- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Ilkeston, around the market and the park
Cohabiting couples make up about 16% of Ilkeston households, more than across the wider region.
38,700+
residents of Ilkeston’s built-up area (ONS figures from the 2021 census)
16%
of households across Ilkeston’s seven Erewash wards are cohabiting couples, compared with a regional 12% (ONS, Census 2021)
11%
of Ilkeston households have a married couple and dependent children, under the regional 14% (ONS, 2021 census)
Ilkeston has markets on Thursday, Friday and Saturday
To make friends in Ilkeston, start with its market and its park. Ilkeston Market trades in the town centre on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Victoria Park on Drummond Road has a bandstand, a kiosk and a community room used by local groups, and the library in Market Place stays open late on Tuesdays. Gofrendly also helps women in Ilkeston connect locally.
Ilkeston: making friends, your questions answered
When is Ilkeston market on?
Ilkeston Market trades in the town centre on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 9am to 3pm and weather permitting, with Friday the smallest of the three. Visiting each week lets Ilkeston residents bump into the same familiar faces and stallholders every week.
What does the town park in Ilkeston offer?
Victoria Park on Drummond Road has a bandstand, a kiosk, a bowls pavilion, a tree trail and a community room used by local groups. The leisure centre next door has a pool, so Ilkeston women can combine a swim with a walk.
Where can you walk in a group near Ilkeston?
Shipley Country Park, run by Derbyshire County Council, lies just north of Ilkeston towards Heanor, with woodland and lakeside paths. Shipley Country parkrun is held there every Saturday at 9am, and walkers are welcome, so Ilkeston friends can join a group outing.
Can Ilkeston women meet each other online first?
Yes. Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, shows Ilkeston women living close by. Send a message, then suggest a market coffee or a walk in Victoria Park, so the first meeting stays short and simple and can easily happen again the following week.
Ilkeston's households
Ilkeston is a market town in Erewash, on the Derbyshire side of the border with Nottinghamshire. Across its seven wards, about 16% of households are cohabiting couples, above the regional share, while married couples with dependent children are less common than in the region. When your evenings are your own, try suggesting a walk, a class or a drink to someone new; plenty of people are pleased to be asked, and a short first plan is easy to say yes to.
If you have moved to Ilkeston, or your friends have drifted, the town can seem lonely at first. Its regular fixtures make a good start: the market three days a week, groups that use the Victoria Park community room and a leisure centre pool upgraded with greener heating and ventilation in 2025. Shipley Country Park, just north of town, adds longer walks for weekends, a short drive from the town centre. Places to begin:
1
Ilkeston Market in the town centre, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
2
Victoria Park on Drummond Road, with a bandstand, kiosk, bowls pavilion and community room.
3
Victoria Park Leisure Centre, with a pool upgraded with greener heating and ventilation in 2025.
4
Ilkeston Library in Market Place, open until 7pm on Tuesdays.
5
Shipley Country Park, north of Ilkeston, with woodland and lakeside walks.
LOCAL TIP
Choose a weekday and make one of these your standing plan.
How to
Ilkeston: four steps to meeting people
1
Make the Saturday market a weekly outing until the stallholders know your name.
2
Ask at Victoria Park which local groups meet in its community room.
3
Plan a weekend walk at Shipley Country Park with Ilkeston women from Gofrendly.
4
Book a regular swim at Victoria Park Leisure Centre and say hello to the people in your lane.
The friendship figures, and friendship breakups
The Ilkeston page: written by
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote this Ilkeston page alongside the editors, for women in Erewash who would like friends in their own town.
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.