Mixed race family want to leave London.. :(

[Clebaby]

Hey! Please help if you can (but also please do not comment if you do not support anti-racism. Thank you!) We want to leave the rat race by buying a more rural/village/town outskirts house where mortgage repayments are way less so we can work less and be with our 2 young kids more. But outside of London we are so worried about racist attitudes. We’ve worked out a few areas that may be more diverse than others - like Leamington Spa - or places that may be white but more liberal and welcoming - like Stroud and Malvern. We have (white) family in the middle of these 3 places. Are we accurate in our assumptions? Is there anywhere else in midlands/cotswolds or even wales that would either be diverse or open minded and less racist? I spend so long looking up racist attacks on twitter every time we find a good place that I end up back at square one: London is the only safe ish place. But we don’t want to work 24/7 and never see our kids for the privilege. Over it. Maybe we have no choice but cities? :(

Have a look at both Bedford and Hitchin, they both have a multicultural population. Luton does too, but more urban and a bit more industrial so not quite so picturesque, and you have the noise from the airport.

@CatsFantastic

When I imagine my family in the future I feel safest thinking about them living in an area that voted remain and that is quite liberal and creative -because that will be a generally friendlier place, IMO.. as well as more welcoming to us. And more fun! The Leave people I know are so angry and moany. No wonder this country is so divided at the moment

Because of all the stereotyping that happens right OP?

I don't think it's stereotyping that's divided the country, although the poster you're responding to may have a different opinion.

South West Wolverhampton......very diverse, near countryside, reasonable house prices, schools very mixed culturally (apart from Wednesfield North area}.

Midlands in general would be good. Do your research but lots of nice areas and diverse enough population .
Also can get to London very easily for day (1 hour from bham int) and lots of people commute.
Defo get more for your money here.
Good luck and hope you find your happy place x

Northamptonshire is very diverse in places. We're in Wellingborough and my DCs' schools are as diverse as London schools (eg 30+ home languages among 300 kids). Social events tend to be very mixed too.

The situation is not the same if you go into the villages though. Much more of a white British monoculture there.

good job she's welcome on the rest of mn then, eh?

^ This.

I really am at a loss to understand what is going on.

Leeds is a tremendous city and v multi cultural on the doorstep of incredible countryside.
I am married to a Middle Eastern my child is BAME and never encountered racism. I have a wide circle of friends whose parents or a parent was an immigrant, myself included.
The West Indian carnival takes place every year and has been going for around 50 years!

sunshinesupermum
Lightsaber the Black forum is specifically for Black people only. Mixed race is not included.

I hope someone told Patricksrum, I believe she has white family members.

I’m not agreeing with it but having white family members doesn’t mean you are mixed race...

Durham is wonderful but much further north than you've mentioned

Leamington & Warwick votes remain, they were a little pocket of red surrounded by a sea of blue. There is a Labour MP again surrounded by Tory MPs

Leamington is diverse, great place to live and not so crowded as the SE which is population dense

I'm gobsmacked that anyone would consider London as "the only safe ish place" in the country.

Crankley

I hope someone told Patricksrum, I believe she has white family members.

She may well have white family members but when she began asking for a Black Forum she specifically stated no mixed race in order to address specifically Black issues.

The idea that anywhere outside central London is going to be full of straw chewing bumpkins who only mix with pure bred whites is quite amusing, you really need to get out of London for a while IMO, if only to give your kids a wider world view.

@Wingedharpy

I'm gobsmacked that anyone would consider London as "the only safe ish place" in the country.

Yep, stunning parochialism, London is one of the most dangerous places in the country now, much worse than it used to be, and rammed with racists as well.

Yes avoid Kidderminster, Telford etc... very white, people less likely to have gone away to uni in more liberal and mixed areas, and I've witnessed outright racism. I've also seen a lot of the kind of casual racism and ideas are about 30 years out of date - people may think they're being progressive but they're really really not.

Somewhere like Bristol (tends to be liberal and diversity across the classes) or Bath (liberal, fairly white overall but depending on the area welcoming quite a lot of diverse doctors, engineers, academics and ex-Londoners) might be good. Cotswolds can be a bit more, ahem, 'old-fashioned', depending on how far from the cities.

Reading is diverse but I've not spent enough time there to report on attitudes. Oxford is a weird one - the area around Cowley is diverse IIRC, but overall Oxford doesn't feel that diverse. Plenty of international students and academics but IME town and gown don't really mix.

@Wingedharpy & @DeadHouseBounce interesting comments. As a matter of curiosity, are either of you non-white?

And the whole point of the thread is to suggest places outside of London...

Thanks everyone - let’s see if we can sell or not first and then we will start looking properly at BHam and Leamington and some other places suggested here. Yes agree there are many racists in London too. I want to protect my sweet tiny kids from what some people may think of them for as long as I can. Choosing their new home is such a massive pressure but I feel a bit more hopeful now! Xx

We are a mixed race family with a teenage daughter wanting to move to South Wales. We’ve holidayed to various areas in the south but a week doesn’t tell you what it’s like to live there.

My daughter currently experiencing racism at school and I know sadly she’s likely to experience this wherever we live, but I would like to know others experiences in / around these areas: Cardiff, Abergavenny, Neath, Llanelli or Crickhowell?

Are these areas good for things to do at 14/15? She’s a keen cheerleader and would want to continue. What are the schools like?

As for Mum & Dad, we want somewhere with good shops, cafes etc and beautiful places to walk (most of Wales fits that one!). Hubbie can work from home, I’m currently a childminder and may look at continuing this.
Thanks ☺️

@Kcjka I lived in Cardiff for many years and it is very diverse and welcoming. There’s plenty to do there too, I haven’t heard of cheerleading at any schools though.

We actually live a 15 minute drive from Cardiff in the Vale of Glamorgan, it’s lovely, right on the coast and lots of parks and beaches (plus childminders are in short supply!) and there is a very diverse mix of people here.

@tara66

My son, who is not entirely white, says he will not go outside M25 (which is not true as he just went to Scotland for a week). He says the people there (the other side of M25) are ''different'' - prejudiced, inward looking, racist etc . He has multiple degrees, is very well travelled and has a very well paid job - in London.

As someone who is not white, has multiple degrees, is very well travelled, and lives some way outside the M25, I have to say that your son is the one who sounds prejudiced, ignorant and inward-looking.

Slightly hurt by the comment about Kidderminster above. I don’t know many people locally who didn’t go to university or that hold views like that! I’d give Telford a miss but purely because it’s bloody awful.

We don’t exist in a vacuum here. I live in a tiny village and there are fewer non-white people but my cousins are mixed race, another set are Jewish and the third set have mixed race children. My children have never been in a 100% white class in primary or high school.

Bedford, Dunstable and Luton are all multicultural and close to rail and motorway links. And some lovely countryside isn't all that far off either.