Single lad who has never had girlfriend decides to take out billboard in search for love

A lad has revealed the response he's had to a billboard of himself which he erected in the hopes of going on his first ever date.

If you thought spending a few minutes swiping left and right was effort, wait until you see this:

The course of true love never did run smooth, but for one single guy, not even Hinge, Tinder or any other online dating app has managed to help him find a suitable girlfriend.

Ed Chapman from Leeds explained how, upon reaching the age of 23, he feels like he's 'reached an age where [he] should have been on one date before'.

However, rather than giving up on finding love completely, Ed decided to get creative.

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Ed revealed that he's been 'single' for 'all of [his] 23 years' but is now 'ready to find someone to hopefully be in a relationship with'.

"I had tried some dating apps, but it didn't go well for me at all," he reflected.

Instead of moping around listening to sad music, eating ice cream and spooning his dog to sleep - and yes there is a chance I'm speaking from personal experience - Ed decided to think outside of the box and reach out to potential girlfriends via something they definitely couldn't ignore: a giant billboard with his face and email on it.

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"I decided I needed to try something different and thought having my own billboard would be a good way of meeting people," Ed explained.

However, the 23-year-old originally 'didn't think it would be possible' because of difficulties finding a company who would take on his request.

Luckily, an outdoor advertising operator based in Leeds called 75media agreed to let Ed use the billboard for a week.

And what better location than the M621 motorway which heads straight into Leeds, which will not only get seen by thousands every day, but means the potential match will be in exactly the right location and Ed won't have to trek miles away.

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Ed explained his family were 'really surprised' when they heard about the lengths he was going to in order to secure a first date.

"They found out through other people, so it was a shock. They thought it was funny, but they're happy I'm trying to find someone, even if it's in quite an unorthodox way," he said.

But has the billboard proven to be successful with the ladies, or should Ed get back to the apps?

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Noting he also used his social media to promote the billboard, Ed revealed: "I received my first message on the same day the billboard went live and since then, I've had a few messages from women between the ages of 18 to 48. It's quite a mix."

The 23-year-old explained how lots of women found the billboard funny, which was one of the aims of it - to reflect his personality.

Ed has since been speaking to four women who are 'all keen to go on a date' with him.

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While he noted he's 'looking forward to arranging [his] first dates with them' - the prospect of breaking his dating virginity is 'really exciting' - Ed also admitted he's 'obviously a little bit nervous'.

However, overall, the 23-year-old has resolved the response to the billboard is 'a sign there's something positive to come'.

Ed said: "It's a great sign people have been in touch with me and shows me it's not going to be doom and gloom forever in regard to my love life."