Bristol Walk Fest 2025 Launch Event

About This Event

Join us to celebrate the launch of Bristol Walk Fest 2025.

Our fantastic event focusses on the benefits that walking can have on mental health, and features an exciting line up of guest speakers:

Taylor Moore - the Bristol Rovers' first-team defender is the club's ambassador for their 5k Your Way series. The inspiring mental health initiative looks to promote physical and mental well-being, encouraging participants to join in a 5k walk while engaging in open conversations about mental health.  

Helen - the first-ever attendee at Rebound with Rovers, Helen has worked her way up to become the program's main assistant coach. Growing up, Helen had a passion for football, but she was often told she couldn't participate. She has since defied the odds, earning her UEFA C coaching qualification and is now coaching Southmead Ladies Reserves. Helen was recently honoured with the Community Champion award and assists with the 5k Your Way series.

Claire Allen - hailing from Bristol, Claire walked 4,000 miles around the coast of Great Britain in one year, raising more than £25,000 for homelessness charities.

Orla Hennessy - the founder and lead coordinator of Girls Who Walk Bristol, created the group after experiencing difficulties making new friends as a young adult and the lack of relaxed environments for this. The group brings young women together for a walk and talk twice a month, providing a space to meet new connections and a chance to explore the city together.

We couldn't put on this event without a walk too, so you are also invited to join Bristol Walking Alliance in collaboration with Bristol Ramblers, in our pre-launch walk to see how the healthiness of urban streets can be assessed. We will take a 45 minute walk in central Bristol, starting and finishing at the launch event venue, Arup. Using the Healthy Streets Approach, devised by Lucy Saunders, participants will get the chance to try using a simple set of questions to evaluate a street. We will see what indicators can be used to put people and their health at the centre of decisions about how we design, manage and use public spaces.

(Spaces on the walk are limited and are reserved for launch event ticket holders in the first instance. Places for the walk will open up to non-launch event ticket holders on 25th April if there remains availability. Contact enquiries@bristolwalkingalliance.org.uk for details).

Many thanks to our Arup for kindly providing the venue.