North York Moors Trust

NEW: A Natural Health Service for North Yorkshire. 🌿 A green social prescribing programme delivered by the protected landscapes across North Yorkshire - helping people to live healthier, more active and connected lives through nature. The programme is delivered by the North York Moors Trust, @northyorkmoors , @yorkshiredales , @howardianhillsnl , and @nidderdalenl . Backed by £100,000 funding from York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, this forms part of Mayor David Skaith’s Moving Forward campaign. A £7million investment to create healthy and thriving communities. The programme will offer: 💚 10-week structured and guided outdoor nature connection sessions, offering sensory and hands-on activities aimed at improving health and wellbeing, reducing social isolation, and supporting people to get and stay active. 
📚 Personalised “Nature Plans” or five steps to stay connected with nature and link to community activity that sustains the benefits of being active outdoors. 
🍂 Ongoing training and engagement for professionals across sectors, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to use nature as a health asset in treatment, recovery and prevention and the acute benefit of our special places in doing this. The programme has been shaped by successful regional pilots such as Nature Prescriptions and Growing Green and Blue Health, and is backed by strong evidence showing time in nature reduces stress and anxiety, improves mood, lowers blood pressure, promotes good gut health, and boosts confidence. It has also been shown to be a cost-effective way of reducing demand on the NHS and other services. Covering almost half the region, our nature-rich National Parks and Landscapes are uniquely placed to showcase the importance of these special places as health assets. ynymayor, @davidskaith , @nationalparksuk , @mhclg , @natlandassoc , @mhclg , @stevereedlabour , @alisonhumelabour , @lukemyer , @kevinhollinrakemp , @rachael_maskell , @rishisunakmp , @keirmathermp #Nature #NationalParks #NationalLandscapes #Health #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #Mindfulness

Through our Birds on the Edge project we are restoring vital wetland habitat and historic features. Working with communities, farmers and land managers we have been busy restoring 14 dew ponds since 2023 in the North York Moors and Howardian Hills. Dew ponds historically provided water for livestock in areas where water was scarce, but which also benefitted an array of wildlife. Today of these features are being lost, and with them standing water and important habitat for the wildlife that depend on them. We are proud to be restoring these wetland features to create havens for insects, pollinators, amphibians, and birds - including our target species the endangered Turtle Dove which like vegetation-free shallow entrances to drinking water. The ponds shown are in 1. Scakleton (funded through FiPL) 2. Newton-on-Radcliffe (funded by S106/private donor) 3. Appleton-le-Moors (funded by S106) — The Birds on the Edge projects works with communities to restore or create suitable habitat to support Turtle Dove, Yellowhammer, Redstart, Song Thrush and other wildlife, whilst also connecting people with nature through conservation, education and recreation. Project funded: @heritagefunduk Project partners: @northyorkmoors , @howardianhillsnl , @forestryengland @forestryenglanddalby , @northturtledove , @arcade_hello , @northyorksc , and @yorkshirewater

Great to catch up with @davidskaith on the Natural Health Service for North Yorkshire. David has been a big supporter of this work, and we’re really grateful to the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority for funding the pilot. We shared an overview of the findings from the final evaluation report with him - which will be publicly released soon. The impact of the pilot is really encouraging, with clear improvements in mental wellbeing, physical health and social connection through nature and showing how our National Parks and Landscapes can play a role in supporting people in our region who are facing health, social and economic challenges. Even more exciting is what this represents - an approach which North Yorkshire is leading the way on and showing what’s possible, with growing interest in how this could be scaled both here and replicated elsewhere nationally. Lots more to come. — The programme is delivered by the North York Moors Trust, @northyorkmoors , @yorkshiredales , @howardianhillsnl , and @nidderdalenl . It was funded by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and UK Government through UKSPF. The pilot was evaluated by @yorkstjohn .

Good news to end the week. From Monday our friends @rountoncoffeeroasters will be funding our Stepping Stones to Nature schools programme through to July 2026. Stepping Stones to Nature supports children to grow up well with nature - through weekly skills building activities designed to build confidence, support wellbeing, and aid development and learning. Not only is this a stepping stone to a great connection and understanding of nature and all the benefits that brings, but a greater connection to their local National Park, @northyorkmoors , through visits to utilise their newfound skills. This work shows how National Park’s can play a role right at the heart of supporting children with many of the challenges we see today - from a lack of school readiness or concentration, to support wellbeing, learning and crucially development of fine and gross motor skills. Our programme is already making a real difference for children who might not otherwise have access to nature, who are growing up in some of the most deprived communities not just on Teesside but in England. This support means we can keep that going. Allowing us to continue to work with 100+ children over 20 day sessions in the coming months, as well as more visits to the National Park to link up with other projects like REConnect. Thank you to David and the team at Rounton and their customers for making this possible. This donation is part of their @1percentftp pledge. — Stepping Stones to Nature sessions are delivered in school and natural settings. Our schools based work is delivered on our behalf by @sylvanlore_outdoor . 📸 @msc1photography #Nature #NationalPark #outdoorlearning

Minds and Miles is back for 2026. 🚴🍃 Join us for a family friendly cycling event on Sunday 27 September 2026, powered by @Struggleevents . Choose from a 25 km family route, a 50 km gravel ride or a 65 km road option. This event is all about sharing your love of cycling with family and friends. Take the time to slow down, look up and enjoy the North York Moors National Park by bike. 50% of proceeds will support North York Moors Trust, helping fund their work with communities across the National Park. Sign up via link in bio. 📸 Mick Kirkman

🌳 For #SocialPrescribingDay, we’re celebrating our Natural Health Service for North Yorkshire programme. This year’s theme is community connections - and already we are seeing through our delivery how meaningful connections with people, landscapes, and nature can have a powerful impact on life outcomes. The Natural Health Service for North Yorkshire is a green social prescription programme helping people to live healthier, more active and connected lives through access to nature and our region’s natural assets. The programme is delivered in partnership by the region’s Protected Landscapes - North York Moors National Park, Yorkshire Dales National Park, Howardian Hills National Landscape, and Nidderdale National Landscape. Through the programme we are working with patients and service users as well as professionals: • 10-week structured and guided outdoor nature connection sessions, offering sensory and hands-on activities aimed at improving health and wellbeing, reducing social isolation, and supporting people to get and stay active. 
• Personalised “Nature Plans” — simple steps to help people stay connected with nature and link into community activity that sustains the benefits of being active outdoors. 
• Ongoing training and engagement for professionals across sectors, equipping them with the knowledge, confidence, and free resources to use nature as a health asset in treatment, recovery, and prevention. Together, these activities aim to enhance physical and mental health, reduce social isolation, increase social, physical, and economic activity, and create healthier, more active communities across our coastal, rural, and urban areas. The programme is delivered by the North York Moors Trust, @northyorkmoors , @yorkshiredales , @howardianhillsnl , and @nidderdalenl . It is funded through York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Mayor @davidskaith and UK Government. Our evaluators are @yorkstjohn . #greensocialprescribing #NationalParks #Nature @connectingpeoplewithnature @nationalparksuk @natlandassoc @wesstreeting @dhscgovuk @yorkcarers @e50k_uk @waythrough_uk @whishwhitby @heysmilefoundation 📸 @msc1photography

The Natural Health Service for North Yorkshire is delivering meaningful change in people’s lives. From Skipton to Scarborough, participants tell us how the programme is creating safe and welcoming spaces, helping people build new friendships and social connections, growing confidence to return to work, and improving health and wellbeing. This week, one participant shared that they had experienced their best winter in 20 years thanks to the programme and that this had contributed to fewer hospital visits. That’s exactly the impact we set out to achieve. We’re now approaching the end of our pilot phase, with our 10-week nature-based interventions coming to a close later this month. In April and May, we’ll share more about the impact of the programme and our next steps as we look to expand the difference we can make across the region. — The Natural Health Service for North Yorkshire is a green social prescribing programme delivered by the protected landscapes family across the region, helping people live healthier, more active and connected lives through a connection with nature. The programme is delivered by the North York Moors Trust, @northyorkmoors , @yorkshiredales , @howardianhillsnl , and @nidderdalenl . It is funded through York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Mayor @davidskaith and UK Government. Our evaluators are @yorkstjohn . #Nature #Health #NationalParks #NationalLandscapes @nationalparksuk @natlandassoc @connectingpeoplewithnature @wesstreeting @nhsengland

✨ Stepping Stones x Dark Skies ✨ Our Stepping Stones to Nature weekend group enjoyed an out-of-this-world evening at the observatory at Danby Lodge National Park Centre as part of the Dark Skies Festival. With brilliant hands-on activities from Sophie at @cosmicwonders1 , curiosity was well and truly sparked. There were so many amazing questions from the group. The kids learned more about our night sky, the scale of the universe, why dark skies matter for wildlife and habitats, and the impact of light pollution on humans as well as our environment. Stepping Stones supports children to grow up well with nature - and that includes dark skies. Our work is about supporting their health and wellbeing, development and learning, as well as the literal stepping stones: getting hands on with nature, building belonging, and developing agency - from home to their local national park and international dark sky reserve. Many of the children we work with face social, economic and physical barriers to accessing green spaces and dark skies. This programme is about making these experiences accessible and equitable. Moments of awe and wonder like this really matter and have become too far removed from many children’s lives. Thank you to the @northyorkmoors for allowing us to use the new observatory. This session was made possible thanks to funding from @holidaycottages.co.uk . We’re incredibly grateful for their support. — Stepping Stones to Nature supports children to grow up well with nature, with sessions delivered in schools and natural settings. Our weekend based work is made possible this year by Yor4Good and delivered together with @thewildhavenproject . 📸 @msc1photography #Nature #NatureConnection #OutdoorLearning #DarkSky #NightSky @darksky_intl @darkskies.cc @dark_skies_matter

Children’s mental health is important to us. It’s a core reason why we started Stepping Stones to Nature - to support children to grow up well. Nature is foundational to wellbeing, confidence, learning, development, and, most importantly, joy. We’re proud Stepping Stones to Nature is creating safe, supportive spaces - in schools and the outdoors - where children can explore, learn, and connect with nature, from local green spaces to the @northyorkmoors . These hands-on experiences are vital for mental health, happiness, and confidence during formative years. By 2025, 8 in 10 children we worked with said Stepping Stones had improved their wellbeing and helped them feel calmer. Since then, we’ve reached hundreds more children and witness the positive impact every week. And the feedback speaks for itself: • Children: “I feel amazing when I go outdoors.” • Teachers: “The children love being outdoors and it’s helping their mental health.” • Parents: “When ‘T’ is picked up, she seems brighter in herself and has good energy.” This #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek, we celebrate This is My Place - a reminder that every child deserves spaces where they feel safe, valued, and able to grow. At the North York Moors Trust, we’re proud to be helping create these places in nature and look forward to continuing to support more children who need it most. — Stepping Stones to Nature supports children to grow up well with nature, with sessions delivered in schools and natural settings. Our school based work is made possible this year by @rountoncoffeeroasters . Our weekend sessions have been funded by YOR4Good. This work is delivered together with our friends @sylvanlore_outdoor and @thewildhavenproject .

It was a pleasure to host @davidskaith , Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, today to brief him on our Natural Health Service and all things health and nature. Alongside our partners from the region’s four protected landscapes, we shared progress since the pilot launched in October 2025, early findings from the initial evaluation and feedback, and what could come next. The Mayor also joined one of our 10-week nature interventions, spending time our 12 carers from @yorkcarers , one of our groups whom we are supporting through the programme. We’ll share more on that soon. From a standing start, we have delivered a huge amount in a very short space of time - a real credit to our team and colleagues across our partner organisations. We walked through the outputs delivered to hundreds of professionals across health, housing, employment and probation, and discussed the early outcomes already emerging from the 10-week interventions that began in January. We are currently working with participants across the region, including carers accessing respite, people completing cancer treatment, veterans who have experienced homelessness, those with substance misuse challenges, and adults needing support to return to employment. We have learned a great deal already and will no doubt continue to do so through to the end of the pilot in April 2026 and beyond. More on that soon and on this visit soon. The Natural Health Service for North Yorkshire is delivered together with @northyorkmoors , @yorkshiredales , Nidderdale National Landscape, and the @howardianhillsnl . Our evaluators are @yorkstjohn . This work is funded by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and UK Government through the UK Share Prosperity Fund.

Inspiring National Park Ranger visit 🙌 At the end of last year, Ambar - a Ranger with the @northyorkmoors - joined us on our Stepping Stones to Nature programme. She visited the 45 pupils we work with at Newport Primary School, Middlesbrough. A fun and interactive show-and-tell, Ambar showed children the vehicle, tools and PPE she uses to safely protect, restore and make the National Park accessible for all - and talked about green skills and answered questions on what she loves most about her job, what inspired into a career in nature, and of course her favourite tool! (Note: it’s the chainsaw) Stepping Stones is about connecting children with nature to support their wellbeing, learning and development AND building lasting connection and agency to their local National Park. Most had never been prior to our visit in October, so Ambar’s session was the perfect way to build on their growing curiosity. Moments like these are part of our “stepping stones” approach to connecting with the National Park and nature. Thank you, Ambar, for inspiring our budding nature champions! — Stepping Stones to Nature supports children to grow up well with nature, with sessions delivered in schools and natural settings. Our school based work is made possible this year by @rountoncoffeeroasters and delivered on our behalf by @sylvanlore_outdoor . #Nature #Outdoorlearning #Outdooreducation #NationalPark

🌱 A progress update from the Natural Health Service for North Yorkshire. Swipe to find out more. We’ve now completed the first half of our pilot phase: engaging and training professionals working across health, employment, housing, environment, and probation services. We’re now focused on delivering our nature intervention, aimed at supporting people to live heather, more active and connectives lives through connection with nature and our national parks and landscapes. #Nature #Health #GreenSocialPrescribing #NationalPark #Naturalhealth @natlandassoc @yorkstjohn @nationalparksuk @alisonhumelabour @rishisunakmp @julian.smith.mp