You're never too old to find your perfect match... That's the finding of a new study which has placed St Albans among the best cities for over-60s looking for love.
Care home providers Lottie analysed the number of senior users on the online dating platform Match.com, as well as the over 60s population in cities around the UK, to discover the top dating hotspots for retired singles.
St Albans ranked a respectable 31st in best cities for senior singles with 290 Match.com users in their 60s or above.
The city scores 7.9/10 for the proportion of over 60s Match.com users to its senior population, and received a final overall dating score of 5.1/10.
We asked some older members of the St Albans public for their opinions on online dating, and although some were reluctant to provide their ages, they did offer mixed responses to the question.
Margaret Owen said: “I feel too nervous to use an app to meet someone new. I would much prefer to meet in person within the community as its much easier to gauge whether you like them or not.”
Lisa Perkins, 62, said: “The thought of dating at my age is scary enough, let alone through an app!”
Local photographer Lynne Wilde said she would never consider using a dating app: “Dating on apps can be risky. I would much prefer to meet somewhere like a local sports club where I would hope like-minded people would be.”
Ian Caldwell, 76, said: “I’ve never used one myself, but some of my friends met and got married after meeting through an online app, and another friend met someone online after their partner died.”
Reverend Jonathan Gordon believes dating apps are a good way to connect: “I know my daughter is supportive of dating apps so I probably would consider using one. After lockdown, it seems a good way of re-connecting again. I have married people online before so why not!”
Les Moody, 63, is very supportive of meeting people through online groups. After losing his wife to cancer in 2015, he joined a country-wide online support group that organised cinema trips, coffee mornings and opportunities to meet other widows. That’s where he met his current partner, Chris Grosse, who he has been with for six years.
He said: “I’ve never been on a dating app as such, but I feel like support is certainly out there. I found love when I was least expecting it so you never know.”
For the full study and blog post see: lottie.org/data-insight/best-UK-cities-to-find-love-for-over-60s
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