Located on the edge of the Peak District, the village of Disley has run a Great Get Together for the past few years, using it as a chance to bring their community together and celebrate the things they had in common.
In 2021, however, Covid restrictions meant that they couldn’t organise their traditional community Get Together and had to think creatively!
Inspired by the partnership between Refugee Week and the Great Get Together, Disley Quakers decided to run a Great Walk Together. They were already supporters of the Sanctuary Everywhere movement and the Great Walk Together offered a fantastic way to both express this support and to bring the community together.
Making it happen was simple; a local family organised the walk, other volunteers baked cakes for a post-walk social tea and cake in Lime Park, and a further volunteer arranged for it to be advertised. They decided to arrange two routes, one 4 mile walk and an accessible alternative, and they walked both routes in advance to make sure they were suitable.
The group also focused on advertising the event to attract as many participants as possible. As well as posting on social media, they created a poster which they shared around East Cheshire and placed an advertisement in the local newspaper.
The day of the walk was beautiful and the group had a good turnout with over 30 walkers, including a number of families and dogs! Many of the attendees were new to the area so it was a fantastic chance to meet and welcome new people and to build community connections. The very act of walking helped to stimulate conversation as they were guided through the beautiful landscape.
Overall it was a hugely successful event and incredibly simple to organise – just a few hours work for a small team of volunteers. Everyone got to know each other, all while supporting an excellent cause and building awareness about the need to support refugees.