WALK for WOMEN – London July 21

Walk for Women – be a part of something amazing this summer!

100 years ago in 1913, 50,000 women from all across Britain walked to London and converged in Hyde Park.

They were making a powerful statement to government that women wanted the vote. They ‘Took Action’; they made a positive change. This summer in 2013, let’s remember those women, and all the women who fought to give us all a voice.

Let’s walk, let’s dream, let’s celebrate!

One hundred years ago thousands of women walked from all across Britain, starting from as far away as Lands End and Newcastle, converging in Hyde Park, London on the 26th July. There were 50,000 women assembled in Hyde Park on that day in 1913. They were demonstrating to the government how many women wanted the right to vote.

Our idea, dream, is to celebrate those women this summer by gathering with a few, or with many, and walking.

And as we walk we love the thought that it could be a time to share stories, about what it means to be a woman now, and a time to remember the struggles that the women who came before us endured for our freedom and rights. But also a time to think about what we can do to make life better for future generations of women.

And let’s please walk with men, if they’d like to walk with us, men also spoke out and fought for our suffrage, let’s show our sons that ‘equality works for all‘.

We feel quite emotional to be honest when we think about this. Our fertile imaginations conjure up images of walking through villages, women and men of all ages, perhaps some wearing a sash or a hat or rosette in remembrance.

And (in our furtive imaginations) there’s a choir singing or a group of brownies have made cakes assembled in a village we walk through. And while we are walking, there are other groups, in other areas gathered in doing the same.

We’ll be walking and celebrating the fact that we’re free and honoring the fact that is was because of the suffrage movement.

So, that’s the dream in our heads.

A fabulous woman in Brighton is coordinating a route from Brighton to London starting on Sunday 21st July and ending in a flop in Hyde Park on the Saturday 27th.

It will be split into sections so that people can do a whole day walking, or half a day, or just meet us somewhere for lunch. Our dream of smiling Brownies in rural villages is somewhat being eclipsed by finding it impossible to speak to the right people in District Councils and things like Public Liability Insurance.

Other walks are being planned in Sheffield, Manchester and Yorkshire.

If you are planning a walk, or have any suggestions or would like to get involved, please do get in contact. ~ Lucy and Gavin.

GO on a Celebratory Walk!

Organize a celebratory walk!!! – it could just be with one or two friends, or more – we’re happy to offer you advice with this and will of course help you to spread the word. Do please get in contact.

* Meet the walkers en route – why not gather in a community that walkers will be passing through. Give them a cheer. Wear a bonnet in remembrance. Again please do contact us. We’d be happy to help in any way.

* Organize something non walking related – perhaps you’d like to organise a static event of some sort. Again, please do let us know what you are doing so we can spread the word.

* Share your dream..

A Time To Dream

‘Our world is built on our dreams, it’s how we create things – first dream, then share, then do. These current times feel especially important for us to believe in our best dreams – with them we’re writing the story of our world, as the women who walked through our country 100 years ago did. They dreamed of change, they shared that dream, then they moved on that dream – and through doing that they changed the story.’ – Nicola Sokell – Artist

Artist Nicola Sokell will be joining us on the Walk for Women. For the last 7 years Nicola has been taking her dream coat project to various parts of the world exchanging dreams between all kinds of people.

‘I’m extremely excited to be joining this celebratory walk for women this year and I’ll be taking the coat with me on it. The dream coat project has shown me the impact of sharing our dreams – the first step of taking it out of our head and heart and onto paper and out into the unknown future is a very powerful one and I’d love to invite anyone who wants to support or be part of this walk to share their dream too.

Whether it’s making it into a poster, flag or banner to carry while walking, finding me on the walk and exchanging a dream in the pocket or adding your dreams online to our collection HERE.’

Get Walking guide

If you intend to join or organize a walk, please download our ‘Get Walking‘ guide which will help you with general advice, local press release templates and a printable poster.

Get the word out about your local walk with our printable poster.