- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Haywards Heath, a town the railway built
Haywards Heath grew up around the station that opened in 1841, and in 2026 it won the large town category at South & South East in Bloom.
30,800+
people across the five Haywards Heath town wards, Lindfield not included (Census 2021, ONS)
19%
of Haywards Heath homes have married parents and dependent children under one roof; regional figure 16% (2021 census)
29%
of Haywards Heath residents in the five wards are between 25 and 44; South East: 25% (ONS, 2021)
Haywards Heath has three Green Flag spaces
Clair parkrun in Clair Park on Perrymount Road, which starts at 9am each Saturday, is a good way to make friends in Haywards Heath. Victoria Park on South Road has Tory’s Café, a splashpad in season and a 2026 Green Flag, as do Beech Hurst Gardens and Muster Green, and the town council held its Town Day in Victoria Park in September 2026. Gofrendly helps Haywards Heath women meet others close by.
What Haywards Heath readers ask
What is happening to Clair Hall in Haywards Heath?
Clair Hall in Haywards Heath is closed. In February 2026 Mid Sussex District Council chose Digital Picture House as cultural operator for a redevelopment with a four-screen cinema, a performance space and community rooms, and it is now looking for a development partner. No opening date has been set.
Where is Clair parkrun in Haywards Heath?
Clair parkrun takes place in Clair Park on Perrymount Road in Haywards Heath every Saturday at 9am. Walkers, joggers and volunteers are all welcome on the Clair Park course, and seeing the same regulars each week makes settling into the town far easier.
Which parks in Haywards Heath have a Green Flag?
Victoria Park, Beech Hurst Gardens and Muster Green in Haywards Heath were each named Green Flag Award winners in 2026. Victoria Park has Tory’s Café, a skate park, tennis and a seasonal splashpad, so it works for a first meeting with or without children.
How do mums in Haywards Heath meet other women?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lets Haywards Heath mums and other women find each other nearby and say hello by message. A summer morning by the Victoria Park splashpad or a walk to Muster Green is a relaxed first plan.
Haywards Heath, a commuter town with green corners
Haywards Heath sits in mid Sussex on the main line between London and Brighton, and much of the town grew after the railway arrived in 1841. Nearly one household in five here is made up of married parents and their dependent children, and close to three residents in ten are between 25 and 44, each a bigger share than in the wider region. With commuting and childcare pulling in different directions, a regular local slot of your own helps faces become friends.
On a quiet weekday, a town of busy households can feel lonely. Haywards Heath Library is on Boltro Road, Clair Hall is closed while the council plans a cinema and arts space with Digital Picture House, and the Dolphin Leisure Centre has pools and a gym. Muster Green, scene of a Civil War skirmish in December 1642, is now a quiet green near the centre with the town war memorial. Places to try:
1
Victoria Park on South Road, with Tory’s Café and outdoor table tennis.
2
Clair Park on Perrymount Road, home to the Saturday parkrun.
3
Beech Hurst Gardens, a 2026 Green Flag garden in the town.
4
Haywards Heath Library on Boltro Road.
5
The Dolphin Leisure Centre, with pools, sports halls and a gym.
LOCAL TIP
Start with a Saturday at Clair Park and a coffee in town afterwards.
How to
Haywards Heath: meeting people week to week
1
Run, jog or walk Clair parkrun and volunteer as a marshal now and then.
2
Play outdoor table tennis in Victoria Park and finish at Tory’s Café.
3
Walk round Beech Hurst Gardens with a Haywards Heath woman from Gofrendly.
4
Make a weekly swim at the Dolphin a fixed evening habit.
Starting afresh in September, and one real friendship
The Haywards Heath page, written by our team
Our editors and Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote the Haywards Heath page for commuters, young families and anyone whose friends are spread along the line to London and Brighton.
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.
Find women near you
See who’s nearby and say hi — it’s free to start.