Angela Clelland still remembers the first time she realised the world was starting to blur.
She had always loved walking, the rhythm, the fresh air, the peace of it.
But in 2021, as her sight began to fade, the routes she once wandered with ease started to feel uncertain.
Familiar paths became unfamiliar.
Group walks that once brought joy became quietly intimidating.
She didn’t want pity or a fuss.
She just wanted to keep walking.
So she built something new.
A small, gentle walking group in Inverness for people who, like her, were losing their sight but not their sense of belonging.
Each month, the group sets out through the River Ness Islands, guided not just by canes or companions, but by the comfort of walking side by side.
There are no expectations.
Just footsteps, shared stories, and a growing sense of connection.
It’s the kind of space that can’t be measured in numbers.
You measure it in ease, in laughter, in the way someone walks a little taller by the end.
This June, during Loneliness Awareness Week, volunteers from the Inverness branch of Samaritans joined them for their monthly walk.
There was no ceremony, no fanfare.
Just people meeting people.
The walk wasn’t about raising awareness.
It was awareness.
Real, lived, human.
Because if there’s one thing the Samaritans understand, it’s that loneliness doesn’t always look like silence or sadness.
It’s often hidden behind smiles.
It lingers in busy lives and quiet corners.
And sometimes, it walks beside you.
That’s why they came, not to fix, but to feel.
Not to lead, but to listen.
Alison Wood, director of the Inverness branch, said the experience was a reminder of the small ways people get left out.
How a lack of large print, a missed invitation, or a difficult sign-up form can be the thing that keeps someone from joining in.
Since then, the Samaritans have started offering materials in Braille and large print.
They’re exploring ways to make volunteering more accessible.
Not because it’s nice to do, but because it matters.
Because being able to give your time, to feel useful, is part of what keeps us well.
The walk finished, as these things often do, with warm goodbyes and plans for next time.
It wasn’t a grand day.
It was something better.
It was ordinary, and in that ordinariness, it was quietly extraordinary.
The kind of day that says, without needing to, you’re not alone.
Samaritans have been listening to people in Scotland since 1959.
You can call them, day or night, on 116 123 even on a mobile without credit or email jo@samaritans.org.
Click here to find out how to volunteer for Inverness Samaritans
