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Women's club inspires creativity and friendship

The Girls Club Birmingham Two composite images of women sitting around tables together. On the left, 10 women are sitting at a table with multi-coloured bowls and cake bases. On the right a table is filled with bouquets of flowers as women sit around.The Girls Club Birmingham
The women take part in a range of activities, including cake decorating and creating bouquets

Fancy meeting on a Wednesday evening for crochet and a natter?

It is one of many activities that The Girls Club Birmingham has offered to help people make new friends and get creative.

Founders Lo Ranfaing and Hollie Boulton set up the group in April so women could socialise through activities that ease social awkwardness like sip and paint classes or pilates.

"There's such a need for women-only spaces because there wasn't an opportunity to meet people with special interests," Ms Ranfaing said.

Since it started, almost 2,000 women have joined the club's online community and every event sells out rapidly.

Lo Ranfaing is smiling with Hollie Boulton. Lo has long brown hair, is wearing glasses and a white and blue jumper. Hollie has brown hair, is wearing glasses, a grey jumper and a black pinafore. They are sitting on a brown leather sofa.
Lo Ranfaing and Hollie Boulton said the group's popularity had "spiralled" since they set it up in April

Ms Ranfaing, 23, did not know anyone when she moved from York to Birmingham by herself in September 2023.

But after reaching out to other women on social media, she started regularly meeting up with others and realised there was a demand for women-only groups in the city.

A group of women sitting in a park on a picnic rug. They have lots of cards and bowls scattered on the rug as they paint inside cards
All the activities are arranged during the organisers' spare time

"I feel proud and grateful because this is just insane. I feel so content to have been able to bring something to Birmingham," Ms Ranfaing said.

Ms Boulton, 28, said that more women-only events had been popping up in Birmingham since the group was set up and seeing them brought her "great joy".

Thahera is wearing a black headscarf and a white jumper, the background is out of focus but another woman can be seen sitting behind her
Thahera decided to join the group after moving from London to Birmingham

Thahera, 28, joined the club to make her own circle of friends after moving from London to Birmingham.

"It's hard to make friends when you're older because you don't go to school and people at work aren't always happy to make friends," she said.

The event means that she gets to meet people from different parts of Birmingham and learn things from others.

Kaveeta Sehjal is wearing a black jumper and has black long hair. Women can be seen sitting at tables either side of her
Kaveeta Sehjal loves having a safe space to meet like-minded people

Kaveeta Sehjal said she loved coming to the events because it got her out of the house, improved her mental health and allowed her to meet new people.

"It's so easy to get into a routine of going to work and coming home but it's so important to get social and learn new skills," she said.

The events provide her with a way to socialise that is "cute and wholesome" and doesn't revolve around drinking alcohol.

"Having a nice safe space to speak to people who are like-minded and out there to lift each other up is really good," she added.

A group of four women are sitting around a table in a restaurant. They all have drinks on the table along with their phones as they learn to crochet with yarn
The crochet club in Harborne provides women with the chance to learn a new skill

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