Kelly Prince from Andover is a local dog owner, who dislikes walking alone of an evening, She came up with the idea of starting an evening walking group with some ladies on her own estate. She has now expanded her idea and has created Unite at Night.
Kelly says, “We shouldn’t have to feel unsafe when walking at night, but sadly many of us do.I will be arranging weekly meet ups in various locations around Andover initially, with the hope that this will eventually extend to more regular meet ups.”
The Facebook group, Unite at Night, has been well received with it already attraching over 500 members .
Kelly told Andover Radio, “Like many women, I fear walking my dog at night. Luckily for me, my Partner takes the evening shift, but not everyone has this option. I put out a post to see if there was any interest in a ladies dog walking group recently, then a few days later I thought why not extend this to the local area and beyond.
“So that evening I came up with a name, created a group and in less than 24 hours it had reached almost 200 members. The group is now at 460+ members and growing by the minute. Sadly, we live in a world where women feel vulnerable, unsafe and scared to walk alone at night. If this little idea of mine and the creation of this group can make the smallest difference and we can all support each other in staying safe then I’m beyond happy. Please note that the group is not limited to dog owners. There are so many other reasons to get out & about, whether it’s for your mental health, to meet new people, make new friends…you’ll always be welcome.”
The first “meet up” takes place on Wednesday 26th January , 6.30pm, where Kelly is encouraging ladies to meet outside of the Lakeside Pavilion, at Charlton lakes.
