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00:02today's escape to the country is positively blooming it is the rose arch of dreams yes
00:11that is straight out of my vision book we have properties through the ages I think it looks
00:17really really neat really really tidy he just loves the fact it was built five years ago no
00:22if that's true and gardens that go on for miles I know you didn't want a lot of lawn and
00:31I am gonna
00:32hold my hands up and I'm giving you a lot of lawn for a young couple itching to set up
00:39home together
00:39I can see the grin on your face or just yes is that is the tear in your eye hay
00:44fever or tears real
00:45tears it's a it's a pleasant mixture
01:12this East Anglian County is famed for its low-lying Fenlands that give rise to big skies it is a
01:22of course Cambridgeshire there's a term in the property business called the Goldilocks zone
01:29somewhere not too far from a city or a town commutable territory not too expensive in other words
01:35somewhere you will find the perfect porridge unbreakable chairs and really comfy beds
01:42somewhere just right just like Cambridgeshire today we're exploring the countryside along
01:51Cambridgeshire's borders with Hertfordshire and Suffolk the pretty villages of Great Shelford and Little
01:59Shelford were recently named as some of the country's most desirable commuter hotspots I've lived here all
02:07my life I love that it's such a strong community I love that it's all really accessible I don't drive
02:12myself so I get the train everywhere and I love that you can go to London you can go to
02:15Cambridge and
02:16whatever you want to do you can be able to find it the town of St Ives not to be
02:24confused with its
02:25Cornish namesake sits on the banks of the River Great Ouse its lively market town atmosphere and
02:32waterside location draw many a home buyer there's lots of green areas lots of wildlife is all around
02:38here as well and it's great very nice atmosphere everyone's so lovely too and then such a happy
02:43place to be right time to get this show on the road before we do that we need to meet
02:51today's
02:52young couple who've asked us to help them escape to the country hi I'm Lauren hi I'm Lewis we're
02:59currently living in Stevenage with my parents and we're looking to buy our first forever home together
03:06we've been sort of going between each other's parents houses for a little while now and I
03:10think we're both kind of ready to sort of have our own space have our start making our own lives
03:14together Lauren works in marketing and Lewis is an actuary both commute to London several days a week
03:27it's really important for us to have greenery around for health reasons we've both had some
03:32horrible things happen in our lives so for us we find the countryside really healing and calming
03:39Lauren has a clear vision regarding the color scheme for the couple's new rural sanctuary as you
03:46can see I really like the color pink so when we have our future house I am hoping to have
03:51a pink
03:51front door if Lewis will let me thoughts Lewis I think I wouldn't be my first choice I have to
03:59admit a few
04:00little touches I'm not too opposed to okay that'll be fine
04:06Lauren and Lewis wants a detached property but they will consider a semi it must blend character with a
04:13contemporary interior and have four bedrooms a decent sized garden and close to a station with links into London
04:21their budget seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds
04:32what's exciting is that this is Lauren and Lewis's first house together and they're so sure about wanting
04:39to escape to the country wanting that peace and tranquility and only dipping in to the busyness of London when
04:46they have to work
04:50before our canter around Cambridgeshire commences I'm meeting Lauren and Lewis on the banks of the River Great Ouse
05:02Lauren and Lewis this is exciting we're all buying our first house together
05:09we'll have a spare room for you you called me but you've known quite early on right this is what
05:15you want to do this is the plan yeah
05:17yes yeah I've always wanted a cottage and I've always wanted to live in a village and have a characterful
05:22home so that's something we talked about quite early on didn't we and we just wanted like a calm
05:27country said life for our future and future children as well hopefully I've got a Pinterest board of literally my
05:32dream house so yeah I have in my mind the sort of house that I want and everything on our
05:37kind
05:38of wish list we agree on as well which is great and that was going to be my next question
05:43because it is your first house together I think I think we sort of looking for similar things there's
05:48nothing on there that screams oh I I'm definitely not okay with that I feel like we're very much opposites
05:53attract he's the analytical mindset I'm the fashion marketing girly a bit more creative it sounds like
05:58the perfect combo to me actually let's go house hunt
06:04we start in the cambridgeshire village of yelling four and a half miles from the town of
06:09st neots on the main train line to london despite the shouty sounding name yelling is a peaceful village
06:16home to just over 300 people the focal point is the village hall that also serves as the local pub
06:24with the nearest shop a six-minute drive away in papworth
06:31the first property we're showing lauren and lewis is this quintessential thatched cottage built in the
06:37early 19th century originally a row of six farm workers cottages today it's a stylish semi-detached family home
06:48so you've got this lovely driveway with the double garage yes perfect and then wow it has a thatch so
06:56i'm happy i was trying to win you over with the double garage before we got to the thatch dream
07:02no it's lovely it looks very pretty from the outside the flower yeah it is the rose arch of dreams
07:10yes that
07:11is straight out of my vision board it's picture perfect yeah and so we thought we'd start there
07:16yes yeah ideal yeah and then see how it goes yeah it's stunning let's have a look inside let's head
07:22in
07:25i happen to know that lewis whilst not against thatched roofs is not quite as in love with them as
07:33lauren
07:33but i'm hopeful that the interior of this cottage will appeal to his more modern aesthetic and also
07:40provide lauren with all the period charm she's after so you come through the beamed hallway there's
07:46an office there look at this gorgeous parlor room that's what i would call it nice nice and bright
07:53and then look at this space oh that's very nice isn't it it's really bright as well the triple aspect
08:00which is rare especially in a cottage i like this cottage yeah it's so light yeah it's beautiful
08:06lovely and bright absolutely stunning and the ceiling's amazing excellent it really feels very
08:12homely in here which is lovely doesn't it yeah it does so we've got these two reception rooms and
08:17then you have this gorgeous bonus space really wow which can be anything leading into the kitchen
08:24but there's so much you can do yeah beautiful it's lovely isn't it you know you don't have to have
08:29a
08:29table you could have sofas in there and it becomes your summer reading room with a bar snub or something
08:34yeah exactly yeah it's your summer space i think and then you're into this really light kitchen again
08:41and all of this is underfloor heating by the way on the ground floor it looks lovely it feels nice
08:47nicely
08:47modernized isn't it and that's kind of the thing i wanted if it was going for character like a little
08:51bit
08:51modernization in there and that does seem to you seem to have done that really nicely here
08:57the contemporary cottage vibe continues upstairs so you've got three bedrooms there the bathroom
09:06a loo and then this would be your room wow again it's just so bright there's just so much light
09:13in
09:13here a bit of wardrobe yeah so i can have that you can have all that yeah
09:17perfect there's really no need for arguments over space up here in addition to the family bathroom
09:26with its roll top bath there's a single bedroom another single used as a study and the fourth
09:33and final bedroom oh nice another really decent side bed yeah this is lovely really nice nice window
09:40yeah nice natural light it's just so bright and airy in here isn't it it feels like a good size
09:44as well
09:45it's a good space for sure outside above the detached double garage there's a bonus bedroom
09:56wow and an annex there you go this is great yeah this could be our third bedroom imagine
10:02guests staying here i think they'd love that they'd love it yeah this is great a little space
10:06on our own bathroom yeah brilliant perfect the south westerly facing garden features a large
10:16paved patio perfect for al fresco dining and a generous expanse of lawn to the front which extends to the
10:23side and includes a small orchard of apple plum and cherry trees as well as some veg plots
10:32fancy growing your own veg absolutely you want to don't you yes yeah yeah yeah you're green thumb
10:37yeah it'd be great it's lovely a wildflower field at the back as well it's just stunning yours to
10:43look at to even walk through because there's a gate it belongs to the farmer and yeah they've sort of
10:49just let it grow into a wild meadow which is just gorgeous isn't it it's beautiful i've mentally
10:55moved in already i can imagine every room i love it it's stunning i can see the grin on your
11:01face
11:01you're just yes is that is the tear in your eye hay fever or tears real tears it's a it's
11:06a pleasant
11:07mixture it is time for us to talk about the price of the property i'll let you go first um
11:14i have a
11:15rough idea i think it will be right at the top of our budget maybe 750 000 pounds okay i'm
11:22going to
11:24i'm going to match it yeah it's about 750 000 pounds i like how you both said about yeah about
11:29give or take plus or minus yeah well it is now on the market for 675 okay yeah wow it's
11:41been reduced
11:42in price to account for the fact that the roof probably has about another five years and then
11:49you get that done so they've sort of accounted for that in the price okay fine yeah okay that makes
11:55sense yeah all right that's good that's that's doable this semi-detached thatched cottage has three
12:03receptions a family kitchen breakfast room four bedrooms a separate study and a detached double
12:09garage with guest annex above blessed with a generous garden it's on the market for 675 000 pounds
12:22my first impression of the house is it's lovely and well kept it's a beautiful setting there's
12:25the the the garden space in the area around is absolutely lovely the house itself is is really
12:30pretty it's more certainly more on the cottagey side than the sort of like the money side that i'm
12:36that i personally like and yeah i think lauren is definitely more leaning towards it than i am
12:41a little bit i'm still a little bit hesitant i think but there's certainly stuff about it i really really
12:45like
12:49it's just beautiful i can envision myself in this house i can see my future and
12:53kind of see all the rooms and and what they would be and how our life would be here
13:01well here you are leaving the picture perfect house
13:05but i must take your way because we have more to see exciting have we won him over i think
13:10so
13:11i think we won you over we're almost oh that was the most i was going to get right we'll
13:17get there
13:30teetering on the cambridgeshire herpfordshire border but officially in herpfordshire just lies the
13:37market town of royston i've lived here for 12 years and i've lived and worked all over herpfordshire
13:44i wouldn't be anywhere else although we're a small market town there is loads going on all the time
13:50the community spirit is amazing i think we've got more events going on than most other little towns
13:56in the area royston is home to nearly 17 and a half thousand people and serves several more thousand
14:03folk living in the popular outlying villages such as melbourne litlington and bassingbourne there's so
14:11many amazing walks nearby there's the heath there's little country lanes country walks it's just so
14:16so beautiful like i couldn't pick a better place to want to live it's very well connected equidistant
14:23between the a1m and the m11 both less than a 15 minute drive away i think we are so well
14:31positioned
14:31um we're between two airports leuten and stansted we've got great train lines into london 40 minutes
14:38you can be in london 15 minutes you're in cambridge many of the buildings in the center of royston date
14:45back to the early 1600s when king james the first chose to build a country retreat here king james pub
14:53the values of excellent wine spears and spirits looks nice to glass wine on a sunny day excellent
14:58his hunting lodge the old palace still stands on kneesworth street just a few doors up is one of
15:05the newest arrivals to royston mitre a restaurant serving up world cuisine we have been here six
15:13months and it's been wonderful six months and people are very very nice and very welcoming
15:18royston is a wonderful place it's a beautiful small town very secure safe place for kids and families
15:25a lovely place to live in there's a plethora of eateries and watering holes in the town with
15:34everything from your morning latte to your post work pint covered hi how are you hey hi nice to meet
15:41you nice to meet you i'm lewis cookie nomad is a cafe co-working and event space that was set
15:48up by emma
15:49nankivell and a couple of her old school friends in 2022 and emma's kindly agreed to fill lauren and
15:55lewisin on royston life it's a really lovely community feel around here actually it's a market
16:01town so it does get a lot of kind of traction from outside the area as well um i've actually
16:06been born
16:07and raised in royston um moved away for a few years but came back really good schools as well yeah
16:13if ever
16:13you're looking at that sort of further down the line um it's got really nice kind of family community
16:17as well yeah i find it offers a real good like work-life balance um offers a real nice kind
16:22of
16:23relaxed atmosphere it's not too like busy you're not kind of expected to kind of be constantly going
16:28in it's very chilled very nice where i've lived in sounds idyllic yeah yeah sounds dreamy but we
16:37have work to do finding lauren and lewis their perfect family home
16:50we're heading to the village of curtling now right on the cambridgeshire border with suffolk
16:56the nearest station with direct links to london is in cambridge a 30-minute drive away and the 300
17:03or so residents have access to several footpaths from which to enjoy rural walks a village hall
17:09and a pub a few minutes walk from which sits our second property a modern spacious detached family home
17:21well here we are earlier on it was a house for you lauren this is the house for lewis not
17:28that you're
17:29not moving in together but this i've gone for the other side now i do like that it looks lovely
17:35i like the porch yes it's a house with character but it was only built in 2020 okay okay fine
17:43if you
17:44have any worries about a thatched roof i'm feeling like a newly built roof five years ago yeah should
17:50be all right clay tiles oak porch oak windows yeah i think all the right things yeah yeah absolutely
17:59i do like it yeah i feel like it's still got plenty of character and it still looks from the
18:03outskirts
18:03very homely doesn't it yeah i i really like the look of it to be honest i think it looks
18:07really
18:08really neat really really tidy he just loves the fact it was built five years ago no that's true
18:14yeah that's it shall we head in yeah let's go
18:20the house was built by the present owner who used highly effective floor wall and roof insulation
18:27high performance double glazing plus low energy lighting throughout to result in a b rating for the
18:34property's environmental impact the average rating in the uk is d similarly high standards were also
18:42applied to the interior which just oozes contemporary country living and here we are wow you get a feel
18:52for the house as soon as you come in not what i expected really no it's a great though but
18:59yeah i
18:59don't know it's much bigger and more open plan straight away than i expected i love the space the
19:04fireplace there is exceptional is it i really like that that's really cool yeah beautiful lovely
19:09open staircase as well yeah i love that oak yeah i love that i love a bit of oak that
19:14is gorgeous
19:15family room here just everybody's in like adults around the outside kids messing around in the middle
19:19yeah yeah no it's lovely onto the kitchen let's go can't wait let's have a look
19:27so this is the utility with the downstairs loo door to the garage
19:30mm-hmm excellent yeah into this huge space this is this kitchen is amazing i approve
19:37that island is spectacular yeah yeah that's lovely yeah it's really well done so much space this is
19:45the perfect size to be honest fun cooking if we've got people over i feel like i like the open
19:49plan of
19:50it as well because we do love hosting especially you with your big family as well yeah this is yeah
19:55really high up on my list yeah this is this is really good for me you prefer this one already
20:00i think a bit more i think i i think so yeah i don't know if it's obvious yeah i
20:04mean you know i'm
20:05i'm about to i'm about to ask you for a game of cards exactly
20:11but yeah go upstairs go and discover that see if the space works for you and then meet me outside
20:17okay okay we'll see you soon
20:23looks like lewis is totally on board i don't know why i'm whispering it's been obvious to all of us
20:29the space on off for downstairs is replicated upstairs with four generous double bedrooms this
20:36one being the largest oh wow very spacious in here it's lovely this bedroom is massive isn't it
20:43and the views are stunning fields yeah it's beautiful let's have a look at the ensuite that's
20:50really nicely done as well it's nice to have an ensuite as well that was something that was missing
20:55in the last house and it's quite nice to have there's another double also with an ensuite at
21:01the rear of the property and a third double next door this shares a luxury family bathroom with a
21:08separate bath and shower with the fourth and final double set up as a twin oh wow this room's a
21:15really
21:15nice size as well nice and bright in area again isn't it yeah it's so big like it doesn't look
21:19like
21:20there'd be this much space in here but it's fantastic isn't it that's 2 800 square feet of
21:29living accommodation dealt with time to tackle the garden which might be more modest in size
21:35but is just as exquisitely designed
21:41this is a lovely lovely space and that's barbecue that little i don't i don't know what to call it
21:46but it's just it's not little yeah yeah it's not little yeah it's the centerpiece of the garden
21:51that it's made for entertaining this garden yeah definitely we could do that there's a nice little
21:56area for vegetables there and yeah i feel like it's the perfect size to be honest right let's talk money
22:03yeah okay how much do you think this property is on the market for i am gonna guess 725 000
22:14pounds
22:15i'm gonna go 630 000 pounds oh my gosh i overwent on the last one so now i'm unsure yeah
22:25it may be a bit low but yeah it is on the market for exactly the price that lewis guessed
22:33oh wow okay
22:36725 000 pounds okay and only been on for two weeks oh wow okay yeah yes
22:44this modern detached family home offers a huge living room a sleek stylish open plan kitchen diner
22:52four roomy double bedrooms two of which are ensuite and a beautifully landscaped rear garden
22:58it's on the market for 725 000 pounds
23:04i feel like it still has a lot of nice character in there the staircase itself is beautiful
23:09i would say it's maybe a little bit too modern for me and that being said i'm not against it
23:14by
23:14any means it's beautiful it's high spec
23:19it's so well done i think there's so much attention to detail in there as well the kitchen
23:24space is amazing like there's loads of open space the bedrooms are huge it's just so bright and airy the
23:28views are are amazing the view from the master bedroom of just rolling fields and horses and sheep it's
23:36it's stunning it's waking up to a view every morning it's just amazing
23:53we're winding up our day just a couple of miles from our second house at branches park
23:59a 1500 acre estate that's been restored to its former glory and is now run as a private events venue
24:09i'm being very auntie sonali and bringing you to a wedding venue
24:15it's just nice to know where where they are just in case
24:21wedding venue aside let's talk about the living venues that we have seen today in the houses we're
24:27viewing we said how peaceful and quiet it was and how calm and serene we felt it's exactly what
24:32we want really isn't it so yeah you're not buying a flat together which is probably what most couples
24:38and maybe that's my own experience because i was the same age buying my first property with my yeah
24:43yeah you're not doing a stepping stone property you're not going oh let's get an apartment or
24:47something you know you're going all in you're already buying the family home yeah and possibly a
24:52home that you could be in for decades really it sounds like yeah and growing into the house
24:57like growing as a as a family in the future as well that's really important for us do we need
25:01to go
25:01see a mystery house ah yeah because i think we sort of split in the middle leaning more towards one
25:09for each of us so i think maybe that that third one might sort of okay stick us in that
25:14stick us
25:14together in the middle somewhere i'm very excited to see the mystery house let's see what we can do
25:32if you're thinking about buying in and around the cambridgeshire borders here's the lowdown on
25:37property prices presently the average cost of a detached home in the uk is just over four hundred
25:44and thirty seven thousand pounds in cambridgeshire that figure rises to just over four hundred and
25:51eighty five thousand pounds and in neighboring herpfordshire to the south however it doubles to more
25:58than nine hundred and fifty thousand pounds
26:03of course there are properties to suit all budgets we've cherry-picked a few more that are also on the
26:10market now this characterful 18th century grade two listed cottage features a cozy reception a newly
26:19fitted kitchen two bedrooms a modern shower room and a courtyard garden it's on the market with a guide price
26:27of two hundred and eighty nine thousand pounds for offers over four hundred and seventy five thousand
26:34pounds you could own this handsome detached victorian property with a bright sitting room a second larger
26:41reception a vaulted kitchen breakfast room and four bedrooms outside enjoy a paved patio and a manicured lawn
26:49with a summer house ideal for hobbies or a teen retreat
26:55just over the eastern county border in suffolk renters can find this victorian terraced cottage with an open
27:03plan living dining room modern shaker style kitchen two double bedrooms and a courtyard garden available for
27:11one thousand three hundred and ninety pounds per calendar month
27:17yesterday was a day of two halves a home for lauren a home for lewis both almost right for both
27:25of them
27:25it is time to properly test them with the mystery house this is a couple who know what they want
27:30however
27:31if a property doesn't fit their personal picture perfect vision down to a tee but has the potential to
27:39are they willing to come together and put the work in our mystery house lies in the village of wentworth
27:48four and a half miles west of the cambridgeshire cathedral city of ely as well as having a direct
27:55train link to london ely has all the amenities lauren and lewis could need including twice monthly farmers
28:01markets vintage markets and the popular foodie fridays held through the spring and summer months
28:11wentworth village is a ten minute drive from ely in the middle of the east cambridgeshire countryside
28:18the mystery house is only a hundred meters away cool but isn't this what you're after this
28:26every morning in the evenings whenever you want it's this piece that you're after absolutely
28:31yeah this tranquility is just it's lovely
28:37whilst lauren and lewis explore the village with its bookshare bus shelter i'm taking you for a
28:43sneak preview of the mystery house an idyllic detached thatched cottage
28:51so far it's been a house a piece they're both happy with two different houses this is a property for
28:58both of them the mystery house because it is a house for the future
29:06this might be their first home together but this search has never been about finding them a starter
29:13home no no from the off it's been about finding their forever home and this property whilst just
29:20perfect for the two of them now has the potential to expand it can adapt with them as a family
29:27this
29:28property dates back to the 1500s but it's not listed which means they have freedom to create any extra
29:35space that they need
29:40in short it's a property that can grow along with them
29:46well welcome welcome to the mystery house wow that is beautiful isn't it your own little haven in
29:53cambridgeshire it's beautiful stunning it's newly roofed and ridged like that that is brand brand new
30:01okay so you don't even have to think about it yeah it's so beautiful isn't it so it feels very
30:07private
30:07and very secluded already which i really like as well it's like our space yeah our own space yeah
30:13isn't it i like that yeah it's really keen to get stuck in and have a look inside me too
30:17i will not
30:17make you wait any longer let's go this cottage has been beautifully maintained by the vendors
30:25and still leaves scope for lauren and lewis to make their mark so you've got the hallway the cupboard
30:32under the stairs oh lovely oh it's so nice in here yeah it's very pretty imagine just snuggling up
30:38here with the fireplace on it's so cozy
30:44through this dinky door oh wow there's a second reception used as a shared office
30:51it's lovely in here oh this is plenty of space isn't it look at this look at that oak window
30:55sills as well i really like that nice beam as well i like the size of the door as well
31:00yeah it's very
31:02cute hidden secret it's quite different to the space of the second house yesterday do you see
31:08yourself in here yeah i do to be fair yeah it's a slightly different vision but that's not not
31:12necessarily a bad thing at all i don't think we're heading back through the main entrance hall to the
31:19rear so with this house you've got the kitchen wow through to a utility room okay i would ask for
31:30that
31:30coffee machine wow that's part of the day that is i like the kitchen surfaces and the worktop it's
31:36good into this space this is beautiful it's so nice and light wow really nice space isn't it really
31:43big oh perfect there's loads of people around it yeah and great because it looks out onto the garden
31:48yes the current owners before they decided to move were planning a huge extension okay a sort of
31:56double-sized living room and an extra bedroom on top at the back okay they were then thinking about
32:01an orangery that goes it further into the garden but you could really add to the house if and when
32:08you needed it okay okay that's good to know yeah really good to know the point is it's adaptable to
32:14what you need it doesn't have to change at all in the first few years does it no no i
32:19mean we could
32:20definitely move in as is yes upstairs a family bathroom serves a bedroom with exposed beams that's
32:31used as a reading room a second roomier double in a newer part of the house and a third and
32:38final double
32:40oh wow this is the master bedroom ah loads of space this is stunning again nice beams in the
32:47backdrop yeah this is beautiful plenty of wardrobe space as well yeah yeah i really like this this is
32:53good this is really nice yeah love it outside the garden is the stuff rural moves are made of measuring
33:04just over two-thirds of an acre it comprises a formal lawn which leads to an orchard an impressive
33:11kitchen garden a chicken coop and a 30-foot teepee frame wow look all that space the garden space is
33:21absolutely massive this is amazing fruit trees there lovely flowers everywhere you see all the brick as
33:28well it's gorgeous hello what's that down the bottom a chicken coop it's a chicken coop oh
33:38loris we could have chickens hello hi oh yeah do you speak chicken no okay that's a shame
33:48in addition there's a large detached workshop and store presently set up as a games room and a detached
33:57thatched garage thatched garage i know you didn't want a lot of lawn and i am going to hold my
34:06hands
34:06up and i'm giving you a lot of lawn everything's just enormous there's so much space everywhere it's
34:12but it's brilliant like they've done it so well everything's laid out with purpose and i really
34:16like it yes we've done so good let's talk about the price okay yeah yeah i'm definitely going to go
34:21higher i'm not sure if it's in our budget maybe right at the top range i want to say like
34:27780 maybe
34:28yeah i think i think with the with the extra bit of land as well i think 750 000 pounds
34:34i reckon
34:36in a way you're both right okay which is strange to say but they have asked for offers in excess
34:43of
34:43750 000 pounds okay so i would leave the negotiations if there are any to be had to you
34:51yeah okay that's what they've asked for okay fine okay okay okay yeah
34:58this detached thatched cottage boasts three receptions and three double bedrooms the two
35:04thirds of an acre plot includes a detached workshop with store and a separate garage subject to the relevant
35:12planning consents there's potential to extend the house in the future it's being marketed for offers
35:17in excess of 750 000 pounds i love it i think it's so beautiful inside i just think this is
35:28the
35:28countryside life that i i would just absolutely adore yeah there's so much going for this house and
35:37the aesthetic is is absolutely spotter and i think it's so like it's so nice and bright inside
35:40yeah it's it's it's delivered
35:58the decline of the british bee population has become a pressing issue in recent years largely due to urban
36:06development destroying natural habitats in 2023 plans to establish beehives in the north hertfordshire
36:13town of letchworth garden city were scrapped due to a lack of food sources in response gareth towson
36:21a contractor with the council's ground maintenance team created a bee corridor a connected route of
36:29foraging foraging spaces to support bees and other pollinators hi gareth hello how are you i'm really
36:35well how are you yeah good thank you together with a colleague gareth launched the bee part of it
36:41initiative urging the community to transform available areas into bee friendly habitats
36:49there's so many people on board with schools um they're doing wildlife areas um friends of groups for
36:57that look after parks volunteers look after parks and residents um planting up their gardens uh shopkeepers
37:04with planters and hanging baskets it's been fantastic it really sounds like you really got the word out
37:11yeah people's enthusiasm for it was was great the overarching message is that everyone can do
37:19something if you've got a small garden and you can dedicate a area of it to naturalize with wildflowers
37:26if you've only got a small patio maybe some of your planters you can put wildflower seed in
37:31and grow that if you're in a flat a window box um anything really you know anything that that's
37:38um the pollinators can come and visit and and be on their merry way the bee corridor offers resting
37:47points with nectar rich food allowing pollinator populations to thrive when the other thing we can
37:53do is don't forget to give them a drink as well a saucer or something like that put stones in
37:57it so
37:58the bees have got something to sit on so they're not actually in the water and and drown but you
38:03know
38:03a little chair a little chair for the bees yeah such a nice idea its success has inspired similar
38:11initiatives in nearby royston with hopes for bulldog and hitching to follow suit wind community garden in
38:19the center of letchworth is one of many groups involved and richard the town's business improvement
38:25manager can share more about the project's impact
38:32when gareth approached me it was just something that we couldn't say no to
38:36because um because we're the first garden city we've got rich history of looking after i can't say
38:41no can you absolutely imagine the headline else it'd go down to well in garden city at that point
38:45wouldn't it oh yeah big rival big right you've got to show them how it's done absolutely so when
38:49gareth approached us yeah we just came on board completely so the first thing was getting the
38:53businesses on board and so if you walk around the town now you'll see the bee corridor posters in the
38:58windows most of the businesses in the town supported it secondly then we advertised through our social
39:03media and our website in relation to getting residents of let's with on board as well because
39:08it needed them to change in relation to what plants they were growing in their gardens how often they
39:12cut the verges how often they cut the grasses and to be honest we were talking to people who just
39:17wanted to listen we were not pushing against the closed door it was all very positive and
39:22let's just is looking great the only problem is it looks so good out here you come out here in
39:27your
39:27lunch break you don't want to go back no not at all you don't
39:33the bee corridor has enhanced biodiversity and also encouraged the whole community's engagement
39:39with nature beneficial for both bees and the soul
39:51decisions decisions decisions decisions let's see if lewis and lauren have been able to make any
39:56or whether they are totally tall
40:04how are you i should ask after seeing three amazing houses we're okay yeah too much choice too much
40:14choice slightly confused are all three houses still on the table yes i think we could see ourselves in
40:21different capacities at least anyway um in all three of those houses they each one has their own merits yeah
40:26exactly i agree with that i would say of course naturally the first and third one i love the most
40:31because for me a thatched cottage is just my dream we did like the second one as well um however
40:38it was
40:38a little bit more on the modern side than perhaps i would have liked but i think we will definitely
40:43book
40:44second viewings and we're not ruling it off the table by any means so at the moment three second viewings
40:50yes all right yeah i would i would go see each each three of them again are you going to
40:54though yes
40:55i think it's worth sort of getting another look in and taking more in as much more as possible and
41:00yeah i'm going from there i think practically the first house worked the best for us in terms of
41:05location to work it's a train line that i get every day at the minute anyway to work it's close
41:10to
41:10family so things to discuss things to think about the first house after having seen all three
41:18feels like the one in between it does yeah it does and you could be in a house by the
41:23end of the year
41:24there's no reason you're ready to move yeah yeah if vendors are ready to go yeah could work out quite
41:31nice this could be a big year yeah yeah very big we're ready to move whenever so we're excited and
41:37raring to go well you better book in those second uh viewings then yes get the phone number we'll get
41:43on the phone to him in a bit yeah and then let me know what you decide i'd love to
41:48come and see how
41:49you're getting on yes we look forward to welcoming you in whichever house we choose well cheers to uh
41:54your future the three houses that you've seen and um the hard work you're putting in now because i'm done
42:06so lauren and lewis are torn between all three houses we showed them and it's easy to see why
42:12cambridgeshire has delivered on the property front so have we seriously though it has been lovely to
42:19spend time with a young couple excited about their future i think they're going to end up going with
42:25house number one that feels like the sweet spot house and with both of them very keen to move in
42:31together i don't think it's going to be long before they're setting up house here see you next time on
42:36escape to the country lauren and lewis opted not to revisit house two and had second viewings of the
42:44first house plus the mystery house but ultimately ruled them out they continue to search for their dream
42:51forever home and we hope they find it soon if you would like to escape to the country in england
42:59northern ireland scotland or wales and need our help why not apply online at bbc.co.uk forward slash take
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