Shutdown comes for site after 15 years

Friends Reunited, the first social network to take off in Britain, is to close after 15 years.

Having begun life as a three-person project, it had millions of users and was worth more than £150 million at its height – as well as being noted for creating, as well as breaking up, relationships and marriages – before now being wound down.

In 1999, Steve and Julie Pankhurst along with friend Jason Porter first conceived the site, sparked by Mrs Pankhurst’s curiosity about former school friends.

Friends Reunited launched in July 2000 and reached 3,000 members by the end of its first year. This increased to 2.5 million by the end of its second.

However, by 2007, the rise of other social networking sites – first MySpace and Bebo and then Facebook – saw Friends Reunited’s growth begin to slow and eventually led to its demise.

Steve Pankhurst first conceived the site.