Last updated at 12:00, Monday, 23 January 2012

Keswick woman desperately seeking 15 single guys and 15 single ladies aged 24 to 35.

Leah Davies

If you’re fed up of being a singleton then Leah Davies may have the answer. She has just set up her own business and has lined up a series of speed dating sessions to help Cumbrians looking for love.

Leah is single herself and knows the frustrations of trying to meet someone – and has herself tried speed dating.

“Someone I worked with mentioned she wanted to try speed dating but the only place she could find was in Newcastle,” Leah remembers. “I was interested so we went along to the bar to see what it was like.”

If you’re not familiar with speed dating, it’s where men and women are rotated to meet each other over a series of short ‘dates’, usually lasting a few minutes.

At the end of each date they move on to the next person. At the end of the event each person hands in details of the people they’d like to date for real and if there are matches the contact information is sent to each person.

The event Leah went to gave her four minutes with each male before they moved on to the next lady. They then had to give each person either a tick or a cross.

“It was quite nerve-racking,” Leah remembers. “We had a few glasses of wine when we got there to give us confidence.

“The first couple of men were difficult as you’re both nervous. After the first few it was easier.

“Most of the men took the lead when they sat down and if we found that we had something in common like music then it was quite easy.

“There were two men who were really awkward though and the four minutes seemed like a long time.

“I had to get the conversation going.

“I found out that one of them liked football so that made it a bit easier...”

As Leah didn’t meet anyone she thought was worth travelling from Keswick to Newcastle to see she didn’t give any of the men she met a tick.

“Although I didn’t meet anyone it was a great confidence booster to get ticks off people,” she says.

“As I’m single I know it’s hard to meet people.

“I don’t like dating websites as you don’t really know who the person is.

“With speed dating you’re all meeting together in a safe environment.”

Leah’s new company Boo Events has organised a series of speed dating sessions in Carlisle and she’s looking for 15 men and 15 women aged 24 to 35 to take part in the first one.

Each person will be given a name badge and a scorecard and they’ll get three minutes with their prospective dates and a chance to meet 15 potential people.

A bell will sound for the guy to move on to the next lady.

If the scores match both individuals will be contacted by Leah the following day to see if they want to swap telephone numbers.

Leah has put a list of possible questions on her website that would be icebreakers in a speed dating situation, from the straightforward ‘What’s your dream job’ to the more obscure ‘If you were an animal, which one would you be and why?’

“You’ve got three minutes to make an impression,” she says. “You have to make the most of it.

“There’s no guarantee you’ll meet the person of your dreams though.”

Leah plans to host similar events in Kendal, Cockermouth and Barrow, for a variety of age ranges.

After leaving school Leah worked at hotels in the Lake District before moving to South Africa for a year with her boyfriend at the time. She worked for an estate agents there and then returned to Keswick and has worked at Honister Slate Mine for the past seven and a half years.

She says she has always wanted to run her own business and has learnt a lot working for former owner Mark Weir, who tragically died in a helicopter accident last year.

“Mark was a great inspiration,” she says. “He taught me a lot about business and helped my confidence to grow.”

As well as speed dating, Boo Events can organise packages for hen and stag parties.

“We get a lot of stag groups at Honister,” she says. “I’ve got lots of contacts and so I can organise everything from accommodation to fancy dress outfits.”

• The speed dating events take place on Thursday February 9 for 24 to 35 year olds, Wednesday 29 for 30 to 40 year olds and on Thursday March 8 it will be for 40 to 55 year olds. If you go along to one event and don’t find anyone you like then you will be offered the chance to go to another speed dating event for free. The event costs £20 and you have to register for a place at www.booevents.com/speed-dating

First published at 11:29, Monday, 23 January 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk