Nine years ago, I left London kicking and screaming and moved to the Cotswolds for a job. It’s one of the best things that ever happened to me. Over the years, I’ve fallen in love with this area, the beautiful River Windrush and many others like it. The honey-coloured buildings and the yummy mummy playgrounds of Soho Farmhouse and Daylesford (bougie I know, but I’m gonna own it).
Houses of all shapes and sizes are being snapped up around here as people leave the city and look for their own rural idyll. Lockdown has led many of us to reflect on our priorities and make some changes. For most, the desire to move out of the city is born from the want of space; to roam, to exercise, to have a garden to grow your own.
So why on earth am I leaving the Cotswolds and heading back towards London?
Being black in the Cotswolds is complicated. My decision to move is inextricably bound up with my identity as a black woman. Three factors were at the front of my mind when making my decision: work, family and community.