Belonging begins with a conversation
A friendly weekly walk in Albert Park for women who want to practise everyday English. No classroom. No pressure. Children welcome.
English practice, fresh air, friendly faces
Shared Words is a community support and education project in Middlesbrough. Our flagship programme, Walk and Talk, helps women who speak English as an additional language build confidence by doing the most ordinary thing in the world — walking and talking.
Many women can’t get to a formal ESOL class. They may be caring for young children, they may not feel confident enough yet, or they may simply not know what is available. Walk and Talk removes the classroom and keeps the learning: real conversation, practical language and a warm welcome, every week.
Small conversations can become lasting confidence.
Four things that make it work
Everything about the programme is designed to make the first step small, local and friendly.
Walking, not sitting
Conversation feels easier side by side than face to face. Walking gives everyone something to look at, talk about and point to.
Prompts you can prepare
Simple conversation prompts are shared through a WhatsApp group each week, so you can practise before you arrive and again afterwards.
Trained volunteers
Local English-speaking volunteers walk with the group. They are not teachers — they listen, chat and help you feel comfortable.
Children are welcome
Bring your children with you. Prams, buggies and little ones are part of the group, not a problem to solve.
Language is how you take part
Strong English supports social and economic mobility, integration and participation in community life. But women from migrant and refugee backgrounds often face real barriers to formal provision.
Caring comes first
Many women are the primary carer for young children, which makes college timetables impossible to attend.
Confidence is a barrier
Low levels of prior education, or emerging literacy, can make a formal classroom feel intimidating rather than welcoming.
Isolation grows quietly
Without English, women depend on family members or interpreters to speak for them — and social contact shrinks.
Drawing on Casey (2016) and Choudry (2022).
‘A Pillow’
A short film about what it takes to ask for something simple in a language that isn’t yours yet.
Digital storytelling gives participants a voice beyond the park. With consent, these stories help us explain the project to partners and funders, and show why an informal first step matters so much.
Your first walk is the hardest. After that it’s just a walk.
Join us in Albert Park on a Wednesday afternoon. You don’t need to book, you don’t need to pay, and you don’t need to speak much English to start.