- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
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- Local guide
- October 21, 2026
Make Friends After 40 in Merseyside With Parents to Look After
Around 59,700 Merseyside women outside the city are in their forties, and short, regular plans suit the weeks when parents need you.
971,000+
residents of Merseyside’s four boroughs outside Liverpool at mid-2025 (ONS)
59,700+
Merseyside women in their forties in the four boroughs beyond Liverpool, mid-2025 estimate (ONS)
35%
of homes in these Merseyside boroughs are owned outright; regional figure 33% (Census 2021)
Merseyside friendships in the gaps between visits
With parents to care for in your 40s in Merseyside, time is short, so look for plans that last an hour and repeat each week. Sefton runs free led wellbeing walks, many of 30 to 60 minutes, from Southport and Waterloo, Wirral libraries host monthly reading groups including an evening one at Wallasey Central, and Southport parkrun loops Hesketh Park on Saturdays. With Gofrendly you can find women close by whose weeks look like yours.
Merseyside questions from women who care for parents
Are there free short walks in Merseyside?
Yes. Many of Sefton’s free wellbeing walks last 30 to 60 minutes, including Southport walks from The Atkinson on Lord Street on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and a Thursday afternoon walk in Hesketh Park. In Merseyside newcomers are welcome; arrive 15 minutes early to register.
Can carers in their 40s join a book group in Merseyside from home?
Yes. Wirral Libraries runs an online reading group on Zoom every third Thursday, 6.30pm to 7.30pm, alongside groups in branches such as Wallasey Central, Bebington and Greasby. In Merseyside you can join any of them by emailing the library service at [email protected].
Is the city included on this Merseyside page?
No. Liverpool has a dedicated hub, so this Merseyside guide sticks to the boroughs of Sefton, Wirral, Knowsley and St Helens, and the figures leave the city out. Because St Helens also gets a page to itself, most ideas here come from Sefton and Wirral.
How can women in Merseyside who care for a parent meet friends?
Gofrendly, the women-only friendship app, lets Merseyside women find others in the neighbourhood and trade messages first, so plans can be made and moved around caring. A friend round the corner makes a quick walk or coffee possible on days when a longer trip is not.
Friendship around caring in Merseyside
When your parents need you more, it often arrives without warning: a fall, a move closer to home, or simply more phone calls and lifts to appointments. Friendships are usually the first thing to slip, because evenings out are hard to promise. Across Sefton, Wirral, Knowsley and St Helens the trick is to choose things that are brief, nearby and easy to miss once without losing your place. Liverpool is covered separately.
Almost 60,000 women in the four boroughs are in their forties, and 35% of households own outright. Caring can be lonely work even with family around. A free led walk, a reading group once a month or the Southport 5k gives you an hour to yourself, among people who will notice when you are back. You can make friends after 40 in small doses, as long as the doses are regular and the plans are easy to keep. To start:
1
Sefton’s free wellbeing walks, including a 60-minute walk from outside The Atkinson in Southport on Tuesday mornings.
2
The weekly Nordic walk in Maghull on Monday mornings from Meadows Leisure Centre, after a short Learn to Nordic course.
3
Wirral Libraries’ monthly reading groups, with an evening group at Wallasey Central Library on the first Tuesday, 6pm to 7pm.
4
Wirral’s Knit and Natter group at Heswall Library on Tuesday mornings, a two-hour drop-in.
5
Southport parkrun, a free 5k on tarmac paths in Hesketh Park every Saturday morning.
LOCAL TIP
Pick the one that fits between visits and go back next week.
How to
Meeting people in Merseyside when time is short
1
Arrive 15 minutes early for a Sefton wellbeing walk and register; the walks are free and newcomers are welcome.
2
Email Wirral Libraries to join a reading group, or use the Zoom group on the third Thursday if you cannot leave home.
3
Contact Merseyside women close by through Gofrendly and pencil in a coffee you can move at short notice.
4
Walk the Southport parkrun course in Hesketh Park one Saturday, then go back the next week and the one after.
Reading for the busy carer
The Merseyside page for women caring for parents
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote this guide to Merseyside with help from our editors. It speaks to forty-something daughters looking after ageing parents, who need short, regular ways to meet people outside Liverpool.
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.
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