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? :(

[Radio4ordie]

Try Bristol. Whilst some bits (e.g Clifton) are pricy there are loads of cheaper really great areas and it’s a very multicultural city.

[Orangeinmybluelightcup]

I live in a pretty and bustling market town in Gloucestershire, between Stroud and Malvern. It is very white here, its true. I have only one black friend. My daughter has one mixed race class mate and my son has none. But there are a lot of Polish people, multiple in each class, Spanish, French, there are a lot of Italians in town, and actually the school queue is a pretty diverse range of types of people from housing association tenants to middle class. So it's more diverse than it appears. I have never heard of any racial attacks around here, in fact I've never heard of any attacks full stop. Perhaps I am naive. I am sure there must be trouble. But not knife crime or gangs like you here about happening in London, especially if you look these things up on twitter like you mention in your op. Maybe take a holiday to the places you might consider!

[Heronwatcher]

I’d also agree that Bedford, Luton and Dunstable would be worth looking at, also around Milton Keynes and Northampton. I have two friends who are part of mixed race families who live around Harpenden and are very happy. TBH from my own experience I think you would be very unlikely to have an issue in most places. My kids go to a small village school in Bedfordshire and there are by no means only 1-2 mixed race kids in each class, at a guess I would say closer to 5ish. And also loads of white non-British. TBH it feels at least as mixed (in terms of people) as the last place I lived in in London (SW). I think so many people have moved out of London recently you’d struggle to see the difference, apart from the fields.

[drpet49]

Swindon is very diverse and much cheaper than Reading but will all the travel links.

[Heronwatcher]

I also love Birmingham and Leamington but I guess it depends how much of a change you want. Harbourne, Sutton Coldfield etc are great, diverse and beautiful houses but they don’t seem that different to me to a nice part of London. You could consider looking at Lichfield which has good transport links to Birmingham.

[Finknottlesnewt]

We are an Asian/white have lived in Tunbridge Wells our entire lives .. with our 3 who are now in their 20s.. they have literally NEVER had a racist comment .. probably because people are so 'naice' .. or perhaps because they are REALLY well educated ??

[orangeblosssom]

Scotland

[HomelyK]

If you love rural villages have you considered ingatestone in Essex? I say this as whilst expensive it has anglo European secondary school as catchment and 75% of the students come from all over if they are bilingual. Therefore residents and schools are very mixed which is amazing and 35 mins from London by train x

[Clymene]

@Kcjka - Cardiff has always had a ethnically diverse population because of the ports. My white grandad's best friend was black in the 40s.

[HumunaHey]

Another vote for Birmingham- Moseley is great (some parts more diverse than others). Bearwood is up and coming and is very close to Harborne.

[Saltyslug]

I live in Cheltenham and would recommend Stroud. I want to move there myself as the countryside is utterly gorgeous. It’s not particularly culturally diverse, however it’s a place very accepting of differences with high numbers of people with SEN, alternative types and artistic types. Leamington spa is very different, mainstream and not particularly alternative. Beautiful town but very average countryside.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Another vote for the villages around Reading. It was predominantly white when I grew up there, apart from Reading town centre, but is now much more mixed, including my rural secondary school.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

I’d avoid Cornwall/Devon. Some of my cousins moved down there. They’re Central European and are treated with hostility and known as “the Poles” in the town where they live. They have their own business but are regularly told that “there’s a job going in the local hotel you might be interested in” or that “old John is looking for help with his cabbages”.

[AvaCallanach]

@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.

Sorry but that's balls and sounds like a variation on "outside London has no culture" that some Londoners have. At the very least it's a huge and sweeping generalisation. I live in an affluent Manchester suburb, its diverse and harmonious. Of course there are a few idiots everywhere but you cannot say that everyone outside the M25 is prejudiced, inward looking and racist.

[AvaCallanach]

FFS zombie thread.

[andpeggy1]

Leicester is brilliant, it's cheaper than London, and is such a melting pot of culture. I'm mixed race and I've never experienced racism here. I love the diversity and the fact that on one street alone is classed as the most diverse road in England

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/world-one-street-how-narborough-140090.amp

[Truthseeker456]

Very sad when you believe that areas outside of London potentially are racist.