October 21, 2026

Make Friends After 40 in Wigan by Lacing Up for Something New

Wigan is home to over 21,000 forty-something women, and its club runs and leisure centre classes offer a gentle way into a new sport together.

Wigan sport after 40: two women on bikes laughing beneath leafy branches

347,000+

Wigan borough residents, ONS, mid-2025

21,700+

Wigan women are 40 to 49, a slightly bigger share of the borough than the North West average (ONS mid-2025)

14%

of Wigan households are cohabiting, unmarried couples; regional figure 12% (Census 2021, ONS)

Wigan has room for beginners at 40-something

Trying a brand-new sport in your 40s quickly puts you among new people in Wigan, because every beginner is learning at the same time. Standish Globe Runners runs on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with ability groups, Wigan Life Centre holds 5k+ group runs and aqua aerobics, and Haigh Woodland parkrun runs on Saturdays. Gofrendly can also find you a willing training partner nearby.

Wigan, sport and new friends: FAQs

Wigan after 40: three women in hysterics as they drive somewhere together

Is there a beginner-friendly running club in Wigan?

Standish Globe Runners, formed in 2022, meets at the Globe Inn car park on High Street, Standish, for 6.30pm starts on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 8.30am on Sundays. Each Wigan session costs £1, runners go in smaller groups by ability, and there is a Jeffing group.

What classes does Wigan's town-centre leisure centre run?

Wigan Life Centre on College Avenue has a main and a small pool, a gym and studios, with classes including aqua aerobics, Pilates, yoga, tai chi and 5k+ group runs. It opens at 6.30am on most weekdays, so a Wigan swim can come before work.

Which sports suit a woman starting at 40-something in Wigan?

Running clubs, leisure centre classes and parkrun all welcome beginners in Wigan. Gofrendly, the women-only friendship app, can help you find someone nearby to start with, and having a training partner makes it more likely you will both keep going.

Does Wigan have a choir that needs no audition?

Wigan Choral Society warmly welcomes new members with no audition: you just come along on a Monday at 7.30pm to St Michael and All Angels Church on Duke Street. The Wigan choir holds three or four concerts a year, which gives rehearsals a goal.

Wigan friendships through sport

Starting a sport in your forties takes the pressure off conversation in Wigan, because there is always a subject at hand: the hill, the weather, the next session. Choose a club that splits people by ability so you are never the only slow one, and return to the same slot every week. Training alongside the same people is a natural way to make friends after 40, and the shared progress gives everyone a reason to stay.

The latest count puts over 21,700 Wigan women in their forties, a slightly larger share than across the North West, and the 2021 Census counted 14% of households as cohabiting couples. If your old team has disbanded or friends have taken up golf without you, Sunday mornings can feel lonely. A beginners’ group fixes that quickly and cheaply, and after a month you will have people expecting you on a Tuesday night. Some places to try:

Standish Globe Runners, meeting at the Globe Inn car park in Standish on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Wigan Life Centre on College Avenue, with two pools, aqua aerobics, Pilates and 5k+ group runs.

Haigh Woodland parkrun, a 5k on woodland and tarmac paths in Haigh Country Park.

Wigan Choral Society, rehearsing on Monday nights at St Michael and All Angels Church.

The Adult Reading Group at Standish Library, held every third Wednesday from 10am.

LOCAL TIP

Pick a session, then pick the next one before you leave.

How to

Meet people in Wigan by starting from scratch in sport

Join a Standish Globe Runners session for £1, including its Jeffing group for run-walkers.

Try an aqua aerobics class at Wigan Life Centre and book the same slot the following week.

Look for a training partner on Gofrendly and walk or jog Haigh Woodland parkrun together.

Rest your legs on a Monday by singing with Wigan Choral Society, no audition required.

The Wigan new-sport page and its writers

Our editors teamed with Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja on this Wigan guide for women in their forties trying a new sport, with ability-grouped runs, leisure centre classes and parkrun at Haigh.