Brighton expert putting spotlight on water environments and wellbeing

University of Brighton’s Dr Catherine Kelly will speak at an event on 30 November on the wellbeing benefits of natural water environments.

The two-hour webinar – entitled Promoting Health and Wellbeing Through Integrated Water Management – is a collaboration between the Environment Agency and the Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) organisation. In addition to Dr Kelly’s keynote speech, there will be contributions from the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust, as well as other expert commentators including a doctor.

As well as spotlighting the wellbeing impacts so-called ‘Blue Spaces’ can have in our environment –  especially at local project design stages – the webinar is a rare coming together of representatives from government departments, NGOs, charities and councils to discuss multiple aspects of the water environment, public health and wellbeing in the same space.  The event will also contribute to a 10 Point Advice Note for Defra, the Environment Agency, local authorities and other stakeholders, pointing the way to  maximising the benefits of local water environments for all.

From the source of rivers to the sea, across towns, cities, countryside and coasts, a healthy water environment not only provides an essential element for us to live, but also creates better places to live, where people and wildlife can flourish. For too long, however, management of the water environment has been undertaken in an often disjointed fashion by government, private companies and landowners operating in isolation.

Dr Catherine Kelly will draw on her expertise as a geographer, researcher, wellbeing practitioner, and author of a bestselling book, Blue Spaces: How and Why Water Can Make You Feel Better.

Dr Kelly, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Business and Law at University of Brighton, said: “Blue Spaces are central to our human health and well-being. How policy makers, researchers and communities come together will determine the social, psychological and physical well-being impacts of water in our lives.”

This free online event runs 10am-12pm on 30 November, and you can register via Eventbrite:  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/promoting-health-and-wellbeing-through-integrated-water-management-tickets-171299821377