New friendship club in Peterborough hopes to tackle loneliness

‘Friendship Club Peterborough’ has taken off on social media, gaining hundreds of members in only a few months. When Kerry moved to Whittlesey, she didn’t know a single person, but now she’s formed friendships with dozens of people with help from her group.

Whilst gardening in Bretton, Kerry met someone who inspired her. She said: “I was gardening and this lady walked by with a dog and she was telling me about the weather. We chatted for a while, and then she walked off but then she turned around and said thank you for talking to me today and she said you’re the only person I have spoken to in the last few days.’ It really upset me and I thought I have got to do something.”

In its first week the social media group amassed over 80,000 views and now has over 400 active members who are keen to chat, create new friendships and support one another. Now the group has a book club, board games club at the Focus Centre, Dogsthorpe to encourage face-to-face meetings.

Kerry has been astounded at how friendly the group is. She said: “I see all these people sharing how they feel and connecting and it felt like a shift of good energy had come in to Facebook. It could be the friendliest group on Facebook! It’s helped me, it’s been really wonderful to see people connect through kindness.”