The secret to the ‘best village’ lies in its people

Once you get past gripes over potholes, late buses and overdevelopment, everyone would proclaim their village is the best.

If that isn’t enough, there are now regular press releases proclaiming our rural communities as the “must have” hotspot for property buyers.

Unfortunately, they can usually follow a similar press release warning of the county’s no go areas, and, as this week’s edition shows, sometimes the same towns can appear in both.

In the “fake news” era, it’s more important than ever to take these releases with a pinch of salt.

It should come as no surprise that the affluent, green landscape of Sevenoaks is billed as one of the south east’s top destinations.

Nor should it come as a surprise that stations with direct links to London are providing prime real estate nearby.

The statistics and figures sent through can paint us all a picture of whose buying where, but it isn’t our jobs and the price of our home that defines our communities - it’s the faces we see every day.

If this really is the information era, buyers should be savvied up to look at more than one article before buying a home.

To really learn about an area, sometimes the best thing we can do is immerse ourselves in it.

There are village halls, local pubs and annual fairs to visit, each showcasing the very best our towns, villages and hamlets have to offer.

So, as informative and helpful as these articles remain, bear in mind that no statistic can ever reflect the vibrant communities we can all live in if we support one another.

‘Buyers should be savvied up to look at more than one article before buying’