PARK STRIFE

Blackpool’s 3rd highest death rate in Europe due to lack of green spaces, report claims

BLACKPOOL

BLACKPOOL has the third highest death rate of anywhere in Europe due to a lack of green spaces, according to a report.

The Lancashire seaside town came only behind the Italian cities of Trieste and Turin in a list of places in Europe with more than 100,000 inhabitants with the highest mortality rates linked to a lack of green space.

Researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health concluded up to 43,000 deaths each year could be prevented if areas followed World Health Organisation guidelines that no one should be more than 300 metres from a park or outdoor space.

A staggering 73% of Blackpool’s population have little or no access to such leafy areas. Health benefits of

TURIN green spaces include lower rates of mental health problems, reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, better brain function and a longer life expectancy.

Lancashire county council’s director of public health, Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, had been spearheading work on how to tackle health inequalities before the pandemic struck.

He said of the findings: “It’s sad but not surprising, and a reminder that the places where we live, work and go out with our families and friends do matter in determining our health and wellbeing.

“That’s why investing in our NHS alone will not really address this – we need to invest in our places and communities to thrive.

“We need to start thinking about prevention. We need to invest in the causes and support people in having better life chances.”

Spending time in nature not only benefits our health and provides us with opportunities for physical exercise and social interaction, but it also helps to mitigate air pollution, heat and noise levels, all while reducing the planet’s carbon footprint.

The study, published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal, looked at 1,000 cities in 31 European countries.

Data suggests that Elche, in south east Spain, recorded the lowest mortality rates with only 20% of the population lacked access to green spaces.

Study lead author Evelise Pereira said: “Our findings show that green space is very unevenly distributed across European cities, with mortality attributable to insufficient exposure to green space.”