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- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Epsom, the spa town of the Derby
Epsom salts came from a spring found on Epsom Common in 1618, and in 22% of Epsom households a married couple is raising dependent children.
35,500+
residents in five Epsom town wards from Town to Woodcote, Ewell excluded (Census 2021, ONS)
22%
of Epsom’s town-ward homes: a married pair whose children still rely on them; regional share 16% (Census 2021)
21%
of people living in Epsom’s five town wards are children under 16; regional figure 19% (Census 2021)
Epsom Marketplace fills up on Thursdays and Saturdays
The Thursday and Saturday market in Epsom Marketplace is a relaxed way to make friends in Epsom, and a farmers’ market usually arrives on the first Sunday. Rosebery Park on Ashley Road has a duck pond and a Friends group, Epsom Common picked up one of the 2026 Green Flags, and the Ebbisham Centre library was refurbished as a hub in 2025. Gofrendly is open to Epsom women looking for company too.
Epsom: questions about markets, parks and parkrun
Which days does Epsom Marketplace trade?
Epsom’s market fills the Marketplace each Thursday and Saturday, and a farmers’ market is usually held there on the month’s first Sunday from 9.30am to 1.30pm. A regular market morning means seeing the same Epsom faces week after busy week.
Does Epsom have a parkrun nearby?
There is no parkrun inside Epsom town itself. The nearest is Nonsuch parkrun in Nonsuch Park, about two and a half miles north-east of Epsom, with a 9am start each Saturday. It draws a big field of runners, walkers and volunteers, so there is always someone to talk to.
What is Epsom Common like to visit?
Epsom Common is a local nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest on the west side of Epsom, with the Great Pond and the Stew Pond. It was named a Green Flag winner for 2026, and the Epsom Common Association organises walks and conservation volunteering there.
How can mums in Epsom make friends?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, shows Epsom mums and other women nearby and lets you say hello by message first. A play at Alexandra Recreation Ground or a stroll round the pond in Rosebery Park is a relaxed first outing with children along.
Epsom, spa town turned racing town
Epsom first drew visitors for the bitter spring water found on the common in 1618, and later for the Oaks and the Derby, first run on Epsom Downs in 1779 and 1780. Today, in 22% of homes in the town wards a married couple is raising dependent children, well above the South East, and children under 16 make up roughly 21% of residents. Between school gates and commutes, a regular local habit of your own keeps your week from being only about logistics.
Busy family life can still leave you lonely once the children are asleep. Epsom Library’s refurbished hub lists a Reading Friends book and talking book group, the Epsom Common EcoVols run conservation task days, and Epsom Playhouse on Ashley Avenue stages shows in its main hall and the Myers Studio. Rainbow Leisure Centre on East Street has been run by Places Leisure since October 2025. A few starting points:
1
Epsom Marketplace, with a market every Thursday and Saturday.
2
Rosebery Park on Ashley Road, with its duck pond and Friends group.
3
Epsom Common Local Nature Reserve and the Stew Pond.
4
Epsom Library in the Ebbisham Centre, refurbished as a library hub.
5
Rainbow Leisure Centre on East Street.
LOCAL TIP
Pick one market morning and make it a standing date.
How to
Meet people in Epsom, from market to common
1
Volunteer with the Epsom Common Association’s EcoVols on a task day.
2
Ask at Epsom Library about its Reading Friends book group.
3
Arrange a first walk round the Rosebery Park pond with an Epsom woman from Gofrendly.
4
Join Nonsuch parkrun in Nonsuch Park on a Saturday morning.
Growing close takes time: one true story
Epsom guide, from our founders
This Epsom guide is by Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja and our editors, written with Epsom women in mind: those raising children, working in London or looking for company closer to home.
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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