Staff at the Manx Wildlife Trust are working to promote the joys and health benefits of the natural environment.

To do this they are fielding staff teams in three of the island’s premier outdoor events this year, namely the Parish Walk, the Tough Mann challenge and the End2End mountain bike race.

Chief Executive Tim Graham said: ’It’s amazing how natural spaces and wildlife can have a huge impact on our lives, even when they’re more or less unseen.

’Living in the Isle of Man, we are fortunate to have so many natural spaces to explore, and perhaps you are already noticing some of these benefits. It is our hope that, through their own experiences in nature, people and organisations can really get involved once they understand how it can make a difference.’

A spokesman for the group said its volunteers spend a lot of time getting people active outside, learning a little or discovering more about Manx nature, through different events, people visiting the nature reserves, or focused projects getting families and children active in the woodlands, like Ramsey Forest Eco-Active.

’There are more and more reasons for us to be thinking about the difference that nature and wildlife make to our lives. One in particular, that you may not have realised, is that being in nature can actually improve your health and wellbeing, or quality of life,’ he added.

’Many of us know that it feels better to get out and about outdoors, watch wildlife, get involved with some volunteer work parties on nature reserves, or exercise our brain muscles working out what that plant or bee species actually is.’

The teams hope that by competing in the three different challenges this year they can raise money through JustGiving for the Manx Wildlife Trust, which is the island’s largest conservation charity.

They also hope their endeavours will encourage other people to follow suit, enjoying the benefits of the great outdoors and the Manx countryside, or perhaps to make a donation to the charity through JustGiving.

For those who are motivated to do something active and enjoy the health benefits of the great outdoors, they are asking people to tweet their adventures to them using #MyWildLife, or share it with them on Facebook.

The trust manages 24 wildlife reserves and two visitor centres around the island.