A few ways to make friends

Según Rhik Samadder, no es muy difícil hacer amigos. Bueno, la verdad es que yo difiero. Tanto como amigos, pues va a ser que no. Tal vez conocidos o compañeros esporádicos de actividades lúdicas, personas con quienes pasar buenos ratos. Yo añadiría que aquellos de sus mismos gustos:que les agrade la música, la naturaleza, el arte, o lo que se tercie, pueden llegar a convertirse en algo parecido a amigos.

1. Be a social climber

Climbing is one of the most sociable sports around. Climbers often collaborate to solve a tricky path, before passing on knowledge to others. It's also highly mixed by gender and size, because balance and footwork are more important than strength. It's easy to meet people at indoor climbing wall sessions, and if you venture to a well-known climbing spot outdoors you'll often find others who have had the same idea. Have a go at top-roping: harnessed climbing attached to a partner by a rope. Climber and belay – the partner who anchors the rope with their body – work together for each other's safety: it's a great trust-building activity. The Barn in Tavistock, Devon, runs taster sessions and outdoor courses for between two and nine people, for £12.50 a person, with kit provided. Even better, the last Friday of every month is Boulder Beats night, with guest DJs and free entry. It's never been so easy to scale the social heights. Visit barnclimbingwall.co.uk/.

2. Throw a 'mixer party'

The idea is simple – host a gathering of your friends, each of whom brings along a friend the others don't know. Meeting friends' friends reinforces your original relationships, and for the newcomers, group integration is far easier when surrounded by fellow newbies. Rather than a sit-down event with a table plan, opt for a relaxed drinks party. You'll find there's enough familiarity in the room to avoid awkwardness, while the potential for new encounters is maximised. Mixer parties originated in dating culture, where everyone had to be single, but why add that kind of pressure? Sharing mutual friends isn't just for Facebook; it's a perfect way of expanding your social circle. The recent vogue for mixer parties suggests people want to drag their social networks off the internet and back into their lives.

3. Get into the swing

Jive and swing nights are popping up all around the country and they are a very inclusive scene, where teachers, taxi drivers, joiners and GPs rub shoulders and swing each other out. The steps are simple to learn, and the age range is broad. Blitz Jive runs nights in Sheffield, Stockport and Chester. Most dancers don't arrive with a partner, and everybody swaps every few minutes. "Women ask men to dance, men ask women. Everybody says yes," explains Marc Almond (not the Marc Almond), who runs Blitz. From committed jivers to those trying-something-new beginners, no one's left out. And of course there's always the bar, where you can catch your breath and get to know your fellow dancers. Welcome to the social whirl.

4. Become a mentor

The best way to make a friend is to be a friend. Befriending and mentoring schemes connect volunteers with vulnerable people who need a helping hand, or simply want a little company. It might be an elderly person, or someone experiencing a long stay in hospital. CSV has a range of befriending schemes – you could work with young people or offenders, or be an e-mentor, where you keep in touch with people online.

If you would rather work in bigger groups, the green-fingered could try working at an urban orchard. If you're good with young people, try a sports camp. Volunteering is a great way of meeting others who share your interests. It improves your own social skills, and connects you to your community. Plus you get to feel good about yourself, which is nice. Check do-it.org.uk, the national database of volunteering opportunities, for ideas.

5. Walk the dog

As any owner will verify, a dog at your side turns any walkable location into a hub of friendly interaction. Strangers will stop to pay you compliments, and fellow walkers will arrange playdates with you.

The social and health benefits of dog walking are long established, and you don't even need to own one to get in on the fun. Let your friends know you would be happy to dogsit for them, or visit borrowmydoggy.com, a service that matches willing walkers with owners who can't be with their pet all the time.

"Dogs are always going over to say hello, which makes walkers very social people," says the company's founder, Rikke Roselund. "In fact we started this to join up the local community. One owner and borrower lived over the road from each other and had never spoken. We don't realise we're surrounded by good people."