Alex Lloyd goes out on the town, this week looking at speed dating.

IF the strains of Mud's Lonely This Christmas are ringing loudly in your ears, don't despair - York's very own dating fairy godmother Dana-J is about to spread her magic dust over the city's singletons.

Sunday night sees the launch of speed-dating at Bar 38 and Dana-J, aka Bev, hopes to bring love, and a little bit of fun, to those of us who find York a dating nightmare.

Bev says: "Speed-dating has really taken off in America and other cities in this country, but it seems a bit slow in York.

"I came out of a long-term relationship two years ago and realised how difficult it was to meet people. With something like this you can cut to the chase and get to it. There's no need to worry about who's single and who's not.

"It's great because you only get a few minutes of them being an idiot before you can move on."

The event is open to 20 men and 20 women, and participants will get a three-minute "date" with each member of the opposite sex, with a minute after each to leave a message for the other person and a half-time interval to mingle and swap notes.

Bev, who has taken part in speed-dating in Leeds, says the idea is to have a great night out and receive a bit of an ego-boost.

"I've found that you can make a lot of friends, who you can get arrange to go out with to new places.

"You also get lots of compliments. I think it should be on the NHS for depression."

Sunday's event is aimed at over 21s, but anyone over 18 is still welcome.

There is more Dana-J speed-dating planned at Bar 38: one for 18-30 year olds on December 21, with another for over 30s in January.

Speed-dating at Bar 38, off Coney Street, in aid of the heart and lung machine at York Hospital's Special Care Baby Unit. Sunday December 7, 6.30pm-10.30pm, tickets £12 in advance from Bar 38, which includes buffet and happy hour cocktails all night.

Updated: 16:35 Thursday, December 04, 2003