A new business in Alburgh is helping people to find lasting love and, hopefully, a partner for life.
It was a brush with cancer which left Paul Downing determined to find success in establishing the business, Helpfindinglove.co.uk, which is going from strength to strength.
It was his own unhappy experience of dating websites which led 24-year-old Mr Downing, from Norwich, and fellow business partner Colin Byer, 35, to set up the site.
In the village near Bungay, he said: “I had used dating sites, and so had some friends, and we had not had a great experience. They weren't really about looking for love, but something less serious. That's why we called it Help Finding Love, because it is for people looking for a serious relationship.”
They set up a pilot site, bought a mailing list, and were taken aback by how many people signed up. Access was free at first, but a charge of £10 a month has been introduced for some services. Now the site gives users access to 150,000 profiles, and had sales worth more than £12,000 last month.
Mr Downing feared it might never become a reality after being diagnosed with a tumour in his colon last year.
He said: “I was told I had cancer, but fortunately the tumour was pre-cancerous so they caught it just in time. I was very fortunate.”
The news hit close to home after the death of his grandmother from cancer, and he will have to have tumours removed at regular intervals.
He said: “I'm not having an operation this year. The tumours are still there but they're not going to become cancerous soon, so I don't have to have an operation until July 2008.
“It has made me more determined to succeed. I've got a two-year-old daughter and my concern is for her and to create a good life for her.”
The website has just been given a revamp, and the venture was also shortlisted in Running the Gauntlet - an East of England Development Agency competition - although it missed out on the top prize of receiving business investment.
Mr Downing and Mr Byer have been developing a portfolio of other websites, including Single50s.co.uk, a friendship site for the over-50s. They are also setting up speed-dating events for the summer, and have secured sponsorship. Mr Downing is a walking advert for the site, having decided to sign up to it.
He said: “I met Frances through the site in late November and she is moving in next month.”
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