FROM an advertisement in a personal column to an international website, Ms Anne Reynolds' antidote to singledom has come a long way since its beginnings in 1983.

Twelve years on, the Watford-based entrepreneur has launched NewFriends4U.com - an agency which aims to help find social, sports and dating friends or partners for men and women.

Ms Reynolds, of Heckford Close, was 31 years old when she placed the notice in the personal column of The Watford Observer in 1983.

She said: "I had a young son, he was six months old at the time. I wanted to go out there and start socialising and I thought: how do I do it?

"So I put the ad in the paper. I got 31 replies and I realised there were a lot of people out there in the same boat. I put another ad in and got a good response and I thought: why don't I run this as a business? There's a need for this service."

Within four years, the group had become a successful business, Friends, designed to introduce single, separated and divorced women for friendship and socialising. It covered the whole of the UK and generated extensive media interest, leading to an appearance on Thames Television.

Ms Reynolds, who sold the business to a friend in 1995, said: "The market changed considerably from when Friends was first launched, and with the media expanding their own pages for people to meet others in similar situation, I found it was difficult to continue financially."

Her new business, NewFriends4U.com, picks up where she left off.

She said: "I expanded my thoughts on Friends as it was called in those days. Friends was really designed for women for socialising. Times have obviously changed and I realised that I had to do something that was different. I still liked the idea but I had to expand on it to make it successful.

"There are lots of dating sites on the Internet. This time the site is designed for those people who want to expand their social circle of friends."

The site, which was launched on Sunday, June 24, is currently offering free membership to those looking for people for socialising, sporting activities and, of course, dating.

Despite being open less than a fortnight, NewFriends4U.com has already signed up 30 new members and, this time, Ms Reynolds hopes to expand the business internationally, as well as across the UK.

She said: "I have tried to create something very user-friendly, very uncomplicated and very straight forward. At the end of the day, its aim is to help other people."

July 3, 2001 11:07

Joanne Davis