Desperately trying to find my place again back in my homeland (Staffs/Midlands & beyond?) after 6 years away

[wandererreturns]

I’m back in England after 6 years away, newly pregnant and desperately trying to find my place again back in my homeland. Because of my time away, I do not have a solid network here in England and building one means a lot to me. I’m craving meeting other mums-to-be and making friends to go through the journey with together, and I would love to have good options for mum & baby meetups after my child is born.

My family live in Staffordshire, and although being at a reasonably close distance to them is important, my main objective for our new home is to find somewhere with a strong community. I practice yoga so a studio would also be amazing, but it’s not a deal breaker. My partner is not from the UK so he doesn’t have any ties to any particular location. We are looking to rent a house for now (and have a flexible budget), but the rentals market seems to be very slow at the moment, no matter where I look. We’ve been hunting for a month now, while staying in an Airbnb, and it doesn’t feel like we’ve made much tangible progress. I’m now 11 weeks along in my pregnancy and I’m really eager to get nesting and settled, as I’m sure you guys can relate to.

So I was hoping you might have some ideas of places to focus on that stand out to you because of their strong family communities (ones that have the potential to embrace a newcomer!).

A bit more about my situation… I’m white and my partner is Japanese American, so I’d love a community that would embrace us as a binational couple with a biracial child on the way. I’m 39 years old, although I don’t take that number seriously. In terms of location, I started off by looking in Staffordshire and then broadened out to Leamington, and have considered areas on the outskirts of Birmingham like Harborne. I have also recently been exploring the idea of Gloucestershire (somewhere around Cheltenham or Cirencester), but it would need to be a very valid reason to move that far from my family. With all of the above, I’m finding it hard to get a clear picture of the community spirit, so to speak.

I might also add that I am naturally more of an introvert, which doesn’t always lend itself well to making new friends… but I’m determined to make a concerted effort. I’m really looking to carve out our new life in this lovely country, but I could do with some guidance. If you have any thoughts or advice, it would be truly appreciated! Thank you so much in advance.

Harborne/Moseley have become quite trendy nowadays with prices to match. However, there'll be more to do/more baby groups etc in the city than in Staffs I should think and Bham is diverse so you'd got in as a mixed race family. Leomington Spa is a much smaller community so maybe check out what's on offer via the local Facebook pages. Posters will also give you a feel for their 'attitudes' - ie; you can tell if a community is closed minded, racist etc

Do you need to be anywhere for work? I have a friend in Nantwich and she seems to have a good mums network there though it is pretty white. She also raves aboutShrewesbury (also very white). What about affluent south Manchester eg Wilmslow?

Have you looked at Barton under needwood, Stone, Newcastle under Lyme, Lichfield or Stafford?

Hello all, thank you so much for your replies.

@Turmerictolly - thanks for your thoughts. Birmingham does seem to have a vibrant family scene, which I noticed includes Dad meetups too Smart idea about having a little lurk on the Leamington FB groups.

@pjani - thank you also for your thoughts. We are lucky in that we both work online so that frees up our options somewhat. I hadn't thought of Nantwich before, I will definitely look into it. Shrewsbury is a really cute place... I went to a folk festival there a while ago... Could be a good option. I hadn't considered that far north as south Mancs, but funnily enough I recently got told how leafy and upmarket it was there. Will be exploring that option also.

@leekandpotsoup - thank you for your reply! Love me some leek & pot soup Yes, to all of the above except for Newcastle. Not for any particular reason though, so I will look into it also if you feel it fit the brief. I've been exhausting the options of Stafford & Lichfield, though they're both super close to my hometown (Rugeley) and I kind of feel as though I'd prefer a clean slate, so to speak. Barton has been a top option since day one, but unfortunately rental properties haven't been forthcoming there. I appreciate your thoughts!

@wandererreturns I used to work in rugeley and alway liked it as very friendly down to earth place. We go to Barton marina quite often for the walks and the coffee and cakes etc. Cannock? Some of the outlying villages around stafford like great and little Haywood - easy access to Cannock chase. Penkridge is a nice little town too.
If you need to know about any of the towns and villages ask and I'll do my best to help as I'm from stafford and travelled around staffs quite a bit

Worcestershire is worth looking at - you can get a lot for your money in Droitwich, Redditch and parts of Bromsgrove compared to places like Harborne and Moseley. Sutton Coldfield might also be worth checking out. I'm not sure what the rental markets are like in these areas but all have good motorway links up to Staffordshire

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/lichfieldlive.co.uk/2021/05/05/study-says-lichfield-is-one-of-the-best-places-in-the-country-to-have-a-baby/

Just to say if you're still thinking of the Cheltenham area, the journey to Staffs M5/M6 isn't at all bad. Did it a few times and found it much easier and quicker than from the south east.

Really depends on what your budget is, you are looking at a very wide range of places and I’m guessing looking for somewhere ‘nice’ from what you’ve listed.
Worcester certainly has diversity, baby classes (normally) and yoga studios. Plenty of countryside around too and close to M5.

Sutton Cole field? Lichfield and surrounding villages would be my choice. Tamworth too maybe?

I grew up in Rugeley and my dad still lives there but IMO there isn't really much to do and I don't think it's an overly cosmopolitan area.