On a grey Spring day I joined almost 80 people for a colour walk around Brighton. Organised by a group I am a member of on Facebook, In Colourful Company is a group for fans of all things colourful. The previous walks have either been too far away or I haven’t been free to attend them. But as soon as I saw the Brighton I knew I had to go. There was just one thing that I needed to get over – my social anxiety!
I didn’t actually decide I was going until an hour before the meet up time, but I forced myself to go. I knew I would be annoyed if I didn’t go and after going I definitely would have been. As I walked off the train I saw a group of colourfully dressed people the other side of the barrier and just joined the back. Within a few seconds someone had already said hello and handed me a sticker to write my name on. I didn’t know anyone but I did recognise a few people from either the group or Instagram. I soon found myself talking to people and feeling a bit less anxious.
The route mainly focused on the roads in and around North Laine, before ending at the Pier and on my favourite places in Brighton, C:\Side Quest. If you are not familiar with Brighton then North Laine is well-known for its street art, independent and vintage shops, plus many pubs, cafes and restaurants. It’s a must visit if you haven’t been before. We headed out of the train station, going under the railway arch and down Trafalgar Street. You are immediately hit with colour and street art, both in the tunnel and on the buildings. From giant murals that cover the entire side of the building, to pastel painted houses, we saw it all.
Sometimes all you need is a little splash of colour
As we walked the streets of Brighton, we gathered quite a lot of attention. A few people asked what we were doing, and most said we were brightening up their day which was nice. I actually felt quite under-dressed and not colourful enough, despite the mustard sweatshirt, pink hair and purple bag! I had some serious clothes envy, and might have purchased some coloured tights and leggings when I got home.
Everyone was super nice and welcoming, and I couldn’t believe how far some people travelled for it. A huge thanks has to go out to Hello Dodo, The Pigeons Nest and In Colourful Company for organising the colour walk. They also organised goody bags for everyone which was so nice. You can see what they contained in the first image. I absolutely love the image on the front of the map. It was nice to see my local town from a different perspective. Unfortunately the cold got too much for me. So I headed home before going for a walk on the pier and c:\side quest. But I’ve loved seeing everyone’s photos and boomerangs on Instagram.
