* Meet New People!
* Make New Friends!
* Try New Things!
* Improve Social Skills!
* Boost Confidence!
* Have Fun!
* Laugh More!
* Meet Someone Special!
* Enjoy A Great Social Life
Telephone Hours
Telephones open 12noon - 7pm
(most days)
08456 121 770
Calls charged at
low cost
local ratesl
from any
UK landline
Telephone Payments
Payments can be made by credit card or debit card over the telephone 12noon - 7pm.
We're currently pretty obsessed with the BBC sitcom Outnumbered, which is just wonderfully funny. Superb cast and wnderful writing. Not to be missed - and ideal for all the family! A first series has just been commissioned by the BBC, who know they are on to a good thing!
There was a really entralling film on Sky Movies called Hereafter, featuring three strands of a story about life after death experiences. Recommended! Also, if you haven't seen it, don't miss Despicable Me!
On Twitter, Milton Jones, Jack Dee, Jimmy Carr, Adrian Edmondson, Nino Firetto, and Steve Death have been making us laugh. While Julian Clary's insights into Plymouth where he is in panto have been lots of fun. Also, Ant & Dec have been a great addition to Twitter, as entertaining as ever.
Muscially, Adele seems to be everywhere still and must surely clean up at the forthcoming Brit Awards. This week saw a rejuvenated Madonna return to the spotlight in the UK with a guest star spot on The Graham Norton Show.
In the realms of sci-fi & fantasy, an advance trailer for December's The Hobbit has been released, and we are looking forward to seeing Edgar Rice Burrrough's John Carter Of Mars in 2012. Karen Gillan's Amy pond looks set to leave Doctor Who in the 2012 series, with rumours of something special for the show's 50th anniversary looming - possibly a multiple Doctor story. Terra Nova on Sky One looks like it might have legs, although Fringe appears to have lost it's way a bit.
Drama-wise, Treasure Island was great, with Eddie Izzard hinting at a follow up as Long John Silver. Also, the second series of the new Hawaii Five 0 is now underway on Sky One. Look out again for the comedy legal drama Franklin & Bash.
So plenty to get everyone through the winter months and to look forward to in 2012!
You may be interested in featuring the people who first came up with the name "social" for social networking / social media.
The initial Devon Social Group (now known as The Social Group) was set up as a provider of social networking and social events 7 years before Facebook and 10 years before Twitter.
So social networking is in fact British!
It all started after former ski technician Andrew Haglington suffered an injury, was registered disabled, developed ME Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and was left really ill and weak, and in a lot of pain. Following divorce, Andrew spent the best part of 5 years pretty much confined to bed and a wheelchair. Life was very tough for him and, unable to work, he became isolated and still in his 30's was left in the care of home helps from Social Services.
When it occured to Andrew that he could not possibly be the only person on his own, in 1997 he decided to try to gather together a 'group of friends' that anyone could join in and go out with. He decided to shorten the word "socialising" to "social", setting up Devon Social Group to run social events across a social network of people in South West England - thus naming what has grown to become a whole new sector of the economy!
With his idea being so very new, Andrew initially found lots of misunderstanding and resistance, with numerous people not getting it and doors slammed in his face. People he approached for investment to back his brand new concept failed to realise the vast potential of what he was talking about. It was just too far ahead of it's time and there wasn't a culture in the UK to back such a venture. As a result, Andrew and his second wife Cathy were left to try to build up social networking in the UK by themselves, leaving the Americans to claim the multi-billion industry as their own, as detailed in the movie The Social Network.
Instead, Andrew & Cathy have focussed more on people connecting and socialising on a more local basis, over the last decade enabling many thousands of people to make friends and enjoy a better social life. Many who have met through the couple's efforts have even gone on to get married and start families. And at the same time, lots has been done to support good causes and charities, raising awareness and raising funds.
The Social Group is now in the process of going national, with new branches opening across the UK.
Through their work as social entrepreneurs via The Social Group, and with them having such high profiles on the internet, Andrew & Cathy Haglington are recognised as social media celebrities. The British Library has preserved copies of their early web sites as being of historical importance, and there is widespread recognition of the vital role Andrew & Cathy have played in making social networking and social media what it is today.
Andrew is currently writing his story of overcoming illness to start up what has grown to become the social media sector - with a working title of "The Man Who Invented Social Networking".
Andrew & Cathy Haglington 08456 121 770 (12noon -7pm)
EXCITING TIMES AHEAD FOR MEMBERS OF THE SOCIAL GROUP...
There's exciting times ahead for members of THE SOCIAL GROUP.
In the UK, we will be expanding in 2012, with new franchised local areas coming online, and with our new low cost ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP available shortly across the whole country.
Local area members in Devon, will have already noticed the DEVON SOCIAL GROUP web site has been upgraded, and we've had lots of positive feedback about this. We are currently waiting for our website people Jess and Pete to make the upgraded BRISTOL SOCIAL GROUP and CORNWALL SOCIAL GROUP websites live, hopefully this week. The SOMERSET SOCIAL GROUP web site will be upgraded soon after. And we hope to have an all new SOCIAL GROUP HOLIDAYS website coming online as soon as possible.
Anyone looking for work and a career in social networking, please call 08456 121 770 or send your CV to office@sge.eclipse.co.uk - franchise and investment opportunities are available in the UK and worldwide, and we are looking to take on sales staff. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Nothing helps see a situation for what it is better than getting away and taking a break. The resulting view from the outside usually makes things clearer.
After a tough year of all manner of difficulties, including illness, injury, family bereavement, problems caused by the government, and a challenging economic climate - not to mention the constant rain, cloud, and dark days of the British winter - we really needed a holiday.
So it was great to be able to get away from it all and head off to the sunshine of a Caribbean Cruise with Social Group Holidays.
Landing in San Juan, Puerto Rico (think Majorca/Cuba/Miami), we soon found ourselves immersed in a local festival of flamboyant colour and passion, with stalls on the grass by the beautiful palm-fringed Condado beach, offering everything from mojito cocktails and tasty snacks (e.g. Caribbean Whole Roasted Pig) to live entertainment from a steel band and even a belly dancer!
Fun in the sun, and people making the most of being happy!
And no-one panicking about the collapse of the currency or the government imposing obscene levels of taxes guaranteed to destroy any chance of economic prosperity!
Yes, it's amazing how much better life can seem when you disconnect and escape being fed a constant diet of despair, fear, and panic by the media. It struck us at once how much less aware and how less worried the Americans we met seemed to be. Strange that, when the British have always prided themselves on how resilient we are.
Off then on the 18 storey cruise liner, 3200 passengers, 1200 staff/crew, with all you can eat for the duration, and different ports of call each day at exotic tropical islands off the coast of Venezuela. Beautiful white sand beaches, warm seas, wonderful snorkeling, blue skies, extravagant palm trees, and some exciting day excursions. But best of all, lots of good company and good times. And lots of smiles.
It does make a difference.
And isn't that the whole point. That life is very much a matter of perspective.
If you are in a room full of depressed people, the world outside seems a lot worse. If you are in a room full of happy people, the world outside doesn't seem so bad.
What do they say... "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"? If anything at all can make you appreciate home, it's being away from it for a while.
On a cruise ship in the southern Caribbean Sea, amidst 37 different nationalities, we met some very nice people from America, Canada, Puerto Rico, Russia, France, Germany, Romania, Denmark and all over the world! But there was always a special thrill to meet someone from back home in the UK and that special bond of being countrymen.
The one thing that really stood out for us was being reminded just how special our nation is and of the unique standing we have in the world.
Here's hoping the opening ceremony of the Summer 2012 Olympics in London is not a complete cringefest and instead manages to be a truly classy "Cool Britannia" affair that gets over to the world what a rich culture, past and present, we represent and embrace.
So keep smiling people! The darkest days of winter are now behind us and it will soon be spring.
Summer lies ahead.
So let's all try to have some OPTIMISM and do all we can to BRING BACK THE GOOD TIMES!
And please everyone... do all you can to defeat government plans to further increase taxation on travel and flights! Because, especially when times are tough, we all need to be able to take a holiday. And we can't allow them to take that away from us.
LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE has long been a good bit of advice. Now it's been discovered that not only does laughing do you good in a pyschological sense, but it also combats pain. Having a bit of a giggle or a polite titter isn't enough. It needs to be genuine laughter, which raises levels of feel-good endophins in the body and increases pain tolerance. Researchers have credited laughterwith being good for the heart, boosting circulation as much as exercise or cholesterol-lowering drugs, and an hour of laughter a day is said to burn off as many calories as 30 minutes of weight lifting. Laughter also helps exercise facial muscles, keeping them supple and the skin glowing. Studies found laughter to be physically very exhausting and anything that taxes the body physically triggers endophins as part of the normal pain control mechanism. Even the anticipation of a belly laugh seems to be enough to lift our spirits and boost the immune system. Laughter really is the feel good factor.
Here at The Social Group we have long believed that getting together for good times and good company, with shared experiences and lots of laughs together, is really good for people. Having something to look forward to, like a night out or a holiday with The Social Group, really is the best medicine, helping avoid the blues. Recent studies have found that the rush of endophins from laughing helps people bond with each other. This explains why laughter and shared activities are such an important part of our social lives, and why a good social life and good company is so important for your general state of happiness and well being!
It's our view that for many modern society can seem pretty cynical and selfish at times. We feel the world would be a better place if people worried less about themselves and made more of an effort to help others and be nice to one another.
In recent years The Social Group has supported...
The Monkey Sanctuary
M.E.N.D.
Cancer Research UK
Paignton Zoo Tiger Conservation
Help The Bees
Arthritis Research UK
Help For Heroes
Children's Hospice South West
The Alzheimer's Society
Obviously, as a social enterprise, we are set up to help people be less lonely and enjoy a better social life, and over the years our efforts and dedication has helped countless thousands of people to make new friends, bringing our community closer together. As the people who thought up, named, and developed modern style 'social networking', we've been at the heart of this idea of enabling people to connect and come together to have fun and lead better lives.
In addition, we do a great deal to offer help and advice to anyone who asks. Some people call us, just needing to chat to someone, never joining the group but grateful for someone to listen. Behind the scenes we do a lot to help people who are bereaved, recovering from serious illness, or trying to make a new life after separation or divorce. We also try to offer extra assistance to people who are far from home and new to the area, doing our best to point them in the right direction of whatever they might need.
In the past we offered assistance to helping organise a team of volunteers with the decoration of accommodation for students, creating a wildlife pond for a local school, and encouraging local councils not to use so many herbicides and pesticides, and to plant out more areas of wild flowers.
Each winter, we do what we can via our network of Twitter pages and local contacts to co-ordinate information during heavy snow, acting like an additional Emergency Service, making sure no-one is left isolated or cut off and in danger in the cold and passing on useful travel updates.
We also do our bit to advise sufferers, relatives of sufferers, and doctors about M.E. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, trying to promote a greater understanding of how serious this horrible illness actually is and how difficult this makes life for people when they cannot use any muscles without severe pain. Also, campaigning for proper understanding that M.E. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is the result of chemical poisoning, and for some serious research to be done to find treatments and hopefully a cure.
Earlier this year, we started and encouraged a campaign on Twitter to ask people to pop next door and offer help to their blue badge neighbours. We know from personal experience that, if you look okay, very few people ever think to help you. You hear lots of people bragging how many hours they put in at the gym or how far they ran or cycled, who never think to put just some of that energy to better use in offering to mow the lawn or paint a ceiling of someone next door who is less fortunate with their health and who finds it difficult to even stand up.
We also do what we can to support environmental campaigns. After the 2011 revolution in Egypt, our backing of Camel Dive School helped persuade the new authorities to secure protection for the beautiful Ras Mohammed Marine National Park coral reefs along the Red Sea coast, which some of our members will know from previous Social Group Holidays to Sharm-El-Sheikh. We also support all the good work done by Reef Relief in Florida. And we are also involved in campaigning for the protection of the unspoilt Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia.
Recently we were asked to give talks on social networking and helping others to a local primary school, doing our best to make it interesting to the children by telling them about our visit around the world to Exmouth Australia with The Social Group.
Fully behind the ideas of a Big Society, it's our view that whatever you can do all contributes to making the world a better place.
ALL DONATIONS TO HELP SUPPORT THE GOOD WORK WE DO ARE APPRECIATED. MANY THANKS.
Telephone 08456 121 770 (open 12noon - 7pm, most days)
SUN! SAND! SEA!
SIGHTSEEING!
SWIMMING!
SUNBATHING!
SOCIALISING!
Expand your horizons...
ENJOY HIGH QUALITY HOLIDAYS AT GREAT VALUE PRICES!
DISCOUNT PRICES FOR SOCIAL GROUP MEMBERS!
ON HOLIDAY, EVERYONE IS RELAXED AND THERE'S TIME TO BE YOURSELF AND MAKE REALLY GOOD FRIENDS!
TRAVEL IS MUCH SAFER IN THE SAFETY OF A GROUP!
PEOPLE TO SHARE THE EXPERIENCE WITH!
PEOPLE TO LOOK AFTER YOUR BAGS WHILE YOU HAVE A SWIM!
PEOPLE TO TALK TO AND SOCIALISE WITH!
LOTS OF GROUP SAVINGS - TOGETHER, WE CAN HIRE A BOAT OR BUS TO TAKE US OUT FOR THE DAY!
TIME TO RELAX AND TIME TO HAVE FUN!
SOME PEOPLE PREFER TO SPEND TIME WITH EVERYONE ELSE - IT'S GREAT TO HAVE PEOPLE TO DO THINGS WITH!
OTHER PEOPLE PREFER TO DO THEIR OWN THING DURING THE DAY AND MEET UP WITH THE GROUP FOR DINNER IN THE EVENING. WE DON'T MIND - IT'S ENTIRELY UP TO YOU!
EXPERIENCES TO ENJOY NOW... MEMORIES TO TREASURE FOR A LIFETIME!
YES! Of course! The Social Group is ideal for couples!
If you hadn't already noticed, the logo of The Social Group is two champagne glasses, symbolising not being alone. Sometimes we depict this as one slightly larger than the other, indicating male and female together, side by side. Doesn't that say it all?
One of the main reasons this was originally set up was for single people and couples together to have somewhere respectable they felt comfortable to go out and socialise in a group. The Social Group aims to offer a fantastic way to meet people and make friends - for both single people and couples. At The Social Group, we aim to make everyone feel welcome and included.
There's lots of great things for couples to enjoy. Dinner dances and parties are especially popular with couples who like to have something to dress up for, where they can go out and have fun together as a couple with other people. Dining out is also very popular, as husband and wife get the opportunity to chat to different people from different professions and have some company over dinner. Outdoor activities are also very popular, as through the course of the year we offer a wide range of sports and adventure activities, including canoeing, high ropes, archery, clay shooting, skiing, surfing, horse riding, abseiling, caving, paintball, scuba diving, river rafting, quad biking and much more! Overall, lots of different things to try - making life more interesting than just work and TV! Also, some things cannot work with just one or two people, and need a larger group of people to be possible!
Over the years we've often been approached by couples where one partner wants to participate more than the other. Sometimes it's just a matter of preference and taste. Some times one of the couple fancies all the activities we do and is delighted to have other people to do them with, as the partner has no interest. Other times we have a wife who loves dances and dining out, while her husband prefers to stay home - so she comes out with us and he knows she is safe and in good company. We did have one couple where the wife was much younger than the husband - they were happy together, but she just wanted some more things to do, so often came out to our events while he only joined in occasionally, mostly for health reasons. Another couple some years ago consisted of a husband who was unable to fly, so the wife came with us to America on holiday, as it was nice to have other people to feel safe to go with - and the husband said he was happy to have some peace and quiet while she was away!
Many of our couples met through The Social Group and still continue to come out with us. Other couples are already together when they join and just fancy joining in with all the different social events, dining out, parties, activities and holidays we offer.
We are not a singles-only club. We are not a dating agency. We are the South West’s premier socialising organisation, with membership open to friends, colleagues, couples, and families as well as single people. Everyone is welcome!
People join the Social Group to enjoy a good social life and come out to lots of the social events we organise, to enjoy face to face good company and good times with other people. The idea is to participate, have fun, and be good company. We are looking for people to come out often, make the best of what is on offer, enjoy themselves, and help build up a sense of camaraderie.
SPECIAL DISCOUNT ON MEMBERSHIP FOR COUPLES!
After the first year of membership, we offer a generous discount for couples living at the same address who wish to renew. Renewing VIP Membership, £150 for the first member and just £100 for the spouse, just £250 for a further 12 months in total per couple. Renewing Budget Membership, £50 for the first member and just £15 for the spouse, just £65 for a further 12 months in total per couple. Outstanding value for money, we are sure you will agree.
SOCIAL GROUP HOLIDAYS - IDEAL FOR COUPLES!
On our holidays, we've often had some single people, some couples, some family members, and some work colleagues - everyone knows a good deal and with our prices so very low, it's hardly surprising lots of different people fancy taking part!
COUPLES OFTEN JOIN IN WITH THE ORGANISED GROUP HOLIDAYS
Social Group Holidays are ideal for couples who like to do their own thing during the day and meet up for dinner with a group of friends during the evening. Couples already have someone to room share with and that makes things nice and easy to be included. Plus organisers Cathy and Andrew have been a married couple since 2002, so you'll never be the only couple with the group when Cathy and Andrew are there to look after the social side of things!
BESPOKE HOLIDAYS CAN ALSO BE ARRANGED FOR COUPLES - AT A TIME TO SUIT YOU!
In addition to the main group holidays, we also arrange bespoke holidays just for couples - these are ideal for couples who are looking to benefit from our expertise and contacts, who ask us to make the arrangements for them, saving all the hassle of selecting and booking a holiday. This service is ideal for couples looking to enjoy a romantic holiday just for the two of them at a time to suit the two of them.
We arrange holidays 'just for you' - for any week, at any time of the year!
We know some of the very best resort destinations anywhere!
We select a fabulous holiday to suit you!
We do all the research and get everything in place down to the last detail!
We arrange romantic getaways for couples!
We can make all the honeymoon arrangements - UK or Worldwide!
Specialist resort destinations in which we have considerable expertise include:
EUROPE - including France, Italy, and Crete
CARIBBEAN - including Mexico, Cayman Islands, and Caribbean Cruise
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
USA - including Miami, Florida, California, Las Vegas, and National Parks
We can also book special UK weekend breaks 'just for you'! Fancy doing something special but don't know where to go? Country hotels, fabulous scenery, flowers, chocolates, champagne, activities, concert tickets, theatre bookings, and travel arrangements can all be organised, making it very easy for you to surprise that special someone in your life!
Our many contacts mean we can find all the best places and get you some really good deals!
For just a modest booking fee, make it easy on yourself and have it all done for you! All enquiries welcome!
* UK short breaks
* Brittany weekends
* Crete
* Egypt & Red Sea
* Italy
* Thailand - Bangkok & Phuket
* Singapore
* Malaysia
* Western Australia * Central America * USA - Miami, Key West, & Caribbean Cruise
* USA - California * USA - Las Vegas & National Parks
