Brighten Your Day

Thousands Of Women Join Club To Combat Loneliness

March 31, 2023

A club in London that combats loneliness has gained more than 20,000 members in the last year.

Credit: Holly Cooke / The London Lonely Girls Club

Holly Cooke, 26, said she moved to London in 2018 and struggled meeting people her own age.

She even googled "how to make friends in London" she told the BBC.

So, she started a Facebook group called "The London Lonely Girls Club" in an attempt to make new friends and tackle loneliness.

She said the club had 10,000 members at the start of 2022, and had "grown spectacularly" in the last year to almost 31,000 people.

She and two volunteers organize between four and six events each month, which have previously included picnics, brunches, board game and cocktail nights.

"Meet-ups are getting booked up in five minutes. Our first meet-up post Covid sold out in two minutes," Cooke said.

"It's been a crazy journey. I started it because I just wanted to make some friends."