- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 17, 2026
Make Friends in Lewisham: From Deptford to Sydenham
One in ten Lewisham homes is headed by a lone parent with dependent children, so between Catford, Brockley and Lee plenty of women are balancing family life and would welcome a friend nearby.
301,000+
Lewisham’s population, rounded down, in the ONS mid-2025 estimate
1 in 10
Lewisham homes is a lone-parent family with children still dependent; London: 8% (Census 2021, ONS)
29%
of homes are socially rented (Census 2021, ONS)
In Lewisham, a favourite park is the first step
To make friends in Lewisham, find somewhere local you enjoy and keep returning. The Horniman Museum and Gardens in Forest Hill, a Saturday at Brockley Market or a run round Hilly Fields all build the kind of repeat contact that friendships need. Go at a time that fits your week and stick with it. Gofrendly gives you a way to find women nearby in Lewisham who want to meet as well.
Meeting people in Lewisham: your questions
How can single parents make friends in Lewisham?
Start where you already are: nurseries, school gates, children’s centres and Saturday clubs. One in ten Lewisham homes is headed by a lone parent with dependent children, so you are far from the only one. Propose a short coffee once the school bell has gone, while you are already out of the house.
Where can students and young people meet others in Lewisham?
Goldsmiths in New Cross brings students to Lewisham every year, and Deptford and New Cross have cafés, galleries and venues that mix students with locals. Running clubs, parkrun on Hilly Fields and volunteering are good ways to meet people who will still be around after term ends.
Which Saturday plans in Lewisham help you meet people?
Plenty: parkrun on Hilly Fields, Brockley Market, Deptford Market, the Horniman Museum and Gardens, or comedy at the Broadway Theatre in Catford. A Lewisham Saturday routine you repeat every week is a simple way to start recognising, and talking to, the same people.
How should you plan a first meeting with someone you met online in Lewisham?
Choose somewhere busy and in daylight, such as Brockley Market or the Horniman Gardens, and tell someone where you are going. Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lets you swap messages first, so you know a little about each other before you meet in Lewisham.
Lewisham's everyday social life
Lewisham is a borough of neighbourhoods with distinct personalities. Deptford and New Cross are arty and full of students from Goldsmiths, Brockley and Ladywell are leafy, with parks and cafés, Catford is the busy civic centre, and Forest Hill, Sydenham and Lee are quieter and greener. Lone-parent families make up a larger share of households than across London, so many friendships here form around nurseries, school gates and weekend activities for children, and they can carry on well beyond the school years.
If you are not a parent, use the same rhythm: plenty of neighbours have time on Saturday mornings and after school hours. Markets, parks and parkrun are natural meeting points, and each neighbourhood has its own. Lewisham can be lonely if you only ever pass through on the way to work, so plan one thing a week close to home and give it eight weeks or so before you decide. Places with a regular crowd:
1
The Horniman Museum and Gardens in Forest Hill, with gardens, an aquarium and views across London.
2
Hilly Fields between Brockley and Ladywell, a hilltop park with a stone circle and a Saturday parkrun.
3
Brockley Market on Saturday mornings, a food market with regular stallholders.
4
Deptford Market, a street market on Deptford High Street with a long history.
5
The Broadway Theatre in Catford, for comedy, music and pantomime.
LOCAL TIP
Choose one, go regularly, and let the hellos build up.
How to
Four first steps in Lewisham
1
Pick a Saturday routine, such as parkrun on Hilly Fields followed by Brockley Market, and repeat it.
2
Use Gofrendly to find women near you in Catford, Lee or Sydenham, and propose a stroll round the Horniman Gardens.
3
If you have children, suggest a parents-only coffee to someone you see every week at nursery or school.
4
Pin down the next meeting while you are still together. It is the step most new friendships miss.
Something to read
Behind this Lewisham page
Written by founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja with Gofrendly’s editors for Lewisham women, from Deptford to Downham, who would like friends a short walk away.
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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