- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 21, 2026
Make Friends After 40 in Paignton When Mum or Dad Needs You More
Paignton has fewer residents in their forties than the South West and more over 65, so if you are helping an ageing parent, carers’ groups here are worth a look.
5,000+
Paignton residents in their forties within six Torbay wards, 2021 census (ONS)
11%
was Paignton’s forties share in 2021, a point below the South West’s 12% (ONS)
34%
of Paignton households were a single person, against 30% across the region (Census 2021)
Paignton, caring and a break of your own
In your 40s and supporting an ageing parent in Paignton, groups that understand short notice and a full diary are where friendships start. A carers’ coffee group meets at St Paul’s Church once a month, Step One runs a craft group each Tuesday morning, and a memory café on Saturday afternoons welcomes carers and parents together. Gofrendly also lets you spot Paignton women in a similar position nearby.
Paignton answers for women supporting a parent
Is there a carers’ group in Paignton?
A Carers’ Coffee Group meets at St Paul’s Church in Paignton on the first Wednesday every month, from 1pm until 3pm. It is listed by Torbay’s Signposts for Carers service, and it gives unpaid carers a relaxed place to share tips and meet people who understand the juggling.
Is there a memory café in Paignton?
A memory café meets at Palace Avenue Methodist Church in Paignton on Saturday afternoons from 2.30pm to 3.30pm. People living with dementia come with a carer or relative, so it is a place where you and a parent can both meet others, share experiences and enjoy an hour out together.
Is there a free craft group in Paignton?
Step One runs a Wellbeing Craft Group in Paignton every Tuesday between 10am and 1pm, and taking part costs nothing. It is a calm drop-in group, so it suits carers who need a few hours out without having to promise to come every single week.
Juggling a parent’s care in your 40s: how can Paignton friendships take root?
Choose groups with flexible attendance, such as a monthly carers’ coffee or a drop-in craft morning, so missing a week does not matter. Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, also connects you with Paignton women in a similar situation for a coffee at short notice.
Paignton friendships for women caring for parents
Supporting a parent as they get older often creeps up on you. First it is a lift to an appointment, then the Saturday supermarket run, then you realise your own plans have quietly stopped. The friends you had may be busy with children or work, and it is hard to explain why you cannot commit to a Friday night. What works is a group where people know the drill: you turn up when you can, nobody asks why you missed last week, and the hour is yours. Some groups even welcome your parent, so you are not choosing between them and a social life, and the other carers there often become the people you text first.
Paignton’s population leans older than the region, with fewer people in their forties and more one-person homes. Caring may feel lonely even with every hour booked; a regular group shares the load. Places to make friends after 40 around caring:
1
The Carers’ Coffee Group at St Paul’s Church, held from 1pm to 3pm on the first Wednesday each month.
2
Step One’s Wellbeing Craft Group, a relaxed drop-in on Tuesday mornings.
3
The memory café at Palace Avenue Methodist Church, where carers and parents can go together on Saturdays.
4
Paignton Library on Great Western Road, a quiet indoor spot to meet a new friend.
5
Torbay Velopark, where a Saturday 5k parkrun starts in Clennon Valley.
LOCAL TIP
Keep one hour a week that nobody else can book.
How to
Small ways to make friends in Paignton while caring
1
Go along to the monthly carers’ coffee afternoon at St Paul’s Church.
2
Drop into the Tuesday craft group and bring a project you already have on the go.
3
Contact Paignton women through Gofrendly who are carers too; a seafront stroll makes a gentle first plan.
4
Take your parent to the Saturday memory café and meet other families there.
Reads for the caring years
Paignton carers’ page: who put it together
Founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja and the Gofrendly editors wrote these pages with Paignton women in mind whose mum or dad needs more help, choosing drop-in groups that bend around care.
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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