- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Cheltenham, from Pittville to the Promenade
Cheltenham won eight Green Flags for its parks in 2026, and in roughly 35% of Cheltenham households one person lives alone.
121,400+
Cheltenham borough population, ONS mid-2025 estimate
35%
Cheltenham households of one person, compared with 30% for the whole South West (Census 2021)
27%
Cheltenham’s 25 to 44 year olds as a slice of the borough, regional figure 24% (ONS)
Cheltenham runs round Pittville Park
Cheltenham parkrun in Pittville Park, with 683 finishers one Saturday this October, is a big, friendly way to make friends in Cheltenham. The farmers’ market comes to the Promenade on the second and last Fridays, Cheltenham Library on Clarence Street hosts an Over 60s Group on Tuesday mornings and a Poetry Cafe, and the park’s Boathouse café sits by the lower lake. Gofrendly connects Cheltenham women as well.
Cheltenham: questions about parks and people
How many Green Flag parks does Cheltenham have?
Cheltenham Borough Council won eight Green Flags in July 2026: Burrow’s Field for the first time, plus Pittville Park, Montpellier Gardens, Sandford Park, Hatherley Park, Naunton Park, Springfields Park and the Winston Churchill Memorial Gardens. Several have cafés open to Cheltenham walkers.
What happens at Cheltenham Library each week?
Cheltenham Library on Clarence Street runs an Over 60s Group on Tuesday mornings, which needs booking, and a Poetry Cafe at Friday lunchtime, next on 30 October. Late opening until 7pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays suits Cheltenham residents who work office hours.
Are there two parkruns in Cheltenham?
Yes. Cheltenham parkrun starts by the Boathouse next to the lake in Pittville Park and had 683 finishers on 17 October 2026, while King George V Playing Field parkrun had 125 the same morning. If you want a quieter start in Cheltenham, the smaller King George V run is the one to try.
Can Cheltenham women find friends within walking distance?
Gofrendly is a women-only friendship app that lets Cheltenham women see others living nearby, from Pittville to Leckhampton, and a message can get a first meeting in the diary. A walk round Pittville’s lower lake is a gentle place to start.
Cheltenham’s social scene, spa town to suburbs
Cheltenham is a Regency spa town, with Pittville Pump Room overlooking Pittville Park and the Everyman Theatre, open since 1891, on Regent Street. Across the borough, one-person households run to about 35% and residents aged 25 to 44 to some 27%, each ahead of the regional picture. If you live alone or are busy with work, a fixed weekly outing turns repeat encounters into real friendships, and the town’s parks make it easy to walk and talk.
Evenings at home feel lonely when your friends live all over Gloucestershire. Cheltenham Library’s main building closed in May 2026 for asbestos removal and its listings now run again, The Wilson has mostly free exhibitions, and Leisure at Cheltenham has a 33-metre main pool with diving boards. Burrow’s Field joined the town’s Green Flag parks for the first time in 2026. Montpellier Gardens has The Garden Cafe. Places to try, all close to the centre:
1
Pittville Park, with its lakes, aviaries and Boathouse café.
2
Cheltenham Library on Clarence Street, home of the Poetry Cafe.
3
The Wilson, Cheltenham’s art gallery and museum.
4
Montpellier Gardens and The Garden Cafe.
5
The Promenade, where the farmers’ market trades twice a month.
LOCAL TIP
Join Cheltenham parkrun one Saturday, then volunteer the next.
How to
Cheltenham: build friendships one week at a time
1
Book a place at the library’s Over 60s Group on a Tuesday morning.
2
Read a poem, or just listen, at the Poetry Cafe in Cheltenham Library.
3
Pick out a Cheltenham woman on Gofrendly and stroll to Sandford Park’s café together.
4
Try King George V Playing Field parkrun, the quieter of the town’s two Saturday runs.
Two thoughtful reads
Cheltenham guide: about the authors
The editorial team at Gofrendly, with founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, wrote the Cheltenham page for spa-town women who live alone, are busy with careers or want friends within walking distance.
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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