Dating agency launched for people with learning disabilities

The U-Night Group is hoping Meet ‘N’ Match with help people who are struggling to meet others.

The social enterprise, based in Lytham St Annes, has received funding to expand its work into the Lancaster and Morecambe area and they are looking for people who want to get involved.

Meet ‘N’ Match is a friendship and dating agency for people with a learning disability.

It aims to support and encourage people to form close friendships and relationships, through social events and its exclusive members only matching service.

Based in Lytham, U-Night have appointed an events and project coordinator to enable them to expand their operations into north Lancashire.

Rachel Lambert said: “I’m really excited to be working with the U-Night Group to develop the friendship and dating agency, Meet ‘n’ Match.

“There is a demand locally for people with learning disabilities to find friendships and possibly love. People have already stared to sign up and I’m hoping more people in the Lancaster and Morecambe area will want to get involved.”

Meet ‘N’ Match officially launched at an exclusive party at Preston North End last month and the team are currently planning local events.

Rachel added: “We have spoken to people about what activities they want to try out and people have suggested speed dating, comedy nights and quiz nights, so we are looking at how and where we can set these up, so that people with a learning disability can come along, meet new friends and have fun.”

U-Night Group founder and chairman Sue Sharples, said: “Generally, people with a learning disability have limited opportunities to meet their peers and to form lasting connections.

“Our current members have told us that this leads to them feeling lonely, isolated and depressed. We hope that this will be one way of improving people’s physical and mental wellbeing, whilst opening up possibilities for the kind of relationships that others take for granted.

“Meet ‘N’ Match is a great opportunity for some of the most vulnerable people to get together, with a view to finding anything from someone with a shared interest to true love.”

The next countywide event planned is the Meet ‘N’ Match Winter Ball, which will be held at Preston North End on November 11.

For more information about joining Meet ‘N’ Match or for information on any of the events, contact Rachel Lambert on 07749 390790 or email

[email protected] 

More information can also be found on the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MeetNMatchLancashire or on Twitter @MeetnMatchLancs.