Breaking Barriers by Walking

Even with all of these amazing things on offer, I still knew which part of the day I was looking forward to the most. I couldn’t wait to get out into the fresh air and walk through the streets and parks of Bristol alongside Bristol Steppin Sistas, a grassroots group leading wellbeing walks for women of colour. 

When we were working together to plan the walk, Sophia Brown, Bristol Steppin Sista’s founder, highlighted how very few women of colour feel able to explore places that are unfamiliar to them. Especially for green and outdoor spaces. She shared how women of colour will often feel isolated and judged, like they have somehow ventured ‘out of their lane’. And that this is so off-putting that they are left feeling unsafe to venture outdoors and take up space.

With Bristol Steppin Sistas, Sophia pushes back against these barriers and helps to support women of colour to share in the joys of walking together.

As part of our UK Walking Summit, we worked in collaboration with Bristol Steppin Sistas to host a walk for delegates through Bristol’s streets. We learned about people’s experiences walking though the city as women of colour, and about the changes that women of colour need to see to ensure that our shared walking environment meets their needs and enables them to walk and wheel with confidence. 

The route that we took together led us through the back streets fanning out from Bristol City Hall, offering a wonderful opportunity to stretch our legs together and relish in the feeling of sunlight filtering down onto our faces after a morning sat indoors. The path then angled up to Brandon Hill, which Sophia told us was one of her favourite spots to walk for views of the city. As I stood there myself, I could absolutely see why. 

Sophia told us a little about the tower’s history, sharing that there had been a building on that site ever since the Middle Ages. It felt amazing to think of all the countless people over hundreds of years who had stood in the same spot that we were in and looked up to see the same view. 

We decided to walk up inside it to get an even better vantage point to look out over the city. Once we made our way up the stone staircase we came out onto a balcony and were buffeted by wind on all sides. It was exhilarating to stand there in the middle of it all and look down to see the path we had walked together to get there. We shared in a moment of collective achievement. 

Sophia knows that there are lots of changes needed to make things easier and more welcoming for Bristol Steppin Sistas when they go out walk. Increased awareness of women of colour’s experiences, she says, would be a big start. This was why it was so meaningful to walk alongside one another. The more we walked the more we all felt connected to one another, the more we began to talk – and, crucially, the more we began to listen. Sophia shared that the exact same thing happens on each walk she leads. The act of walking in community together opens up space for people to connect, to make meaning of their experiences and have them heard. 

The group knows that making sure that access to walking is just and equitable is incredibly important, especially when considering the role that walking can play in boosting wellbeing. They want to ensure that women of colour are afforded equal access to the powerful benefits that walking can bring, so that they can relish its joys.