Having graduated from my English Degree and thinking about my next steps, I often ponder over my decision to make Worcester my permanent home. It would be fair to say that I fell in love with the place the first time I visited and have never looked back. But why? What is it about this place that grabs people and makes them never want to leave?
From my perspective, these are the things I like best about Worcester and continue to keep me here even after graduating. So, take a look at what this lovely miniature city has to offer, and you could be as happy as me!
- Worcester is one of the most rural counties in Britain
This allows me to spend lots of time outdoors both walking and cycling, two of my favourite hobbies. My favourite walk has to be climbing Worcestershire’s very own ‘mini mountain range’, the Beacon on the Malvern Hills. Being the tallest point in the county gives excellent views over the surrounding countryside, and you can even see the University library, The Hive, from the top on a clear day. In the winter, there is often the chance to see a bit of snow – one of my other favourite things!
I am also an avid cyclist, and after training for a London to Paris bike ride (raising over £3,000) for the University charity of the year, I now belong to a cycling group which aims to encourage more women into the sport. The miles of country lanes provide great scenery and safe routes to ride on.
- A safe community with the benefits of a city
One of the things I like the most about Worcester is that it does not feel like a city. Although I love the sights and shopping in big cities like London or Birmingham, I just wouldn’t want the permanent hustle and bustle on a daily basis.
Worcester feels more like a town but has the transport links and facilities of a city, and with a population of only 100,000 it has a great community feel. I also felt very safe when I first came here, which is something I did not feel when visiting other larger cities.
Since deciding to make Worcester my permanent home, I have discovered it is in the top 10 safest places to live in the country. This makes me very happy, which is unsurprising since Worcester is officially the 8th happiest place to live in the UK (according to a Rightmove Survey)! The best demonstration of the community spirit I have seen is in the unprecedented floods of 2014 when our main river bridge became impassable (the university is located up a hill and so, luckily, doesn’t flood!). A local coach company donated its coaches and staff to ferry local residents and students into and out of the city.
- There is always something going on…and you can easily get to the centre of the action
A great advantage of a smaller city like Worcester is that, as a historic city, there is always something going on. Since I have moved here, there has been at least one major event each year. In 2012, we were lucky enough to have the Olympic torch procession pass through.
Being a smaller city, it is much easier to get to the centre of the action and my daughter was lucky enough to get to hold the Olympic Torch – I have never seen her so excited and enthused! We have also had a visit from the Queen when she opened our award-winning library, and we had the privilege of a Tour of Britain stage starting in central Worcester. My cycling group was lucky enough to be involved in this event and meant we could get very close to the action.
Even if you don’t choose to come to University here, you should at least pay a visit…Why not?!
Worcester Student Life 