Roses are red, violets are blue, if you want a well-kept garden, you could find a lover, too. Yes, dear Foxy fans, as marketers across the country go into overdrive to get Valentine’s Day romantics to grab a handful at Morrisons and Ikea, Ann Summers and M&S, apparently there is love in the air elsewhere.
You see, according to a new study, nearly three-quarters of UK singles would date a tradesperson this Valentine’s Day, with gardeners topping the table as the most desirable.
Yet it seems “trades appeal” on the dating scene is no longer driven by the traditional cliche of rugged hands and even more rugged sex, but rather a stable career path and the chance to save money on home repairs.
Naturally, there is rather a large caveat as this particular survey was carried out by HaMuch, which claims to be the best place to find the country’s best tradespeople.
And, as well as going weak at the knees at the prospect of a “trade” getting their hands on their home, 14% of those surveyed admitted to having previously flirted with a tradesperson they have employed and one in 10 has even called them back to their home to fix an imaginary or self-made issue so they had the chance to kop a feel with them some more.
While wannabe Monty Dons ranked as the most sought-after, they were closely followed by electricians, with builders and carpenters also ranking in the top five, along with car mechanics.
All of which does make you wonder about the state of the UK housing stock – and Brits’ finances – if the lure of saving money on home repairs ranks higher than getting a decent seeing to.
HaMuch.com founder and CEO Tarquin Purdie reckons: “Times are changing and when it comes to dating, the appeal of a tradesperson is no longer driven by the prospect of a rollabout in the tool shed with a good looking gardener, but rather the job stability and cost saving potential that a career in the trades provides.
“Whilst this puts a bit of a dampener on the romanticised image previously held by tradespeople, it does make sense given the far higher cost of living that we’re now contending with, which is particularly tough for those living on their own.
“But this Valentine’s Day we would like to remind the nation’s singles that our app is purely for finding skilled tradespeople, so please don’t flock to it in hopes of finding love.” Yeh, yeh.
Have a good one!
Follow Foxy on X and Instagram if you must, but don’t get too excited as I’m never there
