I'm Rachel Allen, co-founder of Solo Connects alongside Samantha Poole. By day, I run a marketing consultancy called Stop Random Acts of Marketing. By night? I help single people across Milton Keynes, Bedford, Northampton, and Aylesbury actually meet each other in real life. After ten years on and off Tinder (yes, I've earned my veteran swiper stripes), I'd genuinely had enough. Sam and I were both single mums, both utterly fed up with dating apps, and we thought: surely there's a better way than this? So we went ahead and created one.
Solo Connects is all about in-person dating events for people who are absolutely done with the swipe. We run everything from party nights and speed dating through to coffee and cake meet-ups with optional dog walks. Whether you're after romance, friendship, or honestly just a decent night out with people who get what single life is actually like, we've probably got something that'll work for you.
Sam and I are both ridiculously busy, if I'm being honest. Sam runs AskGoTo, which is this really successful advertising and networking business in Milton Keynes, plus Mum2Mum MK (a Facebook group with 26,000 local members, no less). I've got my marketing consultancy keeping me occupied. But here's the thing: we're both single, we both know exactly how awful dating apps can be, and we both wanted to actually do something about it rather than just moaning.
The gap we spotted was pretty obvious once you think about it. Dating apps are either ridiculously expensive or absolutely terrible. Usually both, let's be real. You end up sitting there for hours in this weird scroll-hole, swiping through endless profiles, desperately hoping for that one half-decent match. Meanwhile, all your mates have coupled up, which means you're permanently the third wheel on nights out. We just kept thinking: there must be a way to meet people in real life, in a relaxed setting, without all this pressure and awkwardness that comes with apps.
So in November 2024, we set up Solo Connects. Our ambition was actually quite modest at first: let's get 20 people down the pub once a month. We're fairly well connected in Milton Keynes, so we reckoned it'd be pretty straightforward. Armed with nothing more than a simple name, an Eventbrite link, and what can only be described as a ghost-town of a Facebook group, we launched event number one.
Everyone who showed up to that first event basically took a proper punt on two incredibly busy single mums who were determined to do dating differently. We got our 20 people to the pub, gathered their feedback, and pretty quickly realised we might actually be onto something here. Event number two happened on Christmas Jumper Day and we sold 50 tickets. The ladies' tickets sold out within 24 hours. The vibes were properly high at that point. Clearly the singles of Milton Keynes wanted more!
We properly rolled up our sleeves then and trademarked Solo Connects UK, got a graphic designer working on our logo, and started creating these fun and vibrant events for single people.
By January, we'd managed to sell 150 tickets to a singles mixer at Warbler on the Wharf. When I first booked it, I'm pretty sure they thought we were completely mad. We'd originally reserved just a corner of the bar. We ended up filling the entire top floor. It was minus ten outside that night, but everyone still came out for what turned out to be a brilliant evening.
One of our biggest challenges has definitely been establishing trust and safety in what's quite a crowded market. We tackled this head-on by verifying every single member. Before anyone can join our membership, we ask to see a copy of their ID (driving licence or passport). No scammers, no catfishers, no ghosters. Our Facebook group has become this really lovely space where people genuinely support each other, celebrate new matches, and yes, share their dating disasters too.
Since we kicked off in November 2024, we've hosted over 50 events and sold nearly 5,000 tickets to single people looking for dating and friendship. Not bad for just over a year! We've expanded from Milton Keynes out to Bedford and Northampton, and we're launching events specifically for 25 to 40-year-olds from September 2025.
Here's what we're running at the moment:
Our membership turned into what I can only describe as the best social club going. For £15 a month, members get early access to all our events, discounted tickets (you're saving £3 to £5 per event), a free monthly members' lounge (we've done fire walking, karaoke, live bands – all sorts really), and access to our Facebook group. We've also just launched MatchMaker Mondays, which combines our in-person dating events with a more personalised matchmaking service for people who are properly serious about finding love.
Word of mouth has been absolutely massive for us. People come to one event, have a genuinely great time, and then tell all their single friends about it. Our Facebook group grew completely organically because we were focused on building an actual community rather than just constantly flogging tickets at people. Eventbrite's been our main ticketing platform and it's worked brilliantly for getting the word out there.
We also blog fairly regularly about dating, single life, and personal safety. Content marketing's really helped us reach people who are actively searching for alternatives to dating apps in their local area.
Look, we're not trying to be all slick and corporate here. We're literally just two single mums who genuinely understand what it's like to be single, to feel properly frustrated with apps, to want a night out where you're not the only solo person in the room. That authenticity – and I know that word gets thrown around a lot – but it genuinely comes through in everything we do.
Here's what actually makes us different:
Narrow your positioning early on. We could've easily tried to be a dating service for everyone, everywhere. Instead, we focused on a specific geographic area (Milton Keynes and the surrounding towns) and one specific frustration (being absolutely sick of dating apps). That clarity meant we attracted the right people much more quickly.
Build a community, not just a customer base. Our Facebook group isn't simply a place to promote events. It's where people genuinely connect, support each other, and build proper friendships. That sense of community's been one of our biggest assets, honestly.
Listen to your members. We gather feedback after every single event and actually use it to improve things. Some of our best ideas (like the members' lounge and those coffee and cake walks) came directly from suggestions our members made.
If I had my time again, here's what I'd change:
Right now we're focused on growing our membership numbers and expanding into new locations. We've got plans to launch more events over in Aylesbury, and we're developing our matchmaker service based on the feedback we got from the launch event.
Longer term? We want Solo Connects to become the default option for single people right across the region. When someone says "I'm absolutely fed up with Tinder," we want their friends to immediately say "Have you tried Solo Connects?" We're building that reputation one event at a time.
We're definitely not looking to scale into some massive corporate operation. We want to stay true to what we started with: fun, authentic, in-person events where single people can meet, connect, and genuinely enjoy themselves without all the pressure of apps.
If you're single and looking for something genuinely better than endless swiping, come along to one of our events. You can find all the details on our website, or just drop us an email if you've got any questions. We'd absolutely love to see you there.
Solo Connects is your alternative to dating apps, offering a variety of in-person events for single people in Milton Keynes, Bedford, Northampton, and Aylesbury. It’s designed for anyone who is tired of swiping and wants to meet new people, whether for romance or friendship, in a relaxed, real-world setting.
You can find an event that suits your style. We run large singles mixers for over 40s, themed party nights for all ages, monthly speed dating for specific age brackets, and very relaxed coffee and cake meet-ups that even include an optional dog walk. There’s something for every comfort level.
Your safety is taken very seriously. To create a trusted community, every single member is verified before they can join. This involves checking a copy of their ID, like a driving licence or passport, to make sure there are no scammers or catfishers involved.
Yes, there is. For £15 a month, you get early access to events, discounted tickets, a free monthly members' lounge with activities like karaoke or live bands, and access to the private, supportive Facebook group. It’s a great way to become part of the community.