Linked to the Perinatal Loneliness project, Ruth Naughton-Doe is working in collaboration with Blaze Trails CIC, a national parent and child walking network, to explore the impacts of group walks with children on parents and caregivers. The project aims to test and learn different approaches to co-production and partnering with local organisations, to bring any benefits of walking to diverse communities of parents around the UK.

Considering that most members of walking groups, including parent and child walking groups, are white middle-class women, how can we bring the benefits of these walking groups to more diverse communities?

So far, we have published two reports based off two pilot projects:

1. An evaluation of a walking project with Syrian Refugee families – read more here
2. An evaluation of a walking project with parents experiencing perinatal mental illness – read more here

We will soon be launching a vision for how Blaze Trails can partner with organisations to encourage more diverse communities to walk outdoors with their children.

Here is one page from a poster presentation from earlier in the year: