Ben Vanheems of Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust on the free and easy effects of spending more time under an open sky

Nature’s good for us. It makes us feel good. It helps to keep us mentally astute and physically fit. And it provides all those ‘background services’ essential to feed, clothe and shelter us.

To put it mildly, without nature we’d be a bit stuck!

Copious research into the benefits of spending time in nature consistently reaches the same conclusion. Take the work of Professor Jules Pretty, of the University of Essex, as an example. His research pooled the results of ten studies to conclude that just five minutes of gentle exercise, such as walking within a green environment, dramatically enhances our mood and improves our self-esteem.

Nature resets the spirit, clears the mind and reinvigorates the body. And the best bit? There’s no price tag attached to it; all of that mood-boosting goodness is free to everyone – you just have to get out there and seek it.

For the first time BBOWT is carrying out its own research into why people spend time in green spaces. The research forms part of the Wild Oxford project, a partnership between BBOWT and Oxford City Council that aims to see more people discovering the city’s wild green spaces.

Over the summer, volunteers are surveying visitors to the three nature reserves forming part of Wild Oxford — Chilswell Valley, Rivermead Nature Park and Lye Valley — to find out the reasons why they visit and canvass general views on the sites.

BBOWT’s Louise Print-Lyons said: “We’re interested in knowing why people go, whether they’re aware of why these sites are nature reserves, what they like to do there and how often they visit. The idea is to get a sense of usage patterns.”

Despite being guardian to wildlife on more than 85 nature reserves, the Trust has very little data on the people who visit them. And while we can surmise that most will be there for a wildlife experience this remains, at best, an educated guess.

The surveys at the Wild Oxford sites will offer an indication of footfall on a typical summer’s day while providing a fascinating snapshot as to what people are up to at these urban nature reserves.

“In city sites such as these we’d expect to see more informal usage such as exercising and people walking their dogs,” says Louise. “Conversely you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see as high a proportion of wildlife enthusiasts as you might in our countryside reserves. It will be interesting to see just why people are there and their awareness of the natural world around them.”

The surveys also raise questions about how we at BBOWT tell people about what we’re doing on our nature reserves. For example, do we give enough information on our information panels, through social media or on our website? Can we improve the way we share the real wildlife-enhancing impacts of our work? An additional benefit to the surveys is the chance for people who wouldn’t ordinarily consider volunteering to give it a try. The majority of volunteering opportunities at BBOWT focus on practical conservation work or species surveying. Interviewing visitors requires a different skill and will make a vital contribution to the way the trust evolves over the coming years.

It’s evident the volunteers themselves are clearly getting a lot from being out in nature. Judith Haworth is one of the surveyors at Chilswell Valley. She said: “I greatly enjoy the beautiful flowers, birds and insects at Chilswell. On a recent survey I saw lots of marbled white butterflies.

“Talking to the visitors is always interesting. I am keen to share my enthusiasm so people enjoy the wonderful places near to them and engage with protecting them.”

The results of the surveys are keenly anticipated. There’s no doubt they will underline the value of these precious slices of greenery to Oxford’s residents. If you are yet to discover these magical places you can find out more at bbowt.org.uk