Girls Who Walk Manchester stroll around Peel Park, Salford, where they walk whilst socialising with ‘like-minded people’.
The walking group meet every week with the hopes of combatting loneliness by helping young women socialise in a safe, sober and free way.
Sunday 15 October’s meet-up saw over 100 women attending as the group had to introduce a ticketed system in order to ensure they were not over-subscribed.
Girls Who Walk was set up by Ella in July 2023, when she moved back to Manchester after finishing University.
Ella was finding it hard to make friends, especially as she does not drink, so she wanted to make a group that was alcohol free, consistent and free of charge where women could meet up to socialise and make friends.
The group takes place every week on Sundays at 10am, where everyone attending begins by getting a coffee and having a catch-up.
They then get on their feet and head for Peel Park. Sophie, a volunteer for Girls Who Walk, told me whilst walking: “We’re all women in our twenties and it can be quite lonely especially if you’re working from home.
“She [Ella] set this group up as a way for people to make friends and it’s free as well which is quite important. Obviously, with cost of living at the moment, not everyone can afford to go out and do those expensive activities.”
An attendee of Girls Who Walk, who had just moved to Manchester a month ago, started going to meet people: “I only moved to Manchester about a month ago so I only really know my housemates and work colleagues. So, this [Girls Who Walk] seemed like a good way to meet people in a similar situation.”
Another girl who started going to Girls Who Walk expressed how she feels towards the socialising aspect of the group: “I feel like it’s really hard to make new friends in your twenties without Uni anymore. So that’s why I came.”
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