I want to move to Folkestone, Kent

[Leap3]

Hi all, I hope that you are well. I am a woman of colour (Indian ethnicity) and so is my husband and 8 year old daughter. Folkestone in Kent is affordable to live in and has many positives however it isn't a very racially diverse area. Has anyone had positive experiences of living there? Thank you very much for your time.

This is a forum for black mumsnetters primarily

I can offer no advice OP, as I do not know anybody who lives there. Just go and check out the location you are thinking about moving too, and see how you feel walking around town etc. There are other threads in this section relating to similar situations which you could take a look at.

Hi LadyKenya thank you very much for your feedback. I will definitely visit Folkestone. I currently live in South Africa and I am moving back to the UK at the end of May. I previously lived in London which is very diverse but due to the high levels of pollution and unaffordable rentals, I want to move to Folkestone. It has a very creative feel to the area and many Londoners have moved there.

Yes rents are high in London but not true about high levels of pollution. What period are you comparing it to? When the smoke bellowed from the power station? Homes were heated with coal? All buses were petrol/diesel powered? When did you last visited and how much more polluted was it in comparison to your previous visit?

This is the sort topic that gets discussed frequently on the 'Life after London' Facebook group, so you might have better luck joining that and asking your question there OP

Rents are now high around the UK for various reasons. One of the main reasons being a shortage of properties to rent.

StaringAtTheWater Thank you very much for the tip, it has been very helpful.

Reugny Yes rents are very high now, trying to find the best way to reduce costs. Thank you for replying.

Delectable https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4nw2r72l5ro I hope that I am wrong regarding the levels of pollution in London because I love London.

Hi, we live in Kent. Id say Deal or Hythe are much nicer than folkestone. Folkestone has had a lot of regeneration money poured into it, but personally i still wouldn't want to live there - although it is lovely for a daytrip in the summer.

If your daughter is 8 then be aware that Kent is all grammar school area, so secondary schools are selective.

Rents are ridiculous all over the South east, supply of rental houses/flats has dropped and demand is still high.

You're welcome OP 😊

To check pollution levels, this website is quite helpful: https://addresspollution.org/

Unfortunately many towns in the south east are over WHO recommended limits for various pollutants, but still generally not as bad as London. To get properly clean air you'd need to live quite rurally, which of course comes with it's own disadvantages, like having to drive everywhere etc.

MyYoniSaysNoni Thank you very much for your guidance, I appreciate your help.

StaringAtTheWater Your link really helps me to understand the levels of pollution in various levels. Thank you and have a lovely weekend.

I live in Folkestone. Do NOT do it.
I'm middle aged and menopausal.No one would dare say anything to me now.My son isn't. He has to deal with racism in varying degrees/ forms daily . He doesn't tell me the half of it . It is truly shocking
He is able to laugh about it . I just find it depressing. I can give examples if you want.

I just need to add that I moved to Kent from South London. I grew up in Cookham Berkshire in the 70's . It's like being transported back in time. On the plus side ,
girls love my son as he seen as exotic!!

Dear shatteredmum1 thank you very much for taking the time to reply. That is really awful for your son and you, it's sickening that racism is still so prevalent. I really hope that the situation improves for your son.

@Leap3 my family originated from.Folkestone and Canterbury. I was educated there. 50/60 years ago it was very nice albeit very homogenous and a near perfect home counties upbringing of pony club and naice schools (many of which have closed)

My mother is still there in one of the Ke.t Villages. The area is pretty hard UKIP/Brexit. It's quite strange nowadays. It's full of 2nd/3rd generation Londoners now, insular, provincial and not quick enough to London like many of the Essex towns so there is a lot of poverty too. The old farms have been brought up by factory farming entities (Planet Thanet, for example) and the old farming communities have disappeared.

I wouldn’t do it. I know an Asian family who spent some time near Maidstone. They resettled near Leicester and are much happier.

Bought up!

I'm white-so I can only speak from observation, but here goes. Folkestone is not very diverse at all, and I'm afraid, particularly since Brexit the whole area is pretty embroiled in the whole issue of "illegal migrants" and there is currently an unpleasant undercurrent of racism. I honestly don't think I would advise a non-white friend to move there. A shame, because in other ways it is a fantastic place with, as you said, a burgeoning creative sector.

Thank you. I’m sorry to say that Kent is very racist. My son copes with it very well and as I have mentioned previously he is a hit with the ladies.
Unfortunately a child would have to be pretty tough to deal with Kent attitudes.

Sorry. Thanet Earth. Not Planet Thanet.

Hi RosesAndHellebores,CurlewKate and shatteredmum1, thank you very much for providing insight into this discussion. I appreciate your input. I hope that change happens at a faster rate so that it isn't such a minefield to find a place outside of London. Enjoy the rest of the lovely UK Summer.

Not all of Kent is racist, so that’s a sweeping generalisation. I live in Kent and have friends of all nationalities.

North Kent is much more diverse, still idiots around but its not UKIP central like Thanet