Flying Solo
A winning formula by two women to help single people find romance and friendship in Berkhamsted and Tring has earned them prestigious awards.
Earlier this year, Samantha Poole and Rachel Allen, owners of Solo Connects, won Best Newcomer in the Milton Keynes Mayor Awards and Best Micro Business in the Milton Keynes Business Achievement Awards. The two single mums created Solo Connects, a scheme that connects hundreds of people of all ages face-to face at social events including in Berkhamsted and Tring.
‘We wanted to do something different for single people and it’s really taken off,’ says Samantha. ‘Rachel and I have both experienced the horrors that can happen with online dating sites, with photoshopped photos, ‘sexters’ and even scammers, and it seems many other people have too.’
In just two months, from the germ of an idea in October 2024, the group swelled from a handful of members to 777 people.
The pair say the idea was to take people back to basics by providing simple events such as meals out, coffee meets, fun events and pub nights for single people in a safe and friendly setting.
‘We always start with ice-breaker games to get people talking and then the rest of the event just flows,’ says Samantha, who is also behind the highly popular Mum to Mum – Milton Keynes and Beyond Facebook group, which now has 25,000 members.
As Samantha runs an advertising and networking company and Rachel is a marketing consultant for SMEs (small- and medium-size enterprises), their expertise was perfect for the sales, marketing, business operations and community management needed to create an impressive business in one year.
‘Our first event was in November 2024 where we welcomed 25 people to the pub. Three weeks later, we held another singles event on Christmas Jumper day at a local brewery. In early January 2025, 150 people bought a ticket for a singles night in the pub – and it was minus five at night as well.
‘We run a variety of events, including speed dating, coffee & cake, and fun party nights with huge discos for 200 single people.’
From solo travel, to dating sites / apps, they agree that single life is now a big business.
‘There’s a lot of companies that see the need to help single people connect and live their best solo life. People are exhausted with swiping on dating apps and they want to get out more and meet people in real life.
‘Our business is different because it’s purely community driven. The support and friendship we help people to build, through our events, membership and free Facebook community help people to build confidence and create a new life for themselves – it is way more than just a transactional dating event.
‘Feedback has been fantastic overall, people feel well cared for and know that the events are safe and supportive for both friendship and dating.
‘Our members want to have a good time, people want connection, fun things to do at the weekend, to know they are going out with people who are who they say they are. Safety is a big thing’.
What has been the reaction from the Berko and Tring events? What are they looking for? Romance, friendship, both? ‘Yes, all of this. We are excited to mix our Milton Keynes daters with people across Tring and Berko.’