- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Oldbury, from Barnford Park to Langley
Oldbury’s library sits in Jack Judge House, named after the man who wrote It’s a Long Way to Tipperary, and Oldbury has more under-16s than the regional average.
54,900+
residents across the Bristnall, Langley, Oldbury and Old Warley wards (Census 2021, ONS)
22%
Oldbury children aged 15 or younger; the West Midlands share is 19% (Census 2021)
15%
Oldbury lone-parent households, counting those with grown-up children; almost 12% regionally (Census 2021)
Oldbury knits, natters and takes in a play
Friday mornings from 10:30 to 12:30 bring Knit and Natter to the library in Jack Judge House on Halesowen Street, an easy first step if you want to make friends in Oldbury. Barnford Park on Moat Road is on Sandwell’s record list of 2026 Green Flag sites, and the OldburyREP company stages plays in a converted chapel in Langley that has been a theatre since 1956. Gofrendly helps Oldbury women find company for all three.
Oldbury: theatre, parks and the Tipperary song
Which famous wartime song has Oldbury roots?
Jack Judge was the Oldbury man who wrote It’s a Long Way to Tipperary in 1912, a song that became famous in the First World War. He sold fish in the Oldbury marketplace, is buried at Rood End Cemetery and gives his name to Jack Judge House, home of the library.
What is OldburyREP?
OldburyREP is a theatre company formed in 1944 that performs at the Barlow Theatre on Spring Walk in Langley, Oldbury, a former Methodist chapel that opened as a playhouse in 1956. It has a 173-seat auditorium, a studio, a bar and a coffee shop, and stages The Elephant Man in November 2026.
Why visit Barnford Park in Oldbury?
Barnford Park on Moat Road is Oldbury’s town park and won a Green Flag Award again in 2026. You will find tree-lined avenues, a pergola and rose gardens, a maze, a new pavilion, toilets and a skate and bike track. For a picnic or a walk and talk, bring a flask from home.
Oldbury women: how to start a new friendship?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lets Oldbury women see others nearby, from Langley to Bristnall, so they can message first and then meet in person. A weekday stroll in Barnford Park while the children are at school is an easy start.
Oldbury, a Sandwell town of canals and young families
Oldbury is a Sandwell town shaped by the Birmingham Canal Navigations, and the home town of Jack Judge, who sold fish in the marketplace before writing It’s a Long Way to Tipperary in 1912. Across the four Oldbury wards, children under 16 account for over 21% of everyone living there, and lone-parent households reach almost 15%, each above the West Midlands average. When school runs and childcare shape your week, daytime groups and park walks tend to work better than late nights.
Parenting on your own can feel lonely, and Oldbury has places that break up the routine. Brandhall Library on Tame Road lists a second knitting group midweek, Barnford Park has a maze, rose gardens and a skate and bike track, and the BCN Society, the canal enthusiasts’ charity, has run canal history workshops at Titford Pumphouse off Tat Bank Road. For a night out, OldburyREP’s 173-seat theatre has its own bar and coffee shop. Places to start:
1
Oldbury Library in Jack Judge House, Halesowen Street (check group times with staff).
2
Barnford Park on Moat Road.
3
OldburyREP (Barlow Theatre) on Spring Walk, Langley.
4
Brandhall Library on Tame Road.
5
Portway Lifestyle Centre on Newbury Lane, with a gym.
LOCAL TIP
Take your knitting to Jack Judge House on a Friday and you will soon have a regular seat.
How to
Friendship in Oldbury: where to begin
1
Take your needles to the Friday Knit and Natter in Jack Judge House.
2
Meet another parent for a loop of the Barnford Park maze and rose gardens.
3
Book two seats for an OldburyREP play in Langley with a new friend.
4
Arrange a first walk with an Oldbury woman who messages you on Gofrendly.
Friendship stories from our blog
Our Oldbury writers and why they wrote it
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote this Oldbury guide hand in hand with our editors, for Sandwell women who are raising children, some of them on their own, and would like more friends in their own part of town.
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.