'I failed to see people like me enjoying the outdoors'

A woman has set up a hiking community for people from different minority backgrounds to encourage greater confidence outdoors.

Leanne Wharton founded Soul Trail Wellbeing during the coronavirus pandemic after reconnecting with walking in nature helped her through a difficult period with her mental health.

"I failed to see people like me enjoying the outdoors," she said.

The group now runs regular hikes and wellbeing programmes aimed at helping people feel more confident outdoors.

Wharton, who lives in Bristol, said getting outside became a "complete solace" when pressures at work and the restrictions of lockdown began to take their toll.

"Getting outside was restorative and helped ground me when we were locked down," she said.

Soul Trail Wellbeing now runs monthly self‑referred hikes, creative workshops and nature‑based programmes for the NHS, with a focus on mental health and inclusion.

The not‑for‑profit organisation is also taking part in the Festival of Nature - a free celebration of the natural world taking place across Bristol, Bath and online until 15 June.

In 2025, the group supported 165 people.

Wharton said her work was about breaking down barriers that can stop people from enjoying nature.

"Growing up in Wales, I was very used to being a minority. It wasn't something I was massively uncomfortable with but I was still a minority and there was still a huge need to have people that looked like me," she said.

She said stereotypes about who belongs outdoors can be off‑putting.

"If I am to say, picture a birdwatcher or a gardener, or a hiker, there's going to be a certain type of person that looks a certain way that you're going to envisage.

"The reality is, there are a lot of barriers to people of racialised communities for getting outdoors.

"Whether it's safe, whether it's accessible. It might be unfamiliar," she added.

The group often hikes in rural countryside spots, areas Wharton said can have "less representation" and "diversity".

"Our mission is to ensure that, or at least to aim for everybody to feel they belong in nature because not everybody does," she said.

For some participants, the impact has been life‑changing.

Sofia Jahangir, 45, who lives in Eastville, Bristol, said she was signposted to one of the group's Sista Trails for women in April after finding herself "in a very bad place".

"I had extreme social anxiety. I was too scared to leave the house or to even open the door. I was struggling to speak to any new people."

Jahangir said the first time she met with the group, she "was so nervous" but they soon made her "feel so welcome".

She said the group had been life-changing and she had now been "able to achieve more than I thought I'd be able to".

"I felt I had no support before this. It's completely changed the meaning of nature around me. It helped me to get out of bed."

"I was accepted as I was, as I am. I'm just glad I found them," she added.

Wharton said she set up Soul Trail while working as a mental health lead at the fire service, where she described a culture of absorbing pressure without looking after yourself.

"It got to a point where it was too much.

"I support people now in fields where the wind will carry it. The leaves will absorb it.

"Our mission is to ensure that, or at least to aim for everybody to feel they belong in nature because not everybody does."

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