Clingy 5 year old only

[zzzaaaccc1]

I have a 5 year old, his our one and only and this will always be.
For background we live away from any family and don't really have any friends in our new area. My OH works away and is away for weeks at a time I've found it hard to make friends here, so a lot of the time it's me and ds. I've tried to arrange play dates but as I work it's been difficult. He just wants to be with me all the time. He has not been wanting to go to school and today at sports day he cried the whole time as he wanted to sit with me not his class. In the end the teacher brought him to me. Before this he sort of was on the edge of the group of kids.
I'm hoping to sign him up to swimming lessons soon and may be beavers next year. I'm just at a loss of what I can do, as I do want him to be independent but with out having a sibling of other friends s near by I just can't think of anything else I can do. Sorry for the long post anyone else had this?

Personally (and I'm not expert) but I think you need to try and socialise, even if you don't feel like it, make friends. Take time to meet other mothers with similar aged children so that you son feels comfortable mixing with other kids and learns from you about friendships.. how to build them and how to nurture them.
I have a 4.5 year old only child and no other kids in extended family. I've gone out of my way since DD was tiny to build friendships and create 'family friends' so she is well socialised and able to enjoy the company of others her age. I hope she'll grow up with some of these children and their families and feel a sense of security having a network of people to care. It takes a village, after all!