What is it like to live in Wiltshire?

Started by grahame, May 08, 2022, 01:56 PM

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grahame

North and West Wiltshire for potential guests from Ukraine

Wiltshire is a county (Oblast) about 150km to the West of London, England. There is lovely countryside between towns with populations of 10,000 to 40,000 which you will find every few miles in the north and west of the county - places like Trowbridge (the county Town), Chippenham, Corsham and Melksham - the three towns in which our group is based - and other towns such as Devizes, Calne, Bradford-on-Avon, Westbury, Warminster and Malmesbury.

Most of these towns are growing - people want to live here, the lifestyle is safe, there are usually jobs available, schools, medical facilities, and a road network between the towns and some public transport to help you get around if you don't have access to a car. There are the other things you'll want too - shops, leisure facilities, places to go and see, and lovely countryside to visit too. The people are for the most part very friendly and welcoming, and the outpouring of support for Ukraine and its people has been incredible. Like anywhere in the world, those of us who live in Wiltshire grumble about things that could be better, but really we have it pretty good. There are also, like anywhere in the world, people who will grumble and complain about new residents, even if they were new residents once.

Our climate - see http://www.ukraine2uk.info/58 where I've put together rainfall and temperature maps. The top of each of our pages, including that link I have just given you, shows you today's weather in Kyiv (Ukraine), Warsaw (Poland) and Swindon (England - nearest available forecast feed) and all three are similar.

English is the native language in Wiltshire, and you will find it very useful indeed to know a few words at least and to learn the language more once you are here. There are (and will be more) courses in English as a second language to help you. We have a few Ukrainian and Russian speakers in the area who lived here before the conflict, but only a few. Many of us learned French at school, and there are people who speak other languages too, but as a nation we have not been very good at learning other languages.
Melksham Town Councillor (South Ward) - special interests including travel and transportation, economy and climate. Retired IT trainer, helping with the Ukraine UK forum