The Quiet Ripple Effect: Reflecting on Our Impact in 2023 to 2024

As we reach the end of another year together, we’re pausing to reflect on the difference that’s been made. Quietly, steadily, and with care.

This year, our community has grown in both strength and softness. We’ve continued to create spaces across Cornwall where quieter people—those of us who are shy, introverted, highly sensitive, or experiencing social anxiety—can gently connect, show up as our true selves, and feel a deeper sense of belonging.

At the heart of this are our weekly Meet Ups. In 2023 to 2024, we held 302 Meet Ups across seven locations: St Austell, Helston, Falmouth, Redruth, Liskeard, Truro and Penzance. A total of 287 unique individuals joined us, with 1,914 attendances recorded throughout the year.

These gatherings are more than just events. They are a gentle lifeline. A safe and spacious place to breathe, to be seen, and to take small steps toward connection. They’re shaped by the people who come along, the conversations that unfold, and the quiet understanding that nobody needs to perform or pretend to be something they’re not.

We also held 42 Pop-Up Meet Ups this year. These included creative workshops, coastal walks, shared meals, garden visits and cultural events. Each one offered an opportunity to experience something new alongside others who understand what it’s like to feel anxious in social spaces. These moments made room for joy, for courage, and for connection in places that might once have felt out of reach.

One of the most beautiful things we’ve seen this year is the way our volunteer team has grown. 28 volunteers have supported Meet Ups, offered warm welcomes, helped co-host events, and quietly made it possible for others to feel safe and included. As we move toward a more volunteer-led model, we’re seeing how powerful it is when community members are given opportunities to lead, share, and contribute in ways that feel meaningful to them. Together, we’re building something truly co-owned.

We also took time this year to offer new opportunities for reflection and self-awareness. Our mindfulness workshop invited gentle presence, while our one-to-one coaching—now delivered privately and gradually winding down—provided space for those who needed more focused support to explore confidence, calm and connection. This chapter of our work was shaped by the Positive People programme, which came to a close this year, and has create space to move further into community-led approaches.

Another thread that ran through this year was awareness and education. We shared stories, resources and reflections through our blog, podcast and social media, as well as in the media, including BBC Radio Cornwall and Devon, and Psychologies Magazine. These platforms allowed us to gently challenge unhelpful stereotypes and invite more understanding of the quiet inner world that many of us navigate.

We also undertook a piece of academic research, exploring the complexity of loneliness, including its causes, its consequences, and the ways it uniquely affects us quieter and introverted people. This is helping us to better understand how to support those who often feel overlooked in conversations about isolation and connection.

Something quietly special also began to take root this year through regular walks in nature, in partnership with the National Trust. These calm garden walks have offered a new rhythm for connection, gently linking people, place and peace and we look forward to many nature walks with The National Trust in the future!

Through all of this, we’ve witnessed transformation. Not the loud or showy kind, but the kind that is deeply felt. We’ve seen people who once sat silently on the edges now feel at home in a group. We’ve watched Quieteers gently lead a conversation or take the brave step to return for a second time. We’ve seen friendships begin. We’ve heard people say they no longer feel alone.

None of this would be possible without you. Whether you came to a Meet Up, volunteered your time, made a donation, shared a kind word, or quietly supported from afar, you are part of this quiet ripple.

As we look ahead, we remain committed to making the world a gentler place for quiet voices. We are not here to change who we are. We are here to shine a light on our unique awesomeness, as well as the challenges we face to gently change the conditions that make it hard for people like us to feel we belong.

Thank you for walking alongside us.

With love,
Team Quiet