It’s Official: Nature is Good for You
On a crisp Saturday morning in Frome, a group of nature lovers, community members, and curious minds gathered for the Riverside Walk & Talk. Part of the Kindness Festival, this guided journey along the river wasn’t just about admiring the scenery, it was about putting science to the test. Could simply spending time outdoors measurably improve our health?
Dr. Georgie Kirby from Frome Medical Practice thought so, and she had the research to prove it.
“Just walking in nature can lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and even help you heal faster,”
she explained as the group set off from Welshmill Lane Playground. The idea that nature is good for you isn’t new, but today, we were going to experience it firsthand. Six volunteers had their blood pressure taken at the start of the walk, then again at the end. The results? Five out of six showed a drop. It’s official—nature really does make a difference.
But the benefits didn’t stop at physical health. As we meandered along the riverbank, laughter and conversation flowed as freely as the water beside us.
“Nature makes us more open, more likely to connect with others,”
Dr. Georgie added. And she was right. Strangers became friends, stories were shared, and a sense of community deepened with every step.
Dreaming Up Adventures on Two Wheels
Further along, Emma from Cycle Together invited us to close our eyes and picture the perfect bike ride. What would we see? What sounds would fill the air? This playful exercise wasn’t just about imagination—it was the first step in creating Bicycle Bingo, a new game designed to make every bike ride an adventure. Soon to be available via Green and Healthy Frome, it’s a simple way to encourage more people to get out, explore, and connect with their surroundings. Emma is passionate about making cycling accessible to her community, understanding the health benefits of both exercising and connecting with nature. Emma said,
“Cycling is an easy way to improve your health and is accessible to most people, especially with our free e-bike scheme. It can help lower your carbon footprint and is much cheaper than driving. That’s a win-win-win in my opinion.”
A Deeper Connection with the River
While pausing at the water’s edge, Gem from Frome Families for the Future introduced us to the hidden world beneath the surface. She noted that blue spaces (areas next to oceans, rivers, or lakes) offer numerous health benefits, including stress reduction, improved mood, enhanced cognitive function, and increased creativity, all contributing to better mental and physical health.
Gem jumped right into telling us about The River Frome’s and how it is teeming with life, from darting fish to the elusive otters and beavers making a quiet comeback. But this ecosystem is fragile, and keeping our waterways clean isn’t just the job of big corporations. “Small changes at home—what we flush, what we use, what we pour down the drain – can have a huge impact,” Gem explained. “Luckily we can make simple, easy changes at home, like choosing plastic-free period products, using natural products rather than chemicals and refilling our products. We all have a role to play in keeping our rivers clean.”
A Warming Cup and a Powerful Message
As we reached the Roundhouse, a steaming cup of thyme tea awaited us, brewed on the spot by Kerry from the Frome Seed Library. With hands wrapped around warm mugs, we listened as she shared a startling fact: four corporations control around 60% of the world’s seeds, shaping the global food system in ways most of us had never considered.
It brought home the dangers of monoculture in modern industrial agriculture,
“having a diverse range of seeds is crucial,” Kerry explained, “not just for nature’s resilience, but for our own cultural heritage. That’s why I founded the free Frome Seed Library, to keep these essential traditions alive and thriving for future generations”
It was a stark reminder of how something as small as a seed carries big implications for biodiversity, food security, and the future of our planet.
More Than Just a Walk
By the time we parted ways, the impact of the morning was clear. Yes, our blood pressure was lower, but something else had shifted too: how we are intrinsically connected with nature on a profound level, our very health depends on it. It was a reminder that we can all be custodians of the natural world, and that in turn, nurtures us.
And if you needed proof that nature is good for you? Well, the numbers don’t lie.