Green health prescribing with Ageing Well:
“Connecting with people is so important”

A Green Health Prescription is a new form of prescription. Alongside other, traditional, treatments your health professional may prescribe spending time outdoors. We wanted to shine a spotlight on a service that uses time spent in nature as way keeping well. We reached out to Natasha from Ageing Well to hear about the work they do.

Do you live and/or work in Midlothian and want to share your own experiences of mental health and wellbeing and the different ways keep you well?

Ageing Well aims improve maintain and promote the physical and mental health and wellbeing of older people in Midlothian and improve their quality of life through a programme of activities and services by implementing a peer support model where trained volunteers lead, encourage and provide information to assist and inspire their peers in adopting a more active and healthy life.

Volunteers are the key to the success of this project by running and supporting free or low-cost activities in their local area. They also offer fitness checks in various locations throughout the year in Midlothian, and they organise larger events such as Walk the Line walking event on Saturday 26 September, where you can come and enjoy the sights and history of the beautiful walkway from Penicuik to Eskbank by signing up to either a 3, 5 or 8 mile walk.

Ageing Well will be offering functional fitness tests at a forthcoming Community Falls Prevention Day at the Ladywood Leisure Centre in Penicuik on 29 October 2026, where you can drop in for a health MOT and advice on how to improve your strength and balance.

There are currently over 60 volunteers within the Ageing Well project who help to deliver the weekly ‘Be Active’ programme. There are 66 sessions/classes offered each week on the Ageing Well programme, ranging from singing, walking groups, new age kurling and tai chi, to various dance classes, racquet sports, walking rugby and walking football.  Ageing Well have recently worked in partnership with Cycling UK to run a 4 week Couch to 10 mile cycling project.

The benefits of getting outside:

Apart from the obvious one that you get a great work out, whether its walking, playing sport or gardening, it’s also very sociable and a lot of fun. Connecting with people is so important for your mental health and feeling part of a community. The fresh air also improves your sleep and just 10 minutes of sunlight every day helps you get Vitamin D which is needed for your bones and immune system. You’ll also find you will have more energy and feel better within yourself, and less anxious and stressed.

Quotes from walkers:

“It gives us a reason to go out and socialise once a week. One major learning activity for me had been to see and experience a lot of local or fairly close walks of which I wasn’t aware, more than learning about your community”

“I feel more supple and able to walk more and I have more energy”

“I am so pleased that I have started these activities, very good for mental and physical health”

“Joining walking group and choir are 2 of the best things I ever did”

“Have enjoyed learning new walks in the area and meeting lots of people”

“Ageing Well is an excellent concept to reach out to older people and to engage them in a variety of activities”

“I have had new adventures in my surrounding areas, enjoyed taking part in walking group”

“Since my retirement I have found Ageing Well very helpful for keeping a level of fitness with lots of activities and meeting a lot of new people”

“Increasing my circle of friends and socialising since I retired”

“I have enjoyed meeting other people and socialising”

“It’s a very worthwhile programme for all ages and levels of fitness”

“The groups I attend are very important to me and the other participants, we can laugh, learn and forget everything else for an hour or so”

“Grassy Riggs Drop-in walking group is one of the highlights of my week, company, information, shared experience, local knowledge”

“Takes away stress, I look forward to the chats and walks, the three groups I attend have been very beneficial”

“Joining Ageing Well had given me a much better retirement and made new friends”