'Green infrastructure and the Health and wellbeing Influences on an Ageing population (GHIA)

Lead Research Organisation: University of Manchester
Department Name: Environment, Education and Development

Abstract

Green and blue spaces (GI) can directly and indirectly influence human health and wellbeing. However, access to health and wellbeing benefits is not shared equally amongst the population, particularly in urban areas. Research shows that people aged 65 and over are most likely to suffer from poor health, yet this group may be the least likely to benefit from GI. Although good health and wellbeing in an ageing population might be promoted through access to GI, using GI may not always be beneficial particularly as older people can be more susceptible to environmental stressors. Understanding how GI is valued in the context of the health and wellbeing of older people is one such unknown. This value might include the monetary value of preventing ill-health but also broader interpretations, such as the historical, heritage or wildlife value that influences whether older people actively seek experiences in green and blue spaces.
The GHIA research project; 'Green Infrastructure and the Health and Wellbeing Influences on an Ageing Population' aims to better understand the benefits and values of urban GI for older people and how GI and specific 'greening projects' can be best used to support healthy ageing in urban areas.
The proposed case-study area is Greater Manchester (GM). GM is the first northern city to adopt a devolutionary settlement including control of health and social care spending. The research team are partnering with organisations involved in improving the health and wellbeing of older people and the design and management of GI across GM, including GM's Red Rose Forest, Public Health Manchester, Manchester City Council and Manchester Arts and Galleries Partnership. A core part of the research will look at how the research findings can be translated into policy and practice and the transferability of findings to other cities, potentially with similarly devolved powers.
It will do this by involving older people as 'co-producers' of the research to better understand thoughts, experiences and values that are associated with green and blue spaces. This will have a particular arts focus, including storytelling, sensory engagement and offering new experiences for engaging with green and blue spaces. Different types of urban GI will be used, including green 'patches' within the city (e.g. urban parks), green and blue 'corridors' (e.g. canals and waterways) and green spaces within the wider urban fabric or 'matrix' (e.g. private gardens). This co-production of research findings will be linked to all the other areas of work undertaken in the project.
Other aspects of research will be conducted on the potential benefits and disbenefits of green spaces on ageing health and wellbeing and the value that this provides. This will include looking for relationships between health data and the occurrence of GI across space, 'before and after studies' exploring the influence that different greening projects have on the physical activity of older people, measuring how GI may affect older people's exposure to environmental hazards (such as air pollution and extreme temperature) and working with people with early-onset dementia to understand how they appreciate the urban landscape through different 'sensory' perceptions.
The findings from the other components of the research will then be used to explore the values applied to the GI benefits and how these can help guide policy and practice. This will include evaluating existing measures of valuing greenspace, including monetary valuation and then work with older people to understand broader interpretations of value, such as culture, heritage, history and the natural or 'biodiversity' value. These findings will be used to develop online mapping tools that demonstrate the needs, provision and value of GI for older people. The team will then work to explore how these findings relate to other locations and communicate findings to urban areas across the UK.

Planned Impact

The primary beneficiaries of the research in this proposal are policy-makers, practitioners, the third sector and the wider public, particularly older groups. The direct beneficiaries are local to the City of Manchester and Greater Manchester city-region as the case study area. We are partnered with Manchester City Council, Red Forest Forest (a Community Forest Group), the Canal and Rivers Trust, Manchester Museums and Galleries Partnership, The Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisations. Although not a formal project Partner, the Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing (MICRA) has a formal Memorandum of Understanding with Age UK. Through these links we have strong and meaningful connection to the wider public and expect many older groups to be direct beneficiaries of our research. Our partners are committed to assisting the project team in reaching wider audiences giving confidence that the outcomes from the project will be sustainable over the longer term and shape both practice and behavior with long-term health benefits for the UK's ageing population. The ability to find ways to express and appreciate values around biodiversity and nature-based heritage has the potential for building a strong foundation for the future protection and enhancement of green infrastructure within urban areas.
Policy-makers - Manchester City Council will be direct beneficiaries of the arts and heritage work, the evidence from the environmental analyses and alternative valuation methods developed through deliberative mapping. The work contributes to the Cultural Strategy of Age-Friendly Manchester. The Greater Manchester Authorities will also benefit from the work as well as other local authorities, e.g. through connections with the Local Government Association. The research aims to mobilize local community groups and create mutually beneficial relationships through enabling and promoting use of local parks, canals and other areas of urban greenspace. In turn the promotion and encouragement of environmental volunteering will have wider benefits for implementation of the City Council's Green and Blue Space Strategy, shaping the Biodiversity Strategy and assisting with on-the-ground practical management activities.
Charities - GMCVO see a direct benefit to their new 5 year Ambition for Aging Project. The work brings an additional angle to their existing project and they are also committed to helping the consortium disseminate more widely. This centres on overcoming social isolation and inequalities between older people but does not have a green and blue space element without this research. Red Rose Forest's Dementia Naturally Active project is strongly connected to the research theme and they will assist the team reaching other community forest groups in the UK. Like Red Rose, the Canal and Rivers Trust are actively involved in interventions and the practical design of green infrastructure. They are similarly confident that there is an appetite for the design guidance, knowledge basis and methodologies which will be created. The Manchester Museums and Galleries Partnership has direct connection to community groups via their Culture Champions. Newsletters reach 1000s of age-friendly registered organisations.
Wider Public - The research will have a significant impact on local groups by developing and enhancing creative output and by extension will enhance quality of life, social connections and demonstrably. Older groups will be directly involved in the co-research of the project and in the co-creation of our outputs, particularly in terms of creative mapping and public participation GIS. We have a strategy to reach a range of older audiences from those living with early onset dementia, to those who have physical mobility restrictions to those who are more active in the community.

Publications

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publication icon
Benton JS (2021) A natural experimental study of improvements along an urban canal: impact on canal usage, physical activity and other wellbeing behaviours. in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity

 
Title Who Cares? Residency 
Description The Who Cares? participatory arts research activity was built on engagement with older adults in local community green spaces, through volunteer groups and themed focus groups run as part of a Heritage Futures Studio Residency in collaboration with the Manchester Museum and MA students from the University of Manchester's Institute of Cultural Practices. Intergenerational exchange between younger and older participants was embraced and desired by older participants and co-researchers.Who Cares? initiated the collection of stories about how and why older adults care for urban nature across Greater Manchester and has started to record an archive of 'living artefacts' that help embody values for health and wellbeing in older age. The research team used auto-ethnography and worked with older adult co-researchers associated with five local cases in or near to socially deprived neighbourhoods. All of these groups were actively working in green and blue spaces with an ethos of sharing and communing for local use. This provides a model which could be more widely replicated. 
Type Of Art Artistic/Creative Exhibition 
Year Produced 2019 
Impact The creative practice research activity provided a different way for people to be involved, to be heard, and to articulate what they find valuable about green and blue spaces for their health and wellbeing. This had a positive impact on participants and also showcased different ways of working which support the engagement of a wider diversity of groups. 
URL https://whocares.uk/
 
Description Our three-year multi-disciplinary investigation revealed how and why the natural environment matters for healthy ageing in urban areas. We now understand more about why urban nature and natural green and blue spaces are integral to what makes an urban area 'age-friendly' and the importance of multiple perspectives to inform action across a range of sectors of policy and practice. There are marked differences in neighbourhood provision of green and blue space according to age and income. If you are older and live in a city, you are more likely to live somewhere with more trees, shrubs, grass and water than if you are younger and live in a city. However, neighbourhoods associated with older adults on lower incomes are considerably less green than neighbourhoods associated with older adults on higher incomes. Although people with higher incomes live in greener places, even after income is taken into account, people's local health status is still linked to the quantity, quality and proximity of green and blue spaces. The higher the quantity and environmental quality of green and blue spaces found in neighbourhoods, the healthier their residents tend to be. It is not only the amount of cover which is important but also its quality (e.g. in terms of diversity, i.e. where there is a range of tree, grass, shrub and water cover types). Our participatory valuation work identified four main groups of health and wellbeing values. Older people told us that urban green and blue spaces are important for health and wellbeing in later life due to: (1) The personal and social memories that they embody; (2) The opportunity they provide to connect with nature and volunteer with others; (3) The opportunity they bring for active outdoor activity and adventure; and (4) The opportunity they bring for social relationships, independence and growth. Our investigations into interventions showed that context is important. For instance, despite physical activity being one of the reasons older people value green and blue spaces, it cannot be assumed that all interventions will increase physical activity or observable wellbeing behaviours. Testing a small-scale local intervention using our newly developed quantitative methodology did not reveal a change in older adults' physical activity or any other observable indicators of wellbeing. Qualitative work in the same sites suggested why this might be. Creative practice work in other sites suggested that even small interventions can have a positive wellbeing influence. This shows the value of using multiple methods, including participatory and creative methods, and considering context(s). There are many individual, social and environmental motivations through which older people engage in urban environmental volunteering. Engagement brings reciprocal benefits. It is important not only due to increasing participants' wellbeing but also because older people play a key role in environmental stewardship and activism, in environmental education, in urban nature management, and in conservation for the benefit of present and future generations. We make eight main recommendations, with tailored actions for other groups. For more information on findings, methods and tools see https://ghia.org.uk/outputs/final-event/
Exploitation Route See the report at https://ghia.org.uk/outputs/final-event/
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy

Construction

Creative Economy

Education

Environment

Healthcare

Leisure Activities

including Sports

Recreation and Tourism

Government

Democracy and Justice

Culture

Heritage

Museums and Collections

Transport

URL http://www.ghia.org.uk
 
Description Our activities have resulted in social and practitioner impacts. For instance, our findings on inequalities of provision are helping to target practitioner activities and to make those activities tailored to the research findings on the importance of land cover diversity (which acts as an indicator of wider biodiversity). Our evidence on the wider non-monetary values of urban green infrastructure is helping to improve decision-making and supporting the protection of particular areas under threat. The project has allowed agendas in ageing, green infrastructure, health & wellbeing and arts & heritage to be considered together and synergies identified. Our work is supporting a more holistic appreciation of issues and also a better understanding of the ways in which engagement can be supported (for instance building on values and individual, social and environmental motivations identified). Use of data and tools have been discussed with a wide number of users (including at the VNN Business Impact Conference) For instance the mohawk tool is now being used in several different places (e.g. in Spain, Poland, China, London). Further uses were discussed as part of the end-of-project event in Jan 2020 (www.ghia.org.uk). Engagement and impact work is ongoing, including through ongoing projects with strong stakeholder dimensions (e.g. Biurbs).
First Year Of Impact 2019
Sector Communities and Social Services/Policy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Environment,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Other
Impact Types Societal

Policy & public services

 
Description (GROW GREEN) - Green Cities for Climate and Water Resilience, Sustainable Economic Growth, Healthy Citizens and Environments
Amount € 11,519,300 (EUR)
Funding ID 730283 
Organisation European Commission 
Sector Public
Country European Union (EU)
Start 05/2017 
End 05/2022
 
Description Biurbs: valuing biodiversity in multi-functional urban development and environment
Amount £789,539 (GBP)
Funding ID NE/X002349/1 
Organisation Natural Environment Research Council 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 07/2022 
End 02/2025
 
Description Community Climate Resilience through Folk Pageantry
Amount £333,956 (GBP)
Funding ID AH/V003186/1 
Organisation Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 07/2020 
End 07/2023
 
Description Creative Adaptive Solutions for Treescapes of Rivers (CASTOR)
Amount £1,993,614 (GBP)
Funding ID NE/V021117/1 
Organisation Natural Environment Research Council 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 07/2021 
End 07/2024
 
Description Digital Solutions Platforms and Toolkits
Amount £20,491 (GBP)
Funding ID NE/V004069/1 
Organisation Natural Environment Research Council 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 07/2020 
End 04/2021
 
Description ESRC Festival of Social Science
Amount £1,000 (GBP)
Organisation Economic and Social Research Council 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 11/2017 
End 11/2017
 
Description ESRC PhD Scholarship
Amount £70,000 (GBP)
Organisation Economic and Social Research Council 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2017 
End 07/2021
 
Description Maximising ecosystem services in urban environments (MEaSURE)
Amount £1,345,644 (GBP)
Funding ID NE/W003120/1 
Organisation Natural Environment Research Council 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 12/2021 
End 11/2025
 
Description SEED Strategic Research Support Fund for Impact
Amount £4,973 (GBP)
Organisation Manchester University 
Sector Academic/University
Country United States
Start 01/2018 
End 07/2018
 
Description School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) Studentship Award 2017
Amount £60,000 (GBP)
Organisation Manchester University 
Sector Academic/University
Country United States
Start 09/2017 
End 10/2020
 
Description Urban GI Functionality and Needs Assessment
Amount £24,900 (GBP)
Organisation Natural England 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 02/2022 
End 07/2022
 
Description Wellcome Trust ISSF Pump-Priming Fellowship - https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/research/support/funding/wellcome-issf/
Amount £40,000 (GBP)
Organisation University of Manchester 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2022 
End 03/2023
 
Title GHIA online tools 
Description The Green infrastructure and the Health and wellbeing Influences on an Ageing population (GHIA) project aims to understand the benefits and values of urban green and blue spaces for older people. By green and blue spaces we mean things like parks, gardens, canals and rivers, woodlands, street trees and any other areas of water or vegetation. Our tools allow you to: Find out information about the amount of green and blue space in different areas of Greater Manchester. Contribute views about how green and blue spaces in Greater Manchester influence your health and wellbeing and see what others say. Explore health and green space associations in Greater Manchester. 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2020 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Still in discussion with research users. 
URL http://maps.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/ghia-web/
 
Title MOHAWk 
Description The MOHAWk (Method for Observing pHysical Activity and Wellbeing) observation tool was developed to help improve the basis for assessing the health benefits of greening interventions. The tool enables assessment of three levels of physical activity intensity (Sedentary, Walking, Vigorous) and two other evidence-based behavioural indicators of wellbeing (Connect: connecting with others, and Take Notice: taking notice of the environment). It has been developed to help with 'before and after' assessment of interventions (also called natural experiment studies). As well providing a systematic way of recording behaviour change, MOHAWk also assesses people's characteristics, including age, gender and ethnicity. Importantly, the approach developed by the project team involves the identification of a number of matched comparison sites. The comparison sites are used to help identify whether changes at the intervention site are statistically different to those seen in other similar neighbourhood settings, i.e. without an intervention. 
Type Of Material Physiological assessment or outcome measure 
Year Produced 2019 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Better understanding and quantification of impacts from interventions. The tool was developed and initially applied to assessing interventions put into place by Southway Housing. The tool is now being tested on a range of larger interventions (including with land-owner partners, such as Peel Holdings) and over 500 hours of observations have been conducted to date in multiple sites in Greater Manchester and elsewhere. The method is easy to use and can be used to support the evaluation of a range of interventions.Publications and contacts are given in the relevant section of this submission. 2021 Update - MOHAWk tool is currently being used by City of Trees as part of a National Lottery Heritage Fund funded project at Longford Park in Trafford, which will help them establish a better understanding and benchmark of how the park is currently used and by whom. International uses are now emerging, (1) Valencia, Spain as part of GrowGreen project to evaluate the wellbeing effects of interventions to a small urban forest and a green corridor (http://growgreenproject.eu/city-actions/valencia/) (2) Suzhou (Wujiang), China as part of a research project that is looking at adapting MOHAWk in a Chinese context, with plans to use MOHAWk with CCTV video images to evaluate interventions to neighbourhood green spaces. 
 
Title Greater Manchester GI database 
Description As discussed in Dennis et al., (2018) 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2018 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Use within public sector & research reports 
URL http://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/7/1/17
 
Title Protocol for a natural experimental study for evaluating the impact of improvements in urban green space on older adults' physical activity and wellbeing 
Description A new natural experiment protocol for conducting assessments of physical activity changes related to urban green infrastructure interventions. The improvements reduce risk of bias due to an improved handling of comparison sites and appropriate statistical control of key confounders. The protocol has been submitted as a journal article and is currently under review. The paper will be cross referenced once available. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2018 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact None at present 
 
Description EU H2020 Grow Green GI Demonstration project in West Gorton 
Organisation University of Manchester
Department Department of Geography
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Liaison on physical activity work including the use of protocols developed in GHIA (linked publication currently under review). Use of data in site baseline reporting activity (Dennis et al., 2018).
Collaborator Contribution Opportunity for further sites for analysis.
Impact Internal report: Rothwell, J., Barker, A., Lindley, S., Anderson, J. and French, D. (2017) Task 1.1.1 Diagnosis & Baseline Manchester Demonstration Project (DRAFT: 14th December 2017) https://growgreenproject.eu/growgreen-final-conference/
Start Year 2017
 
Description Friends of Nutsford Vale Campaign 
Organisation Friends of Nutsford Vale
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The Friends of Nutsford Vale campaign to save the green space (threatened by the building of a school on the land) came to the attention of WP2. As is common with Friends groups in general, the Friends of Nutsford Vale are predominantly older retired people. Engagement involved developing an understanding of the social value of the Vale to older local residents and presenting that material in a report suitable to help support the Friends group's campaign, alongside evidence from many other partners.
Collaborator Contribution Engagement, supporting research with local community and provision of evidence.
Impact Report (https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/251537249/NUTSFORD_VALE_WORKING_REPORT_FINAL.pdf). Unfortunately planning permission was granted in Jan 2018, but there was positive feedback from members of the Friends group, the local MP, City of Trees, and local councillors. Together with other submissions, the report helped to generate a new site visit, garner more political support and give voice to older adults in the local communities of Gorton, Levenshulme and Longsight, enabling them to tell their stories of the importance of the Vale for health and well-being. At the time of writing (March 2024) the site has not been developed following an announcement (Oct 2018) that the City Council has decided not to go ahead with plans (https://www.oss.org.uk/nutsford-vale-open-space-manchester-is-saved/)
Start Year 2017
 
Description GM Natural Capital Group 
Organisation Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Department Greater Manchester Natural Capital Group
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution A number of co-investigators were already involved with the Natural Capital Group, but the connections have been strengthened with representation of the project and also members of the Natural Capital Group team attending GHIA events and workshops with a view to developing further collaborations, e.g. around interventions and methods. This brings connections to Defra work and other projects.
Collaborator Contribution Attendance at project workshops and VNN meetings (the latter arranged independently).
Impact This is a multi-disciplinary collaboration covering ecology, valuation (economics and philosophy), geography and environmental science. Further disciplinary connections are envisaged in the future. We are exploring connections to interventions and methods. This collaboration is recorded here as it is in additional to the collaborations noted in the case for support. Collaborations with the specific GHIA project partners are not listed here as they are identified in the project proposal.
Start Year 2016
 
Description Greater Manchester Ageing Hub 
Organisation Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Department Greater Manchester Ageing Hub
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution Prof Chris Phillipson is a member of the GM Ageing Hub - a Greater Manchester wider collaboration which was established since submission of the project proposal (March 2016). Dr Sarah Lindley has attended group meetings, presented on the project (Jan 2017) and discussed the potential for studying interventions through contacts made on the group. Members of the GHIA team have attended the Feb 2017 GM Ageing Conference. https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/737/item_11_greater_manchester_ageing_hub_and_the_centre_for_ageing_better In 2022-3 Prof Sarah Lindley and Paul McGarry both collaborated on a Wellcome Trust funding proposal (unsuccessful) with project leads from Trinity College Dublin. The GM Ageing Hub retains on going interests in urban greening and wellbeing, see https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/ageing/greener-later-life/
Collaborator Contribution Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing (MICRA), Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisations (GMCVO) (through Ambition for Ageing), Manchester City Council and the Manchester Museums and Galleries partnership are all GHIA partners with an active role in the GM Ageing Hub. This collaboration is recorded here as it is in additional to the collaborations noted in the case for support. Collaborations with the specific GHIA project partners are not listed here as they are identified in the project proposal.
Impact Contact with other GM Local Authorities, including Wigan and Salford, on possible intervention sites. Invitation to Wigan MBC for further discussions. Contact with other stakeholders regarding possible avenues for impact and opportunities for collaborative working, e.g. Southway Housing Trust
Start Year 2016
 
Description Manchester City Council GI group 
Organisation Manchester City Council
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution Reporting on GHIA updates and getting inputs from members
Collaborator Contribution Attendance at meetings and helping to shape future work, agendas and strategies
Impact Academic Article (also linked to wider Advisory Group contributions) doi:10.3390/land7010017
Start Year 2017
 
Description Natural England 
Organisation Natural England
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution Helping to shape the design of an environmental audit. This work is now being progressed by Natural England with others, including Friends of the Earth and University of Leeds. Sarah Lindley has continued the collaboration with work on a provision and needs assessment for urban green infrastructure in England (urban cooling) and provisional case study (Greater Manchester) work on urban food and pollution mitigation. Natural England also provide an Advisory Group input via the ongoing NERC Birurbs project.
Collaborator Contribution Initial award for scoping work and advisory activity.
Impact Funded scoping work and work on provision and needs assessment. In kind contributions to Biurbs
Start Year 2019
 
Title Extract tool 
Description The Extract tool enables map data to be interrogated and a report generated on the type and amount of green and blue cover for an area of interest. This can be done for a single point, an area of interest drawn on the screen or for an administrative area (lower-level Census zone or Ward). A report is generated with details about the green and blue cover for: a square of 1km size (point option); inside your drawn area (area option); or inside a selected administrative zone (zone option). Produced for Greater Manchester, the tool is readily transferable to other areas of interest subject to the underlying data for that area being available. 
Type Of Technology Webtool/Application 
Year Produced 2019 
Impact There has been interest from practitioners to develop versions of the tool. We also carried out an interactive session in our end-of-project event which identified a range of potential uses. See the pdf document linked below for more information. 
URL https://ghiadotorgdotuk.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/maptools_cavan_results.pdf
 
Title Value tool 
Description The Value tool gathers data on how individuals value urban green and blue spaces for their health and wellbeing. The tool is based on Q-methodology where statements are sorted according to participants' views. Data on location and various personal characteristics are also collected. After completion, participants are taken to a page where information about their top and bottom ranked statements are mapped and they can review equivalent data for other participants. The tool has been developed as a scaled-down version of a participatory method developed through one of the GHIA work packages. The methodology for that wider work (and associated results) are currently being written up. Although only currently set up for completion by Greater Manchester residents, the tool is readily transferable to other areas and needs no additional data. The tool has received ethics approval and there is a notice about Data privacy and ethics on the tool homepage. 
Type Of Technology Webtool/Application 
Year Produced 2019 
Impact Interest from practitioners to collect information about local values of green infrastructure. 
URL https://ghiadotorgdotuk.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/maptools_cavan_results.pdf
 
Description ALTER-Net Conference "Nature and society: synergies, conflicts, trade-offs", 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact This event is yet to happen - the entry is made as a marker for next year's submission. (Prof John O'Neill invited plenary)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://www.alter-net.info/outputs/conf-2017
 
Description Age-Friendly Design Group 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact The website notes "The Age-Friendly Design Group is made up of retired architects, planners, design students and urban designers. They meet every eight weeks. Their objectives are to: develop definitions of age-friendly design; develop a set of age-friendly design guidelines for our city that will evolve over time; test and hone these guidelines through a number of demonstrator projects; learn and understand how age-friendly design can work in practical application; generate interest and ownership from a range of partners in age-friendly design work; present and promote reasons for age-friendly design principles and criteria; influence how the city is currently designed so it is more age-friendly in the future
Examples of their work: lead the age-friendly development of Alexandra Park; work with older people and Housing Trusts to develop and implement innovative age-friendly home design projects; innovative research, such as Age-Friendly Seating and Sense of Place and the Alternative Age-Friendly Handbook - a practical reference for all those interested in age-inclusive design of the city, produced in collaboration with Manchester Institute for Collaboration Research on Ageing". Dr Jenna Ashton gave a presentation to the group in their March meeting. The group are working on a Parliamentary Submission and are also willing to participate in the project research programme.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/200091/older_people/7110/improving_areas_for_older_people/3
 
Description Biodiversity and Health in the Face of Climate Change: Challenges, opportunities and evidence gaps - June 2017 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact This material is taken from the conference website. "This joint European conference in Bonn will bring together experts from science, policy and practice to highlight and discuss the importance of biodiversity's contribution to human health in the face of climate change. In this context health is considered in its physical, psychological and social dimension, including socio-environmental equity. The aim of the conference is to increase knowledge, share experiences and foster nature-based solutions to meet the challenges of climate change and health issues. Latest scientific findings on the impacts of climate change on European biodiversity and links to human health will be discussed. Furthermore, the implementation of nature-based solutions towards health and climate goals will be outlined. Interactive sessions will focus on case studies of successful demonstration projects and lessons learned. Resulting discussions will lead to recommendations for creating synergies between ongoing policy processes, scientific programmes and practical implementation. The conference is part of a series of European Conferences on Biodiversity and Climate Change (ECBCC)."
Dr Sarah Lindley will deliver a plenary presentation which will draw on GHIA and raise awareness within an international science-policy audience. This event has not happened yet - this entry is added as a marker for future submissions.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL https://www.ecbcc2017.com/
 
Description Co-researchers Meeting (26th October) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact Session with co-researcher group A in which we presented data on green coverage and demographic variation in areas of Whalley Range and Chorlton. Co-researchers identified areas for potential intervention in these areas and discussed how they wanted to approach key research themes.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Debating Nature's Value 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact This event will take place March 22nd (has not happened yet). The event is part of an event funded by AHRC to be attended by Prof John O'Neill and Dr Richard Christian. They will be raising awareness of the GHIA project as well as being part of wider academic discussions.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://www.anglia.ac.uk/global-sustainability-institute-gsi/research/global-risk-and-resilience/deba...
 
Description Dementia & Imagination Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact A summary of the conference states that the conference (held at the Wellcome Collection, London on January 31st) "was formally opened by Baroness Sally Greengross OBE, Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Dementia, and attended by over a hundred delegates, from a wide variety of backgrounds". Topics were: Recruiting participants to Dementia and Imagination - Dr Catrin Hedd Jones; Connectivity and social capital through the visual arts - Professor Andrew Newman; Impact for family members and staff carers - Dr Bruce Davenport and Dr Gill Windle; Reflections on connecting communities through the arts - Dr Teri Howson; and The Grand Tour - Dr Katherine Taylor. Dr Jenna Ashton attended the conference and this helped to inform and also raise awareness about the GHIA project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://dementiaandimagination.org.uk/dementia-care/activities-and-events/
 
Description Doing Ageing Differently Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Contribution to the session on "Age-friendly places - building on GM neighbourhood programmes". Short talk and position statement on the value of green and blue infrastructure to older people (emerging findings from the GHIA non-monetary valuation work). Trafford Local Authority asked for follow up information to support the development of their Age Well Plan. The presentation was described as "thought provoking". Slides and data shared.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/ageing/doing-ageing-differently-conference/
 
Description ESRC seminar "Outdoor natural environments: An active space for the older adult?" 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact National and international contacts - dissemination of project information and awareness raising. For example, there will be a meeting in 2017 to discuss connections between GHIA and a project in Copenhagen which will help bring wider audiences.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://www.seminars.ecehh.org/outdoor-environments
 
Description Engaging People with Urban Nature event 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Natural History Museum and London Wildlife Trust convened a workshop at the London Natural History Museum to explore best practices and key challenges for engaging people with urban nature. It is one of three workshops responding to the growing recognition of the role that cities play in securing sustainable futures and the specific opportunities and challenges urban environments present in engaging people with nature. Sarah Lindley and Francine Hayfron were invited to contribute to discussions on contemporary best practice in this area and to shape and develop engagement work by NHM and the wider nature conservation sector. Further dissemination is through publication of the workshop's key findings with more analysis planned to help identify gaps in practitioner and beneficiary needs. They are also exploring models such as an urban biodiversity forum. GHIA representatives were invited due to expertise, research and activities engaging audiences with nature in urban settings. Expenses paid.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/urban-nature-project.html
 
Description GHIA Final Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This was the main dissemination event for the GHIA project and launched our final report with its recommendations for different audiences. The event was very well attended and generated a lot of interest and ideas for onward action by a range of participants (e.g. further research collaborations, use of findings in practice, use of methods and tools). Participants valued the variety of approaches used and the different academic and practitioner perspectives. Some participants also felt that the research helped to evidence the significance and importance of work that they were already doing. Actions will be followed up through the year with the event's breakout sessions and feedback forms providing more supporting information to help this happen. Although the reach was mainly local and national, we did have some international representation. Participants completed feedback forms to tell us what they learned and which recommendations were most important for them. The participants were also interested to keep in touch as part of a network centred on ageing and the urban natural environment.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://ghia.org.uk/outputs/final-event/
 
Description GHIA Work Package 1 Workshop 1 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact This was a scheduled event held as part of Work Package 1. It aimed to conduct shared thematic development, communications planning, the identification of milestones, and development of an understanding of partner perspectives. The workshop contributed towards the first phase of Work Package 1 and input into the development of a multi-disciplinary research framework. It was a participatory event involving presentations, discussion and reflection.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description GM Natural Capital Annual Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Launch of new mapping outputs on green infrastructure (Dennis et al., 2018 doi:10.3390/land7010017) and the project website (www.ghia.org.uk). Several requests for future engagement and plans for future activity (e.g. with Natural England). Ideas from the conference are feeding into the GM Mayor's Green Summit in March, 2018. Input into Stockport Council's Annual Public Health Report as a follow up.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL http://gmlch.ontheplatform.org.uk/article/greater-manchester-s-natural-capital-annual-conference-201...
 
Description GM Natural Capital Conference 2020 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This presentation reviewed the key recommendations from the GHIA project and pointed participants to the final report and targeted recommendations. Discussions have led to an invitation to contribute to discussions on developing biodiversity indicators to use at the city-region level.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://naturegreatermanchester.co.uk/join-us-delivering-a-greener-greater-manchester/
 
Description GM Natural Capital Group Annual Conference - 1 Feb 2017 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact GM Natural Capital Group Annual Conference - 1 Feb 2017 Text from the promotional material

"On Wednesday 1 February 2017, Greater Manchester's Natural Capital Group is hosting their annual conference to discuss the multiple benefits and opportunities that natural solutions can bring. The conference will bring together leading practitioners from across the public, private and third sectors to consider 'What can Natural Capital do for our urban environments'. This event will provide you with the opportunity to find out more about how we can encourage and support growth of the Natural Capital agenda and identify opportunities for delivering multiple benefits. As part of the event there will be interactive workshops and talks from key speakers, covering the following:

Embedding Natural Capital in the decision making process - why now and what does it mean for GM including the Defra 25 Year Plan, Urban Pioneer and Life IP funded Natural Course projects. Delivering Natural Capital and making it work including investment opportunities, multiple benefits from natural solutions and how these have been delivered in practice.This event is free to attend and is aimed at bringing together leading practitioners from across the public, private and third sectors, including: Sustainability and environmental management; Biodiversity and land management; Planning and regeneration; Health and social care; Utilities including water, wastewater and waste management; Highways and infrastructure; and Open space and recreation."

This engagement has helped to develop shared awareness through the project team and members of the Natural Capital Group who have since participated in a GHIA workshop.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://gmlch.ontheplatform.org.uk/article/gm-natural-capital-group-annual-conference-2017
 
Description Gerontological Society of America Conference - Nov 2016 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact The website states "GSA's Annual Scientific Meeting brought together more than 3,600 international experts and partners from academia, industry, government, and beyond to exchange information and to discuss the broader role of aging science. As the premier gathering of gerontologists from both the United States and around the world, attendees participated in over 450 scientific sessions including symposia, paper, and poster presentations." MICRA (GHIA project partners) had a stand with MMU (collaborating institution) and the British Gerontological Society. The stand had information about MICRA research at the University. Presentations were on MICRA research which covered themes relating to GHIA. Although engagement about GHIA is not a specific aim of this engagement, it is included due to the size of the event, its science-policy focus and the international outreach that this represents. Follow-up will be reported in future submissions.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL https://www.geron.org/meetings-events/2016-gsa-annual-scientific-meeting/
 
Description Greater Manchester Ageing Conference 2017 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This event was co-organised by MICRA and the Greater Manchester public sector. There were social media campaigns and blogs and the event reached a wide ranging audience. The event was attended by the GHIA Advisory Group Chair (Prof John Handley), co-Investigator Prof Chris Phillipson and several project partners. There was increased interest in this area of research as a result and the development of wider understanding of the issues underpinning the GHIA research. The event formally launched the Greater Manchester Ageing Hub (noted as a project collaborator)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://www.micra.manchester.ac.uk/connect/events/gm-ageing-conference-2017/
 
Description Healthier together: A exploration of community perceptions of Devolution Manchester - Nov 2016 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This event was organised as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science by a project team which includes one of the GHIA co-investigators Dr Gina Cavan. Supplied information notes "The Healthier Together project is hosting an exhibition of feedback from local community groups and users of Alexandra Park, soundscapes and photographs of the park. Together with playful speculations of what a Greater Manchester House of inter-national cultures might look like and the video 'Why I stayed' on loan from Touchstones, Rochdale at the Grosvenor Gallery, adjacent to the Holden Gallery, Grosvenor Building, Manchester School of Art". Although the event was not directly associated with the GHIA project, the topic is highly relevant to GHIA objectives being delivered by the MMU team. Importantly it also identifies wider data which might be useful as a benchmark for future impact assessment. The event also connected to possible participants and wider GM opportunities for connection. The website of the event notes that the project covered the following three elements:
"•We collected the views of the public at Alexandra Park using an on-line survey.
•We explored opinions and perceptions of urban parks and art galleries through creative workshops with local community groups.
•We interviewed representatives from museums and art galleries across Greater Manchester"
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL https://mmuhealthiertogether.wordpress.com
 
Description How can we use the newly released Green Infrastructure map to get more people outside? 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Matthew Dennis contributed to a workshop session.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL https://www.outdoorrecreation.org.uk/events/ordnance-survey-map-new-opportunities/
 
Description International Association for Landscape Ecology (iale) UK Annual Conference, 2017 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Presentation by Matthew Dennis
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://iale.uk/conference2017
 
Description Interview for BBC Radio 4 Open Country 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Dr Rebecca Taylor spoke about the findings from the GHIA project as part of the episode aired on 23 Jan 2020 in which Helen Mark visited Ryebank Fields in Chorlton to ask if it can be saved from development. The project team have been supporting a number of local groups by helping to provide evidence of wider non-monetary values from urban green spaces which are threatened by development (including submitted evidence in support of the campaign to save Nutsford Vale (Gorton/Levenshulme area). These engagements are helping to influence planning decisions.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000dgbk
 
Description Living with Loss in the City: Implications for Age Friendly Communities - Invited seminar speaker 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact GMCVO and Ambition for Ageing seminar, Manchester, invited speaker on Living with Loss in the City: Implications for Age Friendly Communities, Nov 2021. Attended by 70 people online from general public to NGOs, policy-makers and charities/service-providers. Awareness raising and debate on the wellbeing impacts of loss (and threats of loss) of urban community greenspaces, based on work from GHIA WP2.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.gmcvo.org.uk/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=8905
 
Description Manchester Statistical Society 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Presentation to the Manchester Statistical Society, a registered charity and one of the oldest statistical societies in the world. The Society has a history of research which aims to influence government policy related to societal impacts from urbanization and industrialization. Meetings cover a range of social and economic issues. Sarah Lindley presented the results of the GHIA project and many participants requested further information (via obtaining copies of the final report).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://manstatsoc.org/187th-session-2019-2020-dates-and-speakers/
 
Description NERC Into-the-Blue 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The stall and event contributions were handled through the Valuing Nature Network. The GHIA team contributed to the design of the stall and participated on most of the days of the event. The event helped to raise awareness about the project & make connections to potential participants and funders.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://valuing-nature.net/valuing-nature-nerc-blue
 
Description Naturally Healthy? 2nd March 2017 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This event was invitation-only event for c. 30-40 expert delegates, plus speakers. The event was organised by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare and Ecosystems Knowledge Network, supported by the Valuing Nature Network. The primary aim for the meeting was to look at metrics and information which demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of natural environment interventions to address health priorities. The GHIA poster was presented and information about the project provided. Birmingham City Council expressed an interest to be a potential test of GHIA outputs (e.g. manuals and tools) as the project progresses.

The VNN network site notes three aims/elements of the day.
1 - Challenges in policy and practice - Presentations and panel discussion involving perspectives from health policy, health economics and environmental economics.
2 - Shared practical exercise to learn from local health priorities and opportunities for improved access to the natural outdoors in and around Birmingham - Presentation and small group discussion.
3 - Future research priorities - Panel-led discussion of future inter-disciplinary research activity to develop methods.

Output - A four page policy and practice note on the event topic will be produced after the event. This will identify opportunities for changed practice and further research.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://valuing-nature.net/naturally-healthy
 
Description Panel with older adult participants x 2 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact WP4 Panels
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Presentation to East London Business Alliance 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Presentation Climate, environment and older people: Impacts and challenges to East London Business Alliance
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Presentation to practitioners in Taiwan 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Presentation entitled "From heat-wave to green-wave: the role of green infrastructure for moderating climate-related risk in cities" delivered as a public forum as part of a visit to Taiwan in April 2019. The presentation was part of a series of events on 'Urban Green Infrastructure and Climate Change Adaptation' held in Taipei in collaboration with the Landscape Association in Taiwan.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Science Uncovered 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Lightning talk at the Science Uncovered event at Manchester Museum on 28th September. Jack Benton (PhD student) did a talk on the benefits of green spaces for wellbeing which raised awareness of benefits, natural experiments and the GHIA project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Screening of Demain through the ESRC Festival of Social Science with audience discussion 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Film screening of the film Tomorrow, and panel event for the ESRC Festival of Science supported by RAH attended by over 80 people. Feedback forms have been filled in and returned for analysis. One of the main takeaways from this event was to acknowledge the number of small groups and organisations involved in projects similar to those seen in the film, in GM. Audience members discussed these and almost all seemed to have involvement from or impact on older people. This was despite ageing not being a significant focus. We are hoping to capture this during a separate artists survey but we have also generated a contact list from participants.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://www.esrcmanchesterfest.ac.uk/about/
 
Description Symposium on Age-Friendly Cities: Research, Policy and Practice 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Presentations were on MICRA research which covered themes strongly relating to GHIA. There will be future events dedicated to GHIA research. The event is included as it helps with outreach and initial knowledge around the project. Southway Housing have been in touch with the PI regarding future activities, helped by this engagement.
People involved. Chris Phillipson, Paul McGarry (Age Friendly Manchester), An-Sofie Smetcorn (VU Brussels), Stefan White (MMU), Mark Hammond (MMU), Outi Jolanki (University of Tampere, Finland), Cathy Ayrton (Southway Housing).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://www.micra.manchester.ac.uk/connect/events/events-archive/2017/symposium-on-age-friendly-citie...
 
Description Tell Us - Good Health through Green and Blue Spaces 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact This was a showcase of activities happening around Manchester City since the publication of the Manchester: A Certain Future Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy in 2015. The website below gives details. There was a short information pitch to give details about the GHIA project and raise awareness. The event took place in July 2016.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://www.manchesterclimate.com/news/2016/09/macf-tell-us-event-%E2%80%93-green-spaces-and-health
 
Description Urban Nature Recovery mapping discussion event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Exploration of mapping resources available to support the development of the Nature Recovery Network (part of Defra's 25 Year Environment Plan). The event was organised and run by Natural England and hosted at the University of Manchester. Sarah Lindley and Matt Dennis talked about the GHIA project and - specifically - the data resources which have been developed as part of it. The data resources were identified as an important and novel contribution to existing UK datasets, particularly emphasising the Integrated Landscape Map.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Valuing Nature Annual Conference 2016 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The VNN Annual Conference "included presentations, interactive sessions, posters and networking opportunities. The topics covered included:

Different approaches to valuing nature
Research into new ways to understand nature's value and to communicate with different audiences
Developments in research, policy and business drivers and the application of valuation information in practice."

There was a presentation about the GHIA project and presentations from some of the project partners, raising awareness of the project and making connections to other funded projects and the wider VNN. Several contacts were made with organisations interested to connect to the research.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://valuing-nature.net/valuing-nature-annual-conference-2016-0
 
Description Valuing Nature Network Annual Conference 2017 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Three contributions: Jenna Ashton (The Role of Ecological Arts and Creative Geographies in Valuing Urban Green Infrastructure); Sarah Lindley: Green Infrastructure and the Health and Wellbeing Influences on an ageing population (GHIA) (poster) and presentation contribution to the Demystifying Health session and John O'Neill contribution to the Business Challenges session (Valuing nature and business - what am I really thinking).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://valuing-nature.net/valnat17
 
Description Valuing Nature Network Business Impact Group 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact The following is taken from the email from Guy Duke announcing the event

"BIG has a remit to:
1. consider business risks and opportunities related to the VN research goals;
2. make recommendations on research and innovation priorities related to the VN research goals, as seen through a business lens;
3. advise on measures to enhance business impact of the funded VN projects, extending research through innovation to commercialisation;
4. advise on opportunities for funded projects to engage with specific businesses, such as through secondments or links/synergies with business-led research and innovation;
5. advise on links with relevant business impact initiatives in the UK and internationally.
The main agenda item for this second BIG meeting will be how to optimise the business impact of the VN Health & Wellbeing and Tipping Points projects, including what role the BIG and VN Programme Coordination Team (PCT) can play in supporting this. For example, at the recent VN Annual Meeting in Manchester, projects suggested that the PCT might provide tailored coaching/ brokering of business impact for each project.
BIG2 will also consider other actions that BIG and the PCT can take to facilitate the business impact of VN research. A number of ideas were put forward at the VN Annual Meeting in this regard, including:
• programme-wide events, including: (a) webinars promoting VN research and impact with a wider range of businesses; (b) an event with business HR managers promoting H&W values of nature for employee health/ productivity; (c) a business impact conference towards the end of the programme (involving BIS alumni, the VN projects and their business partners, BIG members and other interested businesses).
• a 'marketplace' in which (a) R&I performers can 'market' their research/findings/innovations to businesses, and (b) businesses can 'market', to the research community, their VN-related activities, data and/or interest to engage.
As an output from the meeting, we plan to prepare a BIG paper on 'Optimising the business impact of the VN projects and wider business engagement in the VN agenda'. We plan then to follow through on meeting recommendations, to support your project and others in business impact work, as far as resources allow."

The event allowed connections to be made to developers, possible future sponsors and also interventions happening within the city. Specific follow ups were made with several group members.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Valuing Nature Research and Innovation in Support of Business Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Discussions on tools produced through the GHIA project and their potential onward use. Further engagement arranged as a result of attending the conference.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://valuing-nature.net/news/business-impact-conference-2020
 
Description Valuing Nature and Participatory Decision Making Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The conference summary notes "The conference involved researchers from the UK and beyond who are active in the area of valuing nature and/or participatory research, as well as those wishing to learn more about the general case for participatory approaches to valuation, their contexts and dynamics of use, as well as their implications for approaches to evidence gathering and decision making. This included researchers at all career stages from across the natural and social sciences and arts and humanities. More generally, the conference included policy makers and practitioners seeking to contribute to emerging research debates regarding participation from an applied starting point." A poster about the GHIA project was presented and a presentation was delivered by one of the GHIA co-investigators (Prof John O'Neill). The conference allowed outreach with various groups and resulted in requests for more information and follow ups.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://valuing-nature.net/valpart
 
Description Valuing parks and their communities 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This event is a "half-day workshop on the values and practices of community engagement in public parks. As an important voice in this discussion, we very much hope that you can attend". It is an invite-only event for approximately 25 people (forthcoming Wednesday March 22nd). The event invitation notes that "The workshop will consider the recommendations of the recent CLG Select Committee on the Future of Public Parks, which identifies issues concerning the competing demands and inequalities of access amongst different user groups and discuss these in the light of recent research and engagement activities in Manchester. It will also explore the work of cultural institutions and community groups in addressing these issues. The aim of these discussions is the co-production of a guide to good practice to inform innovation in sustainable business management models and strategies for parks - locally and beyond. A copy of the completed guide will be publically available through the Understanding Everyday Participation website."
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/communities-and-local-gov...
 
Description Work Package 1 - Workshop 2 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact This was a scheduled event held as part of Work Package 1 (follow up to Workshop 1). It aimed to conduct shared thematic development and development of an understanding of partner perspectives, with a particular emphasis on the latter. The workshop contributed towards the second phase of Work Package 1 and input into the development of a multi-disciplinary research framework. It was a participatory event involving presentations, discussion and reflection.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017