Our Story

PositiveSingles has supported people living with herpes, HPV, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections since 2001.

The wider PositiveSingles community connects people across different countries, backgrounds and relationship goals. As that community grew, one issue became clear: an international platform does not always provide the most relevant experience for someone who wants to meet people locally.

UK members may receive likes and winks from people in the United States or other countries. International connections can be valuable, but they are not what everyone wants. A member in Manchester, Glasgow or Cardiff may simply want to meet someone close enough to message in the same time zone and, when both people feel comfortable, meet for coffee.

PositiveSingles.co.uk was created to provide a more focused experience for people in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Our goal is not to add “UK” to an international dating page. It is to address the practical needs of people who want more relevant local connections, stronger privacy controls and a community where friendship and support matter as much as dating.

Why We Created a Dedicated UK Experience

People living with an STI often turn to specialist communities because mainstream dating apps can make disclosure difficult.

After joining an international platform, however, UK members may encounter a different problem: many of their notifications come from overseas.

A large number of likes does not necessarily create a useful experience. If most of those likes come from thousands of miles away, they can make it harder to notice the smaller number of people who match a member’s location and preferences.

We have also heard from people who repeatedly see the same local profiles and wonder whether anyone else in the UK understands what they are going through.

PositiveSingles UK is our response to those concerns.

The UK platform places greater emphasis on location relevance. Country and distance preferences help members focus on people in the UK, while privacy settings provide more control over who can view a profile and make contact.

Our aim is simple: if a member wants to meet someone in the UK, American likes and winks should not dominate their experience.

Members who welcome international connections can still look beyond the UK. Those who want to stay local can focus on people close enough for the type of friendship or relationship they want.

Fewer Irrelevant Notifications, More Relevant Introductions

We do not measure a good dating experience by the largest number of notifications.

A useful introduction is one that matches a member’s preferences. Location, relationship goals, privacy boundaries and communication style all matter.

PositiveSingles UK focuses on mechanisms that can improve relevance:

• UK-based location preferences
• Country and distance filters
• Dating, friendship and support intentions
• Privacy controls
• Safer private communication
• More relevant likes and winks
• UK-specific information and resources

These mechanisms cannot guarantee that every message will receive a reply or that every member will find a partner. No genuine dating service can promise that.

They can, however, help members spend less time sorting through unsuitable overseas interactions and more time talking to people who fit what they are looking for.

More Than Dating

Not everyone joins because they are ready for a relationship.

An STI diagnosis can affect confidence, mental wellbeing and the way a person thinks about future intimacy. Some people need time before they feel ready to date again.

They may first want to speak to someone who understands.

That could mean meeting a friend who knows why disclosing herpes can feel frightening. It could mean talking to someone who understands why an HPV conversation can become tiring. It could mean discussing HIV without having to respond to outdated assumptions.

Sometimes the most valuable connection is not immediately romantic.

It may be someone who listens after a difficult appointment. A person who shares their own experience without judging yours. Someone nearby who is happy to talk online and, if you both feel comfortable, meet for a coffee.

PositiveSingles UK welcomes members looking for:

• Dating and romantic relationships
• Friendship and companionship
• Peer support
• Private conversation
• Long-term relationships
• A community that understands STI-related stigma

Members can state what they want and move at their own pace. There is no requirement to arrive feeling confident or ready for romance.

Starting With Shared Understanding

Honest communication is important in every relationship. However, people living with an STI often feel that they must defend their character before another person will consider getting to know them.

They rehearse how to disclose. They prepare for rejection. They worry that one piece of health information will become more important than their personality, values or intentions.

Within an STI-aware community, members do not have to start every conversation from zero.

People may have different diagnoses and experiences, so open communication still matters. But there is already a shared understanding that an STI does not determine whether someone is kind, loyal, attractive or capable of building a healthy relationship.

Your health history is part of your story. It is not a complete description of who you are.

Privacy and Member Control

Health information is personal.

Some members are comfortable discussing their diagnosis openly. Others prefer to share limited information until trust has developed. Both approaches should be respected.

PositiveSingles UK provides privacy controls that help members manage what they share and who can see it. Members can choose how they present themselves, communicate privately and decide when they feel comfortable sharing more.

Our approach focuses on:

• Respect for personal boundaries
• Control over profile information
• Private communication
• Careful sharing of photos and personal details
• Reporting and blocking tools
• Protection against harassment and unwanted disclosure

No member should be pressured to reveal more information than they are comfortable sharing. Another person’s health status, photos or private messages should never be shared without consent.

Privacy is not a marketing extra for an STI community. It is part of creating an environment where people can communicate with greater confidence.

Built for the UK

PositiveSingles started as an international community, but UK members have their own language, healthcare system and local expectations.

In the UK, we normally use the term STI rather than STD. People may speak to a GP, attend an NHS sexual health clinic or look for guidance from recognised British health organisations.

Location also needs to reflect how people live here. Members do not search by US states. They look for people in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and communities across the four nations.

PositiveSingles.co.uk brings that local context into the member experience and the information we publish.

Our UK pages use British terminology and direct readers towards recognised health resources where appropriate. They are intended to support the social and emotional side of dating with an STI, not to replace diagnosis, treatment or professional medical advice.

Members who want condition-specific information can read our guides to herpes dating in the UK and STI dating in the UK.

Local Focus With International Choice

A UK-focused platform does not mean every member must limit themselves to the UK.

Some people are open to long-distance relationships. Others travel regularly, plan to relocate or simply enjoy meeting people from different countries.

PositiveSingles UK allows members to make that choice.

The difference is that international activity should not prevent someone from focusing on local people when that is what they prefer. Members should be able to look abroad by choice, rather than receive mostly overseas interactions by default.

A person looking for a local relationship should be able to focus on the UK. A person open to an international relationship should be able to expand their search.

An Inclusive Community

PositiveSingles UK welcomes adults from different backgrounds, identities, orientations and relationship goals.

Our community includes people living with herpes, HPV, HIV and other STIs. Some are newly diagnosed. Others have lived with their condition for years. Some are looking for a serious relationship, while others want friendship or a person who understands their experience.

Members do not need to fit one type of relationship, identity or life stage.

What matters is respectful communication, honest intentions and consideration for the privacy and boundaries of others.

Harassment, discrimination, deliberate exposure of private information, impersonation and requests for money have no place in the community. Members should report suspicious or abusive behaviour so it can be reviewed.

Beyond the Diagnosis

People join PositiveSingles because of a shared health experience, but that is not what makes two people compatible.

Compatibility comes from personality, humour, values, attraction, interests and the way two people treat each other.

A member may be a parent, student, teacher, designer, musician, nurse, business owner or retiree. They may love walking, cooking, football, books, live music or quiet weekends at home.

An STI does not remove those parts of a person.

Our role is to make the initial conversation easier so members can focus on everything that comes after the diagnosis: who someone is, what they want and whether they enjoy spending time together.

From a Message to a Cup of Coffee

A connection can begin with a simple message.

It may become a supportive conversation between two people who have faced similar fears. It may develop into a friendship. If both people feel safe and comfortable, it may lead to a coffee or a first date somewhere nearby.

It may eventually become a long-term relationship. It may remain a valuable friendship.

Both outcomes matter.

PositiveSingles UK exists to help people meet closer to home, reduce irrelevant overseas interactions and communicate with people who understand that an STI is only one part of a much bigger person.

Meet People Who Understand

Whether you are looking for dating, friendship, support or a long-term relationship, you can begin at your own pace.

Set your location preferences, protect your privacy and start a conversation with someone who understands.