How the Girls Collective is connecting women across Chester
By Dherran Titherington 23rd Nov 2025
Emily O'Connor is the face behind the Girls Collective, a not-for-profit social group helping women make friends in Chester.
The University of Chester alumna set up the group this summer while navigating post-graduate life and her own experience of loneliness.
After choosing to stay in the city following her degree, she found it difficult to adjust as friends moved away for work.
"I started a new job and I was the youngest person there," the 22-year-old told Nub News. "Once I realised I wasn't going to make any new friends at work, I got lonely really quickly because it all happened at once."
One evening, she posted a video on TikTok sharing her idea to create a space for women in Chester to meet and make friends.
"I got home from work and I was so upset because I had nothing to do," she said. "I hadn't washed my hair, I was still in my work clothes, and I had to wear my glasses because I'd been crying.
"I put a video out and just said, 'I'm really lonely, and I'm hoping there are other lonely people out there too. Here's a space where we can maybe not be lonely together.'"
"That was terrifying to put it out there but I'm glad and proud I did."
The response was immediate, with many women saying they felt the same way. The Girls Collective was set up soon after, with its first social event held at Storyhouse.
Emily added: "It was crazy because at that point I realised there were so many girls who wanted the same thing. I just knew it was worth doing.
"What we offer is a guarantee that at some point you will meet someone. We constantly put on so many events on different days at different times and so many new girls come through."
With weekly meet-ups held at venues across Chester, Emily hosts socials in a range of settings - from pub quizzes and dance classes to craft nights at Storyhouse. The only requirement is that attendees are over 18.
Emphasising that many of the events are free, she said: "You shouldn't have to pay to make friends. It should be accessible - however much you want to spend - but there should always be a space where you can meet people."
The not-for-profit group is run entirely by volunteers, with Emily and a small team of organisers planning and hosting each event in their spare time.
Emily said she was "absolutely terrified" to post the original video, reflecting on the vulnerability of admitting she felt lonely in her twenties, and revealing how other women have since praised her for speaking so openly.
"It would have never crossed my mind that this time last year I would have put myself out there so vulnerably," she said. "The difference in my confidence and my mindset has changed so much since meeting the girls.
"The confidence that has skyrocketed onto all of us is incredible to see. It has completely changed my life. I am proud but I know I also needed it as much as anybody else."
The Girls Collective hosts a number of free events in Chester each week. You can learn more about the group or find their next meet-up here.
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