I moved into my present abode in May 1975 and I am still there. I am an appalling conveyancing customer as for me, the need for house buying services is definitely very occasional. Why didn’t we move? Well there was the problem of the cat getting used to new environment; and how would Mr Williams who lived next door in his nineties ever get a wholesome evening meal? We rather like the village of Woolton with its old sandstone walls and Reynolds Park is just round the corner. There are 17 pubs and a variety of restaurants within walking distance. We are on top of the hill and can see the Welsh Hills in the distance. In other words, we got settled and enjoyed our relationship with friends and neighbours and it was not a bad environment.
Rightmove thinks that our reasons for being happy where we live are quite normal. They have recently surveyed customers round the UK. They found that factors like friendly neighbours, safety, local bars and restaurants and having sufficient income to live a comfortable life all contribute to happiness. And guess which locality came out top in the North West? It was none other than the Wirral, closely followed by Chester, Southport and Liverpool who all came out in the top 15 happiness locations.
17,000 people took part in the survey and in addition to the factors mentioned above, green spaces, essential local services and arts and culture all came out as important. When I first came to live in Liverpool in 1972, it most certainly would not have come out as a desirable place to live although the people I met always seem to enjoy and make the most of their lives. That’s why I decided to stay. But the environment in the city now has changed out of all recognition and it is a great place to be for its theatres, entertainment and night scene; and it is one of the safest cities in the UK.
All this feeds into the success of the surrounding areas and the Wirral has done a great job in preserving and promoting its natural assets such as the Wirral Country Park. Birkenhead Park, the first publicly funded park in the world, is a template for many others around the world including Central Park in Manhattan. Its golf courses and coastline provide stunning views of the Dee Estuary and the hills of North Wales. It has some seriously good restaurants and the Floral Pavilion is now packed with events which attract punters from far and wide.
No wonder that our Residential Property teams have never been busier; there are plenty of takers for properties in West Wirral where we have two of our offices in Hoylake and Heswall. Having a local presence definitely helps in understanding the needs of our house buying clients. Our firm has had a Wirral presence for over 125 years and we are proud of the great legal work done by our teams in Birkenhead, Heswall and Hoylake.
lt's good that the the Wirral too has a national reputation for the happiness of its residents. Not a bad thing to be known for.