Family relocate to Lincolnshire for fresh air and a fresh start

A family from South East London have made a fresh start after relocating 163 miles to Alford in Lincolnshire. 

Leah Ganney, 37, and her partner Danny Inwood, 43, swapped their three-bedroom semi-detached house in Welling for a larger four-bedroom detached property at Chestnut Homes’ Bridgeways development in Alford – making a substantial sum in the process. The couple decided to put down roots in Lincolnshire after visiting Leah’s parents, who retired to the county last year. As Leah was pregnant with their second child Daisy, and with their 11-year-old daughter Abigail due to start secondary school in September, it seemed like the perfect time to make the move.

Leah said: “My parents retired up here last year, and my sister followed them not long after. When we would go up to visit, we fell in love with the countryside and the people. This is just a completely different way of life to what we are used to. “With the baby on the way, we knew that we wanted more space and the prices in London are just so high. There is so much more value for money in Lincolnshire. There are lots of lovely places to walk, from treks across the countryside to strolls around the town. It feels much safer too.”

Danny said: “We wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of London Life. In Welling we would have to travel quite far at the weekends to go to a country park, but now we have plenty of options for countryside walks and we are just 15 minutes from the sea. “We were looking on Rightmove for homes in the area, and we came across Chestnut Homes’ Bridgeways development. We called Leah’s parents and asked them to go and have a look, and they said that the development was nice. We were looking at another, older property but when it came down to the two, Chestnut Homes ticked all the right boxes.”

Danny and Leah purchased a large four-bedroom detached Pheasantry house type at Bridgeways, off Willoughby Road. Just two weeks after moving in at the beginning of February, the couple welcomed their new daughter Daisy into the world.

When beginning their search for homes in Lincolnshire, the couple were struck by how much more space they could get for their money. Danny said: “House prices are very different here. We sold our old, three-bedroom semi-detached home in Welling for £330,000, and purchased this four-bedroom detached house which is so much bigger, for £260,000.” Leah said: “Having four bedrooms is fantastic. It’s great to have a guest room for when people want to visit and stay over. We also absolutely love the kitchen and dining room; all of our family time takes place in that room.”

Danny said: “The Kitchen and dining room is a wonderfully sociable space. In the evenings, when we have cleared away after dinner and put Daisy to bed, Leah, Abigail and I can all sit around the dining table and play board games. “The study is a great space too. I am a part-time photographer, so we have transformed the study into my studio, with all of my photo and editing equipment. “The lounge is also double the size of our previous one. There is so much space for us all to relax, and we have set up an area for Daisy and all of her toys.”

Danny continued: “Our home sits right across from a beautiful open space which is perfect for the children to play on. Just the other night we were running around out there, and the neighbours from a few doors down were out teaching their little girl to ride a bike. There is a lovely community forming.”

Leah said: “We love it here. It’s so different and much quieter to what we are used to. Our pet rabbit was an indoor rabbit before we moved, but now we have given him some space in the garden and he has completely changed! He is so much happier here too. “Abigail started at St Helena’s Church of England Primary School in March, and in comparison to her class of 30 back in Welling, she had just 15 other students in her class, meaning the teachers could give each student the attention that they needed. She will be starting at John Spendluff Technology College in September.”

The couple have been so impressed by quality and style of Chestnut Homes’ properties that they are now trying to convince Danny’s parents and brother to follow suit and relocate to Bridgeways. Danny said: “We have not been back down to Welling since we moved up in February but my parents came to visit recently and I am keen for them to look at moving up here too. I think they would enjoy The Nook house type. They currently live in a flat and The Nook would offer them so much more space as well as their own garden.”