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Before she moved to Winchester Filiz Taylan Yuzak had only lived in major capitals, first her home city of Istanbul, Turkey, and then London. But, over the past four years, she has discovered the considerable charms of small city living after swapping Vauxhall for Winchester. And as well as the clean air, good schools, and friendly community she now enjoys Yuzak, 43, is also saving well over £1,000pcm on housing costs. “It is calm and peaceful and less crowded than London,” says Yuzak. “Our standard of living is higher here and it is much less expensive. “I have made new friends and I think it is easier to do that here. In London everyone is super busy and maybe less open to new people, but here they are a bit warmer perhaps.” Yukak and her husband moved to London in 2007 so that she could study for a postgraduate degree. He liked the idea of living and working abroad, and found a job in IT and software. After graduating Yuzak got a job creating content for YouTube music. The couple bought a two-bedroom ex-council flat in Vauxhall and initially loved being right in the heart of Zone 1. Then their daughter, now seven, came along and their priorities started to change. They were unimpressed by the local school, and Yuzak was particularly worried about how central London’s polluted air might affect her child’s health. They were also too busy and tired to take advantage of what London has to offer. Then Yuzak's husband was offered a job in historic, charming Winchester, Hampshire, and the couple, unfamiliar with the area, went down to have a look. “I loved it,” says Yuzak. “It is still a city which was important to me – I thought that living in a town or village would be too boring, and I don’t drive so I needed everything to be within walking distance. “It has got a nice little high street, a theatre and a cinema, the schools are all good, and it is only an hour on the fast train to London and a 45-minute drive to the beach.” In September 2021 the couple rented out their London flat – the rent they receive is £1,150pcm more than they are paying to rent a similar sized home in Winchester. They are currently locked into their Vauxhall mortgage and reluctant to pay early-repayment fees but when they are free in a year or two they intend to sell and make their move to Winchester permanent. Since the move Yuzak has also set up her own company specialising in content writing and social media marketing, Vibrant Content (vibrantcontent.co.uk). All this is not to say that there are not things that Yuzak misses about London. “Oh yes, I miss the diversity both of the people and of the food, and I also miss the big parks,” she says. “We do have the South Downs, but it is not the same experience.”
