I have been very fortunate to have been born and brought up in the small market town of Richmond, North Yorkshire. My mother was born here a few years after the Second World War and lived with her parent's in the town centre next door to my grandfather’s barber’s shop. My mother has lived a life full of local stories from a town that has slowly changed with each passing year.

Today, people are becoming further and further disconnected from the places they were brought up in. For myself, living in the same town, I am fortunate to have that feeling of belonging to a place. I never tire of walking along the local river or through the ancient woodlands. I know the good places to gather local wild foods, I know the places with the best views, the most secluded places to watch wildlife and birds. I know where to swim in the river during the long hot summer days. As a child, I knew where to catch the biggest fish. The desire to drive to other places to visit for days out is something I no longer have; I have all that I need right here at home.

The community has certainly changed in the town from the days when men would bring my grandfather rabbits in exchange for haircuts. I often hear my mother say, “it’s not like it used to be”, which it is not. Time has changed how communities exist. In many of our towns and cities, people no longer know their neighbours. Such things as lending a hand or helping a neighbour are becoming things of the past. Saturday mornings I often walk into town, I know the people who serve and work in the shops, I know the people who come each Saturday to sell their goods on the outdoor market. Some days I will be in town much longer than others not due to traffic or having to queue to get parked, I will be in town much longer after having talked with all the people I know who are doing the same as me.  

All this may sound idyllic and yes, it is, this why I choose to look for a house of my own in a town that is my home.

The ethics of permaculture, earth care, people care, and fair share fit perfectly with my idyllic description of why I would want to live in Richmond.      

Richmond and the surrounding shire are perhaps becoming one of the exceptions in the country. Recently Richmondshire was said to be the best place to live in England and the second-best in the UK according to a study. The survey for the study looked at a range of data including the labour market, the housing market, the environment, education, health, personal wellbeing, and leisure to rank the areas with the best quality of life. Richmondshire had excellent personal well-being scores, low crime rates, and traffic volumes making it a place people want to live in. 

I will say again, I have been very fortunate to have been born and brought up in the small market town of Richmond, North Yorkshire.