- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Grimsby, from Freshney Place to Weelsby Woods
Grimsby’s Ross Tiger trawler marks her 70th year afloat in 2026, and a quarter of Grimsby households have a private landlord.
86,100+
people in Grimsby’s eight wards, East Marsh to Yarborough (Census 2021, ONS)
25%
Grimsby households with a private landlord; regional share 19% (Census 2021)
10%
Grimsby lone-parent households with dependent children; regionally 7% (ONS)
Grimsby meets in Freshney Place
The pop-up library on Baxtergate in Freshney Place, open Tuesday to Saturday, is a handy first stop if you want to make friends in Grimsby; ask about its reading groups. The Top Town Market trades in the same shopping centre four days a week, and the Fishing Heritage Centre had its busiest year in over a decade in 2025. Gofrendly helps Grimsby women find company.
Grimsby: library, parks and heritage
Grimsby Central Library: is it open now?
No. Grimsby Central Library on Town Hall Square has been closed since March 2025 because of water damage and asbestos, and is not expected to reopen before 2029. A pop-up library on Baxtergate in Freshney Place opened in November 2025, Tuesday to Saturday.
What is the Ross Tiger in Grimsby?
The Ross Tiger is a preserved Grimsby trawler, bought by the council for £1 in 1991; the coin is on show in the Skipper’s Cabin. She reopened in March 2026 after restoration and marks her 70th year afloat in 2026, alongside the Fishing Heritage Centre.
Which Grimsby park has a café?
Weelsby Woods on Weelsby Road has a café, an ice cream parlour and toilets, with historic lion statues at the entrance, and Duke of York Gardens beside the River Freshney has a playground and seasonal fishing. People’s Park adds bowling greens and play areas in Grimsby.
Grimsby women: where can you meet new friends?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lets Grimsby women look for others nearby, from Scartho to West Marsh, and swap messages until they are ready to meet. A walk in Weelsby Woods with a drink at the café makes a relaxed first meeting.
Grimsby, a fishing town of renters and young parents
Grimsby grew as one of the great fishing ports, and the Ross Tiger trawler, bought by the council for £1 in 1991, reopened in March 2026 after repairs. In its eight wards 25% of homes are in the private rented sector and one in ten is a lone parent bringing up dependent children, higher than the regional shares. Renting, or parenting alone, a regular daytime outing can make the week easier.
That can be a lonely stage of life, and Grimsby has free places to go. Weelsby Woods has grassland, a café and lion statues at the gate, People’s Park has bowling greens, a croquet lawn and play areas, and Grimsby Leisure Centre on Cromwell Road offers eight swimming lanes and a learner pool. The Central Library is closed until at least 2029, so the pop-up library in Freshney Place is the place to borrow books. Cleethorpes parkrun is about 4 km away. Places to start:
1
The pop-up library on Baxtergate, Freshney Place.
2
Top Town Market in Freshney Place.
3
Weelsby Woods on Weelsby Road.
4
People’s Park on Park Drive.
5
The Fishing Heritage Centre and the Ross Tiger.
LOCAL TIP
Make the pop-up library your Saturday stop and the staff may soon know your name.
How to
Meeting people in Grimsby with children in tow
1
Ask at the Freshney Place pop-up library about reading groups.
2
Take the children to People’s Park and get talking by the play area.
3
Visit the Fishing Heritage Centre café with a new friend.
4
Walk Weelsby Woods with a Grimsby woman who messaged you on Gofrendly.
Blog stories about grown-up friendship
Grimsby guide: who it is by
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja created this Grimsby guide with our editors’ help for North East Lincolnshire women renting, raising children on their own or looking for more friends close to home.
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.