- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Crawley, a borough with six Green Flag parks
Social lets make up nearly a quarter of Crawley homes, well above the South East.
124,400+
Crawley borough residents, mid-2025 estimate (ONS)
23%
of Crawley households rent socially, compared with 14% in the South East (2021 census)
24%
of Crawley households are outright owners, against 34% regionally (ONS, 2021)
Crawley's market has a new home
Crawley Market on Queensway is a handy place to make friends in Crawley, trading on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays since moving there in March 2025. Tilgate parkrun loops Tilgate Park every Saturday, and Goffs Park has a lake, a kiosk and model railway rides on summer Sundays. Women all across Crawley can also connect with each other locally through Gofrendly.
Crawley questions, from Queensway to Tilgate
Where does Crawley Market trade now?
Crawley Market moved from The Broadway to Queensway on 26 March 2025, and its stalls open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9am to 5pm. Stalls vary by day, with fish on Saturdays, so Crawley shoppers can make it a weekly habit.
Which parks in Crawley have Green Flags?
Crawley Borough Council has six 2026 Green Flag sites: Tilgate Park, Goffs Park, the Memorial Gardens, Crawters Brook the People’s Park, Mill Pond and Worth Park. Tilgate Park also hosts Crawley’s parkrun on Saturday mornings, a good fixture for the week ahead.
When is Tilgate Park open in winter?
From 27 October, the zoo, walled garden and toilets at Tilgate Park in Crawley open from 10am to 4pm, and they close on 25 and 26 December. You pay to park, and the lakes and lawns still make a fine winter walk with a friend.
How can women who work shifts in Crawley make friends?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, helps women in Crawley who work shifts discover others in their neighbourhood and get talking first. A weekday walk in Goffs Park or a coffee at the Queensway market fits round most work rotas and early finishes.
Crawley, a new town around an old market
Crawley became a new town on 9 January 1947, joining Three Bridges and Ifield with an old market town whose market licence dates from 1203, and Gatwick Airport opened nearby in 1958. Today about 23% of households rent socially and fewer than a quarter own their home outright, unlike much of the region. Some people move here for jobs at the airport and beyond, so new faces are part of everyday life in the town.
Shift work and commuting can leave you lonely when your days off fall midweek. Six Crawley parks hold 2026 Green Flags, including Tilgate Park, Goffs Park and the Memorial Gardens with its Victorian bandstand. K2 Crawley has a 50-metre pool and a diving pit, and Crawley Museum in The Tree opens from Thursday to Saturday. The Hawth runs theatre and workshops, and Tilgate’s zoo and walled garden close at 4pm in winter. Places to begin:
1
Crawley Market on Queensway, three days a week.
2
Tilgate Park, with lakes, a walled garden and a nature centre.
3
Goffs Park, with a lake and Sunday model railway rides from Easter to October.
4
K2 Crawley, home to an Olympic-size pool.
5
The Hawth theatre and its studio.
LOCAL TIP
Meet a neighbour at the Memorial Gardens bandstand for a lunchtime walk.
How to
Crawley: ways to make friends in the new town
1
Run or walk Tilgate parkrun on Saturday morning.
2
Book a weekly swim slot at K2 Crawley.
3
Walk round the lake at Goffs Park with Crawley women from Gofrendly.
4
Visit Crawley Museum in The Tree on a Saturday.
Old friends after summer, and a new app to try
Crawley: our writers and editors
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja and our editorial team produced the Crawley page for West Sussex women who work shifts, rent their home or have moved here for a job.
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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