Meeting new people is hard.
We turn to our screens for a good conversation rather than to the person sitting next to us. We toss our spare time to the wolves of Silicon Valley rather than invest it in a friend or fellow commuter.
With technology burrowing into our habits over the last twenty years we may well be more connected than ever; but that comes at a pretty big cost if you’re an extrovert looking to find friends; not a one night-stand or an awkward date, but likeminded people you can enjoy Manchester with.
That was the exact thinking when Lauren Ballard drew up plans for her new social network, The Laurel Tribe, due to launch next week.
“When I left University, being from Manchester and studying here, it meant that a lot of my friends then moved to another city or went travelling. It was quite a lonely time for me,” admitted Lauren.
“From speaking to more girls, it became quite apparent this was quite a common thing, but girls are almost embarrassed to admit they are lonely.”
The Laurel Tribe aims to be the bridge connecting young women feeling lonely, or just wanting to expand their friendship group, to a network of potential new pals.
“I’m hoping the Laurel Tribe will create a safe place for women to meet likeminded women and have a bit of fun, ultimately giving them that invaluable chance to make new friends in Manchester.”
The Laurel Tribe will be hosting their Launch Party at the trendy Tariff and Dale on Thursday. It will be an opportunity to meet the creator, Lauren Ballard, as well as other women who are interested in joining the new network.
Kicking off at 7pm, the evening will consist of nibbles, cocktails and plenty of socialising – a chance to experience what The Laurel Tribe will be all about. There will also be a couple of other brands supporting the launch, giving a taster of the events they will be running as apart of the network’s event line up.
Each month there will be exclusive events for Laurel Tribe members, these will include workshops, lunches and dinners, nights out and more.
Tickets will be free, but please register your interest to the event on the Eventbrite page via our Facebook event so organisers are aware of numbers.
To register for the event and find out more information please click here.
