A Harrogate community group is inviting residents to come together for a special coffee morning during Loneliness Awareness Week to help tackle social isolation and encourage new connections.
Harrogate Bee Social, which was founded in 2025, has organised the event in partnership with Cedar Court Hotel Harrogate.
The free community coffee morning will take place on Tuesday 16th June from 9.30am to 11.30am and is open to people of all ages.
Guests are encouraged to drop in, enjoy a coffee and spend time chatting in a relaxed and welcoming environment, whether they attend alone or with friends.
The event forms part of Loneliness Awareness Week, a national campaign aimed at reducing stigma around loneliness and highlighting the importance of meaningful social connections.
Harrogate Bee Social has grown rapidly since launching last year and now hosts between 20 and 25 events each month, including wellbeing walks, creative evenings, quizzes, film nights and social gatherings designed to help people build friendships locally.
Founder Jane Gregory said loneliness is often misunderstood:
“People often imagine loneliness as being completely isolated or having nobody around you, but that's not always the reality,” she said.
“You can have a career, children, a relationship, a busy life and still feel like you're missing connection, friendship or people to actually do things with.
“One of the biggest things we hear from people in our community is: ‘I nearly didn't come.’
“Trying something new as an adult can feel incredibly vulnerable, especially when so many people assume everybody else already has their friendship groups established.
“But the reality is there are so many people quietly feeling exactly the same way.”
Research from the Campaign to End Loneliness suggests almost half of UK adults experience loneliness at least some of the time, while Office for National Statistics data shows women are more likely than men to report feelings of loneliness and disconnection.
Jane believes everyday social interactions play an important role in helping people feel connected.
She said:
“Not every connection has to become a deep lifelong friendship to have value.
“Sometimes simply getting out of the house, recognising familiar faces, chatting over coffee or feeling welcomed into a group can make an enormous difference to somebody's confidence, wellbeing and sense of belonging locally.
“We're not trying to create a perfect social media version of friendship. We're trying to create real community.”
Speaking about the coffee morning, she added:
“We wanted to create something that was open to the wider community and reflected the message behind Loneliness Awareness Week.
“Connection doesn't have to mean making a lifelong friend. Sometimes it's simply sharing a conversation, meeting a new face or spending a couple of hours in good company.
“Everyone is welcome to join us, whether they are new to the area, looking to meet people, or simply fancy a friendly chat over a coffee.”
The coffee morning at Cedar Court Hotel Harrogate is free to attend, with organisers hoping it will encourage more open discussions around adult friendship and reassure people that wanting more connection is nothing to be embarrassed about.
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