Love it or loathe it Zoom has become an integral part of our lives over the past two years. For Jo and Teppo Palosaari it has proved a total game changer.
Switching her work as a Pilates instructor from face-to-face to online freed Jo from the need to be in London.
Teppo, an interpreter, had already embraced the WFH lifestyle well before the pandemic.
And so the couple decided to exchange the three bedroom 1920s terrace in Streatham they had bought two decades ago and move to somewhere quite different — a newly built New England style “village” in the heart of Wiltshire, with plenty of on site facilities for these fifty-somethings to enjoy during their downtime.
They chose Wiltshire because they had happy memories of holidays spent in the county and, having taken up golf five years ago and “quickly become addicted” they were keen to live close to a course.
The purpose built village ticked both boxes and at the start of this year they paid £220,000 for a two-bedroom, 1,076 sq ft apartment at the village, which is close to Royal Wootton Bassett.
At just over 1,000 sq ft the flat is almost as big as their old house, and their household bills now include a service charge plus fees for using the on-site facilities — golf course, pool, gym, gardens — totalling circa £3,000 per year.
The sale of their London home is still going through.
Some six months in and Jo has absolutely no regrets about leaving the capital.
“My husband has never really liked living in London, but we thought we had to stay because I had a studio there,” she said.
“Everyone here is from somewhere else, so we haven't had the problem of being outsiders. We have been welcomed, and offered kindness and an instant social life.
“There is no litter and no crime, which is a luxury we are still appreciating," she adds.
“There are no shops, but people enjoy the bars and restaurant, the pool and gym, and the golf course, at the resort hotel just 50 yards away. A stile at the end of the village leads onto endless Wiltshire walks.”
When the couple do want an urban fix, Bristol and Bath are both close by, and they can also take their camper van and spend weekends exploring the whole west country.
“There is so much going on around here, in a way it is just like being in London and jumping on the tube to go to a different area,” said Jo.
