Walking York Together: A Slower, More Connected City

A gentler way to explore the city — slowing down, taking notice, and connecting with people from all over the world who now call York home.

On Saturday I really enjoyed running a session for Shared York CIC. They are a community interest company who share our values; they believe that connection matters now more than ever. Their impact is like ours, they reduce isolation, grow confidence and sense of belonging, build new friendships, and improve emotional wellbeing.

On Saturday we met at St Sampson’s Centre in Church Street, a well chosen location which I have always associated with friendship and community.

We gathered round the table and enjoyed tea and coffee kindly supported by Shared York, then Trevor and I introduced ourselves to over twenty participants from the St Sampson’s community and told them what we do at Mindful Photography UK; we spoke about the capability of smartphones; many were new to the idea of combining mindfulness and photography.

We started our mini workshop welcoming participants from Yorkshire, China, Hong Kong, Romania and Bhutan!

I took along a special guest, my grandfather, who is celebrating his 99th birthday. He has travelled extensively in his youth and enjoyed meeting new people from across the globe.

We then, of course, sang Happy Birthday and everyone introduced themselves with a special Happy Birthday message in their own language! I will certainly remember that moment for ever !

We explored composition together, with the wonderful Trevor gently guiding us into some of the more technical aspects of creating beautiful photographs. Then we stepped outside for a mindful walk — on a busy Saturday, and yet, it worked. It’s a powerful reminder that peace can be found anywhere when we are fully engaged in the Mindful Photography UK process.

We paused to take in the architecture of Barley Hall which is one of my personal favourites — and even captured a group photo along the way. It showed us that tourism can be mindful too, if we simply slow down and take notice.

Imagine a city where everyone moves with that same awareness — slowing down, taking care, noticing, and weaving gently through the crowds. We are a beautiful nation. Let’s celebrate our cities, mindfully.

This session formed part of our ongoing commitment to community impact. As a CIC, like Shared York, we prioritise creating accessible, meaningful experiences that support connection and wellbeing.