National warning over indoor lifestyle as Leeds parks act as 'Natural Health Service'

​A stark national warning has highlighted how far modern British life has moved indoors - with almost half of UK adults now spending fewer than three hours a week in nature.

​A Wildlife Trusts survey revealed that 48 per cent of adults spend under three hours outdoors every seven days, while one in ten spends less than an hour in green spaces each week.

​The retreat from nature is raising urgent questions about public health across West Yorkshire.

However, local leaders say Leeds holds a unique asset in reversing the trend: a 526-acre network of public green spaces stewarded by one of the city's oldest charitable trusts.

​Wade’s Charity - founded in 1530 - owns major public sites across the city, including Middleton Park, Beckett Park, Gott’s Park, Gledhow Valley Woods, and Kirkstall Abbey Park, as well as community playing fields stretching from Armley and Hunslet to Osmondthorpe and Burmantofts.

​Why local access matters

​Health experts argue that accessible local parks function as a free, doctorless ‘Natural Health Service’ right on residents' doorsteps.

​Research published in Scientific Reports shows that spending just 120 minutes a week in nature significantly improves physical health and reported mental wellbeing.

Separate evaluations into "green social prescribing" projects found that regular outdoor activity produced marked drops in anxiety alongside sustained increases in happiness.

​However, data from Natural England demonstrates that proximity is the single biggest factor in whether people get outside.

​Among adults whose nearest green space is within a five-minute walk, 76 per cent visited nature in the previous fortnight.

Once that journey exceeds 15 minutes, attendance drops dramatically—hitting low-income families and urban households without private gardens the hardest.

​Protecting childhood outdoor play

​The national survey also exposed a troubling generational divide.

While older adults frequently recalled outdoor play as a defining pleasure of childhood, today's children face increasing barriers from screens, traffic, and reduced independent mobility.

​By keeping 213 hectares of land freely accessible across Leeds' urban neighbourhoods, Wade’s Charity aims to ensure the next generation builds lifelong healthy habits.

​"A park does not replace a doctor, medication, or therapy, but it can be part of the fabric that helps people stay well," a spokesperson for Wade's Charity stated.

"Our role is to help keep this everyday health service available not only to people using it now, but to the children who will become tomorrow's adults."