Key Points
- New Nature Prescription booklets are being launched across Swansea Bay to help people spend time in nature and improve their wellbeing.
- The programme covers Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot.
- These booklets are part of the RSPB’s Nature Prescriptions initiative. They offer self-led activities that encourage people to notice and connect with the natural world.
- The Swansea Bay booklets were created locally. They build on the work done for the Swansea RSPB Nature Prescription booklet.
- The materials are easy to use. They can be used at home outdoors, alone or with others.
- RSPB Cymru says the Nature Prescriptions started in Shetland in 2018. They were later tested in Edinburgh before spreading across the UK.
- In a trial in Scotland the RSPB found that 74% of participants said they benefited from their nature prescription.
- The programme has been supported by money raised by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
- RSPB Cymru previously said training was planned for Swansea as part of a rollout, across Wales.
- The Swansea Bay University Health Board says the new booklets are meant to boost wellbeing across the Swansea Bay area.
Swansea (Wales Times) November 4, 2026 — University Health Board has announced new Nature Prescription booklets designed to encourage people across uk/local/swansea/">Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot to use time in nature as a way of supporting their health and wellbeing.
As reported by Swansea Bay University Health Board, the initiative invites people to discover the benefits of enjoying the natural world through an approach called Nature Prescriptions. The booklets provide prompts and suggestions intended to help individuals build small, manageable nature-based moments into everyday life.
The programme is associated with the RSPB, which describes Nature Prescriptions as a way for healthcare and associated professionals, as well as suitable community organisations, to support wellbeing by encouraging meaningful personal connections with nature. According to the RSPB, each prescription includes a booklet containing gentle prompts and suggestions to help people notice nature wherever they live and at a time that suits them.
The Swansea Bay launch forms part of a wider expansion of the scheme in Wales. In its annual report, the RSPB said Nature Prescriptions would be available for Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Ceredigion and, it hoped, north Powys from summer 2026. The organisation also said the booklets are available in English and Welsh.
How Do the Booklets Work?
The booklets do not replace medical treatment. Instead, they offer non-medical, self-led activities that people can carry out at their own pace.
According to the RSPB, the activities can be done from home, alone or with others, and are designed to create lasting connections with nature. Examples highlighted by the organisation include listening to birdsong, noticing seasonal changes and observing everyday natural details such as autumn berries or spiders’ webs covered in dew.
The RSPB says the approach is based on the idea that nature is present even in busy urban areas. Rather than requiring people to travel long distances or take part in organised activities, the booklets encourage residents to notice the natural environment around them.
In some areas, the RSPB says Nature Prescription booklets include suggestions for local green spaces to explore. The organisation has also developed alternative formats, including Easy Read and dementia-friendly versions, as well as a “Windows to Nature” booklet for people who cannot easily go outdoors, including those in hospitals, hospices, care homes or living with long-term health conditions.
Who Developed the Swansea Bay Booklets?
The Swansea Bay materials have been developed through local collaboration. Annie Hill, an advocate for the role of green and blue spaces in health, recovery and wellbeing, is described by The OT Show as having contributed to the development of the Swansea RSPB Nature Prescription booklet.
Ms Hill has developed partnerships with organisations including Cae Felin Community Supported Agriculture, Ocean Therapy and Coed Lleol, according to her speaker profile on The OT Show. The profile says she has provided nature-based opportunities within mental health rehabilitation services.
The involvement of local partners reflects the RSPB’s wider model for Nature Prescriptions. The charity says the programme is delivered with healthcare and associated professionals, leaders of appropriate community and third-sector support organisations, and “Experts by Experience”.
Swansea Bay University Health Board’s announcement indicates that the booklets are intended for people across the health board area, rather than being limited to one neighbourhood or patient group.
Why Is Swansea Bay Introducing Nature Prescriptions?
The health board says the aim is to boost wellbeing across Swansea Bay. The RSPB positions the scheme as a practical way to help people improve their health through accessible contact with nature.
According to the RSPB, there is strong evidence that spending time in nature can reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure and boost immunity through increased physical activity. The charity also says Nature Prescriptions are free to use and are intended to help people form lasting connections with the natural environment.
The initiative is not presented as a substitute for clinical care. The RSPB describes it as a non-medical, innovative way for people to improve health and wellbeing through accessible, self-led activities.
The scheme’s origins date back to Shetland in 2018. The RSPB says a successful pilot followed in Edinburgh, before the programme was developed across England from 2023. It launched in Cardiff and Newport in July 2025, supported by funds raised by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
What Evidence Supports the Approach?
The RSPB cites results from its earlier work in Scotland. It says that, in a trial, 74% of patients reported that they benefited from their Nature Prescription.
The charity has also reported wider growth in the programme. In its 2025–26 annual report, the RSPB said more than 300 professionals in Wales had been trained to use the prescriptions, while more than 4,500 booklets had been requested by partners and more than 1,000 had already reached people’s hands.
Earlier, in October 2025, RSPB Cymru said more than 3,500 booklets had been handed out to 35 different partners in Wales. It also said more than 100 individuals from nearly 20 GP practices and health organisations across Cardiff and Newport had been trained.
Those figures relate to the wider Welsh programme and do not, on their own, provide a Swansea Bay-specific uptake figure. The Swansea Bay University Health Board announcement focuses on the introduction of the new local booklets rather than publishing participation statistics.
Background of the Development
Nature Prescriptions began in Shetland in 2018, according to RSPB Cymru. The charity says the approach led to a successful pilot in Edinburgh and was subsequently developed across England from 2023.
In Wales, the programme launched in Cardiff and Newport in July 2025. RSPB Cymru said the rollout was made possible by funds raised by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
The organisation later confirmed plans to expand the scheme to other parts of Wales, including Swansea. In its 2025–26 annual report, the RSPB said booklets had been co-produced and launched for the Vale of Glamorgan, Flintshire, Wrexham, Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent, with strong demand from partners.
The Swansea Bay announcement represents the next stage of that expansion. It brings the Nature Prescription model to Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot, with booklets intended to help local residents incorporate nature into their daily routines.
Prediction: How Could This Affect Swansea Bay Residents?
For residents of Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot, the booklets could make wellbeing support more accessible by offering simple activities that do not depend on appointments, cost or travel. People who find it difficult to attend formal services may be able to use the materials independently, at home or in nearby outdoor spaces.
For healthcare and community organisations, the scheme may provide an additional way to signpost patients and service users towards low-cost wellbeing activities. If local uptake grows, it could also encourage more professionals and community groups to discuss nature-based support as part of everyday conversations about health.
The likely effect will depend on awareness, distribution and whether residents find the activities practical. The RSPB’s earlier Welsh expansion suggests there is demand among partner organisations, but the impact in Swansea Bay will become clearer as the local booklets are used and feedback is gathered.
