A BUSINESS born out of lockdown is inviting people to meet and make new friends while trying a range of new activities across the city.
Lyndsey Clay, from Preston Park, has come up with a way of bringing people together, whether they are new to Brighton and Hove, or have lived here all their lives.
She hit upon the idea during the pandemic following a break up and being made redundant from her job, when she “wasn’t sure what life post lockdown was going to look like.”
Lyndsey started doing activities in May, as restrictions were eased across the country and her new business, Connected Brighton, has already proven popular.
She said: “So many people moved here during the pandemic. Originally, I thought it would be for single people, but it’s attracted a lot of couples who are new to the area but don’t have a network yet.
“It’s a Brighton social club for those that are looking to date or expand their network.”
Lyndsey runs regular Connected Brighton sessions with a maximum of 12 people so that everyone is able to chat with each other.
She added: “Everyone has loved it. I have had such brilliant support from local businesses. Everyone I have approached has been up for it. People want to get people into their venues and they want to help connect people.
“The places that we’re going to, they don’t need me to fill tables. It’s not always that they’re empty and need people.
“Sometimes that is the case, it might be a quiet night and they think it’s a good time to get a group in, but a lot of the time it’s getting access to that restaurant for people who are new or single and wouldn’t want to go to that place alone or maybe didn’t know it existed.”
In terms of the most popular activities, Lyndsey noted that Petanque, also known as French Boules, has been very popular.
She said: “That has been very popular. Also the dinners, we’ve done mezcal tasting with Tlaloc every other month.
“They were one of our first partners and have been super supportive.
“Paddleboarding with Brighton Watersports, we’re doing that this Sunday.”
Lyndsey said the activities are a great icebreaker for people attending and offer something to talk about after.
She added: “What I have found is it’s not just the activity, it’s having time to talk about it afterwards. So we do the paddleboarding, but we are also partnered with the Lazy Fin so we go there for lunch.
“That’s my whole thing. I think if you bring people through an experience together, it builds a connection that helps to build a community.”
Connected Brighton offer a range of activities for different prices, from a free games night at the Ancient Mariner in Poet’s Corner, Hove, paddleboarding and kayaking, to a Mezcal dinner at Tlaloc in Kings Road, Brighton.
Lyndsey said the group is very inclusive, with anyone welcome to join.
She says that if you fancy trying something new or are new to the city then Connected Brighton is the perfect place to make some new friends.
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