hellomagazine.com

I'm probably starting this story the same way as most of the people on here do when they find someone special. I would genuinely like to take the opportunity to thank parship for helping me find someone who potentially wants to walk alongside me holding my hand and seeing where it leads.

We've both glanced at the success stories section and always wondered if any of them were true or were just made up? Well for anybody who gets to read this they will know that this one definitely is!

We were also both sceptical about the psychometric testing you use, but had to concede that in our case it certainly seemed to work.

Evie is an amazing person! Intelligent, funny, kind, warm and has an incredible energy around her.

We met one afternoon over a week ago after exchanging mails, phone calls and pics (although the third one I received was one of a dog, which was worrying, but she assured me that it wasn't that she hadn't shaved!!). We felt we would get on well, but that first meeting is always the most nerve racking! However after I eventually found a car parking space and we met for the first time, we instantly connected, we spent a few hours together talked, laughed and talked some more. We arranged to meet the following weekend which we did. The weekend was really nice and our feelings have grown stonger.

It is early days and we are realistic about our expectations. We live about 3 hrs away from each other and lead busy lives. However the connection between us is strong enough to feel that we need to pursue our feelings for each other and as I said at the beginning, see where it leads. (She will not be impressed as I've stole her line, however I think it sums up perfectly the place where we both are at the moment).

In terms of where we would like it to go, well thats all in the hands of synchronicity, with perhaps a gentle push from the both of us..........

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I had used several dating sites without much success. There are a few dubious sites, and unfortunately most of the men on these sites thought I was looking for sex and nothing else. This was in spite of putting in my profile that I had recently been widowed and was thinking about getting back into the real world after a bit of a difficult time. I was looking for someone to form a relationship with, someone of like mind, and someone with whom eventually I might spend the rest of my life.

I had a few encounters on PARSHIP - all of whom were OK. Your service seems to be able to get genuine enquiries, on the whole. I was looking at the latest list of contacts, and the percentage thing is actually quite useful. I can't remember what Dave's was, but his profile seemed nice, so I sent him an Icebreaker. It wasn't until I'd pressed the Send button that I realised he was up in Birmingham. I didn't think any more about it, until I got a reply back. I then replied to him, saying that I hadn't realised he was in Birmingham and that distance might be a problem. He said he'd still like to 'chat' so we continued to email each other for a while. Incidentally, Dave had only gone on the site because he'd seen an advert on the TV, plus when my Icebreaker arrived, he decided he'd sign up for a month. He says it's the best £35 he's ever spent! Eventually I gave him my mobile number to text and he rang me straight away. After that we talked every night for hours on end about absolutely everything. He knew what I looked like, but I didn't know what he looked like, which is always a bit scary, but when I saw his photo he looked really nice.

Eventually, he came to Taunton to visit for the weekend. I said he could stay at my house and it was on the understanding that if we didn't like each other he'd go. It was very nerve wracking waiting for someone to arrive, and not know if you're going to get on or not. As soon as we met, I knew it was going to be alright. We got on so well, again talking for ages, and the rest is history really. I have been to visit him in Birmingham and he has been to mine and is due down again this weekend. We have been to Majorca for a week together, and things are really great. We text and talk every day. We are so well suited it's scary. I have never felt this way about anyone, and I really feel that I have found the true love of my life. This is not being disloyal to my husband to whom I was married for 30 years, but this is a different kind of love.

We intend being together for the rest of our lives. How we will eventually live together is still a question that can't be answered, but we will be together one day. We both have our jobs, family and commitments in our own areas, but love will conquer all, believe me. I felt I'd known Dave all my life when he walked into my house on that initial meeting. We had literally talked about anything and everything for hours. I trust him implicitly, and feel I am the most fortunate woman on this planet. I am so lucky to have him, and just think if I hadn't pressed that button I would never have met him.

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After only being registered for two days Robert sent me an Icebreaker, we then started emailing each other and sent through our photos. We spent three days talking for hours on the phone and we connected straight away. We had so much in common it was unbelievable. We had both been hurt in previous relationship and to be honest I wasn't looking for a new relationship so quickly and never thought I would use the internet to get to know someone, but I'm so pleased I did. Within three days we met for the first time as we had talked so much on the phone.

The connection between us was over powering and I felt like I had know him for years on the first meeting. Since then we have fallen so deeply in love with each other it is the most amazing thing that has ever happen to us both. We are now two months on and we have met both sets of parents and my children and parents think the world of Robert. We live an hour away from each other and don't get to see each other everyday but when we are apart we still talk for hours a day on the phone. I have found the special person I have been searching for.

Robert is my friend, my lover and my soul mate. Although it is still early days we both feel and know that this will last and we will be happy for many years to come. I have never known anyone so gentle, kind, supportive, honest, caring and fun as I have found in Robert. We would both like to thank PARSHIP for bring us together and making us realise that true love does exists in the world. We wish everyone else that uses PARSHIP as much happiness and love as we have both found in each other.

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I joined PARSHIP in late August. I found it interesting to view people's profiles, and phoned the free Singles coaching number offered on the site. I found what the lady had to say very helpful.

Brian's photo came in response to an icebreaker, and I was immediately impressed, and thought 'yes - thats what I'm looking for'!

A beautiful natural smile - he looked happy and warm natured. He confessed straight away that the photo was quite old, again I was impressed by his openness and honesty. Many emails followed, firstly about the nuisance of wearing glasses and burning stir-fries! After about 3 weeks we spoke on the phone and decided to meet in London, which seemed to be the best bet as we live 2-3 hours apart by car.

The date was very memorable - whilst I found Brian quite quiet, his warmth was very evident and when I was on the train going home, I noticed how much I was missing him. We returned to London for our next date, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, which I believe our first proper kiss took place. In spite of the distance our relationship has taken off by itself.

Hints of permanent arrangements became more frequent, and on Christmas day we decided to become engaged! We took one more trip to London - Hatton Garden, where a beautiful sapphire/diamond engagement ring was purchased! We are planning a wedding in May next year, after we have sorted out where our new home is going to be. Before that, very soon Brian will be moving in with me, after our first holiday to Cyprus in March! None of this would have been possible without PARSHIP. We are two very happy people, and long may it last!!

Christine.

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I live in Whitstable, Kent and my new partner Vanya, lives in Maldon, Essex. We began communicating around the New Year of 2007 and shared similar interests (including a silly sense of humour) and a career in teaching which gave us much to talk about. The first date - in late January - was at a central location (Bluewater) where we eventually met in the toaster section of Marks and Spencer! We hit it off straight away and met again during the half-term holidays two weeks later; this time in the more salubrious surroundings of the British Museum.

Our next meeting - in Whitstable - almost didn't happen, as Vanya was involved in a car accident on the M2 as she was coming down to see me. Fortunately she made it down unharmed.

We meet most weekends, and when not together still talk for a couple of hours a day on the phone. We have now been together 6 months and have just returned from a week's camping in Norfolk. We are very much in love and both looking forward to a happy future together.

Good luck with the service, and thanks once again.

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Dear PARSHIP and all the world...

I joined your website in November, having lost all belief in the social world in which we live, to meet a man who was genuine, warm, romantic and trustworthy.

In PARSHIP I have found someone who is so special and who has taken my world by storm! He is kind, caring, romantic, handsome, passionate, ambitious, serious, fun, loving and someone who rocks my world from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep each night. We are going out for the past two and half months and it is serious stuff!

We are planning a weekend away in a quiet cottage in the Wicklow mountains for Valentines' weekend, and then we will take to the skies to visit Florence in March. He is a pleasure to be with and I know he enjoys my company too. Having once felt almost self-pity and regret for having met so many frogs I can now rejoice in the fact that they were never meant to be.

Since I have joined this website I have inspired many friends to join a similar one and one girl in particular has met someone v. special too. I know for a fact that I would never have met Ron only for this website. Thank you for making me feel so happy and so loved. To the rest of those girls who sit and wonder where their prince is, my advice it to get up and join this website. Prince Charming no longer comes along, you have to get out there and bring him to you.

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Just when I had yet to meet anyone who caused my pulse to race, Jim joined the service. I looked at Jim's profile as he was living near to me and was in the army. My ex-husband had once been an army officer and I found myself thinking PARSHIP and army were not a natural association. It was curiosity, nothing else...

Jim contacted me by thanking me for my message (I had viewed his profile and not sent a message). He was so cheeky that I replied. Jim had only been on PARSHIP for a week. We exchanged messages and within days phone numbers. We spent 2 hours talking on our first call. He is in the same regiment as my brother-in-law, he shares the same first and last name as my first love at uni and also comes from the same city (yes, it's a girl thing this fate business!).

We met 1 week later, we are both divorced and both had no expectations. Although it was not love at first sight (we are over 40!!) I knew he was the one. No, he was not a 98% match (69% in fact) but who can explain chemistry... it's there or it's not...

3 months later we are moving in together...as we spend most of our spare time together. I think people will think it rash or too hasty, but life is short, you rarely get a second chance of happiness so you just have to seize it!

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I contacted Kenny first as I noticed he had a PH postcode and I went to school in that area. Given he was the same age and PH postcode and 68% compatible - I asked 'Do I know you from school?' - but he was actually from Aberdeen.

As he was abroad in Turkey on a sailing course at the time we emailed virtually every day. His emails were interesting, chatty, funny....no repetitive stuff....and most importantly, he wrote in proper sentences (none of this text-speak lark!!).

After 6 weeks of emails he was heading home from Turkey - for the Rugby World Cup. So we arranged to meet up in my home city and the date involved lunch at my fave deli, a walk round the Botanic Gardens and then head to the pub for the Scotland - Portugal rugby game.

We chatted pretty much all day but although I didn't think 'YES!', I didn't think 'NO!' either. I thought I was probably nervous and he as well. By the time he went for his train (he'd already missed two!) I put the ball in his court by saying if he wanted to meet again then I would. So we kissed goodbye....

Then he emailed to say.....how about doing something the following week?

It involved another RWC match! I invited him onto the RWC Fantasy Rugby I was doing and this provided a useful basis for our early discussions - there have never been any 'awkward silences' with Kenny and since early October we have seen each other every weekend. We will be spending most of the Christmas break together. January sees us skiing and then I'm going to three of Scotland's 6 Nations Championship matches. We just seem so well suited together.

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I'd pretty much given up on the idea of meeting my ideal man; previous experience of traditional internet dating had put me off that idea, and the men I met at work, or socially, just didn't interest me. Then some friends talked me into considering the personal ads.

After a few glasses of wine I looked up the personal ads on The Independent website, which redirected me to PARSHIP. I resisted the temptation to exit the page immediately, mainly based on the idea that at least if it was Independent readers who joined then they may be more like-minded than the people I'd met on other websites.

The system listed potential interesting people according to compatibility and I got in touch with a couple of people who were at the top of the list. After a few emails it was clear that Steven and I had quite a bit in common so we met up for lunch. We chatted very easily over lunch, and after discovering a shared passion for cake and pudding, decided to meet up again.

The following weeks saw a mutual attraction continue to grow, as many a relaxed and fun evening was had over glasses of wine, dinner, dancing and leisurely walks, discussing everything from quantum physics, the meaning of life and all-time favourite puddings to intellectual conversations about The Muppet Show! We completed the Edinburgh half marathon together on 1st April, and have since followed that up with the Edinburgh marathon on 27th May. Since the marathons we've had a more relaxed time of it, and spent a wonderful few days in Vienna, enjoying the amazing food, music, ice cream - and of course cake!

It's been six months since we met and for me the relationship continues to grow stronger. We continue to really enjoy each others company, to motivate each other to grow, to discover new places and experiences together, and to help each other through life's ups and downs.

Who knows what the future will bring, but it's certainly been lot's of fun so far!

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Brendan and I had each been on our own for a while. We had each had a short, unsuccessful relationship since separating from our respective partners the year before, and thought PARSHIP might offer a way of meeting like-minded people, looking for something more than flirtation.

So many of the other dating websites seemed to be full of married people looking for something extra or folks not prepared to say what sort of relationship they were looking for. We were each feeling a bit lonely and a bit discouraged about being forty-something and back on the dating scene.

I'd only been a member just over a month - I'd enjoyed mailing with a couple of guys, and had met one other very nice man through PARSHIP - although I knew straightaway he wasn't "the one". The compatibility indicator was a helpful indication of who I might get on with, though not a hard and fast guideline. Brendan had completed the whole PARSHIP test and got the report - he found it interesting. We "only" had 68% compatibility - but that seems to have been a good enough basis for success!

I had only just renewed my membership, and was about to go on holiday, when I received a contact request from Brendan. He made me smile straight away; I read his profile and saw that he was into football (a big no-no for me) and yet there was something between the lines that made me accept the contact request - a few tell-tale lines that either made me laugh aloud or made me feel some sense of rapport. One of the good things about the PARSHIP system is that the questions you fill out for your profile, although they can seem a bit challenging, also have potential to be quite revealing - not only through what your answers are, but also how you approach them. He had answered only a few of the questions directly - his other answers were more oblique (though relevant) and I found that intriguing - I wanted to know more.

Consequently my holiday was marked daily by a trip to the cyber-cafe to check and answer my mail. The more we mailed the more the sense of rapport grew and I was disappointed when it came to Saturday not to get a message from him. It was then that I took the decision to send my mobile number and we added the occasional text to the mix. By the time I got home, we had agreed to meet the next week.

The very next day Brendan was on the phone wanting a date that night! Fortunately he only lived a matter of 30 miles away - another good thing about PARSHIP is the facility to specify the region you prefer your contacts to live in. So we met for a drink later that evening, and hit it off immediately. We had so much to say to each other that we eventually had to be reminded to leave at closing time!

Within a couple of weeks we both knew that we wanted to be together all the time. We're moving in together at the end of this month - only 10 weeks since we met, but very happy and confident that this is a good relationship to be in.

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I joined PARSHIP in August 2006. I was divorced from my former husband 6 years ago to end of our 17 years relationship. After several years on my own and not dating, I decided it might be good to look for just friendship and also I wanted to prove whether I was still attractive at the age of 45.

I went into PARSHIP to take the personality test, to see if it was possible that anybody could be interested in me. Then few days later I received few contact requests on PARSHIP and I decided to sign up for a month's membership so I could exchange e-mails with these contacts. I was amazed one of the contact requests with a photo from someone called Stephen. I replied to his e-mails and I managed to upload a photo to my profile. For about few weeks we wrote each other long emails and text messages- we spoke to each other on the phone for many times. We decided to meet up each other at Watford on Saturday, 09/09/2006. I was so nervous when I met Stephen. He was such a nice and kind gentleman and we spent the day chatting to each other. I felt so natural and comfortable with Stephen and also I felt I'd known him for years.

I did manage to meet his family and he did meet my children as well. We had a holiday together to Hong Kong in February for two weeks. We also have another holiday to Holland in June as he is going to meet my parents and all my relatives there.

We have been seeing each other for about 9 months and we talk on the phone everyday, text messages and exchange e-mails.

Without PARSHIP I would never have met my Mr.Right. I would like to thank PARSHIP for the good service. I have recommended the site to others. Once again many thanks that I have found the love of my life.

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I had been on PARSHIP for a few weeks and had met up with about six ladies - all very interesting, but none of them was 'the one'. Then I got a contact request from a lady living in mainland Europe. We exchanged several emails, then talked for hours on the phone. We had so much in common....age, music, art , design, love for life and a sense of humour! ... We agreed to meet up in London.

It was her first date - she had been widowed about a year before. We met at Sloane Square Tube and I whisked her away to my club in Chelsea ... A few G and T's and a light meal later we knew this was something special. I went over to Europe and she called in at Christmas time ... Holidays in Italy, Scandanavia and Paris followed and our love blossomed.

We have a combined age of 105 but we dance, paint, listen to rock music and love like sixteen year olds! We are very lucky that we found PARSHIP - it has totally changed our lives. Thank you for such a wonderful service. Love at first sight does happen, but people need a way to meet. Your vision provided that. The future is bright and a wedding next year is on the cards. Thanks again.

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My name is Paul and I wanted to share my amazing story with everyone.

After being divorced for a while and feeling very lonley I decided to sign up with PARSHIP after searching through dating sites on Yahoo!. After exchanging messages with a few women and getting nowhere, I had almost given up hope of ever being with someone again, when I spotted a profile in my matches that I liked very much and decided to send a message.

The lady was Spanish, from Gran Canaria, and her name was Ina. I couldn't speak Spanish and didn't know if Ina spoke English, but I decided to go ahead. There was no reply for about three weeks, then I got an answer. Ina did speak english we now speak to each other through Skype every morning, every lunchtime, when I get home from work for dinner and every night. We have so much in common - it's like we've known each other all our lives. We laugh a lot, sing to each other and with each other ... and at the beginning of july I am going to Gran Canaria to see my Ina. It goes further than that: we have pledged to spend the rest of our lives together. We are so much in love -- we sound like a couple of young lovers, don't we? We know the future may be difficult for us, since one of us has to change country, but we both know that we want to be together for the rest of our lives.

The crunch is that I will be 60 years old on June 5th and Ina will be 57 in February 2008, but thanks to this wonderful site we call PARSHIP, we came together and are looking forward to the challenges ahead. Once again, thank you PARSHIP team for helping me find my soulmate. In the future I hope you won't mind if I keep you updated on the story of two young (?) lovers. Yours thankfully, Paul

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After several years on my own and not dating, I decided it might be good to have someone to share things with. I tried going out to different venues and events but, as a lot of people find, it's really hard to meet people of similar age and interests.

I was nagged into trying PARSHIP by a friend who saw an article in the Times. I was hugely sceptical about it and thought it would just attract desperate weirdos, but having been let down a few times by men I'd met in a more conventional way I thought I'd give it a try. Having done the psychometric test I decided it might be OK as you have to be fairly committed to complete it. Anyway, I was contacted by a couple of guys and went out with them but they ultimately proved to be not quite what I was looking for and I was thinking of giving up when a new man was added to my list. I checked his profile and his 'about me' section and liked what I read. I would definitely recommend that members complete the 'about me' section as it gives a more personal view of the person. So, I contacted him and he responded very quickly. We soon got chatting via PARSHIP and after a while he suggested meeting despite the distance between our respective towns. I sent him a photo of myself and despite that he still wanted to meet me! We met in my home town in the morning and went for a coffee and he gave me a present which he'd brought back from a recent trip abroad - a good move! What woman doesn't appreciate a present?

We spent all day together, having lunch and sight-seeing. We got on well right from the start and there were no awkward moments or silences. Although he was originally due to leave by the afternoon, we agreed to go on to a local village pub, where we had a lovely evening. He'd indicated by this time that he would like to see me again and I was more than happy with that idea. He came back the next weekend and since then we've spent almost every weekend together. Although it has been a relatively short time since we first met, we both feel like we've known each other for a lot longer as we get on so well. The great thing about contacting people through PARSHIP is that it guarantees a short-cut to the type of person who will hopefully have similar attitudes and interests to you. You don't have to waste time with anyone you have nothing in common with and you immediately have things you can talk about.

I'm very glad that I didn't give up and gave it one more go, although I have now cancelled my membership of course. Our relationship seems to be going from strength to strength and we're both very happy - so thank you PARSHIP!

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I joined PARSHIP in July 2005. I was in a relationship but it was on its last legs. I went into PARSHIP purely to take the personality test, to see if it was possible that anybody else could be interested in me, as my current girlfriend wasn't. I wasn't looking to start a new relationship so didn't send any contact requests but left my profile on view, specifically saying I was only looking for friendship. In August my relationship ended and in October I took the plunge and joined a number of other websites, just looking to make new friends. A few women contacted me and I went out with them a few times but there was no spark with any of them.

Then in February 2006 I received my second contact request on PARSHIP (the first one in January lasted about 2 messages) and I signed up for a month's membership so I could exchange e-mails with this contact. Then on 4th March I received another contact request from a woman in Austria!

She didn't give me her name straight away but she wrote such a lovely message in such excellent English that I just had to reply to her. In her second message she introduced herself as Ingrid and after her 4th message she managed to upload some photos to her profile. I'd already revealed mine to her and we both liked what we saw and how we wrote so many e-mails followed.

Ingrid said she was coming to England for Easter to visit family so we agreed to meet up for a meal the day before Good Friday. She went to Turkey for a week at the end of March to see the total eclipse and I first spoke to her when she phoned me from Turkey! She said the eclipse had moved her so much she just had to speak to me. She said that, if we liked each other on our first date, we had the rest of the Easter weekend to spend time together. I suggested that I visit her where she was staying on Easter Saturday, but she then said she wanted a ride on my motorcycle and the only time we could do that was Good Friday. This lead her to suggesting, out of the blue, that she stay overnight with me on the Thursday and Good Friday!

We arranged to meet at Fenchurch Street station on the Thursday evening and I just knew that, as soon as I saw her, I was going to give her a big kiss and cuddle. That was what happened and that whole evening we felt as though we'd known each other for years. We were so comfortable together, tactility felt so natural. Over the next 2 wonderful days our friendship became emotional and physical and we fell in love.

We now talk on the phone every day and exchange e-mails and text messages. I'm going to visit her home in Austria at the beginning of June, then she's coming to me for 4 days in July and a week at the beginning of August, then I'm going to her again for a week at the end of August. During that week we plan a romantic weekend in Venice. We're now planning to be together at least every 6 weeks, alternating between England and Austria.

Without PARSHIP we would most definitely never have met. Ingrid joined because she'd had a very unhappy year with the break-up of her marriage and wanted to find a nice Englishman to meet and have contact with.

After taking a month to trawl through 50 matches, I was one of only two people she wrote to, mainly because I said on my profile that I was only looking for friendship! Boy, was I the lucky one! Thank you PARSHIP, for opening up a whole new horizon to my life and introducing me to a love that I thought I would never find again.

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I really did meet the man of my dreams through PARSHIP. I can't imagine life without him.

I met two other guys through the service - things didn't go anywhere with either of them - but Matthew was actually the first man who had written to me. We've now been together for nine months. At first we corresponded by email for a couple of weeks, then we spoke on the phone. Another two weeks later we met. He saw me and without saying a word, he kissed me!

If you're looking for someone to build your future with, you need to get on and do something about it, but without PARSHIP's help I could have been looking for a lot longer without finding someone - or without being found. I'm very happy with the way things worked out.

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Better late than never! I'd been a PARSHIP member for several months and had been in contact with a number of nice guys, although that special spark seemed to be missing every time.

I was planning to fulfil a lifetime ambition and spend a few months abroad, so I was ready to let my PARSHIP subscription lapse. But not long before it was due to expire I got a message from Andy, and he sounded really nice.

We ended up writing long emails to each other and I looked forward to receiving each one with growing excitement. We first met each other ten days after he first got in touch. Though we were both nervous, we had a wonderful evening. By the time we'd been to a few bars it was the early hours of the morning before we said goodbye. Our first kiss followed a few days later and everything just seemed right.

A month later, I'd pretty much moved into his flat. I'd already given up my own flat, since I was planning to go to Canada. So it was either my parents' place or his!

Two days before I left for Canada, Andy asked me to marry him. I said yes straight away. We kept in touch every day while I was in Canada, by phone and email. He was due to come over to see me, but surprised me by coming three days earlier than expected to take me on our planned trip to California. Arizona and Nevada, which was really fantastic. We now have our own place together and are looking forward to getting married.

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Our story began when I received a contact request from Mike. He was from Manchester, which was a bit far, but I liked the 'About Me' section in his profile and I just had to contact him back. We exchanged photos pretty quickly and liked what we saw. For about a month we wrote each other long emails and text messages. As early as his second email he'd told me that he was actually living in Hong Kong, but this didn't put me off. There seemed to be so much else in his favour.

After lots more emails, texts, photos - and a fabulous bunch of roses - we spoke to each other on the phone for the first time: for three-and-a-half hours! Long phone calls followed every day. About a month later I went to meet him at the airport. It was really strange, because although we'd had so much contact by email and phone, in a sense we were like two strangers. But we soon realised that we understood each other very well and that this was something more than a long-distance infatuation!

I've now spent a total of four weeks in Hong Kong, while Mike comes back to the UK as often as possible. We've also had two holidays together and are planning our future. We often think that we'd never have got to know each other if it hadn't been for PARSHIP.

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Dear PARSHIP. I just wanted to update you. We have now been together for over two years. We have bought a lovely cottage in a village and are very happy together. As Jacqui said, in the real world we would have never have met. I just wanted to say to anyone who thinks this site isn't fast, I found the love of my life in under a month and have recomended it to all my single freinds, who have also found partners now. So that's what I would call success. Once again I would just like to say a big thanks to PARSHIP.

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When I became a PARSHIP member I wasn't that wild about the idea, to tell the truth, but a girlfriend of mine had talked me into visiting the site ... I had ended up taking a look when I got bored when I was on night duty. I decided it couldn't do any harm to find out who was out there and took the personality test straight away - purely out of professional curiosity, of course.

By the next morning I had already received some contact requests. That's how it all started ... Not that I was ready to believe that a psychologist could really fall in love over the Internet.

Since I'm someone who likes to take the initiative, I also sent some contact requests to men in my area - or so I thought. One of them got back to me straight away. His sense of humour caught my attention, even though it turned out that he wasn't living in my neck of the woods at all, but a bit further away - in Boston, Masschusetts, where he was studying. Over the course of lots of emails I found out that he actually came from my hometown and had been at school with my brother! My brother spoke highly of him - but to tell the truth I'd already fallen for him. So much for professional curiosity!

With some encouragement from my friends I finally plucked up the courage to call him in Boston. A three-hour phone call ensued! Since then we've spoken every day and still send each other lots of emails. I'd decided right from the beginning not to exchange photos with any of my so-called suggested partners. Relying on a photo seems a bit superficial to me. What they write is so much more important. He doesn't have to look like Brad Pitt for you to get on with him.

Luckily, Richard didn't want to stay on in Boston and came back as soon as he'd finished his course, about six weeks after we first met online. In fact, he brought his flight forward because he was so keen to get back.

It might sound corny, but we haven't been apart since we met the evening he got back. What's more, my brother has been reunited with an old friend. Of course, if I'd have gone out more with my brother when we were younger, I might have met him via a much more straightforward route, but it wouldn't have been nearly so romantic.

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One evening I decided to take a look at the contact requests I'd received on PARSHIP. I wasn't feeling very hopeful about finding someone ... and then I spotted Emma's profile. I knew I just had to meet this woman. She wrote in such a compelling, original and appealing way.

I sent her a slightly cheeky contact request ... She replied and we developed a lively exchange of emails. Then Emma's computer packed up. She sent me a last-ditch email from an Internet café with her photo and mobile number. When I saw the photo I knew that it was meant to be.

I called her straight away and we arranged to meet. When we finally got together there was an immediate spark. Since we live quite far apart we are only able to see each other at weekends, but we know that it's the real thing between us.

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Although I had email contact with a number of men through PARSHIP, I only met three of them. But the third man was the one for me.

We first met on April 1st last year (maybe not the most romantic day of the year!), and since then love has found its way into our everyday life. Both of us work very hard, and we have only limited time to spend with each other. But being part of a couple gives you a real incentive to organise your work so that you have more free time. When I was single, it sometimes seemed preferable to stay at my desk than to go home to an empty house.

We are so comfortable with each other, and I really don't know how I'd have met Michael otherwise in this big city.

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It was sheer curiosity that drove me to join PARSHIP. I'd just come out of an unsuccessful relationship and was planning to make the most of my new-found freedom. But the personality test intrigued me and I signed up. Anyway, I had nothing to lose and I liked the idea of getting to know some new people.

I met several nice guys, but things didn't go any further. A month after I joined I received a really interesting contact request. Our compatibility rating was high - 82 points - but he was from another part of the country. I didn't feel ready for a long-distance relationship, but Stephen's message was so lovely and I liked his photo so much that I decided to give things a go and replied to him.

We started to write each other emails and Stephen soon told me that he wanted to meet me in person. So I invited him to come and visit me. We had a fantastic weekend and it was obvious that things weren't going to stop there.

We may live 200 miles apart, but we are very happy together and I am now looking for a job in his part of the country. We are hoping to move in together this year.

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Keith sent me a contact request just before Christmas. I wasn't a Premium Member of PARSHIP at the time, so I couldn't reply. After Christmas I decided to become a Premium Member and I haven't regretted the decision! Keith wasn't the only man I got into contact with through PARSHIP, but it was with him that things really led somewhere.

We took things further with a nice series of emails. We seemed similar in many ways and shared lots of interests, and there were lots of funny little coincidences in things we had both done. After about two weeks we spoken on the phone and decided to meet. I'd met men through other online dating services, but there had never been any chemistry. This time I was just ready to wait and see.

I invited Keith over for supper, rather than meeting in a bar, which was what I'd done before. The evening went very well. Keith turned up with a beautiful bunch of flowers and was much better-looking than his photo. We chatted so much that I overcooked the food a bit. While we were looking at each other's holiday photos we ended up kissing and we've seen a lot of each other since. Keith moved in with me in September and we are very happy together.

It's not always easy to meet people who are on the same wavelength as you. PARSHIP isn't for people who just want to chat and you really have to think about who you are and what you want.

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Vanessa: What attracted me to PARSHIP in the first place was the personality test. I'd just come out of a relationship that ended badly and most of the other dating sites seemed a bit lightweight. So I completed the test out of curiosity as much as anything. The results certainly got me thinking. I knew some things about my personality, but the test results really opened my eyes and encouraged me to log in regularly to see who I'd been matched with. I was amazed how many contact requests I got within the first few days. I almost didn't know where to start!

I soon got used to communicating with suggested partners by email. It helped when they'd filled in the About Me section in their profile, although what they put in it didn't always tell me a lot more! But I really hit it off with some of them. It didn't take long before I received a contact request with a photo from someone called Joe. I really appreciated the fact that he'd sent a photo with his contact request. And I could tell straight away from the photo that he was a serious possibility.

After our first phone call we both felt a real connection. After we'd met each other twice we decided to move in together and get married! We are so happy together and still can't quite believe that such two people can share such a harmonious and trusting relationship.

Joe: I met Vanessa two months after I subscribed to PARSHIP. The kind of man she was looking for was 99% like me. The kind of woman I was looking for was 99% like her. Three months after we met she moved in with me and we have been living happily together since then. We got married just five months after we met."

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When I joined PARSHIP in May 2005 I didn't really expect to meet Mr Right, but I was proved wrong!

The first few men I was in contact with were nice enough, but there was always something in the way. They were hung up on their ex or looking for a woman to wash, cook and clean for them, or just too far away. I must have spent hours on the phone, but finally I just thought I wasn't going to get anywhere. Then things changed!

At the beginning of July I sent a contact request and got a reply almost immediately. We exchanged emails and a few days later spent nearly two hours on the phone to each other. We really seemed to hit it off. We arranged to meet on 27 July. He did keep me waiting in the pouring rain for a quarter of an hour because he'd lost his way, but as soon as we saw each other, that didn't matter.

We had a great time together that evening - we knew it wasn't going to be the last and were in touch with each other nearly every day after that.

But then he got into contact with someone else and got confused about what he really wanted. I was trying my hardest to write the whole thing off when he called me on 8th August to say that he'd realised that he couldn't live without me. We've been inseparable ever since. I moved in with him in October and next year, when his divorce is through, we're getting married.

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Heather was one of the first people I contacted after I'd joined PARSHIP in late 2005. I noticed in her profile that she had worked in the same industry as me, so seeing that we had that in common, I took the plunge and said hello. It turned out to be one of the best things I have ever done.

We exchanged emails very frequently over the next few days and, finding we were so comfortable with each other, at Christmas we also exchanged phone numbers. On Christmas Eve, we'd chatted via online messenger for 5 hours ... Heather later told me that she fell in love with me that night. Other commitments kept us apart, but we spoke frequently and if ever the phrase 'got on like a house on fire' applied to anyone, it was us. We wanted to meet for New Year's Eve, but both had prior engagements miles apart. However, just like Blackadder I had a cunning plan...

On New Year's morning, knowing we all suffer from the excesses of the season, but deciding the risk was worthwhile, I took my life in my hands and rang Heather at 9am. Yes, I woke her up ... Yes it was dangerous ... and YES, it was worth it! I had to give her a couple of hours to get ready (fair enough) and then I picked her up in my car to whisk her away to a lovely hotel in the Lake District. We talked non-stop all the way there, had a fabulous lunch and had our first kiss (but not the last) in the car park. I've never met anyone with whom I have so much in common - so your system truly works.

Our relationship has blossomed into something truly beautiful and we are now considering marriage. We have already holidayed in the USA and are enjoying planning the rest of our lives together.

Once again, I'd like to thank PARSHIP for giving us the chance to meet each other, and I have recommended the site to several of my acquaintances. If anybody ever asks whether online dating works, the answer is a very emphatic 'yes'.

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Barbara's story

Christmas 2005 was fast approaching and I was feeling decidedly sorry for myself. My four year relationship, with a man I'd believed to be the one for me, had ended five months previously in the cruellest way imaginable. He'd gone to Spain to look for a retirement property for us and had returned, unbeknown to me, within the week, with a woman who couldn't speak English and whose language he couldn't speak! I found out when I went to the house and saw her things on top of mine! Understandably, I spent the following months in the depths of misery and despair, my self-confidence and trust in men shattered.

However, by the end of November I was pulling my life around, determined not to be a victim, and beginning to realise the only way I was going to get over what had happened would be by extending my social life. I started to go to dinner parties organised for single people, which I enjoyed until I came across Mr I'm -God's -gift -to- women who wouldn't believe I couldn't possibly be interested in him and consequently stopped me from wanting to go to any more. My newly found determination to meet someone new was waning fast.

I went to visit one of my daughters just after Christmas and happened to be glancing at the television when an advertisement for PARSHIP caught my eye. I made a mental note and, on returning home, searched the internet for further details. Being an intrepid bargain hunter, I was quick to discover there was an irresistible special offer in force at the time - seven days free trial! With nothing to lose, I sent off my application and waited. Almost immediately I received a list of 32 possibly compatible men.

John's story

As 2005 drew to a close I began to consider my New Year's resolutions. A year ago I had been diagnosed with Legionnaire's disease, following a holiday in the States with my wife. We'd been together for 12 years and, although things hadn't been going too well between us, a three month period of hospitalisation meant we had to pull together to overcome the after effects of my illness. Sadly, it wasn't enough and, by April, my wife had moved out of the house, the area and my life. It was an amicable enough separation, we knew we'd tried to make the marriage work but hadn't succeeded. There was no chance of any reconciliation. I had to take a positive and determined attitude to move forward in my life.

I ventured on weekends away and even took a couple of holidays by myself, all highly enjoyable but with one thing missing, a companion with whom I could share the sights and delights of new places. Eight months of self-imposed solitude was enough, I needed to re-examine my social life. But how? I wasn't interested in going to singles clubs or joining a dating agency, besides, they were all, in my opinion, far too expensive and couldn't possibly be value for money. Anyway, life on my own wasn't too bad; I didn't have to do anything just yet.

On the last Sunday of the year, luxuriating in my favourite pastime of reading the newspaper cover to cover, a cappuccino to hand, my eye was caught by an offer in the Times - PARSHIP, seven days free trial. 'This sounds like a good deal. Why not give it a go?' I thought to myself. So I did.

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When the list arrived my first thought was 'Why have I done this? I am not going to put myself through any more heartache, forget it. I'm going to be one of PARSHIP's failures.' But, idling the time away a couple of evenings later, I browsed through all 32 profiles discarding quite ruthlessly any that did not fit my quite stringent criteria - no not yet divorced, no pet owners, no smokers, no living more than 70 miles away, no under 63. I was left with five but of these only one really made me think about making contact. I emailed him.

I have always held more than a passing interest in believing in Fate. She is now my most trusted and best friend! That email has changed my life. The 'him' was John, who contacted me very quickly with such an interesting, full of humour email I was hooked on finding out more about him. Daily emails followed and, as the end of the 'free trial' approached I knew I didn't want to lose touch. So I signed up and hoped he would do the same.

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When the list of ladies with whom I shared a higher than average compatibility score arrived I was sceptical. The majority lived far too far away and, of the remainder, none particularly grabbed my attention, certainly not enough to make me want to establish contact. Sorry, PARSHIP, I was not going to be one of your success stories.

A couple of days later I noticed I'd received an email sent on to me by PARSHIP. I read it, found and read the lady's profile, liked its content and decided to reply. Barbara then sent me a long, detailed account of herself which appealed to my sense of humour and made me want to know more. Email followed email but time was running out, my seven days free trial was up. If I wanted to keep in touch with her I had to take a risk, should I forsake anonymity and give her my private email address, was solitude a safer option? I sent my address and hoped she would do the same.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Barbara ends the story

Emails flew back and forth with both of us being excited by but cautious about the growing familiarity between us. A face to face meeting was going to have to be the next step.

As it happened, and what John didn't know, was that my older daughter lived in the same city as he did. Was this Fate giving another helping hand? She'd already helped John slip through my elimination net in that he wasn't yet divorced ( how on earth had I overlooked that fact?), he had owned a pet but his wife had taken it with her when she left him, he'd been a smoker but had given up, he lived just within my boundary limits and he was exactly 63.

So, with all necessary precautions in place to ensure I wasn't going to be abducted by a mad axe-man, on February 13th, we met, we saw each other and we were conquered. We haven't looked back since.

Two weeks after that first meeting John was asked to set up a company in Dubai. It was another offer he couldn't resist! Was our relationship doomed to be over before it had begun? How was it going to be possible for it to develop with so many miles between us? John decided he would go but only for a trial period. We would spend the remaining weekends together before being parted for a month. I would then join him for an Easter holiday and, at the end of it, we would have a fair idea of whether or not we could see a future together. Even if John did decide to stay in Dubai, there would be half terms and holidays and my retirement was only two years down the line.

The best laid plans........! Fate stepped in once more and now, two months on from our first actual meeting, everything has changed. John fell in love with Dubai from the moment he landed and the company has taken off in leaps and bounds. I, too, loved being there at Easter and didn't want to leave him. I'm going out there again in July, this time for a longer holiday but with more serious intent. It was announced at the end of March that the unit I run is being closed at the end of term and the strong likelihood is that I will be made redundant.

The decision that has to be made now is do I join him on a permanent basis, retiring two years ahead of schedule or do I accept redeployment here and allow our original plan to run its course?

Who are we kidding? We don't have a say in it, Fate has had it all mapped out from the start - or should I say Fate and PARSHIP?

Thank you to both of you from the bottom of our hearts!

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