kney by coach for the ayre’: r


nteilh, Jessica Muir and Angela Byrne


Sara: Because we have been friends for a long time, no problem to talk about anything, no problem to laugh, no problem to nothing. Marie: And I remember being so happy and elated and it might sound strange to people but I was kind of meeting up with people again and getting friends and I thought this is nice, I’m going to come back to this. Members have identified the group’s


f lexibility and consistency as features that allow people to build meaningful relationships with one another. The group is considered consistent, partly because it is ongoing. Individuals can attend for as long as they wish to and see others on a weekly basis for extended time-periods. It is also f lexible as there is no pressure to attend each week or to talk, which means members can socialise when they feel like it and build a connection to the group in their own time, as described by walk co-facilitator, Anita: I’ve been supporting the group for a good few years – five to six years. It’s amazing to be able to support people and to see what they get out of the group. Everyone seems to enjoy it. It’s a lovely feeling; it makes you feel good yourself. I get great joy from the group, being able to walk with people, talk with people, sitting having a coffee. It gives you that feel-good factor, it helps a lot of people who are lonely – people feel cared for, all walking together. And I’m very good at talking so that helps along the way. A lot of people, because they are alone, don’t get much chance to talk. Coming along to a walk and talk really enlightens the day. A lot of people that I’ve spoken to that have been coming to walk and talk say that they so look forward to the following week – we venture out to quite a lot of different places as well. It’s fine not to talk. Not everyone always wants to talk. People can just enjoy the views wherever we’re going on the day. The group really enjoy walking, that’s another reason why they come along. Research consistently illustrates that loneliness and exclusion generate


Context 164, August 2019


distress (Rogers & Pilgrim, 2014). Thus, facilitating informal spaces like Walk and Talk, where relational networks can expand, appears vital. Yet, contemporary mental health care is often driven by a political-economic agenda focused on “bridging” individuals out of services towards independence over the development of sustainable “bonding” activities that foster interdependence (Chase, 2011). Those who only have access to short and target-driven mental


health care treatments are often at risk of experiencing continued isolation beyond the clinic room (McGrath & Reavey, 2016). Groups like Walk and Talk point to the benefits of a more holistic approach that aims to create spaces of belonging within communities.


Moving out into the world The therapeutic benefits of Walk and


Talk also relate to the way it is built around members’ shared interests. The


Box 1: ‘Going out towards Hackney by coach for the ayre’ T e London Borough of Hackney would appear to be an unlikely area for a Walk


and Talk group. Samuel Pepys 350 years ago, was an occasional traveller to the village of Hackney for the ‘ayre’ but the borough today is very much an inner city one with a population in the region of quarter of a million (Hackney’s population is estimated at 273,526 people and is the third most densely populated borough in London). However, the Borough actually manages 58 parks, gardens and open spaces,


including nature reserves, historic parks, at ractive town squares and the spiritual home of amateur football! Nature reserves managed by the London Wildlife Trust and Lee Valley Park are located within the borough, as is a city farm, and extensive walking routes are found along Hackney’s waterways, along with plenty of quiet roads suitable for walking. A lit le outside the borough, further nature reserves are located including two Sites of Special Scientifi c Interest, the World’s oldest metropolitan park and one of the newest on the site of the London 2012 Olympics. Add in the rich local history of the area and the borough looks a more at ractive prospect for walking. T e Healthy Living Centre is found towards the south of the borough, an area


typifi ed by dense housing development. Despite this, Shoreditch Park is less than a fi ve-minute walk away and the Regent’s Canal less than ten minutes. From these, a series of six local walks have been developed in at ractive and interesting surroundings, for the greater part avoiding major roads and always fi nishing at a café, an essential element of the walk! T ese regular walks are off ered to the group’s members who have a vote to select their choice, with a lit le prompting to ensure that particularly popular walks are not repeated too oſt en! Occasionally, a walk elsewhere in or around the borough is chosen to provide variety and to ensure that the area’s other at ractions are enjoyed. Not that the Walk and Talk group is limited to just Hackney and its environs. Once


a month, the group ventures further afi eld and, with a single journey from the borough by bus, tube or train, Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest, Regent’s Park and the T ames at Richmond are amongst the capital’s at ractions visited, whilst the heritage of London isn’t forgot en, with walks in historic parts such as the City, Clerkenwell and the T ames from Wapping to Limehouse. A choice is made from suggestions from the members and the group leader and over 20 places have been visited on these days from Highams Park in the north to Morden Hall Park in the south and from Richmond in the west to Lesnes Abbey and Abbey Woods in the east with many of the places new to the participants, even those who had lived all or most of their lives in the city.


19


‘Going out towards Hackney by coach for the ayre’: Walking and talking together


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