'I felt like a stranger in my hometown': How Joanne built a friendship club
L to R Emma Hicking, Joanne Burton, Polly Aconley by Bec Hudson Smith
York club helps women tackle loneliness and make friends
ALMOST one in four women in Great Britain report feeling lonely often, always or some of the time.
Across the country, groups are popping up to try to combat this feeling.
One such group in York is The Girls’ Club, which hosts events that aim to create a safe space for women to meet new people and build their social circle.
The Girls’ Club is a community group for women, born out of a trip to the pub at the end of 2023.
After moving back to York during the pandemic in 2020, Joanne Burton, founder of The Girls’ Club, found that she no longer felt like a local, but a stranger in her hometown.
Loneliness took hold and felt overwhelming and all-consuming, leaving her longing for more.
Joanne met friends Emma Hicking and Polly Aconley through work, and her life changed.
L to R Emma Hicking, Joanne Burton, Polly Aconley by Bec Hudson Smith
She knew that she couldn’t be the only person craving the feeling of fulfilment that sharing life with friends was giving her, and couldn’t bear the thought that others may be going through the same thing.
One November night in The Crooked Tap, she shared her ideas for The Girls’ Club, and a community was born.
The three founders were shocked by how quickly the Instagram account grew. The first event, a girls’ night at The Cat In The Wall, sold out within a week and The Girls’ Club amassed thousands of followers in the first couple of months. The response made them realise just how much demand there was for opportunities to meet new people in York.
Since then, the community has hosted nearly 150 events for more than a thousand women in the past three years.
The group aims to build a genuine community where women can come back again and again, see familiar faces and build relationships with women from across the city.
The Girls’ Club hosts everything from book clubs to parties as well as wellness and crafting events.
Book club discussions by Jessica Moses
For some women, the opportunity to turn up alone means trying activities they might otherwise never experience.
This autumn, The Girls’ Club is hosting a programme of events across York.
In October, The Girls’ Club hosted a quiz, raising funds for York Women’s Counselling Service, and will hold an Autumnal Cake Decorating workshop on October 21 in collaboration with Handmade by Charlotte and a book club on October 29. November 14 sees the return of the Community Girls’ Night, where women are encouraged to come alone and meet new people in a relaxed, social environment.
The autumn programme marks a shift in The Girls’ Club events, as they aim to create more regular opportunities for women to see familiar faces and build friendships over time. The aim is to create a community where women can keep coming back, rather than attending one event and leaving.
Tickets for upcoming events are available via Ticket Tailor: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thegirlsclubyork and all event details are posted on Instagram (@thegirlsclubyork).
Women are invited to attend alone or with a friend, and events create a welcoming environment for meeting new people.