'Are there any women here today?'

Wed 13 Sep 2017, 09:41

I agree that people in the North are much more friendly than in the South generally speaking - although I find Charlbury very friendly. But you can't deny that Hull and some other Northern towns suffer from a lot of poverty, ill health, unemployment etc compared to e.g. Charlbury, and I think life is harder there as a result.

Wed 13 Sep 2017, 07:28

I agree with Tanya; everyone says hello even if you don't know them. My sister often remarks on this when she comes to stay and goes for a run!

Wed 13 Sep 2017, 00:33

I have to take issue with Harriet's suggestion that Charlbury is not friendly. I have found the opposite and we were stuck by how many strangers say hello when passing on the street. I too have lived in Hull and other northern towns and it's common in the north to say hello to everyone - as it is also in Charlbury. It was one of the things that endeared the place to us when we moved here. If on occasion it doesn't happen - I just initiate it myself.

Tue 12 Sep 2017, 22:42

Islington is full of progressive bigots. I should know, I grew up there!

(N.B. This comment is a joke. Please do not take it seriously!)

Tue 12 Sep 2017, 22:22

Grenfell is not in Islington! I think Islington lost out largely because of affordability. But it's wonderfully central & has a lot going for it, and I can think of many worse places to live.

Tue 12 Sep 2017, 22:01

I've lived in Hull (Bransholme among other places) and it's a lot more friendly than Charlbury given the size of the place. Strangers are far more likely to smile and say hello to you there than they are here, where they just walk past and avoid eye contact. And actually I think the survey showed that Islington was the worst place to live, which no doubt is due to there being places like Grenfell there.

Tue 12 Sep 2017, 21:09

On the basis that the worst place to live came out as Kingston upon Hull, I don't think the methodology can be that bad!

Tue 12 Sep 2017, 13:56

West Oxfordshire was named the best place to live for women under 30, thanks to its low unemployment rates and high scores on safety, culture, personal well-being and education. For women over 65, the best place was South Oxfordshire, thanks to a low percentage of older women living alone and a low female mortality rate.

What a ridiculous thing. Given that women over 65 outlive men, one would have thought that they should have been looking for places that are good for those living alone. In any case, the methodology is suspect ...

Tue 12 Sep 2017, 13:09

More on the BBC site at www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41203240 .

Tue 12 Sep 2017, 12:51 (last edited on Tue 12 Sep 2017, 12:51)

Ridiculous.

Methodologically devoid of merit, and totally inaccurate.

They don't mean England: they mean the whole world and space. They don't mean West Oxfordshire, they mean Charlbury - however hard this site's spellchecker insists I mean Charlatanry, another dirty trick from some jealous Burfordian webmaster. And they don't mean women, they mean any sentient being.

My spaniels insisted I put that in.

Tue 12 Sep 2017, 11:44

I heard this on my car radio on my way home. How on earth is such a decision made??

Tue 12 Sep 2017, 10:40 (last edited on Tue 12 Sep 2017, 10:46)

Just tuned in....
whtever it was about Oxfordshire, I missed it! Switched off now.

Tue 12 Sep 2017, 10:31

So, listeners to Woman's Hour on Radio 4 (doesn't every home worker? men, you *know* you do) will have just heard that West Oxfordshire has been calculated to be the best place in England for women to live (3rd in the overall survey - the top two were in Scotland, wherever that is). Womenfolk of Charlbury - is this true?

(Yup, it's today's unnecessarily contentious forum topic.)