Looking for some advice for my mum - how to make friends when you're over 60

[aycarumba]

Hi,
After many years looking after her children and parents, my mum is looking to get out more, find some new hobbies and make new friends. In the past she's tried things like IT classes, flower-arranging, jewellery-making classes etc but these all have limited timeframes and limited potential of friend-making. Does anyone have any recommendations of how I could help my mum? Any good networking groups for over 60s in the Essex area? Any sports groups (like badminton?) for over 60s? I'm happy to go with her to some events to get her started but I'm struggling a bit to find relevant activities. All advice much appreciated.
Thanks

These may sound a bit naff - but my mum was very socially active in her 60's and 70's. WI. Local church, knitting/sewing groups, or even some volunteering.
I also kept my mum busy with babysitting

Yes, the local church was brilliant for my Grandma. Her own church and the methodist one used to get together and have a weekly event where they just met up for tea and cake and then regular bus trips all over the place. She did more travelling in her old age than in her whole life. And the beauty of it was that all the women were local, so if she wanted, she could see them outside the activities. Also, the trips and meetings were continuous, so no chance of being under a deadline like a course.
Whether or not your mum is into organised religion, the clubs and so on run by local churches are often put together with a lot of thought for the participants, so it's probably worth a look. If there is something like this nearby, there's the added bonus of perhaps seeing a familiar face amongst people who already attend.

U3A has transformed the life of a friend's MIL.

She seems 10 years younger and has a social life to envy after being very isolated.

At least your mum is trying. Mine complained about being alone and not having friends but resisted all efforts to help, didn't like any clubs I found and, when she finally went to her local church (and was welcomed with open arms), declared she wasn't going back because they were all old!

2aycarumba
What does she like - we might give you more ideas what and how to find it.
By the way do you know that local libraries have the list of local groups (those who registered with ... I don't know where)

peekyboo
Sorry to hear that. And that's the problem you won't be able to overcome. I guess she's missing you and, perhaps, maybe even not realizing she's doing it to get more attention from you (young kids do it very often).