Four-year agreement brings together national expertise, community engagement and evidence to help more people connect with nature and experience the benefits for their health.
Intelligent Health and Natural England have signed a four-year Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen the connection between nature, health and quality of life across England.
The strategic partnership, covering 2026 to 2030, brings together Natural England’s national evidence, expertise and networks with Intelligent Health’s scalable, community-led programmes, including Beat the Street.
The two organisations will work together to increase opportunities for people to connect with nature, from the hyperlocal to the national level, and to develop practical approaches that can support local authorities, public health teams, health systems and devolved authorities.
The agreement supports Natural England’s strategy, Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security, and Intelligent Health’s vision of a world where every community supports good health and every person has the agency and environment to flourish.
At its heart is a shared commitment to health creation: creating the social and environmental conditions that enable people and communities to thrive.
The partnership will support national ambitions to improve access to green and blue spaces within a 15-minute walk from home, reduce the physical and less-visible barriers that prevent people from accessing nature, and increase the time people spend being active in natural environments.
Particular attention will be given to communities experiencing the greatest inequalities and to people who are currently least likely to access and benefit from nature.
The organisations have also committed to developing a shared evaluation and learning framework, drawing on established delivery models including the Cross-Government Green Social Prescribing Programme and Beat the Street.
David Drake, Director for People and Nature at Natural England, said:
“This partnership represents an important opportunity to strengthen the connection between nature and health. By working together, we can improve our understanding of how nature supports healthy, happy communities and help more people access the benefits of green and blue spaces, particularly those communities that face the greatest barriers to doing so.
“This partnership aligns with Natural England’s ambition to ensure nature plays a central role in creating healthier, more resilient places, while supporting innovative approaches that bring together local authorities, health systems and community partners. We look forward to working with Intelligent Health to demonstrate how nature-based solutions can improve health and wellbeing outcomes for people across the country.”
Dr William Bird MBE, CEO of Intelligent Health and Co-Chair of Healthier UK, said:
“Nature is one of our most powerful, yet underused, health assets. This partnership is an important step for health creation in England.
“By combining Natural England’s expertise in green infrastructure with Intelligent Health’s community-led approach through Beat the Street, we are bridging the gap between national environmental strategy and everyday health outcomes. This isn’t just about preserving green spaces, it’s activating them for human health.
“Every community deserves clean, accessible green space within a short walk from home, and this strategic alliance gives us the framework to make that vision a reality, particularly for those facing the greatest health inequalities.”
Priorities for 2026 to 2027
Evidence and data sharing:
Exploring opportunities to share data and develop a stronger understanding of how people connect with nature in their communities.
Advocacy and system leadership:
Working across systems and with other arm’s-length bodies to support joint, place-based approaches to health creation.
Training and capacity building for health professionals:
This work will consider how nature can be more effectively integrated into training and development models in local healthcare systems and pathways.
Nature and health creation demonstrators:
Explore opportunities for place-based projects that demonstrate the impact nature can have on health outcomes. These will combine Natural England’s green infrastructure evidence and work to connect people with nature with Intelligent Health’s community engagement, activation and insight.
