- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Didcot, Around Ladygrove and the Railway
The last of the Didcot cooling towers came down in 2019, and 35% of people in the town were between 25 and 44 at the 2021 census.
32,100+
people counted in Didcot North East, Didcot South and Didcot West wards (ONS, Census 2021)
35%
Didcot’s 25 to 44 age group, measured against all residents, where the regional share is 25% (ONS 2021)
17%
of Didcot households are cohabiting couples, ahead of the regional 11% (ONS, 2021)
Didcot runs round the lakes
Didcot parkrun, which runs in Ladygrove Park at 9am every Saturday, is a sociable way to make friends in Didcot. Cornerstone Arts Centre on Station Road runs courses and workshops and has a coffee shop, Didcot Wave on Newlands Avenue has a wave machine in its pool, and the library on Broadway stays open until 7pm three evenings a week. Gofrendly is another door for Didcot women.
Didcot friendship FAQ, from Ladygrove to Broadway
What is on at Cornerstone Arts Centre in Didcot?
Cornerstone Arts Centre on Station Road in Didcot has a 220-seat auditorium, a gallery and three studios used for courses and workshops, plus the Nourish coffee shop. A term-long course there brings the same Didcot classmates back week after week, which suits anyone new to the town.
Where can you swim in Didcot?
Didcot Wave Leisure Centre on Newlands Avenue has a 25-metre pool with a wave machine and flume, a gym and two studios, and runs aqua aerobics classes. Changing room work is planned at the Didcot pool, so check the timetable before you go.
What happened to Didcot power station?
Didcot A power station generated from 1970 and closed in March 2013. Three cooling towers were demolished in 2014, the last three in August 2019 and the tall chimney in February 2020, changing the Didcot skyline that drivers and rail passengers had known for decades.
How can you meet women living near you in Didcot?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lets Didcot women see who lives close by, from Ladygrove to the Great Western Park estate, so one message can turn into a meeting. A stroll around the Ladygrove lakes is an easy start, with or without a buggy.
How Didcot is changing, and who lives here
Didcot is a railway town on the Great Western line, and for decades its skyline was the Didcot A power station, whose last cooling towers were demolished in 2019. The three town wards have a young population: 35% of the population falls between 25 and 44 and 17% of households are cohabiting couples, both comfortably above regional shares. When work and young children fill your weeks, a weekly slot you keep without fail is what turns a wave into a friendship.
New estates can feel lonely before you know the names behind the front doors. Cornerstone has a gallery and three studios, Didcot Wave added new studios in 2025, and Didcot Town Council looks after Ladygrove Park, Edmonds Park and Millennium Wood. Didcot Railway Centre keeps the town’s steam heritage alive in Didcot. The ground floor of Cornerstone hosts the Nourish coffee shop. Didcot Wave also runs aqua aerobics. Places worth a look:
1
Ladygrove Park, with its lakes, home of the Saturday parkrun.
2
Cornerstone Arts Centre on Station Road, with the Nourish coffee shop.
3
Didcot Wave Leisure Centre on Newlands Avenue.
4
Didcot Library on Broadway, with a Saturday Digital Helper.
5
Millennium Wood, a town council open space.
LOCAL TIP
Sign up for one Cornerstone course in Didcot and go every week of the term.
How to
Didcot friendships: where to start
1
Walk or run Didcot parkrun and stay to help the volunteers pack away.
2
Book a workshop at Cornerstone and suggest coffee in the Nourish café afterwards.
3
Check Gofrendly for Didcot women on your side of town and arrange a lap of the Ladygrove lakes.
4
Join an aqua aerobics class at Didcot Wave and keep to the same slot all term.
More to read on the blog
The founders behind our Didcot page
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja and our editorial team created this Didcot page for railway-town women who are busy with work, young children or a recent move.
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.