Walk and Talk sessions are short, local walks designed to help people to get active, get outdoors and meet others living in the local community. They are designed to help people connect, improve physical and mental health wellbeing, reduce loneliness and isolation and give people the opportunity to enjoy lovely green spaces, fresh air and nature.
In 2024, Journeys and Places provided funding to The London Cycling Club, REACT, Edmonton Community Partnership and Samafal Families Association to run Walk and Talk Group sessions for their members. So far 236 people have attended and below are some of their stories.
London Cycling Club
From the event organiser from the London Cycling Club’s walk and talk group:
I wanted to send a massive thank you to Journeys and Places team for your incredible support of our women’s “Walk & Talk” sessions. We successfully delivered 9 sessions in 5 different locations in Enfield and had 130 participants. It’s been wonderful to see so many women benefit from these walks.
Some quotes from participants below:
“For me, the women’s ‘Walk & Talk’ sessions with Londra Walk and Talk ( LBK ) were a breath of fresh air and nature. It’s such a lovely way to connect with other women, share a laugh, and simply enjoy Enfield’s beautiful parks together. Every walk felt like a mini adventure with friends in the park.”
“I absolutely loved Walk and Talk sessions. It’s was more than just exercise; it’s a chance to really connect, share stories, and feel supported by our walk leaders and an amazing group of women. I always leave feeling refreshed and inspired “
“When I see a group of women chatting and walking together in Forty Hall, Oakwood Park or Pymmes Park, truly enjoying each other’s company, it fills me with so much joy. These ‘Walk & Talk’ sessions were more than just an event; they’re about building confidence, fostering connections, and reminding every woman that she has a place where she’s valued and heard. It’s incredibly rewarding.”
Edmonton Community Partnership
From the event organiser from the Edmonton Community Partnership’s walk and talk group:
This project has been very much enjoyed, thank you. The girls were able to reflect on greener travel and road safety. The women enjoyed exploring places that they previously had walked past without looking at. We ran 8 weekly sessions in partnership with St John and St James primary school and which were attended by 12 girls aged 10/11 and 2 adults.
The mentor and school staff showed the girls how to get safely to local places of interest including Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Millfield theatre, Pymmes Park and we even managed to arrange for the vicar of All Saints church to offer a tour!
In addition, we also ran 6 weekly sessions with Turkish/Kurdish women who access our community outreach sessions, some of these women are very vulnerable and appreciated the organised activity. The session leader had 8 participants per walk and the group visited local points of interest such as churches and parks where they enjoyed using the gym equipment. These walks have been very valuable in supporting wellbeing and reconnecting people with their local area. Some of the women were very interested in sharing knowledge about wildlife and medicinal herbs. One of them was also very keen to litter pick.
REACT
From the event organiser from the REACT’s walk and talk group:
So far we have run 4 Walk & Talk trips to date to locations both inside and outside of Enfield and have had 52 participants take part so far. The places we have visited include Meridian Water with a workshop at the Community Garden, Kenwood Grounds and tour of the Kenwood buildings discussing history and past occupants, Canary Wharf lights festival and Kew Gardens.
We have 3 more walk and talk sessions to go.
Whilst most of these sessions have now finished, there are still opportunities to join other local Walk and Talk groups. You can find out more here.
