It began as a way to cope with the mental impact of a sexual assault and the isolation of the pandemic. Today Outdoor Adventure Girls has upwards of 100,000 members. Founder Sophie Davis tells Andrew Gibbs about her plans to grow her community into one of the UK’s largest travel operators and agencies.
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JUST as for many people in her situation, lockdown proved challenging for Sophie Davis. The former marketing and PR executive with the Spinal Injuries Association was working from home, missing the company of colleagues, family and friends.
“I felt really lonely and isolated,” she said. “I did not know many people in Milton Keynes because we were all working remotely. So I posted on Facebook, inviting anyone who was interested to join me in going for a walk. 12 women turned up.”
As they strolled through the grounds of Woburn Park, it seemed that there was a need among those women – and, Sophie assumed, many others – for a group in which they could meet others also seeking the safety and confidence building so important to so many women.
It was a feeling to which Sophie could relate. A few years previously, in her early 20s, she had been backpacking with a friend in Australia when she became the victim of a sexual assault.
“I had a traumatic experience and afterwards felt really isolated and alone. It coincided with Covid and I could not shake that feeling moving forward.
“I really felt that my healing process would be to spend time with other women but I did not know how to get that started or where to find the right support. I went through therapy on the NHS over the years and I had wonderful best friends but sometimes it helps to talk to a stranger, in particular to other women who have been through a similar experience.”
Setting up the walking group helped her to realise the importance of interaction for mental health. And so Outdoor Adventure Girls was born, a community for women looking to increase their confidence, make connections and friendships and learn new skills.
Her story came to the attention of the Ministry of Justice in 2021, which approached her to share her experiences as part of its It Still Matters campaign encouraging victims of sexual violence to seek support, no matter when it happened.
“I was happy to share my story. We did a short film around my story and those of other people. They have approached me to join another campaign and I am always happy to share my story if it helps someone else.”
Interest in Outdoor Adventure Girls grew to the point that Sophie was spending her evenings and weekends planning trips for the friendship group. “I realised that, as I began planning the weekends away, I needed to charge the guests for that.
“I realised that there was a business in this.”
That was 18 months ago and Sophie left her job at the Spinal Injuries Association in Oldbrook to focus on nurturing Outdoor Adventure Girls. Today she lives in Milton Keynes with husband Theo, whom she married three years ago, and now is preparing to lead the organisation into the next phase of its development: a growth plan for the next five years.
“The group creates a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose. It offers skills and qualifications training and the feedback we get is that our members do not have the confidence in their life to do these kinds of things, to go hiking or travel abroad on their own.
“They do not have time or the confidence. We aim to take that stress away.
“I have big plans to grow this potentially into one of the biggest travel operators and travel agencies in the UK. I would like to put more women in leadership positions and bring on more members of female staff.”
Such has been the demand that Outdoor Adventure Girls has grown to more than 100,000 members on Facebook and its other social media pages. Facebook is the first contact as new members look to join a group locally and members can stay updated through their Instagram and newsletter.
There are 14 regional groups around the UK and Outdoor Adventure Girls organises both local meetings and monthly weekend trips to venues around the UK on which guests enjoy activities such as hiking, paddleboarding, kayaking, wild swimming and the more peaceful yoga and mindfulness.
She is helped currently by a group of event hosts who assist in running the trips both at home and, now, abroad. Outdoor Adventure Girls organise trips all over the world, with Bali, Iceland, Morocco and France already stamps on the passport and trips planned this year to places such as Egypt, Vietnam, Everest Base Camp, Costa Rica, Peru, Slovenia and Japan.
On the Outdoor Adventure Girls website, this adventure bucket list is headlined ‘The F*ck it List’. “Because life is too short to wait for the ‘perfect time’ to chase unforgettable experiences.”
The events are among up to 40 that Outdoor Adventure Girls runs in a year, alongside training courses including in first aid and in the skills required to lead outdoor activities.
“We are now a tour operator for the purposes of our business insurance and in the UK there are lots of rules around holidays which is exactly what we do but I have always thought of us as a purpose-led business but most known as a community group.
“Everything I do is for our community and the types of events we deliver are the events that our community wants. It is very much led by that and not by making money. I am often told that I should see Outdoor Adventure Girls more as a business than a community but it is where it is.”
It is a far cry from the assault survivor who stayed at home, feeling isolated and alone.
“The group is not just aimed at women who have been through that. I have learned from it and I wanted to help other women as well. I am proud of myself that I have taken that traumatic experience and turned it into a good thing.
“It gives me a sense of purpose, a sense that I am doing good. I have moved forward from the experience and have been able to provide a safe space for other women to go outside and enjoy themselves in a safe and secure space. That gives me a lot of comfort.”
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