Bathtub regattas, giant omelettes, a dating app to fill the gap, and more... Here is The Brussels Times' weekly round-up of positive news stories to get your weekend off to the right start.
Today's positive pick
Dottie, a new Belgian dating app for people with disabilities, has recently been launched in Belgium and beyond.
Sophie Lohier (45), who hails from Stekene in East Flanders, first set up Dottie as a website 12 years ago. Dottie isn't her day job – it was "just something I created for my brother," she told The Brussels Times. She works full-time as a secretary in a psychiatric hospital and says that Dottie is "more of a hobby than a job."
Sophie's brother, Yannick (38), was using mainstream dating apps at the time but not having any luck. People would often make fun of him and his learning disability and he was not able to get any 'matches'. Sophie couldn't believe that no dating site existed for people with disabilities and decided to create one herself. In 2011, 'Dottie' was born (an affectionate nickname given to her by friends).
Designed for people of all disabilities, the site became a roaring success and garnered more than 7,000 members over the years (mainly in Flanders). In a bid to modernise, Lohier has recently revamped the website and also launched an app.
It is available on iPhone and Android devices in Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, France and Germany and operates in four languages (English, French, Dutch and German).
A unique app for unique people
Dottie works in a similar way to other mainstream dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge and Bumble, whereby users create a profile and 'match' with others, but Dottie offers more accessible and inclusive features. People can opt to video call instead of message, for example, which is easier for those who struggle to read and write.
There is also a new 'events' feature underway: "I am in the process of contacting several organisations which put on activities for people with disabilities. I want to share their activities on my website so that people know what is happening in their local areas," she explained to The Brussels Times.
"They can mark themselves as 'going' on the events – just like on Facebook – and then view the other members that are going. This helps them to start up a conversation by saying 'I saw that you are also going to this event… Maybe we can go together or see each other there?'"
She hopes this will enable people to meet in person quicker, "because no matter how important the digital has become in our lives, contact in the real world still remains the ultimate goal."
Love at first swipe
Lohier often hears of people who have found love through Dottie. She went to Rock voor Specials festival ('Rock for specials') in June to represent Dottie and was approached by many people: "I've been with my boyfriend from Dottie for six years," someone told her. "Thanks to you, we have celebrated Valentine's Day together for the last three years," another said.
Sanne (32) and Laurens (29) have also been in love for nine months thanks to Dottie and say that they "never would have met" without the website. "I'm from Aalst, Laurens is from Grobbendonk. The chances of running into each other are virtually non-existent," Sanne told Het Laatste Nieuws (HLN).
Sanne and Laurens (Left) and Sophie and her brother Yannick at Rock voor Specials (Right). Credit: Dottie / The Brussels Times
Sanne is mildly autistic, has no depth perception and limited spatial vision; Laurens has a learning disability and manic depression. Both have also tried Tinder and Twoo in the past but were laughed at. "[People said] things like, 'You look like a monster, get surgery.' I don't have to tell you how much that hurt," Sanne laments.
Laurens, meanwhile, says that he never got a single match on other platforms. "I'm a very sensitive guy, such a long string of rejections hits extremely hard."
But in October 2022, Sanne told HLN that she saw his profile on Dottie and decided to make the first move: "I sent him a message and then we started video chatting. On 19 November last year, we saw each other for the first time in real life. That's a date I will never forget."
Making mates and getting dates
Lohier said these success stories make her "so happy to hear." She also achieved her initial goal of helping out her brother Yannick: "My brother found a girlfriend thanks to Dottie, and although there are sadly not together anymore, he has made lots of friends and has had much more success in his dating life since the website was created."
To both those considering signing up and existing members, Lohier stresses the need to be patient. "You won't necessarily find someone in just one month, as it isn't always easy to find the right match. Sometimes it's better to make a few friends on Dottie first, without immediately entering into a romantic relationship, because you can often make friends and meet someone through their circle of friends."
Find more information on how to sign up to Dottie here.
Other stories from this week to make you smile:
1. Around 6,000 people sample giant omelette in Belgium
Some 11,000 eggs, 50 kg of bacon, 25 litres of oil, 5 kg of chives and 500 grams of spices were needed to make the super-sized omelette in Malmedy (southeast Belgium) on 15 August. Read more here.
2. Whatever floats your boat: Dinant's Bathtub Regatta returns for 41st edition
"It was a neighbourhood committee that came up with the idea 41 years ago," said Julien Dolhet of non-profit Les Baignoires. "They had heard on the radio that someone in Italy had crossed a river on a bathtub. So they said to themselves: 'Come on, let's do it!" Read more here.
3. Lotte Kopecky: The Belgian cyclist who won three world titles in one week
"I am proud that we have shown that we can win even the biggest races as a team. I hope I can inspire young girls in Belgium with this world title," the 27-year-old cyclist said. Read more here.
4. Three times the number of museums with free entrance every first Sunday
During the 2023-2024 season, a total of 160 museums in the French-speaking Community will be open to the public free of charge every first Sunday of the month. 33 of these are free to enter on every day of the week. Read more here.
The 45-minute 360° film accompanies the record and will been screened throughout the summer and into the autumn to celebrate the semicentennial anniversary of Pink Floyd's legendary album. Read more here.
6. Ice cream dream: Belgium among top EU ice cream producers and exporters
As Belgians only tend to eat ice cream when the sun is out – a rare occasion in the country – its consumption is only just above the European average. It was, however, among the top producers of ice cream in the EU last year. Read more here.
