British men seek Czech mates

[Cold Warrior]

British men seek Czech mates
Nicola Smith and Flora Bagenal
 
 
 
WHEN James Hopkins proposed to Veronika Horakova on a small pedal boat in the shadow of Prague’s medieval Hradcany castle, her answer was an immediate “yes”.
After six months of dating his Czech girlfriend, Hopkins, 37, was ready to give up his City career and join her for a new life in the Czech capital.

 
Hopkins had sought Horakova, 32, through the Romantic Future “introduction” agency after being lured to Prague by his perception of Czech women as “less assertive and demanding” than girls in London.

His new wife said she had looked for a British man, as Czechs were too tied to their mother’s apron strings.

Since the Czech Republic’s entry into the European Union in May 2004 and the end of visa and work permit barriers, the number of British men seeking Czech brides has risen from a few hundred to more than 1,000 a year. Simon Harris, owner of the agency, has seen a 25% growth in turnover.

Andrew Thompson, 30, a London accountant, tried the agency and was impressed by the relaxed confidence of Czech women. “They are not competing and ramming their ambitions down your throat,” he said.

Gabriela Justinova, who set up the Flying Hearts agency three years ago, said: “My male clients know that Czech women are also not as desperate to leave their home country as Russian women are. They are more likely to find a real match.”