Inside Say Yes Sunday: The Feel-Good Community Bringing Young Women Together

Inside Say Yes Sunday, the Hampshire-based community for feel-good events, the opportunity to make new friends, designed for young women in their twenties.

Whether or not you have attended a SYS event or thought about attending one, here’s everything you need to know about the community that’s turning Sundays into something special.

The community based in and around Portsmouth covers Chichester, Southampton, Fareham, Havant, and more. 

Emily Hitchman, age 25, first founded the company in March 2025.

Hitchman, who has a background in fitness, nutrition, and marketing, has been running the company entirely solo. 

The company, which was built spontaneously after Hitchman shared on Instagram about loneliness and received mutual sentiments online, marked the prelude to its first event. 

It’s core values and goals are for women in their twenties to make new friends, try new things in the local area, and to ‘say yes’ to new people and opportunities. 

The business, which flourished quickly after its first event in March 2025, has sold out predominantly all its events since. 

The events, which range from pottery painting and pizza quiz nights to meditation and fitness classes, and more. 

Say Yes Sunday hosts three social events per month, including one free social, such as a group walk. 

Say Yes Sunday, which prides itself on connecting local women, leads events with one-third of attendees as SYS regulars, reaching approximately thirty people in attendance. 

Each event begins with an introduction from Hitchman, icebreakers and activities, before socialising commences. 

Hitchman shared that ‘Everyone is there [at an event] for the same reason, which I think really helps with the mingling. We’ve not had it where people haven’t got on or people have been on their own or more people haven’t got stuck in’. 

According to a landmark new MRP poll of 10,000 adults living in the UK, almost half of young women in the UK report feeling lonely. 

The research, conducted by Opinium on behalf of the Belonging Forum, revealed that 49% of young women aged 18-24 feel lonely some or all of the time, compared to 29% of the general population. 

Hitchman said that running Say Yes Sunday has ‘healed a little part of me’ and ‘fills my heart with joy,’ often being the first connection for individuals to create new friends. 

In December 2024, the Mirror reported on research commissioned by the OHID (Office for Health Improvement and Disparities), which revealed that nearly seven in ten Brits regularly experience the ‘Sunday Scaries.’

Since launching the business, Hitchman has found that managing her time and gathering feedback on new events has been a significant learning curve.

Hitchman shared [regarding attending an event for the first time], ‘It's normal to feel nervous, it’s easy to say don’t be nervous, you’ll be fine,’ but ultimately, ‘you’re not on your own’ when it comes to nerves.

Hitchman's plans for the future of Say Yes Sunday remain to continue the momentum of SYS and include additional weekend retreats, declaring, ‘I think when you spend more time together, you can form deeper connections.’ 

The retreats, which include a wide range of activities such as meditation, arts and crafts, hikes, and beach yoga, combine both physical and mental exercises, along with icebreakers and group activities.

To book onto an event or learn more, visit www.sayyessunday.co.uk and for regular event drops and more information, follow her on Instagram @sayyessunday