Overcoming loneliness and isolation is just one of the cornerstones of the Conversation Starter Project walking group who meet weekly in Horsham and Southwater.
Recently Horsham District Council Chairman Cllr Nigel Emery met up with the group to walk and talk around Horsham Park.
Founders of the Project Shirley Blanch and Dr Tara Quinn-Cirillo set up the group officially in 2023 with the aim of bringing people together to get them out and about in a safe space in the fresh air to support both their physical and mental health.
The free walk and talk sessions meet in Horsham Park’s Human Nature Garden at 10am in all weathers to walk a circuit of the park and by ‘Iggy’ the dinosaur in Lintot Square Southwater on Fridays at 12 noon to walk around Southwater Country Park.
Cllr Emery commented:
” I was delighted to join the Conversation Starters walking group in Horsham Park and to learn about how they help people in both Horsham and Southwater with their mental health. Many people struggle with mental health issues and Conversation Starters provides the company of others and the peace and beauty of our parks to provide some help.”
Shirley Blanch added:
“Tara and I are really proud to have run this project voluntarily for almost four years and we are now hoping to engage with local businesses who might want to use our training programmes to help us extend our free services in the community, as we believe integrating local businesses with community wellbeing is the key to really making a difference.”