- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Stevenage, around Fairlands Valley Park
Over 26% of Stevenage homes are social housing, well above the regional share, in Britain’s first post-war new town.
92,000+
residents of Stevenage borough, mid-2025 population estimate by ONS
26%
of Stevenage homes are socially rented, set against a regional 15% (ONS, 2021)
20%
of Stevenage residents were 15 or younger in 2021; region 19% (ONS census)
Stevenage has a 120-acre valley park
Fairlands Valley Park, about 120 acres of lakes and grassland with a year-round café at the sailing centre, is the natural place to make friends in Stevenage. The park hosts Stevenage parkrun on Saturday mornings, the indoor market moved to Boston House on Park Place in late 2025, and Stevenage Museum opens with no entry charge from Wednesday to Saturday. On Gofrendly, Stevenage women can find each other too.
Stevenage new town: friendship questions
Which park in Stevenage hosts the parkrun?
Stevenage parkrun takes place in Fairlands Valley Park, off Six Hills Way, at 9am on Saturdays. People walk as well as run it, and the sailing centre café opens all year, so a Stevenage parkrun easily becomes a morning with friends.
Where has Stevenage indoor market moved to?
Stevenage Indoor Market moved to Boston House on Park Place in the town centre, with a grand reopening in November 2025. Visiting regularly lets you learn the stallholders’ names and recognise other shoppers, which makes it a simple place to start talking in Stevenage.
Is Stevenage Museum free to visit?
Yes. Stevenage Museum, in the undercroft of the church of St Andrew and St George, has no entry charge and opens from Wednesday to Saturday. Its displays cover the story of the new town, which gives two Stevenage friends plenty to talk about on a first visit.
Stevenage women: where can you find friends nearby?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, helps women across Stevenage’s neighbourhoods find each other and say hello. A stroll by the Fairlands Valley lakes or a museum visit is an easy first plan that suits busy weeks and can be repeated.
Stevenage, the first new town
Stevenage was designated as Britain’s first post-war new town in 1946, and its neighbourhoods were planned around their own shops and community centres. Over 26% of homes are social housing while a fifth of residents are children no older than 15, both above the levels for the region. A local shop or community centre near home can be a natural place to say hello. With the town centre being regenerated and a new leisure centre under construction, it is a good moment to find your own regular places.
Weeks spent shuttling between work, school and home can be lonely. Stevenage has a large valley park with a weekly parkrun, a central library on Southgate, an indoor market in its new home on Park Place and a monthly farmers’ market in the Old Town. The swimming centre stays open while the new leisure centre is built right next door to it. Places to start:
1
Fairlands Valley Park, with lakes, a splash park and a café at the sailing centre.
2
Stevenage parkrun in Fairlands Valley Park, every Saturday at 9am.
3
Stevenage Indoor Market at Boston House, Park Place.
4
Stevenage Museum, beneath the church of St Andrew and St George, with no entry charge.
5
The Old Town Farmers’ Market, held on the second Saturday each month.
LOCAL TIP
A Saturday in Fairlands Valley is the easiest way in.
How to
Stevenage: meeting women across the neighbourhoods
1
Walk or run Stevenage parkrun and warm up at the sailing centre café afterwards.
2
Take a new friend to Stevenage Museum and learn how the new town began.
3
Through Gofrendly, suggest the Old Town Farmers’ Market to a Stevenage woman nearby.
4
Swim regularly at the Swimming Centre on St George’s Way.
Feeling alone with friends, and a fresh start story
Stevenage page: the writing team
Gofrendly co-founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja joined our editors in writing the Stevenage page, aimed at women across the new town who would like friends 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.
Find women near you
See who’s nearby and say hi — it’s free to start.