- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Nelson, where three parks hold Green Flags
Over 25% of people in Nelson are children up to 15, much higher than the North West, which makes the parks a natural place to meet other parents.
39,000+
residents across four Nelson wards, including part of Brierfield (Census 2021, ONS)
26%
of people in those Nelson wards are 15 or younger; North West: 19% (ONS, 2021)
29%
of Nelson homes are rented privately, compared with 19% for the region (Census 2021)
Nelson walks round its parks
The colour-coded health walks in Victoria Park are a gentle way to make friends in Nelson, around a large lake and a bandstand first opened in 1912. Marsden Park and Walverden Park also have Friends groups, and Pendle Wavelengths on Leeds Road keeps a ladies-only hour on Sunday evenings. Gofrendly helps women who live in Nelson to find each other.
Nelson, park by park
Which Nelson parks have a Green Flag?
Victoria Park, Marsden Park and Walverden Park in Nelson were all named 2026 Green Flag winners. Victoria Park has a large lake, a 1912 bandstand and health walks, Marsden Park has Marsden Old Hall and woodland walks, and Walverden Park follows a river through woodland.
Are there ladies-only sessions in Nelson?
Yes. Pendle Wavelengths at 60 Leeds Road in Nelson lists a ladies-only hour on Sunday evenings from 6pm to 7pm, and Pendle Leisure offers women-only swimming sessions, including a ladies-only morning swim at Wavelengths. The leisure pool also has a wave machine, a slide and a beach-style shallow end.
Which parkrun do Nelson families head to?
Nelson does not host a parkrun itself. Pendle parkrun is held at Holt House Playing Fields in neighbouring Colne every Saturday at 9am, with coffee in the pavilion afterwards. Burnley parkrun in Towneley Park is another choice for Nelson runners who fancy a change.
How can young mums in Nelson make friends?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, helps young mums in Nelson spot other women close by and send a quick hello. A pram walk past the bandstand in Victoria Park or a splash at Pendle Wavelengths makes an easy first plan together.
Nelson, a young Pendle town
Nelson is one of Pendle’s mill towns, and it has three parks that each won a 2026 Green Flag: Victoria Park, Marsden Park and Walverden Park. In its four wards, around 26% of people are under 16 and around 29% of households are private tenants, both well beyond the North West figures. With so many children and renters in town, the park, the pool and the walk to school are easy places for parents and carers to meet.
Even a full family diary can feel lonely when old friends live in another town. Marsden Park has Marsden Old Hall, a sensory garden and regular volunteer and conservation days, and Pendle Wavelengths added interactive water play to its beach-style shallow end in 2025. Pendle Leisure Trust runs Arts for Wellbeing courses for adults across the borough. Nelson Library on Market Square has a late opening on Wednesdays, until 7pm. First stops:
1
Victoria Park, with its lake, health walks and pavilion café.
2
Marsden Park, with the Wishing Gate and Marsden Old Hall.
3
Walverden Park, a wooded park by the river.
4
Pendle Wavelengths on Leeds Road, with waves and a slide.
5
Nelson Library on Market Square.
LOCAL TIP
Choose a colour of health walk in Victoria Park and make it weekly.
How to
Nelson: making friends through the parks
1
Volunteer on a conservation day with the Friends of Marsden Park.
2
Ask Pendle Wavelengths about its women-only swimming sessions and the Sunday ladies-only hour.
3
Find Nelson women on Gofrendly and circle the Victoria Park lake together.
4
Ask about an Arts for Wellbeing course in textiles or painting.
Two women who found each other, and another who met later
Nelson: written for local families
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja put the Nelson page together in collaboration with our editors, aiming it at Pendle women who are raising young children, renting their home or looking for company close by.
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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