- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 20, 2026
Make Friends in Enfield Lock, where the Lee-Enfield rifle was made
More than a quarter of Enfield Lock residents are children, and Gunpowder parkrun crosses the Greenwich Meridian every Saturday.
17,800+
people living in the Enfield Lock ward of Enfield (ONS, Census 2021)
26%
of Enfield Lock’s population is 15 or younger, well above the London figure of 19% (Census 2021)
20%
of Enfield Lock households: a lone parent raising dependent children; London: 8% (ONS 2021)
Enfield Lock Saturdays on the Meridian
Gunpowder parkrun is a good place to make friends in Enfield Lock: the Saturday 5k runs on gravel tracks across Gunpowder Park, about two kilometres from the station, and drew 234 finishers on 17 October 2026. Rammey Marsh, from the Ordnance Road car park, has the Rammey Ramble walk, and Ordnance Unity Centre Library opens until 8pm three evenings a week. On Gofrendly you can meet Enfield Lock women who live nearby.
Enfield Lock, need to know
Which library serves Enfield Lock now?
Enfield Island Village Library closed in July 2025, so Ordnance Unity Centre Library at 645 Hertford Road is now the home library for Enfield Lock. It stays open until 8pm on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, opens at noon on Wednesday, keeps daytime hours on Friday and Saturday, and closes on Sunday.
What is the Royal Small Arms Factory?
The Royal Small Arms Factory opened in Enfield Lock in 1816 and became famous for the Lee-Enfield rifle. It closed in 1988 and was converted into homes in the 1990s, now Enfield Island Village. A small RSA Interpretation Centre opens on community days and each September for Open House.
What is Gunpowder Park like?
Gunpowder Park, just over the Essex border from Enfield Lock, covers about 220 acres of meadows and wet woodland on surfaced paths, with two bird hides and picnic areas. It was an MoD munitions testing range, opened as a country park in 2004, and the Greenwich Meridian runs through it.
Can busy mums in Enfield Lock make friends through an app?
Yes. Gofrendly is a women-only friendship app on which Enfield Lock women nearby can find each other and message first, at whatever hour suits. A Saturday walk round Gunpowder Park, with or without the kids, makes for a relaxed first meeting with time to talk properly.
Enfield Lock, a family ward finding time for friends
Enfield Lock is younger than the borough as a whole: more than a quarter of residents are children, and lone parents raising dependent children head a fifth of households. Renters outnumber owners, and many weeks revolve around school gates and childcare. Friendships here often start in the gaps, a Saturday run or a walk while the kids play, and they last because they fit around real life rather than on top of it.
When most of your week is about other people’s needs, it can be lonely. The old Royal Small Arms Factory, opened in 1816, made the Lee-Enfield rifle until it closed in 1988 and is now Enfield Island Village. Gunpowder Park, a former MoD testing range turned country park in 2004, has bird hides and picnic spots, and Albany Leisure Centre on Hertford Road has a pool and studio classes. Rammey Marsh, once Anglo-Saxon summer pasture, is a nature reserve today. Places to start:
1
Gunpowder parkrun on Saturday mornings.
2
The Rammey Ramble across Rammey Marsh.
3
Ordnance Unity Centre Library on Hertford Road.
4
The RSA Interpretation Centre on Island Centre Way.
5
Albany Leisure Centre and its pools.
LOCAL TIP
Volunteer as a marshal at Gunpowder parkrun once a month, and before long you will be swapping finish times with the same faces.
How to
Enfield Lock: starting points for new friendships
1
Walk, jog or volunteer at Gunpowder parkrun on Saturday mornings.
2
Follow the Rammey Ramble from the Ordnance Road car park with a new neighbour.
3
Visit the RSA Interpretation Centre during Open House each September.
4
Ask an Enfield Lock woman from Gofrendly to join you on the Gunpowder Park paths.
Read on when you have five minutes
The people behind this guide by the Lee
Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, who founded Gofrendly, put the Enfield Lock page together with editorial help, aimed at women in a young, family-focused ward who want friends that fit around a full week.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
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