- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 21, 2026
Make Friends After 40 in Wandsworth through a new language or book group
About 43,700 Wandsworth locals are in their forties, and free library groups for languages, books and knitting fill weekday evenings across the borough.
43,700+
Wandsworth residents aged 40 to 49, latest ONS mid-year figure (2025)
13%
proportion of Wandsworth in its forties, below London’s 14% (ONS mid-year estimates)
14%
Wandsworth homes shared by unmarried couples, compared with 10% for London as a whole (2021 Census)
Wandsworth libraries stay busy after work
Once the children are older and more independent, you may have weeknights free in your 40s to learn something new in Wandsworth. Roehampton Library runs an Italian conversation group on Wednesday evenings, Wandsworth Town Library has a German group on Tuesdays, and Putney Library hosts a reading group every Wednesday from 6.30pm. Gofrendly helps Wandsworth women meet 40-something neighbours with the same curiosity.
Wandsworth for women in their forties: questions
Does Wandsworth have free language groups for 40-somethings?
Yes. Roehampton Library runs an Italian conversation group on Wednesdays from 5.30pm to 6.45pm, and Wandsworth Town Library has a German group on Tuesdays from 5pm. Battersea Park Library adds a Spanish group on Tuesday mornings. All are free for Wandsworth residents.
What time do the reading groups at Wandsworth libraries start?
Putney Library has a reading group every Wednesday from 6.30pm, rotating between crime, book talk and two general groups. Balham Library runs monthly groups on Monday and Wednesday evenings, and Tooting Library has one on a Tuesday evening, giving Wandsworth readers plenty of choice.
Which parkrun is closest in Wandsworth?
Tooting Common parkrun sets off on Tooting Common at 9am on Saturdays. The timed 5k costs nothing to enter, and walking is fine, so Wandsworth residents can start with no running experience and keep coming back week after week with friends.
Is it easy to meet friends in Wandsworth once the children are older?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, helps Wandsworth women find others nearby and write to someone who also has evenings free again. Meeting before a library group in Putney or for a walk on Tooting Common makes an easy first plan.
Learning and friendship in Wandsworth
Wandsworth runs from Battersea and Nine Elms by the river through Clapham Junction and Wandsworth Town to Putney, Roehampton, Balham and Tooting. About 13% of Wandsworth residents are forty-somethings, under the London share, and if your children are now at secondary school or beyond, you may have evenings back after a decade or more of school runs. An evening language group or book club is a good way to make friends after 40 in Wandsworth, and the borough’s libraries run plenty of free ones.
An empty evening can feel lonely when the household no longer runs on school pick-ups. A conversation group, a knitting circle or a Saturday 5k means a fixed place to be each week. The borough’s libraries list free groups almost every evening, the council’s lifelong learning service runs adult courses, and Tooting Common has a Saturday parkrun. Good places to start in Wandsworth this autumn term:
1
Roehampton Library, with an Italian conversation group on Wednesday evenings.
2
Wandsworth Town Library, home to a German conversation group on Tuesdays.
3
Putney Library, whose Wednesday 6.30pm reading groups rotate through the month.
4
Battersea Park Library, with a weekly knit and crochet group on Mondays.
5
Tooting Common parkrun, a timed 5k on Saturdays at 9am.
LOCAL TIP
Pick a language you half remember and join the group for a month.
How to
Wandsworth: ways to meet people while you learn
1
Join the Italian conversation group at Roehampton Library on a Wednesday.
2
Try the crime, book talk or general reading group at Putney Library.
3
Contact Wandsworth women with grown-up children on Gofrendly.
4
Knit and crochet with the Monday evening group at Battersea Park Library.
A reset and a reality check
Wandsworth page for curious minds
The Wandsworth page was produced by Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja with the editors, for mothers in their forties with older children who want to learn something new and make friends doing it.
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.