For sale: one friend

A chef believes he is such a good mate he has decided to put his friendship up for sale on the Internet.

Stuart Donald promises to be the best friend of whoever stumps up the most cash, offering 'a shoulder to cry on' and a 'listening ear'.

The 23-year-old hotel worker has placed the offer on auction site eBay under the title Friend For a Month.

He guarantees the successful bidder letters, e-mails and phone calls for a month, to 'brighten up your day'.

Mr Donald added: 'I think I'm a pretty

good friend. I'm always there for my mates and I haven't had any complaints so far. It's a bit safer than selling my body.'

In his advert, he advises potential buyers to 'think of me as a mate who you haven't seen for ages'.

It reads: 'I will be a great friend to you and you can even extend the friendship after the initial month if you like, for a later agreed amount.'

And should the successful bidder live close to his home in Lumphanan,
Aberdeenshire, he will even consider meeting his new best friend, provided they 'don't seem too scary'.

He added: 'I'm not prepared to travel long distances but, if the buyer happened to be a nice-looking girl, then I'd have to see.

'But it's not a date I'm after. The money is what's important.'

The photography graduate came up with the idea while trawling the Web for an affordable digital camera.

The seven-day auction has about three days left to run and bidding had reached £19 yesterday.