision
Our vision is for everyone in the Greater Reading Area to have access to life-changing green wellbeing activities. We want to see Reading recognised as a leader in providing nature-based initiatives to support mental and physical health, and in building resilience and social cohesion among communities. We want to create a future where:
children, families and adults of all ages regard nature an important part of their everyday life,
GPs prescribe nature to their patients,
local government, businesses and charities invest in green spaces and nature-based activities as being an essential part of the local community, and
everyone experiences the mental and physical wellbeing that comes from having meaningful engagement with the natural world.
