- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Chorley, where markets go back to 1498
Owner-occupiers hold about two thirds of Chorley homes, above the norm for the region, so many residents stay long enough to become friends.
49,100+
people living in the six Chorley town wards (Census 2021, ONS)
67%
of Chorley households are owner-occupiers; North West: 62% (ONS)
16%
of households in these Chorley wards rent privately, below the North West’s 19% (2021, ONS)
Chorley still trades on a Tuesday
The Tuesday street market is the best place to make friends in Chorley, spreading from Cleveland Street up the lower half of High Street. The covered market trades again from Thursday to Saturday, Astley Park has a café in its coach house, and Chorley Theatre on Dole Lane runs workshops for adults. Women in Chorley can also look for neighbours on Gofrendly.
Chorley, answered for new and long-time residents
Is Astley Hall in Chorley free to visit?
Astley Hall in Chorley fully reopens on 24 October 2026, open Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 3pm. Adults pay £5 from then, with half price for Chorley residents, while the Coach House Gallery next door stays free and makes a good place to meet.
Where can Chorley runners find a parkrun?
No parkrun is held inside Chorley itself. The closest is Worden parkrun in Worden Park, Leyland, about six kilometres west of Chorley town centre, from 9am every Saturday. Walking it is fine, and giving a Chorley neighbour a lift turns it into a regular Saturday outing.
When does Chorley Library reopen?
Chorley Library on Union Street closed on 12 October 2026 for plant room repairs, with reopening planned for early November. When it returns, it opens on Mondays until 7pm and from Tuesday to Saturday until 5pm, a calm base in the middle of Chorley.
How can women in Chorley meet other women?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, helps women in Chorley find others close to home and message ahead of a first meeting. A walk round the walled garden in Astley Park or a Tuesday wander past the market stalls makes a gentle first plan.
Chorley, a Lancashire town with deep roots
Chorley has held markets since 1498 and keeps a Tuesday street market alongside its covered market. Astley Park, left to the town by Reginald Tatton in memory of those who died in the Great War, opened in 1924 around the Elizabethan Astley Hall. In the six town wards around two thirds of homes are bought or being paid off by the people living there, and private renting sits below the regional level, so many residents may have lived here for years. Settled streets reward the woman who turns up at the same stall or class every week.
In a town where plenty of people go back a long way together, a newcomer can feel lonely. Chorley Theatre, opened in 1910 as the town’s first electric cinema, has a musical theatre chorus and acting workshops for over-20s and over-50s. Astley Park and Yarrow Valley Country Park each earned a Green Flag in 2026, and the Coach House Gallery in Astley Park never charges. Start with:
1
Chorley Market, with the Tuesday street market and the covered hall.
2
Astley Park, with a coach house café and restored glasshouse.
3
Chorley Theatre on Dole Lane, home of an adult chorus.
4
Yarrow Valley Country Park and the Treeface Café at Birkacre.
5
All Seasons Leisure Centre on Water Street, home of Chorley Marlins.
LOCAL TIP
Pick one Tuesday a month to browse the market with a neighbour.
How to
Chorley: ways to make friends near home
1
Volunteer with the Lower Burgh Meadow Conservation Group in Yarrow Valley.
2
Try an Evolve acting workshop at Chorley Theatre.
3
Suggest Astley Park for a first walk with Chorley women from Gofrendly.
4
Swim at All Seasons on the same weekday morning each week.
A real friendship story, and old friends after the holidays
Chorley, by our two founders
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, working with our editors, created this Chorley page for women who own their home here, have spent decades in Lancashire or have only just unpacked.
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.