Hi! I’m Holly Cooke, the founder of The London Lonely Girls Club.
The London Lonely Girls Club was created nearly 5 years ago after I moved to London alone. It had always been my dream to live in London and work in fashion (dreaming the UK version of The Devil Wears Prada) but I knew absolutely no one and very quickly realised that making friends as an adult once you're outside of the education system can be extremely tricky. I wanted to help myself, and others in a similar position to have a space and community to be able to meet up with other people in person to hang out, have fun, build connections and lay the foundations for some wonderful friendships.
Although amazing, life in London can be particularly lonely, and we're on a mission to change that one person and friendship at a time!
What does community mean to you?
Community, and my understanding of it is something that has changed and evolved so much over the years. I think this is so normal that as you age and grow, and your life changes that your definition and understanding of community evolves too. For me, it doesn’t necessarily have to mean people who’re all physically based in the same place who see each other and do activities every week, although I know for some people it can absolutely be that and it’s something they love. Community for me is a group of people who come together, whether online or in person, around something shared or a commonality. Whether this be a geographic location, religion or spirituality, shared interest, hobby or love, or simply to support and care for each other.
Every person understands and experiences community differently, which is something that I love, especially with The London Lonely Girls Club, we give our members the space and time to connect and engage with our community in a way that really suits them, their needs and life.
Absolutely! Loneliness is something that is so broad, and people can experience it in so many different ways for a variety of reasons. In society, we often have one set idea of what loneliness is and looks like – an older person sat alone in a rocking chair with a blanket over their knees, but the fact is that’s really just one concept and experience of loneliness and isolation.
For some people they’re physically actually alone; for others, they’re surrounded by people but maybe don’t have deep, meaningful connections with those people where they can truly share their life, worries, experiences, challenges, and triumphs.
In some cases people can feel lonely in just one area or aspect of their lives, such as their work if they work alone from home or are a solo business founder, or in their romantic relationships if they’re single and many of the people around them are in long term or committed relationships.
Since the pandemic and the rise in remote working that followed, loneliness and lack of social contact or interaction is something people have become even more aware of in their own lives, even if it wasn’t something that they had experienced previously. Physically going into the office or a place of work every single day and hanging out with colleagues over lunch or after-work drinks filled so much of people’s time, but as those things fell away during the pandemic, and now with more people working remotely, loneliness and isolation are sadly becoming more rife. In the past, colleagues who you saw every single day were friends and, in some cases, felt like family, and those daily in-person interactions no longer being there is really impacting people and opening their eyes to how isolated they are and how little social connection or support they may have outside of that work sphere.
Loneliness and the home is such a complex topic, but also something I’m really passionate about. For some people, their home is truly their safe space and sanctuary, where they can be their true selves, whether this is alone or with those they share their home with.
However, for others, and something which I have personally experienced over the last few years, is that home can also not just be a place of loneliness but a source of it too. And when that is the case for people, it can be a real struggle to understand the root of that loneliness, and also how to solve it.
Having a home space that is safe and comfortable is so key. Not just in terms of loneliness, but for mental health, well-being, and life in general. Understanding that being lonely at home is so normal and not something to be embarrassed about, but also not a mental space that you want to stay in long term is so important.
Hi! I’m Holly Cooke, the founder of The London Lonely Girls Club.
The London Lonely Girls Club was created nearly 5 years ago after I moved to London alone. It had always been my dream to live in London and work in fashion (dreaming the UK version of The Devil Wears Prada) but I knew absolutely no one and very quickly realised that making friends as an adult once you're outside of the education system can be extremely tricky. I wanted to help myself, and others in a similar position to have a space and community to be able to meet up with other people in person to hang out, have fun, build connections and lay the foundations for some wonderful friendships.
Although amazing, life in London can be particularly lonely, and we're on a mission to change that one person and friendship at a time!
What does community mean to you?
Community, and my understanding of it is something that has changed and evolved so much over the years. I think this is so normal that as you age and grow, and your life changes that your definition and understanding of community evolves too. For me, it doesn’t necessarily have to mean people who’re all physically based in the same place who see each other and do activities every week, although I know for some people it can absolutely be that and it’s something they love. Community for me is a group of people who come together, whether online or in person, around something shared or a commonality. Whether this be a geographic location, religion or spirituality, shared interest, hobby or love, or simply to support and care for each other.
Every person understands and experiences community differently, which is something that I love, especially with The London Lonely Girls Club, we give our members the space and time to connect and engage with our community in a way that really suits them, their needs and life.
Absolutely! Loneliness is something that is so broad, and people can experience it in so many different ways for a variety of reasons. In society, we often have one set idea of what loneliness is and looks like – an older person sat alone in a rocking chair with a blanket over their knees, but the fact is that’s really just one concept and experience of loneliness and isolation.
For some people they’re physically actually alone; for others, they’re surrounded by people but maybe don’t have deep, meaningful connections with those people where they can truly share their life, worries, experiences, challenges, and triumphs.
In some cases people can feel lonely in just one area or aspect of their lives, such as their work if they work alone from home or are a solo business founder, or in their romantic relationships if they’re single and many of the people around them are in long term or committed relationships.
Since the pandemic and the rise in remote working that followed, loneliness and lack of social contact or interaction is something people have become even more aware of in their own lives, even if it wasn’t something that they had experienced previously. Physically going into the office or a place of work every single day and hanging out with colleagues over lunch or after-work drinks filled so much of people’s time, but as those things fell away during the pandemic, and now with more people working remotely, loneliness and isolation are sadly becoming more rife. In the past, colleagues who you saw every single day were friends and, in some cases, felt like family, and those daily in-person interactions no longer being there is really impacting people and opening their eyes to how isolated they are and how little social connection or support they may have outside of that work sphere.
Loneliness and the home is such a complex topic, but also something I’m really passionate about. For some people, their home is truly their safe space and sanctuary, where they can be their true selves, whether this is alone or with those they share their home with.
However, for others, and something which I have personally experienced over the last few years, is that home can also not just be a place of loneliness but a source of it too. And when that is the case for people, it can be a real struggle to understand the root of that loneliness, and also how to solve it.
Having a home space that is safe and comfortable is so key. Not just in terms of loneliness, but for mental health, well-being, and life in general. Understanding that being lonely at home is so normal and not something to be embarrassed about, but also not a mental space that you want to stay in long term is so important.
