friendsfirst Media Attention

Loving living in Yorkshire but finding something missing?

Few people would not envy those of us who are lucky to live and work in Yorkshire perhaps the country’s best kept secret. There is no doubt we are surrounded by beauty; probably have lovely neighbours; and good friends, let alone access to all that the area has to offer in terms of facilities and recreation.

And yet if you are someone who lives alone, then maybe you feel that something is missing in your life.  This is probably because whatever your age or status in life, most of us want close meaningful relationships with other people. We may already have many friends in our lives, but if we are on our own, then there is probably a hole which we’d love to fill with someone special – someone we could connect with in a really deep, meaningful and loving way. 

If that’s you, then take a closer look at a local organisation called friendsfirst which was set up with exactly the purpose of helping Christians in particular find a special companion or even their soul mate.

friendsfirst was established in 1999 when it’s owner, Katharine Gray, lived in Birmingham. She knew there were agencies ‘down south’ but saw help for anyone who lived in the ‘North’. Friendsfirst now has a national reach and reputation and over it’s eleven years of operation has had many marriages between people living in Yorkshire.

friendsfirst works by putting members in touch with each other in a safe and confidential way. Consequently it provides a really personal and effective way of meeting other people in the same position as you and is thus a very effective way to make new friends and soul mates.

The friendsfirst membership spans a wide cross section of society with members in all ages from 25 to 88. They come from all walks of life, do a huge range of jobs and none, and include people not yet married, widowers and people who’ve been married before. As a result, the chances are, you’re going to find the sort of person you are looking for.

Although the organisation has a website (which is packed full of useful information about friendsfirst as well as tips on making new friends), the service the organisation provides is entirely off line and extremely personal. Quite simply friendsfirst does not provide internet dating but rather a friendship service. This is because when it comes to making new friends through a third party, being able to chat to someone about other members and having the reassurance that they all really exist and are also active, makes all the difference between successful membership or dashed hopes.

Thousands of people have joined the organisation and many have found they’ve made friendships that have really changed their lives – whether that’s because a new friend has greatly enriched their lives or a new relationship has led to marriage.  Hundreds have found great success and there have been over 140 people married through the service. One such couple is David (from Halifax) and Gill (who lived in Worcester before discovering David and Yorkshire!)

David was divorced father of four and to his surprise was very popular on friendsfirst with lots of women contacting him. Gill was single and happy with her life but wanting something a bit more. When they met, they thought they were just going to be good friends with nothing more, but as their friendship developed the love between them grew until David knew this was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Gill had realised this before him and once David had proposed they didn’t waste time getting married.  (You can find more stories like David and Gill’s on the friendsfirst website including quite a few from the Yorkshire area!)

So many happy members write to us with their feedback and you can read it all on the website but these quotations really sum it up:

“I know I joined friendsfirst to meet other people, but I cannot believe what is happening in my life. I did not anticipate meeting someone so lovely as Claire and that we would get on so well. If I have learnt anything over the last year it is that it is only when you take a risk, only when you do something different, do exciting things start to happen.”  (Jim – policeman)

“I have found your service both modern and professional. Thanks for your help.”  (Sue – solicitor)

“I looked at lots of different agencies before I joined friendsfirst but I definitely made the right decision in joining. It’s very good – no it’s a fantastic service and I’m very pleased with it. I have started seeing another member and we’re enjoying getting to know each other. The whole way the system works, the kind of information you put out is fantastic. It’s a very safe way to get to know people, and I’ve been selling it to all my friends.”

                                                                                                  (Eric – Production assistant)

So, if you are looking to meet someone special, don’t just wait for it to happen. If you have any sort of Christian faith, think about joining friendsfirst – it will open up a whole new world of people to you. And don’t forget - what makes friendsfirst different from other organisations is that they offer a professional, confidential, personal and very friendly service – with dedicated staff to assist you in making new friends. They also offer holidays and events.

For further details ring 0121 427 1286 or 0161 660 4535, email info@friends1st.co.uk or write to PO Box 4853, Stratford upon Avon, CV37 8BS. Website: www.friends1st.co.uk

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