- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 21, 2026
Make Friends After 40 in Gloucestershire Through a Hobby of Your Own
Gloucestershire’s population in its forties grew faster than the region’s in four years, and it includes over 42,000 women.
671,000+
residents across Gloucestershire’s six districts, South Gloucestershire not included (ONS mid-2025)
5%
growth since mid-2021 in Gloucestershire people in their forties, to mid-2025, beating 3% for the South West (ONS)
42,000+
women in Gloucestershire are in their forties (ONS estimate, mid-2025)
Gloucestershire when the teenagers go out
When your teenagers need fewer lifts, Gloucestershire evenings in your 40s can open up, and that is the moment to start a hobby of your own. Boulders Cheltenham runs an adult climbing technique class on Thursday evenings, Five Valleys Voices sings on Monday nights near Stroud with no audition, and the Wildlife Trust has a Friday work party on Robinswood Hill. Gofrendly links you with women nearby taking up new pastimes too.
Gloucestershire questions about friendship and new hobbies
Can adults learn to climb in Gloucestershire?
Yes. Boulders Cheltenham runs an adult technique class on Thursdays at 6pm, with one coach for up to six climbers, covering footwork, body position and route reading. You can join at any point, and a separate advanced class follows later in the evening, so adults in Gloucestershire can start from scratch.
Which Gloucestershire choir in the valleys needs no audition?
Five Valleys Voices is a non-audition choir in North Woodchester that rehearses on Mondays, with higher voices at 7pm and lower voices at 8.30pm. Newcomers in Gloucestershire can try two rehearsals free in the first four weeks of term before paying a monthly or half-yearly fee.
Teenagers at home and evenings free: can Gloucestershire mums in their forties make new friends?
Spend the evenings your teenagers no longer need you on a hobby, and stay with one group for a term. Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, also connects you with Gloucestershire women living nearby whose children have grown up a bit and who want to meet.
Which Gloucestershire nature groups take volunteers?
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust runs practical work parties, including a Friday group on Robinswood Hill in Gloucester, Stroud Valleys groups on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the Dean Green Team in the Forest of Dean on Tuesdays. Some Gloucestershire groups fill up, so check the sign-up list first.
A new hobby and new friendships in Gloucestershire
Teenagers want independence, and once they have it the house can go quiet in a way that catches you out. The school-gate friendships that carried you through the primary years often thin out at secondary school, when nobody meets at drop-off any more. In Gloucestershire it is a good time to learn something purely for yourself, whether that means climbing, singing or getting your hands dirty on a nature reserve. A hobby means a reason to go back each week, a shared topic to talk about, and people at the same beginner stage as you, whether in Cheltenham, Stroud or the Forest of Dean.
The county’s forties population grew by 5% in four years, ahead of the wider South West region. When the teenagers are out and the evening stretches ahead, home can feel lonely. Taking up a hobby is a natural, low-pressure way to make friends after 40. Try:
1
The adult technique class at Boulders Cheltenham on Thursdays at 6pm, which you can join at any point.
2
Five Valleys Voices in North Woodchester, a non-audition choir on Monday evenings with two free rehearsals for newcomers.
3
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s Friday work party on Robinswood Hill in Gloucester.
4
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s Stroud Valleys work parties, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
5
Gloucester North parkrun on the Plock Court playing fields, every Saturday at 9am.
LOCAL TIP
Pick a hobby you have always fancied and book the first session.
How to
Ways to meet people in Gloucestershire by learning a new hobby
1
Join the Thursday adult technique class at Boulders Cheltenham at any point in the cycle.
2
Use your two free rehearsals with Five Valleys Voices on a Monday evening.
3
Message women in their forties in Gloucestershire on Gofrendly who are learning something new, and go along together.
4
Sign up for a Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust work party near you.
For parents of teenagers with time to fill
Gloucestershire hobby page: who wrote it
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote this Gloucestershire page, and the editors polished it, for parents of teenagers who are gaining independence. It suggests hobbies you can start from scratch in your 40s.
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
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