October 21, 2026

Make Friends After 40 in Hillingdon on Thursday Runs

Close to 15% of Hillingdon’s population is somewhere between 40 and 49, a shade above the capital, so a fresh start in a new sport here comes with plenty of company your age.

Laughing friends from Hillingdon striking a pose by a street light after dark

47,600+

Hillingdon residents between 40 and 49, ONS mid-2025

15%

Hillingdon residents in their forties as a proportion of all, half a point clear of London (ONS, mid-2025)

57%

Hillingdon households that own their home (2021 Census, ONS)

Hillingdon rewards a fresh start in trainers

Whether you are restarting in your 40s after a break-up, a move or a long spell of putting others first, Hillingdon makes it easier with a new sport and a fixed weekly slot. Hillingdon Athletic Club coaches all abilities on Thursday evenings at its Ruislip clubhouse, Stockley Country parkrun runs every Saturday, and Learn Hillingdon has day and evening courses for adults. Gofrendly connects Hillingdon women at a similar turning point.

Hillingdon restart questions, answered

Hillingdon women wheeling bikes under park trees and laughing after a ride

Does a Hillingdon athletics club take complete beginners?

Yes. Hillingdon Athletic Club says all abilities are welcome, from complete beginners up, and its Thursday session at the Ruislip clubhouse on Bury Street, 6pm until 7.30pm, caters for every pace. The first four weeks of coaching are free, with no obligation to join the Hillingdon club.

Is there a relaxed weekend run in Hillingdon?

Hillingdon Athletic Club holds a casual social long run on Sundays from 9.30am to 11.30am, starting at its Ruislip clubhouse, for mixed abilities and paces, with optional coffee and cake afterwards. Stockley Country parkrun near West Drayton is another free Saturday 5k option in Hillingdon.

Which Hillingdon choirs welcome new singers?

Eastcote and Ruislip Choral Society says it welcomes new singers: if you like its repertoire, you can simply come along and see how it goes. Its concert calendar runs through the year at venues across the borough, from Northwood to Ickenham, so Hillingdon singers always have a performance to work towards.

Starting from scratch in your 40s: what works best in Hillingdon?

A weekly sport works well, because it delivers repeat contact without much planning. Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, helps women in Hillingdon see others nearby, so someone in her early 40s who has just moved or separated can message a neighbour and agree a first run or a walk round Stockley Country Park.

A new sport and new friendships in Hillingdon

Hillingdon is a large outer borough, from Northwood, Ruislip and Harefield in the north to Uxbridge, Hayes and West Drayton in the south. Nearly 15% of the borough’s population is in its forties, a fraction above the London average. If your life has recently changed shape, an unfamiliar sport gives you a clean slate: nobody knows your history, everyone is learning, and the same group turns up each week. Ruislip, Uxbridge and West Drayton all have a starting point within reach.

A restart may be lonely early on, especially at weekends that used to be full. Running suits it well, because a coached session has a set time and a social long run ends with coffee. Pair it with something calmer, such as a Learn Hillingdon course or choir practice, and to make friends after 40 you need little more than to keep showing up, week after week, through the winter. Places to start:

Hillingdon Athletic Club’s Thursday session at the Ruislip clubhouse on Bury Street, open to complete beginners.

Stockley Country parkrun near West Drayton, a free 5k every Saturday.

Learn Hillingdon, the borough’s adult learning service, with part-time day and evening courses.

Eastcote and Ruislip Choral Society, which invites new singers to come along.

Uxbridge Library, home to a friendly reading group that covers a wide range of authors.

LOCAL TIP

Use the four free weeks of coaching at the athletics club before you decide anything.

How to

Meeting women in Hillingdon at training

Go to a Thursday all-abilities session at Hillingdon Athletic Club’s Ruislip clubhouse; the first four weeks of coaching are free.

Join the club’s Sunday social long run and linger for coffee and cake.

Through Gofrendly, find another Hillingdon woman starting again and walk or jog Stockley Country parkrun as a pair.

Book an evening course through Learn Hillingdon for the nights you are not training.

Stories and tools for a fresh start

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.

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Best Friendship Apps in the UK: A Genuine Way to Find Your New Best Friend

A clear, honest comparison of the best friendship apps UK has to offer — Gofrendly, Peanut and Bumble BFF — and how to actually start making friends through them.

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Who wrote Hillingdon's fresh-start page

Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja and our editors wrote Hillingdon’s page for women in their forties putting a social life back together, often through a sport they have only just picked up.