Before I go…
I hope you’ve enjoyed The Friendship Formula, and that it’s given you the motivation to look at your friendship circles, give them a spring clean, see who brings you joy, recognize the mood hoovers and make more effort with those you love.
Friendship is an absolute gift and we should never take a good friend for granted. I hope this book has empowered you to cut out anyone toxic in your life, reassess anyone bringing negativity to the party and truly embrace your inner circle.
If I’ve learnt anything from my friends over four decades it’s to always tell those closest to you how much they mean to you, never hesitate to say ‘I love you’ and try to be there in their hour of need. Because you never know when someone can be taken away.
Learn to love time alone, surround yourself with positive people who make you feel like the wonderful person you are. The people you choose to spend time with should multiply your happiness. Never forget – you are worthy of the best friendships and people who make you feel fabulous.
Your friend,
Associations and more information
Katie Haines Memorial Trust
katiehainestrust.com
Macmillan Cancer Support
macmillan.org.uk
Pancreatic Cancer Action
pancreaticcanceraction.org
Cruse Bereavement Care
cruse.org.uk
Social networking services; loneliness helplines
Campaign to End Loneliness
campaigntoendloneliness.org
Nextdoor
nextdoor.com
Meetup
meetup.com
Girlfriend Social: Where Women Make New Friends
girlfriendsocial.com
Do-it
do-it.org
MumsMeetUp
mumsmeetup.com
Bumble BFF
bumble.com/bff
Peanut
peanut-app.io
Mush
letsmush.com
The Silver Line
Helpline: 0800 4 70 80 90
thesilverline.org.uk
Mind
MindInfoline: 0300 123 3393
mind.org.uk
Contributors
Annabelle Knight – annabelleknight.com
Charlie O’Brien – charlieobrien.co.uk
Andy Langford, chief operating officer at Cruse Bereavement Care – cruse.org.uk
Jo Wimble-Groves – guiltymother.co.uk
Thank yous
Firstly, thank YOU for reading The Friendship Formula. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and will be making sure you get the most out of all your friendships in future.
A huge thanks to my agent Carly Cook and editor Ellen Parnavelas and all the team at Head of Zeus for your patience and encouragement.
To Avril and Gordon Samuel and Richard Haines for allowing me to write about the beautiful Katie. I am forever grateful she was my friend. And big thanks to Leesa Reeve-Daniels for letting me write about Gavin, a man with an incredible spirit. Katie and Gavin will always hold a special place in my heart. Also thank you to Karen Hyland for giving her blessing to share our grief for Katie.
Thanks to Annabelle, Jo and Charlie for your contributions and support. Thanks to Cruse Bereavement Care for their advice about loss and grief. And to everyone who took part in the Friendship Formula survey, thank you for your input and sharing such personal stories.
To my family: Mum and Dad, for your love and support in all I do, and patience when I disappear to write for months. I love you both. Leanne, my big sister and best friend in the world. There are not enough thank yous in the world – superglue forever. Jake and Eliza, I love you as big as the universe and to the moon and back.
My best friends: Ruth and Dave Vernon, James and Edward for your decades of friendship. You are the family I choose for myself. Here’s to the next twenty years and the rest… Ian Walker, Jessica, Katie and Joe. Nearly three decades and we’re still teenagers at heart. I love you all.
To my ‘inner circle’: ‘Whitstable and beyond’ and ‘Jen,Je,Ca,Ash,Eri,Ka’. Thanks for your patience while I wrote this and wasn’t available to come out and play. To all the cheerleaders in my life, particularly Jessica Bowden, Frankie Seaman, Matt Evers, Gemma Oaten, all the members of Monday Night Club and the fabulous Dibley gang. Also, the ex-Nowies, Camilla Sacre-Dallerup, and Donna Armstrong for your friendship, the Bali Bliss girls and my favourite photographer Nicky Johnston. And to all my friends who I’ve drunk gin with, sung karaoke and danced til the wee hours with. Thank you!
Special thanks to Nick Boulos for coming up with the title of this book and being a constant source of inspiration and love. Pinky and Perky forever.
And finally, to all the people who have been my friends over the years – thanks for the lessons you’ve taught me.
About the Author
CAROLINE MILLINGTON is an award-winning journalist, author and media professional. She worked for national women’s magazines for sixteen years before swapping print for digital. Caroline currently works at ITV.
About Anima
Anima is an illustrated non-fiction lifestyle imprint from Head of Zeus. A selection of titles that span genres such as travel & adventure, food & drink, art & design, health & wellness, this unique collection of books will inspire people to live well and enjoy life.
Created with the highest quality in design and production, Anima books will be inspiring, beautiful and informative – a pleasure to read and a joy to own.
Get in touch: [email protected]
www.readanima.com
@HoZ_Books
Head of Zeus Books
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