- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 21, 2026
Make Friends After 40 in Barking and Dagenham with a class of your own
Roughly one Barking and Dagenham resident in seven was born in the 1970s or 1980s and is now in their 40s, and a weekly course puts some of them in the next seat.
35,200+
people in Barking and Dagenham were between 40 and 49 when the ONS made its mid-2025 estimate
15%
of the borough is in its forties, against 14% for Greater London (ONS mid-year estimate 2025)
13%
single-parent households with dependent children in the borough, set against roughly 8% London-wide (ONS Census 2021)
Barking and Dagenham friendships can start in a classroom
To make friends after 40 in Barking and Dagenham, commit to one weekly activity, and a course is the gentlest place to begin. The council’s Adult College teaches on Ripple Road in Barking and on Parsloes Avenue in Dagenham, with wellbeing, sewing and digital skills on its prospectus. From Monday to Thursday Barking Library keeps its doors open until seven, and Gofrendly helps women in Barking and Dagenham find others at the same stage.
Barking and Dagenham after 40: learning and meeting people
Where can women in their forties go back to learning in Barking and Dagenham?
The Adult College of Barking and Dagenham, run by the council, has campuses on Ripple Road and Parsloes Avenue and teaching rooms inside Barking Learning Centre. Its prospectus covers wellbeing, sewing, digital skills, English and maths, so Barking and Dagenham residents can pick a subject and get to know classmates.
What time does the Barking and Dagenham town library close?
Barking Library, inside Barking Learning Centre on Town Square, opens until 7pm from Monday to Thursday and until 5pm on Fridays and Saturdays, with Sunday hours of 10am to 4pm. Those later evenings suit Barking and Dagenham commuters who want somewhere calm to browse or join a group after work.
Does Barking and Dagenham have a parkrun?
Yes. Barking parkrun is a timed 5k round Barking Park, starting at 9am each Saturday, and you only need to register once online, with no fee. Walking is fine, and helping as a volunteer marshal lets Barking and Dagenham residents learn the names of the regulars.
How can Barking and Dagenham women find friends their own age?
Gofrendly is a women-only friendship app listing women who live nearby, so a woman in Barking and Dagenham can send a message to someone going through a similar phase and propose a first plan. A lane swim at Becontree Heath or a coffee near Barking Learning Centre keeps that meeting simple.
Retraining in your 40s in Barking and Dagenham
Barking and Dagenham has two town centres, Barking and Dagenham Heathway, linked by the District line and a web of bus routes. Around 35,200 people here were in their forties at the last estimate, close to 15% of the borough and a little higher than the London share. If you are rethinking work at this age, retraining or picking up a skill you dropped years ago, a class puts familiar people round the table each week, and that steady repetition is what slowly turns classmates into real friends.
Leaving a job can feel lonely when colleagues were most of your social life. Almost 13% of households here are a lone parent raising children still of school age, well above the capital, so options outside office hours matter. The Adult College runs courses on both campuses, Pen to Print matches adults with book groups and writing groups in local libraries, and Becontree Heath Leisure Centre offers adult swimming lessons beside its Olympic-length pool. Good places to start:
1
The Adult College on Ripple Road, for wellbeing, sewing and digital courses.
2
Barking Learning Centre on Town Square, home to the library and college rooms.
3
Pen to Print, the library service’s network of reading and writing groups.
4
Becontree Heath Leisure Centre, home to an Olympic-length pool and adult lessons.
5
Barking parkrun, a timed 5k round Barking Park every Saturday at 9am.
LOCAL TIP
Choose one course this term and arrive ten minutes early each week.
How to
Barking and Dagenham in your 40s: ways to meet new people
1
Enrol on an Adult College course and keep the same seat every session.
2
Ask Pen to Print to place you in a book or writing group near home.
3
Message women your age on Gofrendly and suggest a swim at Becontree Heath.
4
Walk or jog Barking parkrun, then help out as a volunteer once a month.
Reading for a change of direction
Written for Barking and Dagenham career changers
Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, who started Gofrendly, created this Barking and Dagenham guide jointly with our editorial staff for women retraining, switching jobs or going back to learning in their forties.
Friendship looks different at every stage
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Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
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