LONDON, February 11 /PRNewswire/ --     Hard up British blokes are ditching pricey treats in favour of
credit-crunch proof ways of romancing loved ones this Valentine's Day. 1.6
million even admit they are following in the footsteps of Byron, Keats, and
Shakespeare by penning their own love poems this February 14th.

This is according to research from voice-to-text company SpinVox which
reveals two thirds of men (65%) are planning to make significant cuts in
spending this Valentines day.

Women hoping for expensive, grand romantic gestures this year are likely
to be left bitterly disappointed - the report also shows that almost
three-quarters (72%) of British men are going to be leaving their romantic
planning until the very last minute this year - too late to book romantic
meals or trips to the movies. One in ten men are even planning to present
their loved one with a home-made card as a romantic gift as the recession
bites.

In order to help love-stricken 'Recession Romeos', SpinVox has teamed up
with Christopher Mulvey, emeritus professor of English at the University of
Winchester to provide a helpful five step guide for wannabe Wordsworths who
don't know where to start.

To give the budding poets an extra helping hand, SpinVox has also created
an interactive web page http://www.moblog.net/RecessionRomeos/ - lovestruck
men can call a dedicated phone line - +44(0)161-369-6432 - and their love 
poems will instantly be published.

Professor Mulvey said, "It's hard to put a price on romance, but these
are hard times, and the credit crunch is making it difficult to express your
feelings through physical gifts. Nonetheless, lovers can give the object of
your affection the richest present in the world in the form of a
hand-crafted, heart-felt poem."

Professor Mulvey's Guide to Poetry for Recession Romeos There are five
simple routes to creating a memorable poem for Valentine's day, some of them
harder than others.

1. Compute it - Basically, cheating. Type 'poetry engine' into Google,
and you'll find simple software that can help you to soften any heart. Type
in some key words and let the computer do the rest.

2. Shape it - Shape your poem out of lines from the great old love
poems-the ones that break your heart just to read them. Run a quick web
search, and you'll find them by the dozen. Take a selection of best lines and
weave them together. And why not customise things a little as you go
along?-'O, my Sarah's like a red, red rose,' etc. Be sure to only use old
poems; anything written after 1900 might belong to someone - Wikipedia will
tell you the dates.

3. Write it - The serious option. Read a few classic love poems to limber
up. Think of a special moment. Keep it simple and write from the heart. Don't
try and be clever, cheap or sloppy.

4. Dream it - The hardest way. The best love poems are dreams, visions or
fantasies. It might be best not to try and write one at all, and just let it
come. As Bob Dylan said 'I think a poet is anyone who wouldn't call himself a
poet.'

5. Deliver it - This can help turn a lovely poem into something really
memorable, but needs to be chosen carefully! Would turning up in your
beloveds place of work to read the poem really go down well? SpinVox can help
you do something subtle, yet meaningful.