Why We Love Supersize Meet-Ups!

From photo walks to rooftop salsa, mass get-togethers are fast becoming a hot lifestyle trend, as these three women tell Savanna Douglas...

With our increasingly hectic lifestyles, supersize meetups can be a joyful way to get together with like-minded people – they help us feel connected and remind us of why we love being part of a community. There’s just something irresistible about group fun, being spurred on by your companions.

Thousands of people worldwide now get together thanks to socialmedia and online forums like Meetup, which started in the wake of 9/11 and now connects people through a range of passions, from photo walks and folk music to flamenco dancing. So if you’re looking to find your own special tribe, be inspired by these readers...

The FORAGER

Belinda Faulkner, 53, lives with her husband Steve, 56, and son Robert, 28, in Rosebank, Cape Town. She takes part in Veld and Sea foraging workshops, which range from seeking wildflowers and edible mushrooms to sourcing sustainable seafood.

“Two years ago, I read an article in which Veld and Sea founder Roushanna Gray spoke about the abundance of wild, sustainable food we could forage out in nature.It reminded me of my childhood in Onrus with my botanist aunt, who would take us out on escapades to identify plants and muck about in rock pools. Intrigued by Roushanna’s concept of foraging workshops, I decided to give one a go. The group at my first workshop was a mix of naturalists, chefs eager to learn about foraging, and people like me simply looking to connect with their surroundings. After an insightful crash course on sustainable foraging, we set out along the beach for a two-hour walk, collecting everything from mussels to seaweed, then returned to the Veld and Sea cabin to cook a lunch of nori chips, seaweed sushi rolls, and mussels in a white-wine sauce. It was delicious, and the sense of community I experienced made me want to go back the next day.