'I help women find friends through my new group'

A woman who found limited chances of meeting new friends after she moved house has set up her own Facebook group that already has more than 700 members.

Victoria Cleave, 30, recently moved from Norfolk to Aldeburgh, Suffolk, to be with her partner.

However, she found it hard to meet other like-minded people, so turned to social media to solve not only her own issue but to help others in similar situations.

On 11 February she set up the Girls in Suffolk group which has already led to successful meet ups including one walking group in Woodbridge.

"I work from home and so I don't really have a chance to meet people," Miss Cleave explained.

"I thought I'd meet people out and about, maybe going to classes, the gym, and to be honest it just didn't happen.

"I thought rather than waiting around for this opportunity, there must be other people that feel the same as me.

"So I thought I'd do something about it and go to the people as such, rather than wait for people to come to me."

Miss Cleave said the group was "about belonging" and offered a safe space for women to feel "empowered, valued and heard".

An important element of the group is that is inclusive and Miss Cleave wanted transgender women as well as non-binary people to be included.

"Everyone in the group shares common experiences... so the more inclusive we are the stronger and richer this community becomes," she continued.

"The group is really about fostering those meaningful relationships so ensuring that women, non-binary people who resonate with this space, that they have a space that they feel valued and heard as well so inclusivity really is the heart of all that."

Katrina Emerton, 40, is a military spouse and recently relocated to Woodbridge.

She explained she moves regularly and the latest one had been "particularly difficult" due to leaving a good group of friends in Essex.

However, she found Girls in Suffolk and organised a walking group that is now meeting weekly.

"To be able to meet new people with similar likes and hobbies means that I get the opportunities to make some new friends rather than just acquaintances, that I perhaps wouldn't ordinarily spend my free time with," she said.

"I find walking and exercising therapeutic and to be able to share that with like-minded people and some good company was just what I needed."

While it is still early days, Miss Cleave hoped the group would continue to grow while retaining its core aims.

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