Making friends in lonely London

By Chirag Trivedi
BBC News Online, London

The site hopes to have at least 500 subscribers by the end of the year

When Nichole Esparon came back to London after three years away, she found that everyone was having fun except her.

She had lived in the city for 20 years before she went to work in the Seychelles in 1999.

But on her return, she discovered her friends had moved away, she had lost contact with others and found herself alone in a city of more than seven million people.

"When I returned things had changed," said the mother-of-two.

"All the things I took for granted - friends, places to go and see - weren't there at a time when I really needed them.

"I came back and found myself very much on my own. In three years a lot can change. Some friends had moved out of London, some got married, I just lost touch.

We hope to give those people who may be in that situation a sense of belonging - everybody needs that, wherever they live Nichole Esparon

"Everyone seemed to be having fun except me. London is great - if you've got people around you."

So the 32-year-old began to look for alternatives. She scanned dating websites but she wanted friendship not romance.

She also had her business networks but that did not help her social life.

Ms Esparon told BBC News Online: "It was then I thought, 'I can't be the only one in this situation'. I also realised that there are so many people, coming into London everyday going through the same thing."

So she began working on the Friends in the City website which went live at the beginning of June.

For a subscription fee, registered users can enter their details and make online friends. The site also organises regular events where members can meet in person.

Being alone in London inspired Nichole to start the website

The functionality of the site is similar to dating websites but Ms Esparon said names like "Sexy Tom" were not encouraged.

She is also working with companies, such as pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, who refer relocated employees to the site.

"Companies want to attract and keep the best employees," she said.

"They spend a lot of money getting them here. But if they become bored, or their partners become bored, or if there not happy for whatever reason in London, they leave the company.

"We help their social integration and keep them at the company and keep them happy in London."

Kavita Walia, 35, a director from Wembley, north London, uses the site.

She said: "I found it really useful. Although I wouldn't have described myself as alone in London, I have made friends through the events organised and also lots of business contacts."

Having started the project as a hobby, Ms Esparon has now invested about £12,000, of her money into it, put her legal career on hold and, depending on its success in London, hopes to launch similar sites across the UK.

She said: "London can be a very daunting and a very lonely place.

"We hope to give those people who may be in that situation a sense of belonging - everybody needs that, wherever they live."