School v countryside

suki1964

iksbedd wrote: »

Don't you feel the pressure of the "Surrey set" - the competitive nature, the keeping up appearances - it all being about finances and money....

I don't want the kids to grow up in that.

Never noticed it when I lived in Surrey tbh.

Sure we had friends who were more affluent then ourselves, we had the same ones living in London and even now we have newer friends, there's more then one of them that are multi millionaires and we are both on NMW

But we don't know of anyone who shows off their wealth and we certainly don't feel the need to keep up with the Jones

ukbfg

Bear in mind that most costal areas are actually quite depreived and run down away from the tourist areas and season. It comes from no real jobs and only low paid seasonal work,

I get where you're coming from, but it's worth checking the area very carefully out of season and away from the tourist areas. I wouldn't want my kids growing up in a lot of costal areas,

Davesnave

goodwithsaving wrote: »

I wouldn't exactly describe N Devon as 'off the beaten track'....


I have to admit, I get a bit tired of people having the view that living in Devon, Cornwall and perhaps the Westcountry more broadly is easier and somehow more life-perfect. I have experienced both worlds in question and in the end, settled for somewhere geographically in-between. Don't get me wrong, it's a fabulous place to live and is idyllic in terms of scenery, and jobs are coming as more businesses open up in the South West but for a teenager it's hard. For juggling nurseries with employment miles away, it's hard. Many of my friends based up country had the option to return home and find decent graduate jobs, saving their wages towards houses. I didn't. I know that's the norm, but in today's world it does make it more difficult. In reality, I would love to live nearer home but the opportunities are limited.

It isn't a cheap life - there is also that falsehood. Houses are expensive in contrast to wages, petrol consumption is a little higher (hills, limited public transport options etc.) and in summer, when the tourists come prices go up in cafes etc making it more expensive to eat out.

I'm not intending to be negative, I had a brilliant childhood and was truly fortunate. However I would certainly consider whether it has to be quite such a b*gger to get to, or whether there is actually somewhere more suitable where you have more balance between worlds.

Good, balanced post.

I certainly didn't regret growing up in North Devon, but like most of the socially mobile in the '60s, I moved away for work and only returned when I retired.

I didn't need to go to the other extreme for employment, choosing a small city (Bath) where my children later had experiences much harder to find in Ruralshire. We always came to Devon for holidays and weekend trips though, so to them it's now a familiar second home.

Davesnave

Kim_kim wrote: »

There is a real lack of opportunities in coastal towns & many of them have large drug problems.

Yes, that's true of some places in Devon, particularly Torbay, but don't tar all of the county with the same brush. The North and South are very different places, but of course all areas have some levels of crime and drug dependence.



The stats are out there if people want to find them. Compare with Surrey, or wherever.

Kim_kim

Davesnave wrote: »

Yes, that's true of some places in Devon, particularly Torbay, but don't tar all of the county with the same brush. The North and South are very different places, but of course all areas have some levels of crime and drug dependence.



The stats are out there if people want to find them. Compare with Surrey, or wherever.

It’s not just Devon, lots of coast towns have deprivation & drug problems, north & south.
Brighton is one of the few affluent coastal big towns, but even Brighton has a fair drug problem.

Davesnave

Kim_kim wrote: »

It’s not just Devon, lots of coast towns have deprivation & drug problems.

I'm not denying that; I'm saying look at the stats, because the term 'coastal towns' covers a multitude of different places with very variable characters.

pickledonionspaceraider

East coastal towns do have a lot of drug issues too - got family live that way

MysteryMe

Drug problems are everywhere in the country.

What has historically attracted people with drug or mental health issues to coastal towns is the availability of relatively low cost accommodation whether boarding houses or caravans etc plus of course the transient nature of many of the residents, be it holiday makers or seasonal workers. It's easier to disappear into the background, but again that is national and not region specific.

suki1964

MysteryMe wrote: »

Drug problems are everywhere in the country.

What has historically attracted people with drug or mental health issues to coastal towns is the availability of relatively low cost accommodation whether boarding houses or caravans etc plus of course the transient nature of many of the residents, be it holiday makers or seasonal workers. It's easier to disappear into the background, but again that is national and not region specific.

A lot of our coastal towns are ghost towns out of season, the houses having been bought up as holiday homes. Its very sad as because the local shops end up going as well, along with the Gps, the bus services etc etc

As for drug problems, they are everywhere. I see on my local newsfeed from the PSNI they are conducting drug raids near enough daily, in the towns as well as in the more rural area. it was only a few years ago that a new build a couple of hundred yards from my own front door was found to be a cannabis factory

I think its wrong to say its a problem thats more prevalent in seaside towns, its a nationwide problem

As for work, its there if you are prepared to do it. No its not glamorous, its not well paid, its probably only part time, but there are jobs. Hotels and restaurants always need staff, the amusements when they open for the season need staff as well and farm work is always there. Sure you are not going to find a career unless you work for yourself producing or supplying what others need, but work can be found.

Its not all doom and gloom, no matter how I might have painted it previously but I still would have reservations if I were moving with children

MysteryMe

Sorry if my comment that "Drug problems are everywhere in the country"

wasn't made clear enough

Edit

I didn't say drugs were more prevalent in seaside towns either.