By Ria Choolun
Walking and social group Girls Who Walk Leicester is helping young women in the city to combat loneliness.
What started as a walking group in Manchester has grown into a nationwide movement, and in Leicester it has become much more than weekly walks.
Launched on March 17, 2024, with its first walk, the group has evolved to reflect local needs, with leader Sejal Chauhan focusing on building a sociable and inclusive community.
Driven by personal experience, Sej shaped the group around one central goal: helping women make genuine friendships.
She said: “I struggled to make friends in university and have a girl group so when I moved back from Bristol, I thought there must be a bunch of girls who moved here for the first time and struggled with making friends.”
From that idea, a clear mission was born, helping women connect and explore Leicester together in a supportive environment.
“I want to facilitate the space for lasting friendships,” Sej said. “It can be quite intimidating trying new things by yourself and what you would find coming to the events we host, the people, the checkups and catch-ups make the impact subtle but lasting.”
The group’s weekly structure allows socialising to become more accessible. She said: “I feel like for a lot of people it is so hard to schedule and meet their own friends.”
Alice Taber, who joined the group in June 2025, said: “There are loads of events that Girls Who Walk organise or attend that I probably wouldn’t do alone or think to do alone, so it’s given me the opportunity to try loads of new things and go to places I wouldn’t have been to otherwise.”
Beyond the friendships, the group has had an impact on its members’ confidence.
The events gave participants the chance to try new activities they might have otherwise avoided.
Sej said: “We did a heels dance class and that would have had an impact on the group’s confidence. I have seen it over the course of running Girls Who Walk, someone who is quite timid and shy, blossom and come out of their shell over a period of time with the other girls.”
Plans for the future include activities designed to challenge stereotypes and push women outside their comfort zones, such as skateboarding workshops, self-defence and football classes.
What started as a simple walk has now become a platform for empowerment. Visit the group’s Instagram page for more details.
