Laois trio form Walking Girls Club for safe and fun exercise
'Ease the anxieties of walking' say Portlaoise women on a mission
Three young Laois woman have formed a walking club with a brilliant name and aim.
Katelyn Dempsey, Katie Delaney and Amy Rafter are best friends from Portlaoise who want to walk safely at night, so they formed the Walking Girls Club this January 2025.
They have formed a Walking Girls Club page on Instagram and Facebook and are inviting women to join them in walks three times a week.
The girls who completed last year's VHi Women's Mini Marathon together, explain how it all began.
Watch their fun video of their marathon journey below.
"We’re a group of best friends who decided to make a safe walking community for women.
"This idea came about when we had a chat about how we’d love to head out for a walk in the evenings to keep fit but find it so hard to with the dark evenings mixed with the anxiety of walking alone in the dark as women. Hence the Walking Girls Club was born.
"We’re aiming to create a safe walking club for women to ease the anxieties of walking in the evenings and building eachother up as we go along! The schedule we’re hoping to follow is a walk on Monday and Wednesday evenings and a Sunday Morning walk that can end with a nice coffee/tea afterwards," they say.
Their next walks are on Monday, January 13, meeting at Portlaoise Plaza at 7.30pm, Wednesday January 15 at Costa Carpark Portlaoise at 7.30pm and then a Sunday morning walk at 10am at the start of the Abbeyleix Bog Walk.
"We’re hoping to change the destination of our Sunday walks weekly so we’ll put up a weekly poll so you can vote where we walk on Sundays. Starting out strong with the Abbeyleix Bog Walk. Hope to see ye all there girls," the Walking Girls Club say on Instagram.