Carlisle's Twentee-total registers as a community interest company

Twentee-total was established by Carmen de Castro and Jimmy Moorhouse earlier this year and aimed to help those in their 20s and 30s make friends in a sober environment.

The couple partnered with local businesses, venues, and sports teams, arranging 24 events throughout Carlisle and Cumbria.

Their rapid success led to a nomination for Community Group of the Year in Newsquest’s Pride of Cumbria awards.

After attracting hundreds of visitors to their various events, many of which promoted healthy activities such as running, reading or yoga, the duo has decided to set up as a community interest company, whilst also expanding the group to Manchester.

“We’re really excited to take this next step in Twentee-total, which we hope will help us to make our events bigger and better in the coming months," Carmen said.

TwenteeTotal members try out lacrosse (Image: JMoorhouse)

"Making friends in your 20s isn’t easy at all but starting this group has helped us and so many others to socialise and gain confidence, whilst also trying some new things.

"We want to ensure that Twentee-total is something that continues to benefit people in Cumbria for a long time.”

After moving back to Manchester to be closer to family, the organisers are also planning to run the events there, with the long-term aim of having Twentee-total groups available across the country.

"We’ve seen how beneficial this can be, so why not aim big? It would be amazing to have these groups in more cities, and registering as a CIC is hopefully the next step in that journey," Carmen said.

"But we will certainly always be thankful for the support we received when first set up in Carlisle.”

The duo are making plans for September but are hoping to attract volunteers to help host events, while venues and local businesses are encouraged to contact the CIC via email or social media for collaboration opportunities.