Green space and Group Walks: Stories from Hanley Park
Rosie Wright, our Engagement Coordinator, talks to Hanley Park Living Streets Group about how access to their local green space and shared walks have helped to bring their community together.
Every Wednesday group members gather in Hanley Park to share a relaxed walk. They approach their route with a gentle pace, making sure to take it easy and welcome people of all walking and wheeling abilities.
A key focus for our Hanley Park group is to connect the local community to Hanley Park, providing a space for connection and joyful interactions. They also want to support people’s physical and emotional wellbeing. The group build time to socialise and catch up into their walks, as well as ensuring that rest and refreshments are provided so that everyone is catered for and knows they are welcome to come along. And it works. People come back week after week because of how much the relationships they have built through walking together mean to them.
With this focus on community and connection in mind, the group has worked in collaboration with Friends of Hanley Park, Stoke on Trent City Council and ASHA - a charity providing support and promoting social inclusion for refugees and people seeking asylum. Together they hosted a community day in Hanley Park to unite individuals and families from across their neighbourhood and spend a joyful day in each other’s company.
“Walking helps us all and in our group all our members have become good friends. Nothing feels better than seeing all the happy faces.” Ivan Hodgkinson, Hanley Park Living Streets Group Coordinator
"It was truly heart warming to be welcomed by ASHA, Friends of Hanley Park, and Hanley Park Living Streets Group" said Zak Viney, Campaigns and Public Affairs Coordinator at Living Streets. "It was super clear the value that walking together amongst beautiful surroundings played in people's physical and mental wellbeing."
The groups enjoyed a mouth-watering shared meal, live music, dancing, face painting, laughter and conversation. One attendee at the event reflected on his enjoyment of walking with other people, and how the shared journey leads to learning more about cultures of the people that you are walking with. He also spoke about the importance of access to green space and how it can help you to make friends when you have moved to a different country. He shared that he plans to come along to the walks in the future to help make new friends.
Talking to the group, we know that there are unfortunately still barriers to walking and wheeling that need addressing. Every journey begins or ends with a walk, and it's important we create safe and easy walking routes so people can access their local parks and green spaces, whether that be near to where they live, or the transport connections to get them there.
We know that pavement parking also contributes to creating an inaccessible street environment for walkers and wheelers. This is something that Hanley Park Living Streets Group is working hard to address. Following Gareth Snell MP’s attendance at the event, they met with him to discuss local issues including pavement parking, working together to improve Hanley Park for all who walk and wheel.
We are grateful for funding from the European Climate Foundation to allow us to support communities to create manifestos for change to drive action by decision makers. Their support enables us to embed this focus throughout our engagement and campaigning approach.
WANT TO JOIN A LIVING STREETS LOCAL GROUP? FIND ONE IN YOUR AREA OR LEARN ABOUT SETTING ONE UP