- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 21, 2026
Make Friends After 40 in Brent through a new sport
Just over 13% of Brent residents were born forty-odd years ago, and a weekend 5k or a swimming club gives you a place to meet them on equal terms.
47,100+
Brent residents in their forties, from the mid-2025 ONS population estimates
13%
proportion of Brent residents between 40 and 49, slightly under the London share of 14% (mid-2025, ONS)
36%
share of Brent households renting from a private landlord, compared with 30% across the capital (2021 Census, ONS)
Brent rewards a beginner's first step
Taking up a sport in your 40s is one of the quickest ways to meet people in Brent, because new starters share the same nerves. Gladstone parkrun in Dollis Hill is a free Saturday 5k, Brent Dolphins swimming club trains at Vale Farm in Sudbury and welcomes adult swimmers, and Brent Start runs adult courses across the borough. Gofrendly helps women in Brent find a training partner close to home.
Brent sport and friendship questions
Where is the nearest parkrun in Brent?
Gladstone parkrun takes place in Gladstone Park, Dollis Hill, at 9am every Saturday. This timed 5k has no entry fee, you register once online, and walkers and volunteers count just as much as runners, so Brent newcomers to sport can start gently.
Is there a swimming club for adults in Brent?
Brent Dolphins Swimming Club welcomes adults who want to work on fitness and technique, and trains at Vale Farm Swimming Pool on Watford Road, Wembley, including on Monday evenings. Brent swimmers can contact the club about current sessions and which group suits their level before the first visit.
Where can 40-something women sign up for an adult course in Brent?
Brent Start is the council’s adult education college, based at the Hillside centre in Stonebridge and teaching at The Library at Willesden Green, Ealing Road Library and Harlesden Library. Its 2026 to 2027 brochure lists courses to retrain, upskill or simply enjoy, so Brent adults can join.
How do you find a training buddy in Brent?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, helps Brent women discover who else lives in their part of the borough, so you can contact someone at a similar fitness level and fix a time. A lap of Gladstone Park together before trying the parkrun is a relaxed first meet.
Starting something new at 40-something in Brent
Brent runs from Kilburn and Willesden in the south to Wembley, Kingsbury and Neasden further north. Over a third of homes here are rented from private landlords, above the London figure, so if you moved in only a year or two ago, plenty of neighbours may be just as new to their street. About 47,100 people in Brent are between 40 and 49, slightly below the capital’s share, which makes it worth choosing activities where adults of all ages mix. Taking up a sport is a reliable way to make friends after 40 in the borough, whatever your starting fitness.
A new sport works because nobody expects you to be good yet, and the shared effort takes care of the small talk. It also helps on evenings that feel lonely after a house move or a new job. Parkrun, a swimming club, a no-audition choir and adult courses all welcome first-timers, and each meets at a fixed time. Places to start:
1
Gladstone parkrun, a free timed 5k in Gladstone Park on Saturday mornings.
2
Vale Farm pool in Sudbury, where Brent Dolphins welcomes adult swimmers.
3
Brent Start, the council’s adult education college, teaching in several libraries.
4
Parklife Singers on Willesden Lane, a community choir that asks for no audition.
5
The Library at Willesden Green, one of the places Brent Start teaches.
LOCAL TIP
Sign up for one Saturday 5k and see who you recognise the next week.
How to
Brent: how to make friends through sport in your 40s
1
Register for Gladstone parkrun and linger afterwards with the other runners.
2
Ask Brent Dolphins about adult sessions at Vale Farm on Monday evenings.
3
Message Brent women on Gofrendly and arrange to train together.
4
Choose a Brent Start course at the library closest to home.
More on finding your people
Writing the Brent page
The Brent page was put together by our editors with Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, the founders of Gofrendly, for women in their 40s keen to try a new sport and meet people along the way.
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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