We want to help singles in their 50s, 60s & 70s.
- Feb 12, 2023
- 3 min read
We got this lovely message from our client, and she agreed that she would be very happy for us to share her thoughts as long as we changed her name - which we would always do for confidentiality purposes.
Testimonial, Sarah aged 59, Hampshire
I got married at 19, and after nearly 36 years of marriage, in June 2019, my husband passed away after a long illness. I guess it’s always a shock to lose someone, but he was gone a long time before he died. I had nursed him for 5 years before he passed, so it didn’t feel like a shock for me as we were prepared for it.
Of course, the pandemic came along eight or nine months later, and the loneliness was horrendous; even though I had been doing everything on my own for a long time before my husband died, this was different. I can’t remember ever feeling that alone. I kept thinking that I should get myself out there, but obviously, we were locked down, although I do think that also offered a good excuse for me not even having to think of venturing out on a date with someone.
In the summer of 2022, I finally plucked up the courage to attend a few Select Events’ socials for singles over 50. I did this for a few months, which helped my confidence in meeting new people. With their help, I decided to take the leap of faith to join and become a member to see if they could find me, someone.
It took a few weeks to get me up and running, and I lost my nerve a few times!. The best thing was that they have a very supportive service and they are also very thorough. They guided me through the process at my pace, and we had lots of conversations about what I was looking for and what I actually needed from a partner. They were great at asking questions, allowing me to get to the really important things about the relationship I wanted moving forward. I liked the fact that they did this through a face-to-face meeting.
Things then took off quickly; after that, I had my photo shoot, which I was nervous about as I disliked getting my photos taken, but the Select photographer was so lovely and made me feel at ease. I then had a coaching session on zoom which was an eye-opener as the coach was able to ask all the right questions for me to open up about my apprehensions about myself and dating and relationships in general. She put a plan and some exercises in place for me to use when I start dating. The great thing is that I know their coach is on hand if I have a wobble or lose my nerve.
My profile was written, and we discussed this several times, and I was able to choose my images from my photoshoot. That was a relief having it all done for me, as I could never have done it myself.
I have been on 3 dates since I joined, I am learning a lot along the way, and I have adapted (with the help of my matchmaker) my approach to dating. The team at Select have supported me all the way. It hasn’t been an easy journey, and I think this was because I was looking for something that is no longer possible to find, and I doubted myself in many ways.
Now, I feel more confident, and with the help of Select Connections’ coach, I have developed a more positive dating approach. I am actually enjoying the experience of meeting new people and being myself. I’m confident that they will help me find my new companion. If I was to do it all again or if anyone were to ask about it, I would say be brave and take the step – you never know where it may lead.

Comments