On 11 September 2025, I joined Science of the Forest: People, Nature and Climate, a satellite event of the British Science Festival run by The Mersey Forest at Liverpool John Moores University. The day was buzzing with ideas and inspiration, with scientists, students, policymakers, community professionals, and nature enthusiasts all exploring how evidence and innovation are shaping the landscapes we live in.

 

As part of the “People” theme, I had presented alongside Professor Sarah Rodgers, Co-Director of the GroundsWell consortium. Sarah introduced the wider vision of GroundsWell, how our UK-wide partnership connects researchers, local authorities, health professionals, and communities to transform how green and blue spaces are planned, created, and cared for. Her talk set the scene for what GroundsWell is trying to achieve: tackling health inequalities through a systems approach that combines powerful data tools with lived experience.

 

^{Prof Sarah Rodgers speaking at the event}

I then spoke about some of the work happening locally in Liverpool. One project I was especially proud to highlight was the forest bathing pilot, funded through the GroundsWell Innovation Fund. In partnership with The Mersey Forest and NHS colleagues, this project supports NHS staff through guided woodland sessions. These sessions are designed to reduce stress, improve wellbeing, and support recovery. I also presented our application of the 3-30-300 framework in Cheshire and Merseyside. Our findings revealed clear inequalities. People in more deprived areas were less likely to meet these standards, and our analysis showed strong associations between meeting the 3-30-300 targets and lower prevalence of common mental disorders.

 

Reflections on the day

Two themes from the conference have stayed with me.

First was the importance of coll 

Second was the value of working across multiple scales. Some talks, such as those on Local Nature Recovery Strategies and the launch of the Liverpool Research Institute for Climate & Sustainability (LiRICS), operated at the national and regional scale. They showed how policy and funding frameworks can set ambition and direction. Others zoomed in at the local level, from mapping tree canopy in neighbourhoods to community interventions, and even down to individual trees that “speak” through sensors and social media. What struck me is that both scales are essential — and they need to be linked. Policy can unlock resources and shape long-term change, but local projects show how these ideas land in practice, shaping people’s daily lives. For GroundsWell, the challenge and the opportunity is to bridge those scales: using big data to reveal inequalities, while also working with communities to design interventions that respond to local realities.

 

^{The crowd at the event}

What this means for GroundsWell

The conversations after our session were some of the most inspiring moments of the day. Several attendees expressed interest in collaborating on new projects, showing that the appetite for partnership is strong. We have already agreed to follow-up discussions with The Mersey Forest to explore co-designing new community interventions and assessing green space access at a regional level.

Personally, I left the event more convinced than ever that research cannot stop at publication. Our responsibility is to make sure findings are translated into policy, planning, and practice, so that investments in green infrastructure deliver real health benefits, especially in the communities that need them most. 

Being part of Science of the Forest reminded me that while the challenges of climate change, health inequalities, and urbanisation are complex, they are also shared. With collaboration across disciplines and action across scales, we can turn evidence into meaningful change. And that, for me, is the heart of GroundsWell’s mission.

You can explore the full set of presentations and conference highlights here: The Mersey Forest – Science of the Forest.

 

Dr Xianghui Zhang

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Xianghui.Zhang@liverpool.ac.uk