Bachelor auctions his hand on eBay (From Witney Gazette)

Bachelor auctions his hand on eBay

1:56pm Monday 29th January 2007 in Witney By The Page Turner

BACHELOR Mark Broughton is looking for love - by auctioning his hand in marriage, starting at one penny, on eBay.

Mr Broughton, a 37-year-old former parking attendant, has not been able to find a partner since splitting with his long-time girlfriend two years ago.

He said he took the drastic step of putting himself literally on the market because he was fed up of hanging around pubs and bars in the hope of bumping into the love of his life.

Mr Broughton, who lives in a flat in Corn Bar, Witney, admitted that he was 'no hunk', weighing 18 stone, but he promised his bride-to-be other attractive qualities, and vowed: "I am a very loyal person, and I promise I would never cheat on a woman. The bidding started at one penny, and whoever wins the auction can move into my flat for a week. If they still want to marry me after that, then I will stick to my word, but it will be their choice."

Last weekend, there were no bids, but 29 curious people had looked at his offer. When the Gazette asked Mr Broughton if he considered himself a "good catch", he replied: "I cook and clean and I have treated women with respect all my life. I'm not ugly, but I'm not a hunk either.

"If there are women out there who are looking for someone who will be loyal and faithful then I would consider myself a good catch.

"I'm quite a big chap but I don't lounge around. I keep myself fairly active."

The ten-day auction began on Thursday, and has already attracted one bid of £700 from a potential suitor - but shortly afterwards the offer was withdrawn.

The former parking attendant said he was not disheartened, and had also received e-mails from two women, asking him to send them his photograph.

Mr Broughton said: "My auction is getting lots of hits, and there are 12 people watching the bidding, so I'm still very hopeful that something will come of this."

Mr Broughton said he was not fussy about what his future wife looked like or how old she was.

He added: "Looks have never interested me. I'm looking for someone who is friendly, with a good sense of humour, and someone who I can have a laugh and a joke with."

Mr Broughton, a former pupil of Bartholomew School, in Eynsham, said his long-term girlfriend left him two years ago when he suffered stress and quit his job as a garage manager in Woodstock.

He added: "I don't know what she will think when she finds out about this - I haven't spoken to her for two years."

A relationship with a girl called Natalie, from Croydon, which started out in an Internet chatroom in 1999, ended after two years, because Mr Broughton was not prepared to move to Croydon.

Mr Broughton said he was hoping for more success than his last outing on eBay, when he raised 79p after auctioning a bottle of fresh air from Witney.