- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Chesterfield, beneath the crooked spire
Over 35% of households in Chesterfield borough are one person living alone, well above the regional share.
106,400+
people in Chesterfield borough, which also includes Staveley and Brimington (ONS mid-2025)
36%
of Chesterfield borough households have one resident; the regional figure is 29% (2021 census, ONS)
22%
of Chesterfield borough residents are 65 or older; regionally it is 19.5% (Census 2021, ONS)
Chesterfield has a walking group every Thursday
A good way to make friends in Chesterfield is the Walk With Us group, which leaves the café at Holmebrook Valley Park every Thursday at 10.30am. The open-air market trades three days a week, Monday, Friday and Saturday, and in Queen’s Park you will find a café, a bandstand and a miniature railway. Gofrendly can help Chesterfield women meet others living close by.
What Chesterfield readers ask about friendship
Is there a walking group in Chesterfield?
Yes. Walk With Us sets off from the café at Holmebrook Valley Park every Thursday at 10.30am, and the council’s Senior Lifestyle Instructor can tell you more on 01246 959444. Chatting side by side on a regular walk takes the pressure off, and Chesterfield walkers soon start to recognise one another.
When is Chesterfield market open?
The open-air market runs on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, opening at 9am, with a flea market on Thursdays and an artisan market on the last Sunday of the month. Chesterfield has held markets for centuries, and a regular visit keeps you among familiar faces.
When will the theatre reopen in Chesterfield?
The former Stephenson Memorial Hall, home of the Pomegranate Theatre and the museum, is being refurbished as 1435 and is due to reopen later in 2026, starting with a pantomime. It will give Chesterfield a new place for shared nights out.
How can women living alone in Chesterfield meet friends?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lets women in Chesterfield find neighbours open to new friendships. Suggesting the Thursday walk or a coffee at the Queen’s Park café is a relaxed first plan for anyone with evenings and weekends to fill, and both happen every week.
Chesterfield, in brief
Chesterfield, a market town in north Derbyshire, is known for the twisted spire of its parish church and a Market Hall dating from 1857. The borough also takes in Staveley and Brimington. Over 35% of homes here have a single occupant, well above the East Midlands share, and almost 22% of the population has reached 65. If you live alone, try building a few weekly habits outside the house to keep good company in your diary, especially as the evenings draw in.
A quiet house can feel lonely, particularly in winter. Chesterfield has several free or low-cost routines with regulars: a guided walk, a flea-market Thursday, a swim at Queen’s Park Sports Centre. The refurbished 1435 theatre and museum, in the old Stephenson Memorial Hall, is due to reopen later in 2026 and will widen the choice further, with a theatre and a museum under one roof. Places to start:
1
Walk With Us at Holmebrook Valley Park, Thursdays at 10.30am from the café.
2
Chesterfield Market, open-air on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, with a flea market on Thursdays.
3
Queen’s Park, with a café at its north end, a bandstand and a miniature railway.
4
Queen’s Park Sports Centre, with an eight-lane pool and a learner pool.
5
Poolsbrook parkrun at Poolsbrook Country Park, near Staveley, Saturdays at 9am.
LOCAL TIP
Try the Thursday walk first: it lasts under an hour, and nobody walks alone.
How to
Chesterfield: steps towards new friends
1
Join Walk With Us on a Thursday at Holmebrook Valley Park, then share a pot of tea at the café.
2
Swim at Queen’s Park Sports Centre at a fixed weekly time.
3
Suggest a coffee at the Queen’s Park café to a Chesterfield woman you get talking to on Gofrendly.
4
Browse the Thursday flea market with someone new and let the stalls start the conversation.
One true story, and why few friends is normal
Chesterfield page: the authors
Our editors and Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote the Chesterfield page for women across the borough, including those who live alone, who want regular company nearby.
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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