Amid growing concern about loneliness and social isolation, new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research found the number of young people in England with no close friends has risen fivefold since 2014, with one in 20 now reporting having none at all.
asserted
one → grow → none
Making new friends as an adult is not always easy.
asserted
Making → make → adult
We spoke to people who have taken deliberate steps to make new connections about what worked for them.
asserted
what → speak → them
‘If I was in trouble in some way, I’ve now got people I could actually call’
uncertain
I → get → people
For Rhiannon, a 35-year-old ghostwriter from East Sussex, joining a local knitting and crochet group has become “a lifeline” after separating from her husband and moving a few towns away, and finding connections harder to maintain.
asserted
joining → join → connections
In February, she joined the Yarners, a weekly group in Mayfield.
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she → join → Mayfield
Having only started crocheting a month earlier, she was “absolutely terrified” they would judge her for being a beginner.
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they → start → her
“But they didn’t care.”
asserted
they → care → ?
The group quickly became an important part of her life.
asserted
group → become → life
“No matter what is happening at home, I know for two hours a week I can just sit in a calm and supportive space with people who share my hobby.
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who → happen → hobby
It’s more than just a group.
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It → ’ → group
It’s a real community.”
asserted
It → ’ → ?
Having local friends to rely on is one of the biggest perks.
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Having → have → perks
“If I needed something, if I was in trouble in some way, I’ve now got people I could actually call and say: ‘Hey, can you help me?’”
uncertain
you → need → me
‘It just blew up.
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It → blow → ?
Ria, 27, moved from Mumbai to London five years ago, but after later moving to Reading, she found it harder to maintain the friendships she had made in the capital.
asserted
she → move → capital
“I faced acute loneliness,” says Ria, who now works in mergers and acquisitions in London.
asserted
who → face → London
“When people move away from their home, it gets tough at this age to make friends.”
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it → move → friends
In May, she created a WhatsApp group to bring her London friends together.
uncertain
she → create → friends
It soon expanded through friends of friends and Instagram.
asserted
It → expand → friends
“It just blew up.
asserted
It → blow → ?
The London Coffee Club holds meetups in cafes for groups of five to 10.
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Club → hold → 10
“I’m slightly introverted, so I don’t prefer big groups.
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I → ’m → groups
It’s a relaxed vibe.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
‘She’s helping me and I’m helping her’
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I → help → her
Working from home left Rebecca, a 31-year-old NHS project support officer in Bristol, missing everyday social interaction.
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Working → work → interaction
“I completely underestimated how much I would miss face-to-face contact, even informal conversations such as, ‘How was your weekend?’”
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weekend → underestimate → contact
A few months ago, she joined exercise classes at her local leisure centre “as a way to make friends”.
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she → join → friends
Although “absolutely terrified” at first, she now attends pilates, weights and body conditioning classes about three times a week.
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she → attend → classes
“Even though you’re doing an exercise class, there’s that informal aspect where you are having a bit of a joke and a laugh.
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you → do → joke
Working from home, you don’t get that sort of office banter.
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you → work → banter
Rebecca has also met a new friend through Bristol Girls, a local Facebook group, and encouraged her to join the classes.
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Rebecca → meet → classes
“She’s helping me, and I’m helping her,” she says.
asserted
she → help → her
‘I have met some of my closest friends here’
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I → meet → friends
After leaving his job as a primary school teacher Ben, 35, suddenly had more free time so thought he would use it to “meet new people” and get back into stage performance.
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he → leave → performance
“It was something I loved at school and at university,” says Ben, who lives in Gateshead and works in education.
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who → love → education
In 2017, he joined the People’s Theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne, a non-professional community theatre company, and has since performed in about 20 productions.
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he → join → productions
“The first year was non-stop as I jumped from play to play and met so many fantastic people,” he says.
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he → jump → people
“It’s been nearly a decade, and I count some people, even people I only met less than a year ago, as some of my closest friends.”
asserted
I → count → friends
The friendships now extend well beyond rehearsals and performances, with regular social gatherings.
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friendships → extend → gatherings
…and 23 more, not listed.
The Aporia
