Happiness really is Tent Shaped!

0 Comments | Posted By Corrina Jeffreys

Imagine my joy when I returned to work after a long weekend to find a report on my desk that showed ‘76% of campers are satisfied with their quality of life compared to 59% non-campers’.

Now I am the type of person that spends my life trying to convince people that they should buy a tent and give camping ago. Fortunately many of my friends have succumbed to my persistent over eager stories and are now seasoned campers themselves. I even gave a tent as a wedding present this weekend, and a holiday in the Lakes is on the cards with the happy couple.

Commissioned by the Camping and Caravanning Club and researched by Liverpool John Moores University, the report entitled ‘Are those who camp richer for it? The Psychological and Social Benefits of the Camping Experience.’ Looks at the positive effects camping can have on our wellbeing as well as our mental and physical health.

It all sounds very serious, and in a way it is, we now measure the nation’s success in not just in terms of wealth but also general wellbeing. So what got me so excited about this report, here’s a few the highlights. (I don’t want to spoil your reading)
• 8 in 10 campers feel that camping brings you closer together as a family.
• 97% of campers say camping generates happy memories.
• 85% of adult campers think camping can make you healthier and nearly half thought that is should be prescribed on the NHS.

I think I have to agree with everyone of those points, my childhood memories are about 80% camping, which stick in my head for the sheer fact we camped in a full sized Tepee my mum made! I know for a fact that my kids will spend many a night under canvas and I do believe this will help not only their health and social skills but it will also teach them practical skills that they won’t get from playing the latest computer games.

As you can see my argument for the pro’s of camping is well rehearsed and now I am armed with official research, I can hear many a friend groan already, but once bitten……

If you want to find out more visit realrichness.co.uk, where you can download a pdf version of the report.