Apparently online dating is the second most popular way to meet a partner if you're aged between 18 and 35. But with plenty of us delaying marriage well past the traditional age - and divorce on the rise - there are lots of us outside that bracket on the lookout too.

So what do we do? Well, if you have children you could ask them to set you up on My Lovely Parent - a new website where children sign their single parents up to meet other singles, and can view and recommend potential prospects for mum or dad. Or, if you're looking for someone of a certain age and status, you could try Dinner Dates.

They don't advertise the service as being age-particular - but with joining fees from £199, a monthly membership fee of £11, and events costing from £50 (for a drinks evening) to £200 (black tie events), it's safe to assume you won't find many impoverished students there. Add in the Dinner Dates host venues - from Layalina in Knightsbridge to the Wyndham Grand hotel in Chelsea - and I think you're starting to get the picture.

The event I went to recently was buzzing from the start - tip, if you want to get first dibs on the men, turn up early as most of the guys were ridiculously punctual. Women, who may have invested the extra time in hair and makeup, were a good half hour behind them. Then of course, you may want to be fashionably late ...

It's definitely a great place to meet other singles in a relaxed sociable setting that has none of the 'first date' fraught-ness about it. There's no guarantee you'll meet that special someone of course - shame that dating and life doesn't come with guarantees, oh well - but it's a good night out and a chance to widen your social circle. And - big plus point! - you know that everyone in the room is single. Not many rooms you can say that about these days ...

For more information on Dinner Dates' membership - including details of how to join for free - visit the website at www.dinnerdates.com

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