Friends After 40 in Yorkshire and the Humber

From the coast to the cities, Yorkshire and the Humber has plenty of places to pick up a hobby you dropped in your 30s, and the friends that come with it.

After 40 in Yorkshire and the Humber: four women catching up over food and drinks outdoors at twilight

348K+

Yorkshire and the Humber women in their 40s (ONS)

12.1%

Of residents in their 40s (ONS)

185K+

Of those women, aged 40 to 44 (ONS, mid-2025)

Picking Things Back Up in Your 40s

Around 12% of people in Yorkshire and the Humber are in their 40s, including close to 349,000 women (mid-2025 ONS estimates). For many of us, the 40s are when time slowly comes back after the busiest years, and with it the urge to restart the netball, the singing or the swimming we let go of. It is a reliable way to make friends after 40, because returning to a hobby puts you next to people who already share it. In Hull, York, Harrogate, Scarborough or Doncaster, ask clubs about returners’ sessions, and don’t let rusty skills stop you. Nobody minds if you are slow at first, as long as you keep coming back.

Two Friendship Stories Worth Your Time

Josephine & Bella’s Real Friendship Story: A Genuine Friendship, Five Years On

Josephine and Bella matched on Gofrendly five years ago. Here's the real story of how one match became a lasting friendship.

Read the story →

Julia and Isabelle’s Real Friendship Story: A Genuine Connection Over Kitesurfing

Julia wanted to learn to kitesurf but had no one to go with. Here's how a single honest post on Gofrendly turned into a real friendship with Isabelle - wipeouts included.

Read the story →

Who Wrote This Page

The angle Claudia Gard and Ulrika Lilja chose for Yorkshire and the Humber is a hopeful one: going back to old hobbies, and the friendships that come with them.