Get Richer, Feel Better
Pitches on prescription – just what the doctor ordered!
We found that 85% of adult campers think camping can make you healthier and nearly half think it should be prescribed on the NHS! And 1 in 3 kids who don’t camp think camping would make them feel healthier.
The idea that spending time in nature is ‘good for our physical health and mental wellbeing’ is not a new one. And it’s certainly something those who camp would support with half of them saying that camping should be prescribed on the NHS!
The World Health Organisation estimates that depression and depression-related illnesses will become the greatest source of ill health by 2020. Predictions like these are putting pressure on Governments to encourage people to spend more time with nature.
In the United States, 'therapeutic camping' has a long tradition going back to the early 1900s and the emergence of 'tent therapy'.
Tent therapy partly came about when the positive benefits of camping were identifi ed for tuberculosis patients… these patients had to camp on the hospital grounds to ensure non-contact with other hospital patients...but the unexpected benefits were that their physical condition and mental attitudes improved far faster!
Barry Garst1 in his 2010 study of American campers found that 'restoration' was the meaning most associated with camping. Camping represented an opportunity for physical, mental and emotional recovery and for many of those he interviewed it was a way to bring balance back into their lives.
Camping really is good for you
Campers are more likely to regard themselves as having a higher than average fitness for their age compared with non-campers
Campers are also more likely to see themselves as being active and healthy for their age compared with non-campers
1 in 4 campers think that camping is a great way to lose weight!
Top 5 wellbeing giving properties of camping – according to campers
- 95% say it recharges your batteries
- 89% say it relieves stress
- 84% say it’s good for a child’s health
- 84% say it improves mental health
- 78% say it makes you fitter
"For me, it definitely chills me out and I find it’s a great way to switch off from my manic schedule. I can’t wait to get my growing family into the camping habit and introduce them to all the joys and fun it brings."
- Ben Fogle, TV Presenter
"I rediscovered the joys of camping in my 40s. Within months my health improved as I began to enjoy a better work/life balance and my business improved too. My outlook on life is so much more positive now."
- Alison Edwards, Member No.357