Autumn Walk Volunteer Rota 2025

This page is for Walk Volunteers and staff only, to coordinate the walk rota.
Please do not share this page with the wider public.
The public-facing page for walk information and bookings is: https://www.choosehowyoumove.co.uk/events/   

The Walk Volunteer rota for Autumn is below:

Events are still being added for October and November, so please watch this space! Please get in touch as soon as possible if you are available to fill a gap. This page will be updated regularly.

October

WALK CANCELLED: Waterside walk to Abbey Park and Frog Island (closed group)
Sat 4 October at 11am. 
Due to low bookings, this walk has been cancelled. We hope to reschedule in future.
Around 90 minutes, with short info stops. A closed group walk for residents of the nearby Riverside housing development,  in partnership with Restoring the Soar project. Led by our Walk Volunteers. Short nature presentations by Leicestershire Wildlife Trust.

Seasonal Tree Tour – Shady Lane Arboretum
Saturday 11 October at 11am
Around 90 minutes, steady pace.
Starting inside entrance gate C to Shady Lane Arboretum, just past St Denys Church, Shady Lane, Evington LE2 2FA. 
A seasonal tree tour, presented by the Volunteer Tree Wardens.
Walk Leader: Tree Wardens – Janet Gurney and Jo Warburton
1-2 Walk Assistant(s): Sue King; Carmen Persic

Walk on the Wild Side – Abbey Park
Wed 15 October at 10.30am
Starting: Pets’ corner car park, Abbey Park.
Up to 2 hours, 1.5 miles. Steady pace.
*Note: we are trialling a slightly later start than previous WWS walks, to accommodate those travelling by public transport. A Walk on the Wild Side is hosted by an experienced wildlife expert who will lead you around the park, pausing to talk about the different types of insects, plants, birds and other wildlife found here.
Walk Leader: Dave Nicholls, Wildlife Guide
2 x Walk Assistant(s): Angela Wortley; Aarti Thobhani

Group Walk: (New!) Exploring the Braunstone Gate area
Saturday 18 October at 11am
Starting: Highcross Monument, Jubilee Square
Around 90 minutes, X miles. Steady pace.
A walk taking in places of heritage interest in a circular route from the city via Narborough Road and Braunstone Gate.
Walk Leader: Trevor Allen
2 x Walk Assistant(s): Christine Race; Sally Atwal

November

Group Walk: Stoneygate – its people and places
Saturday 1 November at 11am
Starting outside Stoneygate Baptist Church, London Road. (Bus stop nearby)
Up to 90 minutes with information stops. Steady pace. 1.2 miles.
A walk through the attractive suburb of Stoneygate, discovering some of its former residents and places of heritage interest. Formerly farmland, the area underwent much development from the mid-19th century to become one of Leicester’s most desirable locations.
Walk Leader: Eleri Lewis
1-2 Walk Assistants: Carmen Persic; Christine Race. 

Group Walk: War and Peace – People and Places associated with WWI (new)
Tue 11 November at 2pm (Armistice Day)
Starting from Orton Square, near Curve theatre
Finishing at Welford Road Cemetery, University Road
Around 90 minutes, 1.5 miles. Steady pace with brief info stops. Linear walk.
New for autumn 2025, join us to visit buildings and memorials in Leicester associated with WWI (1914-18), pausing for a little information along the way. On this walk we include stories of some of the service men and women, reflecting people from different walks of life who played their part. We pass buildings with important wartime purposes and memorials to the fallen. A few locations have featured on our other walks, but much of the information presented here is new.
Walk Leader: Trevor Allen
1-2 Walk Assistants: Carole Harding; David Frost

Walk on the Wild Side – Victoria Park and Welford Road Cemetery
Thursday 13 November at 10.30am
Starting: Arch of Remembrance, Victoria Park
Up to 2 hours, 1.5 miles. Steady pace.
*Note: we are trialling a slightly later start than previous WWS walks, to accommodate those travelling by public transport. A Walk on the Wild Side is hosted by an experienced wildlife expert who will lead you around the park, pausing to talk about the different types of insects, plants, birds and other wildlife found here.
Walk Leader: Dave Nicholls, Wildlife Guide
2 x Walk Assistant(s): Bridget Thomas; Sue King

CANCELLED: University of Leicester – Joe Orton’s Leicester
Friday 14 November at 10.30am
CANCELLED – WEATHER

(New) Exploring South Highfields
Wednesday 19 November at 11am
Start location: Gates of Prebend Gardens, Prebend Street off London Road (not far from the railway station)
Location map here 
Around 90 minutes. 1.4 miles. Steady Pace.
A new route exploring parts of South Highfields and discovering stories of interesting people along the way.
Walk Leader: Eleri Lewis
2 x Walk Assistants(s): James Keen; Sylvia John

University of Leicester – Joe Orton’s Leicester
Rescheduled – Friday 21 November at 10.30am
Meet at the Orton pavement plaque on Orton Square in the city centre, near Curve theatre.
Finishes at the University of Leicester Campus, off University Road.

A 90-minute linear (one-way) walk with information stops. Allow an extra 30 minutes to visit the library archives afterwards. Steady pace. 1.8 miles.

Explore sites in the city associated with Joe Orton, the Leicester-born writer whose irreverent black comedies have scandalised theatregoers since the 1960s and discover how growing up here shaped his work. A collaboration with the University of Leicester, led by Dr Emma Parker, a leading Orton scholar. Ends with a visit to Orton’s collection at the University of Leicester library.
Walk Leader: Emma Parker, UoL & Simon Dixon
2 x Walk Assistant(s): Bridget Thomas; Christine Race

War & Peace in Modern Times (a repeat of the walk first offered in 2024)
Saturday 22 November at 11am
Starting from Town Hall Square, near the Bike Park
Around 90 minutes, steady pace.
Walk Leader: Trevor Allen
1-2 Walk Assistants: Caroline Ralston; Carole Harding