The Swindon 'girl gang' tackling loneliness in young women

A woman has set up her own "girl gang" with the aim of building friendships, empowering women and tackling young loneliness.

Emily Cooper-Mead set up YFP Swindon (young female professionals), after realising she had few friends to spend time with.

The free social club meets once a month with activities like speed-friending.

Ms Cooper-Mead said she wanted to create a space where women could connect and "learn from each other".

Meetings take place at Mackenzies in Old Town, with different themes that have included body positivity, things to look out for when buying a house, motherhood and the cost of living crisis.

Inspired after experiencing loneliness when her friends "moved away and settled down" Ms Cooper-Mead, who grew up in Swindon, said it was about getting women together for a chance to meet new people.

While social media is a good way to connect, she said there was a "real strength and benefit" to "having people face to face and being able to build that personal connection, share stories and be vulnerable".

"I think it's easier to get deeper face to face - with social media there's sometimes a pretence that people want to put on. People put their best selves on social media and sometimes it can be intimidating," she said.

"Meeting in person you strip all that away. You are just a person stood in-front of another person."

Ms Cooper-Mead admitted some struggle with the courage to come along and it does take a lot for some to get out of their comfort zone.

New member, Hayley Jackson, said it was really hard to make friends and "branch out" of the social circles some women find themselves in.

"It's completely different from when you're at school and you meet friends in the playground," she said. "Everybody's busy with work and their personal lives."

Ms Jackson, who has autism, said while it was completely out of her comfort zone, she used the experience to "kind of challenge myself."

"It's so different meeting people outside of your phone and it's so important to have those connections with women, share stories and empower one another," she said.

Attending the social club on her own for the first time, Harriet Rouse described the experience as "a bit like dating".

"It's really hard as women sometimes to put ourselves in a space where we can feel a bit vulnerable," she said.

"It is hard putting yourself out there and talking to people because women have a really bad stereotype of being judgemental - but we're not, we all want the same thing."

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