Our W+B Life: Moving to Bordon has been good for my mental health
To kick off a new series of stories from locals, we spoke to Chris Craig, who moved to one of the new homes in Whitehill & Bordon from neighbouring Liphook. Chris talked to us about the community spirit they have on their development and the benefit that the local amenities have on the mental health of him and his family.
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Moving to Bordon has been good for my mental health
Chris Craig is originally from the North East, where it is normal for neighbours to talk to each other and help each other out. Having moved to one of the new build developments in Whitehill & Bordon, he has been very pleased, he says with how the local amenities have “helped bring people together”.
Chris and his family had been living in Lindford from 2006, they moved there originally because there “wasn’t much in Bordon at the time”. They moved to Bordon because they wanted to upsize to a “proper family home with more space” for him, his wife, nine year old son and 13 year old daughter. In the little cluster of homes where he lives, almost none of them have lived in Bordon before, with many coming from locations in and around Greater London.
Lockdown and the availability of amenities on their doorstep has helped to get people together “the kids love being able to go out on their bikes in Hogmoor and from our group of neighbours, lots of the blokes go mountain biking together. The Shed is fantastic now it is up and running and with Nightflix and BOSC there are so many ways of bringing the community together. Especially with so much time being spent at home, having those facilities within an easy walk makes it much easier to motivate yourself to get out and take a break, which has been really good for maintaining good mental health.”
As well as regular dog walks and bike rides in Hogmoor Inclosure, Chris and his neighbours have become regulars of BOSC. “BOSC is our nearest pub”, he says. “It is a great place to go with our neighbours, especially with the kids together too as they can go off and play in the play area or on the grass, whilst we sit and socialise. My son plays cricket for one of the junior teams at Headley Cricket Club, which has BOSC as its home ground, so we are probably there at least once a week. The staff are really friendly and everyone there is always so accommodating.”
For Chris, as lockdown has eased, it has meant a return to commuting to London, something he does 2-3 days a week. “I enjoy the routine of commuting and like being in London, but having a couple of days a week where I can work from home and still get out and enjoy the nature on my doorstep is invaluable. Lots of people moving to the area seem to be London commuters, but I also really like how there seems to be a focus on supporting local businesses. For the future of the town, providing the ability for local people to make money in the local area is really important as it helps fuel the local economy.”
Going forward, Chris hopes to see further investment in infrastructure, with more safe cycle routes connecting the new town with other areas in the region, he’s excited about the future of Whitehill & Bordon though, “the town centre, once it is finished, will be brilliant and provide us with option that we don’t really have around here at the moment”, he says.