Tell us how nature makes you feel

admin
, 18 August 2026
Tell us how nature makes you feel
Canopy © Katie Riley

by Charlotte Owen

Conservation Manager

Nature has huge health benefits for everyone.

Being close to nature helps us feel calmer and think more clearly. It inspires and motivates people.

Having nature close by can strengthen your immune system and speed up recovery. It can help to prevent a whole range of illnesses, from chronic stress to depression, heart disease to obesity. 

Health programmes that focus on nature even save the NHS money.

There’s a huge body of evidence that demonstrates all of this, and we’ve collected some of it here.

But not everyone has easy access to green spaces close to home, and despite the evidence, nature is still considered ‘nice to have’ rather than necessary for all.

We want to fix this.

The government promised a plan but it’s long overdue, and we’ve had enough of waiting. So we’re writing one for them, and we want your views to help shape it.

Please tell us: 

  • how has nature helped your health and wellbeing? 
  • how does nature make your life better?

We’re collecting real experiences to make sure national and local policies that impact people’s health and access to nature have been shaped by real people. 

    We want to make sure the government understands that nature underpins our health and wellbeing, and secure better access to nature for everyone. Your feedback will also help us influence Sussex MPs and decision-makers. They care about what their constituents and local communities are saying. 

    We’ve got the evidence that nature matters, but local voices are often stronger.

    This is especially important here in Sussex as the devolution process unfolds and big decisions are made about how money will be spent in future and where local priorities lie. This is our opportunity to make sure nature is woven through every department of the new local government structure and is a priority for the new mayor - because it is a priority for local communities. Nature shouldn’t be a destination; it should be part of everyday life.

    Please share your voice and add your story to our map.

    Share your view on how nature helps you

    You can read what others have said too.

    Contributions made by 31 August 2026 will help us shape the national plan, but contributions after then will also be added to the map and could help influence conversations in Sussex.  

    Leave a comment

    Comments

    • MISS RUTH HONEYWOOD:

      I feel calm amongst nature.

      19 Aug 2026 10:56:00

    • Julie Cardwell-Pearce:

      Nature lifts my heavy heart and takes me away from all the darkness and oppression which surrounds us in this world today. The sight of a bird in my garden or a passing butterfly helps to lift my spirits.

      19 Aug 2026 11:01:00

    • Dominic Moore:

      Conservation of the natural world is vital – it is the only home we have. Wildlife and nature have been proved to be beneficial psychologically, increasing a general sense of well-being. If only for the narrow selfish reasons of our own species this makes a case for its preservation. On a wider moral scale we should do all we can to preserve the other species we share this planet with. We are all interdependent.

      19 Aug 2026 11:08:00

    • Ed edwards:

      Nature is so soothing and relaxing

      19 Aug 2026 11:47:00

    • Liz Yeats:

      I have alwayss valued nature and physical activity. As a farmers daughter this started by heaving heavy hay bales and sacks onto trailers , walking severeal miles most days to bus stops, and shops. Walking has continued to be my main transport along with cycling, for everything. Love of nature and the countryside has been essential to surviving living in a city ( which is the only possible way to live and work without a car). Since developing Parkiinsons 2 yrs ago at 70, I can no longer walk miles, nor can I cycle. My access to any countryside and nature is imited to my allotment, and very un- natured local parks. This is affecting my health and wellbeing negatively, and severely. Gyms may replace lost exercise, but this is not anywhere as good as actually being in nature.

      19 Aug 2026 11:53:00

    • Tonia bettridge:

      We all need nature in our lives,I work where there is nature all around wild animals green spaces,270 acres and I see it when I go to work but I see it at night time,when all the creatures all come out as I work as night worker,by day I hear owls foxes and other animals too.we cannot live without trees,plants or shrubs they are here to stay and we are here to protect them.

      19 Aug 2026 11:54:00

    • Linda Phillips:

      Just walking amongst the trees and fields, being outside, soothes the soul and lifts my spirits

      19 Aug 2026 15:52:00

    • Nicholas Taylor:

      I have the good fortune to live a bus or two away from country on the south-east coast of England. Two things that give me pleasure are walking up steep places and seeing wildlife doing its thing. Today I saw two wasps hunting in a local park, giving me hope that we haven’t yet lost all our insect life and pollinators … but I no reason to be optimistic as I sense that most people, even if they could care, are ignorant of the state of our nature.

      19 Aug 2026 18:56:00

    • Linnette King:

      I appreciate the wonders of nature and how beneficial it is for human beings well-being, however, what is important is that without protecting and managing ‘nature’ appropriately our planet will not survive. Managing nature is important for wildlife in its broadest sense. If we don’t take care of our nature we will continue to lose it and thereby we lose more of the planet to a slow death.

      20 Aug 2026 10:48:00

    • Martin Ross:

      Relaxation, breathing in gulps of clean fresh air—and the open skies.

      20 Aug 2026 13:53:00

    • J C Grieve:

      Walking in a wood, breathing deeply fresh air on the top of a down, exploring a rock pool or simply drinking in the beauty of a bug or flower or expansive view.
      All makes me grateful for where I live and the health to enjoy. Nature in all her guises makes me happy.

      20 Aug 2026 15:58:00

    • Lynne Ismail:

      I feel much calmer when I’m in nature.

      20 Aug 2026 23:53:00

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