Earlier this summer, King's Cross was overtaken by a rave. But this was no hands-in-the-air, dance-until-dawn affair. Instead, the tickets that sold out in just minutes were for a reading rave, an opportunity for friends and strangers to come together and just read. Organised by the London chapter of The Offline Club, a global movement with the aim of replacing online connection with the real-life kind, it was far from a one-off. Instead, the reading rave is part of what feels like a wave of analogue events sweeping the country, all with community and connection at their heart. 

And, boy, do we need them. Despite the fact that, technologically, we have never been more connected, more than 9 million people in the UK report feeling lonely often, always or some of the time. But, to me, these events are about more than company. They are about seeking witnessed presence, the comfort of doing something alongside other people, of taking part in an activity both communal and low pressure. 

Gabriella Pacitti runs Edinburgh's Girls' Craft Club, a monthly meetup centred around community, wellbeing, creativity and getting back to yourself, whatever that might look like. Her events attract all sorts of women, from students and young people who have just moved to Edinburgh and are looking to find friends, to mums of all ages and women in all sorts of careers. 

"In essence," says Gabriella, "we all have a primal need to know our neighbours." Part of the impetus for her craft club is to facilitate that kind of connection. She acknowledges that in our world of often surface-level online conversation, getting out into the real world to find community can be daunting. That is one reason why having an activity is so essential. "It gives you a parachute. You have created something. You have learned a new skill. You have an extra reason for getting out there." 

Mika Bon, who set up the Monday Mending Club in Walthamstow four years ago, feels similarly. Held at the Big Penny Social bar and brewery, the group combines two key concerns of our times: real-life connection and the climate crisis, and was described by one member as a social club for introverts. 

"People come to learn to mend to reduce waste and be more sustainable," says Mika, "but also for relaxation and social connection. I often hear people remark how quickly the time passes when immersed in hand-sewing." Launched by Mika and her friend Sam, the club was originally attended mainly by people the pair knew, but over the last couple of years it has grown significantly. "I always feel really good after our session, very calm, positive and I get a feeling of achievement at finishing the task. When I am hand sewing, I find it easier to talk to people." 

When I speak to Dr Sula Windgassen, one of the UK's leading health psychologists and author of It's All In Your Body, she is keen to discuss what is driving this surge in activity-focused, in-person hangouts, and why we might need them so much, especially now. 

"Social connection is one of, if not the biggest physiological buffer to the physical effects of stress." But today, that connection can be harder and harder to find. Being expected to live so much of our lives online is part of that, but Dr Sula is keen to point out other societal shifts also having an impact. "Even over the last two or three decades, our access to community spaces, and being able to just be among others has gradually eroded. At the same time work expectations have increased." 

It is easy to feel that it is just us against the world, but gathering with other people in real life can be a powerful antidote to those feelings of isolation. "I do not think we have great language for that almost ethereal, intangible thing that happens when you are among other people. It grounds you and helps you recognise shared humanity. You realise that you are not in a silo of one, and tapping into that sense of shared humanity has extraordinary therapeutic effects." 

Having an activity to do, side by side, deepens these effects. "For a lot of people, socialising is quite a complex thing. We have expectations of ourselves, to be on good form, to make the other person have a good time, to keep the conversation going. These rules can undermine the nourishment we get from social connection. Whereas these contexts take that away. A low-key pursuit removes all that pressure, and we can just enjoy that co-regulation." 

It is no coincidence that these events are often lo-fi and grassroots, organised by the people who most benefit from them. "It is about community," Gabriella reminds me. "And to form a community, you need to be present, and set the standard." 

I am so glad that she, and so many others, are doing just that. Because perhaps the most powerful way to beat the incessant noise of the modern world is not to shout over it. It is to unplug, gather with others, and connect. 

Connection is a health intervention. Live Well is theALLBRIGHT's annual festival built around exactly that, a day to explore the relationships and gatherings that genuinely sustain women's health and wellbeing.