There is a growing body of evidence pointing to the positive health and wellbeing benefits of being in, on or around blue space. In 2022 and 2023 the Environment Agency, together with project partners from British Canoeing, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Groundwork Trust, Natural England, the University of Brighton and the Wave Project, led the Blue Space Forum project.<\/p>\n
The report gathered the lived experiences of people who use blue space to improve their health and wellbeing as well as those living with barriers to accessing blue space and its benefits. By understanding the challenges and opportunities for improved access, experience and engagement with the water environment, the aim is to help more people gain from its benefits. This paper sets out the findings from eight themed workshops that captured the lived experiences and perspectives of frequent and infrequent blue space users as well as experts in the areas of blue space, health and inequalities.<\/p>\n