A new report from The Wildlife Trusts published today warns that too many people across Britain still lack easy access to nature, despite the growing evidence of the benefits that spending time in natural spaces can bring for our health and wellbeing. The Wildlife Trusts is calling for access to nearby, healthy natural spaces to become a priority.

Here in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, local residents have been sharing what nature means to them – and their experiences show why making sure everyone can access green and blue spaces matters.

Following the heat emergency of the summer, when inner city temperatures soared to over 38 C, the paper – Unlocking nature for all: How to increase access to nature for a fairer, healthier country – suggests that to reduce the impacts of climate extremes and improve physical health and well-being outcomes, peoples’ access to nature must improve. 

Having been promised a government-led green paper to tackle this issue since autumn 2025, The Wildlife Trusts have now set out their own proposals and innovative solutions to improve access to green and blue spaces, which they encourage ministers to consider.

One resident described nature as something they actively seek out every day:

For another resident, a garden has become an important place of refuge and connection with wildlife. Watching butterflies, sparrows, swifts, bats, hedgehogs and owls provides a chance to relax after work, while creating a space for wildlife has brought its own sense of purpose and comfort.

For people living with long-term health conditions, access to nature can be particularly meaningful. One Shropshire resident described how, after becoming ill with ME and having to retire from teaching, a partnership between Shropshire Wildlife Trust and a local health foundation helped transform their garden into a space designed for both people and wildlife.

Twenty-five years later, the garden continues to provide a place to watch wildlife and spend time outdoors when their health allows.

Another resident spoke about the simple but powerful effect of spending time outdoors when life feels difficult:

And in South Shropshire, one resident described cycling into the wooded hills when they are feeling low:

Nature is for everyone

These experiences reflect a wider body of evidence showing the links between access to green space, nature connectedness, physical activity and wellbeing. Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Energize Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin have previously worked together on a Green Social Prescribing project, creating guides to nine local green spaces and routes to help people find accessible opportunities to spend time outdoors. The project was specifically designed to help people use local nature to support their physical and mental health.

But being surrounded by a beautiful county does not automatically mean everyone has equal access to nature.

Physical accessibility, transport, information, confidence, time and whether people feel that a space is genuinely welcoming can all affect whether someone is able to benefit from the natural world. Shropshire Wildlife Trust's Accessible Reserves programme recognises this, with work underway to make more of its nature reserves accessible to people with different mobility needs and to address some of the other barriers communities experience.

Our nature reserves, parks, rivers, woods, gardens and green spaces can all play a role. Sometimes connecting with nature means a long walk across the Shropshire Hills. Sometimes it means sitting on a bench, watching birds from a garden, listening to trees in a local wood or spotting a hedgehog on the way home.

A healthier future for people and wildlife

Making sure people can access nature isn't only about individual wellbeing. Natural spaces can also help communities respond to challenges such as extreme heat, while providing places for people to exercise, socialise and connect with their surroundings. The Wildlife Trusts is calling for nature to be treated as essential infrastructure, with access to green and blue spaces considered as part of planning and development.

In Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, the Local Nature Recovery Strategy also recognises the connection between nature recovery and people's wellbeing, with improving access to green spaces identified as one of its aims.

Ultimately, restoring nature and helping people connect with it go hand in hand.

Because a thriving natural world isn't something that exists separately from our health and communities. The trees we walk beneath, the rivers we sit beside, the wildflowers in our parks and the wildlife in our gardens are all part of the places we call home.

And, as the experiences of local residents show, sometimes having nature nearby can make a very real difference.

Everyone should have the opportunity to experience that.

Read the full paper

Access the screen-reader friendly version of the paper

Access the Easy Read version of the paper