The regular activities for older people in Hertford and Ware run from a free Thursday coffee morning at the United Reformed Church on Cowbridge to Local Social's four coffee mornings a week around Ware. In between there is a Wednesday lunchtime concert at All Saints, two led health walks, short mat bowls and a dementia and friendship group at St Andrew's. This guide is for a family member helping a parent in SG12 to SG14 get out more, and for anyone in the two towns who would like company.
Hertford and Ware are close enough to share a page and far enough apart that a parent will usually stick to their own town. In our experience the right group is the one five minutes from home. Both towns have enough that nobody needs to cross the river.
Here we set out what runs, what it costs and how to make the first visit work. The full checked list is on our What's On for Older People page for Hertford and Ware. Several of the organisers confirmed their details to us this week.
What is on for older people in Hertford?
Hertford United Reformed Church on Cowbridge runs the Open House coffee morning every Thursday from 10am to 12 noon, free. It also serves a free Hot Potato lunch on the second Thursday from 12 noon, and runs short mat bowls on Monday morning through the autumn and winter, beginners welcome. St Andrew's on St Andrew Street has coffee mornings, usually on the first Saturday, with 16 January already set for the new year. Its lunch club for the over 60s meets on the second Friday at £5, booked by phone.
All Saints Church hosts the Soundbites lunchtime concerts on Wednesday, with food from 12pm and a free concert at 1pm, unticketed. Expression Through Art at the Skills and Learning Centre on Tuesday afternoon is free and drop in. The Hertfordshire Health Walk taster from Carlton Court in Sele on Thursday at 10am is free. Hertford Library in Dolphin Yard has a Digital Champion on Friday afternoon.
What is on for older people in Ware?
Local Social runs free coffee mornings across Ware. On Monday it is at Grange Hall on Presdales Drive from 10.30am and at the Saffron Building Society on the High Street from 12pm. It also meets at The Crooked Billet on Musley Hill and at Leaside Church on the High Street, with no need to book. The Herts Health Walk from Leaside Church leaves every Friday at 10am, and Ware Library has a Digital Champion on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.
Age UK Hertfordshire's 10 to 3 clubs run Monday to Friday across Hertford and Ware at £16.50 including transport, by referral form. They suit someone who wants a full day rather than a morning.
Memory, friendship and carers' groups
The Dementia and Friendship Group meets in St Andrew's church hall in Hertford every other Wednesday from 12 noon to 2pm, with the remaining 2026 dates on our page. It is an independent group that meets in the hall, and the church office passes on messages. Herts Musical Memories sings at Sele Farm Community Centre on Tuesday afternoons. The Alzheimer's Society Together Group meets at 140 North Road on Tuesday from 11.15am.
For the person doing the caring, there are more options here than in most towns. The Alzheimer's Society carers' groups meet in Hertford once a month on a Tuesday, and in Ware at the Beefeater on Marsh Lane on the second Tuesday morning. The Ware Carers Support Hub, run by Carers in Hertfordshire at Allenbury's on Harris Lane, meets monthly. There is also a group for bereaved carers in Ware on the second Tuesday morning. Our guide to dementia care at home in Hertford covers what happens when a weekly group is no longer enough on its own.
How do I get a parent in Hertford or Ware to go?
Go together the first time and choose the nearest thing. In Hertford that is probably the URC on a Thursday morning. In Ware it is whichever Local Social morning is closest. Keep the first visit to forty minutes, then go back the same day the next week, because that is when the room starts to feel familiar. The NHS advice on loneliness in older people points to exactly this kind of regular, local activity.
From Bengeo or Hertford Heath, the journey is the quiet reason a club stops. Where that is the barrier, our companionship care includes a carer who goes with someone to a group and brings them home. That keeps the Thursday coffee fixed in the week.
What do activities for older people in Hertford cost?
Most of the list is free: the URC coffee morning and lunch, Local Social, both health walks, the concert, the art session and the library sessions. The St Andrew's lunch club is £5, and the Age UK clubs are £16.50 with transport. The dementia groups ask you to contact them. Where a cost is not published we have said so rather than guess.
Common questions about activities for older people in Hertford and Ware
Are there free coffee mornings for older people in Ware?
Yes, many activities for older people in Hertford are free. Local Social runs free coffee mornings at Grange Hall and the Saffron Building Society on Monday, and at The Crooked Billet and Leaside Church, with no need to book. The days and times for each venue are on our What's On page.
Is there a lunch club for older people in Hertford?
St Andrew's runs a lunch club for the over 60s on the second Friday of the month at £5, booked by phone. Hertford URC also serves a free Hot Potato lunch on the second Thursday from 12 noon.
Can a carer take my parent to a group in Hertford or Ware?
Yes. A companionship carer can help someone get ready, go with them and bring them home. Families often arrange this for one regular outing a week. Starling Homecare's Hertford team is on 01920 746 779.
Hertford and Ware have an unusual number of free, weekly, drop-in groups, and the organisers have been generous in helping us get them right. If you are helping a parent here, every one of the activities for older people in Hertford we know of is on the What's On page. Our Hertford team on 01920 746 779 will talk it through with you.
Arranging Care Is Simple
Starting care can feel like a big step. We keep it calm and straightforward, and we are here to guide you from your very first call.
1. Talk to us
Get in touch by phone or request a callback. We will listen, answer your questions and help you understand the options, so you can decide what feels right in your own time.
2. A home visit and initial consultation
We arrange a visit to understand your routines, your home and what matters most to you. Together we agree an initial consultation and shape the support that feels right.
3. Your care begins
A small, familiar team starts your care, arriving at the agreed times and staying involved as your needs change. We remain your trusted adviser throughout.
Whenever you are ready, we are here to help.