Making new friends!

I am like Marydoll I have also met new friends through meetups. I also correspond by email with two others as both live too far away. Another I correspond with but we also meet up for coffee or lunch. Unfortunately, although we both live on the outskirts of London one is north and the other is south of the Thames so difficult for a meet-up other than in central London.

I made new friends by going to a meet ups, now I'm very much involved in organising the Glesca Grannies (note to self, to arrange the next one)
The last few meet ups had about seventeen people! Thank you lassies for your gift of friendship!

I have many friends, but they are all now involved in childminding, so very busy. I am amazed that I have been able to make new friends at my age.

I can’t say VOLUNTEERING loudly enough helping others in whatever way is the biggest surge of the feel good factor that you can imagine you get to make friends (you are not using your heating selfish thought but practical ) you keep as busy as you want, you choose your times, do as much or as little as you like, you often get tea or coffee on duty what is there not to like
So many places are crying out for help from working with little kids to the elderly and everything between our parks all have a band of volunteers, if you like outdoor, gardening, Coast guard watch, lifeboat, schools need reading helpers, hospitals need hospitality help, community help needs drivers and of course shops and hundreds more opportunities

I ve been volunteering for 8 years and it has been my total saving in old age

I go to Red Hats and also Probus. I,too, found U3A not my thing though I might re-join if they have a subject that appeals. Probus is pretty big where I live and we do all sorts of different things, dining out, coffee mornings,cards, ukulele, cinema, wine tasting, trips to places of interest long and short. A lot of single ladies join because they like to have a travelling companion on holidays.

Well if OH is anything to go by, the local bowls club.

I hardly see him since he joined?

FannyCornforth I posted that! I now do aqua aerobics 3 times a week, go to a day centre for 5 hours one day a week, do a telephone befriending thing once a week (I ring an elderly lady), and I've reconnected with a few people from years ago, so meet them every month for lunch and a look round the shops. I tried U3A but found it wasn't really for me.

Hi BlueAngel this is an oldish thread that I’ve been ‘watching’ which has some good suggestions.
I’m at a sort of turning point in my life too
www.gransnet.com/forums/chat/1308189-Making-new-friends

I think people do move on quite quickly when lifestyles change, quite often. This probably happened a bit when you were busy with the grandchildren, so people have adopted new patterns of socialising than they had when you were more available yourself.

I'm sure they can again adopt a new pattern, but it might take time. Can you invite them for coffee or lunch somewhere? Get the ball rolling?

Otherwise, groups driven by interests seem to be good places to meet others. Gardening, books, exercise, for example.