A fishing group in Rochdale has made history by becoming the first of its kind to be prescribed on the NHS for people with mental health issues. MM went to meet the founder and some of the people it’s helping.
David Lyons struggled with alcoholism on and off for more than a decade.
In and out of detox facilities, through periods of abstinence and recovery, David’s mental health was suffering. And antidepressants didn’t work.
It wasn’t until he moved near to a lake in Rochdale that he reconnected with his old love of fishing, 20 years since he had last sat on the bank of a lake.
Immediately, David could see the change in his mental state. It was getting him out of the house, immersing him in nature and keeping his mind occupied.
“I was getting more benefit from fishing than any medication or talking therapy,” says David. “I thought if this is working for me, it’s going to work for other people too.”
So David set up Tackling Minds, an organisation seeking to improve people’s mental well-being through fishing.
In recent years, there’s been a push towards ‘green social prescribing’ in the UK. As well as being offered therapy and medication for your mental health, you can now be offered various nature-based activities as an alternative form of treatment.
Studies have shown 90% of adults in England associated better mental health and well-being with being in green and natural spaces.
“It’s not for everyone, but we did have a gentleman turn up with a book saying he wasn’t interested. Now he’s the last person to leave every week,” David laughs.
Tackling Minds is now a leading organisation when it comes to green social prescribing and is currently in the middle of a series of research projects with Angling Direct and Anglia Ruskin University which recently found anglers were less likely to self-harm, report anxiety or attempt suicide.
Because of David’s own experience with alcoholism, Tackling Minds also holds sessions specifically for those in addiction recovery.
Paul Hockwart is one of the service users attending the sessions, currently in recovery from drugs and alcohol.
He says: “It stops your mind from racing. When you’ve got mental health issues your head’s always going 100 miles an hour. Here, you don’t have to worry about anything.
“I just like watching the reflection of the trees in the water, you know?”
Around 30,000 people in Greater Manchester were helped through social prescribing last year.
And fishing is just one of the services prescribed. Other activities include walking groups, circus skills, tree planting, paddleboarding and cycling- to name just a few.
But the activity is secondary. The main aim is getting people outside to benefit from nature and socialisation.
As David says: “With a lot of our service users, this is their only time to socialise. You’ve got someone to speak to who’s been through similar circumstances and is empathetic towards your situation.”
Ash Varley had been in and out of recovery for 13 years.
He found himself in hospital 16 months ago where he was told he had a 50/50 chance to live. When he came around, he found Tackling Minds whilst scrolling on Facebook.
Just three months after leaving the hospital, Ash went down to a session and has been volunteering ever since.
“You don’t have to lose everything, but some people do and I was one of them, unfortunately. I should have died and I shouldn’t even be here, but I am. So I love giving back and showing people recovery is possible.”
Green social prescribing is now written into Greater Manchester’s population health strategy because of the impact it has on the health and well-being of its citizens.
Jon Grace, green social prescribing lead for Greater Manchester, says: “Green social prescribing offers anything you can do outdoors in a social, mindful, intentional way, which really helps alleviate and reduce suffering from mental or physical health conditions.
“It has such an instrumental impact on people’s lives and has turned people’s lives around and put them on a better path where they can feel more socially connected, more healthy and have a great sense of connectedness to their natural environment.
“One of the great benefits of delivering this kind of health intervention in this way is that you’re connected to nature and you appreciate nature. I hope that’s something people take away with them and will hopefully last for much longer than they realise.”
“It’s meditative,” says David as he looks across the lake. The fishermen are perched on the edge, focused on the water.
“Today’s a perfect winter’s day; mild, no wind, no rain. Nothing. Just relaxing.”
For more information visit the Tackling Minds website.
