A new study found that many people in the UK feel lonely often or sometimes, with 29% of the British population stating this.
The Belonging Forum queried 10,000 Brits from all backgrounds, discovering that young women aged 18 to 24, renters, and people living with disabilities were the least likely to have a strong support network.
More than a third of Londoners (35%) also reported frequently feeling lonely, reflecting serious social connection issues in the capital, according to Belonging Forum founder Kim Samuel.
Half of Brits struggle to make friends, and while we generally cease to make friends around 37 years old, an overwhelming 72% of us would like to make new ones.
So, in an effort to fight loneliness and reduce the stigma of making friends later in life, Metro.co.uk has enlisted the help of adults who have succeeded in doing just that – and their methods are straightforward for everyone to replicate.
Why not follow their example and expand your circle?
Sarah made new friends while participating in running activities
When Sarah Hamilton moved to Cumbria in November 2012, she didn't know anyone. Her husband is in the RAF so moving was not unusual for them, but it was difficult for Sarah to find her own community.
Sarah tells Metro.co.uk: ‘As the serving person, my husband always had a brand new set of colleagues and social life, but I had to go out and find mine – especially here where it’s a small RAF community.’
But in May 2013, Sarah, 48, decided to try parkrun, which she says provided her with a community and a great group of friends.
Sarah says: ‘I often say that we wouldn’t still be living here now if I hadn’t gone to parkrun. I registered in the January because I’d seen on Twitter that Carlisle Parkrun was launching but I didn’t go until May because I wasn’t brave enough.’
The mum-of-one understands how challenging it is to make friends as an adult and she certainly didn’t find it easy at first.
She says: ‘I was too nervous to speak to people at the start, so I was just watching what everybody was doing. During the run I thought “oh they’re really speedy, I don’t want to speak to them”.
‘But after the race you’re hanging around, especially when the weather is lovely, and you sit with a coffee and end up chatting. And that’s kind of when all that interaction happens – I’ve now made a whole friend group.’
Many of Sarah’s closest friends she’s met at parkrun don’t live in Carlisle – they were passing through, but they’ve kept in touch, meet up regularly and have lots in common. She also has a big community of friends locally through the fitness event.
They’ll go out for dinner and drinks together or catch up for activities like swimming and running followed by a trip to the pub.
If parkrun seems scary, remember it's not just for experienced runners. You can run, jog, or walk, and some even bring their pushchairs.
Sarah, a library assistant, said, 'One of my friends just had her second baby. So I walked with her and her mum while she carried the baby round. Her husband was running while pushing their four-year-old in the buggy as well, so it’s literally for everybody.'
She adds, 'I walk at parkrun now, my body’s had enough of running. It’s great to still feel like you can take part even though you can’t run anymore. We were laughing on Christmas Day, because our winter course is five laps, so when you’re at the back, you get lapped quite quickly by the quick runners.
‘We weren’t even a third of the way round the first lap walking when the first guy came past – there’s no need to be that fast.’
Sarah’s advice for those who want to give it a try is to go and watch your local parkrun first to see what it’s like before doing it yourself – or you can even be a volunteer first.
She explains, ‘Volunteering first makes people say “oh, I can actually do this – it’s alright to just walk”. Parkrun has a designated walker whose job it is to be last, so you will never be last and they would walk with you if you wanted them to.’
Marian Kwei met her friend at church
Fashion expert Marian Kwei made a new best friend by attending a Seventh Day Adventists church and says it’s one of the friendliest places you can go.
The 42-year-old lived in Reading four years ago, then travelled to the church in Hackney for the first time where she met Zinze Bishop, whose son was four at the time.
Zinze sat next to Marian in the pews and noticed she was new, so she welcomed her to the church and apologised for her son fidgeting next to her.
Marian tells Metro.co.uk: ‘That’s actually how we started talking. She’s very friendly, lovely and very sweet and very warm – whenever there’s anyone new, she will make sure they are okay.
‘She told me the church hosts a lunch open to visitors so they have food where members can sit down and chat – it’s like a potluck.’
But Marian had to dash home after the service and the two didn’t exchange details. Two years passed before Marian returned to that church, because she had found one closer to home, but after moving to Canary Wharf in May 2022 she returned to that very church where she met Zinze again.
Marian says: ‘When I got to the church Zinze was arriving at the same time as me. I didn’t recognise her at first but she recognised me. She said “you came in and sat next to me and my son”. I remembered her then and we exchanged numbers.’
They then became fast friends and now Marian gives Zinze fashion advice and they go shopping together.
‘We do everything together,’ Marian says. ‘We shop together and on my birthday on November 14 Zinze treated me to cake and coffee. We pray together and talk about mental health because Zinze is a counsellor.
‘She even assisted me in relocating – we handle everything from the ordinary parts of life to the enjoyable things.’
Nicola encountered her friends while walking dogs.
For dog owners, Nicola Wandsworth believes that having a dog makes it much easier to make friends because you automatically have something in common.
The 50-year-old resides in Minnis Bay on the north Kent coast with her two dogs, Bertie, four, and Mabel, nine months, both of which are Tibetan terriers. She also owns her own dog shampoo brand, Pup Suds.
It’s through walking her dogs on the beach that she met her best friend Natalie McGee. Nicola tells Metro.co.uk: ‘Natalie was the first person that I let Bertie off the lead with to play with her dog.
‘I said “do you mind if I let my dog play with your dog?” And she said absolutely. We got chatting and have been firm friends ever since.’
They now meet up for dog play dates where Natalie is often ‘killing herself laughing’ because Nicola’s dog is so naughty, while Natalie’s Labradoodle Chester is well-behaved. They also have ‘non-puppy’ evenings too. She says: ‘We meet up for drinks and we’ll go for lunch. There’s now a little group of us – we’re called the ladies of the bay.’
When Nicola meets someone on a dog walk she gets along with she will add them to a Whatsapp group of all her dog walker friends so they can meet up.
She explains: ‘In Minnis Bay if you don’t stop and have a half hour conversation with passersby on walks you’re considered weird. You literally can’t go anywhere with your dog without making friends down here. It’s just so lovely.
‘If you have a dog it seems to give people a reason to approach you, which I think is really sweet. Asking if you can stroke someone’s dog can be a great icebreaker.’
Nicola also suggests puppy classes with your dog as a good way to make friends. ‘You’re all going through the same trials and tribulations of new puppy ownership,’ she explains.
‘You all have a puppy that is literally trashing your home. You can ask “is your dog doing this?” or “what do you recommend for this?”.’
Nicola now has weekly meet ups with her friends from these groups to socialise their dogs and drink gin together.
She adds: ‘Now I just need my dog to meet another dog on the beach with a gorgeous man in tow, like 101 Dalmatians – then I’ll have it made.’
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