Friends Reunited's Friendship Panel reveals its 6th report from a year-long study into friendship in modern Britain.
When Helen Mirren's character Chris Harper first went along to a Women's Institute meeting in the 2003 film Calendar Girls, she wasn't the only person in the country to find a best friend as well as a group to join. In fact, one in four of us meet our best friend through a club or society.
That's according to findings from research by Friends Reunited's Friendship Panel into where we meet our friends. The report marks the sixth survey in a year-long study, which is looking at all areas affecting modern friendship in Britain.
In the film, Chris Harper supports her best friend and fellow Women's Institute member Annie Clarke through the death of her husband and proves to be her rock. In response to the question, "Who are you most likely to turn to in a crisis?" 44% of female respondents aged 31-40 said they would be most likely to turn to a friend from a club or society.
It's not only the girls who find companions in clubs as males aged 51-60 are nine times as likely to share good news with a friend they met through a club or society as they are to share it with friends they have met through their children, for example.
Having a group of such close knit friends - as the women from Knapely WI - surely helped the Calendar Girls' success. The fact they came from the North of England may have also helped considering that those in the North-West are twice as likely to meet their best friend at a club or society as those living in the South West.
Interestingly, when it comes to a crisis, people in the South West are three times as likely to turn to a work colleague as they are a friend from a club or society.
Work friends also feature highly when it comes to sharing good news with 25% of women choosing a colleague as their first recipient.
37-year old Friendship Panel member Juliette Leon, from Coventry, said: "I met my best friend through my local Mother and Toddler group seventeen years ago. She was also a single mum and so we started helping each other out whenever we could. Everyone at a club shares common ground so it's highly likely you'll get on and end up being close friends - perhaps you're both mums, like line dancing or learning how to sing Jerusalem!"
Although the shared interests and experiences found in people from a club or society are a great grounding for a close friendship, the findings reveal that the most likely place to meet your best friend is actually at school with one in three women and one in four men claiming this to be where they met their best friend.
Jon Clark, Head of Friends Reunited, commented: "Websites like Friends Reunited have proven to be a fantastic way for friends to keep in touch and it's wonderful to see a friendship's origins. We've reunited friends who met at school, work, university, in the forces or even just by living on the same street.
"Feedback from our members indicated that there was a strong desire to reunite with former club and team mates so we introduced that as another place for members to register in 2003. Since then, we have been receiving success stories on a daily basis about reunited football teams, Girl Guide groups and language classes to name just a few."
Learn more about the Friendship Panel and their next task at: www.friendspanel.co.uk
For case studies or to receive more information about Friends Reunited please contact Carolynne Bull-Edwards or Victoria Reed on 01883 717468 / 07932 723866 or email press@friendsreunited.co.uk
Top five places where females met their best friend
| School | 32% |
| Work | 24% |
| Children | 9% |
| Neighbours | 9% |
| Club or Society | 8% |
Top five places where males met their best friend
| School | 25% |
| Work | 24% |
| Club or Society | 15% |
| Through other friends | 8% |
| Neighbours | 7% |
3,066 members aged 16 upwards had their say on how they met their friends in a survey carried out through the Friend Reunited site.
The survey is part of an ongoing investigation by the Friendship Panel. The members were selected from over 250 people who responded to a call out on the Friends Reunited homepage for contributors to the Panel. Representing the 'ages' of friendship they each have their own stories of how the site has helped change their lives. In addition Dr Malcolm Cross gives his psychological interpretations on their findings.
The six panel members sitting alongside the Head of Friends Reunited Jon Clark are:
Dr Malcolm Cross is Head of Psychology at City University London with special interests in gender and psychological well-being. He is also Dean of Students at the University, helping them to make the most of their time at City. He trained as a clinical psychologist in Australia before moving to the UK to undertake his PhD and planned to return to Australia after four years, but 15 years on is still enjoying life in England.
Business networking guru, David brings his years of friendship experience to the panel. The 57 year-old lives in London with his wife and boasts friends all over the world. He never misses an opportunity to bring people together.
29 years old and a company director, Rebecca was contacted by her father through the site after 19 years apart. Despite her busy schedule, Rebecca always finds time for her friends and is often found teaching her pet parrot Toby to swear!
37 year old Juliette from Coventry, prides herself on her happy-go-lucky outlook. Mum to a teenager, by day she's a sales and marketing executive and a singer songwriter by night.
24 year old Jenna, can't sit still for more than 5 minutes and when she's not at work designing homeware, spends all her free time meeting up with friends and traveling to far flung places.
38 year Martin runs a door blinds business, but his true passion is reading and writing books. His first novel is due to be published in October.
Friends Reunited was launched in July 2000 and swiftly turned into a media phenomenon. Since then it has grown from being one of Britain's most favourite websites into a national institution. What began as a back-bedroom hobby to put old school friends back in touch with each other has developed into the unofficial 'People's Who's Who' by including workplaces, teams/clubs, streets and armed forces. It currently has over 20 million members worldwide and operates in four countries. Each week, an average of 35,500 people join the site. Since 2005, Friends Reunited has been owned by the UK's biggest commercial broadcaster, ITV.