October 19, 2026

Make Friends in Paignton, by Clennon Lakes and the Picture House

Paignton Picture House dates from 1914 and is thought to be Europe’s oldest surviving purpose-built cinema, and some 27% of Paignton people are 65-plus.

Paignton friends cycling slowly, bikes in hand, in fits of giggles

45,800+

Paignton residents across six Torbay wards, Preston to Goodrington with Roselands (Census 2021, ONS)

27%

Paignton residents in the 65-plus age group, set beside 22% for the South West (ONS 2021)

24%

Paignton households that rent privately; regional 20% (Census 2021)

Paignton knits on a Thursday

Yarnia, the crochet and knitting group at Paignton Library on Thursday afternoons, is a warm way to make friends in Paignton. The Friends of Paignton Library also run a Scrabble group and a monthly craft morning, Torbay Velopark parkrun starts on the cycle track in Clennon Valley every Saturday morning, and the Friends of Clennon Lakes look after a Green Flag wetland. Gofrendly helps Paignton women connect too.

Paignton questions, pier to Velopark

Paignton friends giggling under a lamp as dusk falls

Is the Paignton Picture House open?

Paignton Picture House on Torbay Road opened in 1914, closed in 1999 and has been undergoing a restoration costing more than £7m. Its trust says it will reopen in 2026, so check the trust’s website for an opening date before planning a film night in Paignton.

Which parkrun do Paignton runners use?

Torbay Velopark parkrun starts on the Velopark cycle track beside the Torbay Leisure Centre car park in Clennon Valley, Paignton, then follows gravel paths. It had 399 finishers on 17 October 2026, so newcomers will find plenty of people to talk to.

Which clubs meet at Paignton Library?

Paignton Library hosts a local history group, a poetry group and several reading groups, while the Friends of Paignton Library run a Scrabble group and a free monthly craft morning. Yarnia, for crochet and knitting, meets on Thursday afternoons in Paignton.

How do Paignton women meet friends close by?

Gofrendly is a women-only friendship app that lets Paignton women spot others living nearby, from Preston to Goodrington, and fix a first meeting through a message. A walk round Clennon Lakes, perhaps after the Saturday parkrun, is a quiet place to start.

Paignton, a family seaside town on Tor Bay

Paignton faces Tor Bay between Torquay and Brixham, with its harbour and seafront, and inland the wetlands of Clennon Valley, where volunteers clear willow and restore meadows. In six Paignton wards, around 27% of the population is aged 65-plus and private tenants make up roughly 24% of households, each a clear step above the South West shares. Whether you retired to the coast or moved for a rental, a standing weekly date somewhere local is how acquaintances become friends.

The seafront can feel lonely in winter once the summer harbour market has packed up. Paignton Library on Great Western Road shares its building with the register office, the Paignton Picture House trust says the 1914 cinema, still being restored, will reopen in 2026, and Torbay Leisure Centre sits beside the Velopark on Penwill Way. Clennon Lakes is one of seven Torbay sites given a Green Flag this summer. Places to start:

Paignton Library on Great Western Road, with Yarnia and a Scrabble group.

Clennon Lakes, a Green Flag wetland with a volunteer Friends group.

Torbay Velopark in Clennon Valley, home of the parkrun.

Paignton Harbour, where a Sunday market runs through the summer.

Paignton Picture House on Torbay Road, being restored.

LOCAL TIP

Bring a project to Yarnia in Paignton on three Thursdays running.

How to

Paignton friendships: four easy openings

Volunteer with the Friends of Clennon Lakes on a path or meadow day.

Join the Friends of Paignton Library Scrabble group and keep score together.

Through Gofrendly, line up a seafront walk to the harbour with a woman who lives nearby.

Walk Torbay Velopark parkrun and linger by the cycle track for the finishers.

Short reads on friendship

Best Friendship Apps in the UK: A Genuine Way to Find Your New Best Friend

A clear, honest comparison of the best friendship apps UK has to offer — Gofrendly, Peanut and Bumble BFF — and how to actually start making friends through them.

Read the story →

Is It Normal to Not Have Friends? The Honest Answer for Adults

Is it normal to not have friends as an adult? Research says friend groups shrink through adulthood, and it's rarely about you.

Read the story →

Paignton guide, by our founders

Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, who started Gofrendly, wrote our Paignton guide together with the editorial desk for Torbay women who have retired to the coast, rent near the seafront or simply want more friends.