There is no doubt about it – 40 plus dating and dating over 50 is more difficult than 20s and 30s dating. Why?

• Your circle of single friends tends to be smaller, with more friends married or in serious relationships as you get older.
• Many mature singles have progressed into more senior and professional careers, giving little time for romance and dating.
• Trying to meet singles in noisy bars/clubs has little appeal.
• You may even find yourself divorced dating, and feel a bit out of practice and overwhelmed by dating. Single parent dating brings with it its own complications, but there are lots of like-minded singles out there.

There is nothing like finding love in your 40s and 50s. With years of life experience comes confidence and a sense of knowing who you are and what you want. You know your strengths and weaknesses and can use these to enter into more meaningful relationships. So, how do you start meeting other singles over 40 or 50?

Speed dating is ideal for friendship and dating. You can choose an age group which suits you, whether it’s 38-50 dating, 43-55 dating events or something else altogether. The 4 minute format will ease you into dating again - anyone can chat for 4 minutes. All the single guests are in the same boat, they all want to meet new people so are friendly and open. We also run activity dating events such as singles walks, quiz nights and singles wine tasting. These singles events are great for getting back into dating, as the focus is on ‘doing something’ while meeting new people. You already have something in common and can talk about your shared interest.

Our dating nights for over 40 and 50 and singles parties are held in stylish centrally located venues. Singles events are a safe and fun way to find friends and explore potential romances. Over 40 dating and over 50 dating has become our biggest area of growth over the last year, with more singles now than ever before taking control of their love lives and trying new ways to meet people. It’s natural to be curious about singles nights, they are very popular and we see thousands of singles find matches at our dating events every month. In fact, around 80% of singles get at least one match, and if you don’t like anyone you can come again for free speed dating. Arriving is the hardest part – but once the singles event starts you’ll be wondering what you were so worried about.

One mistake the over 40 dating market can make is to have a ‘check list’ of what they want, and rule out singles who doesn’t fit these carefully selected criteria. Sure, we all have dating deal breakers, but are you being too fussy? The downside of divorce is you don’t want to go down that route of ‘failure’ again. Be realistic and give singles a chance. Don’t be impatient, start seeing a potential romance as a companion first and see where it leads. A 4 minute speed date is quite a quick judgement call. Don’t look for ‘the one’ in 4 minutes, if you thought someone was nice why not just meet up for a coffee?

SpeedDater is the leader in the UK singles events market. We are the original dating company to launch in the UK, and we run more events than any other speed dating sites. We specialise in 40 plus dating and dating over 50 – our events are busier than our competitors so you’ll have more chance of finding love at Speed Dater events. We are here for the long haul (since 2002), we have not popped up overnight to try and make a quick buck. For best results we recommend coming to one of our dating nights or singles parties with an open mind. You won’t fancy everyone at the singles event, but you will meet a lot of new people and hopefully find someone special. Click here to register today and start meeting new people.

Singles events are a numbers game, so keep at it and increase your chances of finding your perfect match by opting in for a month of free online dating when you buy your ticket. Please note it will renew at standard rates after the first month if you wish to continue with it. Online dating is very popular, but one thing to remember with online dating is that you should never give out credit card or bank details to anyone you speak to. If a member you speak to asks for money, report them immediately to site staff and help us keep your online dating site safe.

Click here to see our online dating safety tips and hopefully I'll see you at one of our speed dating London events soon!

Till next time... Dani