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Have you done an activity or hobby where you've made new friends?

84 replies

hedgehogsinthehedgerow · 25/01/2025 20:28

And if so, what please. I would love to make some new friends this year. I have tried evening classes before a while back which was nice, but then when the course ended (8 weeks) nobody stayed in touch. I have tried the gym too but not met anyone there. I'm willing to give anything a try really except running or cycling! Any ideas?

OP posts:
Risheth · 25/01/2025 20:59

Drystone walling and rhododendron clearing.

TherealmrsT · 25/01/2025 21:00

Knitting group. Don't meet up outside of group, but group WhatsApp keeps us in touch and got lots of support when DF died.
Conservation volunteering, had to go for a while and get a bit more involved than just turn up once a month but definitely friends now.
I think for me it takes time, and something in common. I did make friends at parkrun as suggested by pp but they fell away once I stopped going.

TheRozzers · 25/01/2025 21:02

Whatever you are passionate about.

Mine is feminism / women's rights and made lots of friends through volunteering for a women's org.

JustCuttinAboot · 25/01/2025 21:02

A choir did it for me

hedgehogsinthehedgerow · 25/01/2025 21:05

What a brilliant amount of replies! thank you all. Lots to consider here. I'm perhaps too scared for open water swimming but it sounds brilliant. Hadn't thought of volunteering on parkrun, that could be good. I like the idea of setting up a book group too and joining a walking group. Love the morris dancing and fishing!

OP posts:
MadridMadridMadrid · 25/01/2025 21:08

Tennis. If you've not played before, google coaching sessions for adult beginners in your area. (Right now might not be best time of year. If you can't find any, look again in the Spring.) If you've played in the past, but not for years, it will come back to you if you start playing again.

POTC · 25/01/2025 21:09

hedgehogsinthehedgerow · 25/01/2025 21:05

What a brilliant amount of replies! thank you all. Lots to consider here. I'm perhaps too scared for open water swimming but it sounds brilliant. Hadn't thought of volunteering on parkrun, that could be good. I like the idea of setting up a book group too and joining a walking group. Love the morris dancing and fishing!

No need to be scared of outdoor swimming, you don't even have to go in! I've built an entire community through it, some I just see occasionally and some really good friends that I now socialise with indoors at the pub too 😁
We encourage people to come and join us just for the chat and cake, they almost always end up joining us in the water eventually!

LollipopViolet · 25/01/2025 21:11

Figure skating! I have lots of friends at the rink, ranging in age from teens to older adults. I compete and am hoping to train as a coach soon, once I pass the required skating tests. Our rink is super friendly and we have a great time at competitions.

YoNoLoSe · 25/01/2025 21:13

LollipopViolet · 25/01/2025 21:11

Figure skating! I have lots of friends at the rink, ranging in age from teens to older adults. I compete and am hoping to train as a coach soon, once I pass the required skating tests. Our rink is super friendly and we have a great time at competitions.

You beat me to it, but figure skating is the best. Never met a more lovely group of people in my life

coffeeagogo · 25/01/2025 21:13

I have made so many lovely friends through having my dog, one who has become a very close friend and now our daughters are friends. I walk with different people every day and love it.

Hodge00079 · 25/01/2025 21:13

Do you have any local friendships groups on Facebook? Walking groups might be a good call.

ExtraDisorganised · 25/01/2025 21:15

Risheth · 25/01/2025 20:59

Drystone walling and rhododendron clearing.

Yes, those for me too, although it was 30+ years ago now. I don't live in a drystone wall area now but started volunteering at a local nature reserve again last year and am forming friendships there.

Bookclub and archery club too. Plus choir. Parkrun is another good one especially if you walk or volunteer.

ManchesterLu · 25/01/2025 21:16

I'm in a brass band and regularly play for my band and also other bands in the local area. I know hundreds of people because of doing this, and have made I would estimate about 50 people I consider friends, half of those are good friends. A few of them are best friends!

I know it's not as easy as just joining that kind of club, as you need the skill (which I learned during school), but anything like a choir, or any sort of hobby that brings people together with a common interest, will certainly help you to make some friends!

SaturdayNCD · 25/01/2025 21:18

I'd say to broaden out from just one hobby/sport/group at a time. And give it a lot longer than two months.

I feel it's a numbers game so you want to have more new people every month really.

If you're just with the same 6-10 people then often things will fizzle out, or you really get on with someone and they're moving city or having a child...

I've found I've had to pick up the pace and find that middle point between "turning up once" and just sticking with one group.

Different groups have different vibes, so book club in city A might be much friendlier than book club in city B.

Try new ones each month if you can (it can feel like hard work or a waste of time or full of weirdos so be patient and have low expectations).

If you can schedule so you're a "regular" as in showing up to a few Ok groups over 6 months, I think connections start forming. And it keeps a good flow of new people. So it's not too intense or claustrophobic.

I've always preferred smaller groups and deeper intense connections, would define myself as introverted.

However, I think making by making a habit of regularly meeting more people (even at a superficial level, or if I don't feel I have loads in common with them) it gets me more socially confident.

And I "appear" popular and am going out more, so it's a knock on effect!

I'm starting parkrun soon as my running has tanked so did the Couch to 5k over winter 💪

Before I would attend very occasionally so wasn't giving myself enough time to be a regular ( To be fair I wasn't after making new friends at that time).

Now I'm more open to friendship I'll try to go once every 2 weeks or so.

Like pp say it may even just be a few friendly chats which don't go anywhere, but it's something I enjoy anyway.

hedgehogsinthehedgerow · 25/01/2025 21:27

Thanks that's really helpful SaturdayNCD

OP posts:
Mathsbabe · 25/01/2025 21:33

All kinds of crafts, spinning (wool, alpaca etc), lacemaking, knitting, patchwork etc.
Choir
Gym

JingsMahBucket · 25/01/2025 21:35

takingcareofme2023 · 25/01/2025 20:37

parkrun! No need to run, just volunteer! Or walk it...that is absolutely fine too.

@takingcareofme2023 actually, thanks for this. It would be a good way to get me out of the house on Saturday mornings and into the fresh air even though I don't run. Maybe I'll take up running via exposure therapy.

Whereisthesun99 · 25/01/2025 21:41

Karate, started 6 years ago, working my way up through the belts, Great fun to stay fit, learn self defence and I have made some close friends

ViciousCurrentBun · 25/01/2025 21:45

Hiking, dancing and choir.
Also yoga but they were too full on too soon so I didn’t renew my classes.

VioletCharlotte · 25/01/2025 21:46

I've made lots of friends over the past year through netball. There's lots of 'back to netball' clubs all over the country for people who haven't played for years. Ive made friends through yoga but it took a lot longer, I've never managed to make friends at the gym.

Boffle · 25/01/2025 21:47

It probably took me two years at a village hall pilates class to "make friends", though really that still just means knowing people's name and chatting. I go to a craft / quilting group and that's friendly but I have never met anyone outside of the group.
I think it's possible to make friends at all these kinds of things but some people make friends easily and others just don't.

Also by friends do you mean people you will socialise with outside of the activities because that's even harder.

Floralnomad · 25/01/2025 21:47

Lostinbrum · 25/01/2025 20:40

Horse riding? Bit different as I've got my own but majority of my friends are from the horsey world

I was going to say this . We own as well but I made a few friends doing adult group lessons .

ladygindiva · 25/01/2025 21:48

Headingtowardsdivorce · 25/01/2025 20:34

I also made friends in amateur dramatics.

Same

WhoWhereWhatWhy · 25/01/2025 21:51

I’d suggest volunteering, choir, WI or something to do with dogs like walking or obedience/agility classes.

FloofyKat · 25/01/2025 21:52

Yes. Over the years, I’ve made friends through an amdram group, a choir, a craft, golf and a radio show fan club.