By Laura, Plumstead Organiser
One year ago I set up a local walking group for parents and babies with the help of social enterprise Blaze Trails. 25 walks and 40 miles later, I’m hanging up my walking boots.
As I embark on a new, less muddy adventure, here’s what I am taking with me.
More confidence
While the decision to start organising parent and baby walks in my leafy London suburb of Plumstead in March 2021 was a relatively easy one (after endless-seeming lockdowns cooped up with a highly energetic toddler), getting started was pretty nerve-wracking. I remember that sharing the newly created Facebook page with the local parents’ WhatsApp group felt very vulnerable... What if no-one was interested? But then the member requests started coming in. Within a few hours, there were dozens of parents signing up, and over the next couple of days, the number climbed to over 50 (it now stands at 200). So, of course, a new worry appeared – how to meet the needs of all of these parents?!
This is where the training and support given by Blaze Trails’ wonderful team and founder Katy were invaluable. Katy had said to me from the beginning that, to make the walking group sustainable, I needed to focus on what I wanted from it and to keep it fun for me. To think of it almost like, I’m going to take my daughter on this nice walk that I enjoy, and I’m going to let these other parents know about it, and if some of them come, then that’s great! Reminding myself that I was walking first of all for myself and my daughter, and that we were walking for our own wellbeing and enjoyment, really took off the (self-imposed) pressure to make other people happy. And then, our walks ended up making people happy anyway! Focusing on what really mattered and the real purpose of what I was doing helped me to feel more confident, and that is certainly a lesson that extends into other parts of my life.
Greater resilience
What if we get lost? What if my daughter is sick and I have to cancel (and let people down!)? And (shudders), what if no one shows up? These were just some of the worries I had going into this journey. Guess what. All of those things have happened at some point. But here is the amazing thing. It didn’t matter. When we have got lost, there has always been at least one parent in the group who seems to know the area and re-orientates us (and there is always Google Maps if all else fails!). When my daughter has been sick, or the weather too dreadful to walk in, people have been super understanding because they are parents too. And the one time I arranged a walk and no one showed up, my daughter and I had a beautiful time together anyway, and made a new friend. The fact is, when ‘the worst’ has happened, I’ve learnt that it’s not usually as bad as I thought it would be. And sometimes it turns out unexpectedly well.
New experiences
Before starting Plumstead Blaze Trails, I had never created an online community before. I had never posted on social media about anything other than funny things my kids said or pictures of my cats. I had minimal experience of planning and organising events. And I had never organised anything for parents and babies (with all the considerations that involves).
Now, I regularly create social media content for my new community coaching social enterprise, and organise and facilitate events and workshops for parents with babies and toddlers. Organising with Blaze Trails has helped me to find my ‘voice’ on social media and feel more comfortable using it professionally. It has also meant that I am actively looking for how to make other projects I am working on more inclusive for parents with babies. Since, if hiking can be accessible with a few tweaks and a little support, why can’t English classes, or parent workshops, or coaching?
A community of parents
One of the effects of the Covid pandemic, which I am sure many parents with little ones can relate to, was feeling cut off from friends, and the peer networks and support that baby and toddler groups give us. Before I started Plumstead Blaze Trails, I knew a handful of local parents from my maternity leave, but as the pandemic dragged on I felt increasingly isolated. Now, with a community of 200 parents, many of whom have attended a walk, I feel a much greater sense of belonging and rootedness in Plumstead. It is unusual for me, if I am out and about, not to bump into at least one parent who I know through walking. I like to think that other parents who have attended walks have also felt more connected with our community.
Memories
When I started organising walks, my daughter was barely two years old. Almost half her life at that point had been shaped by the pandemic, and spent largely in our home. 2020 was a blur of anxiety, and home schooling, and boredom. We had managed to attend one socially distanced toddler group, which had been slightly disastrous (as two-year-olds, or certainly mine, do not really understand the need to stay within a 2 metre taped-out square). Now that she is three and about to start nursery almost full-time, I have a whole year of walks with her to look back on. I have watched her go from being quite shy, to taking an active role in encouraging other toddlers along, marshalling parents on the route, and generally running ahead to lead the way. Toddler leadership skills – who knew?!
At the beginning of this journey, part of the motivation was to support other parents. But a big part of it was to give my energetic little daughter and me something we could do together. Whilst I may be hanging up my walking boots as far as organising regular walks goes, I suspect I will soon be getting them down again, brushing off the dust and heading back out with her on a trail. As one adventure ends, many more are just beginning.
Laura is a mum of two and the founder of Between Humans. She lives in Plumstead, South East London.