From a Nottingham Event to a Week in the Cyprus Sun
How Fiona and Claire went from strangers to holiday buddies
When people ask what Affinity Club is actually for, this is the story we tell.
Fiona and Claire did not know each other. They joined Affinity separately, for the same simple reason many members do. They wanted to get out, try something different, and meet like-minded people.
Neither of them turned up looking for a holiday companion. They turned up for an evening out.
That is usually how it starts.
The bit nobody plans
No clever trick applies to it. You book an event, say hello to the person sitting next to you, and sometimes the conversation just clicks.
A drink turns into a proper natter. A proper natter turns into “are you going to the next one?” And before long you have got someone in your phone you actually want to text.
Fiona and Claire hit it off early. Same sense of humour, same appetite for a good night out, same view that life is too short to sit in on a Saturday.
They started going to events together. They saved seats for each other. They did the kind of things that make a community feel like a real community, not just a list of event dates.
Then one of them said the words that change everything: “shall we book something?”
Ayia Napa, and a week of it
Cyprus in the sun. A full week of it.
Rooftop cocktails and cold drinks by the pool. Sushi and something fruity in nightclub. Pineapple cocktails with far too many umbrellas in them, because if you will do it, do it properly.
Late dinners, longer nights, and the obligatory photo hanging off the I Love Ayia Napa sign because you cannot go and not do it.
Fiona summed the whole thing up better than we could:
“A fab week in Cyprus in the sun with my lovely friend Claire.”
My lovely friend Claire. Not “someone I met at an event.”
That word is the entire point.
Why this matters more than it might sound
Everyone is busy, and most people already have their own circle. No clear place exists to meet new people. It often feels unnatural or makes things awkward.
That is the gap Affinity exists to fill. We run the events.
We make it easy to come along on your own. We make sure nobody stands alone, feeling like the new kid. What happens after that is up to you.
Quite often, this is what happens: two people who never met before book a holiday together. They come home with a week of daft photos and a proper friendship.
Fiona and Claire are not unusual. They are just an excellent example.
Starting from where they started
If this sounds lovely, but you think you could never arrive alone, remember they both did exactly that. Everyone was once at their first Affinity event. Everybody is glad you came, and within about ten minutes you will have someone to talk to.
You do not need to arrive with a plan. You just need to arrive.
Vinyl and vino nights, board games, restaurant dinners, craft beer crawls, theatre trips, walks and parties. Pick whichever one sounds least intimidating and start there.
Where it leads is genuinely up to you, and occasionally it leads somewhere with better weather.
Your turn
Fiona and Claire’s friendship started with one booking on one evening in Nottingham. That is all it took.
Have a look at what is coming up and pick one. You never know who will sit next to you.