The Walk and Talk Picnic in the Park - celebrating our flourishing community together
Walkers and and Talkers from across Merton and Wandsworth had an amazing Summer get together with a friendly and fun picnic in Wimbledon Park - with more than hundred of us in braving the weather together.
It was a great chance to meet different people from all walks of life across the community and also celebrate our volunteers and supporters who make this all possible.
We also had some amazing conversations which brought home to us why we walk and talk together. A walker and talker who has managed to come through a breakdown after a divorce to meet new friends, bereaved who have found new hope, people who have been isolated finally being able to connect with their local community....and of course walkers and talkers who enjoy the simple pleasures of being able to get out and about in great local green spaces with friendly and relaxed company, great chats and interesting walks.
Whatever the reason, just come along to walk and talk every Saturday at 10.30am at any of our locations - no bookings or reservations, just a smile and a welcome:
https://www.walkandtalkmovement.org/locations
...and here is our little speech - which we think sums up why we walk and talk together...
Hello I am Andy Yates, Co-Founder of The Walk and Talk Movement.
Almost two years ago myself and fellow co-founder Ali Palmer stood in this park wondering if anybody would turn up and Walk and Talk with us...and thank heavens they did!
Since then we have enjoyed the company of more than 4,000 walkers and talkers and talkers and enjoyed tens of thousands of conversations across more than 300 walks in eight locations across Merton and Wandsworth.
We started Walking and Talking as a free, fun and friendly way for everybody and anybody in local communities to come together again after the pandemic and lockdowns affected all our lives.
Since then we have found that connecting local communities, having friendly conversations, enjoying a smile and laugh together is more important than ever. That is why we will continue to Walk and Talk with as many lovely local people in as many lovely locations as we can.
Of course we can't do any of this without our wonderful volunteers.
So we wanted to take this opportunity to give them a huge thank you.
As well as this lovely picnic (thanks to Ali, Helen, Anne for organising this) we also have a range of Walk and Talk goodies here today for our volunteers (ooohhh).
Come and talk to us afterwards and please take something you would like as an extra thank you to you.
....and to keep walking and talking we need your help...if you can volunteer once a month to support one of our walk and talks it would make the world of difference to us and to the people around you
...even if you live in a different area...some of our walk and talks such as Colliers Wood really need your support...and you get a chance to discover other great local areas and meet new people...
Please let any of the team know afterwards...
I will just leave you with this quote from US anthropologist Margaret Mead:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has."
Please help us to change our community for the better together.
Let's Walk and Talk Together.
