Two green spaces in Bristol have been found to be among those in the country that have the most "welfare value".
Blaise Castle Estate and Ashton Court Estate have been found to be in the 'Top 10' most valuable recreation sites across England and Wales. Blaise Castle is in the Top 3.
In a statement, the University of Exeter - who carried out the study - said Blaise Castle is worth £12,921,910 while Ashton Court is worth £7,773,005.
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The university said: "Parks and green spaces provide around £25.6 billion of ‘welfare value’ annually to the health and wellbeing of adults in England and Wales each year, according to a ground-breaking new tool that calculates the economic value of outdoor recreational spaces.
"The Outdoor Recreation Valuation Tool (ORVal), developed by researchers at the University of Exeter, assesses the value provided by each park, wood, riverside walk, country path and beach across England and Wales, while also identifying which residents enjoy the benefits of each green space and when they do so."
"In a major study funded by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), researchers found that small parks deliver ‘pound for pound’ the highest recreation value, and that good access to quality green spaces, the weather and dog ownership are key drivers of increased outdoor recreation."
The study found that people from ethnic minority backgrounds and in less affluent socioeconomic groups are less likely to engage in outdoor recreation, even when given the same recreation opportunities, and that dog owners are 4 times (3.7) more likely to use recreation spaces but having children does not significantly impact recreation habits.
Lord Benyon, minister for rural affairs said: “Spending time outside in nature is good for us. This study is clear that even the smallest green spaces are good for the economy and provide important social benefits.
“We are investing in new parks through our £9m Levelling Up Parks Fund to help everyone access green space. We are also helping connect people to the outdoors through our network of national trails, including the creation of an England Coastal Path, and we have introduced green social prescribing pilots to improve health and wellbeing.”
