What’s the evidence?

Everyone is different, and if in doubt, you should speak to your GP before undertaking any new physical activity. But there is evidence that for most people of all ages and abilities, there are benefits to being in nature, and to socialising.  The East Lothian Community Planning Partnership highlights “Living Well” as a core theme in its 2026-2036 Local Outcome Improvement Plan, with a focus on:
– mental and physical wellbeing,
– staying connected within communities, and
– creating healthy, active local places and spaces.

A widely cited 2019 UK study reported that “Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing“. The research was led by Dr. Mathew White and a team at the University of Exeter’s European Centre for Environment and Human Health. Researchers analysed data from 19,806 participants. They found that compared to people who spent zero time outdoors, those who hit the 120-minute weekly mark were 59% more likely to report good physical health and 23% more likely to report high psychological wellbeing.

The use of Social Prescribing, which connects people to non-medical, community-based forms of support, is growing across the UK and around the world. A 2026 study in Nature Health “The impact of social prescribing on well-being outcomes in a nationwide analysis” (link) found consistent and sizeable improvements across different well-being categories in the 1–6 months following initial referral to social prescribing.

The information on this page aims to highlight just some of the ways people in the North Berwick Coastal Area can use the natural environment and community activities to improve mental and physical health and wellbeing.