The women tackling loneliness by speed mating

After finishing university and moving back to Birmingham, Khiefa Gabbidon struggled to make friends when she started work.

The 22-year-old had a job in the tech industry which she described as a male-dominated field and said she did not have any women around her.

"I looked around to see if I could find any female friends but I couldn't so I thought 'I'm going to have to create something'," she added.

Eager to find her clique, Ms Gabbidon created a community group for women in May called Space For Girls.

It encourages like-minded women to meet up and take part in a range of activities such as running sessions, meals out and hiking.

The group has since attracted more than 8,000 followers on Instagram and a WhatsApp community of more than 1,500 women.

Before she started the group, Ms Gabbidon said she "had no-one" adding: "It was a really difficult time to go through."

But she said she had since realised many women of her age were going through the same thing.

"It's a common feeling, this emptiness and the loneliness - and to know we're here to support each other definitely helps," she added.

The group hold "speed mating" events which use the same concept as speed dating but for people to make friends.

Suzanna Jones went to one of their recent events and said she had found it difficult to make friends as a young person, before joining the group.

"I would never strike up a conversation on the train or in the gym but when you know there are other people looking for friends and are open to get to know you…it makes it easier," she added.

Katherine Hale started going to Space For Girls events after coming across a video on TikTok.

She regularly attends the running club on Tuesday evenings which she said had helped her with her anxiety and made it easier to meet new people without having long, face-to-face conversations.

"It's just nice to have that support, even though you don't necessarily know everybody," she added.

"Just knowing that if you're having a bad day, you can pop a message in the group chat or individually and they can help you through it - it's made a huge difference."

A recent survey by mental health charity Mind revealed 54% of people across the West Midlands said they preferred to put on a brave face to avoid talking about their mental health.

More than half of those said that made them feel isolated and less able to socialise.

Rachel McNair, from Birmingham Mind, said community groups like Space For Girls were important in helping people to open up.

"There's a huge gap in services for people who are looking to make meaningful connections, especially for younger people across the city," she said.

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