Move to Lincolnshire (Sleaford)?

[VeryExhaustedPigeon]

We currently live in the home counties in what was a 2 bed semi (we had a loft conversion to create two further bedrooms but downstairs is just a lounge and kitchen/diner). We are DESPERATE for more living space (and ideally an extra reception room that could become a sensory room).

Eldest child finishes GCSEs next year and can't stay at current school (lack of A Level options). Our other two children (10 and 9) are severely disabled and can't currently attend schools (may never attend a school, certainly wouldn't be mainstream if they did).

We can't afford to climb the property ladder here so have been considering moving to somewhere with more affordable housing.

We like the look of Sleaford in Lincolnshire. It would allow us to move to a bigger property without increasing our current mortgage (£425,000 looks like it would comfortably get a 4/5 bed detached vs a 3 bed semi here). However, we have no connections to the area and we don't know anything apart from what I've found on Google (happiest place to live apparently!)

We would love any information or recommendations from locals or those who know Sleaford - areas/specific roads that are perhaps less desirable to move to etc would be really helpful. We're not fussed on being near good schools and both drive (happy to commute for eldest's sixth form). We prefer town/suburbs to villages (but would consider villages if not too remote - hubby's benchmark is whether Deliveroo is willing to go there or not! 🙈)

Thanks in advance 🙏🏻

Deliveroo isn’t in Sleaford at all.

Sleaford is a shit hole, surrounding villages are nice. Deliveroo doesn't exist there.

I grew up in Lincolnshire and went to one of the high schools in Sleaford. All I can say is don't... it will be a huge culture shock if you are moving from the Home Counties. There are nice bits of Lincolnshire, but it's also very rural (not like rural Cambridgeshire etc) and opportunities for employment once your kids are grown are minimal. I now live in a more home-counties-esque area and could buy more house if I moved back, but it's not worth a bit of extra space in my opinion. Sleaford isn't very nice, it's run down and a dying town. Not somewhere I would raise a family given the choice.

Why did you pick Sleaford in particular? There’s other parts of Lincolnshire that are similar price wise that would be more appealing to most people! Sleaford is a bit awkward location wise. Not that close to Lincoln or Grantham..you’d get somewhere similar price wise in one of the villages around Lincoln and be less ‘out in the sticks’. Worth looking at Welton, Nettleham, Bardney, Branston, Washingborough..all nice villages with bus services to the city.

I spent my teenage years about 9 miles from Sleaford. It's a shithole. However, as PP, pointed out, there are some lovely local villages surrounding it. Folkingham is lovely. Also Sleaford and Grantham have good Grammar Schools. If you're moving to Lincolnshire though, I would look at Stamford instead. That's a lovely town.

Why not further North East?

I live in Lincolnshire, very close to the villages that @ItsMutinyontheBunty suggested. Sleaford really isn’t a nice place to live. Being closer to Lincoln would be my choice but maybe go for a drive round Sleaford and see how you feel.

That was a bit of a glib comment, sorry. It was more that we like the convenience that comes with somewhere that is slightly more populated: takeaways, supermarkets, less curtain twitching. 😂We're in a decent size town now (80,000 population) and have some well served villages near us with shops, takeaways, pub, doctor's surgery, sports centre etc and then a similar distance but the opposite way, villages that don't have so much as a single corner shop. We definitely aren't looking for the latter.

In a not very informed way if I'm honest.

Hubby had family friends (now deceased so not a link) that moved to Boston 25ish years ago and loved it. Raved about being mortgage free AND having a bigger house, slower pace of life, friendly people etc.

So he suggested moving to Boston but my Googling suggested that was a lot more cut off and there seems to be a lot of HMO properties which worried me. Crime rates also seemed quite high. So we worked out from there and hit upon Sleaford. Online made it sound like a family friendly market town but I know the reality can be very different hence researching before we start committing to visiting places as it's 3 hours each way so I'd like a short short list if possible. 🤞🏻

Lincolnshire wolds is nice
Sleaford isn't

Struggling to convince my husband (he's the 'anywhere above Watford is North' type). Which is a shame as I love the look of Doncaster personally.

Well I live in Sleaford and don't think it's that bad! 😆We do have Just Eat and Uber Eats. Youngest just finishing GCSEs and will be going to Lincoln College where his older brother also is. The joint sixth form in Sleaford is quite good but neither of them fancied it. That said I would also look at Heckington. Hope that helps

I work in Boston at times..as in I go there, work and come straight home! Wouldn’t move there personally!
Stamford would be closer to that description of market town. Market Rasen maybe but again it’s out in the sticks and if you’re moving outside of commuting to London it’ll be difficult. Also check out the distances to hospitals, ULHT is spread across the county and services spread means you may be offered appointments an hour away + from
where you live!
Lincoln is more accessible to elsewhere - again trains aren’t brilliant but you can change at Newark to many train lines - direct to London or up North from there - I’ve been to Edinburgh with one change at Newark.

Thank you for posting. We currently live in what has previously been voted 'the worst place to live in the UK' and I don't hate it here so I think maybe I'm looking for different things to others. 😂

Is this house in a nice area?https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147840986 Apart from the garden being on the small side, this seemed perfect as it's walking distance to what looks like a nice park and only a mile ish away from the sixth forms (and Aldi, my teenager loves Aldi! 🤷🏼‍♀️) which eldest could walk/cycle.

Sorry for the delay in replying yes it's not too bad. Opposite end to me but not the worst area and looks a nice house too 😊

Lincolnshire Wolds are nice.

If your children have disabilities, the local children's wards are not great. And the nearest children's hospital is 90 min away.

I’d honestly try and be nearer Lincoln seeing as you have three kids. There is not much going on in sleaford at all. I would say it’s a run down, dying town. It’s not a bustling market town. There are enough grocery stores to keep you going. I admit I have no idea what the shops are like in the town centre these days as haven’t set foot in the town centre for 15 years but can’t imagine it’s improved.

Good point, I know people with health conditions who have moved away because of the nhs provision here. Have you thought about Notts? Be nearer bigger cities and better healthcare. Bingham is nice https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/149216033#/?channel=RES_NEW

Sleaford is really not very nice at all. I grew up in a lovely village outside Grantham, which is also not nice but is a bigger town with more amenities than Sleaford.

The villages are a lot better than the towns imo. Have you looked in and around Lincoln or Stamford? Those are much nicer than the rest if the county.

I'm a mum of a child with SEN and have some friends who moved to Kings Lynn with their SEN children and have raved about it. Their children got diagnosed with conditions that were ignored in London and there are some really good schools there so I'd do more research on the local provision of wherever you'd like to live.

I went to school in Sleaford but lived elsewhere in Lincolnshire. The schools were great, although I have no idea about special school provision. Sleaford itself is just a nondescript small town with not much to say about it. I've been back to see people there and it looks worse everytime.

Couldn't escape from Lincolnshire fast enough - very limited employment opportunities, very insular attitudes, some big problems with racism. Especially around Boston sort of area. Lincoln itself is marginally more diverse, possibly because of the university. I had to leave to find work and wouldn't choose to live there again. It's also a long drive on slow roads to get anywhere at all - hospitals, major shops.

I think towns like Market Rasen or Gainsborough are a bit nicer than Sleaford?

Snap.

I also couldn't get away fast enough and never lived there again after leaving for university aged 18.

Sleaford is a shit hole

what about Bourne? Great schools and nice town

So strange to zero in on Sleaford and Doncaster in this situation, with no connections and a DH wary of going north of Watford. You could get a lower mortgage and not go to such an extreme. There's lots of threads on here that will help if you have a good rummage around for moving out of London/up north. Sheffield comes up a lot as does Clitheroe on the other side. Certainly worth sussing Yorks and Lancs as well as Lincs.