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After a career in modelling, photography and community education Mary Balfour bought her first introduction agency Drawing Down the Moon in 1986 and it has gone from strength to strength since then. It is now known as the Original Personal Introduction agency and caters for well educated professionals and is dubbed ‘the agency for thinking people’.

1.Also runs Only Lunch, one-to-one lunch (and dinner) dates for busy professional people. 2.Co-founder and director of www.loveandfriends.com – Internet dating for thinking people. 3.Runs www.smart-dating.com – a website and Internet dating agency for smart people everywhere

4.Runs Dating Masterclasses at Waterstones in Piccadilly. About 100 people attend each time

5.Offers date coaching on a one-to-one and group basis.
 

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6.Co-sponsored, with the British Red Cross, the ‘largest blind date in history’ at the Desperate and Dateless ball in London 2002/2003. 7.Co-sponsored the first 'Chemistry Event' - organising the ‘largest speed dating session in history’ 2003

 

8.Mary is an experienced public speaker and is will to talk on any aspect of her work. 9.Some topics she will discuss: - Top tips for successful dating - Flirting secrets of smart women - Top turn ons/offs for would be daters. - Falling and staying in love. - Read your date’s thoughts through their body language.

 

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As the UK’s foremost matchmaking expert Mary is a seasoned media contributor and has appeared in numerous television and radio documentaries, chat shows and news items. She has featured as a guest agony aunt on various radio shows. Featured in many magazine and newspaper articles.

 

Mission in life: to help women and men find the romance they seek and have fun in the process. Over the years she has studied the behaviour patterns of people who are successful in finding a partner. She believes these patterns can be analysed and learned. Mary has written about her findings in her forthcoming book ‘Smart Dating – how to find your man’ to be published by Thorsons Element on May 4th. This can be pre-ordered on www.amazon.com.

 
The book ‘Smart Dating – find your man now’ – some key points:

 

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1st find-your-man-now book written by an introduction agency owner and based on real life case histories. Most relationship books are written by people who try to fix relationships that don’t work (counsellors, therapists,etc.). Smart Dating is based on what Mary has learned through observing success strategies over the years..

Target Readers: busy, successful, independent professional women who don’t want to be like Bridget Jones.
 

Fills a market gap. Heaps of books on how to make relationships work – The Rules, Mars and Venus. Very few on how to find them in the first place. Contains hot tips and practical suggestions including fun ‘Mansearch Workouts’ to motivate the reader and give her the tools to create and make the most of dating opportunities.

Every purchaser of Smart Dating gets one month’s free full membership of www.smart-dating.com an Internet dating site for smart people everywhere.



Mary’s background and interests:

 

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Trained as a photographer and worked as a model. Degree in sociology and Post-Graduate Certificate in Education. Trained to teach Assertiveness and also Sexuality for Women with Anne Dickson and the Redwood Women’s Training Group

Worked as Head of Centre in an adult education institute in North Kensington for many years.
 

Is of Irish origin. Lives with her husband Sebastian in North Kensington, London. Has two stepdaughters who both live in Rome.

Loves spending time with friends. Enjoys cooking and wine tasting.

Visits her house in the mountains just outside Barcelona whenever she can