Sarah Corbett-Winder and her family quit London for a slower-paced life in rural Wales, and she says there is one aspect of their new life she really loves: the wholesome, clean environment.
More and more people are leaving expensive cities as the cost of living crisis bites and remote working becomes more prominent. Sarah Corbett-Winder and her family are among those. They left London a year ago to move to the village of Berriew, near Welshpool.
She says that while she had heard many stories about people who traded city life for the countryside and regretted it, that was not their experience. She admits she rarely returns to London for work and has no desire to.
A wholesome new life
The fashion stylist and digital creator says their 'wholesome' living situation is one thing she really does not miss about their old life. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, she said: 'We're on the edge of a very sweet village with two pubs, a church, a village shop with glass milk bottles and penny sweets. There's a river that you can swim in, wild blackberries. It's all very wholesome. In London there was always rubbish on our front door.'
Sarah, who is called the Wardrobe Whisperer online, added that their three children Lyon, eight, Nancy, seven, and Celeste, four, have settled into their schools. Sarah is the founder of Kipper, a women's tailoring brand, so can work anywhere. Her husband Ned, the founder of corporate gifting company Not Another Bill and Bespokely, is in London for two nights a week.
Less judgement in the countryside
She claims she knew from 'day one' that the family would settle in Wales. Her husband's parents live nearby and it is expected that they will take over his parents' house one day. Sarah added another aspect she really enjoys: 'Here, I feel like there's less judgement. Everyone supports you, and they almost encourage the unexpected.'
Meanwhile, a woman who started a new life in Wales says that while she loves it, there are some things that 'need to change'. Shaurya Shaurya wrote: 'It's been two years since I moved to Wales, starting a new life for myself, and I remember the day I arrived distinctly. It was my first time flying to a new country let alone moving to one and start my life entirely from scratch. To say I was anxious would be an understatement. Just over 20 hours ago I had been with family and friends, loved, cared, and then quite literally I was very alone.'
'In the two years I've been here I've fallen in love with nation and its people slowly but surely. Now I want to tell the world why. This does not mean I don't see its flaws – Wales has a lot to overcome and I will get to them here – but let's start with the things I love.' She said that while she loves the country's natural beauty, its multiculturalism and Welsh culture and art, she is disappointed by the quality of the NHS in Wales as well as public transport.
