ABOUT BRISTOL & BATH
SOCIAL GROUP
BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL
GROUP is the Bristol & Bath
area’s premier socialising and friendship organisation - the very best way to
find new friends and enjoy a great social life!
If you live in the Bristol
& Bath area, including North Somerset, Mendips, Clevedon, Portishead,
Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, Cotswolds, etc. you should join BRISTOL
& BATH SOCIAL GROUP!
Give your spare time an
upgrade with BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL GROUP!
We offer the opportunity to
enjoy a better life!
We organise hundreds of
social events, dining out at restaurants, parties, dinner dances,
nightlife, themed evenings, entertainment, concerts, theatre, cinema events,
quizzes, treasure hunts, bowling, skittles, walks, outdoor activities, days out,
short breaks, and holidays!
If you love your food, then
look no further, as we think it’s great fun having friends to go out to dinner
with. So we feature lots of different
restaurants all over the Bristol & Bath region, which are some of the very
best in the country! We feature
different price ranges, but always what we feel are the very best venues in
each price range, choosing restaurants which offer good food, good service, the
best hospitality, great deals, and great locations in our beautiful region!
In our experience, almost
everyone enjoys dining out at restaurants!
Of course, it’s not the same by yourself. So we provide a ready-made ‘group of friends’ to go out to dinner
with! Spending an evening out at
dinner, with good food and good company, is the best!
Want to experience a variety
of cuisine at the very best value of Bristol & Bath’s restaurants and have
friends to go out to dinner and socialise with? Then join BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL GROUP!
At our events, you not only
get to go some great places, which our extensive research has shown are the
best Bristol & Bath has to offer, but you get a real sense of camaraderie
which just cannot be beaten. Here’s to
good times! Cheers!
There’s also a range of
Christmas & New Year events, and we often have seasonal events such as
Valentines Dances, Summer Beach Days, Autumn Balls, and Halloween Parties too!
This is a unique and very
special programme of events - with many events and activities you just cannot
get elsewhere!
As well as the run of the
mill ‘going out for dinner’ or ‘going out for drinks’ with our
ready-made ‘group of friends’, we offer a whole range of more unusual events
such as Secret Life, Murder Mystery, Quiz Cross, Black & White Ball, 1920’s
Party, Beatles Party, James Bond Party, Rat Pack Party, New York Speed Dating,
and so on…
These don’t happen every
week, but we feature a selection of them in each area from time to time. Exactly what events are on offer is
different every month, and often in accordance with the time of year and what
is available, or in conjunction with any holidays that may be running for
members.
If you are single, you will
be fine coming along to all our events by yourself! That’s what this was set up for!
To provide an instant ‘group of friends’ for you to be able to go out
with!
We provide a ready-made
‘group of friends’ for you to go out with!
A ready-made social life, all organised for you! A great way to widen your circle of friends,
make the most of your spare time, and improve your social life!
Above all, the idea is to
enjoy yourself!
BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL
GROUP is ideal if you are looking
for more to do and looking to make lots of new friends!
We
have lots of members all across the region - with plenty in each age group,
meaning we can put on events to suit different age groups, some younger, some
older, and some that attract a mixture of ages! We offer enormous choice at great value for money, with plenty
for all tastes and all pockets, and there should be lots for everyone!
Indulge
yourself and put some fun in your life!
BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL
GROUP has
brought meeting people into the 21st century - with a completely
original concept, offering you a ready made social life and a ‘group of
friends’ to go out with.
We
offer a dedicated, professional and friendly service, with many years of
experience. We do the hard work in making the arrangements and organising
everything.
All
you have to do is come out, join in, and enjoy yourself!
The
value of companionship should not be underestimated.
What
price for a friend? We think friendship
is priceless!
If
you are looking to make more friends…
join BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL
GROUP!
When
you join BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL
GROUP, you
don’t need to join anything else.
When
it comes to social events, leisure, sporting, and recreational activities, BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL GROUP aims to provide one group
to fulfil all your socialising needs.
The
idea is to provide a whole range of social events and activities. Whatever you like to do, there should be
plenty that you fancy taking part in.
With
membership extremely good value for money, you should be able to enjoy a
terrific social life, take part in lots of events, and make lots of friends!
Membership
is for 12 months, so you have plenty of time to get the most out of your
membership over the course of a year.
After a month or so of going out to our events and joining in with things,
before you know it, you’ll soon be going out with a group of friends who you
have got to know and find you are having a great time!
It
takes a little time to get used to things, but it is definitely worth it, and
most people get a lot out of this and many have found it has really changed
their lives for the better!
Enjoy
a great social life! Come out to our enjoyable events with a positive upbeat
attitude, participate in what is going on, and enjoy yourself!
The
more the merrier! Everyone
welcome!
We
have always aimed to create an atmosphere which was safe and respectable,
without being dull and boring. We want your membership to be enjoyable,
exciting, and fun! Our events take place at a variety of venues which are smart
and stylish, and we always look for places which offer good value.
Over
the term of your membership you can expect to come along to lots of enjoyable
social events, meet new people, make new friends, gain in confidence, and enjoy
a whole new social life! We look forward to the pleasure of your company!
We
hope that you will feel able to relax in the pleasant informal atmosphere at
our events, enjoy meeting other members, and have a really good time!
BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL
GROUP is
completely different to other organisations you may be familiar with. We don’t hold dull and boring meetings in
the back room of the same pub or village hall once a week. We don’t expect anyone to hold events in
their own homes.
We
are open to both singles and couples.
Approximately 75% of our members are single.
We
still hold true to our roots when we started this as an informal non-commercial
‘group of friends’, we try very hard to remain relaxed and approachable, and to
offer really good value to our ‘group of friends’, and we still do a lot to
help people in our community.
We
think this spirit is reflected in our philosophy - we take pride in being
different from any other organisation.
Of
course, all members need to be able to manage events under their own steam and
be able to deal with normal social situations.
Every
Social Group member is a member of our ‘group of friends’ and we will do our
best to look after you - as our friend!
We
set up BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL
GROUP in
order to provide something better, different, and much more modern than an old
fashioned sad singles club or dodgy dating agency. Prior to, BRISTOL &
BATH SOCIAL GROUP the whole genre of ways to meet people and make friends was very dated,
and we have brought a fresh new approach to having a great social life - all
nice and relaxed and without any pressure or stigma. You can come out to our events, have a great time, and have lots
of fun - and if you meet someone special, that’s a bonus!
We
are not overtly or primarily about singles and dating. We are about having fun and friends
foremost, and if you meet someone as well, it’s a really nice way to do so -
and also much better than a dating agency or weird singles only
organisation.
BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL
GROUP is
fun and fresh! A much better and much
nicer way to have friends and meet people!
If
you are looking for romance, because this is much more normal and easy-going,
and because there are so many people to meet, there is a much better chance of
meeting someone special and it being someone who is right for you!
A
large proportion of our members are single people. Many join us looking to meet
someone special. If you are single or
separated, BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL
GROUP provides
a really nice relaxed, romantic, and respectable environment in which to meet a
partner.
Over
the years, there have been lots and lots of romances and relationships amongst
members - and plenty of marriages too!
If
you want to meet Mr. Right or Miss Right, well we can’t promise that straight
away. What we can say is that you will
have the opportunity to have a great deal of fun and lots of good times and
good company to enjoy, and in the end there is a very good chance of meeting
Mr. Right or Miss Right and finding happiness together.
If
you are single, divorced, or separated, there’s no better way to have a great
social life, lots of friends, and hopefully meet someone special, that at BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL GROUP!
TOO MUCH PRESSURE…
Life
in the 21st Century is busy! busy! busy! We all work so hard to make ends meet and have a decent
life. There is so much pressure on all
of us and so many demands on our time that we really don’t have a lot of spare
time to organise ourselves properly, let alone enjoy everything we should, make
lots of friends, and develop a good social life!
So
that’s where BRISTOL & BATH
SOCIAL GROUP comes in, by providing a ready-made programme of social events, dining
out at restaurants, nightlife, entertainment, leisure activities, parties, and
so on… and doing all the hard work of getting all of you together in the first
place, as a ready-made ‘group of friends’ - so that we can all go out together
and enjoy good times!
On
Monday morning, it’s no fun going in to work if you did nothing interesting
over the weekend. Our view is to help
you make the most of your spare time by organising all sorts of fun things for
you to enjoy, and to encourage you to play hard as well as work hard, and make
the most of your life!
Get
the Life / Work Balance right with BRISTOL
& BATH SOCIAL GROUP!
Regrettably,
it is not possible to offer a free ‘taster’ event as a sample of what to
expect. As we offer so many different
types of events, there is no one typical event as standard, so we feel that
even after sampling one event, you will not be able to make a fair assessment
of what we offer. It generally takes at
least several events before people get to understand how good this is and what
a full year of membership will be like.
As it takes time to get to know other members and build up a circle of
friends, this is not something that can be sampled as a ‘taster’.
So
unfortunately, we cannot offer a free ‘taster’ event and people are asked to
join first as members before they take part in all we do for them.
However,
before you join BRISTOL & BATH
SOCIAL GROUP you can get a very good idea of what to expect by looking through the
photographs on the PAST EVENTS section of this web site at
www.bristolsocialgroup.com/fpastevents.htm
Also,
please take a look at the many photographs on our GROUP HOLIDAYS web
site at
www.travelcompanionsholidays.com/lander.htm
which will
give you a good idea of some of the many wonderful things the group has done
around the world.
If
you would like to know any more, please feel free to give us a call and have a
chat. Our dedicated telephone number is
charged at low cost local rates no matter where you live, to save you
money. We are happy to offer any advice
and assistance.
To
join BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL GROUP is very easy. Telephone 08456 121 772 and ask to join straight
away. Telephones are open almost every
day, 7 days a week, 12noon - 7pm.
You
can pay to join by debit card or credit card over the telephone.
Or
you can send us a cheque through the post.
All
new members need to submit a completed and signed JOIN FORM which can be
downloaded from the link on the front page of this web site and printed off,
saving you time.
(But
if you have problems printing off a JOIN FORM to use, just email or telephone
us, and ask us to post you a JOIN FORM.)
All
new members are required to submit two passport size photographs when they
apply to join. One is kept on file so
we know what you look like, and the other is made into a MEMBER ID CARD for
you, so that you can show this at restaurants, cinemas, and attractions for a
discount, saving you money and making your Social Group membership even better
value!
The
MEMBER ID CARD is also a useful security safeguard, so that everyone can prove
they are part of the group.
Once
you have joined BRISTOL & BATH
SOCIAL GROUP we will post you a new member welcome pack.
The
new member welcome pack contains the current issue of SOCIAL GROUP MAGAZINE,
worth £12, which explains how everything works. The magazine has lots of full colour photographs of previous
events - as well as news, articles, and features - plus, the entire “what’s on”
events programme for your area!
This
acts like a big menu, from which you can choose to attend and take part in the
events which suit you. There’s lots of
choice and it’s entirely up to you how many events you take part in every
month.
Most
people are really impressed by SOCIAL GROUP MAGAZINE and all the work that goes
into it and the superb choice of events on offer to members. Don’t worry if there seems a big choice of
events to go to. The idea is to just to
enjoy the events that suit you - where you can enjoy socialising with other
members, having fun, and building up many friendships! This is a tried and tested formula which has
been very successful for over a decade and works really well!
Over
the years, thousands of people have made friends through our efforts and long
hours of dedication and hard work. It’s
quite a thought!
If
you are just thinking about joining, or have just joined, you are in for a real
treat!
We
hope all new members will look forward to a fabulous 12 months ahead!
New
members wishing to receive EMAIL NEWS UPDATES from us are asked to send
us an email confirming their name, address, and Member ID Number. You will then be emailed regular news about
events, activities, holidays, availability, special offers, etc.
When
you first join, events advice is available.
Cathy who is in charge of the day to day running of events can advise
you on which are the best events to book for and what might suit you best. Please telephone Cathy 12noon - 7pm, have a
chat about what’s coming up, and we’ll get you started a.s.a.p.!
MEET & GREET
Organisers
host regular events in all areas, although in order to keep things fun and
interesting for everyone, exactly what type of events we put on each month
varies all the time. Suggestions from
members for events are of course always welcome, as we want you to get as much
out of your membership as you can.
We
want you to have a great time and become part of the ‘group of friends’ as soon
as possible.
We
always do our very best to help all new members get off to a good start and
feel welcome. We don’t get along to every last event, as we organise so many -
but if we are attending the same event, we are happy to meet new members 15-20
mins before the start of their first event to say ‘hello!’, to have a chat, and
to help put you at your ease.
Don’t
worry if you are feeling a little unsure. You will find everyone is very
friendly and you will soon feel at ease.
This
is just going out with a group of people - a bit like going out with your
family or with your colleagues from work.
It’s a great way to meet new people, widen your circle of friends, and
have lots of fun with people from different professions and all walks of life!
If
you don’t know anyone else, you will be fine coming along by yourself - and of
course, you are welcome to sit and chat with the organisers who will do their
best to make you welcome.
The
whole idea is to have a ready-made ‘group of friends’ to go out with! And an
organised programme of events to enjoy, with all the hard work done for
you! So you can concentrate on
socialising and having fun! fun! fun!
If
you have any other queries, we are happy to answer questions and offer any
other assistance. We look forward to seeing you out with us soon - as a valued
part of our ‘group of friends’.
Life
should be more than just ‘work-telly-sleep’.
So
make the most of your life by signing up for a premier social life!
Social
Events, Dining Out At Restaurants, Parties, Dinner Dances, Black Tie Balls,
Masked Balls, Drinks Evenings, Quiz Evenings, Live Entertainment, Live Comedy,
Theatre, Murder Mystery, Themed Dinners, 1920’s Dinner Parties, Halloween
Parties, Christmas Parties, New Year Gala Balls, Fondue Parties, Luxury V.I.P.
Stretch Limo, Singles Speed Dating, Secret Life, Socialising By Numbers, and
much more…
Days
Out, Car Treasure Hunts, Treasure Trails, Camera Challenge, Quiz Cross, Three
Of A Kind, Fossil Hunting, Garden Visits, Beach Days, Wildlife Events, Guided
Tours, Picnics, Theme Parks, Attractions, etc.
Pub
Games, Skittles, Ten Pin Bowling, Quasar, Table Tennis, Tennis, Climbing Wall,
etc.
Indoor
Ski Centre - Snow Boarding, Snow Skiing, Tobogganing, etc.
Abseiling
& Climbing, Adventure Caving, Archery, Canoeing, Clay Shooting,
Coasteering, Commando Hyper Slide, Flying Lessons, Gliding, Golf, Horse Riding,
Karting, Luxury Yacht, Miniature Golf, Paintball, Parachuting, Quad Biking,
Sailing, Sea Angling, Speed Boat Ride, Surfing & Body-Boarding, Zorbing,
and much more!
SOCIAL
GROUP RAMBLERS
We
run a regular programme of walks locally and all over the South West -
including Cotswolds, Mendips, Quantocks, Exmoor National Park, Somerset Levels,
Jurassic Coast, East Devon, North Devon, South Devon, West Devon, Dartmoor
National Park, East Cornwall, North Cornwall, Bodmin Moor, West Cornwall, and
the South West Coastal Path.
Previously
we have organised short breaks to Newquay, Plymouth, Dartmoor, Bristol, Bath,
London, Birmingham, Alton Towers, Sheffield, York, Wales, Dublin, Paris,
Amsterdam, Rome, & Prague!
Australia - Catamaran Dolphin Cruise, Four Wheel Drive Kangaroo
Safari, Fremantle Prison Tour, Guided Tour Of Parliament, Pinnacles Desert,
Shark Encounter, Snorkelling On The Ningaloo Coral Reef, Whale Watching, Wine
Tasting In The Swan Valley Vineyards
China - Great Wall, Hong Kong
Crete - Minoan Ruins At Knossos & Phaestos, Spectacular Mountains &
Gorges, Timeless Mountain Village, Water Park, Romantic Sunsets, Mediterranean
Aquarium, Speedboat Trip, Beautiful Scenery, Incredible History, Fabulous Local
Culture, Terrific Shopping, Astounding Beaches & Remote Unspoilt Lagoons,
Good Swimming & Snorkelling, Delicious Food, Great Wine, Dining By The Sea
Egypt - Bedouin Experience & Sinai Desert Sunset, Camel Riding, Hot Air
Ballooning Over The Sahara Desert, Luxor Temples & Valley Of The Kings,
Nile Cruise, Pyramids & Cairo, Scuba Diving In The Red Sea, Snorkelling On
Coral Reef, St Catherine’s Monastery & Mount Sinai
France - Chateau Tour, Wine Tasting, Historic Medieval Towns, Hypermarket
Shopping
Iceland - Snow, Glaciers, Ice Bergs, Mountains, Volcanoes, Hot
Lagoon & Waterfalls
Italy - Gondola In Venice, Lake Garda Boat Tour, Verona & Coliseum Tour
Lanzarote - Jet Skiing, Volcano Adventure
Singapore - Chinatown, Nocturnal Night Safari, Sentosa Island &
Cable Car
Thailand - Ayuttaya & The King & I Summer Palace, Elephant
Trekking At Kanchanaburi, Floating Market, Grand Palace & Bangkok,
Multi-Activity Safari, River Kwai & Death Railway Experience, Sea Canoeing
U.S.A. - Arizona Ghost Town & Gold Mine Tour, Bryce Canyon & Utah
National Parks, Death Valley Tour in California, Helicopter Flight Over The
Lights Of The Las Vegas Strip, Helicopter Flight Through The Grand Canyon, Las
Vegas Nightlife, River Rafting On Colorado, Skiing Holiday To Killington, Wild
West Rodeo & Horse Riding
All
members of BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL GROUP are entitled to a range of
specially negotiated discounts with local restaurants, cinemas, attractions,
trades, shops, etc. This save you money
and makes membership even better value.
A full list of current discounts is available in the current issue of
SOCIAL GROUP MAGAZINE.
If
you are the Manager / Owner of a company that can offer our members a discount,
in return we will give you free publicity in SOCIAL GROUP MAGAZINE and
recommend you to our hundreds of local members!
New
discounts can be added at any time of the year. If you can offer us a good deal, maybe 10% or 20% off for our
members, we can give you a lot of extra custom.
Please
get in touch if you might be interested in offering our members a discount, by
emailing us on discountoffers@bristolsocialgroup.com
All
members of BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL GROUP carry a Photo ID to prove
they are a valid member of the ‘group of friends’.
All members of BRISTOL
& BATH SOCIAL GROUP are invited to nominate their favourite restaurants as
part of the long-established SOCIAL
GROUP AWARDS, which are only awarded to the very best value restaurants, as
well as to the ones with the best food, décor, welcome, and hospitality.
Members, please email
your nominations to excellence@bristolsocialgroup.com
The
Social Group was first established in 1997 by Andrew Haglington, who had
realised there were lots of people looking for a better social life. It’s now organised by Andrew and his wife
Cathy, who met through the group in 1999, and who married on a group holiday in
2002, as a husband and wife team, giving organisers a male and female perspective
on life.
Andrew
& Cathy are happy to answer any queries about joining. If you need any assistance, please give us a
call.
Due
to it becoming so popular, the organisation has now spread to cover the whole
South West of England, with the ‘group of friends’ operating in Cornwall, Devon
South, Devon North, Somerset, and the Bristol & Bath area.
Anyone
joining any part of The Social Group is welcome to take part in events in any
area, not just the one they live in, and there is no extra charge for taking
part in events in other areas.
CORNWALL SOCIAL GROUP www.cornwallsocialgroup.com
DEVON SOCIAL GROUP www.devonsocialgroup.com
SOMERSET SOCIAL
GROUP www.somersetsocialgroup.com
BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL
GROUP www.bristolsocialgroup.com
The
Social Group has been featured many times be the local press and local radio,
as well as the BBC and ITV.
Across
South West England, we are well known as the number one choice for people
looking to make friends and enjoy a great social life!
Social
Group Enterprises Ltd. was set up in April 2003 as a commercial business in
order to make sure the organisation was run properly and on a professional
basis, in conjunction with government regulations. As we found that organising
everything and looking after the events properly was taking up more and more of
our time, in the end there was no choice but to give up the day jobs and work
on this full time.
A
lot of effort and many long hours of hard work now go in to providing something
very special for all our members.
Everyone gets very good value for money and a fantastic behind the
scenes back up to giving you the best possible social life!
We
aim to operate at a profit, so that this can pay the salaries of our dedicated
team of organisers in order for this to have the necessary full-time staff to
look after all of you. This is a big commitment on the part of all organisers,
so you can be sure that we will do our best for all of you!
With
many years of experience, you can be assured that you are in good hands!
We
will always do our best to deal with you fairly. We try to run The Social Group
professionally, with honour and integrity at all times. It is very important to
us that people trust and support us, and you should rely on the fact that we
want you to be happy with the service we offer. All
members of our ‘group of friends’ are special to us and you can be assured that
organisers will always try to offer assistance and help with problems.
We
operate a policy of fair trading and will try to deal with you honourably at
all times. We will treat you - our group of friends - with care and respect.
You can expect a dedicated, intelligent, and professional service.
Most
of the events we run are much enjoyed and very successful. With us running a large number of events and
giving everyone lots of choice, occasionally it is inevitable that one event
may be more popular than another.
Please be assured that if we have to cancel any events, you will not
lose any money.
We
have many years of experience and are the number one choice for having a great
social life!
So
go ahead and book with confidence, with a name you know you can trust!
We
very much hope to have the pleasure of your company soon and look forward top
meeting you!
MY LIFE IS BUSY AND BORING - ALL I
SEEM TO DO IS WORK, SLEEP, AND SIT IN FRONT OF A TV OR COMPUTER SCREEN. CAN YOU
HELP PROVIDE ME WITH A BETTER SOCIAL LIFE?
If your
life has been too much work and not enough play, joining The Social Group will
turn it all around. We can improve your work / life balance! We can’t promise
to solve all the problems in your life, but we can offer you some good times,
some enjoyable experiences, and help you to make lots of new friends!
Membership of The Social Group is very rewarding. In today’s hectic world where
we have such busy lifestyles, we all work hard, but don’t make the time to play
hard. It is important to escape the work work work trap and to have some
fun! In this stressful time-starved century, you need to make an effort to
stop, relax, & take a moment to enjoy yourself. All work and no play makes…
SHOULD I JOIN THE SOCIAL GROUP? Yes! If you are looking for a great social life, if you are
hoping to meet new people, and if you want to make lots of new friends, then
join us and experience the difference! The
Social Group provides a unique, original, fun, and safe way to
meet up with people and widen your circle of friends and enjoy a terrific
social life! The Social Group is the discerning choice - we offer a friendly
professional service with many years experience at providing the biggest
programme of social events in the region.
SO, IT’S A VARIED EVENTS PROGRAMME,
WITH A READY-MADE
‘GROUP OF FRIENDS’ TO ENJOY IT ALL WITH? Yes, you can relax knowing that
you are in safe hands, with a professional organisation with many years of experience.
We believe that every Social Group
event is an occasion to look forward to and one to look back on with special
affection. All you have to do is decide what you want to go to, then come along
and enjoy yourself! The Social Group is the very best way to make new friends!
It’s also ideal if you are looking for more to do or if you are new to the
area. If you are by yourself, you will feel at ease coming along to all our
social events on your own. This is a whole new lifestyle you are buying into. You’ll
be sure to have the time of your life!
WHERE DO YOU HOLD ‘MEETINGS’? We don’t hold ‘meetings’. Certainly not in the same way that
a small amateur local club/society might. We certainly don’t ‘meet' in the same
old pub room or village hall every week. That’s not how this works. Now lets
just put everyone straight about this horribly dull old fashioned idea of
‘meetings’… Urrghh!!! This isn’t about meetings! This is about having fun...
having friends... SO GET A (SOCIAL)
LIFE!
HOW DO MEMBERS FIND OUT WHAT IS
GOING ON? A current issue of Social Group
Magazine (worth £12) is posted out free of charge to all new members when they
first join. Each issue of Social Group
Magazine is packed full of news, features, articles, photographs, jokes,
reviews, and a full listing of everything that is happening.
CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE LATEST
EVENTS? If you
click on the blue WHAT’S NEW button at the top of this page, you can
find out up-to-date information. The full details of all the events happening
at the moment takes up the majority of each issue of Social Group Magazine. As
this is usually around 150 pages long, we’ll only send this out to you when you
join as a member. However, you can quite easily see the sort of things we do by
checking out the PAST EVENTS sections - again, just click the blue
button at the top of this page.
CAN I COME OUT TO EVENTS ON MY
OWN? Yes! That’s the whole point! This is
a ready-made ‘group of friends’ to go out with to the events we organise for
you! You will be fine coming along to events on your own. We can meet you at
the start and you’ll soon feel at ease.
ANY SINGLES EVENTS? Yes! For single people looking for
romance, we organise a range of PARTIES, DINNERS, and ACTIVITIES where you can
meet someone and find romance. In fact, it happens all the time!
SINGLES SPEED DATING? We were the very first to bring NEW YORK STYLE SINGLES SPEED
DATING from America to the UK and we have many years of experience in running
these events for our members! Our highly successful NEW YORK STYLE SINGLES
SPEED DATING is now organised regularly for separate ages groups, and held at
various venues through the course of the year. (And it’s done properly and is
much nicer and more successful than the cheap and nasty pub versions!)
WHAT CAN SINGLES GET FROM THIS? Singles can have a group of friends to go out with, to our
events, activities, and holidays - having lots of great company can make your
life much better! Singles can take part
in all our events by themselves.
Singles can save money on the holidays by room-sharing and not having to
pay single supplements. Meet people,
make friends, have fun - and maybe meet someone special, find romance, and live
happily ever after! Singles are always
welcome!
WHAT CAN COUPLES GET FROM THIS? Couples can have a group of friends to go out with, to our
events, activities, and holidays - having lots of great company can make your
life much better! Couples can enjoy
having other people to go out to dinner with and many of our couples really
enjoy taking part in all our parties and bigger dinner dances and balls. Sometimes, one person in a couple likes to
do exciting outdoor activities, so they can come along with the ‘group of
friends’ and enjoy an exciting outdoor activity. Sometimes, one person in a couple doesn’t want to fly or go on
holiday, so the other person can come along with the ‘group of friends’ and
enjoy a holiday without their partner needing to worry about them. Couples are always welcome!
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF ME? Just come out, make an effort to be friendly, have fun, join
in and enjoy yourself! It’s as simple
as that! We don’t require members to
get involved in the organisation of events. We don’t have ‘meetings’! There are
no dull and boring long-winded committee meetings of any sort and nothing to
bore you to tears! We certainly don’t expect you to hold events in your own
home and we definitely don’t embarrass you by forcing you into things. Just
come out to the events we organise for you and enjoy yourself! Go out to a
restaurant for dinner! Go out to one of our parties! Try one of our outdoor
activities! Go on one of our holidays! Have lots of fun! Make lots of friends!
Our priority is to make things easy for you. We aim to provide all our members
with a social life most people can only dream of!
WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE JOIN THE SOCIAL
GROUP? If you check out the many hundreds
of photographs in our PAST EVENTS sections, you’ll see actual photographs of a
large number of people who are members. We attract people from a wide range of
professions and backgrounds. We have a lot of single people. Also couples and
families. Everyone is welcome. We cater for all age groups. Some events are
more suited to one age group than another. As we run so very many different
events, there should be plenty to interest everyone! Every year we organise
hundreds of events for members to choose from. An unparalleled choice - not
available anywhere else! Fabulous fun! Fantastic value for money! A whole new
life!
IN THESE BUSY DAYS, IF YOU ARE
SINGLE, JUST WHERE DO YOU GO TO MEET SOMEONE NICE? Well,
lots of people join us! As we are a
socialising organisation with the emphasis on going out and enjoying ourselves,
there is no pressure and you are not going to feel awkward. In fact, this is a
tasteful way for like-minded single people to find someone special, in a
pleasant, normal, friendly environment - over dinner, at a party, on a walk, or
on a holiday. And if you get-together with someone special, you can still come
along to all our events, as couples are welcome as well as singles. The fact
that some people have now been members of The Social Group for nearly a decade
shows just how much membership is enjoyed.
WHERE DO I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE
HOLIDAYS? Click on the blue HOLIDAYS button at
the top of this page. This will take you to the www.travelcompanionsholidays.com
web pages, which tell you all you need to know about Social Group Holidays...
WHAT ABOUT WALKS WITH SOCIAL GROUP
RAMBLERS? Walks are available to everyone who
is a member of The Social Group. A regular programme of walks runs throughout
the year and is very popular, with walks arranged across the region. More
details can be found in the current issue of Social Group Magazine.
CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT OTHER SOCIAL
GROUPS? Click on the blue LINKS button at
the top of this page and you’ll find links to each of our Social Groups -
Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, and Bristol & Bath. You join the area you live
in, but it is possible for you to attend events in any area if you wish to.
Full details about this are given in the current issue of Social Group
Magazine.
I’VE SEEN AN IMAGE ON THIS WEB SITE
THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEND TO SOMEONE AS A PRINT. CAN YOU PROVIDE THIS FOR
ME? Yes, our office
can provide A4 prints or larger A3 posters of any image. We can also provide
larger high quality images on computer CD. Our experienced design team can also
produce Greeting Cards, Wedding Stationery, Party Invites, Office Forms,
Leaflets, Fliers, Brochures, or anything else you might want printing. We can
even remove red eye or add special FX!
Email us with your requirements...
I’VE HEARD THAT THE SOCIAL GROUP HAS
A REALLY GOOD NAME? Yes, we are the number one
socialising and friendship organisation in the region. Completely unique and
original. You won’t find anything like us anywhere else! Years of work and dedication have gone into
making this something remarkable. Since 1997 we have helped thousands of people
to find friends and enjoy a better social life! For many, it has turned their
lives around and made all the difference. It’s quite a thought!
“THE SOCIAL GROUP” is a Trading Name
of SOCIAL GROUP ENTERPRISES LIMITED.
Directors: AB Haglington B.A.(Hons) CJ Haglington
Registered Office: 1-2 Moorside
Court, Yelverton Business Park, Dartmoor, Devon PL20 7PE.
Registered in England & Wales.
Registered Number 4690215.
All prices include VAT - VAT No.
841474918.
THE SOCIAL GROUP
CORNWALL SOCIAL GROUP, DEVON SOCIAL GROUP, SOMERSET SOCIAL GROUP, BRISTOL
SOCIAL GROUP
FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES
BE
YOUR OWN BOSS, HAVE A GREAT LIFESTYLE, & RUN YOUR OWN SOCIAL GROUP BUSINESS! The Social Group is looking to expand into
new areas - London, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Newcastle,
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, etc. in the UK. Also into other countries
around the world. Please get in touch
if you would be interested in operating a Social Group franchise (under
licence) in your area. Enjoy a whole new career, which is a lot of fun and
really worthwhile. Operating a Social Group franchise, you will make a
difference to thousands of people, helping them find friends and enabling them
to lead a better life. As a Social Group franchisee, you will do something
useful with your time and earn a honest salary for a honest day’s work. You
will receive lots of help and guidance from The Social Group, and benefit from
many years of experience as market leaders in the field. At the same time,
while operating your own Social Group franchise along the same lines as
existing Social Groups, you will be very much your own boss, be able to work
your own hours to suit you, enjoy lots of freedom, and be very much more in
control of your own life. We will show you how to do everything. We will share
our knowledge and skills. You will be able to copy and adapt our templates. We
will make it all possible for you. ALL
ENQUIRIES WELCOME!
© 1997 - 2009 THE
SOCIAL GROUP Copyright reserved. All rights reserved.
Concept developed by
Andrew Haglington
Social Networking
Since 1997
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get A (Social) Life!
THE STORY OF THE FOUNDER OF BRISTOL & BATH SOCIAL GROUP, ANDREW HAGLINGTON
How one man’s terrible
suffering has led to a better life for thousands of people...
Modern lifestyles are not always
as enticing as they might seem. Increasing divorce, pressures of work, higher
social mobility, early bereavement, and illness, can take their toll on social
interaction and the ability to put down long-lasting roots and friendships.
Chronic illness, particularly, has a way of reducing personal contact severely
and, when coupled with divorce as a consequence as happened in Andrew
Haglington’s case, friendships are halved and halved again at one fell swoop.
A skiing professional, writer
and artist, after graduating with a B.A. (Hons) Environmental Studies degree,
in the 1980's Sheffield-born Andrew Haglington was a highly active individual
doing voluntary work, building environmental wildlife ponds for local schools,
writing travel articles for The Telegraph and The Yorkshire Post,
designing board games, trying to sell scripts for Star Trek and Dr.
Who, and working on a science-fiction novel.
After he let himself
deliberately fall in order to save his first wife and young daughter from
serious injury, a skiing accident in 1992 changed Andrew's life completely. The
resulting injury he sustained led to him hardly being able to move and him
contracting a very severe form of M.E. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which left him
confined to bed and a wheelchair for the best part of the next five years.
For Andrew, now living in the
Westcountry, life couldn’t have got much worse. After he fell ill, despite all
he had done for her, his first wife of 14 years had an affair and bizarrely
disappeared from the family home, leaving Andrew with an 11 year old daughter to
care for and put through school, while he was injured and critically ill. On top of all the trauma of the inevitable
divorce inflicted on him while he was at his weakest, because of his terrible
muscle-pain illness, Andrew couldn’t work, ski, run, walk, or even stand up -
often having to crawl around his home, it sometimes taking an hour to get
upstairs. Day after day laid in bed, hardly able to move. For many
people, it would have spelled the end.
Frequently rushed into hospital
as an emergency, it did not seem possible that Andrew would survive. For a
time, he was so weak that he was unable to lift a glass of water to his lips.
In a pitiful state, with only his courageous young daughter to try to keep him
alive, he ended up in the care of Social Services, having to endure the
indignity of Home Helps putting him in the bath, as well as shopping, cooking,
and cleaning for him.
Losing his mobility, convinced
he would never walk again, and being in constant appalling pain and fever, left
him isolated and perilously close to despair, in this nightmare scenario. Many
of us would probably not have found the strength to come back from the hell
Andrew was plunged into, virtually imprisoned in his own body and his own home.
While friends did not understand, and family 300 miles away found it difficult
to do more than offer support by telephone. Not surprisingly, Andrew felt his
life was over.
Fortunately, Andrew proved to be
made of sterner stuff and somehow found the strength to endure and pull
through. As time went by, there were more days when the symptoms of the M.E.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome were less severe, and Andrew was able to assess his
situation, coming to realise he could not possibly be the only one on his own.
On the rare occasions when
Andrew did bravely try to go out - despite the pain it caused him - the more Andrew talked to people he met, the more he
realised that something was lacking for everyone. It soon became apparent that
it was just so difficult to meet new people and make new friends. It seemed
that many people no longer had the skills to interact with others. For some,
their jobs involved sitting in front of a computer all day, or working very
much by themselves, with little personal interaction with anyone. Other people
were new to the area, knowing nobody. Others had been through divorce or
separation. Some were bereaved and left suddenly alone. And some were just at a
loose end, with little to fill their lives except a daily grind of
'work-telly-sleep'.
Andrew had experience of most of
this, and found he could empathise. Modern society didn't encourage people to
mix and socialise. Increasing numbers of single people were very lonely and
leading solitary lives, and even couples found it hard to mingle. Whilst there
were some organised activities for minority groups in society, there didn't
seem to be anything for ordinary members of the public - nothing that normal
everyday singles, couples, families, friends, neighbours, work colleagues,
could all get together to take part in.
During the years of unremitting
pain and suffering Andrew endured, while physically he was as weak as a baby,
in other ways he had become much tougher. For a time, he maintains he
completely lost his sense of fear and would have done absolutely anything without
concern. It has been pointed out to him that this was probably due to him
feeling he had nothing to lose.
As a friend once said,
"tempered like steel from his native Sheffield" Andrew came back and
throwing caution to the wind, quite amazingly, what he did next was to
transform the lives of thousands of people...
In 1997, Andrew Haglington put
together a ready-made ‘group of friends’ anyone could join in with, a private
subscription club organising a range of social events that people could enjoy
with others. In essence, an instant social life - with good times and good
company!
Andrew knew all about making the
most of the hand of cards you were dealt with. He still couldn't walk far,
stand up for long, or do much in the way of exercise. Just about all he could
still manage was drink, eat, and chat to people. So it was from these
limitations that Bristol & Bath Social Group was born.
It was an instant success and
took on a life of it's own, soon developing into something completely unique
and original. Andrew didn't look at this like most people, and constantly came
at things from unexpected angles, thinking 'outside the box', the results
changing the whole social scene. Gone were notions of ‘meetings’ in the back
room of a pub once a week. Gone was the stigma of a ‘sad singles club’. Gone
was anything resembling a 'dodgy dating agency'.
Instead, this was something new,
something fresh, something different - a modern 21st century mechanism for
meeting people, where Andrew could use his creative flair to offer all sorts of
imaginative events not on offer anywhere else. And people loved it. They loved
having a group of people to dine out at restaurants with. They loved having a
group of people to have parties with. They loved the quirky themed events, they
loved trying outdoor activities, and they loved having the friendship of
companions to travel with.
With great enthusiasm, Andrew
had quickly added 'being able to sit on a plane, coach, boat, or beach' to
his list of things he could still do. And with his health slowly improving,
group holidays followed to Italy, Crete, Egypt, Thailand, Singapore, Australia,
America...
It was on one of the organised
holidays to Nevada & Utah in 2002 that Andrew found his reward for all he
has done to devote himself to making life better for others. When he
proposed to his present wife, Cathy, in front of a group of thirty members, she
said “yes”. Within the week, the happy couple were married, in a helicopter,
hovering over the spectacular lights of the Las Vegas Strip at night. There
couldn’t be a much better endorsement than this, with the organisers meeting
this way - although many members simply join for the company of others and for
more to do, rather than romantic motivation.
Cathy had joined as a member and
got more than she had bargained for. But with Cathy to care for Andrew
and help him, things now took off in more ways than one. Cathy who had worked for 22 years for Lloyds TSB Bank
across the South West, brought a wealth of experience of accounts and admin
procedures, and dealing with the public, plus a steadying hand to add to
Andrew's natural business instinct and forward-thinking ideas. It was a good
match in more ways than one.
"Find a way or make a
way" it said on the poster on Andrew's wall. With Andrew’s health
improving and him being able to walk again and take part in much more, the
couple now both work on the organisation full time. "So much effort for
such a worthy cause", one journalist noted. Certainly, the scope of what
is now on offer is very impressive, professional, efficient, clever, and well
organised.
It was Andrew who first brought
“New York Singles Speed Dating” to the UK, and with his creative mind
constantly coming up with ideas, there’s always something new to take part in.
If you want to find out more about a “Socialising By Numbers” dinner dance, or
a "Quiz Cross" treasure hunt, or a “Secret Life” dinner party, you’ll
just have to join!
Bristol & Bath Social Group
might have arisen from one man going to ‘hell and back’ and having the most
terrible circumstances to contend with and overcome, but Andrew Haglington says
he tries to focus on the ‘and back’ part of his life and he is determined the
tale has a happy ending.
Bit by bit, Andrew has spent the
last decade trying to build up what the 'group of friends' offers, at the same
time, each year seeing him put back together another piece of himself. These
days, when they see Andrew out and about, laughing and joking with the group,
and doing his best to look after everyone, most people don't even realise there
is anything wrong with him, and each year that goes by, more of his strength
returns.
He puts his miraculous good
fortune in surviving all he has been through all down to his determination to
help others, as a way of distracting himself, so he might ignore all the pain
he was in. Andrew also quotes a peculiar 'out of body' experience in 2005
sending him back, telling him he had more to do yet. In many ways, the whole
drive behind Bristol & Bath Social Group, Somerset Social Group, Devon
Social Group, and Cornwall Social Group, is all about Andrew fixing things and
doing his best to put things right and making life better for as many people as
possible, with a belief that things have a way of coming right in the end.
While Andrew Haglington has
mostly overcome the ill health, and now does his best to live happily ever
after with his wife Cathy, their sheer dogged determination and many long hours
of hard work have resulted in thousands of people finding friends and enjoying
a better life. At the same time, thanks to Andrew & Cathy, a great number
of people have found romance with someone special, many getting married, and
some having children. Which is quite a thought!
Andrew & Cathy say that in a
civilised society, no-one should have to be lonely or on their own, and their
vision is to help as many people as possible to find friends and make the most
of their lives!