LONELY hearts across Swindon are being sought for a romantic rendezvous once a month.

Organisers of a dating night, in which couples have four minutes to discover if sparks will fly, say they have less response in Swindon than anywhere else.

Natasha Woodruff, one of the brains behind Slow Dating, said: "I'm not sure why we get so few people in Swindon compared to other places - maybe it's because everyone's already loved up, or maybe they're just shy."

Slow Dating run nights at The Spot, in Old Town, on the last Wednesday of every month.

Daters move around the room, spending four minutes, one minute more than in the more famous SpeedDating, with each potential match.

Each person is issued with a card on which they write the vital statistics of each of their dates.

There is a 15-minute interval in the middle and time at the end to mingle and get that all-important phone number.

The day after the event each dater is sent an email with the names of all the participants, which they tick according to preference.

If two ticks match then contact details will follow.

Among those looking for love at the Swindon event was 35-year-old Claire.

She said: "I think these events are a really interesting way of meeting people.

"I live in quite a small village, I have a close circle of friends and I have a three-year-old daughter, so I don't get much chance to meet new people. This is a relaxing and fun way of doing that.

"The history of SpeedDating is very interesting too - apparently it was started by the Jewish community, as a way of making sure Jewish singles got together."

Caroline, a 29-year-old administrator, agreed.

She said: "I think it's a much better way of meeting someone than going to some nightclub where everyone's drunk, you can't have a conversation because the music's too loud and you can't be sure if the person you're talking to is single or not."

Dale, 28, from Abbey Meads, has attended a number of Slow Dating evenings. He said: "I don't get a lot of time to socialise between commitments at work and my interests in sport, and when I do go out I generally want to chat to my friends. I don't want to be on the pull."

Julie Tonks, one of the hosts of the Swindon evening, said: "We get a lot of people who have moved to Swindon and maybe don't get the chance to meet many people - events like these can be very useful to those people."

Paul, 39, from North Swindon, was attending his second event.

He said: "I've found it very natural actually - it's been easy to talk to people and there are some very attractive women here.

"Last time I didn't actually tick anyone - I'm quite picky - but this time I'd definitely say there are going to be a few ticks."

To find out more about Slow Dating go to www.slowdating.com.