Our Village is like many other villages in several respects. It is a rural village in a beautiful part of the country. It wants to maintain a certain standard for its residents and visitors. It also wants to retain the traditional charm of an English village. Surely, that is why many of us moved here in the first place. Now, here's the thing. And I feel I can say this because, having only lived here for six years, I am still considered an outsider. The Village has not come to terms with the fact that it is a commuter village. It may not be on a rail route to London, but the access to the A3 is a big drawcard for City workers.
While this keeps the Village house prices up, it also means that there aren't that many people in the village during the day. And those that are in the village are (mostly) either stay-at-home Mums or retired. So who will keep the Village traditions alive? It's a question hotly debated by the interested minority.
I love living in this village. When we moved here we decided we would do our bit, and slowly but surely we have been making our contribution to village life. At the very least, we are well known for our bonkers Boxers!
But there is an old guard, people to whom we are very grateful for all they have done. Perhaps it's time for the old ways to move over and for new ideas to come to the fore. Perhaps the new families are shy, or don't want to upset the status quo. I don't know for sure, but the one thing that sets our Village apart from other villages is our people. Our people are kind, hard-working, interested and committed. I am proud to be a part of the Village.