Specialist Dating Services
People who want to meet members of the same religious, ethnic, moral or cultural background can, with luck, also find these on the net. Natural Friends, for example, advertises itself (www.naturalfriends.com) as 'the perfect introduction agency for ethically-minded, environmentally-sensitive, country-loving, health-conscious, single non-smokers'.
Full membership (90 days) costs £25.00, with the option of subscribing to the mobile text message service as an optional extra at £6.00 for 50 text units.
Vegetarian Matchmakers, for non flesh eating mammals and their possible mates, was established 24 years ago to bring vegetarians and vegans together. It is not just a 'dating agency' but offers friendship, social events and opportunities for members to publicise their own businesses and to develop other services of interest to the whole vegetarian/vegan community. Six months' full membership costs £45.00 or £65 for a year (www.veggiematchmakers.com)
People of different faiths or cultural backgrounds usually find friends and possible partners in their own religious institutions including mosques, churches, synagogues and associated clubs. When these prove too limited, to find others of like minds try newspaper columns or website introduction agencies. Muslimmatch.com, for example, is 'a matrimonial service which aims to unite Muslims through Marriage and Friendship' and by 'Using the latest in Internet technologies to promote love/compassion an understanding within the Muslim Community.'
Another option for those who perhaps want to meet only those of their own faith and culture is attending one of the special Christian, Jewish, Asian or Muslim 'speed dating' events.
The County Register is unusual in several ways. Firstly www.thecountyregister.com accepts men and women from age 30 with the preferred age being over 45. Secondly clients are interviewed in their own homes, thus giving a good idea of their personality, standards and style before they get on the register. Once they are accepted, a fee of £8,000 plus VAT gives them 18 months' membership with six advertisements placed in quality broadsheets. The replies are screened and those deemed suitable are interviewed. The agency provides a detailed report on each of them and clients can then decide whether to go ahead.
One of the problems of the rich, apparently, is that they never know whether those who profess an interest in them are actually more concerned with their monetary rather than their personal worth. Founder Heather Heber Percy and her daughter Tamara guard the anonymity of subscribers and take the risk and embarrassment out of introductions. Travelling widely including visits to tax havens in search of the Right Person, they give no guarantee as to the outcome of their work except to say that subscribers will meet some interesting people.
At £8,000 a throw, this might seem a little on the steep side to those of us unacquainted with the problems of the seriously rich. The 'subsidiary' site, Portfolio Connection, comes in at only £1,500 for 15 months' membership and each fortnight sends out photos and descriptions of other members who can be contacted by subscribers.
