Hi Darren,
No, Oyster cards can only be used by one person at a time as the fares are calculated as you go. The only other way to get money off the card is to request a full refund which disables the card.
If your friends have contactless bank cards then that is probably the best way to go. The fares are the same as Oyster and there’s no need to top up. At the end of each day the system totals up the best price for all your travel and requests the money from your bank.