About Us
The Great Friendship Project is a non-profit organisation set up in 2021 to tackle loneliness amongst young adults.
We’re on a mission to combat the growing loneliness crisis among young adults and build a more socially connected future for young people, one friendship at a time.
With the rise of social media and the increasing digitalisation of social contact, we are technically more connected than in any period of human history.
Our Story
Our founder, David, started the project with a simple goal: to make it easier for young adults to build meaningful friendships by providing the tools and opportunities they need to form genuine connections and rise out of loneliness
After experiencing loneliness firsthand during the COVID-19 pandemic, David wanted to create spaces where others could find connection and rise out of loneliness.
What began as a social walk with just 12 people has grown into a thriving community, helping thousands of young adults find their people.
To counteract this growing epidemic, we tackle loneliness in the following four ways:
Meet the Team
Over the past decade, Joseph has cultivated his expertise as a strategy and transformation consultant, specialising in large-scale change initiatives within the financial services sector and Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) industry.
Over his career, Joseph has worked at The FA, PwC and alongside his consultancy role at The Berkeley Partnership, he now helps the project grow its reach and impact through its partnership strategy.
Witnessing the profound impact of loneliness on individuals’ well-being and sense of purpose, he seized the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of his fellow Londoners through The Great Friendship Project’s mission.
Jack has spent most of his career supporting the work of the House of Commons and Members of Parliament, with a particular focus on parliamentary procedure, legislation and governance.
He also has experience supporting select committees in scrutinising the Government’s housing, local government, economic, and education policies.
He lives in London and previously volunteered as a befriender for the Wimbledon Guild, supporting an isolated client.
Following this, and his own personal experience of loneliness from friends leaving London, he jumped at the chance to help The Great Friendship Project with achieving its goals and broader mission to tackle loneliness amongst young adults.
Louise has led or delivered research and evaluation within charities, foundations, and arms-length bodies for over 20 years.
She has worked predominantly in the health sector, including on clinical guideline development, design and the evaluation of interventions and programmes.
She helps to develop programmes to improve the safety and quality of patient care, impact assessments and most recently, evidence based patient information resources.
Louise has recently completed a secondment as Samaritans’ Head of Research and Evaluation, which deepened her interest in mental health and well-being.
As a parent and former Londoner, Louise wanted to contribute towards the success of The Great Friendship Project, so it continued to be a place where young adults can meet and form connections.
Andy is an AAT & ICB qualified Accounting professional with over 10 years of related experience gained within industry and not-for-profit sectors.
This experience has predominantly been gained with SME’s but also larger overseas corporations.
Andy is a huge advocate for the Accounting profession and supports students in his spare time as a mentor, he is also involved in his local branch network which is part of his Accounting professional body.
Andy is passionate for raising awareness for Mental Health and wellbeing, both within the workplace and local community.
Away from his day job and other professional commitments Andy enjoys getting outside, walking and exploring new places (UK & abroad).
Marc has over 20 years experience as a senior leader within the public sector and has worked for some of the largest Housing Associations and Local Authorities in London and the South East.
As part of this, he has led on large regeneration programmes and has been responsible for front line services and wider organisational development.
He is passionate about increasing equity and today he advises Executive Boards on leadership, performance and wellbeing.
Throughout his career, he has seen the impact that loneliness and lack of positive human connection can have on mental health, work and home life.
Born in London and now raising teenagers in the capital, Marc has seen the early struggles young people face navigating friendship in a digital age. He was drawn to The Great Friendship Project’s mission to increase opportunities to build meaningful friendships and tackle loneliness.
Diane has over 15 years of extensive experience in digital advertising, operations, strategy, and advisory roles, including 9 years at The Guardian as Head of Campaign Delivery. Throughout her career, she has successfully led large international teams and managed multi-million pound revenue streams.
Today, she’s the COO for Women as One, a global non-profit working to promote gender equality in medicine and is a Founding Member of Chief.
Moving to the UK when she was 24, she is deeply inspired by the mission of the The Great Friendship Project, recognising through that experience that friendships, relationships, and connections are both the fundamental building blocks of our society and predictors of happiness and health.
Our Impact
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