u/MyCatIsMyLife123

Hi everyone 😊
I thought I’d post this in case there are any people from Huddersfield or the surrounding West Yorkshire areas who are neurodivergent, have mental health difficulties, struggle socially, find it difficult to make friends, feel lonely/isolated or simply want to get out more and meet some new people.

My boyfriend and I are both neurodivergent and we attend two local groups called Dark Horse and Unity: One and All. We’ve been involved with both for a couple of years, and although I’ve had some difficult experiences with individual members along the way, the staff who run both groups have been absolutely lovely, supportive and understanding.

I’m partly posting because I’d love to help the groups gain some new interest, but I’m also hoping it might help me and my boyfriend meet one or two new local people and potentially develop some genuine, consistent friendships. 💛

We both struggle with making friends and fitting in socially. I do have one very close friend who I met through the groups who’s in her late 50s, and she’s absolutely amazing, so much fun and full of life. Most of the other people I’ve met, however, have remained acquaintances and our conversations don’t really progress beyond small talk at the sessions.

I’ve made efforts to establish friendships myself, but unfortunately they haven’t developed into the consistent friendship circle I’m looking for. I’m not expecting loads of friends – I’d genuinely be happy finding one or two kind-hearted, like-minded people who actually want to make an effort and get to know us. 😊

I particularly tend to connect better with people in their late 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond. A lot of people at Dark Horse are currently in their late teens/early 20s, and although they’re perfectly nice, I find the age difference makes it harder for me to relate to them.

🎭 Dark Horse
This is a small neurodivergent drama group at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield.
We attend the Saturday session from 10am–11:30am. It’s not all serious acting – we do confidence-building drama games, singing, dancing, social activities and work towards little performances every couple of months that parents/carers can come and watch.
The ladies who run our sessions are genuinely lovely and have been incredibly supportive when I’ve struggled or become upset during sessions.

It’s completely free to attend, but because it’s funding-based, it only runs during school/college term time. When schools and colleges break up, the sessions stop until the next term.
Most people in our session are currently in their late teens or early 20s, while my boyfriend, my close friend and I are the oldest members, so it would actually be lovely to see a few more people in their late 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond giving it a try!

🌈 Unity: One and All
Unity is another neurodivergent social/support group in Huddersfield, but this one offers lots of different activities.
We’ve done things including wellbeing sessions, walks, crafts, karaoke, meals out, cinema trips, bingo, planning sessions and other days out/activities. Members are always encouraged to suggest things they’d like to do as well.

The group facilitator is honestly amazing. She’s incredibly supportive and understanding and genuinely cares about the people who attend.
At the end of each month there’s a newsletter and monthly activity planner, and you choose which activities you want to book onto. Activities and sessions have a charge to book onto/secure place and attend.

Unity is also funding-based, but luckily its activities continue through the school/college holidays. The main exceptions are things like bank holidays, Christmas/Easter, staff holidays/illness or occasions where something unfortunately has to be cancelled.

Both groups have supported me through some difficult situations. I did unfortunately experience a bullying incident involving another member at Dark Horse earlier this year, but I actually think the way it was handled is important to mention: the staff took it seriously, supported me and the person was told not to return. They made it very clear that bullying isn’t tolerated.

I’ve had quite a lot of negative experiences trying to make friends both in groups and online, so trusting people isn’t always easy for me. But I still believe there are kind and genuine people out there, which is why I’m giving this a try. 💛

If you’re local, neurodivergent and/or struggle with your mental health or socially, and you’ve been thinking** **“I’d love to meet people, but I’d be terrified walking into a group by myself”, you’d already have me, my boyfriend and my friend to talk to if you decided to give one of these groups a try.

You absolutely don’t need to be confident or outgoing. A lot of us attend groups like these precisely because socialising and making friends can be difficult.
I’m not expecting an instant friendship circle either. I’d just really love for us to meet one or two genuine local people where the effort to build a friendship is mutual. 🥰

Please only message me if you’re genuinely interested in potentially attending Dark Horse, Unity: One and All, or both.
I’m happy to answer questions and tell you more about what they’re like. If you decide you’re interested in joining, I can then give you the official contact details for the staff who run the groups so you can contact them directly.

Hopefully this reaches somebody around Huddersfield/West Yorkshire who’s been feeling lonely or isolated and has been looking for something exactly like this. 🌈💛