New Crawley community group aims to help adults make new friends
A new community initiative is launching in Crawley with the aim of helping adults meet new people, and build friendships, through outdoor activities.
Crawley resident Alex Dobson has set up a group called Movara, to bring people together through relaxed events centred around movement, conversation and connection.
The first event will take place at Buchan Country Park at 10am on Sunday, September 6, with a free 60 to 90-minute walk.
The walk is not intended to be a fitness challenge or networking event, but an opportunity for people to get outdoors, meet others and enjoy some time in the local area.
Alex said the idea came from his own experience of finding it harder to make new connections as an adult.
He said: “I work from home, and outside of work my time is mostly spent with my wife and young daughter.
“After talking to lots of people, I realised many adults feel the same – once you leave school or university, meeting new people and making genuine friendships becomes much harder.”
Alex said people moving to new areas, friends moving away and the rise of remote working could all make it more difficult to form new friendships.
He added: “I wanted to create something simple that encourages people to get outdoors, be a little more active, and build a real sense of community.”
Movara is intended to eventually become more than a monthly walking group, with Alex planning to create a WhatsApp community where people can stay in touch between events.
Alex said: “My hope is that Movara becomes more than just a monthly walk. I’ll be creating a WhatsApp community so people can stay in touch between events and hopefully build lasting friendships.”
More information about Movara and the upcoming event is available through https://movara.carrd.co/ and https://www.eventbrite.com/o/movara-121564122623