Leamington and Barford named in Midlands ‘best places’ to live list

And Leamington has once again been named in the Midlands locations in the list of 101 best places to live in Britain compiled by The Sunday Times. The guide combines statistics and data such as crime rates, house prices and school performance.

But despite the paper saying it uses “local knowledge”, the village of Barford is referred to in the list as a town.

Places were selected for offering the best quality of life to the widest number of people, and combining desirable features such as a positive community spirit, good local shops and services and attractive outdoor spaces.

Barford has a population of around 1,300, has the River Avon running through it and its closeness to the M40-A46 interchange has made it popular with commuters.

The village also has a community shop with 500 village shareholders, 80 volunteers who run it and profits from it are ploughed back into the community.

Mark Griffin, of Barford Residents Association, has lived in the village for 18 years and said: “People look out for each other and in times of crisis pull together – it’s the definition of community.

“The shop is the absolute hub of the village, along with the school and the support of the church community.”

His wife Amanda is a director of the village shop in Church Street and helped set it up seven years ago. It has grown to include a post office and internet cafe.