- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Castleford, around the Forum and Valley Gardens
Castleford’s Forum holds the library and a free museum under one roof, and cohabiting couples head 16% of Castleford households.
32,800+
people in the Castleford Central and Glasshoughton and Airedale and Ferry Fryston wards (Census 2021, ONS)
16%
Castleford homes shared by an unmarried couple, three points above the regional 13% (Census 2021)
23%
Castleford households who are social tenants, against 17% across the region (ONS)
Castleford crafts and reads at the Forum
The Castleford Craft Group at the Forum Library on Carlton Street, Monday mornings from 10:30am, is a welcoming way to make friends in Castleford; book a place ahead. The same library holds a Readers Group on third Monday mornings and chair-based exercise on Fridays, and the free museum upstairs tells the town’s story. Gofrendly lets Castleford women line up company for the next session.
Castleford: library, museum and market
What groups meet at Castleford Forum Library?
Castleford Forum Library on Carlton Street runs a Craft Group on Monday mornings (book ahead), a Readers Group on the third Monday morning of each month and chair-based exercise on Fridays. The museum upstairs adds a crafts session on the third Tuesday afternoon of the month in term time, with materials provided.
Which days are Castleford’s indoor and outdoor markets open?
Castleford’s indoor market on Carlton Street opens Monday to Saturday, with a half day on Wednesday, and the outdoor market trades on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Both have cafés, which makes the market a handy Castleford meeting point for a first coffee.
Castleford: where to find the nearest parkrun?
Castleford runners and walkers head to Pontefract parkrun at Pontefract Racecourse, about 4 km from Castleford, which starts on the inside track near the boating lake, laps the lake and then circles the racecourse. More than 400 people finished one recent Saturday.
Castleford women: where to look for friendship?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, shows Castleford women others in the area, from Glasshoughton to Airedale, and lets them message first. A walk in Valley Gardens or a drink at one of the indoor market cafés makes an easy first meeting.
Castleford, a Wakefield district town for couples and renters
Castleford sits where the Aire meets the Calder, with indoor and outdoor markets on Carlton Street a short walk from the Forum. Its two central wards have 16% of households formed by couples who are not married and 23% with a council or housing association landlord, above the regional shares on both. After moving here as a couple, you can know every shop and still have nobody of your own to call.
That gap is lonely, and Castleford has free places to close it. Castleford Museum on the top floor of the Forum covers local history from the Bronze Age to today, Valley Gardens has a new £99,000 play area made with the Friends of Valley Gardens, and Pontefract parkrun circles the racecourse and lake about 4 km away. Chair-based exercise runs at the library on Friday mornings, and the cafés in the market are good for a first coffee. Places to start:
1
Castleford Forum Library and Museum on Carlton Street.
2
Castleford Market, indoor and outdoor, on Carlton Street.
3
Valley Gardens and its new play area.
4
Pontefract parkrun at Pontefract Racecourse.
5
Aspire@ThePark in Pontefract for swimming.
LOCAL TIP
Bring a novel to the Readers Group on a few third Mondays and you may soon be trading recommendations.
How to
Castleford: meeting people around the Forum
1
Book a place at the Monday Castleford Craft Group in the Forum.
2
Take a book to the Readers Group on the third Monday morning of the month.
3
Run or walk Pontefract parkrun round the racecourse.
4
Suggest coffee at Castleford Market to a woman you have connected with on Gofrendly.
More reading on making friends
Castleford: why our founders wrote this
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja put together the Castleford page alongside our editorial colleagues, for Wakefield district women living with a partner, renting or wanting more friends close by.
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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See who’s nearby and say hi — it’s free to start.