Our parks and open spaces have played a critical role in people’s lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, during the first national lockdown, a survey conducted by Natural Cambridgeshire found that 51% of people living in Cambridgeshire visited their local parks or open access spaces more often than before. A year on, and we are still seeing the same trends on a national scale. The latest research from the Natural England People and Nature Survey reveals that since the COVID-19 restrictions began nationally:

• 37% of people said they spend more time outside than before the pandemic
• 32% of people said they spend more time exercising outdoors
• 26% of people said they spend more time noticing nature and wildlife
• 18% of people said they spend more time connecting with family and friends outdoors

COVID-19 has highlighted just now important our parks and open space are. Not just as places to visit and enjoy but also to our general physical and mental health. As part of the project co-design phase, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Future Parks are working with engagement experts Futurebright Solutions to understand the needs and opportunities for collaborative working around health and wellbeing, COVID-19, and health inequalities and how this work can be taken forward as part of a green recovery response.