About 20 years ago I lived in London in an inner city borough. We had a flat above a store and we never knew our neighbours even though we lived there for about 10 years. We never really got to know anybody who lived locally and socialised with friends spread across London rather than people locally.

Since I’ve lived in a country town the change is so marked. People chat in shops, they say hallo in the street, I know all the neighbours in the apartment block and even go to a coffee morning with them once a week. People here are helpful to each other. The contrast between here and London couldn’t be more pronounced.

I know about my neighbours’ dogs and cats and even their names. My neighbours know my dogs. I know which ones are sick or not to be trusted off the lead. There is a lot of gossip, of course, but most of it seems harmless, not spiteful, and often leads to offers of help when someone needs it.

I much prefer living here to London and am so glad we moved. I think I could be quite lonely in London.

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