Make Friends After 40 in Hammersmith and Fulham while you learn something new

Roughly one Hammersmith and Fulham local in eight is aged 40 to 49, so a weekend course or a choir is a smart way to find women at your stage.
Two women from Hammersmith and Fulham giggling as they push bikes across a park
23,800+
Hammersmith and Fulham residents in their forties, mid-2025 figure from the ONS
13%
proportion of Hammersmith and Fulham’s population between 40 and 49; Greater London: 14% (mid-2025, ONS)
36%
of Hammersmith and Fulham households contain just one person, well above London’s 29% (ONS, 2021 Census)

Hammersmith and Fulham has a classroom for every career change

A career change in your forties in Hammersmith and Fulham can come with a ready-made social circle if you start in a classroom. The council’s adult learning service teaches at the Macbeth Centre, including Saturday courses in photography, life drawing and pottery, and a choral society rehearses on Wednesday evenings in Parsons Green. Gofrendly lets Hammersmith and Fulham women spot others nearby who are also making a change.

Hammersmith and Fulham: courses, choirs and meeting people

Hammersmith and Fulham friends in fits of laughter on the road

Which adult classes can 40-something women take in Hammersmith and Fulham?

The Hammersmith and Fulham Adult Learning and Skills Service teaches at the Macbeth Centre in Hammersmith and the Uxbridge Road Centre in Shepherd’s Bush. Its 2026 to 2027 programme includes languages, creative arts and wellbeing, so Hammersmith and Fulham residents can find a class.

Are there weekend courses in Hammersmith and Fulham?

Yes. The Macbeth Centre has run Saturday short courses such as pottery throwing and hand building, life drawing for beginners, glass painting and an introduction to digital photography. A weekend class is a good fit for Hammersmith and Fulham residents retraining or juggling a new job.

Can you join a Hammersmith and Fulham choir without auditioning?

Fulham and Hammersmith Choral Society rehearses from 6.45pm to 9pm on Wednesdays during school terms at the Olivier Centre, Lady Margaret School, in Parsons Green. No audition is needed, so Hammersmith and Fulham singers can join without preparing a piece.

How can career changers in Hammersmith and Fulham meet new friends?

Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lets women in Hammersmith and Fulham spot neighbours embarking on a new direction of their own and send a message to arrange a coffee. Meeting before a Saturday class or for a show at Riverside Studios is a relaxed first step.

Retraining and friendship in Hammersmith and Fulham

Hammersmith and Fulham runs from White City and Shepherd’s Bush down through Hammersmith to Fulham and the river at Sands End. People in their forties are just over an eighth of the borough, under the capital’s share, and in more than 36% of its homes someone lives alone. If you are switching careers or stepping back from a demanding job, the change can quietly shrink your social life too, because so much of it may have revolved around colleagues. A course is one of the surest ways to make friends after 40 in the borough.

Starting over at work can be lonely in the early weeks. A class gives you classmates with the same goal, a choir gives you a weekly rehearsal, and a local theatre gives you a play to pick apart over a drink. The borough has its own adult learning service, a Saturday parkrun on Wormwood Scrubs and some of west London’s liveliest stages. Places to start:

1
The Macbeth Centre on Macbeth Street, for adult courses and Saturday classes.
2
Fulham and Hammersmith Choral Society, which meets in Parsons Green midweek.
3
Wormwood Scrubs parkrun, a free 5k on the Scrubs every Saturday.
4
The Bush Theatre on Uxbridge Road, with its Library Bar and café.
5
Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, a multi-arts venue.
LOCAL TIP
Enrol on one Saturday course and suggest lunch to the person beside you.
How to

Ways to meet people in Hammersmith and Fulham in your 40s

1
Pick a language or photography course from the adult learning programme.
2
Join the choral society on a Wednesday; no formal audition is required.
3
Message other career changers in Hammersmith and Fulham on Gofrendly.
4
See a new play at the Bush Theatre and stay in the bar afterwards.

Two reads for a new chapter at work

Hammersmith and Fulham guide for career changers

Gofrendly’s founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja built the Hammersmith and Fulham page jointly with the editorial team, for 40-something women who are retraining, changing jobs or stepping off the career ladder for a while.

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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