Do you feel strangled by your marriage vows or feel as if the once passionate love for your partner is fading since the birth of your child?

If this strikes a chord you are likely to be one of the many couples struggling to deal with life's demands and squeezing in your relationship amid household chores.

Although marriage preparation courses are intended to help you deal with relationship issues, there is no such thing to tap into when the rose-tinted spectacles come off and reality kicks in.

This is what inspired Nicky and Sila Lee, who had been running marriage preparation courses for engaged couples in the UK since 1985, to start organising a seven-week marriage course for couples at any stage of their marriage.

The two have even written a book, The Marriage Book: How To Build A Lasting Relationship, to help couples invest in their marriage and make it stronger in the light of ever-increasing separations.

Their course grabbed the attention of Petra and Peter Ellul Vincenti and they were so fascinated by the practical advice, which strengthened their own relationship, that they started running a similar course in Malta in line with the Lees' teachings.

In an attempt to revive these principles for those who followed the course in Malta, the Ellul Vincentis invited the Lees to present the first Marriage VRT for over 100 people who gathered at Villa Arrigo for an informal evening last Friday.

"Our cars need regular inspection, so too do our marriages. The Marriage VRT is designed to ensure that our relationship will not only survive the coming year but will grow closer and stronger in the face of the pressures and opportunities of everyday life," Mrs Ellul Vincenti said.

So do the Lees have the recipe for a perfect marriage?

"Many go into marriage thinking their partner will be the perfect person who will meet all their emotional needs but we are only human and bound to fail one other. What we are trying to do in our course is equip the couple with the foundation of relationship skills so their marriage will last a life-time," they said an interview prior to Friday's event.

The course is based on simple advice such as the art of communication and effective listening, resolving conflict, the power of forgiveness, dealing with parents and in-laws and maintaining a healthy sexual relationship.

"From our observations, a huge number of relationships could be saved with a little bit of time invested in the relationship such as stopping to listen and setting a date with your partner to talk and have fun, away from the daily chores," Mrs Lee said.

Marriages that break down are usually the result of a process of growing apart over the years because husband and wife have never known what it takes to make their relationship work.

Asked what they felt was leading to the high number of separations, Rev. Lee said it all boiled down to the fact that people lived in a consumerist society. "People are not used to mending things. If something doesn't work, it is easier and cheaper to buy a new one. We are encouraged to believe that fulfilment comes through what we can acquire with as little effort as possible, rather than through working at something," he said.

The Lees know it is hard to undo old habits and new ways of communication will have to be developed but if the couple really put their heart into it they can salvage a flagging relationship.

Every session of the course starts off with a romantic candlelit dinner to set the atmosphere and make the couple feel special. Mrs Lee insisted they never ask the state of the couples' relationship and that remains a private matter.

After dinner they focus on a different aspect of marriage such as instilling romance into the relationship and spend the evening discussing it, including a series of exercises the couples have to do to take stock of their marriage.

Though the course is based on Christian values, it is open to people of all religious denominations as well as atheists since it is built on practical advice, which is accessible to everybody.

The next seven-week course presented by the Ellul Vincentis starts at the end of this month but it is already full. Those who wish to attend the next course starting in January may send an e-mail to petra.vincenti@keyworld.net or call on 7904 8490.

This is a non-profit activity and the couple attending the course is charged Lm38, which includes a dinner for every session and two manuals to work with. Every married couple is invited to attend, including those who have been married for one year or 30 years. The course is in English.