- University of Sheffield’s Dr Helen Hoyle is a lead academic on a £1 million project, Roots to Healthy Places: Nature Connections in Luton, funded through the national Nature Towns and Cities programme.
- The project will use nature-based solutions—including green corridors, sensory nature walks, and a social prescribing hub—to improve health, wellbeing, and biodiversity, especially in communities with limited access to green space.
- This collaboration, led by Luton Borough Council and supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, showcases the University of Sheffield’s leadership in transdisciplinary research that bridges public health, landscape design, and community empowerment.
Dr Helen Hoyle, NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) Transdisciplinary Research Fellow at the Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR), is playing a central role in a major new national initiative to reconnect communities with nature and improve public health.
Luton has been named one of 40 towns and cities across 19 partnerships in the UK to receive funding through the highly competitive Nature Towns and Cities programme, launched today by Natural England, the National Trust, and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The £1 million grant awarded to Luton Borough Council will support the ambitious project, Roots to Healthy Places: Nature Connections in Luton, which will use nature-based solutions to improve health, wellbeing, biodiversity, and climate resilience.
Helen, who is also a Lecturer in Healthy Urban Landscapes in the School of Architecture and Landscape, brings unique expertise to the partnership, combining landscape design and public health research to address inequality through green infrastructure.
“This is a fantastic example of the cross-disciplinary work made possible by my SPHR fellowship,” said Helen, “I’m thrilled to contribute to this major collaboration with Luton Borough Council and the Luton Health and Nature Partnership. Together, we aim to co-design nature based interventions that improve wellbeing, particularly in communities with the greatest barriers to accessing green space.”
Luton’s project will introduce a social prescribing hub, a volunteer passport scheme, and a skills development programme, while animating the town’s green corridors with events that celebrate natural heritage and biodiversity.
Dr Hoyle’s involvement exemplifies the University of Sheffield’s commitment to research that bridges disciplines and sectors to create meaningful, real-world change.
“Helen’s achievements highlight the transformative potential of cross-faculty and cross-sector collaboration,” said Professor Liddy Goyder, Director of the Healthy Lifespan Institute’s Healthy Places theme which brings together researchers, policy makers and practitioners to tackle major public health issues. “Her work demonstrates how academic insight can directly shape healthier, more sustainable urban environments.”
Professor Helen Woolley, Head of the School of Architecture and Landscape, added: “We are proud to support Helen’s fellowship, which has enabled her to build vital partnerships and contribute to this high-profile national programme.”
Dr Hannah Jordan, Director of the Masters in Public Health at SCHARR, commented: “Helen’s work is a brilliant example of what transdisciplinary collaboration can achieve. We’ve benefited enormously from her engagement with SCHARR, and this new project shows the powerful potential for public health innovation.”
Nature Towns and Cities is a first-of-its-kind national programme aiming to make at least 100 UK towns and cities greener, healthier, and more inclusive. It focuses especially on communities that have historically lacked access to quality green spaces. Through this initiative, millions more people will have the opportunity to experience nature as part of their daily lives.