Safe Soulmates carried out consultation in 2017/2018 and established that there is huge need for a not-for-profit dating and friendship organisation.

Here are some of the headline statistics that highlight the need for a friendship/dating organisation in Cambridgeshire:

  • 84% of parents/carers think the person they care for is lonely;
  • 93% of parents/carers said that the person they care for does not have a partner/or is in an unsuitable relationship;
  • 82% of parents/carers think the person they care for would benefit from having a boyfriend/girlfriend;
  • 92% of parents/carers think the person they care for would benefit from new suitable friendships;
  • 67% of parents/carers said that the person they care for spends lots of their time talking about relationships and 69% of parents/carers said that the person they care for is anxious about relationships;
  • Finally, 70% of parents/carers said the person they support has not been able to meet new suitable new friends/partners because there is no support and no suitable dating/friendship agency.

 

Here are some of the anonymised quotes from our Safe Soulmates consultation:

  • ‘When is this likely to start?’
  • ‘It is something desperately needed in this area.’
  • ‘Would be good to link with Dhiverse who run groups around safe relationships.’ (NB: Safe Soulmates plans to work closely with Dhiverse and we have consulted with them and they are very excited about the project.)
  • ‘Just what I have mentioned, this has to be all over county, not just Cambridge, Huntingdon etc, you must consider all the smaller fen towns.’
  • ‘I think it’s wrong how it is that Cambridge is a big city, but I for example always take a liking to those who are either: single but they don’t like me in that way or they do like me but they are already in a relationship. Yet, there is no support in Cambridge to help those including myself who are looking for someone for long-term love and care and in need of love and care.’
  • ‘I think Cambridgeshire is crying out for such an agency. I have worked in support for 16 years and have seen a huge amount of isolation and loneliness amongst those I support. Having a safe and supported way to meet people would be of such enormous benefit to so many people.’
  • We also established that people with LD/autism can be vulnerable to abuse online.  Some of the feedback, all anonymised, included:
  • ‘Picked by woman in pub who made him pay for everything.’
  • ‘He dated a girl who was a compulsive liar and due to his autism he had a terrible time.’
  • ‘They have developed crushes on staff members because they spend more time with professionals than peers. They have also met up with people they have met on social media and those people have exploited them financially.’
  • ‘One or two girls befriended him then stole from him.’