Making Friends in London

Hi all

Forgive me if this article is in the wrong place but I was just looking for advice on behlaf of my wife. She moved here from the UK last year and we got married and are otherwise very happy living together. However she has found it really hard to make friends in London and despite having a job now which she really enjoys, is struggling to meet new people. I think she has found Londoners to be a little reserved and taken aback by her friendliness which (not surprisingly) seems to be knocking her self-esteem

Now of course i want her to be happy and I have said to her that making friends in this country can be hard and she needs to be proactive and thick-skinned about it. However I just wondered if anyone here has had similar experiences that they can share and maybe some advice for her on how she should go about meeting new people (having lived here all my life im still finding surprisingly hard to suggest ways in which she can get to know people!). She is young and outgoing and friendly and it upsets me that she is feeling a little lonely. I also appreciate she needs her own social life and doesnt want to hang around me all the time!

To be honest I think it would just help her to know that other people have had the same experiences so she doesnt feel like shes the only one

Any help would be much appreciated

Thanks very much

This old-ish thread might help.

Has your wife joined UKY? It might be a good idea as there are quite a lot of people in London and they plan occasional meet-ups. I'm not in the area, but I know they'll welcome her! 

I second what chary has said...I know they hold a london meet up book club almost 1x a month I think.  People do get together and this forum is fabulous for support so have her come join us - we are mostly a nice group of people 

www.meetup.com she can search for get togethers in the area and decide on which groups she might fit in with and do some trial meets

Not in London yet, but I worry about these things too. 

I plan to join groups on meetup, volunteer, and start again with weight watchers. I also plan to see if any of DH's mates' wifes/girlfriends and I click. Other than that, no London specific advice really. I've moved heaps in my life and found friends through various outlets, usually social outlets like meetup groups or volunteering.