An Oldham-based group which sparked during lockdown is celebrating its first "Tavern baby" and marriage after the couples saw the group on Ant and Dec.
The Virtual Tavern was set up during lockdown to alleviate lockdown, initially sparked by Emma Cooper whose sister was enduring chemotherapy for a rare cancer.
Ms Cooper set about creating a virtual village to give people in isolation resources and socialisation through online exercise and yoga classes.
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The group then expanded to include a kids' club to entertain children, a business hub and a medical centre.
Neil Greenwood, the landlord, said the "logical thing" to do for any village was to establish a pub, "and so The Virtual Tavern was born".
The group initially started with a small group of friends meeting up online for a weekly quiz, but it wasn't long until it welcomed more than 10,000 members.
Small businesses that couldn't open during pandemic restrictions supplied gifts to the group in turn for advertising and acts were also scheduled in the Tavern to entertain members at home.
The group was then recognised on Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway on ITV in 2021 where it received praise for keeping people's spirits up during Covid.
Members, who watched virtually on its huge wall of TV screens, went on to win various prizes such as a mobile home for a family who had lost everything in a house fire, and an adapted holiday for a family including a son who has down syndrome had suffered a stroke.
The TV shout-out attracted hundreds more to the group and saw the Tavern "go on tour", allowing members to meet one another who they had been chatting to online and eventually go on their first holiday to Benidorm.
However, as well as the main Tavern lounge, the group also established The Singles Lounge which has birthed many successful relationships.
One couple, Rheeta Obas, originally from Nigeria, and Grant McGill, from Glasgow, met through the singles lounge and recently married which Mr Greenwood said is their first "but hopefully not our last Tavern wedding".
Rheeta said she found the Tavern after watching the show on Ant and Dec and immediately signed up.
She said: "I joined because it was a place where I could be myself without being judged and it was a great support system during lockdown.
"Grant and I met and started talking in the Singles Room and interest grew into something more.
"We chatted privately for six months before we met for the first time in Tamworth and hit it off immediately.
"He met my family that Christmas and they loved him and we got engaged the following summer."
The pair then celebrated their wedding on October 1 this year.
Rheeta added: "The Virtual Tarven is like a safe haven for us, a virtual family where we laugh, cry and support each other without being judged.
"You are accepted the way you are."
Mr Greenwood said the Singles Lounge has also resulted in their "first Tavern baby", a little girl brought into the world by Jeanette Barton and Darren Grassby from Bradford this year.
Now, the group has high hopes for the future having registered as a CIC in June last year and may record a second episode of their own show, "Crime of Duty" a spin-off from "Line of Duty", next year.
Mr Greenwood said the magic of the group comes down to the Tavern acting as a safe and positive space, free from politics, religion, sport and Covid.
He said: "In a world that was already full of doom and globe 24/7, we took the decision to keep it out of the Tavern so people could forget about it.
"Taking the Tavern on Tour to Benidorm allowed members who wouldn't normally be brave enough to holiday alone to do so, knowing that they were part of a group and wouldn't be left on their own.
"We had a big night out in fancy dress and we hope an overseas trip will become an annual thing."
The landlord revealed more trips may be in the pipeline more locally this summer, to make the visits more affordable and accessible for people to get to on a long weekend, while its 'family Christmas party' will be taking place at the Highfield pub on Ripponden Road on December 19.
Mr Greenwood said the team works hard and are constantly on the lookout for collaborations and sponsors to provide members with prizes, discounts and other benefits - particularly to help people through the cost-of-living crisis.
Brands such as McDonald's, Whitley Neill, Three Spirit & Pure Joy functional mushroom blends are just some of the sponsors that have supported the group
Mr Greenwood added: "We have a couple of bigger projects we would like to do in the future and are looking for funding to buy equipment and licences to get them off the ground.
"I don't want to spoil the surprise by giving away too much but the dream has always been to have a main sponsor so that The Virtual Tavern is sponsored by a big brand.
"Being a CIC brings its own challenges as we have to pay an accountant fee, website costs, software licences and so on, so we are always looking to see how we can generate different revenue streams to make the Tavern self-funded."
Those interested in joining the group can do so for free by searching for "The Virtual Tavern" on Facebook.
The landlord said: "As the dark nights draw in, more and more people struggle with their mental health and isolation.
"The Tavern is a great place to reach out and benefit from a sense of community.
"There are so many people who still don't know we exist and we would love for them to join our group."
If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.
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