THREE friends who met when they were students at a Worcestershire public school have created a smartphone dating app that allows people going to the same place to connect before they arrive.

Called Outoo, it is the brainwave of George Melhuish, Jon Holloway and James Bell, who went to Bromsgrove School together and now aim to solve difficulties they found when trying to meet new people. Mr Melhuish explained: "Outoo is a product of each of us finding mobile apps and online dating inadequate. We have set about trying to revolves some of the pitfalls we have come across. We wanted to create something that is fun and wanted to create an app that allows users to embrace the unknown and be open to exploring new things.

"Outoo allows you to check into locations you are attending so you can see the profiles of other people going to the same locations at the same time. Through mutual acceptance you can then match and begin getting to know each other. With the green light it should be much easier to put your phone in you pocket and make that initial approach in person.

"To keep the energy and magnetism of that first interaction Outoo allows you to choose time slots over the next 48 hours (today, tonight, tomorrow day, tomorrow night). Gone are the days of endless matches and pointless conversations that never develop into anything. Alternatively you can also check-in to special events selected by the Outoo Team. We try to include new up and coming events and quirky locations, as well as the most popular events to encourage people to try something new.

"Having grown up and gone to school together in Worcestershire, Outoo is a product of the area. Worcester is also the perfect town to launch in. Having a vibrant student life and close knit community means Outoo works perfectly. We have also undertaken testing with students and venues in the area and they have helped to build the application on their feedback. After launching in Worcester we plan on rolling the app out in Nottingham and Birmingham before looking nationwide. A mobile app coming out of Worcestershire isn’t something you hear about everyday but hopefully it is something that the city will be proud to have been an integral part of."