12th May - Day 52 - A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. Greek Proverb

If I had actually been caught in the storms yesterday, I think I might have been persuaded to stop the challenge at 51 days - especially when I saw the size of the hailstones that covered everywhere. The second picture shows the dramatic skies on the way home. The first picture, however, taken during the storm yesterday evening, is because I want to talk about trees (as promised in yesterday’s blog).

With nature being the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, there is lots of research available about trees and woodland having a positive effect on mental wellbeing. As Forestry England says, spending just 2 hours a week in nature significantly improves our health and satisfaction. They also provide a guide to ‘Forest bathing’ which is definitely worth checking out.

We know that outdoor spaces aren’t available equally to everyone and barriers do exist but at least Sheffield does have 80 public parks and 650 green spaces in the area, and Sheffield’s two million trees means it has more per person than any other UK city. That surely is something we should be proud of and want to preserve. After taking the pictures of the bluebells last week, I became very aware of the amount of trees and woodland I pass each day on my bike. Given one of the aims of this week is for people to notice and experience nature close to home, I’d urge everyone to try and access a green space at least for a short time this week. You might, like me, be surprised at what you can actually see and how it makes you feel.

"I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees." Thoreau