What I wish I’d known

“A CUPPA OPENS DOORS”

I decided to move out of London into the countryside 25 years ago. We were the only black people around there at that time. It’s much more multiracial now. At first, it was difficult: people would stare at me and ask where I was from. But I found you can shake people into being friendly. I knocked on the next-door neighbours’ doors to say hello. They were like, really? But they came in for a cup of tea and from then on it was fantastic. PATRICIA TAYLOR, Country Living’s picture director

“TOADS LOVE WELLIES!”

Before I moved to the countryside, I wish I’d known that if you leave your wellies outside overnight, there is a high chance of some creature taking up residence in them overnight – a toad in my case! Also, you can never do any shopping in a rush as people are so friendly that you always end up stopping for a chat. MILLIE SELIGMAN, gallery owner (hobbyhorseart.com)

“YOU CAN’T BE ANONYMOUS”

Moving from the city to the countryside was exciting, but also quite daunting. Living in a city or large town means that you can be almost anonymous. This is not the case in a village! I wish I’d known that my parishioners would take such a keen interest in who I’d been to visit and who I had not. THE REVEREND ROGER POWELL, rector of Ridgeway, diocese of Salisbury

“YOU STEP BACK IN TIME”

When I moved from bustling Bradford to North Yorkshire, it felt like stepping back in time. Sometimes people’s attitudes can seem a bit outdated, but I love the fact that community spirit is really strong here – I’ve had neighbours bringing in my washing and leaving free vegetables on my doorstep. We chat, barter, swap and help each other out. I wouldn’t live anywhere else now. LIZZIE BUTTERFIELD, café owner