Advocating for safer physical activity for women and girls
Thank you. Truly — thank you.
When I wrote my very first Chair’s Column back in September 2024, I posed a simple question: Why do we need an organisation like Cymru Women’s Sport? The answer then was clear and today, it’s even clearer. Women’s sport has come a long way, but we all know there’s still a considerable journey ahead. That’s why we committed to our three pillars: Connect. Celebrate. Advocate. Over the past two years, we’ve worked hard to live those values…but like any small organisation with a big mission, we sometimes wondered whether we were making a difference, whether anyone was noticing.
Thanks to you, we now know the answer is yes. Our Founding 100 Members campaign has been a resounding success, and your belief in what we do means everything. On behalf of Cymru Women’s Sport, I want to offer a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us. Your support gives us the momentum we need to keep pushing for gender equity in participation, policy, governance, strategy and investment.
The Active Travel Act
“Women are more than three times as likely as men to report feeling unsafe outdoors (28% vs 8%).”
So, we continue to advocate and recently contributed to the consultation on the Active Travel Act Guidance, which was another opportunity to highlight one of our key manifesto issues: women’s safety.
Women and girls deserve to feel safe and confident when exercising or travelling outdoors, at any time of day. Yet we know the reality is different:
72% of women in the UK adjust their outdoor activity routines during winter.
Women are more than three times as likely as men to report feeling unsafe outdoors (28% vs 8%).
Many take extra precautions: choosing well‑lit routes, avoiding specific areas, or checking behind them regularly.
Shockingly, 93% of women in a recent survey experienced public sexual harassment while running.
These statistics are alarming and they have real, daily consequences. If Wales truly wants to support more people to walk, wheel, or cycle, women’s safety must be embedded into how local authorities design active travel spaces.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll keep saying it: adequate lighting is essential.
The current guidance encourages planners to consider lighting early in the design process, but that’s not enough. It should be mandatory to ensure adequate lighting. Some local authorities have reduced lighting in recent years, citing cost savings or the lack of a legal requirement. These are decisions that have left many feeling unsafe. In one case, a council had to reverse its approach after night‑shift workers raised concerns. It seems a shame that women’s concerns about their health and fitness don’t have the same impact.
Safe, accessible, well‑lit routes shouldn’t be optional. They should be a standard feature of every active travel design.[LR1]
We also argued for the designing of routes that work for women. Shared‑use paths can feel intimidating when busy or dominated by faster‑moving cyclists. We want to ensure:
Adequate space for walkers, runners, wheelers and wheelchair users
Routes separated from traffic, particularly important for women cycling with children
Promotion of active routes that explicitly consider the needs and safety of women
Physical activity is essential for healthier lives and healthier communities. But equality in activity won’t be achieved unless women in Wales have safe spaces to be active.
Where do you feel unsafe?
That’s why we’re thrilled to see Transport for Wales working with partners to release an innovative new guide on improving everyday journeys for women and girls, which includes vital information on gender budgeting. We’d like to see this type of guide integral to all local authorities’ route planning in the future. We’ve written to the Active Travel Board and we will be following up with the new Welsh Government after May to ensure this is on their agenda. And we want to hear from you about where you think lighting is stopping people being active in your communities. Send us photos if you can, and as much information about the location and the problem. We won’t solve the problem overnight, but with evidence, we will be able to build a better picture of that problem.
Our asks may seem ambitious, but they are fundamental. If we want a Wales where women and girls can participate confidently and equally in sport and physical activity, these changes aren’t optional… they’re necessary.
Thank you again for your ongoing support. With you beside us, we can continue to connect, celebrate, and advocate for every woman and girl who wants to get active in Wales.