Making friends can be difficult at any age, but as people grow older the task can feel even more daunting. That's why a group of Bristolians came together to run 'Adventure Queens'.
Originally set up as a national group in 2017, the community was launched to allow like-minded women to meet and share their passion for adventure. Now the Adventure Queens group spans dozens of locations, with over 15,000 members.
The 43-year-old, from Whitchurch in South Bristol, said these groups are “so important" as they give women of all walks of life the “chance to meet new people, experience new things in a safe environment where you’re not going to get judged and just have a great time.”
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Tracey Gait jointly run Bristol's group, and says the community 'saved her' during a very difficult period. The 43-year-old, from Whitchurch, said these groups are “so important" as they give women of all walks of life the “chance to meet new people, experience new things in a safe environment where you’re not going to get judged and just have a great time.”
Sometimes for women, venturing into the outdoors can be a scary prospect. Some may have little experience, while others may not enjoy the outdoors but need a change of pace in their life, so are willing to try new things. This is not dissimilar to how Tracey herself eventually got involved.
She said: “I love going outside, I love the outdoors, haven’t always but I got into the outdoors when my marriage ended about eight years ago.”
During the pandemic, she was again going through a hard time so wanted to find something to focus on so she “joined every group she could find,” on the social media platform. Having just joined the group, Tracey put herself forward to help out when the group’s normal Chief Queen was unable to lead and in the three years since member numbers have gone from 400 to 1,800.
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Within the group, she tries to offer a range of activities such as brunches, coffee meet-ups, pub meets as well as all the outside activities like long hikes, swimming and even weekends away. She was eager to highlight that “adventure is different for different people,” hence the variety of things the group goes out to do.
Not only does the local group meet up, but there are opportunities for people all across the Adventure Queen network to join monthly events, from book and film clubs to online and in person campouts filled with laughter, talks and the classic campfire stories. Women who want to join the group can find them on social media, they have accounts on both Facebook and Instagram and are even trying to attend adventure festivals to get their group out there.
Tracey said: “It’s such a lovely friendly group,” with people of all ages and walks of life the group is massively diverse and welcoming to all members wanting to join.
“The group kind of saved me at a time where I really needed it.”
Find out more, here.
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