Franki and her daughter Mally
(Picture: @franki.dammone)If you had asked her six years ago, Franki Dammone would have said she planned to live in Hackney forever. She loved the bars, the markets, the nightlife and the whole east London vibe, and felt she had found her spiritual home.
When daughters Mally, five, and Sunny, two, came along, living in London became a bit less fun. Babysitters were required if they wanted a night out, and they needed a larger home: the four-bedroom house they rented in De Beauvoir Town cost a punishing £4,000pcm.
Franki, 31, and her husband were both brought up in West Yorkshire and, when visiting at Christmas, they had a eureka moment.
"We loved London, we still do," explained Franki, who was a primary school teacher before having children. "It was the most amazing place to live, but when we had kids it got a bit harder, logistically, and none of our friends had families and we were trying to keep up with them.
"We had been thinking of moving further east, to Leyton or Walthamstow, where the rent would be a bit lower, already.
"Then we were catching a train home from York and my husband, who works in property, just said: "The commute from here is only 40 minutes more than it would be if we moved further out of London, we would be closer to our families, and the rents would be much lower — why don’t we move here?"
Eight weeks later they were moving into a house they hadn’t even seen in person. That was in February 2020 and Franki, now a content creator (@franki.dammone) hasn’t looked back.
“There is so much going on,” she said. “There are so many independent cafes and restaurants, and the community feel is lovely. The houses have an alley behind them, and all the kids play out together —it is idyllic.
“We can walk to the city centre in 15 minutes and be in the country in 10 minutes. I thought everyone would be walking around in wellies, but it is really vibrant and getting more and more cosmopolitan. I honestly love it."
Financially, the move has also paid off. Their three-bedroom house in the trendy Bishopthorpe Road area costs them £1,400pcm.
"I feel like we spend a lot less and we do a lot less here, but we are happier," said Franki. "When you step out of London you realise that it is quite a tiring place to live. When we go down to London we really enjoy it, but when we get off the train back at York we can breathe out. It is a really nice feeling."
