Sir – The problem confronting Professor Tom Burns CBE and his colleagues at Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Trust (letter, June 25) is that they will need new buildings and the upgrading of wards every ten or 15 years or so. We must all continue to campaign for much more adequate funding for the care of people with mental health needs. It is the Government’s responsibility.

Happily, Warneford Meadow, an essential resource for physical recreation and nature study, if left alone, will continue to blossom and flourish for all, without huge injections of public money, with a little help from its “Friends”. In his rather old-fashioned Psychiatry, A Very Short Introduction (2006), Professor Burns neglects to mention the crucial importance of physical activity in promoting well-being and recovery from mental distress, so creatively promoted via Marion Janner’s ‘Star Wards’ programme (2006).

Daily fresh air and exercise in pleasant surroundings should be warmly encouraged, both during the average inpatient stays of six weeks, and in after-care planning, especially to combat the excess weight and diabetes caused by some psychotropic medications as well as to give people enjoyment, fun and to help prevent future relapse. Margaret Coombs Oxford