Coronavirus: 'A walk in the park would help my anxiety'

Lucy Williamson would happily exercise locally like the government advice but she can't as her local park is shut.

The 28-year-old carer says her anxiety has got worse as it is difficult to social distance on pavements while walking her Welsh collie, so she steps into the road to keep two metres apart.

It affected her mental heath so much she now drives for a walk - but wishes the park near her house was available.

Now a mental health charity is calling for more parks to be reopened in Wales

"The governmental advice is to exercise in open areas close to your home," said Lucy.

"To access open areas, we now have to travel by car to avoid leaping into busy roads or attempting to cross them so not to get too close to other people."

People in Wales are told to stay home and exercise locally in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus, the pandemic that has killed almost 350,000 people worldwide this year and more than 2,000 people in Wales.

Lucy lives near her parents in Neath Port Talbot and her mental health has been suffering since lockdown began in late March.

She and fiancé Sean actually moved to Skewen to be a five minute walk from the large park which is the centrepiece of the village - but now it is closed as local councils want to stop the spread of Covid-19.

"We are active with a very active dog and have genuinely found it difficult to walk anywhere locally without having to hold our breath when passing others due to the nature of the paths we are forced to use," said Lucy.

"The way people are being corralled like cattle on to narrow paths and pavements is quite sickening.

"I think that if I was alone here and didn't have my parents for support, it's the sort of thing that could really tip your mental health over the edge."

Lucy was injured in a horse riding accident last year - hurting her pelvis and damaging her kidney - and she still suffers with back problems and says the park closure " has definitely slowed down" her rehabilitation.

"I have anxiety and it is definitely made worse by this," Lucy said.

Skewen Park is run and maintained by Coedffranc town council and, in a statement, they say it is closed "in line" with Neath Port Talbot council's decision to shut parks.

They also have "concerns around maintaining adequate social distancing" at Skewen Park's skate park and the council has "limited capacity to police the social distancing aspect of the regulations".

The Welsh Government said decision to shut parks is up to local authorities - and Neath Port Talbot are one of eight Welsh councils that closed all of their parks.

They said they are "keeping park closure under constant review" as some local authorities have chosen only to lock playgrounds and facilities but have left green spaces open.

Now one mental health charity, which has had four-times the number of people contacting them since before lockdown, wants councils to reconsider their park closure strategy.

"I think by allowing the lockdown to come down slightly, as long as people adhere to the rules, social distancing I can't foresee too many problems," said Dafydd James, a Hafal Ambassador.

He hopes councils "could ease the restrictions a bit" as research shows exercise "improves mental health and reduces anxiety and depression".

"During the pandemic it has been important to try and keep your mind active," added Mr James.

"Having that ability to get that social interaction as well as going out to enjoy the beautiful coastline or parks is good for your mental health and does alleviate some stresses."