This is an important informational update about the evolution of the Friendly Faces of Warwickshire - linking up people aged between 25 and 55 in the greater Warwickshire area since 2022.
Many assume that Meetup is free for all. The reality is that each group owner must pay a chunky half-yearly fee to the Meetup organisation for their group to survive.
We've all seen groups disappear in the past, and that's simply because the group owner decides to stop paying the organiser fee, whereupon Meetup duly deletes the group and it disappears forever.
After the Friendly Faces group launched back in June 2022 I paid all the fees out of my own pocket through to the end of 2024, with some of you nagging me to ask the wider member-base for help to pay it.
Then, in 2024, the Meetup business was sold to new owners who immediately added an incredible 50% increase to this already-sizeable fee.
In the wake of this bombshell, I concluded that the best solution was to follow your advice, and so starting at the beginning of 2025 I introduced a half-yearly 'members subscription' of £6 to help pay this organiser fee.
With this implemented, subscribers then had the freedom to attend any events they choose in the 6 months after their payment. As an example, for a member paying to join on March 25th their subscription would run until September 25th.
Since their big price-hike, Meetup has continued applying small increases to their half-yearly fee as each period has passed, and summing up the Friendly Faces group costs now (organiser fees, group insurance, accounting, etc) the total amount needed to keep it running is around £600 a year.
Considering this, at the beginning of 2026 I increased the 6-month subscription fee to £10 (that's £1.66 per month) and the group has been incorporated as a private limited company, trading under the name 'Friendly Faces Events Ltd'. I'm sure you would agree that £10 is still a bargain for so many opportunities to (1) get out of the house and discover new places and incredible experiences, (2) network / meet friendly new people, (3) make friends and acquaintances that you’ll look forward to seeing again, and (4) expand your social circle / improve your social life.
The Friendly Faces group has held an average of 5 events per month for over 3 years, so a 6-month subscription period should provide around 30 events for you to smash through as many as you wish.
With the subscription model implemented over a year ago, nothing has changed as far as the frequency and quality of events is concerned, and in my role as organiser I continue to enjoy bringing people together for good times and memorable experiences.
So whether you are a returning regular or one of the constant flow of newcomers, I'll keep doing my best to make sure every attendee at every event enjoys themselves, meets new people, and looks forward to more super-social occasions in the Friendly Faces events schedule.
So get on-board now by sending your £10 to the Starling Bank account below. Then you can then hop over to the events page and enjoy the freedom to pick whichever events you'd like to attend, put a selection in your diary and start looking forward to them.
Of course without your valued presence and enthusiastic involvement the group would not exist - and the social experiences we enjoy could not happen, so on behalf of all of its members, heart-felt thanks to you for your understanding and support of the Friendly Faces group and for helping it to continue.
All of us (first-timers and regulars) are looking forward to seeing you at an event soon. 🙂
Kind Regards and Fist-Bumps 🤜🤛
Dean.
Please make your payment via online banking into the following account...