Pat Warren, a farmer's wife from rural Derbyshire, gets invited to a lot of weddings. Yes, she's an affable sort of woman with plenty of friends, but the reason for her weighty postbag is that she has brought every one of these grateful couples together.

Twenty-three years ago she set up the very first 'lonely hearts' introduction agency expressly for farmers and country dwellers, and such has been its success that it has led to thousands of fruitful introductions and hundreds of subsequent weddings. She has recently written a book of her experiences, and a television adaptation is even set to follow.

The idea for the Country Marriage and Friendship Bureau was born out of a deep understanding and sympathy for the plight of men and women who live and work in the countryside. Despite the image of the rural idyll, the actual truth is that many farm workers in particular lead remote and lonely lives, working long hours and with little chance to meet new people and form relationships.

"There seems to be less and less opportunity for people to meet partners," says Pat. "Fifty years ago there were village halls with a weekly dance and the community came together. Back then farms also had far more people working on them, and there were plenty of visits from sisters and daughters. Nowadays one man can run a large arable farm virtually on his own."

Pat will only take on new clients who either work or live in the countryside, or who truly value the countryside and its way of life, and they can range from wealthy landowners to lowly-paid farm hands. She has around 500 names on her books, from all corners of the British Isles, and she estimates her 'success rate' is usually more than 50 per cent a year.

When someone contacts her she asks them to complete a registration form, giving personal details such as address, physical appearance, education and interests. She says that it's not too important what they've done in the past, but they are asked very precisely about what they want in the future and where they think they'll be in a few years' time. A face-to-face interview helps her build up a careful profile of the individual, and then if she thinks there's someone suitable she'll suggest a meeting.

"I try to match like-minded people with a view to building long-term friendships," she explains. "We are not about casual relationships." Although her list is reasonably balanced in terms of male versus female, there is a shortage of women under 30; and men over 40 are definitely at a premium.

Great satisfaction

Pat's office, which she shares with a handful of staff, is based on the family farm in the Peak District, and even after 23 years she still looks forward to each new day. "Oh yes, I enjoy every minute of it!" she laughs. "It's so interesting dealing with real people, and to me there is no greater satisfaction than making other people happy."

When she first mentioned the idea of setting up an introduction business, her husband, John, thought it was a joke. He told her that never in a million years would she get a farmer to go to a dating agency - they were "just not that type of people". But one look round her office and you will see numerous photographs of smiling couples tying the knot, and others proudly showing off engagement rings and even new babies. And the letters and cards keep coming in - she had four wedding invitations in July alone when I spoke to her.

Pat admits that farming folk can be shy and embarrassed when they first turn up, but like everyone else they are simply looking for love and companionship - and there have been some amusing experiences along the way. A plain-speaking Yorkshireman rang Pat to complain that the woman she had introduced him to was "too tight wi' her money". But, as he explained quite matter-of-factly, he couldn't end the relationship because she was still knitting him a jumper. "I can't finish wi' her till it's all joined up," he reasoned, "else it'll be a waste of good wool."

Human nature being what it is, not every introduction is successful, of course. She has unwittingly introduced cousins, and once even matched a previously divorced couple. Since she also has to deal with some particularly shy and retiring types, Pat is sometimes asked for some rather delicate and personal advice. One man contacted her to say that he was worried because he had not "entertained" a woman for years. Pat put his mind at rest immediately: "I told him it was like riding a bike and he would soon remember it all."

One woman was distinctly unimpressed when she was picked up by her 'date' in his lorry and told to sit on a potato sack. Another man almost made Pat pass out because his clothes reeked of pig muck; while with others she has had to advise them to tone down their language and offer some gentle sartorial advice. Quite a few men have also expressed surprise when Pat patiently explains that most prospective partners do in fact want an intimate, loving relationship before agreeing to produce a son and heir!

Touching moments

Not surprisingly, there have also been some touching moments over the last two decades, many of which are detailed in her book. A man in his 50s, desperately lonely after a long and solitary life on a farm, finally plucked up the courage to contact the agency. He said he had never had a girlfriend.

Pat introduced him to a woman in similar circumstances, and they hit it off immediately, as the man in question later relates: "The first words she said to me was that I was handsome - can you believe that? Me, handsome! No one had ever in the whole of my life told me that before. We were holding hands within two minutes. It was lovely. We found a tearoom and I think I fell in love with her while we were having a cup of tea. I thought to myself that I wasn't going to let this one slip through the net."

The besotted couple became engaged on Valentine's Day, and married exactly a year later.

Pat Warren clearly has a lot of happy memories, and in some ways writing a book was the perfect way of recording her experiences. For several years she had thought about the idea, but had always shied away from actually getting started. Finally one day a close friend said he would write the first page. She hated the result so much that it spurred her to get going, and she has never looked back.

Her book, called All in a Day's Work - Stories by the Country Matchmaker, has clearly struck a chord with the public, and it has even been snapped up by a television company who plan to serialise it. Although all the names and locations have been changed to protect people's identities, the radiance of the stories shines through as much as the vibrant and amusing individuals.

"The book has so many colourful characters, but all of them are genuine," says Pat. "True life is really more amazing than anything you could ever imagine."

Andrew McCloy is a freelance writer and journalist based in the Peak District.

All in a Day's Work - Stories by the Country Matchmaker by Patricia Warren is published by Farming Books and Videos Ltd