Friendship

Harrogate UK Directory –  Friendship in Harrogate, Knaresborough & Ripon

Core Friendship / Social & Age-Related Groups

Inclusive, Youth & Support Friendship Groups

Sports Clubs with a Social Side

Hobbies, Games & Indoor Social Groups

Walking, Outdoor & Dog-Friendly Groups

Volunteering-Based Social Groups

Social Clubs, Circles & Business Networking

Family & Early-Years Friendship Groups

Mixed-Age Friendship & Community Groups

Find More Friendship and Social Groups in Harrogate, Knaresborough, and Ripon

 

Looking to make new friends in Harrogate? There are plenty of friendly and welcoming groups to help you connect with others and enjoy local activities. Join popular social communities like Harrogate Bee Social or Spice Social, which host a variety of events, meetups, and group activities for all ages and interests.

You can also discover like-minded people through online platforms such as Meetup and Together Friends, designed to help locals find companionship and shared interests.

For more specific groups, the Harlow Friendship Group is perfect for older adults looking to meet new people, while the Harrogate Film Society brings together movie lovers for regular screenings and discussions.

With so many social clubs, hobby groups, and community events in Harrogate, finding friendship and building connections has never been easier.

Social Groups & Platforms

• Spice Social:A membership group offering a wide variety of events, from social dining and walks to adventure sports, throughout Yorkshire, including Harrogate.
• Harrogate Bee Social:A local community for people 18+ (with a strong over-45 community) offering activities like hiking, cycling, board game nights, cinema trips, and social dinners, according to their Facebook page.
• Meetup:Find events and groups in Harrogate centered around common interests, such as bowling with SocialLife or other social events hosted by Harrogate Social Events.
• Together Friends:A service for making friends, particularly over coffee mornings, and it also facilitates member-organized activities like lunches, theatre trips, and supper clubs, notes the Together Friends blog.

Specific Interest Groups

• Harlow Friendship Group:A group, associated with Harrogate & District Community Action (HADCA), for older people to meet and socialize.
• Harrogate Film Society:A group for film buffs who meet for screenings and discussions, mentions a Reddit thread.
• Geek Retreat:A venue in Harrogate for tabletop and video gaming, which may also offer related social activities, according to the same Reddit thread.

Other Tips

• Join a Gym:Facilities like David Lloyd’s offer a bar where you can suggest a coffee or a pint with other members.
• Attend Local Pubs: The Blues Bar in town offers live music nightly, and some venues host other social events, says the Reddit thread………………………………………………………………………….

WELCOME TO HARROGATE FITMUMS & FRIENDS –  Visit the website here – 

A voluntary group organised by a team of volunteer leaders and coaches

Harrogate Fitmums & Friends welcomes everyone to sessions – no need to be a mum, or female – men welcome and all ages (over 16 years). If you need any further information please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Welcome to Harrogate Fitmums & Friends

A voluntary group organised by a team of volunteer leaders and coaches

Harrogate Fitmums & Friends welcomes everyone to sessions – no need to be a mum, or female – men welcome and all ages (over 16 years). If you need any further information please do not hesitate to get in touch.

View Club location
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Making friends in Harrogate – Visit the website here –

Making friends in Harrogate or anywhere is not easy nowadays. With work and family commitments taking up a lot of our time. It is hard to prioritize making friends.

Everyone is different but at certain stages of our lives, having friends to spend time with is a welcomed distraction and a comfort. Whether you have recently moved to Harrogate? Or maybe you’ve reached a point in your life when you feel like you need some new friends? Perhaps you find yourself with more time as the kids grow up, or you have lost a set of friends after divorce or separation? It is always nice to know that you have friends to spend time with.

With this in mind making friends in Harrogate is where we come in. Black Swan Bowling Club uses crown green bowling as the backdrop for meeting new friends. The common interest of bowling, initially gives you something to talk about and then as bonds form the friendships can develop. We do not just focus on bowling there are a number of events, social and other events that give plenty of opportunities for meeting new people.

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Harrogate and District Community Action – Friendship & Exercise Club – Visit the website here – 

“Our HELP project received an invaluable £2,500 grant from the Elise Pilkington Charitable Trust to supporting the running of our weekly Friendship & Exercise Club for older people in Ripon.

After a challenging couple of years it is more important than ever that we can bring people together who are at risk of loneliness. Our Friendship & Exercise Club enables older people from Ripon and the surrounding rural areas to re-establish their social connections and to regain any loss of mobility and fitness.

For some members, the Friendship & Exercise Club is the only time they get out of the house each week and we do everything we can to make it a welcoming, accessible space to all, particularly those who have lost confidence since the pandemic. The first part of the session is led by a qualified mobility instructor. She guides participants through a series of chair-based exercises designed to increase strength and flexibility.  The second part of the session focuses on fostering social interaction. Over refreshments, members either chose to catch up with one another, run a tombola or quiz, or plan more activities for future sessions.

Dorothy’s story is a great example of how the Club makes a difference to our members:

Dorothy recently lost her husband and made contact by email after hearing about the Friendship Club on the notice board at St Wilfrid’s Community Centre. She was extremely nervous about coming along as her life was pretty confined to being at home and caring for her husband for many years. After a few messages Dorothy plucked up the courage to come along. Some of the group members have naturally become welcome buddies, helping new people feel welcome and supported in the first few weeks. This has really been amazing to see and is an example of why the group works due to the caring and compassionate culture adopted by the group. Dorothy says: “I feel so comfortable coming here, I’ve been made to feel really welcome and not just left sat in the corner on my own.”

Beyond the Friendship & Exercise Club, we have an army of volunteers helping people in our community stay safe and well at home and connected with their communities. Our volunteer drivers offer a lifeline to people who struggle to get out or use public transport. Our Help at Home handymen are helping improve people’s home environments so they feel more confident living independently and our volunteer befrienders are making life a little less lonely for the people they support in Ripon and the surrounding villages. A lot of our work is now focused on supporting individuals and families through the cost of living crisis, signposting them to support and guidance to ensure they are not lost in the system.”

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Knaresborough Friendship & Leisure Centre – Visit the website here

People aged 55 and older are welcome to use the centre free of charge for a rest, a chat and reading. Tea, coffee and biscuits are available for a small charge. The centre is open 10am – 2pm Mon – Sat and 2pm -4pm Mon – Wed and Friday. The centre organises Christmas Parcels given to local people aged 75 and over and are living alone.

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Ripon Friendship & Social Groups

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Associations and Community Centres