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This is not an event that you can sign up for.
It's my way of announcing an important update about the group, and the evolution of the Friendly Faces of Warwickshire.

Many people 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 organiser no longer wants to pay the app fee, whereupon Meetup duly deletes the group and it disappears forever.

After the Friendly Faces group launched 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 group members for help pay.
Then, disappointing news landed late in 2024 - Meetup added an incredible 50% increase to this already-sizeable fee.

I concluded at the start of 2025 that the best solution was to follow the advice and introduce a half-yearly 'members subscription' of £6 to help pay the app fees.
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 experiences, (2) network / meet new people, (3) make friends and acquaintances that you’ll want to see 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 2 years, so a 6-month subscription period should provide around 30 events to smash through as you wish.

With these changes to the group over the last 18 months, 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 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, and then you can then hop over to the events page and enjoy the freedom to pick whichever events you'd like to attend.

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 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. 🙂

Dean.

Account Name : Friendly Faces Events Ltd
Is it a Business Account : Yes
Account Number : 89459650
Sort Code : 60-83-71
Reference : [Your Full Name]

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