Blue Spaces

REASONS WHY BLUE SPACES ARE SO IMPORTANT

1 in 5 Children in England now live with a social, emotional or mental health challenge

This figure has risen sharply — it was 1 in 9 just three years prior. Mental health issues affect every area of a child’s life, including academic performance, relationships and physical health.

Source: NHS England cited by  YoungMinds (2024). 

949,200 Children referred to CAMHS in England in 2022–23 — equal to 8% of all children

Of those nearly one million referrals, only 305,000 (32%) actually received support. A further 270,300 were still waiting at year’s end. And 372,800 (39%) had their referral closed before accessing any support at all.

Source: Children’s Commissioner for England, Children’s Mental Health Services 2022–23 report.

108 days – Average wait time for children who accessed CAMHS treatment in 2022–23

Some children waited over three years. Being on a waiting list is not neutral — research shows children’s conditions worsen during waits, with some reaching crisis point. Community-based provision like Ocean Therapy fills this gap in a non-clinical, accessible way.

Source: Rethink Mental Illness, citing NHS England data (2024).

BLUE SPACE STUDIES – THE SCIENCE

First systematic review of blue space interventions — 33 studies, all pointing in the same direction

The first ever systematic review of therapeutic blue space interventions (called “blue care”) analysed 33 studies published between 2004 and 2017. The overall finding was that blue care interventions produced significant positive effects for mental health, especially psycho-social wellbeing. There was also evidence of greater social connectedness during and after interventions — highly relevant for SEND children who often struggle with social isolation.

Source: Health Promotion International

People are happiest in coastal settings — data from 16,307 people across 18 countries

A large-scale international study found that recreational visits to coastal blue spaces were positively associated with higher positive wellbeing and negatively associated with mental distress. Crucially, the effect was driven by actually visiting blue space, not just living near it — making structured access programmes like Ocean Therapy the intervention that unlocks the benefit.

Source: Scientific Reports, Blue Space and Mental Health