Wonderful Wild Women Cumbria
When architect Sarah Gerrish, 36, moved from Leeds to Cumbria with her husband and daughter, she struggled to find friends to run and hike with. So, in 2016 she set up the Wonderful Wild Women Instagram page to connect with fellow mountain lovers and hosted the first WWW meet-up, a six-mile walk around Blencathra in the Lake District with six people. Five years on, WWW hosts free monthly running and hiking meetups in the Lake District, each attracting up to 40 people who have been connected via Instagram and Facebook.
“It’s been life-changing,” says Gerrish. “I’ve met so many women from different backgrounds and I’ve learned so much. I feel a much happier person for being able to have these experiences.” The network has been the meeting place for hundreds of women, who often splinter off to pursue specific sports such as open water swimming or mountain biking.
Gerrish has seven voluntary team members, each with specific skills – from run guiding and navigation, to climbing. Recently, she introduced “contributors”, women representing the diverse network of WWW, which includes black, minority ethnic and trans women, from late teens to early 70s, in the hope newcomers will “recognise someone who looks like them and feel confident they will be welcomed”.
“Finding community was a driving force in creating WWW, and it’s important to continue that during the pandemic,” says Gerrish.
“Our focus this year is to be a beacon, a place for women to reach out for a plus one to go hiking with and to remind people we are still here to chat and share stories.”