Becoming a Rambler 

I've always enjoyed walking. When our three children reached an age where we could leave them for a day, my husband and I would go out walking together. But 21 years ago, he died in an accident. He’d always been the navigator and map-reader. I was useless. I thought: ‘Well, I can't go walking anymore.’ 

A friend said: ‘I know someone who goes walking with the Ramblers. I'm sure you could go on a couple of walks with them.’ So I did - and I never looked back!  

Now I’m a walk leader myself and co-chair of Liverpool Ramblers. I’m sometimes still not sure that my navigation is as good as other people’s, but I have built up the confidence to lead walks in all sorts of places.  

 

Reaching out to refugees and asylum seekers 

I worked as a secondary school teacher, then in higher education at Liverpool John Moores University. We had staff volunteer days and I persuaded our team to visit Asylum Link Merseyside, a hub for asylum seekers and refugees in Liverpool. After making contacts there, we took a group of asylum seekers to the Walker Art Gallery. That led to a monthly social session with refugees and asylum seekers. We turned the local Quaker meeting house into a safe space for individuals and families, with activities for children and some free food. I did that for several years, but eventually it came to an end.  

Then, a couple of years ago, I read a small article in the Ramblers’ magazine about a Ramblers group working with asylum seekers and refugees. I'd been thinking about a similar initiative myself, and the article was the push I needed. As a charity, it’s part of our remit to reach out to those who face the biggest barriers to enjoying the outdoors. So I contacted Asylum Link Merseyside, to discuss offering ‘walk and talks’ to asylum seekers.  

Next, a group of eight Liverpool Ramblers met for a training session and agreed to organise two walks. The first was to a museum and the second to our two cathedrals and a park. These walks were a tentative pilot, limited to 15 asylum seekers and refugees. Both were well received and we decided to aim for a walk once a month.  

 

Rewards for walk leaders and participants 

Within a year, 96 people had come on our walks. This initiative has enriched our lives and helped us understand the difficulties faced by many asylum seekers. We feel privileged to converse with people from countries including Eritrea, Namibia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Cameroon and Afghanistan. Many are separated from their families in incredibly difficult circumstances.  

We have helped them improve their English and taken them to places of interest - often close to where they live - which they didn't know existed and are free to enter. Walking and talking side by side takes away the awkwardness that can sometimes be felt if sitting face to face.  

 

Overcoming challenges 

We were all apprehensive, but the small group of volunteer Ramblers - 10 in total - have enthusiastically supported this initiative.   

The biggest challenge to overcome was fear. Would people want to come on our walks? Would we be able to understand each other? Would we find things to talk about? All these fears soon disappeared once we met the asylum seekers. The range of language skills among them is enormous, but all are eager to try out their English.  

Asylum Link provides lunch to over 100 asylum seekers a day, so our activities take place after lunch and finish about 4pm. Many of the asylum seekers are Muslim. When we organised a walk during Ramadan, nobody was having lunch while they were fasting, so there was nobody around to come walking!  

All our walks and visits start from Asylum Link. Many places of interest are too far from the centre to walk to, so we provide bus fares. We are lucky that Liverpool’s museums and art galleries are free. At the end of the walk we provide a hot drink in a cafe - not something that asylum seekers have the money to do. Finances have been challenging at times, but we now have funding in place for the coming year. 

Liverpool is a place of dispersal, so we often see walkers once or twice and never again, which can be difficult. While walking you can find out a lot about an individual and their circumstances. You build a connection. Then, the next time, you ask: ‘Where’s so and so’, and the project lead says: ‘They got moved to Preston last week.’  

 

Advice for others wanting to set up asylum seeker walks 

If you’re interested in setting up walks with asylum seekers, research which organisations are providing support locally and arrange a meeting to discuss what's possible. Approach other Ramblers to see if they are willing to volunteer their time, and determine whether your initiative will require funding. Plan a simple pilot walk and carry out a recce beforehand and assess risks as you would for any Ramblers group walk.  

A regular arrangement works best, so organise walks for the same day and time. Bear in mind that many asylum seekers aren’t used to cold, wet British weather and may not have warm coats or waterproof shoes. In colder months many of our visits are indoors; in summer we organise more outdoor trips. Big museums can be overwhelming, so we find it helps to devise a simple quiz with, say, 10 questions to provide a focus. 

Promote your walks. We advertise ours through an Asylum Action WhatsApp group which reaches about 120 people, as well as posters around Asylum Link. On the morning of the walk, I visit all the English classes at the centre and remind people about the trip. We have a register, which helps Action Asylum show their funders the take-up of activities. 

 

Making a difference 

A worker at Action Asylum said to me: ‘Never doubt that what you’re doing makes a difference. You've shown them friendship, you've shown them free places they can go to. You've helped them by giving them confidence to explore new places for themselves.’  

We often get people saying: ‘I'm going to tell my friends about this’. When people are in a foreign land with a language barrier and limited resources, they don't know where’s free to visit, or what you can and can't do, so showing them places of interest is really helpful. 

 

Inspiring others  

More than anything, we have reached out to people and shown friendship, and this can have a lasting impact. 

If a small Ramblers magazine item could make me think: ‘We could do that’, I hope this article could inspire a few more groups to do something similar, because it makes a big difference.