Franklin lite 24 head HS Pride of Reading walkers OCT20

A COMMUNITY walking group that began as a simple idea between two friends has won the Community of the Year award at the Pride of Reading Awards, writes Adrian Williams.

Pride of Reading celebrates strong community spirit and the positive contribution of people who “put others before themselves every day”.

Walk Works was one of the winners in the Community of the Year category, which is for those who strive to unite people and foster community spirit.

The walking group has brought people together “in a simple, powerful way — through walking, connection and nature”.

It was set up Liz Bradbury and Caroline Gratrix about five years ago during the covid pandemic.

For the two women from Caversham and Emmer Green, it was a way of helping people enjoy walking outdoors without having to struggle to decipher apps and maps.

Among its other activities, the pair curated a one-day, 13.5km walking tour passing through four vineyards.

These started at JoJo’s Vineyard in Russell’s Water, passing through the Stonor Valley Vineyard and Oaken Grove Vineyard in Fawley before finishing at Fairmile Vineyard in Henley.

Miss Bradbury, from Emmer Green, said: “We just thought, we love walking, we’ve got some cracking routes that people will probably also love to get to know.

“We were thinking this would be such a lovely thing to share with other people who wouldn’t go out into the woods on their own for fear of getting lost. That’s what got us going and we’ve never looked back. The numbers have grown and grown.”

Miss Gratrix, from Caversham, added: “When people are walking and talking, they just naturally make really strong friendships and business connections — we’ve even had a love match at Walk Works.

“The community side of it was something that just organically grew, and it was such a treat because we hadn’t anticipated how magical the community side would be.” The pair still organises regular countryside walks around South Oxfordshire, attracting around 30 to 35 people every other Friday.

Walk Works has supported around 70 to 90 businesses since launching, often finishing walks at cafés, pubs or bakeries.

It also runs wellbeing walks for Reading’s Green Park and the town centre, encouraging workers to take a break from their desks.

The pair received their recognition at the presentation awards lunch at the Hilton Reading last Friday.

They were filmed for the winners’ video under the guise of speaking on behalf of another business, so they were entirely unaware they had won.

Walk Works was nominated for the award by another Caversham-based female-led business — the Strong Women's Club gym — which the pair described as an “incredibly generous” act.

“It’s been really overwhelming,” said Miss Bradbury. “The reaction to it has really blown our minds.”

Miss Gratrix added: “It’s just so lovely. It’s not something I ever thought would happen to us.”