There's a lot of business being done here in Nottingham with new companies relocating and growing fast in this buzzing environment. Thompson Reuters have decided to create a Nottingham hub for their employees seeking a higher standard of living at a lower cost of living, and we can see why.
- Nottingham's cost of living is a lot lower that that endured by our southern sisters, but the lifestyle that we enjoy, if you know where to look, is full of opportunities to thrive, have fun, and relax.
- Nottingham's sporting scene is the envy of many other British cities.
- Nottingham is a hive of new music, we have many excellent small venues for bands as well as our Arena for the big bands, comedians and shows.
- Theatre in Nottingham is fabulous, with 3 main theatres including my personal fave Nottingham Playhouse, which is the renowned leading-edge producing theatre and is having huge success with some productions travelling worldwide.
- Our transport links are second to none. By car via the M1, by train or flying to East Midlands Airport and linking back to the city using the marvellous Skylink and Skylink Express, which takes us straight into the heart of the affluent residential area of West Bridgford and runs twice an hour.
- The modern, public transport network within Nottingham is a great example of how things should be done – we have a network of frequent bus services as well as 3 Tram lines which are fast and clean.
- We have 2 impressive International Universities, "The Uni of" and NTU which are both architecturally beautiful, but also forward-thinking and imbue the city with creative, scientific and entrepreneurial energy.
- No list of Nottingham's gems is complete without mentioning our ArtHouse Cinema - The Broadway - great world cinema and current films, fab cafe, and they run some interesting courses too, just for the fun of it.
Having been born and bred a Londoner, but having moved to Nottingham in my 20's I thought I'd try to give a flavour of life up here for those execs at Reuters who've been offered the opportunity to move here but are really not sure what life might look like north of Watford. So here goes, please add your comments and suggestions if you are a local reading this, or post a question if you're sitting in London just wondering about something specific, we're happy to help. Or just email me if you're shy!
West Bridgford, the cool place to live
I help to relocate people for a living, I like them to be happy and settled, not just into their new home but also into their new life - whether they are a family moving here from overseas for a few years or a young person embarking on a new life in Nottingham.
So we can either do it the hard way, or the easy way. I initially look after accommodation for people. Usually they are living in short-stay serviced apartments until I help them find their longer-term home. There's a reason that I only look after property in West Bridgford – it's because it's the most affluent and enjoyable place to live in Nottingham – just one mile out of the city, it's a 25-minute walk or a hop on one of the frequent buses, or a short cycle down cycle route, along the canal, or down by the river, depending on your particular destination.
There are other nice places to be:
That makes my job easier, because we then stick to finding a fabulous short stay apartment or a long-term home in West Bridgford, where the walk to work in Nottingham is via the river, Saturday morning brunch can be eaten in a number of places to choose from, either inside or Al Fresco on "The Avenue" whilst watching the farmers market hubbub on the croquet lawn, and there are a plethora of places to meet for cocktails or coffee whilst watching the world go by. In London terms I think it's a little bit Northcote Road, Clapham plays Wimbledon Village but at less than the cost of Colliers Wood.
So we can either do it the hard way, or the easy way. I initially look after accommodation for people. Usually they are living in short-stay serviced apartments until I help them find their longer-term home. There's a reason that I only look after property in West Bridgford – it's because it's the most affluent and enjoyable place to live in Nottingham – just one mile out of the city, it's a 25-minute walk or a hop on one of the frequent buses, or a short cycle down cycle route, along the canal, or down by the river, depending on your particular destination.
There are other nice places to be:
- Mapperley has some lovely large family homes, but in my opinion, neither nice cafe culture or a place to walk to in the evening or at the weekend.
- The Park, a very smart private estate in the middle of Nottingham, also has fabulous housing stock, but it ironically lacks the open usable green spaces that its name suggests. Again, if you want to shop, eat or relax you have to head into Nottingham city centre, which has its great pockets but like any city isn't really where I'd want to have to go every time I wanted coffee or a glass of wine with a girlfriend.
That makes my job easier, because we then stick to finding a fabulous short stay apartment or a long-term home in West Bridgford, where the walk to work in Nottingham is via the river, Saturday morning brunch can be eaten in a number of places to choose from, either inside or Al Fresco on "The Avenue" whilst watching the farmers market hubbub on the croquet lawn, and there are a plethora of places to meet for cocktails or coffee whilst watching the world go by. In London terms I think it's a little bit Northcote Road, Clapham plays Wimbledon Village but at less than the cost of Colliers Wood.
Rise and shine in West Bridgford
We have three large gyms to choose from in West Bridgford and a boutique gym which is happens to be my fave:
Roko and David Lloyd have good facilities, an indoor & outdoor pool, saunas, large well-equipped gym, classes and a cafe. The only real difference is that David Lloyd has tennis courts (inside and out) as well as squash and badminton, and seems to have more facilities for children.
Virgin Active is nearer to town – has a large variety of fitness classes, is in a beautiful light building, the staff are good, they also have a pool and separate mens and ladies gyms!
My personal favourite is the boutique gym - The Fitness Space, as it is walkable (runnable?) from most of our West Bridgford properties, and has very high-tech equipment and excellent staff - it is small and very focussed on results and motivation but has none of the frippery – no coffee, no toddlers, no pool, just great classes, lots of equipment, and results.
So we rise, shine, go to the gym at 6a.m., out by 7, back to your flat just round the corner for a shower and a healthy breakfast. At 8a.m. you can leave the flat and walk through the park and over the bridge, down the canal having grabbed a coffee in whichever your fave coffee haunt is, mine would be 200 degrees because it's owned by two lovely guys who have created a really great vibe in there and you'll be on your way into work and at your desk by 8.30 feeling great, ready to power through the day.
Next time I'll blog about what you might do after work but until then, feel free to ask anything and share of course!
Roko and David Lloyd have good facilities, an indoor & outdoor pool, saunas, large well-equipped gym, classes and a cafe. The only real difference is that David Lloyd has tennis courts (inside and out) as well as squash and badminton, and seems to have more facilities for children.
Virgin Active is nearer to town – has a large variety of fitness classes, is in a beautiful light building, the staff are good, they also have a pool and separate mens and ladies gyms!
My personal favourite is the boutique gym - The Fitness Space, as it is walkable (runnable?) from most of our West Bridgford properties, and has very high-tech equipment and excellent staff - it is small and very focussed on results and motivation but has none of the frippery – no coffee, no toddlers, no pool, just great classes, lots of equipment, and results.
So we rise, shine, go to the gym at 6a.m., out by 7, back to your flat just round the corner for a shower and a healthy breakfast. At 8a.m. you can leave the flat and walk through the park and over the bridge, down the canal having grabbed a coffee in whichever your fave coffee haunt is, mine would be 200 degrees because it's owned by two lovely guys who have created a really great vibe in there and you'll be on your way into work and at your desk by 8.30 feeling great, ready to power through the day.
Next time I'll blog about what you might do after work but until then, feel free to ask anything and share of course!
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