Raising the Green Flag: Pensford Field in Kew Recognised as One of the UK's Best Green Spaces


We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate a milestone for Dose of Nature! Our beautiful site in Kew, Pensford Field, has officially been awarded the prestigious Green Flag Community Award for 2026/27.

Nick and Natasha from the conservation team sat at the Green Flag awards ceremony

Now celebrating its 30th year, the Green Flag Award is the internationally recognised quality mark for outstanding parks and green spaces. This year, a record-breaking 2,391 sites across the UK achieved the standard. We are incredibly proud that Pensford Field is officially counted among them - a fantastic testament to the hard work, passion, and daily dedication of our volunteer Conservation team who pour so much love into caring for this space.


"A unique and well-loved site"


Following our official assessment on 28th May 2026, our Green Flag judge described Pensford Field as "a unique and well-loved site that provides so much to so many in benefiting their lives and wellbeing."


Unlike manicured public parks, Pensford Field is carefully managed as a thriving conservation haven. The judge praised our balanced approach to maintenance, highlighting our dedication to sustainable practices:


  • A Haven for Biodiversity: Despite being a small, hidden site, Pensford Field packs in a stunning array of habitats, including a pond, woodland, and wildflower meadow. Volunteers systematically record biodiversity and create a healthy space for volunteers to contribute their ideas. 
  • Circular & Sustainable Management: From using recycled woodchip for paths and logs for edging, to returning woody waste directly back to the land for habitat creation, we ensure our environmental footprint remains entirely positive.
  • A Safe, Welcoming Space: With a fantastic building equipped with a kitchen and toilets, our site offers a secure, peaceful retreat for clients and locals alike to escape the noise of daily life and reconnect with nature.


Nick and Natasha from the Conversation team said:


“We are absolutely delighted to have received the Green Flag Community Award. This achievement is a testament to the incredible dedication, hard work and passion of our volunteers and clients, who generously give their time to care for and improve our lovely field. Their commitment has made this recognition possible, and we couldn’t be more grateful for everything they do. We’re more than a little bit proud!”


A Vital Community Resource


Reacting to the announcement, Paul Todd MBE, Green Flag Award Manager at Keep Britain Tidy, said:

"Parks and green spaces are essential public spaces that support our wellbeing, our communities, and our economy. Dose of Nature has shown what can be achieved when spaces are properly supported and managed. Congratulations to everyone involved."


Our founder and clinical team would like to extend a massive, heartfelt thank you to our incredible volunteer team, with special mention to Natasha and Nick. Your daily efforts, creative ideas, and deep care for this little pocket of green space are what make our nature prescriptions so life-changing for our clients.


Help Us Keep This Hidden Gem Thriving


Pensford Field is a vital piece of the therapeutic support we offer at Dose of Nature. We are committed to keeping this space safe, accessible, and completely free for our clients in crisis. However, as a small charity, maintaining a conservation site like this requires ongoing funding.


If you would like to support our work and help keep Pensford Field thriving for the community, please consider making a donation today.

Donate Today
A group of practitioners sat in a circle outside drinking tea
July 1, 2026
Mental health practitioners from West London NHS Trust complete training with Dose of Nature at Pensford Field, Kew to deliver 10-week nature prescriptions for psychosis recovery, backed by a new LSE trial.
LSE Report Front Cover - Dose of Nature Impact Evaluation Report 2025
By Alison Greenwood July 1, 2026
A landmark 2.5-year study by the London School of Economics (LSE) proves that Dose of Nature prescriptions significantly reduce anxiety, depression, and loneliness while offering high value for money.
June 1, 2026
We are delighted to share that the Chimo Trust has made a substantial new grant to support the next stage of Dose of Nature’s development, with a particular focus on expanding access for young people experiencing mental health challenges. We first began working with Chimo Trust in 2022, and from the outset they recognised both the urgency of the mental health crisis facing young people and the potential for nature-based interventions to play a meaningful role alongside existing services. At Dose of Nature, we believe that many people fall into the gap between early emotional distress and the threshold for specialist NHS support. Our nature prescriptions are designed to offer an accessible, non-stigmatising and evidence-based intervention that helps people reconnect — with themselves, with others and with the natural world. Over recent years, we have continued to build the evidence base for this approach, including through a randomised controlled trial conducted with the London School of Economics and Political Science. Our outcomes have consistently demonstrated levels of recovery and improvement that outperform average national talking therapy benchmarks, while delivering support in a way that feels more human, preventative and accessible. This new funding from Chimo Trust will support the development of our partnership model, enabling us to work alongside organisations across the UK to deliver Dose of Nature prescriptions for young people in both clinical and community settings. The aim is not only to expand access, but also to help build a scalable model that can support earlier intervention and long-term wellbeing in more communities. The timing of this support is particularly important. The recent interim report from the UK Government’s review into young people’s mental health highlighted the growing need for “earlier, less intensive and more accessible forms” of support beyond specialist clinical services. We believe nature-based interventions can play an important role in that future — especially when they are evidence-based, clinically informed and delivered through trusted community partnerships. We are hugely grateful to Chimo Trust for their continued belief in our work and for helping us take this next step toward making nature-based mental health support more widely available to the young people who need it most.
More Posts