When you mention that you are one of the many people who have made the move from London to Bristol, you get two responses. From fellow Londoners, it’s the ‘how great is Bristol life?!’ and ‘Oh Bristol has everything London has, it’s just more contained and you don’t have to travel for 45 mins on a busy tube talking to an armpit’. From the Bristolians, you get the impression they’ve known all along that they live in one of the best cities in the UK and you get a kind of look that says ‘Another London type whose just realised there is life outside of the capital!’.
And you can see the draw. A better life work balance, a shorter commute, a friendly community, festivals and scenic countryside all on your doorstep.
I was one of those people who said they would NEVER (I really emphasised this) leave London. A big city person through and through. Then I found Bristol and I had to admit I was stuck up and wrong to think I could possibly get bored in a smaller place with so much to offer.
But what it is about Bristol?
We value community! That’s the number one thing that I love about my new home. Bristol is thriving with innovative start-ups, community projects and a greater emphasis on wellbeing. We pride ourselves on our independent restaurants and bars and it is not expensive to enjoy our thriving culture scene. People are just friendlier and we place greater emphasize on the value of smaller businesses. People also talk about their success and want to help others achieve.
The environment we work in makes a huge difference to our daily lives and having worked in the flexible office space market in both cities, I have felt a growing importance of culture. Bristol is great because our spaces really have to have their own identity so people are clear on what’s on offer. In a smaller city, we have to differentiate ourselves. I’m not saying it’s not competitive, Bristol is just more collaborative. What’s important is that we are clear on our own brand so that our culture is the right fit for those organizations we hope to support. Ultimately, this means the community as a whole thrives and people value the place that they work because it is right for them.
So let’s collaborate, let’s talk about company culture, let’s work in supportive environments and meet new faces…let’s not mention house prices (we won’t go there).
%20(1).jpg)
