A Croydon-based well-being initiative seeks to take the principles of Japanese ‘forest bathing’ and put them to good use in our suburban open spaces. JOHNNY DOBBYN goes mild in the country
Safety first: ParkBathe offers a range of options for its walks, including women-only sessions
During the lockdowns, one indicator of who the haves and have-nots are was people’s access to green space. So while Boris and his chancers were lounging around drinking wine in Downing Street gardens, the rest of us were getting fined thousands of pounds for having a coffee on a woodland bench or being evicted from parks by the police.
The way people were desperate to get to parks, beaches and the countryside during the lockdowns revealed a deep need to be outside, engage with nature and escape the confines of our own four walls.
Importantly, this access to nature or, at least, a patch of green is not just a “nice to have”, it’s a “must have” according to experts in mental health and well-being.
The Harvard Health Blog published a piece on the practice of “forest therapy”, with research showing that it reduces stress, improves attention, boosts immunity and lifts mood. Stress raises levels of the hormone cortisol and long-term elevations of cortisol play a role in high blood pressure and heart disease.
In tests, for instance, cortisol levels decrease in forest walkers, compared to people in lab settings.
Research on 20,000 adults in Britain published by Nature’s Scientific Reports arm in June 2019 revealed that a mere 120 minutes exposure to nature, any nature, each week improved health and well-being. That 120 minutes could be just 20 minutes a day.
It works for hospital patients, too. Surgical convalescents in a bed with an outdoor view recover quicker that those looking out on to brick, while needing less powerful pain relief.
This is where ParkBathe comes in.
Healthy pursuit: getting out into nature for two hours a week is shown to improve mental and physical health
Founded by Vanessa Potter in 2021, Croydon ParkBathe seeks to get small groups of people out into green spaces to slow down for an hour and enjoy silence (as far as is possible in a suburban park) and visual, olfactory and tactile experiences that reduce anxiety by about 40% (after multiple walks) and intrusive “mind chatter” by around 50%.
Obviously, walking in a park or woodland is something we could all do individually, but joining a small ParkBathe group provides company; a consistent, replicable, guided structure, and – very importantly – safety. Many people, especially women, don’t feel able to access green spaces by themselves and are reassured by the presence of others and that there is always someone behind who, says Potter, “has got their back”.
So important is this that ParkBathe – mostly open to all – runs women-only walks particularly aimed at those suffering, or previously victims of, domestic abuse. “It’s not meant to be a specialist trauma service,” Potter says, “but more a ‘light touch’ response to domestic abuse where women can – and do – self-refer to help reduce their fear and anxiety.
“It helps women who would never go to green spaces otherwise.”
There are also special sessions involving dogs, as contact with animals itself is recognised as something that relieves stress; an effect that is compounded when combined with the benefits of ParkBathe. These sessions are particularly popular, with people again self-referring to participate.
ParkBathe takes place across eight parks in Croydon and Bromley, and is supported by eight walk leaders and 20 ambassadors. The walks are usually limited to around 10 people. They are conducted most weeks, with the women-only one being held on the last Sunday of the month.
Another special venue is the MHA Wilderness garden at the MHA Hall Grange care home in Shirley.
The Wilderness brings the benefits of engaging with nature in a safe, enclosed space. The Wilderness offers therapeutic space for those who are low mobility and living with dementia; and ParkBathe seeks to replicate its walks approach there fortnightly on Monday mornings.
The correlation between outdoor space, nature and mental health and wellbeing is undeniable. All of us should consider embracing the provision of something so simple – so natural – as greenery for the soul, and ParkBathe fulfils this need handsomely.
To join a ParkBathe walk, keep an eye on its calendar on Eventbrite. All walks are free.
To support the project’s costs, donations can be made via GoFundMe.
ParkBathe work experience: ParkBathe is looking for an A-Level student to do work experience for six or 12 months. Tasks needing assistance include newsletters, public relations and data management. Six months participation would qualify for the volunteering element of the silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, while 12 months would do the same for the Gold Award.
Volunteers can email Vanessa Potter for information at ParkBathe@gmail.com
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